'Poverty is the worst form of violence' by Mahatma Gandhi
Mood board
Statement of intent
I desire to produce a portfolio of varied of photographs demonstrating my ideas, research and development around the theme messages. When deciding my exam question, I deeply thought on what was the right choice for me, and which theme would give me an powerful final finish. This theme enables me to express my thought and opinions on something I am passionate about and maybe help someones way of thinking in life and to motivate them.
For my initial research I will start by looking at photographers who give messages across in there images, this will inspire and also give me many suggestion and ideas on how to develop my own images. The first photographer I have started to look at is Barbara Kruger, who portrays in showing messages through her images and has also given me inspires me. Secondly I have been moved by Lorna Simpson messages in her photography, as she combines words and phrases within her photos to convey a message across, her messages are based around political positions with a strong graphic identity. I chose these two photographers because they both display different ways of looking and getting a message across out there to people.
When I first chose the theme 'messages' my initial thoughts were motivational messages and quotes for people to relate to however after doing my research and thinking thoroughly about it, I realised there are many more ways for my work to go down to show progress in my work, I will start off by doing my shoots which will be around the theme depression and money which can show strong message.
I would like to experiment with a wide range of techniques during this project. I am going to capture my images on a EOS 4000D DSLR Canon camera. To develop my images I aspire to use different filters to show the theme depression in more of a deep and adequate way, also the colours black and white connect with my theme quite a lot. I am then going to use Photoshop on my images to develop them on a further level and take my images on journey.
I have got until May 2019 to work on and finish this project, I aim to finish my initial research within the first week, then in the second and third week I hope to start planning and photographing my images, and also start to develop my work. I will then have a 10 hour exam that will be split up within 3 days, after the exam this project will be completed with the best of my ability.
As my project progresses I will be going through my previous work on this project and improve on them to make them better and more effective which will allow me to gain more marks and also give me higher grade, this will also give me a chance to reflect on my work. I will mainly seek advice from my teachers and peers on how to make my work better, as I am always aspiring to push myself to the next level, to get the best possible final grade for my photography GCSE. After the final creation of my project, I will write an evaluation on what went well and what I would of differently or change given the time.
For my initial research I will start by looking at photographers who give messages across in there images, this will inspire and also give me many suggestion and ideas on how to develop my own images. The first photographer I have started to look at is Barbara Kruger, who portrays in showing messages through her images and has also given me inspires me. Secondly I have been moved by Lorna Simpson messages in her photography, as she combines words and phrases within her photos to convey a message across, her messages are based around political positions with a strong graphic identity. I chose these two photographers because they both display different ways of looking and getting a message across out there to people.
When I first chose the theme 'messages' my initial thoughts were motivational messages and quotes for people to relate to however after doing my research and thinking thoroughly about it, I realised there are many more ways for my work to go down to show progress in my work, I will start off by doing my shoots which will be around the theme depression and money which can show strong message.
I would like to experiment with a wide range of techniques during this project. I am going to capture my images on a EOS 4000D DSLR Canon camera. To develop my images I aspire to use different filters to show the theme depression in more of a deep and adequate way, also the colours black and white connect with my theme quite a lot. I am then going to use Photoshop on my images to develop them on a further level and take my images on journey.
I have got until May 2019 to work on and finish this project, I aim to finish my initial research within the first week, then in the second and third week I hope to start planning and photographing my images, and also start to develop my work. I will then have a 10 hour exam that will be split up within 3 days, after the exam this project will be completed with the best of my ability.
As my project progresses I will be going through my previous work on this project and improve on them to make them better and more effective which will allow me to gain more marks and also give me higher grade, this will also give me a chance to reflect on my work. I will mainly seek advice from my teachers and peers on how to make my work better, as I am always aspiring to push myself to the next level, to get the best possible final grade for my photography GCSE. After the final creation of my project, I will write an evaluation on what went well and what I would of differently or change given the time.
Barbara Kruger
5c Analysis
Content / composition -
In this image the main thing is focusing on the cigarette which is burning in the center of the picture and gets your attention straight away. The image is in black and white which I like as it makes the images look more effective and gets the message across in my opinion. The writing which is highlighted in red is also adequate and effective as it makes the viewers read the message which is being told. This can also show having to lots of money does not necessarily mean you are happy , sometimes having to much money can often lead to depression as you don't know what to do with all your money so you end u buying things that have a negative impact on your physical and mental health.
In my opinion the main focus point is the cigarette and has strong leading lines going to it which makes it the main attention in the photo this can indicate that cigarettes are bad for and to many people are wasting lots of money on something that harms them and leads to depression. This image is black and white which is quite effective but it also has the writing highlighted in the colour red and the red could represent negatives of cigarettes such as depression , blood and death. The lighting in this images is quite sharp and harsh in my opinion this set a negative mood which I think the photographer is trying to achieve with this image.
Context-
'' This was taken from the internet'' Barbara Kruger was on 26 January 1945 and is an american conceptual artist and collagist. Most of her works consist in black and white which is overlaid with declarative captions and messages. Barbara Kruger picture are usually aimed around constructions of power, identity and sexuality. Kruger currently lives and works in New York and Los Angeles.
Comment -
In my opinion I think Kruger has really thought about how she wants capture this picture and what message she could put on it. She has really considered the lighting and developed it into black and white which is very effective as it set a negative tone and the red in this image makes the message stand out so people read it and understand the meaning behind the image which can also be important. This image has really inspired me for my own work and has given me lots of ideas of what I could potentially capture and how I could develop them to make it look effective.
Connection -
This image links really well with the theme I have chosen which is depression and having money to waste on negative things which lead up to being depressed. So this image has strong message which I like a lot because it get people thinking of the meaning behind the image. The colour have been chosen well as it shows the image is gonna have negative thought about it and get the viewers attention immediately.
Edward Honaker
5c Analysis
Content / composition -
In this images the main attention is the person lying on the bed his body language could potentially show he is depressed and could be lonely. The bed and the person is the main attraction towards the left hand side of the picture which is quite effective as the right is dark and empty. The image is black and white this could suggest that the image has negative mood and tone to it. It also shows the room only has bed in it and could show he does not have lots of money as it looks like he still is in his work clothes whilst he is lying on the bed.
Context-
Edward Honaker is 21 years old and documents his own depression in a powerful self portraits. The series of black and white images illustrate the photographer experience with depression and anxiety. In an attempt to raise awareness of the topic, Honaker says about the project: Mental health disorders are such a taboo topic. If you ever bring it up in conversation, people awkwardly get silent, or try to tell you why it’s not a real problem. When I was in the worst parts of depression, the most helpful thing anyone could have done was to just listen to me – not judging, not trying to find a solution, just listen. I’m hoping that these images will help open up conversation about mental health issues. Everyone is or will be affected by them one way or another, and ignoring them doesn’t make things better. ''This was taken from the internet ''.
Comment-
There are many strengths to honaker work as he has took lots of time to consider how he wants the picture to be and what message he wants to portray. The thing I like about this picture is that Honaker has used a black and white filter which connects to the theme of depression in my opinion and has the most effect. This images inspires for my own work as it gives me ideas for my own work. In my opinion I think there is a very deep and emotional meaning behind this image even though there isn't a specific message written on the image. I think the meaning of this image is to raise awareness about depression and people should speak out and not be worried about people judging them.
Connection -
This image links to my work as the theme is depression as this is what I am going to be basing my exam around. In my opinion I think honaker is trying to show people that are depressed should talk about it and they should not face it alone. I think Honaker has made this image black and white to show the negativity of depression and how it can make you feel alone and isolated.
In this images the main attention is the person lying on the bed his body language could potentially show he is depressed and could be lonely. The bed and the person is the main attraction towards the left hand side of the picture which is quite effective as the right is dark and empty. The image is black and white this could suggest that the image has negative mood and tone to it. It also shows the room only has bed in it and could show he does not have lots of money as it looks like he still is in his work clothes whilst he is lying on the bed.
Context-
Edward Honaker is 21 years old and documents his own depression in a powerful self portraits. The series of black and white images illustrate the photographer experience with depression and anxiety. In an attempt to raise awareness of the topic, Honaker says about the project: Mental health disorders are such a taboo topic. If you ever bring it up in conversation, people awkwardly get silent, or try to tell you why it’s not a real problem. When I was in the worst parts of depression, the most helpful thing anyone could have done was to just listen to me – not judging, not trying to find a solution, just listen. I’m hoping that these images will help open up conversation about mental health issues. Everyone is or will be affected by them one way or another, and ignoring them doesn’t make things better. ''This was taken from the internet ''.
Comment-
There are many strengths to honaker work as he has took lots of time to consider how he wants the picture to be and what message he wants to portray. The thing I like about this picture is that Honaker has used a black and white filter which connects to the theme of depression in my opinion and has the most effect. This images inspires for my own work as it gives me ideas for my own work. In my opinion I think there is a very deep and emotional meaning behind this image even though there isn't a specific message written on the image. I think the meaning of this image is to raise awareness about depression and people should speak out and not be worried about people judging them.
Connection -
This image links to my work as the theme is depression as this is what I am going to be basing my exam around. In my opinion I think honaker is trying to show people that are depressed should talk about it and they should not face it alone. I think Honaker has made this image black and white to show the negativity of depression and how it can make you feel alone and isolated.
Plan for my first shoot
First shoot
Photoshop
Photoshop
I like this image but I don't think it links into the work I have been looking at or researching about. I think I am going to concentrate more on zooming in on the person and showing specific parts of the body or objects that show a contrast between rich and poor.
Second shoot
Photoshop
I like this image as it is more linked to my research and is zoomed in on a specific area of the body which I wanted to do. I think this makes it more effective and the message helps the viewer to get a better awareness and understanding of the image and struggles of poverty.
Research
This image links to my theme and sends a strong message to people how everyone deserves a second. It also gives me an idea of what I can do for my final outcomes and also is very complex and good way to get such an effective message across to the viewers. The message of the picture shows how people should appreciate what they have in life.
I will be linking my work to something like this as I think it sends a very strong message in a creative way. In my opinion I think this is good way to get message across and show the world everyone deserves a chance to a good live. I am going to try do similar idea and get message across to the viewers.
Photoshop
I am going to link my work between poor and rich
Third shoot-
Photoshop
I like this picture because I was inspired to do something like this from the Barbara Kruger who is a photographer. In my opinion I think this is good way to get strong message across.
Photoshop
Plans
props-
Trainers Clothes wallet |
Equipment-
Camera Model |
I am going to do a sequence of 3 showing the contrast between poor and rich. I will put the poor and rich images into one and put some writing on it. I might consider putting it into a poster.
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Fourth shoot-
Exam plan
In my exam I want to show the difference between rich and poor and the way I am going to do this is by putting contrasting photos together to show the difference. I have chosen trainer , wallet and ripped clothing as I think this illustrates the difference between those who have and haven't. So I plan to use Photoshop to refine my images and to add text and bands of colour that link into the research I did at the start of the project.
Example
My example based on my research of Barbara Kruger that am going to use to develop my work.
This is a image from Barbara Kruger which has inspired me.
29th April 2019 from this point I will not touch my preparations work. The only work from this date will be work created in my exam
Photoshop
Collage
I have decide to refine my ideas further by looking at graffiti artist which I started to look at and put my images on to brick walls to develop my ideas further.
Evaluation
At the start of this project based on the theme 'messages' I started thinking of ideas of what I can do and from this I started brainstorming ideas on coggle. After having a good think about what I want to do I realised I was quite passionate about people living in poverty and how they suffer on daily basis and no ones gives them a second thought. As I think it very important subject to touch on as it is very serious problem.
So this lead me to research different type of photographers and get inspired from their work. This would also help me gain ideas how I could portray my thoughts and opinions on poverty. The two main photographer I was mostly inspired were Barbara Kruger and Edward Honaker. I was really fond of Barbara Kruger work as I thought its good way to get strong message across to her viewers and audience. I also like the way she has concentrated and zoomed in on specific object or character as I think its more effective and more interesting to look at and understand what is going on. The way the message was conveyed also caught my attention immediately as it was red and white which stood out and made me read the message as it was bold.
After doing my research I was really fond of her work and decided to go ahead with taking close up images for my exam and concentrating on more zoomed in type of pictures. I also decided to write strong message on the picture to show awareness and raise attention about the struggles and the hardship of poverty.
I then started preparing to do my test shot and first shoots so I got some peers and started taking some practice shots to see what type of picture I could potentially take. This was good start as it gave me an idea of what props and set up I need and what I need to develop.
So I got one of of my friends to be my model and went to different locations and used different type of camera techniques to achieve the best possible image. Doing this I achieved my images I need for my exam and started to develop on Photoshop. I decided my end outcomes would be poster as I think this would be most effective and more people tend to find poster interesting and easier to understand the message being portrayed.
In my 10 hour exam I want to do more final outcomes and develop my posters to the best possible standard I can achieve. Throughout this process I have learnt a lot and gained a lot of knowledge about developing and refining my images .