For my project I had to create a concept that involved photographing the possibility of double identities within females. At first, it took me some time to arrive at this idea as my chosen path to follow as I couldn't decide which one I should pursue. Despite this, I feel as though I had consistent effort throughout, doing multiple photo shoots for tests, and defining it's final style every time I did. I did a lot of my research hunting at the beginning where I had to define the visual style etc.
I believe I followed directions given to me. In my tutorials, notably the last one, I was told to concentrate on the creation of my output ideas before the deadline, and that's exactly what I did. I made preliminary photographs in my tests, and found photographs similar to what I wanted to achieve in my own in the hope that it would aid my visual style, and I believe that it did. My artist research also helped define the issue within my concept, so that I could specify the detail within my concept.
For the composition of my work, I have creating three sets of pairs, each pair of photographs have one subject within. The subject presented themselves dressed at home leisurely when they weren't in the company of others, and the second photo was how they would - more specifically if they were to be at a social event like a club or bar. This composition lead to the creation of half faces. I would place the two photos side-by-side, the left photo had the right half of her face (usually the one without make-up), and the right photo had the left side of their face, how they would dress themselves up. This composition created a binary opposition within each pair which was a powerful comparison for the work in my opinion. I printed A3+ as this was the ideal size for my presentation. I wanted them to be viewable within their own space, but I also wanted to respect the wishes of the subjects by not 'exposing' them at unnatural sizes - therefore A3+ seemed like a healthy compromise for me and the females I shot. For my printing process I used Photo Lutre paper, as I wanted a premium feel with a slight shine on the paper. I would hope to mount them with a wooden frame behind each photo if it were possible, but such a process was time consuming and very costly for a student.
I chose to balance out my photographs in the best way possible. I did nothing fancy in my exportation of RAW files, besides some slight split toning. Originally I created a stronger feeling of purple in the dark areas, and yellow in the light, but it was slightly distracting, so I toned it down to a minimal amount that you can barely see - I wanted to include these colours as these are the favourable colours of my artistic style. If I could do it again, I would possibly try shooting in the studio, despite the idea of shooting each photograph in the homes of the subjects. With a studio shoot I could define shadows and lighting and maybe create a more artistic feel, but overall I am happy with my outcome. The lens I used to shoot each photograph was actually a 105mm lens on a cropped sensor, therefore making the actual size around 150mm. This process actually flattened any features on the canvas - and for a reason. I didn't want to create the sense of depth, I wanted the photos to be at one with the background. Making them flat meant that you focused more on appearances physically. You could look at details and make comparisons more easily as most facial features would appear roughly the same in shape.
Overall I am happy with the work I have made, and I am confident that I have made something worth thinking about. I believe my work can make a difference to those who care about the issues presented, and I hope I can continue to do so with more of my work in the future.
Samuel Horne
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