Abstract forms in relation to the face

During this session of experimentation I decided to study the movement of the subject's face through the use of colour; and in this case, over saturated tones of red, blue and green. All three photographs were taken using a multiple exposure style method but just one long exposure of around 5-8 seconds. During this exposure I manually triggered the flashes at every moment I thought necessary. 

What I found most interesting about this studio session was the spontaneous nature of each photograph, after all, every photo looked completely different to the last.

                                           My favourite photograph from this session was created through an exposure of 15 seconds with manual flashes being triggered every other second. During this exposure I had Zoe slowly move her head from side to side. This movement allowed solid colours to fill the Zoe's face.

I am satisfied with the results. 

Perhaps I will continue with portraying the face from an abstract/alternative perspective.

Artist- Andre Kertesz

Andre Kertesz's study of 'Distortions' embarks on a unique exploration of the human strucutre in regards to the concepts of the beautiful and grotesque. In relation to this photographic study, Kertesz states "One can give what explanations one wishes of his work; all I can say is that making them was very exciting, very amusing'. This is initially how I feel when discussing my work. Kertesz is evoking a sense of the beautiful and grotesque through the way he presents his subject and their facial expressions. After all, the smug facial expression of the larger lady overpowers the scared and feeble expressions exemplified by the character on the left. Here Kertesz is using distortion to represent an alternative perspective of his subjects emotion. After all, despite the heavy sense of distortion inflicted on his subjects, there is something fascinating about them; it is as if they have a story to tell. Within this photograph Andre Kertesz is representing the human form from two perspectives, ideal and grotesque, whilst also reinforcing the original point that all humans are performing bodies. 

Face study- Zoe

Responding from my tuesday group session with Richard (who stated I should capture the movement of my subject's emotion) I purchased a Lomo Uboot camera. This small camera has four lens' which when triggered go off one after the other; thus allowing any slight movements of Zoe to be captured. Initially, I got this idea from looking at one of Andy Warhol's books (previous post) as it fascinated me with regards to how the slightest movement can often completely change the photograph. 

This camera is pretty much a piece of plastic, with no viewfinder or any controls whatsoever (other than the shutter) it stripped me of my comfort zone- these photographs would be all about the light. 

In order to capture these photographs, I would manually trigger the studio flashes in sync with the camera; the results are, from my perspective, an unusual analysis of the face. 

This is something I would love to do again as it truly captures Zoe's movement which within itself portrays many aspects of her character.

Exploring the face with colour- Nick Knight's colour work

In order for my work to progress, I have decided to also explore the face by using colour. Recently when researching in the library, I came across this technically exceptionally photograph by Nick Knight (directed by Hussien Chalayan ). Here Knight portrays the face as an abstract art form with the presence of multiple colours against a black background. I am unsure as to whether this effect has been achieved through using multiple coloured gels or simply a clever use of make-up, however, this image has inspired me to also use colour when exploring the human face.

Recently I have been listening to a lot of music by "A tribe called quest". Within their album art work I strongly admired the bold reds and greens used; they complement each other excessively

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Further experimentation with black and white- Ruby

This session my aim was to explore a more bizarre aspect of the human face and the emotions associated with them; this implemented with the subject's movement allowed me to create a doppelgänger to Ruby's rather happy and smiling persona.

I do admire these photographs, however I believe that for this project to progress I must focus my attention on colour rather than black and white due to it being broader from my personal opinion.

Man Ray

The abstract qualities of Man Ray's portraits act as a borderline between photography and drawing/painting. With unusual skin tones and the use of solarisation, Man Ray is adding a unique style of depth to his subject's character; like they are drawings coming to life. The sheer abstract nature in general makes the portraits far more engaging as it is as if he scratching beneath the surface of his subject; revealing their true beauty and grotesque qualities.

Focusing more on the representation of each facial feature.

I have decided to use Zoe again for this session simply due to her unique and graceful nature when it comes to posing. The large nature of her eyes have provided me with the opportunity to focus more on the facial features which persistently reveal emotion.

The dramatic contrast between the black and white tones is gently separated with tones of grey. Thus providing the portrait with a nice variation of tones; grey is  just as important in black and white. 

Adopting and modifying the black and white portrait- Nadar to Avedon

The godfather's of black and white portraiture. 

With a mixture of stark and contrasting tones both Nadar and Avedon naturally personify their subject matter with an almost haunting yet realistic representation of an emotion. The beauty and grotesque are carefully exposed to the world without exemplifying the subject in a negative way. 

It has been said that both Avedon and Nadar appear to have the ability to capture and see a glimpse of ones soul...however, as argued by Bailey within the documentary "The man who shot the sixties" it is not the soul that is captured by these two photographers, but instead it is as if both Avedon and Nadar carefully study their subjects, noticing qualities and notions about the character which are often missed or disregarded. 

Within the studio I decided to focus on creating a powerful black and white style of lighting with similar yet alternative qualities to those of Nadar and Avedon. Using a beauty dish raised slightly to the left of the model, I was able to have full control of the shadows which had flooded Zoe's face. The principle of the prop light giving me pin point accuracy with regards to how I wanted the shadow to flow. Shot using Ilford Xp2 with a slightly slower shutter and a rear flash (the slow shutter allows light to appear more intense when the rear flash is triggered), I decided to use the wind machine to exemplify the ever so slight movement of Zoe. 

I am impressed with the results, however I do believe a slower shutter alongside a further exploration and representation of emotion will immediately allow my photographs to appear far more powerful. 

 Dodging and burning of the eyes further allows the portraits to achieve this notion of 'power' wiithin a portrait. In future reference I will refrain from featuring other aspects of the human body such as arms etc...

The exploration of the face

Within this unit my intentions are to simply explore the human face and all its wonders. With the vast amount of our emotions being expressed though the face alone, I believe this is a remarkable opportunity to apply all styles of photography into one subject matter. As said through the words of Eliza Farnham "The human face is the organic seat of beauty. It is the register of value in development, a record of experience, whose legitimate office is to perfect the life, a legible language to those who will study it, of the majestic mistress, the soul". This quote alone can reinforce the unique nature of the human face and how it can become many things; a symbol, a landscape etc...
Throughout this unit my desires are to adopt techniques used by portrait, landscape and still life photographers and artists; thus allowing me to exemplify the beautiful yet grotesque form that is the human face.