test shots - black and white - towards final project - studio

black and white studio images  

human form / erotic studio images 

test shots / first shoot 

These images are from my first shoot for my final idea where I will be exploring the human form but all linking this idea to semi erotic imagery. in these shots i wanted to to photographing close up images of selected parts of the body but also slightly wider angle shots to see which i preferred and how i could use these in my final idea. 

i have chosen to do these in a studio with a black back ground because as well as using them as full images , im also going to experiment with using image manipulation for example cutting out and morphing / warping body parts to make an almost abstract image showing the human form in a different way to the human eye sees it . i would like to experiment with this because as well as pushing the idea of the erotic and also natural side of the human body i want to show this in a way that the on looking subject will have to work and focus on select points in a way that they have to piece the body together in there own head. 

my main reason for this idea is because I want to show the the naked and natural human body inst just a tool with an erotic media focus but can also been seen as art and show in more way than a portrait in high key in a new paper or magazine. 

i used 2 studio lights for this but also experimented with one light depending on the shots. whilst doing this i used split lighting / side lighting / one light focused on the front of the model / one light focused on the back of the model / one light on medium with soft box and the other on low with no soft box . 

i found that the lighting set up that worked best was to use a light on high with the soft box to the back of the model and a low light to the side. i also found the using on light to the back or side of the subject worked really well . i liked these because the subject was well lit and showed detail but still gave some shadowing coming in from the black background that almost moulded into the the subject which i really liked and thought blended well. 

i have also picked black and white for these because i want to focus and the shapes , tones and lines of the subject rather than the colour which i see as distracting and would lead away from the main focus of the form of the body . 

when editing these i used camera raw and the images where already converted to black and white in camera. when editing these lowered the shadows and black to give a darker outline around the subject and to also bring the shadow over the body more because i really liked the effect of it almost wrapping its self around the body changing its shape . i also lowered the light on some images as the paler skin parts became brighter than other for example this mostly happened on the stomach as this was a paler area of skin. 

overall i really like how these have turned out epically the lighting and the and the way that it lights up the subject but still produces shadowing around the edges of the image. the thing i think is best about these is how the dark back ground and shadowing link together to make the body shape stand out as the black moulds around , this will be use full for me when trying my next step of cutting out the body to experimenting with my abstract image . when doing these again i will try more close up shots so that i can use these to practice my image manipulation . i will also experiment more with different lighting set ups and positioning my models.  

Seamus Murphy - insulations - let England shake

let England shake  

link to video :   http://www.seamusmurphy.com/Films/12-Short-Films-for-PJ-Harvey/1

This short video by Seamus Murphy  shows what i think represents a broken and shaken britan 

i think this is shown in a great way in which the mood is set by the old man sat in his home environment reading what seems to be a poem or script that sets a deep sad feeling , the effect is also added to by the man tone of voice which is low and deep almost like he is getting deeper into the sense of darker as he reads on. The camera shot for this has his head and shoulders only  , but what i epically like about this is how the image is composed because with the strong use of depth in the background this to me is already showing the photographers take to this piece.  

as the music begins in this (accentual a music video) , it uses a establishing shot showing a broken deserted theme park / fun fair. this i think represents the broken country we live in and the emptiness and broken feeling of the people that have been lost or left behind. . i also think that this could be showing The change between the innocents of being a child to then becoming an adult in what we now see as a broken world , as the shield of a fun filled life as a child is taken awayand your almost sent to fight the war that is life. the scene that i think shows this the most is the punch and Judy scene which starts with close ups of the dolls that represent a fun child hood experience of laughter but the faces have a scarier more broken feeling to them , this is when i think you can see the representation between the loose of child hood and becoming an adult. as this scene goes on it goes to some long shots and more close ups as the typical punch and Judy show id preformed but with a more sinter feel with the faces of the dolls becoming more warped. 

The scene that i think shows the feel of a broken deserted place and stands out the most to me is the caracel horses which uses a range of wide and close up shots to film the horses spinning round empty along with this it also uses tilted shots to get the bright spinning lights of the ride . these to me make me feel like the blurred and content spinning represents the out of control wurl wind of a life that we life in and that may have dragged us to this deservedness 

Through out watching this  i love the way you can see the photographers composition for example the depth of field and way in which people are angles in images to make them site in line almost with the backgrounds. i also think you can see this with the use of shadowing in the scene of the theme park . i love the way that this almost looks like the still image but has been interpreted into a film piece and show the moving shadow of on looking objects. 

overall i really like the way that this film has been put together and how with the competition of  each scene almost seems to be a collection of well composted images. i also like the simplicity to this with no after effects and what seems to be a piece with minimal editing giving a feel of a realistic documentary or street photography piece. this i think works well with the broken dark feel to the film. 

i think that a piece like this could link into my work when experimenting with the human form . i think that this may be a good secondary way to show my work with music added to a short film showing the human form not just in still images but in scenes representing each individual person and there own unique body. 

Image manipulation - Irene

Image manipulation using Photoshop 

 

 

 

I have been experimenting with image manipulation using Photoshop and  trying out different tools and technique to produce manipulated images , that although they look surreal and not what the natural eye would see still blend together to make one image instead of several small one (e.g. collage) . 

 

The main tools that used to create my image was the pen tool I used this so that I could practice cutting images out because this I think is one of the most useful tool when doing this kind of work. when picking the images to use for this I was looking for them to have lighting that would blend well together because I didn't want them to all clash with other with light coming in from different angles. I used several blending modes and changed levels and opacity on images to get help blend the light from each image into each and how the light was hitting the images and creating shadows etc.

I think this working quiet well but when doing this again I would like to use more of my own images because then I can control the light rather than using stock images or poor quality images from search engines. I also think this would produce a better quality image.

I also used the warp tool on the tall building to stretch them out and look like the getting taller and taller stretching towards the sky which then made my subject look even bigger.

When planning and creating this image I didn't have a set plan or an idea I just wanted to base I surreal type image around the image I had of my nephew , this image was brightly lit from the front using a flash so this then blended in well with the bright lights flashing from the lighting back ground that then blends to look light its bighting the whole image.  

 

overall I think that the individual images in this blend well together get make one image and this was a good practice at basic photo manipulation .  next time I will practice more of the basic skills but also look into the more advanced side of photo manipulation. this is something I think I would like to use in my final piece because I think this would link well with the surreal abstract images that I want to produce using the human form.  I will research this future in later posts.