The last two weeks have been a little crazy for me in terms of uni projects, it's been non stop. From organising shoot locations and models to writing fictional narratives and meeting with book binders for my aforementioned Final Major Project. So, in response to the hectic schedule of the previous two weeks, I gave myself a break for the weekend in an attempt to re-energize. The weather was uncharacteristically nice, which makes a welcome change as rain seems to pounce on my days off usually. Although still cold I took advantage of the sun, location and of course my camera. The lighting was perfect and although intended as a day off, my mind started wandering to my project and gave me a few creative ideas for the use of natural light in my final images. Here are a few of the photographs I took over the weekend;
It seemed only appropriate to post about Valentines day, a day you will either love or hate, usually based on principle or on the basis of your current relationship status. Bitterness can turn the most romantic of gestures witnessed into something you despise, but perhaps that's just to cover up a quiet jealousy? I'm quite indifferent when it comes to Valentines day, the history behind it and the reasons for such a day are indeed romantic, but that is always lost under an abundance of material gestures of love. It shouldn't be the only day of the year where you aim to make someone feel loved or wanted, it should just provide an occasion to accommodate your constant affection for your partner or desired one.
This post however isn't about the gifts, flowers, chocolates etc. that have become a commercialised part of Valentines Day as we know it, but about the literature that can come from the passion and emotion Valentines day derived from.
Love poems are not difficult to come across and I'm sure you have all read at least one at some time of your life, whether published or personally written for you. Words can say so much more than a bunch of flowers. Ink on paper may seem simple, but in my opinion, there is nothing more personal or more real than a hand written poem intended for a loved one. After all, less really is more in some cases. Although it is not certain what the first Valentines poem ever written is, it is thought possible that love poems sent from Charles, Duke of Orleans whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London to his wife in France in 1415 is one of the 'first'.
'Wilt thou be mine? Dear love, reply Sweetly consent, or else deny; Whisper softly, none shall know, Wilt thou be mine, love? Aye or no?'
Short, to the point but overflowing with emotion, to me this is what Valentines day should be about. Subtle unwavering declarations of emotion, not artificial material gestures that take mere seconds to purchase.
Ben Howard, one of my favourite male vocalists for an expansive list of reasons ranging from lyrics and meaning to the beautiful vocals and melodies. I am lucky enough to be going to see him live in a couple of weeks in Bristol, courtesy of my Brother buying me a ticket for Christmas. Excited doesn't even begin to cover it.
The reason for this post however is not entirely centered around my love for Ben Howard, but more relevant to my current Uni project. I am currently working on my Final Major Project - they weren't joking when they told us it was going to be challenging - but all the same I am excited about my proposed outcome. The concept of my project revolves around the idea of fairytale/childhood and ultimately I want to create a book of which displays snapshot memories of childhood scenarios. I will be taking my own personal childhood photos and recreating them from a fashion and beauty perspective. Combining each with a short written fictional narrative to create a visual storybook in the style of an old fashioned childrens storybook. The concept aims to allow the reader to leave their stress behind and escape for a while into a reminiscent world of childhood memories in which everything was so seemingly carefree and pure.
Some of the most important elements of this project are mood and lighting, the mood is what will capture the audience and allow them to relate on a personal and emotional level, the lighting will assist the mood. I want to create a nostalgic feel to my images, muted tones, soft lighting and pallets etc. Being shot on location the sun will make or break my planned shoots (I am praying for good weather) with morning and evening light being most suitable. The video for Old Pine is beautiful and in places captures the exact mood and emotion I want to create through my photography in this project. The use of camera angles and lighting paired with the building of emotive music, for me personally, arouses a carefree emotion and a sense of freedom.
As well as the video being beautiful and perfectly fitting to my project, the lyrics(http://www.lyricshall.com/lyrics/Ben+Howard/Old+Pine/) also communicate the idea of a more carefree time, a time on which you now look back on with the realisation that those experiences are among some of the best you'll ever have. I think this is something that everyone can relate to, the loss of the innocent joy of being a child and the memories that fill you with a longing yet still bring a smile to your lips.
I have spent some time over the last few days adjusting the layout of my images so they are print ready for a portfolio project I am currently undertaking at Uni. Many still need editing or 'perfecting' shall we say, but I thought I'd post a few of my images so that you can see the kind of things I work on for projects.
Tribal inspired feather design.
The brief requirement for the above image was 'Tribal'. Tribal is an extremely broad theme, although to most it denotes body paint and tribal tattoo art, the meaning behind tribal rituals are extremely conceptual and often overlooked for design purposes. I didn't want to recreate a generic tribal image, rather take an element of tribal culture and ritual and incorporate it into a beauty look. Feathers were my chosen symbolic element, with feathers - especially Eagle - used to represent things such as honor, bravery, love and friendship within tribes. With reference to artists such as Lucy McRae http://www.lucymcrae.net/home/, I created a mask like effect on the face of the model for a more powerful image and contrast.
Alice in Wonderland/Fantasy inspired design.
The above image, as you may have guessed is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. I have a passion for fairytale/fantasy when it comes to design concepts so this is something I really got in to, plus what better reason to read the book - again. This project came at the time when Tim Burton had just released his take on Wonderland, and this was something that I didn't want to reflect too heavily in my work. I used reference points from the original illustrations of Alice in the books for styling and hair design and incorporated that with the darker more twisted elements that are often overlooked in such childhood favourites. Blue was a colour theme taken from the colour of Alice's dress, used to enhance features and props as opposed to hiding the character.
Gothic horror inspired design. ('Claudia' - Created for a 'Sci-Fright' themed project)
Gothic horror inspired design. ('Quentin' - Created for a 'Sci-Fright' themed project)
Both of the above images came from a project entitled 'Sci-Fright night'. The brief outlined a narrative plot consisting of about 4 characters, each with an adaptable trait. With free reign of recreating a version of the basic narrative I focused on the Characters Quentin and Claudia. The key concept is difficult to explain in a short post - I only just about managed it through two sketchbooks. But I shall attempt it, in short; Claudia is an agoraphobic who never leaves her house and her only visitors are her neighbour and her boyfriend 'Quentin'. In Claudia's world Quentin is very real, however Quentin died many years ago and the person Claudia see's is actually a ghost. Due to her reclusive behaviour Claudia is addicted to Gothic Horror films, and it was whilst role playing a scene from her favourite vampire film when she killed Quentin - confusing reality with fiction and becoming convinced he was a vampire. Convinced she is a vampire too, Claudia never leaves the house in fear of being exposed.
A bit of a long post so I'll leave the photo sharing for now! I'll post some more at a later date.
I thought I would start my blog with something relevant, current and ultimately something that combines a number of my passions/interests. This is a song by Gotye featuring the female vocalist Kimbra, it is something that I'm seeing and hearing everywhere at the moment and is a constant post from someone each day on my Facebook news feed. It's melodic and full of emotion providing many aspects that I personally, and I'm sure many others of you can relate to in some way or another. I am one of those people who tend to find music a while before most, with my incessant need to discover new music to add to my ever expanding iTunes library and take great pleasure in playing someone a song they've never heard before for the first time. There is something inspirational about new music. Whether newly made or just new to the individual.
However, what initially drew me to the song was the video. I saw a brief clip of it on a music channel many months ago and the creative use of body art caught my eye. Again, body art is something that is becoming more popular and being linked with music, especially something that is being so widely discussed is only bound to increase its creative uses. With meaningful lyrics and such intense emotion throughout it is clear that the use of bodypaint is symbolic from a conceptual point of view. I'm still trying to figure out the exact intended purpose of the video, but I guess that's something that is open to each persons interpretation. To me, the reversal of the females bodypaint is symbolic of a removal of identity, no longer being the person 'he used to know'. I could sit and delve into the possible meanings forever but perhaps it's not definitive.
From a design point of view (I study Hair and Makeup design for music, film and photography), I wonder why they left the hair free of paint. Perhaps to specify that identity was not to be entirely lost within the background? or perhaps there is no deeper meaning at all.
