Portraits - Final Piece

Final Piece to the Portraits project, Shot by Joe Palmer

This is my final piece. Overall I think its one of the strongest images I've taken as it combines knowledge I've learnt from both Mads Pearch and Elesq (my chosen artists to research) and I think it conveys the message of individuality through differences very well.

I actually took this picture while I was talking to Ciara and Alice about what poses to do and just pressed the shutter as the camera was in my hands. When looking back at the pictures I realized that this was the most candid of all of them which is a really interesting contrast to have considering the very manufactured surroundings. I think this really cool and I defiantly like to practice with this in future shoots. I also really really love the faceless aspect of the image, faceless photography is something I love and I do it often but decided against it in this project for that reason. I just really enjoy the dehumanizing factor of it and can make an image much more impactful for me. Thats why I love this image because its a project focusing on identity and yet this image is very 'secret' and hides the identities of the subjects, but you can still see little trickles of who they are through small patches of light that have hit the face.

I also very much enjoy the colouring of this picture. I think Alice pose combined with the green colouring make a a almost snooty look, this is done through the mixture of the lax body language she has the the greens connotations of envy and jealousy. Whereas Ciara is much bluer but has these speckles of green, red, and purple on her making overall kinda somber but with this underlying passion.

Overall this Project as been amazing and I've really enjoyed it and being free to experiment how we like, It was a great start to the year and has re-introduced to me to photography well. I defiantly know that for the future I need to learn a bit more of my controls for the cameras as if I did know I might have been able to fix the problem I had in the final shoot. I think my Final piece is strong and I've had a great time trying to achieve it.

Portraits - Third Shoot

(Final Shoot)

Finally, my final shoot is completed and to be honest it didn't go as planned at all. I originally planed to have My friends Ciara and Alice as my subjects and to simply shoot the pictures in the room I used for my last two shoots along with the same equipment, but when it came to booking I was only able to get a Canon D-80, and a different room, I didn't really think this was a problem and the room wasn't much trouble for me. But, unfortunately something was wrong with my camera and nor I or any of my friends know what was wrong an how to fix it, so I tried to go through the shoot anyway but I think that something was wrong with my white balance because the camera was changing the colours of everything, even though the camera was set to manual. Basically it was broken. Eventually, Alice offered to let me borrow the camera she had booked out, It was a D-90 with a lens on it more suited to close ups.

Shot of the 3rd Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer (D-80)

Above is some of the media from the first half of my final photoshoot. With the unknown problem on the D-80 It took a lot of pictures to actually get a clear result and these are them, Although you can see the colour changing effect the camera kept doing on the image in the middle top right. I did try do get some good ones and the far bottom right image is actually one of my favourites as I really like the composition of it. The picture is slightly dark thought but this is because the actual projected image came out darker when projected. Also The middle middle left image was a pure accident I tried to 'reset' the camera but reverting everything back to auto to like 'refresh' it but i took a picture during and it upped the shutter speed and that happens, I actually quite like the picture and might play with shutter speed for my next project.

Shots from the 3rd Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer (D-90)

The pictures above are from the second half of the shoot where alice kindly let me use her camera. I think they came out so much better then the first half. Because of the lens I really wanted to get up close and personal with the shots. I think of these shots came out amazingly, mainly the far top left and middle middle left. These two shots just really catch my eye and I like alot about them.

Top shot from my 3rd Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

The Image to the left is one of my favourites from the shoot because I just think it has such early and cool sense to it. It was taken on accident as they both laughed and put their heads down at the same time. The picture ended up looking like they're both hanging in a cupboard with the projection looking like the sun through the slats in the doors. This picture was almost my final piece because of this 'Capture the moment' aspect to it but I ended up not choosing it because it doesn't really fit the theme and is slightly blury from where they were moving.  

Top shot from my 3rd Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

The picture beside is another of my favourites from the shoot that doesn't really fit the theme I just really enjoy. I mainly like the extreme sharpness it has, Also, like the last it has a little bit of a sinister vibe. It almost replicated the same situation that the image above is in. The only problem I have with this image is the composition, I feel like what it has works and the lack of looking room as a level of claustrophobia but personally it just feel a bit heavy and I wish i shout it more central. 

Honourable Mentions 

The next few Images are ones that I almost chose for my final piece but in the end decided against for various reasons.

One of the top shots from the Final Portraits shoot that was almost chosen as final piece (By Joe Palmer)

The above image I one I really like and is a very well composed image, my only problem with it is that it is a direct 'copy' of the original image by Elesq so I almost feel that it would be a cop-out to choose it as I haven't put much thought into what I'm visualizing through the projection. I also feel their wasn't enough progression from the research to this to have it as my final piece. (For a more in-depth analysis of this image look to my Elesq Research Here. )

One of the top shots from the Final Portraits shoot that was almost chosen as final piece (By Joe Palmer)

This next image is more of a progression from the Elesq research as it has those same connotations of balance and individuality through differences but its more of a move forward with the different background that is of two triangles that represent both subjects. I also tried to mimic the colouring and emotional context of both triangles in my direction of my friends, I had Alice mirror the sad connotations of the blue and had Ciara show the passionate connotations of Pinks and Reds but having her head held high. I also feel like this added to the composition of the image by creating this diagonal line through the picture. These lines also line up with the triangles adding further composure. I also feel like this add a secondary meaning as Alice almost looks like she is trying to fit into the triangle and 'conform' while Ciara is 'breaking the mold'. My only problem with this image is the colouring is just took dark and because my iso has be be raised because of this It created some unnecessary grain and it just took away from the image for me. 

One of the top shots from the Final Portraits shoot that was almost chosen as final piece (By Joe Palmer)

The final option I almost chose for my final piece was this picture. Really this picture has everything for me, the only problem I have with it is the camera was slightly out of focus and this combined with the slight blurriness of the original projection image left it quite cloudy overall and it just put me off alittle but its such a shame. 

What I do like about this image though is the composition and the direction I gave. I told my subjects to create the same lines that they made in the previous image which they did well but then I actually tilted the camera to enhance this. This image also follows more of the balance side of the meaning that ive been trying to portray and I quite like this. I went for a concept based around Calm and Chaos I tried to reflect this in the colouring and the graphic of each circle by getting one that is calm water in a cooling blue and the other is for wild tides. There is another version of this projection image where the yellow is in red that fits the colour theory better but but it didn't show up well in camera so I has to use this yellow version which I still like it just doesn't fit the colour theory as well. 

Third Shoot Prep

Moving on from my last piece of research I decided to work with the idea of balance and a sense of individuality through opposites. I think the patterns that I used for the seconds shoot were pretty good so I took those and develop them slightly to fit the theme. I also took what I learnt from Elesq and created my own images off of her themes of balance.

Planned projected images that I've created on Photoshop 

The first Images I've created are are the ones based from the Elseq research, the left half are the ones I'd like to use on a white background and the right half are what I'd like to use a black background. I think the main area I focused on for these was balance, But I did also try to include subject matter surrounding identity through opposite images to represent how everyone is different. I tried to really make the meaning of each of the symbols very obvious through colour and the expression of the symbols, For example the Warm and Cold images I had warm tones on the warm die and cold on the cold side.

Planned projected edits of an original found image from Google

For these images I took my favourite paint effect and created a mirror images of it and adjusted the hue two visually represent the the message of identity and then i simply made a few extra versions that has different black patterns over them to make more dynamic prints of the image when against the black background. These images are closer to the last shoot but I tried to adapt them to fit my decided meaning.

Misc effects that I did to mix up what I was projecting and see how it effected the images 

The final few are just some extras I made in order to mix up the others and see how the pictures would come out, they are mainly experimental but I think they might have some good results.

Portraits - Mini research Task

In order to move forward with finding a stronger direction for my next shoot I started searching for a new artist to look at. I ended up finding them one day while scrolling through tumblr. I was draw to it straight away because of its simplistic and clean style, making the meaning of each image stand out.

Elliana Esquivel - Elesq

Elesq (screen name) is an online artist who mainly works through the online store Etsy, Instagram, and Tumblr. The mainly work through commission making art to sell. Their style is very minimalistic and clean, mainly using line work and then block colour to accent and highlight certain areas. 

Drawn by Elliana Esquivel (Elesq) 

Drawn by Elliana Esquivel (Elesq)

Drawn by Elliana Esquivel (Elesq)

Drawn by Elliana Esquivel (Elesq)

I think her style is meaning focused and as the whole purpose and the look of the drawings is to portray the initial meaning. I think that this is a great start for me to start finding a more solid meaning to base my work around. The above images all have different yet similar themes. The first is one of caged freedom and the fish is floating in the air representing freedom and dreams while its still in a plastic bag and attached to the girl, this represents the caged nature of the image. The second image is probably my favourite of the 4 and it is an image that is one that speaks of exhaustion mainly related to being over worked. The third is simply one of imagination, and the last is one showing how the mind can be a prison or a place of growth.

Drawn by Elliana Esquivel (Elesq)

The above image is one of the main drawings of Elesq's that stood out to me, the meaning is simply one of Yin-Yang and balance in the mind. I really like this theme and I really want to work with this theme and maybe develop it into one more fitted for identity.

Drawn by Elliana Esquivel (Elesq)

This is my favourite image out of all the drawings I looked at by Elesq. I really like presentation of it being visibly in a book. I also feel like the image kind of has a like 'passing thought' vibe to it, its very simple and thought provoking, it has a sense to it thats its almost like a doodle. I just really like its presence as an image and the meaning behind it is really thought provoking too. Its message is basically one of being lost in thought and being absent from situations. I'd like to work with this concept further and link in the theme of balance from the previous image.

Portraits - Second Shoot

Now will all my prep done and the research from Mads Perch I was ready to move onto my second shoot. For this shoot I kept all my equipment the same (Projector, D90, Tripod) But the main difference is I want my pictures to come out more like Perch's, so a lot darker with the projection mainly focusing on the face and not the background. I did this by having the camera straight on to the black background withe  subject in front of it and then positioned the projector side on so it wouldn't hit the background. I also kept the room pitch black with the projector as the only light source, this was alittle harsh on my friends eyes which i feel bad for but none of them have been blinded soooooo.

A collection of Photos from my second Portraits shoot (shot by Joe Palmer)

After this shoot I was so incredibly happy because I honestly love every picture. I think the effect of the projector is really cool. and when you mix it in with the shadows it creates on the face I really like  the dynamic shapes and patterns it makes. Eventually in this shoot I ended up setting up the composition and then holding the projector myself to position it into a place I wanted and then asking my friend to press the shutter as I was able to get the effect where I wanted it to make a better effect on the face.

From this shoot the paint effect patterns that I used worked the best as they highlighted the face better where as the other patterns, mainly the black and white ones make the subject unrecognisable as a person.

the main aspect of the paint effects that creates meaning the colour and the connotations those colours have. for example The top two images have two completely different meanings from how one is blue mixed with a more somber expression makes the image rather sad looking. Although I do really like how theres that much warmer purple colour going straight over the mouth and in that my friend is smiling, almost as if its highlighting it. I also think it makes the image alot sinister. In contrast to this image though the top right is mainly red and yellow. For me these two colour together represent panic, but this combined with the determined expression, for me makes the image quite motivating.

One of the top images from my Second Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

For my first of my analysis I wanted to start with this one as it was one of the earliest that I took. I really like this image because of the contrast it has; the colour and the darkness, and the differences in the patterns.  I also think that for all the contrast  in the image its quite a peaceful one, This is mainly portrayed through the facial expression but is re enforced in the softer more swooping areas of the projected pattern. Mainly I feel this picture promotes a message of tranquillity and a sense of blocking out everything and just having a moment to yourself. I think the latter half of this is mainly shown through the eye area of this post. with the eyes closed, and the wild pattern over the top of them. The colouring of this image is... interesting. Mainly because the main connotation of green is envy or jealousy but I find it hard in how this links into the image, maybe it shows an underlying sense of jealousy of those people with less stress in their lives?

Composition wise I like this set up. Its ever so slightly a high angle, not so much as it makes the subject inferior but enough to highlight the head of the shoulders. I also positioned the camera slightly off centre to give the subject some looking room.

My main area of improvement in this image is probably colouring, as I feel It could really highlight the meaning better. maybe replace the green with blue and the purple with pink so it could get add a link back to simpler, younger times when theres less to worry about.

One of the top images from my Second Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

The above image is very similar to the last as it was using the same projected image but I feel has very different vibes. Unlike the last image a lot of this images meaning has come through the projection And then its backed up by the facial expression and body language. The main area of focus in this image in defiantly the eye on the left of the image, as its peaking through all the dark areas on pattern and really shining in the blue of the projection. I think one of the main contributing factors to the impact of this whole image is the dark areas of pattern as they really help outline key areas and frame the image. For example the dark area under and above the visible eye add to it and make it almost like a sinister sneer, this is added to by the almost exclusion of the mouth as it is covered by the purple and doesn't stand out. I do really like this image and the overall end product of it but I feel that if I were to follow the route of making an image with a darker theme I could do it more effectively, unlike the above image that is more of a happy accident.

Another side to this image image is how the projected image reflects Liesegang Bands on sandstone clastic sedimentary rock formations. It doesn't really impact the meaning at all I just thought it was nifty.

One of the top images from my Second Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

The next image is very different from the last two as it uses one of my photoshop made images. I think this image looks so cool. I just really like how all the lines really frame the facial features so the face is still visible but its also creates new shapes and features on the face and neck that make for a more interesting visual.

The composition of this image i also really like. I managed to position the corner of the projection on My friends face and it created this curved point on the chest and really helped focus the image and create a more of a bust like in sculptures of the head and shoulders. I also tried to position the colours where I wanted too. I mainly focused on the chest area as I wanted the cooler green tones on the clothing and then all the warmer tones on the skin to kind of create the look of an Infrared camera on a person. I went for this look as the pattern on the skin kinda looks quite primal in a way, it mirrors like tribal body painting. and I liked the combination of these two concepts as they merge to make this meaning of like raw emotion but then its all being shown in a very modern way to make this cool contrast. For future shoots I think I could work with this concept and link it more to identities I should end up with a strong meaning I can follow.

One of the top images from my Second Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

Finally, my favourite image of the whole shoot. Im just obsessed with this picture basically. Visually it really captivates me through the composition and position of the projector. This combined with the vividness of the paint effect contrasting the black just immediately grabs my attention.

What makes this image really is the projection. I positioned the projector on the face in order the create this line from eyeliner wing to the corner of the mouth to make more graphic image. But, after the shoot and looking back through I was amazes the image came out this good. Alot of this comes from  textures and lines within the projection of the face sort of move with the contours of the face and it makes the projection look more like body paint.

Moving onto facial expression I think that is where the meaning initially sprouts for this image. Its quite somber and reflecting. This mixed with the typically feminine bright pink colouring makes the meaning more one of coming of age. I think thins is because Women's sexual business' are often shamed by modern society, this is only recently changing. This makes the coming of age, puberty process difficult as it can be hard to express yourself and I feel that this is what this image ended up meaning. If in the future I continue with this style of projection, I'd like to maybe use a male subject and create a contrast between the masculine and feminine because I feel like it will link back to the theme of identities more.

Overall I think this shoot went really really well. I was kind of an extension of the 1st shoot as it was very much still experimenting and seeing what I got but this time I had alot more structure so my outcomes were alot more successful. Moving from this I'm going do search for more artists in order to find a meaning in which I can then create some projection images that fit my meaning more so I can make a stronger image.

Second Shoot Prep

In preparation for my second shoot I decided to crate some images on photoshop along side some found from google to project. I went for more abstract shapes and patterns as it will crate more dynamic shapes on the subject. I also wanted to play about with black and white images so I could see how it affected the subject and see if it warped their facial features.

After collecting and making images I ended up with three main sections: Paint effects, Made images, Black & White. And there was also a misc pile for just random ones I liked.

Found images from Google of paint effects

I am really excited to use these paint effects as they're so vibrant and colourful I think they'll create great textures on the skin. I think the ones with black backgrounds will be great to use as I can use the black background in conjunction with this to create pockets of colour and win in that have features of the face. 

I'm also really looking forward to using the middle two images as they have great texture and shaping in that and this combined with the curves of the face I think will make some great shaping lines that could look really nice in the end. 

Found Black and white repeating pattern and I trick images from Google

Photoshop created image from found image from Google

I mainly chose to do these images as I wanted to play around with how they would effect the face and see if they would warp it at all, If I can angle the projector right I think I could get some interesting pictures but I'm not sure how successful it'll be.

I think the one that could work the best would be the bottom right one but I might have to find or even create my own images that would work better.

I found the upper left image on google an was really draw to it but I'm thinking that for the next shoot I want to use a black background rather then a  white so I Inverted the image and made It black and white. I then had alittle fun with gradients and colours and the warp tool. and kinda experimented and made the other images. 

I think'll they'll be fun to use in the shoot as the the warped flower texture combined with the rainbows hopefully will make some really interesting patterns on the skin.

Misc found images from Google

These final images are just ones that caught my eye that I really enjoyed, I mainly like the top two images as they have the black backgrounds that should work really interestingly with what i hope to achieve.

The last two are just interesting patterns but I'm not sure how effective they'll be. I do look forward to play with all of these images in the next shoot and see how they come out.

Portraits - Secondary Research

After my first shoot I wasnt quite sure what too do because I really liked how some of the shots came out, and I knew I wanted to improve and develop what I did. So I decided to do some further research.  I simply did a Google search for "projection photography" and the first image that came up caught my eye, so I looked further into it and found the photographer.

Taken from Mads's Instagram (@madsperch)

Mads Perch

Mads Perch is a London-based photographer, originally from Denmark. Whilst in college Perch assisted photographers Mark Le Bon and Jason Evans. He began to shoot portraits for i-D magazine shortly after graduating with a BA (Hons) from London College of Fashion in 2005. Today he with a whole host of commercial, fashion, editorial and music clients. 

What I like the most about Mads Perch and his photography is that along side this payed for work he does personal projects. It is said that he does this to practice new techniques and equipment, and he will often do practice shoots before doing the official one. 

The first place I went too look was his official website. and there I looked further into his personal projects, to be specific the project titled "Projections". The description of the project is: "A personal project exploring projection mapping". Overall I loved everyone image of this shoot but I've picked two that really caught my eye.

Image from Mads Perch's Projections Personal Project

Overall this is my faaaavvvooouuurrritteeeeee picture he took in this shoot, I think really just because it's a beautifully shot image, and the fact the projection is of space. But really i can learn a lot from this image for my further shoots. I think the main thing is the lighting. I know for my shoot the lighting wasn't really going how I wanted. Also I feel like the background is important as for mine I used a white one but next time I'm definitely going to use a black one to really make the subject the focus. 

As for what this image could mean I think that it stands as a representation of imagination. The subject looks so at peace, almost as if shes sleeping, and everything is dark around her as if shes shut off the outside world. But then the projection of a galaxy on top of her shows the endless options of the imagination. I think this is a really interesting theme and not one I thought about exploring before seeing this. 

Image from Mads Perch's Projections Personal Project

At first this image really confused me for what it could mean as, for me, the projection and her facial expression mean different things. The projection is very graphical and reminds me of computers and technology, whereas her facial expression is one of anger. so at first I thought this picture was saying she hated the internet?

But then I thought about it further and realised that it wasn't anger and it was determination and that this image was really a message about women using technology in order the progress. In this instance I think that the technology aspect represents the growing presence of 'future style' technology in the present day. And her determination shows her combating the inequality of women's rights and their place in society (mainly the past). So overall I think this image is a metaphor for the changing times. 

I think what i can take from this image for my future shoots is the use of graphic images and shapes rather than actual photography or video as projection. I think before my next shoot i'm going to make some different designs on photoshop and then use them in the shoot.

Overall though I'm so happy I've sound Mads Perch as so far from everything I've seen, I love it all and I am definitely going to follow him to see what he produces and also post some more in depth looks at his work.

Portraits - First Shoot

Initially with the portraits project I was very unsure on what I actually wanted to do, even with my Initial research I was still stuck on what to actually create. Eventually we had a tutorial with Peter Ren, our Photography Lecturer, and he pointed me in the direction of using a projector in a shoot mixed in with a clean and colourful aesthetic that I like to use. So I immediately just booked a flash studio and a projector, I thought I might as well just dive right in. 

Initially it was going well and I had everything set up but one of the flash light was just constantly on and i had no clue what the hell to do i i scrapped having a separately lit background and just moved onto the projector. It took me a bit too set up the projector, about half hour including a Skype call to my friend for help. Because I booked the studio so suddenly I kinda wasn't prepared at all and didn't have anything planned to project so I just Youtube-d my favourite music videos, set the camera up, and pressed play.

A collection of photos from; Portraits Shoot 1 by Joe Palmer

Above are just some of the pictures from the shoot. I started with just my friend Ciara and then eventually added my friend Adelaide as I wanted to see how having two people in frame changed the dynamic of the image. I didn't give my friends any direction as I was just really testing the effects of the projector. I feel the projector was an amazing idea from Peter Renn as the meaning of  the image changed completely with whats being projected. At the moment I really like this but I know in the future I'm going to have to think very carefully about what I'm projecting so I continue to have the correct meaning. I know the project has to be to do with 'Identities' but I'm not quite sure how I want to interpret that into my own meaning.

Even though I really liked having two people in frame I think my composition wasn't right for it so alot of my favourite of this shoot are from the first half from when it was just my friend Ciara.

One of the top pictures from the 1st Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

Above is one of my favourite pictures from the first shoot and it was actually one of the first I'd taken. I also think that it stays within the identity brief as it has strong connotations of self reflection. I really like this image as I think the composition is interesting. This is mainly because of the standard mirror shoot behind the subject but the in the middle of this blocking the woman in the background. I think the shadow added to this as it almost acts as a looming figure over the subject. so all this together it changes the meaning of the image to be this like self reflecting image of the back character looking onto her self but in the way of her view is this figure who's almost enveloping the foreground character. growing from this you could say that the shadowed figure is hiding or protecting the foreground character and the reflection and woman in the background are almost on lookers. 

Overall I really like this image but if i was to shoot it again I'd adjust the focus and make sure my friend wasn't moving to avoid the blury hand. 

One of the top pictures from the 1st Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

Moving on from the last image this one is continues with similar themes of self reflection. But instead I get a new vibe from this picture that i cant quite put my finger on. 

What I mainly like about this image in the composition, how its faceless in a way. I love the lack of identity it has. It's almost as if the subject is looking back on the character in the back. but at the same time hiding her with the shadow. The image could be one that represents the notion of modestly and society's view on it. Moving from this the picture kinda reminds me of an art gallery and its more of an positive expression of the female body with the subject initially not looking at her but then the photo captures the moment of her turning round and starting to see and respect women, as a representation of changing times. 

Too improve from this image I think I'd play about with the projection, maybe shoot my own picture to make the meaning a lot more obvious.

One of the top pictures from the 1st Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

The picture to the left almost acts as that before point of not looking at the woman behind her. Although the message is less clear bey its self.


As a stand alone picture I found it hard to find a meaning but visually I really like it, how it has this curve made from the bodies and how this kind of links into the rule of thirds. I really like the colours of it as well, how theres this contras between the bluey hues of the background and then the pinks of the skin how how they blend on the face. 

One of the top pictures from the 1st Portraits shoot by Joe Palmer

This last image moves of totally from the the last three in all ways. But I still really like it. It doesn't really follow along the theme of identities but I really like the sense of reminiscing and nostalgia from it. It looks like an abstract way to show two old friends looking through old pictures and memories and remembering the past. I just think that its a really sweet image and i really like that. 

To improve I think I'd actually direct my friends so they we're in the right positions so you could actually see the expression of Ciara's face. 

Overall this shoot went really well as a first, practice style shoot just to get use to the equipment I was using and the studio its self. The main areas I need to improve in is the direction of my subjects and what I'm actually projecting. Although to do the latter I really need to decide on a meaning and at this point I haven't so I'd like to do some further research on artists to try inspire a meaning.