- That's not real life, lad. That's just pretending.
- But 'real life' is how well you pretend, isn't it?
You. Me. Everybody in the world...
Jack Rosenthal
Ready When You Are, Mr McGill
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Third year begins, and with it a new project is born.
The start of my third and final year at The Arts University College at Bournemouth (mouthful I know) has begun and with it has come a lot of work! But, even with the mountains of pressure, fear and self doubt I am feeling good about my final year and have started my project much earlier than normal and with a lot more determination and pleasure! Although I am aiming for a degree, at the beginning of last year I feel I forgot the passion I have for photography and only aimed to please my tutors, forgetting what I like to photograph. But with my last few projects that passion came back and now I am determined to do a project that is personal and is for me.
So with this is in mind I came up with my current project. My strongest work lies within portraiture and thus I decided to do a project dealing with the constructed image and self portraiture. I wanted to focus on self portraiture because within the project I wanted to deal with the personal issues that I have about myself and especially my body. I have always lacked self confidence, feeling particularly (like most women) critical of my body, wanting to loose more weight, have better skin, nicer bum... I could go on and on. I also deal with the pressure of constantly feeling overshadowed by an older brother and sister (youngest child syndrome I know) so with all these issues in mind this project was born... Have a look at the images and let me know what you think, as opinions help a project grow and develop.
Cheers bloggers!
So with this is in mind I came up with my current project. My strongest work lies within portraiture and thus I decided to do a project dealing with the constructed image and self portraiture. I wanted to focus on self portraiture because within the project I wanted to deal with the personal issues that I have about myself and especially my body. I have always lacked self confidence, feeling particularly (like most women) critical of my body, wanting to loose more weight, have better skin, nicer bum... I could go on and on. I also deal with the pressure of constantly feeling overshadowed by an older brother and sister (youngest child syndrome I know) so with all these issues in mind this project was born... Have a look at the images and let me know what you think, as opinions help a project grow and develop.
Cheers bloggers!
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Thursday, 13 October 2011
My New Favourite Photographer Is...
Donigan Cumming! When discussing my current project, my tutor gave me the name Donigan Cumming and ever since I've been hooked, recently buying both his Pretty Ribbons and Reality and Motive in Documentary Photography books.
In this blog post however I am going to show and talk to you only about Pretty Ribbons my favourite of all his work, and one that I feel most relates to the area of practice I am undertaking in my current project. In this series Cumming's "documents" (if you will) the life of former journalist come film actress, Nettie Harris, from their acquaintance in 1982 up until her death in 1993. I say documents lightly, as the images are set up, not by the photographer himself who merely creates the situations in which to photograph, but indeed by the model Nettie who is clearly in charge with what poses she pulls and how she wants to be viewed by the public. Indeed it seems Pretty Ribbons is concerned with her self-portrayal on her own stage, with her life itself. While she does not necessarily act in these images, she does not play the part of an actress; instead she takes up various roles that she feels make up her own person.
Nettie's physical and psychic presence is breathtaking and her sexuality is a huge matter of interest within the images as well. These photographs are disturbing and shocking for our society to behold as we sex (especially in old age) firmly in the taboo, and here Nettie is showing her own physical nature as a major theme throughout this series. Cumming's shows Nettie's countless wrinkles, folds and the natural bodies deterioration through old age as beautiful, not ugly as is viewed in today's perfection driven society.
I adore this book as it celebrates a vibrant and strong personality. A lady who has lived an intoxicating life and is not afraid to show off her flaws, her age her frailty but overall her beauty in somewhat absurd but striking photographs.
So here are a few of my favourite shots... just to give you a taster before you go out and buy the book!
In this blog post however I am going to show and talk to you only about Pretty Ribbons my favourite of all his work, and one that I feel most relates to the area of practice I am undertaking in my current project. In this series Cumming's "documents" (if you will) the life of former journalist come film actress, Nettie Harris, from their acquaintance in 1982 up until her death in 1993. I say documents lightly, as the images are set up, not by the photographer himself who merely creates the situations in which to photograph, but indeed by the model Nettie who is clearly in charge with what poses she pulls and how she wants to be viewed by the public. Indeed it seems Pretty Ribbons is concerned with her self-portrayal on her own stage, with her life itself. While she does not necessarily act in these images, she does not play the part of an actress; instead she takes up various roles that she feels make up her own person.
Nettie's physical and psychic presence is breathtaking and her sexuality is a huge matter of interest within the images as well. These photographs are disturbing and shocking for our society to behold as we sex (especially in old age) firmly in the taboo, and here Nettie is showing her own physical nature as a major theme throughout this series. Cumming's shows Nettie's countless wrinkles, folds and the natural bodies deterioration through old age as beautiful, not ugly as is viewed in today's perfection driven society.
I adore this book as it celebrates a vibrant and strong personality. A lady who has lived an intoxicating life and is not afraid to show off her flaws, her age her frailty but overall her beauty in somewhat absurd but striking photographs.
So here are a few of my favourite shots... just to give you a taster before you go out and buy the book!
Monday, 10 October 2011
Mari Sarai - 'Naked'
Walking past a little gallery called 'Doors Showcase' in Shoreditch an exhibition poster caught my eye, it was photographer Mari Sarai's series Naked. I had never heard of her before but was automatically drawn in to an exhibition that celebrates the naked form in a series of beautiful photographs featuring the liberation of powerful woman and all their glory. There are many ways the naked body can be interpreted and as a photographer who is interested in exploring ways of depicting the nude form in my current project, it was really refreshing to see such a bold presentation of the female body, it captures how a woman's eye sees a woman's body, without any of theh sexual undertones that male photographers seem to always induce, but still celebrating the sexual aspects of the female form.
Sarai's images are very intimate and playful. She celebrates the expressiveness of the female body and shows that nudity is not negative, dark or seedy and for this I congratulate her. I am definitely now encouraged to pursue the naked form in my new project and hope I can celebrate and capture them as well as she does.
The exhibition is on until 13th October, so if you get a chance, go see it!
Sarai's images are very intimate and playful. She celebrates the expressiveness of the female body and shows that nudity is not negative, dark or seedy and for this I congratulate her. I am definitely now encouraged to pursue the naked form in my new project and hope I can celebrate and capture them as well as she does.
The exhibition is on until 13th October, so if you get a chance, go see it!
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