Mounting Consideration

For my Final Major Project initially I thought about having the two images separately, with possibly an inch apart but still next to each other. However, when thinking about my concept I realised that the two images compliment each other and they are so closely linked, that having them almost as one photograph would make more sense. I want the viewer to associate the subjects face with the landscape and understand how the two images entwine conceptually.
I have decided to print my images A1 on Permajet Oyster paper and mount them on to MDF wood, the reason I printed the images bigger was because I hoped with it being larger the audience would connect more with the theme of empowerment and strong emotions. I wanted the audience to feel over whelmed by the models expression and the dramatic landscapes, and I felt having the images bigger connected with this intention.  The reason I have chosen MDF wood is because I don't want the audience to be distracted by glass or frames, I just wanted the main focus point to be the images and the ideas behind them.
To mount them on to the MDF wood, first of all I had to sand down the edges and paint them white. The next step was using the hot press machine to glue the prints to the wood. The hot pressing machine has to be 90 degrees to go ahead. Once finished I put a glossy seal over the top to enhance the blacks of my image.
Overall, I was really pleased with the choice of using MDF wood as well as the size choice of my images I think it connected well with my original concept.

Health and Safety and Legal Constraints

Focusing on health and safety for my shoot is vital as I'll be shooting half of it in a studio so I'll need to make sure I brief my model on various things around the studio. For example not to touch the flash tube as it is highly dangerous and a health risk, I will make sure the studio is also as safe as possible by not leaving wires lying around which will increase the risk of injury.
Looking at legal constraints means focusing on aspects such as model release forms.
Currently I only plan on having my images displayed in an exhibition so I will not need a model release form, however, if I do end up selling my images to a stock photo website I will need a form because it may get later used for advertising, which could damage the model, potentially ending up in a lawsuit.

Not having the correct type of insurance could potentially lead to a lot problems for photographers, there are two different types of insurance, liability and indemnity. Liability covers you for any damage you may cause to any person or property whilst working, this can range from somebody tripping over a wire or destroying a building, so if you were to damage anything liability insurance will cover this.

Indemnity insurance will cover you if you fail to produce work of a satisfactory standard to the client, as well as it being on time etc. It defends your business and covers the claims made against you (court fees etc) as well as covering damages that may become payable.

Bibliography

http://preraphaelitesisterhood.com/?p=39
http://preraphaelitepaintings.blogspot.com/2011/01/william-holman-hunt-awakening.html
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/prb.html
http://www.suicideassessment.com/web/top-level/backroom1.html

Looking at photographers work for inspiration
http://www.corinneday.co.uk/photos.php
http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&VBID=2K1HZOXUK4HAB&CT=Search&DT=Image
http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&VBID=2K1HZOXUK4GVW&CT=Search&DT=Image
http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&VBID=2K1HZOXUKBEJI&IT=ZoomImage01_VForm&IID=2S5RYDIC7VKA&PN=1&CT=Search
http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&VBID=2K1HZOXUKBHLB&CT=Search&DT=Image
http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/gallery/10/10380/5/rise-arnaud-lajeunie

Evaluation of FMP

Over all, I am pleased with the outcome for my Final Major Project. I think that I developed my ideas thoroughly and was able to gradually learn from mistakes and slight errors made earlier on and work on them to create something much more meaningful and well planned. I think I am mainly pleased with the fact that my finals are almost exactly how I pictured them to look in my mind, which is something I struggled with initially. I'm particularly pleased with the shot of Miss Havisham looking directly at the camera with the tree beside her, mostly because of the atmosphere that I feel has been captured here, the eeriness of the location choice, as well as the lighting choices for the studio. If I were to re-do the images I would work on the technicalities of the film shoot of the landscapes, some of the images were a bit flat and possibly don't connect well lighting wise with the other images in the studio. I could have possibly gone further with that side of the project and taken either twilight shots or shots of the night, such as the sea at night and the moon. I personally feel that my concepts were developed well and I was able to show this through my imagery, I have analysed each image properly and always thought about how the images might be portrayed to an audience, but focusing on how I want an audience to view my images with my concepts in mind. I wanted to create my own twist on an iconic character through history, whilst adapting the original ' Great Expectations' narrative to make my own, and then process this into my imagery, and I aimed to do this throughout the project until I was finally pleased with an overall outcome.
If I could re do anything I would probably experiment and push my ideas further, possibly developing the narrative a bit more, producing more images in different locations. I would definitely like to do a shoot in Preston Manor house, as I feel this would really benefit my storyline and images. I would also have liked to experiment with lighting and composition a bit more in the studio, although I find being in the studio can be restricting at times, especially with a set concept in mind. I think I took my own individual take on a well known narrative and made it my own, so over all I am looking forward to presenting my final pieces in the exhibition and possibly developing the images further over the summer.

Pre Shoot: Looking at Photographers

Rankin

When looking for inspiration for lighting techniques and composition I looked at Fashion Photographer, Rankin's work. A lot of his work especially his portraits are studio based and he uses a range of lighting techniques to capture different atmospheres and moods.
I really admire the lighting techniques used in the photograph to the right, much like my own images Rankin's model wears a black veil. I like the fact that there is only a glimpse of light on the models face, giving the image a mysterious feel. I also aim to have my image as a side profile beauty shot similar to this, however, I will use a beauty dish directly in front and above the models face so that only her veil and face are lit, as well as the slight detail on her corset. I want to experiment with lighting up the back of the models head also, possibly suggesting that she is in complete darkness and hiding from the world, with her back turned on reality.
I aim to also use a black backdrop similar to how Rankin has used this here, to make it seem as though she image could have been taken at night and the moon is lighting up slight details on the model.


ELLEN ROGERS

I really like the intensity of photographer Ellen Rogers' work. She seems to use film and shoot mainly outdoors in isolated eery areas. I took inspiration from her techniques she has used in a few of her series. This particular shot I found quite striking because of its composition and the atmosphere she has created within the shot. The woman in the image looks lost with a sense of vulnerability in her pose, surrounded by quite a dark and isolated place. Ellen Rogers' work has helped me develop my own ideas further, especially when looking more in depth at my final concepts.

Further Inspirational Portraiture


The image to the right is by Burt Glinn and is an image of Twiggy taken in 1966. I was attracted to this image immidietly because I think it holds some similarities to my FMP. Twiggy's composition makes her look quite vulnerable and child like, and the lighting choices almost make it look as though is staring out into the distance possibly at night or twilight. I like the dramatic shadows that have been created on only one side of her face and body, it gives a sense of mystery to the image, almost making it look like a film noir shot. I was aiming to create this sort of effect with my imagery, almost as though I have cut half way through a filming shot and I have captured my character in full emotion.

Looking at my Medium Format Film and 35 mm Film.

Looking at Photography That Inspired My Shoot on 35 mm.


LANDSCAPES

The image above was taken by Josef Koudelka. I assume it was taken on medium format. I really like the composition of the tree within the image, the photographer has left a lot of space around the tree which is quite suggestive of isolation and loneliness. I aim to create something quite similar in my final images, however instead of using medium format I will use chromogenic 35 mm film.

Arnaud Lajunie

The photograph above is from a series called 'Rise' by Arnaud Lajeunie. I was immidietly drawn to the series, I found the images quite arresting as well as inspirational in regards to my final idea. The photographer has also had the idea of having two images merged together and much like mine he has included portraits within natural landscapes. For this series of images Lajeunie was exploring the lines of a female body and manipulating them with other images. There is an eery feel to these images, I feel like theres an underlying narrative that runs through the images, possibly exploring feminity and the relation between women and nature. I have really found this photographer helpful when developing my ideas further.

Focussing on Iconic Women through History: Developing My Ideas

Loves lost refrain

Her icy heart shall spend it last

Second Project Proposal

I have decided I want to do a photoshoot inspired by the story of Miss Havisham. I attempted to do this shoot as my first project when starting the photography course and I focused on capturing iconic women through history, and how the modern day woman can reflect that inside. I want to focus on Miss Havisham and the narrative behind her character. I looked at what I feel a modern day woman reflects now in society, and how women are now meant to be seen as 'strong and independant' but I think all women have a bit of Miss Havisham within them, but with modern society comes the idea of suppressing women's emotions. I want to carry on with attempting a fashion inspired shoot, and I aim to take the photos in Preston Manor House.

It turned out I was unable to shoot in Preston Manor house, so I have decided that I would quite like to go back to the idea of portraiture using the same idea of focusing on Miss Havisham's character as my narrative. I have been looking at portraiture and think I could do a lot with using just the studio, I think it would help me in developing my project further and I could do more with it.


BLURB FOR EXHIBITION

Desolate

For this project my aim was to depict Iconic women through history through imagery and how they may relate to and in some ways mirror the modern day woman. For these particular images I focussed on the narrative behind Miss Havisham’s character, looking at the idea of isolation and how her character dealt with this. 

For this project I looked at the iconic character Miss Havisham and how she may

35mm Third Shoot: Final Images

Above are some examples of the third shoot which I shot on 35 mm chromogenic film. I was pleased with only a few shots, in particular the image of the tree on the hill. I think it works very well with the chosen image of my model looking at the camera. I aimed to capture a sense of eeriness and I feel that I achieved this in these images. 

Symbolic Reasoning Behind The Images

The reason I will put two of my studio shots with two film shots of landscapes is because I want the images to clash as well as having a link of symbolism between them. The narrative behind the woman in the shot is that she is starting to face her fears of isolation. I chose certain lighting to make it look as though she is staring into the light, the light being realisation. The two shots that will accompany the studio images are symbolic of her emotions and the narrative. I had the tree because I feel it symbolises mother nature, something the woman associates her emotions and feelings with, but the emptiness and eeriness that surrounds the tree symbolises her feeling of isolation and emptiness. The symbolic reasoning behind the veil on her face is that a veil is traditionally for a bride, covering the face before she choses to share her life with her significant other. I wanted to link my images slightly with the idea of Miss Havisham, and instead of staying in her wedding dress and being surrounded by all her wedding food etc, my model covers her face with a dark veil, the opposite to the traditional pure white veil. Symbolising the same idea that she has been stuck in the same moment, the moment she was left alone at the alter, however my character is hiding her emotions and face away from her realities, unlike Miss Havisham who refuses to face the reality of the situation by having time stand still.

The story behind the woman is that she is the modern day Miss Havisham. Modern in the sense that she has to face the fears of isolation as a single woman in a modern world where this is seen as 'independence' and a part of being independent means she is to embrace being alone. In my chosen images I have her looking up at the sea crashing against the groyne. The symbolism of the landscape image here is nature crashing against a man made implement. The crashing waves and the wrath of the tide (the tide connecting to the nature of women also) against what man made (the groyne) is symbolic of the womans emotions and the wrath of the waves has only been created by something man made.

Each image becomes symbolic of the narrative, the crashing waves are symbolic of the womans emotions, her emotions are crashing against what the man has made, which in this narrative, is her isolation. She then faces her fears and stares directly into the lens, with an image of the isolated tree surrounded purely by nature and nothing man made. The final image is the woman realising that her fate is to let nature have it's way and leave her desolate, as nature intended for her all along. 

Second Shoot

EVALUATION OF MY SECOND SHOOT

Above is a contact sheet of the studio portrait shoot for my Final Major Project. I was satisfied with the outcome in comparison with the first shoot I did, I prefer this idea too, so generally I am pleased. However, I still have to take the other set of photos to go with this image as it will not just be portraits on their own. In particular I like the first image, the lighting is perfect as well as the models composition and expression. I think she has a sense of vulnerability in her face which really connects with my overall idea of her being the lost, vulnerable women, much like Miss Havisham. I think if I were to do this shoot again I would try to do some alternative shots, possibly some more back of the head shots and experiment with composition a bit more so I had a wider range to work with. I shot the above images on a Canon 5D Mark II, I used a beauty dish just above the models face as well as two black boards to reflect the light. This was shot on F11. Some of them are quite dark so I might edit them on photo shop to make the images a bit clearer, depending on the photographs I will take to accompany them.

Lighting Techniques 

For the shoot I used a medium format film on F.11 using colour film, film speed 125. As well as medium format I used a Canon 5D, using the same settings as above. I was really pleased with the outcome of the photo shoot. I realised half way through the shoot that there needed to be another reflector just in front of the beauty dish as when I was using the medium format camera there was flare which caused problems. I think if I were to do the shoot again I would try out different compositions and play around with lighting a bit more to see if I could achieve different outcomes. I found that I was quite limited with taking beauty shots as it was hard to ask the model to do much with just her face alone to show my idea fully.

                                                     Why I Used These Techniques

The reason I used the type of lighting that I used was because I initially wanted it to look as though she is a lost woman at night, with possibly the light beaming down on her being the moon. However, I don't think I am going to have a night time shot for the second image, so the idea of it being a moon probably won't work. The idea of it being a moon would have been symbolic of nature, and the idea of the womans emotions being controlled by a full moon.
I think the image I plan on using (the very first image above) has the best lighting and it was exactly what I was going for so I'm generally pleased with the outcome I think it conveys my ideas the best in comparison to the others. I have decided that the light is symbolic of her realisation, she is looking up as though she is seeing into the light. Below is an example of the type of lighting I used in the studio. I wanted exactly the type of lighting the image has here and I feel my images are pretty close, so I am pleased with the outcome.

Below is an example of my studio set up.

Untitled Landscapes: Susan Trangmar

Untitled Landscapes 1985

A series of 16 colour cibachrome landscape photographs. The photographs are of UK urban and rural scenes, interiors and exteriors. Each image features the figure of a woman gazing into the landscape, back to camera. The viewer is invited to make an identification with the view through her eyes while at the same time being aware of a ‘blind spot' in the visual field caused by her physical presence.

I have been looking at Susan Trangmar's work and have found that it is quite influential when planning out my final ideas for the FMP. Because I will be merging two images together, one image being a studio based beauty shot and the other being an image of a landscape, I felt that I should look at some examples of this type of work. Trangmar has placed herself within the landscapes. I feel that these images are a reflection of her views on feminism, her standing in front of the landscapes is symbolic of her standing in the way of beauty, and making the audience see the relationship between herself and nature. The viewer is confronted with her against what normally would be an empty landscape. I feel that this connects in someways to my idea of nature crashing with the womans identity and her emotions.

Second shoot

For the first half of my shoot I am going to do a portrait in the studio. I am going to use a black backdrop and a beauty dish directly above the model, this then creates quite dramatic lighting on her face. I used three black reflector boards, one behind the beauty dish and one in front of the beauty dish, with the model in between the two. I will also have a foam board on the side.

For the shoot I used a medium format film on F.11 using colour film, film speed 125. As well as medium format I used a Canon 5D, using the same settings as above. I was really pleased with the outcome of the photo shoot. I realised half way through the shoot that there needed to be another reflector just in front of the beauty dish as when I was using the medium format camera there was flare which caused problems. I think if I were to do the shoot again I would try out different compositions and play around with lighting a bit more to see if I could achieve different outcomes. I found that I was quite limited with taking beauty shots as it was hard to ask the model to do much with just her face alone to show my idea fully. Over all, I think the shoot could be potentially used for my Final Major Project, I still have to do the second photograph which will be next to the portrait, and now I have to focus on that working with what I have so far.

Fashion Photography Inspiration

These are all images I have found on various websites that I feel have helped develop my ideas of compostion, lighting as well as dress/makeup and hair for my final shoot in the studio. I am looking in particular at fashion based images, especially portrait profile shots with veils on the faces. The first and fourth image have given me inspiration in terms of what types of expressions I will aim for from the model as well as hair and compostion.

                                                               

Developing New Ideas: Further Inspiration

The above image is what I have decided I aim for my images to look like eventually. I really like the fact they have been placed together, the narratives of both images have been merged together, leaving a link between the portrait and the nature she looks into. I have been really inspired by Vasilisa Forbes series of images like these and I hope to take my idea further with using the narrative of Miss Havisham in this type of format.

Evaluation of Previous Shoot & Developing New Ideas

After doing my first test shoot, I decided that it wasn't working the way I had hoped it would, so I have taken aspects of my concept to produce a new idea. I want to focus on the idea of the fallen woman, in particular women through history. I will be looking at the character Miss Havisham, in particular focusing on representing her story and character through images. I aim to look at how a woman today might reflect key aspects of her character but how modern society can alter and tweak the modern woman with the same emotions that Miss Havisham might have had.

Vasilisa Forbes 

I have been looking at photographer Vasilisa Forbes, and have found some inspiration from her style and concepts. The above photograph is by Vasilisa Forbes and it is called 'Drop I hold' she has used Chromogenic film, which has given the image a grainy effect, almost as thought it's a painting. I would like to focus on the theme of isolation and the modern woman that feels this emotion every day but can't face it in a mission to fit the expectations of an independant woman.

My aim is to have a profile shot in a studio of a younger woman, with certain fashion traits of Miss Havisham. Much like Forbes photograph above, I will have a photograph of either a landscape or the beach. The other photograph will represent isolation and the woman looking into it as though she is facing her fears. The above photograph is very similar to how I imagine mine to look, but with a slightly different concept and atmosphere.
I aim to use chromogenic film as I feel I work best with using 35 mm and I feel it will go well with my general concept. The subject is desperatley seeking companionship and is hiding under a false persona that the modern world has moulded her into, but inside she still has the same vulnerability and lonliness of Miss Havisham. The two shots are meant to represent a damaged woman looking head on at nature, and the realities of it all, the subject will represent nature and the landscape will represent her emotions and the feeling of isolation.
If I were to take this idea further, I was thinking about possibly having the model facing the other way as though she has her back on the world, and having the second photograph a shot of a busy environment. As though she is turning her back on being apart of society and fitting the mould, and instead of confronting her fears she turns away from her every day reality.

More work from Vasilisa Forbes...

Forbes seems to look at the idea of capturing the world in one shot and a part of a subject in another and putting them together as one piece. I like how the two are possibly linked together conceptually, they could be contradicting in meanings also. I aim to take this idea further with my own concepts and create nature landscapes against beauty studio based portraits.

Contact Sheet

First Shoot

For my first shoot I took influence from the painting ' The Awakening Conscience.'

                                                               Camera Techniques

I shot it all in my living room, with the curtains drawn, so relying on a tungsten light and a  bit of natural lighting a long with camera techniques I got the lighting perfect for what I am attempting to re create.

ISO - 1600, Shot on RAW on F4.  1/50, TV mode. I shot this film on a canon 500D.

                                                            Evaluation of first shoot.
Overall, I wasn't extremely pleased with the outcome of this shoot. I thought the lighting was a bit flat and in general the images weren't striking enough. They didn't really convey my idea fully and I felt that what I had pictured in my mind before hand was different to the final outcome. I intend on re shotting this film and possibly changing my idea or changing lighting or locations. I don't think I would be pleased with having any of these images as my finals for the FMP. I need to develop my ideas further and look at other possible ways to produce images that convey my real ideas. 

British Photography and Painting

Pre- Raphaelite painting was all about trying to make it look as realistic as possible and true to life, some say that a lot of artists from around the period of Pre-Raphaelites took heavy influences from photographers of the time as well as painting straight from a photograph rather than traditionally getting the models to stand there and pose for hours on end. And in turn, photographers looked to the work of the Pre-Raphaelites to give their own work a more fine art feel, especially taking influence from their visual strategies and subject matter.
The image below is by Julia Margaret Cameron, and called 'The Sunflower.'

My Idea

How I aim to approach my idea

When recreating ' The Awakening Conscience' I hope to take the photograph in my living room, using natural light coming through the big windows, as well as using possibly tungsten lighting or a metz flash to the light the subjects faces.
Instead of the piano that is used in the painting I will use possibly a television or a computer, that the man will be distracted by. Instead of the glove, which symbolises the womans fate I will have a high heel, which will symbolise whether she stays and carries on being his lover or leaves and becomes independant. Instead of the book on the side, I will use a newspaper, similarily to Annie Miller, my model will be less intelligant than the man and this will symbolise this. I will show her hand, but instead of having all her fingers with rings on, the woman in my image will have a ring only on her engagement finger. I want to dress the woman up in a black long dress, with a slit going up the leg which will suggest sexuality and possibly reflecting on the idea of the modern day woman and there attempt to be attractive to the man by looking sexy, this could be a modern day way of a woman keeping the man interested, instead of the original narrative of keeping Mr. Hunt by 'becoming a lady.'

Photographers, Tom Hunter

 TOM HUNTER

I have been looking at some photographers that have taken influence from famous paintings, in particular Pre Raphealite work.
In particular, I have been looking at Tom Hunter who created a series of images that reflected the paintings of the same era I will be looking at.
Above is an example of one of his images, the title of this image is ' Woman Reading Possession Order,' and it was taken in 1998. Hunter photographs the people and places of his immediate community. The image above is part of a series of work he made of a group of squatters living in Hackney, London. In this photo, Hunter borrows his composition and colour choices ferom Vermeer's A Girl Reading A Letter At An Open Window, painted in 1657. Like Vermeer, Hunter portrays quiet, everyday scenes which gives his 'outsider' subjects a visible presence.
I have taken a lot of inspiration from his work and really enjoy the way he ties in modern issues, whilst still using similiarties of the original painting to recreate his narrative.

                              

                                     Analysis of image

Similiarily to Hunter, I aim to use natural lighting from the window to create the same effect as my painting. I particularly like the choice of lighting in the photograph, the womans face is lit up as well as the babies, which could symbolise the coice that she now has to make, and the feeling of possibly being exposed and found out for squatting. Hunter used a large format camera for this image, which he claims helped to capture the light, and used superchrome process to print it. Tom Hunter used a personal situation to him, much like the Pre-Raphealites did for their paintings. Hunter was inspired by Dutch painting, but mainly by the situation his friends were in at the time. The image was inspired by real life situations, and what was going on at the time politically. The squatters on the street were being threatened to leave, and his neighbour, the model in the image, had a new born baby. This narrative was very true to life, which is what I will take inspiration from, I really like this technique as it brings a personal touch to the images.

'' The 17th-century golden age of Dutch painting had had a massive impact on me: the way they dealt with ordinary people, not kings, queens and generals. I thought if I could borrow their style for squatters and travellers, it would elevate their status. In this shot, inspired by Vermeer's Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, my next-door neighbour is reading the possession order.''
Quote from Tom Hunter about the photograph for the Guardian.

 

Above is another example of Tom Hunters recreation of artwork. Again, this is another example of Hunter taking inspiration from historical narratives and paintings, but instead including more modern day social issues, adding a raw and edgier twist to the images. Hunter's work seems to feature strong green hues, which allows his work to transcend the normality of conventional colour photography to giving it a painting effect.

The painting by John Everett Millais  was recreated by Hunter; in a completely modern context. The story behind Ophelia,  is taken from Hamlet. Ophelia who through the death of her father and brother is driven to madness,  and drowns herself. The emotion is meant to be one of not only sorrow but of sympathy; the character of ophelia is presented as one of innocence, reservation and simplicity; her madness was something bought on by her irrationality and her circumstance. Millais tries to capture this through her expression on her face as she lies in the water; her arms poised in a helpless manner: almost as if to say woe is me.

Hunter rekindles many of these concepts within his work; but makes the image realistic within the 21st century.  The model is deliberately wearing “modern” or clothing synonymous with the 21st century. One of the most powerful elements of this image as a modern recreation, is the train bridge in the background; although very subtle, it completely changes the context of the image, and brings the scene ‘back to reality”. The emotion in Ophelia’s face and expression has been removed by hunter; here he composes her almost as if she is dead: pale and motionless. This brings to mind the element of a sinister death as opposed to a sympathetic peaceful one.

Final Major Project: Initial Ideas

Project Proposal

For this project I aim to re create famous Pre-Raphaelite paintings, giving them a modern and fashion based twist. I have been looking closely at the stories behind some of the Pre-Raphaelite paintings, and I want to explore further the curiosity and obsessions that the brother hood had with the fallen woman. In particular for one of my images I will attempt to re create Holman Hunts, ' The awakening conscience.' I will recreate the subjects in the painting as well as their surroundings with a more modernised editorial feel; I aim to still keep the narrative of the original painting, but adjusting it slightly with the use of symbolic objects. I have been researching the painting itself and have found that there are several symbolic objects around the subjects which add to Hunt’s concepts and narratives behind the painting. I will explore the meanings behind the painting further and look at the similarities in narratives and in turn use modern day objects to symbolise these. For example, in the image there is a hat on the side table which is to suggest that the man could leave the woman at any time, for my images I will use a train ticket or car keys or house keys to symbolise this. For my second image I will either attempt to recreate 'Hylas with a Nymph' by John William Waterhouse or Ophelia 'he will not come again' or 'The Hireling Shepherd.' I want to look closely at the relationships between the subjects in the paintings and their surroundings, and attempt to recreate that through my imagery. In an attempt to give the images an editorial/fashion feel I will use certain lighting techniques and look closely at what they are wearing, and attempt to re create this.

The above images are some Pre- Raphealite images I have been looking at to re create. I particularly like the image on the bottom right 'Boreas' by John William Waterhouse, I feel I could re create this with a fashion purpose in mind.

The image above really caught my eye when I first saw it. Again, it is using a very typical Pre-Raphealite girl, and putting her against a dramatic scene. The original story behind this image comes from a Shakespeare play, which was a common influence for the Pre-Raphealites paintings. The painting is called 'Miranda the Tempest.' Re creating the narrative again with a modern fashion based theme in mind, I would give the image my own narrative in which I feel reflects modern society and it's values on a similar subject. Location wise I think this image is perfect as there are a lot of picturesque scenes on beaches in Sussex which I could use for this image.

In the painting ' the awakening consience' there are objects that are symbolic of the narrative. Similarly I will use similar objects to represent the same narrative. The Pre-Raphealite paintings were reflections of the times, each painting had a historical context behind them, or a personal narrative which had been reflected on to the image. I will attempt to re create this idea of using relative times as a way of creating an image and a narrative.

The artist was William Holman Hunt, and his model was Annie Miller, a fallen woman who was as well as his model, his mistress. I am really interested in the stories behind their paintings, I will take influence from the fact that they used personal issues to inspire their creations as well as taking stories and poems throughout history to inspire them also. For example my photograph will be of the modern day young man and woman in love, and the problems they may face, in particular looking at what society is like now and how this may effect them both.

                                                      

Analysing the Image

Connotations

• In the image you can see a woman and a man, the woman is at the point of rising from the man's lap who seems to be immersed in singing and playing the piano.
• On the woman's hand, she has a ring on every finger except her wedding finger.
• Woman's reflection in the mirror, of her looking out of a window to what seems to be a garden.
• Cat playing with bird underneath the table
• A dirty glove on the floor, which I assume belongs to the woman
• A black bound book on the floor, also the mans hat
• A piano and music on the right, next to it seems to be tapestry

Denotations

• Her posture suggests she could be attempting to escape her lover, possibly something to do with the title of the painting she's realising her conscience and leaping away from it. The man seems oblivious to this and carries on singing and playing the piano.
• The rings could symbolise that she is a kept woman, who is completely dependant on the man who could leave her at any point. Without him she could have to return to her old ways of prostitution.
• The woman looking out the window could suggest her escaping to another world, looking outside into a pure beautiful garden, symbolic to the relationship between the two.
• The hat on the table could suggest that the man is just visiting and does not intend on staying with her. The black book could be symbolic of the story between the painter and Annie Miller the model. He tried to educate her as she was barely literate and attempted to turn her into a proper lady.
• The cat and the bird in the painting could be symbolic of their relationship, the man being the cat and the woman being the helpless prey.

Brainstorming Ideas

Initial Idea

For this project I want to look at social issues in modern society. I have been looking at what might class as an unconventional family, and looking at how we are still adjusting to the acceptance of the 'unconventional family.' I am possibly thinking about having a family situation such as same sex adoption and having the subjects in front of a very conventional style house, looking what would be classed as a 'normal' family portrait. However, I was thinking of putting text underneath the portrait to shake up the viewers opinion and make them think further into what they are looking at. My idea is to make the portrait look as normal as possible, but the main thing is it will instantly set something off in the viewers mind which would be that it is not 'normal' and the situation is not something you see normally, especially photographed in such a way. I will put text underneath that could mirror what someone with this view could be thinking. My aim is to test an audience and see if they judge the photograph differently now that there is text underneath it saying otherwise.

 Second Idea

I have been watching the programme ' Wonderland' and was really intrigued as well as inspired by the concept of the programme. Wonderland is a BBC documentary which reveals real life marriage guidance counselling sessions in animated form. I think the fact that it is done in an animated form lightens the mood of what they are telling an audience, as well as their sessions being recorded, their day to day lives are also recorded and played out in animation. For an audience I think it's a really interesting and powerful concept, as it stops you from judging the person by their appearance, so you only take in what they are saying and their story.

I was looking at the idea of doing portraits in studios and accompanying them with recordings. I want to look in depth at the conversations between two people, almost like a counselling or therapy session between the subject and me the photographer. I plan on taking portraits and interviewing the subjects over a period of time , recording the conversations we have. The intention behind this is to show an audience a face and see if their first impressions of the person match to the conversations that we have. I think it will be an interesting way of assessing how we judge people in society by how they look. I aim to talk about their lives and key factors in their past that have changed aspects in their current lives, as well as talking about what they aim for in the future and other conversation topics.