My favourite picture is the one in the bottom left. The reason that I like that image the most is because of all the reflections in the image and I think it looks really cool. Like an echo effect. I like how the image looks because it almost looks like she's symbolising an echo with her voice but in a picture way. I think this because it makes her go bigger to smaller like someones voice when they shout in a big empty room. Loud but gets more quiet; big but gets smaller. I think that the pictures look cool in black and white because if I imagine these pictures in colour, I don't think that they would look as cool as they look right now. The black and white just adds something that makes the whole picture better but I just don't know how. Maybe it's just my opinion. And the image in the bottom left also looks very unique because of the angle that she took the image in. I would say that the imagine in the top right has the best angle because she put a mirror on a floor and took a self portrait that way. It's very simple but it's also very unique. When I look at the bottom left image, the first thing that I look at is her face because her facial expression is very unique and it looks really weird, almost as if she's looking at something on the ceiling.
masked selfie -
In class today, we made masks for the masked selfies. We were looking at self portraits where the person has covered their face so it can not be seen. I made my own DIY mask. We tried different effects on Photo Booth. WWW: Very imaginative and creative. I like how I was able to add a face to it. Im happy how it turned out and looks nice. EBI: If I maybe cut the mask a bit better so it would look more clean and for it to cover the sides of my face as well.
omar victor diop -
Omar Victor Diop is a self-portrait photographer from Dakar, Senegal who photographs himself dressed as people who led extraordinary lives, for example slaves who were taken from Senegal to work as soldiers in the war. He learns about these people during research. He is the star of African Photography, and his self portraits are all around the world. He is inspirational and a good role model for the black kids all around the world because he was able to do what he loves. In his selfies, he becomes extraordinary people from the past because he doesn't want these people to be forgotten, so he thinks that they can live through his photographs. The reason why he does this is because he thinks that these people aren't getting the recognition that they deserve. I think that he chooses these people because they are black historical figures and he might have been discriminated against because he's black and maybe he thinks that he's just like these people in the history books and they feel relatable to him. The people he dresses up as might have been discriminated against because they were black. The advice he would give to a youngster who aspires to become a photographer is to start now because in the society we live in now, people don't have to get a professional camera because even with a phone nowadays, we can make beautiful images and if we capture something beautiful, we shouldn't keep it to ourselves like Vivian Maier. Instead, we should share what we capture with the world. In my selfies, I would love to become my future self or depict myself because I want my future self to be the very best.
Saul Steinberg said that the paper mask is a protection against revelation. In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. I think that Saul Steinberg means that these masks are almost like protection against truth or knowledge. I also believe that they make paper bag masks for people who want to take self- portraits and selfies but they don't want to show their faces in pictures.
What i'm going to do for my paper bag mask is to make a basketball because I want my future self to be very good at basketball. Since I want to be really good at basketball, I would love to make a mask that's shaped as a basketball to show what my future self will be the best at. The reason why I want my mask to be a basketball is because I enjoy basketball and because it's a very therapeutic activity for me because it keeps me happy. I get a lot of dopamine from playing it; thats the reason why my mask will be shaped like a basketball.
I became a character in my imagination because it was the one thing that I could picture correctly and I could see it clearly in my mind. I gained inspiration from Inge Morath and Saul Steinberg because I liked how their masks looked and I thought that they looked pretty cool. We used a paper mask and a Graphite crayon. I didn't use a lot and that's something that I would work on and change for next time. I think that I made a very good looking mask. I also think that I did well on the mouth and the nose. What could be better next time is if I could color it. The mask would have looked better if the teeth were colored white and stuff like that. Omar Victor Diop dressed up as people from history that haven't been talked about. I kind of did something like that because I put on some clothes that covered my school uniform and took a picture of myself dressed up as an imaginary character that isn't supposed to be me. Omar Victor Diop does a similar thing; because he dresses up as a character that he read about in the history books and takes a self-portrait of himself dressed up as them. The only difference is that I dressed up as a character from my imagination. I think that the mask was a very good addition because it added life to the image. If I took a picture of my face instead, it would have been a boring picture. I just wish that I could add more to the mask and make it much much better. I believe that even if you are performing a character in the image, it is still a self-portrait because at the end of the day, the person in the image who is sitting down is still you, and it's still your body, not someone else's. It doesn't matter if you're dressed up as someone else; as long as it is still you who's in the picture, it is still a self-portrait.
masked selfies -
I became the character in my imagination because it was the character that was the most clear in my mind. I dressed up because I wanted my character to be covered up. Almost like a criminal that didn't want to be caught. I'm not a criminal though. For my mask, I used a graphite crayon. I wish that I used something else because the graphite crayon doesn't look that clear. It was a paper bag that I had drew on. What went well is that I was able to make the character from my mind a reality because of the clothes but what I could do to make it better next time is to make sure that the face is more clear. For example, if I pushed the graphite crayon on the paper bag a bit more, the lines would have appeared more dark and would stand out. Omar Victor Diop inspired me because in his photographs, he dresses up as characters from history books but it's still a self-portrait because it's his body that's in the photograph. I believe that the mask was a good idea because I believe that if it was my face in the photograph, it wouldn't suit the image that I was trying to pursue. If you are performing a character in the image, my opinion is that it is still a self-portrait because even if you aren't trying to look like yourself in the photograph, it's still you because it's your body that's being photographed, which makes it a self-portrait because it's still yourself in the image. I think that the photographs were really nice because the backdrop is black which makes me look like a sinister character which wasn't what I was going for but it worked out in the end. I think that the photographs looked really cool and I am happy that I now know how to take a photograph with the professional camera. The lighting wasn't working out for some reason but even though we couldn't make the lighting super good, the photographs were still good because I believe that I looked cool in the photographs and the lighting made it better because one side of my face was dark and the other side of my face was light. If we used the natural daylight, the backdrop for everyone would have looked the same and the backdrop in the studio adds more life to the image and uniqueness. The lighting in the backdrop is better than the daytime because in the studio, you can change the lighting whenever you want. For example, if you want to implement the daytime, you can put the lighting all the way up, but if you want it to look dark or night time, you can put the lighting all the way down.
images for collage -
collage -
extended writing task -
In the Danny Treacy picture, I can see what almost looks like a man shrouded with a puzzling choice of clothes. The shrouded man's fashion is very unique and scruffy and I believe that the context of the image is for the man's identity to be hidden; almost like a killer on the loose or something that would come right out of a horror movie. In the Omar Victor Diop photograph, I can see Omar in some Traditional Senegalese clothing. I can see that Omar Victor Diop is dressed up as and mimicking a historical man named Malik Ambar. It seems that he's playing football which could implement that he was a footballer. In the Vivian Maier self-portrait, Vivian is shrouding herself in a way because she isn't taking a full body self-portrait but she is taking a picture of her reflection which makes it a self-portrait just like the others. In the Vivian Maier photograph, she looks almost like she's in the mirror, like being trapped in a birdcage. The self-portrait could also be a photograph of a photograph. In the Danny Treacy photograph, it is easy to tell that the picture is a horror theme or thriller because of the choice of clothes. In the Omar Victor Diop photograph, the genre looks almost more about sports and the photograph is very historical because the person that he is implementing was an actual person who most likely played football. Omar Victor Diop also added a border to the self-portrait maybe because he wanted the photograph to look more formal. The two photographs (Omar Victor Diop and Danny Treacy) are similar because in both self-portraits, both men have sealed their identities with the choice of clothes. Omar Victor Diop has chose traditional Senegalese clothing clearly because the historical figure that he is trying to implement is from Senegal. The Vivian Maier photograph is also very similar to the Danny Treacy photograph and the Omar Victor Diop photograph because the mirror and the reflection that she takes a picture of is almost like her choice of clothes because it seals her identities. In the Danny Treacy photograph, the choice of clothes are very unique and fascinating because it almost looks like they were going for a serial killer look and the Danny Treacy self-portrait is the only costume with a mask. The man in the Danny Treacy photograph has fully sealed his identity, meanwhile the two other photographs haven't.
In the Omar Victor Diop photograph, what I thought was very surprising, unexpected or mysterious was the choice of clothes. Since Victor was wearing the traditional clothes from his country, I believe that Malick Ambar, the man he was dressed as, was from Senegal but I was confused because I don't understand why someone would wear such heavy clothes when playing football. In modern day and age, you would never see someone wearing clothes like that while playing football so it was just very fascinating to me. It was just very unconventional and very creative. In the Vivian Maier photograph, it was very different to the other pictures because instead of taking a full body self-portrait, she took a picture of her reflection in a shiny object, which was different to the other pictures. The Vivian photograph in my opinion was the most mysterious because Vivian almost looks like she is in the shiny object and locked inside of it.
I chose this image not only because it is my image but because I personally really like the colours that i chose because I believe them to look really nice and they mix together very well. The most highlighted areas in the photograph are the areas that are blue since they are less dark than the purple. The purple in the photograph could represent the shadow in the photograph since purple is a colour that is mostly linked with shadows. If I had to say what time of day this photograph was then would say that it's most likely night time because of the colour choice that I chose for the image. Purple and Dark Blue are not light colours at all; that says it all. The light in the image must be artificial because I put my collage in a machine which made the colours and the light. The purple and the dark blue look at the same time harsh but soft. The collage itself looks very soft but the colours that I chose are very harsh colours. The collage is very reflective and I feel like it is reflecting right at me. The basketball cut in half works as a set of lines because a basketball has many lines on it. The photograph looks slightly divided as well if you look in the middle. The basketball lines are very curvy and it works well as an addition to the image. The basketball lines could show movement because it could mean how since i'm always moving on in my life such as playing a lot of basketball and living on, it could mean that i'm learning new things while I go through my life. The basketball lines are very repetitive and I believe that it looks really good. The circles that I cut out really stand out in the collage. I believe that it looks nice because I cut those circles through my image and they can represent a change in the image. If the image was just straight lines, it would be super boring, but since the organic shapes are there, they stand out making the image look more exquisite and not boring. If my collage was real and I touched it, I would expect it to be very bumpy and not soft because there's a basketball in there that I wouldn't expect to be smooth but there is also my face and faces of other people that could also feel soft because I know for a fact that my face. But as a whole, I would expect my collage to be full of many textures because of how many images are tucked into and stuck onto the A3 paper and how they overlap with eachother. My photograph would feel very unique that's for sure. I think that WWW is the colours and the way that they blend together. I also like the way I organised the photographs together. I think that I did really well on that. The first thing that I did was cut a hole in the picture of me as a kid. I did this because I needed to make a circle out of one of my pictures. I had to cut out some pictures and do all sorts of things such as ripping photos in half, cutting out triangular shapes and more. I think that it would be EBI I made the image look more abstract because that would make it look even better. I also could have added more shapes to add something more to my image. I do believe that the collage is not a self-portrait because even though you are in the collage, it cannot be a self-portrait if there are other people that are not you who are in the collage; it just simply wouldn't be a self-portrait because you're not the only person in the image. But some could technically think that it is a self-portrait because you could be the centre of attention in your collage, which could maybe make the photograph a self-portrait.
I think that the WWW was definitely the fact that me and Cuan were able to put together such an effective story in a short amount of time. It would have been EBI we could make another story to the image. We could be able to manipulate the images again. I believe that the role of the shadow could be to add suspicion to the images because a shadow could be depicted as many different things such as evil or something similar to that. Adding words to the images pretty much changed the way people will look at them or depict them in their mind. For example, me and Cuan wrote our story about a murderer since the shadow can support something lurking in the darkness, like a serial killer. Someone could also write the story about love since there is an image of the man looking at a flower. This one photo can be manipulated by captions to change the story as a whole. This narrative sequence has taught us that photographs are not fixed in meaning and that context is everything. For example, photography can be very manipulative. When you see a photograph, you can manipulate it's meaning and make the photograph mean something else. It also means that photographs are not neutral; they are susceptible to the abuse of power. This links with what I just said about photography being manipulative. If you add a meaning to an image you can change the entire aspect of the image and what it truly represents.
cyanotype selfie -
Anna Atkins placed chemicals onto the paper that she was using in order to make a cyanotype. She made them by placing the unmounted dried-algae original directly on the cyanotype paper. She clearly placed leaves that she found outside onto the chemical paper and that made the objects leave an outline on the paper. We did something similar to what she does. This cyanotype by Anna Atkins could be referred to as a hybrid of some sort. I believe that because it isn't a photograph, but it can be called a photograph because the cyanotype has elements of an image but also elements of a photograph. The cyanotype looks almost like a photograph that has captured an image outside.
The Cyanotype process is inverting the colours on a self portrait and leaving them in the sun. You also add objects onto the image to make shadows on the self portrait; this is why there are white parts on the image. Those are outlines left by the objects that we had put there. I believe that my image differs because first of all, it is me in the picture, and secondly, cyanotypes are usually used for just plants, but we made cyanotypes that are also self portraits. Making a cyanotype isn't all that hard really. All you have to do is take a picture of yourself, drop it into photoshop, then you make the image black and white and then you invert the colours on the photograph and it should go a negative. Once you have done that, you need to take objects, such as flowers or metal and carefully place them onto the self portrait. Once you are done, you leave it in the sun. The objects will leave shadows on your self-portrait which will appear white. Once you have left the photograph in the sun for 15-30 minutes, you take the photographs and wet them underneath a tap for a while and then the photograph comes out as a positive. I believe that my Cyanotype came out pretty well because I like how it looks very much but it could have been better, maybe with the position of the objects. If I had to do this again and make it into more of a personal self portrait, I would like to put objects of things that I like. For example, I don't even like flowers but I had to put them there. So next time, I would like to put something that I like into the photograph. Also, if it's a very sunny day, your cyanotypes will develop very quickly, but it takes much longer if the sun isn't shining as much or if the weather is intermediate.
photography assessment -
In the Josephson photograph I can see a man, but not his face. It seems as if he is trying to shroud his identity from us. He is holding something in his hand, from which I believe looks like an image. On the image, it almost looks like a hand. We also see a pretty antique looking car in the background. Josephson's image is a bit puzzling because it is so confusing that it can be interpreted in many different ways. That means that Josephson's photograph can be manipulated in many different ways. I can definitely say that there is a lot of things going on in Josephson's photograph. There almost seems to also be a man in the background with another car, making me feel that this photograph was taken at a garage, or possibly a car dealership. The Josephson picture is black and white, making the photograph feel very plain even though it really isn't. I can definitely say that both of these images are shadow selfies because even though they do count as a self portrait, the person who is taking the image has shrouded their identities. The composition of Woodman's photograph is very unusual because unlike Josephson's picture where they only partially shrouded themselves, Woodman has completely shrouded herself in complete darkness, making it almost impossible to even spot her. Unlike Josephson's picture, there is a lot less going on in the Woodman picture, making it harder to manipulate and abuse it with power, but this is why the Woodman photograph is good, it's easier to let your imagination run free. In the Woodman picture, I see an unlit, dark room with the littlest amount of light. It seems as if this photograph was taken by the photographer at home. I believe this because in the background, I see a radiator which states my opinion even further. It also seems as if Woodman is hiding behind something, almost like a cloak of paper, meanwhile there's someone else hiding behind something with their hand strapped around, making the photo seem very sinister or almost like a horror genre. I can definitely say that both photographs, (being Josephson and Woodman) are effective shadow selfies, but the Woodman photograph definitely plays as a more sinister photograph. I say this because the Josephson photograph doesn't make you feel threatened, meanwhile the Woodman photograph does. I believe this because of the composition and the placing of Woodman's photograph which makes it look scary. Woodman's photograph reminds me more of a horror movie
Josephson's photograph includes different types of frame. These are definitely effective because the shrouded man in the photograph (possibly Josephson) makes the photograph seem so confusing because of the fact that he's holding something in his hands, but then you realise that it isn't an image. His shadow exposes what he's trying to do. He has used the paper that he's holding as a frame for the hand sticking out of the car. This is very effective because Josephson makes you take a double look at the photograph and inspect it closely. You only get the answer from his shadow, since you can see that the paper that he's holding in his hands isn't an image, but a frame for the centre of the attention. I think of this as very effective since you have to look closely at the image to understand it. You can also call Josephson's image a shadow selfie just because you can see the man's shadow in the reflection of the car. Josephson intended this because without his shadow, the image wouldn't have been a self portrait. He was also very smart in his positioning as well. I can definitely say that even though there is less going on in the Woodman photograph, I can use my imagination to interpret what's going on, meanwhile, the Josephson picture is still very enjoyable too look at, but it's much harder to make out what could possibly be going on. I believe that Woodman framed her photograph much better because even with less things going on, she is able to make an effective image that can be abused with power and manipulated. For example, you technically cannot see Woodman in the photograph, but you can see her shadow, making this photograph a shadow selfie, but unlike the Josephson picture, the shadow in the Woodman picture is much harder to see and she is much more shrouded. The doorway leading to where Woodman is also effective and it almost works as a frame within a frame. The doorway works as a frame for the photograph which makes the photograph more sinister, almost like you are a protagonist in a horror film, walking through the haunted house. Woodman frames the photograph so perfectly that it almost looks like she's making the room look like a room you do not want to go in, almost like a haunted room. If I had to give a title to the Woodman photograph, I would name it, "Terror Room" simply because the room looks scary from where the photographer had taken the image from. In my opinion, the door frame worked excellently.
I believe that definitely the most mysterious aspect that both of these images have is the shrouded identity and the hidden person. The Josephson photographer has made himself vulnerable to abuse of power and manipulation simply because of the setting and background of the image. Because of what he has placed in his image, he can be interpreted in many different ways in his own image. For example, him holding the cut out piece of paper works very well as a border for the centre of the image, which is the hand in the car. And this positioning makes Josephson look like many things. Some people might interpret him as a killer who is framing his work, or something else that's less sinister. But the creativeness in the picture works very well. I can definitely say that the image is very surprising not at first glance, but by second glance, since there is a lot you can miss in this image. In the Woodman photograph, just like the Josephson picture, she has made her photograph vulnerable to the abuse of power and manipulation once again, just because of how the framing and positioning works out. For example, in the Josephson picture, the piece of paper of some sort that the hidden man is holding works as an effective frame since it is framing the hand sticking out of the antique car. The frame also adds more context to the image. In the Woodman photograph, this time there isn't a shrouded man holding something, but there is still an effective frame that works very well in advance. The doorway leading to the sinister room works well enough because it adds suspense to the photograph. For example, the doorway can be interpreted in many ways. The room looks very scary at first glance. I say this because there is a hand that is coming from behind an object in the dark, unlit room, and a person who looks like Woodman hiding behind the paper in the room. The doorway makes it look like a room that you wouldn't want to go in, like a terror room in a horror film; the positioning of the photographer can be almost like the point of view of a protagonist in a horror film who is walking down the dark and creaky corridors and then stumbles in front of this room. The Woodman photograph can also be referred to as a shadow selfie because you can see Woodman's legs hiding behind something in the room which shows her shadow lurking in the room. I believe that Woodman has been very creative through her image.
Personally, I enjoy looking at the Woodman photograph more. I say this because I love the positioning and the framing of the picture, making the photographer almost look like the point of view of a protagonist in a horror film. I like to say that the frame of the doorway is very effective as well, making the room look like a "Terror Room" that you wouldn't dare want to enter at all. The doorway makes everything look so much more sinister and I enjoy looking at this picture. Maybe in my work, I might do the same thing as Woodman because it's very effective in my eyes and it looks very fun to recreate.
francesca woodman -
I believe that the photograph is a square format because the image encourages you to look at it in a circular manner. It may also be because of the choice of camera which is a medium format camera. The camera seems to have been able to take images in a square format. In the photograph, I see a doorway leading to a dark, unlit room with two figures inside. The figures in the room seem to be shrouding their identities. For example, the figure on the left must be hiding themselves with some sheet of paper, and the figure on the right looks as if they are hiding behind an object as well. As I can see, there are two figures in this picture excluding the cameraman. This is a self-portrait because Francesca Woodman might be hiding herself from the camera, but it is still her that is behind those sheets of paper. The camera seems to have been placed outside the room. Almost like the corridor or the hallway leading to the suspicious room. The photographer must have thought about their position well because the positioning of the photographer made the image 10 times better. There's just something so good about where the photographer is that it's just hard to explain. This image leaves me uncomfortable and puzzled. I say this because the figures in the room are looking very creepy and I definitely do not want to go inside that room. The composition is very simple, but very effective. There isn't much objects in this image making the image seem very plain and horror themed. There must be a window on the left of the wall leading to the room. There also must be either a window of artificial light on the right side of the room.
I find this image very interesting because it's super freaky and I have many questions about who that person is in the room. I like this image because unlike the first one that had horror elements, this image looks like something that would come straight out of a horror movie. The setting, the person and pretty much everything in the image makes everything scary. I think that the photographer made this image by asking the woman in the image to jump, making that type of blur on her. It could have been something as simple as jumping or adding effects on the woman to make her look out of focus and creepy. I believe this because even though the woman is blurry, the background isn't. The background is as clear as day. There seems to be absolutely no props in the image. The building literally is the prop in this image. The building adds suspense to the image. Especially since the windows are looking caged up. If I had to make an image inspired by this, I would probably use props that can work well with the environment. For example, I would use rocks, gears and many other metallic objects that I can think of. This building is rusted down and doesn't look very new which could work well with metallic objects.
kenneth josephson -
This photograph is not a square format like the Francesca Woodman picture simply because of the choice of camera. It seems that Josephson decided to use a more modern rectangular format. In the photograph, I see a mysterious man holding a piece of paper. You think that he is holding a picture until you take a look at his shadow. You then realize that it isn't a photograph, but a frame for the hand sticking out of the old, antique car. In the photograph, I know that there is three people because one of them is the man taking the picture, the other person is in the antique car, and then the final person is in the background of the image if you look closely. This counts as a self-portrait because you can see the man's shadow in the reflection of the car. If his shadow wasn't there, this wouldn't be a self-portrait but with the use of a shadow selfie, it can count as one because your shadow belongs to you; your shadow is you. So if I took a picture of my shadow, that would count as a selfie but would be accounted as a shadow selfie instead. It seems that the camera is being held by the man holding the piece of paper. It seems as if he tried to frame the hand sticking out of the car window by positioning himself carefully. The first time I looked at this picture I concluded that nothing is really going on, and that made me puzzled - but as I looked a second time, I realized that the image is not what I thought it was at all. I believed that the image was really boring when it actually made me think twice. Unlike the Woodman photograph, there is a lot more composition and objects in this photograph. I think that when taking this photograph, they had to put a lot of thought into it because they had to think about where they are going to place everything and how to position this well, and I think that they did a good job on that. I can definitely see light coming through from the right of the garage. Maybe the garage door is open and that's the light coming into the garage. It's nice how the light is balanced out and how there isn't too much light.
I did some research into his other photographs and I found out that Josephson likes to do things like this all the time. It seems that he enjoys placing photographs and blending them in with the environment. I think of this image as very interesting because the picture blends so well with the sea and the environment around it that you would be mistaken for thinking that the woman in the sea is real and that the photograph is actually not a photograph. I think that the photographer made this image by closely placing the photograph where it looks the most close to real. This would have taken close coordination and thinking. The only props in the image that I see is the image that Josephson is holding in his hands. But that is fine because the photograph and the environment are the two things that your attention would be aimed at. If I had to make an image inspired by Josephson, I would observe the environment that I would be using and find a photograph that is similar to it.