Evaluation of final outcomes

How can I as a photographer creatively explore the theme of control by investigating how people change and alter the appearance or behaviour of others?

My initial standpoint throughout my component 1 is that i wanted to present control in different ways. This allowed me to change my ideas slightly for each set of photos i took. i got the idea of relating my first set of photographs to animals due to animal testing and controlling them. I wanted to present this in my work so i photographed dogs of my own in human accessories and clothing. To develop this idea i then used a person and reversed the roles so i photographed the model in a cage asif they were being used for animal testing.  

My intentions of this photoshoot was to reach out to the audience about a realistic, serious problem that is happening to this day. By putting a human in the animals place, in my opinion, would be alot more effective as it makes you question how you would feel if this was happening to you. 

As i got the idea of control relating to animal testing, i then thought about photographing makeup and animals separately to put two and two together. However i decided to explore the makeup photoshoot with humans to see the effect it has on us as it isn't harmful whereas it is on animals.  

Once i researched artist Jill Greenberg, i saw that she used control in her work to speak out about her feelings towards her U.S government. This inspired me to relate her work to mine as i wanted to take photos that had a meaning behind it. this was when i decided to take the reaction photographs of the model with and without her phone. Jill Greenberg photographed crying babies but she made them cry my taking a toy or sweet away from them to get a true reaction. I wanted to put this in my own work so i used a more of a relatable approach when using a phone.

To conclude this i changed my ideas numerous of times but i made sure it related back to my question of control. I feel that control is used in many ways throughout life so i wanted to use as many examples as i could but still relating to the project as a whole. In my opinion, i feel that i have showed control throughout my work even if it shown in front of the camera or behind. 

Final outcomes component 1

Annotation for mirror photographs

For this photoshoot, I have taken pictures of my models reactions in a mirror. Her facial expressions show how she feels when she has her phone and also when it gets taken off of her. The meaning behind these photos was that I wanted to use the theme control in some of the issues my age group would face, for example taking a phone away. I enjoyed taking these pictures because I found it very relatable to myself and my work because its showing different ways of control but in a more reasonable way.

My first idea was to take the photographs without the mirror. I was just going to do a portrait photo but I changed my mind because I wanted it to be more visually effective. Also, I feel that taking the photographs in the mirror of the model, gives a deeper meaning to the photo as it captures a mirror image of her reaction when controlling the situation.

To get the outcome I wanted, I used Nix collection to brighten up the background too create a clear white to remove any dirt or objects that was in the photo. I edited the photos in photoshop to make them look more visually appealing as its allowed the key elements to stand out.

I feel that these photos communicate with my idea effectively because it shows different perspectives of 'control' and to develop my idea, I wanted to use a situation that would be more relatable to the viewers.

Jill Greenberg analysis

Jill Greenberg was born July 10, 1967, and is an internationally renowned American artist and photographer whose work is instantly recognisable due to her personally executed postproduction and her mastery of studio lighting. Since the age of 10, Jill has staged photographs and created characters using the mediums of drawing, painting, sculpture, film and photography. Her background in illustration and painting is evident in her work, and her background in semiotics and art history is evident in the subject matter she explores. 

Greenberg has done a large number of celebrity portraits. She specialises in portraiture and uses painterly effects that are drawn using computer technology. Greenberg says that commercial photography influenced and provided inspiration for her portrait work.

Greenberg's End Times, a series of photographs featuring toddlers, was the subject of controversy in 2006 (April 22 – July 8). The work featured closeups of children's faces contorted by various emotional distresses. The pieces were titled to reflect Greenberg's frustration with both the Bush administration and Christian Fundamentalism in the United States. The method for getting the children to cry was, in some cases, offering the children candy then taking it away. If this method was not successful threats were made like, “I’m going to throw your Game Boy in the garbage.” While watching the children experience these upsetting situations Greenberg stated that she was reminded of the “helplessness and anger I felt about our current political and social situation.” Critics of the exhibition called the series of photos a form of “child abuse”.

The children were either professionally hired or were the children of friends (and included her daughter) All were accompanied by their parents, who assisted in getting the children to cry. Therefore, there was a relationship between the photographer and the subject which makes it more reasonable if the children are being photographed in the presence of familiar faces. The series resulted in active, often heated online discussion and news coverage, and resulted in hate mail which continued for several years.

The photos were taken with a very simple background with dull colours. this compliments the message and emotions behind the photograph because it allows you to focus on the main aspect of the photo (crying babies). 

I feel that the photos were manipulated in the editing process due to the fact the tear streams on the face and in the eyes are very enhanced to the extent that makes it one of the main elements that the picture features. 

In these images i have used a model to represent control over your true emotions. To do this i used masks of different expressions so i could explore various types of emotions behind the barrier. I took these photos because i wanted to show control from different perspectives. It shows control because the model is pulling the opposite facial expression to the one that is presented on the card. 

My set of photographs fit within my component 1 question because it features a sense of control when the facial expression is forced behind a cardboard cutout, you cant see the true expression. I felt that this related to my theme of control because it emphasises how easy it is for people to hide their true emotions. 

The aspects that i find most appealing in my photographs is the eyes because by looking at them you can try and figure out what the true emotion is behind the card. Sometimes it can be obvious as it would be the complete opposite expression. Another aspect i like about with this image in particular is the pop art effect i have used as it makes the picture stand out more.  By improving my work, i would try to match the tone of colour with the face and and the card cutout to add more realism and accuracy so that viewers would misinterpret what the photo is actually showing. 

For my next project i am going to look into the theme control in more depth such as finding the reasons behind why the photographer has captured what he/she has. for my next photoshoot im going to try and reflect the same idea in my work. Some photographers take their pictures with a meaning behind it whether it is based on a political or historical view. This links with my component 1 question because im experimenting the reasons to why they have gone to a certain extent to capture their perfect photo.

Artist analysis- Eolo Perfildo

Eolo Perfido is a professional photographer based in Rome, Italy. However, he is originally from France, in a town called Cognac. He run one of the biggest photo studio in Rome and in the last decades he collaborated with several international advertising and communication agencies such as Pepsi Cola, The New York Times, Gatorade, Kraft, Samsung and many more. He has been honoured to assist field photographers like Steve McCurry, Elliott Erwitt and James Natchwey in several of their shootings in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.

Eolo’s passion for photography started when he decided help out friends who were drawing comics by working more on the narrative part. From then he decided, to follow a friends footsteps into photography. Even  lacking experience, he took well composed images and felt at ease with the camera. The thing that motivates him more is the aspects that photography has brought to his life, for example travelling and meeting new people.

These photos were taken for editorial purposes because they’re not for sale but just simply edited for the viewing public to admire. The following elements that are important in the photograph is the face, the emotion and the beauty of the art work. The lighting in the photograph compliments the emotion that the artist was trying to come across as it seems to be very dull and gloomy. The lack of colour makes the makeup and the clown impression stand out more as there is a tint of redness to illustrate the aspects of a clown. 

The composition of the photograph is very strong as it is photographed in the centre of the frame. Also, Eolo has blurred from the neck onwards to help the important aspects of the photo look more effective. It doesn't look like much digital editing has took place apart from getting the colour of the background to make a gloomy effect, and enhancing the saturation on the nose and lips to give a more clown like effect.

My personal response towards this photographed is that i think the idea of having a false facial expression replaced on top of the true expression was very clever. It persevered me to create my own images using his ideas and methods to create my own version of portrait photos . The element that caught my eye and inspired me the most was the fact he represented the emotion with the choice of colours and background he has used. I found that this could be challenging so therefore i wanted to prove my editing skills and learn different techniques along the way.

Johan Joubert

Idea development

Carry on with my chosen theme ‘control’, i am going to develop my ideas from my animal project to looking at the theme control with humans. To do this i am going to take pictures of my model in a cage so it looks like the roles have reversed between people and animals. Im going to use dark edits and lighting to create a mood to get an emotional response from the viewer. I hope that these photographs will gain more awareness about how “control” can be used to overtake the lives of others for self-benefit.