Interim Evaluation

My aim for this project was to focus on the different ways in which people live, I chose to do this through looking at many different factors, including the food people eat, how people maintain their homes, what pets people have and how different people's homes look. I have enjoyed investigating all the factors which contribute to the way people live (e.g. disability, personality, their families...) and I believe I have built a cohesive body of work so far.

The photographers I researched in both my research log, and detailed research have heavily influenced many of my shoots, and helped me reach the overall ending of my project. Some of the photographers who have influenced my work are: Bogdan Gîrbovan, Mark Laita, Elliott Erwitt, James Russell Cant, August Sander, and Martin Parr. 

Bogdan Gîrbovan influenced my shoot numbers one and three with his series known as 10/1, this series consists of images from different floors of the same apartments in Bucharest, Romania, this influenced me to photograph different people outside their houses in order to compare and contrast these individuals. 
Mark Laita also influenced my shoot numbers one and three, with his series known as 'created equal' which links to the idea that we are all born equal, but it's our life experiences that change and shape us into the people that we are today, I explored this in my shoots three and one by photographing individuals who are related outside their respective homes, in order to explore the differences between their houses, despite them being raised in the same environments. 
Elliott Erwitt influenced my shoot number seven with his images of dogs, I found his images humorous therefore they inspired me to explore this too, I created computer experiments mirroring the humour of Erwitt's images whereby I swapped the faces of the owner and their dog. Erwitt is also the influence behind my future exam shoots too. 
James Russell Cant influenced my shoot number two, as his series called 'Haringey' contrasts and challenges societies perceptions by photographing the same youths in two different situations; one situation is where the individual is made to appear innocent, whilst the other makes them appear as though they're more sinister by portraying them to be on CCTV. CCTV is usually linked to crimes, as often police release CCTV footage in order to help capture suspects, therefore by contrasting the image of the child on CCTV with them being made to appear innocent, this contrasts societies perceptions and judgements of young people; therefore I chose to mirror this but with an elderly lady within my computer experiments. 
August Sander influenced me in all of my shoots, as he influenced the way in which I photographed my portraiture images. Sander inspired me to photograph individuals in deadpan expressions, whilst also holding the tools they use for respective jobs. He mainly influenced me in my shoot numbers six, whereby the subject was gardening and holding the tools she was using to do this. 
Martin Parr influenced my shoot numbers four, and five as these shoots explored commonly associated 'British' objects (e.g. fish and chips in shoot four, and the British beach in my shoot number five.) Parr's work explores how us Brits commonly live as a nation, therefore this image links to my project by exploring how we live daily. It could be argued that his images merely show Martin's own perspective of Britain, and of leisure. Parr's images explore everyday scenes, and allows us to see them in a new light, which we are not used to, therefore this inspired me when photographing my shoots four and five. 

Within this project I feel I have progressed dramatically through focusing more on the framing of my images, ensuring no objects are going through subject's heads, ensuring the background of the images are clear or presentable... I also feel as though have grown to understand the different camera settings more, by being able to link aperture and ISO to light sensitivity and depth of field. A low aperture means more light is being let into the lens, whilst also creating a narrow depth of field, moreover, a higher ISO allows more light into the image and vice versa. 
I also feel as though (through my computer experiments) I have learned new ways of presenting my work, by placing images next to one another, this is effective as it allows direct comparisons to occur from the viewer, as they can see the two images in question side by side, additionally it allows the viewer to deduce that the images must link in some way. 

Initially, my work was slightly disjointed as I focused on many aspects of how people live (food, pets, houses...) however, I will now in my final shoots be focusing on one factor which is pets. I enjoyed photographing and interacting with the animals in my shoot seven, therefore I believe this will be fun to continue for the next few weeks. Moreover, by focusing my work on pets this will allow me to create a cohesive body of work which all links, meaning my final exam pieces will be effective as a group, not just as single shoots. 

For my remaining three shoots I plan on following on my work from my shoot seven, whereby I focused on pets and their owners and how they live. Within these shoots I will focus not only on the owner and the dog, but where their food bowls are kept, or where their food itself is kept- therefore, this will allow more comparisons to occur when I place all of my images together in a final series. I will use three of the same subjects from my shoot number seven, in order to show progression. 
From my shoot seven I learned that I need to be more dominant in telling the subject's what to do, as I didn't get all of the desired images I wanted in my shoot seven, therefore by directing the shoot more I will hopefully obtain more desirable images. 
In addition, I will carry on using a tripod to reduce any shake/blur in my images due to the fact that animals are often restless and move a lot, therefore the tripod will give me the best chance of not obtaining any blur or shake in my photographs. 
Elliott Erwitt is the main influence behind these shoots, his images of dogs influenced me greatly as they can often be slightly strange or abstract, subsequently they grabbed my attention and made me intrigued. 

Research for Final Exam

Elliott Erwitt:

Erwitt's series of images known as 'dog dogs' is the influence for my exam shoots of owners and their pets. Erwitt stated that this series "is not a book of dog pictures but of dogs in pictures." This series of images portrays dogs almost as humans, with humane characteristics and mannerisms, he explores the dogs and sees their dignity/emotions like they are human themselves. Erwitt's images allow us to explore the canine world, in a way which we have not seen it before, Erwitt's abstract approach is intriguing and grabs the viewer's attention, whilst maintaining it. Erwitt's images are from all over the globe, places including: France, Spain, New York and London to name a few, despite all these different places having different cultures and ideals one thing is prominent and that is our love for our canine friends. In the images whereby an owner is present a link is created in the viewer's mind of the owner, and dog being similar in some way. 

This image was photographed in France in 1965.

In this image links are created in the viewer's mind between the dog and its owner, as this lady is clearly a girly-girl, as she appears to look after her appearance, likewise to her canine friend who she also appears to look after, as it's fur is all neatly cut. The dog and the owner are both enjoying the same activity in this image also, showing how they may appear different but they share enjoyment of the same things- again creating links between the owner and the dog. This image was photographed in Brazil in 1990. 

 This photograph was taken in New Mexico, USA in 1962.

Sebastian Magnani:

Born 1985 in Switzerland,  Sebastian Magnani was a keen photographer, in 2011 he turned this passion into a profession. His work often focuses on portraits, advertising and numerous personal projects (the Underdogs and Undercats.) This series explores how dogs look like their owners, whilst also investigating similarities in personalities. Faces and clothing is also photoshopped onto the canine companion, in order to solidify the link between owners and dogs 'looking alike', this images may make some viewers feel uneasy, whilst others my find them humorous. Below are some images of his work:

Exam Proposal

Connecting Essay 4

The above photograph is from my shoot number six, whereby I focused on how different individual's look after and maintain their homes. Moreover, the framing is effective in portraying my inspiration from August Sander, as the individual is starring deadpan into the image, whilst holding their tools they are using to complete their work, similarly to Sander's world war two images. Clarity is also evident in this image, as it's clear to the viewer what the subject is doing/ about to do. By focusing on how individual's maintain their homes I wanted to attempt and create a link between the subject, and their home likewise to my previous shoot numbers one and three. The white top that the subject is wearing also contrasts nicely with the colourful background, the colour white is often associated with innocence, therefore the white top would create a connotation in the viewer's mind of innocence.

The above photograph is by August Sander, taken in 1930 on a natural wood box frame, with normal glass. The man in this image is starring deadpan, almost in a chilling way directly into the lens of the camera, by the subject starring directly into the camera this creates a personal link between the subject and the viewer, reflecting to the viewer how themselves and this man are similar. The black and white colouring in this image reflects how old this photograph is, giving an idea about the temporal range whereby this image would have been photographed- 1930. The man appears to be in an apron, which is evidently involved with his job, moreover the little box he is holding also corresponds to this. The man's shoes appear to be larger than usual, therefore this may suggest that they are too involved with his occupation, as they grab the viewer's attention immediately in the image, Sander wouldn't have included them in the framing, unless they were significant in some way. 

Overall I believe my image, and Sander's link as they are both portraiture images, of individuals holding tools which they are using to complete a certain job. A difference between my image and Sander's is the fact that my photograph is in colour, whereas Sander's is in black and white, this difference is due to the time in which Sander was alive, as colour photograph wasn't invented therefore he had not choice but to shoot in black and white- whereas I had the choice, I decided to shoot in colour as gardening is meant to be bright, and colourful. Another similarity between our two images is the fact that both subjects are starring deadpan into the lens of the camera, Sander inspired me to make my subject's stare deadpan, as this creates an almost uneasy feeling in the viewer, whilst also creating a personal link between the viewer and the subject, as they are locking eyes. Another difference between the two images is that Sander's image is of a male, whereas mine is of a female; moreover, the jobs they are completing are evidently different as Sander's subject is in heavy uniform, whereas my subject is in her everyday clothing. 

Computer Experiment 4

Face Swap:

The image I will be editing in this computer experiment is from my shoot number seven, whereby I focused on pets and their owners. The photographer Sebastian Magnani was the inspiration behind this idea, as he photographs owners and pets changing faces, this highlights the saying "owners and their dogs look alike." 

Firstly, open the image you wish to use twice, this is because you need one image to cut the faces from, and another to paste them on to. After this, so to the quick selection tool and select the area of the photograph you want to swap, as shown below: 

After this, press cmd C, and then go on to the other image you have opened and press cmd V to paste the image, next use cmd T to resize the image and drag it into position holding down the shift key so the image doesn't become distorted, as shown below: 

Next, the same thing must be done for the dog, therefore on the other image, select the dogs face, and again use cmd C and cmd V to paste the dog's face onto the other image. After you have pasted the image, use cmd T to resize the image, holding down the shift key so the image doesn't become distorted. 

The overall outcome of the image is shown below:

I believe this image is interesting as it's reversing the roles of the owner and the pet, this also adds humour and irony to the image as usually the human is in control, however in this image the dog appears to be in control by holding onto the human. This humorous tone is something which I wanted to add to my shoots, in order to include more interest in my work, and also to appeal to a different type of audience. Overall, I do not think the image is perfect, as you can roughly see the outline of the two changed images, also the dogs face is slightly blurry where it was smaller on the original image; therefore if I was going to edit this properly for a shoot, I would ensure I edited each layer so that it blended efficiently with the background, to avoid any outlines being evident. 

Below is another rough edit from my shoot seven, that I have attempted in a similar way to the one above: 

Connecting Essay 3

The above image is from my shoot number one, the subjects of the images are my mum, and aunty. Within this shoot I wanted to show the contrast between the way people live, and their difference in houses; this is extremely interesting and significant in this shoot as the two subjects are siblings, therefore they started life in the same place, and were raised the same way, however they both now lead very different lives- I wanted to explore this within my shoot. I photographed the two images both landscape in order for them to be edited next to one another, so they could be directly compared by the viewer. For this shoot I was heavily influenced by the photographer Mark Laita (as shown below), as his images of juxtapositions in America encouraged me to explore differences in the UK involving the way people live their lives. The fact that the subject in the left image has her hand placed on the door handle of her house suggests she has more of a personal connection to her house, or more ownership of it; in contrast to the other subject (right image) who is standing with her hands down her side- this may imply that due to the subject in the right image not working she may not feel as much of a personal connection to the house, as she has not funded it.  Additionally, the clothing differences between the two females was on purpose as I wanted to demonstrate the differences between classes, I also believe a juxtaposition occurs, as it's a common belief that if an individual doesn't work they must not be well off, however through these two images it challenges people's judgements as the subject in the left image (who works) owns a less expensive house in comparison to the subject (in the right image) who doesn't work.

The above photograph is by the photographer Mark Laita from his series known as 'created equal', which shows complete differences of people in America (as seen above.) The above image explores the differences between a perceived pimp and polygamist. The three women surround the men in a similar fashion, however their clothing is very different, with the women in the right image wearing revealing clothing whereas the women in the left image are covered up, this explores a difference in their lifestyles and their perceptions of what they each may find 'acceptable'. Furthermore, the male in the right image is wearing sunglasses, which may be seen to act as a shield of identity, in contrast with the man on the left who has nothing covering his eyes, meaning the viewer can identify him clearly- this may link to the subject not wanting to be identified. Another striking difference between the two pictures in the image is that one of the women in the left image appears to be pregnant, whereas none of the ladies in the right image are, this may suggests that the polygamist group are more family orientated than the other group of individuals- this difference therefore touches on the different ideals of the groups.

Overall, I believe the two images link together as Mark Laita was the initial inspiration for my structure of my shoot by exploring how different people live/lead their lives. Moreover, the way the images are set out (placed next to one another) is the same, this allows the viewer to see a direct contrast between the two photographs. The differences between my images and Mark's are that my photograph is from the UK, whereas his photographs are taken in America, subsequently these are different cultures and will be different as a result. Furthermore, my photographs are taken of the subjects outside their respective houses, whereas Mark's photographs are taken in a studio which prevents any further knowledge being gained from the individual's or their houses, but in my image more information can be gathered surrounding the subjects. My images are also in colour, whereas Mark's are in black and white- Mark may have converted his images in to black and white in order to challenge people to only focus on the underlying meaning of the images, and not to be distracted by any other detailing, however in my images I chose to leave them in colour in order to allow more information to be gathered about how the subject's may live.

Connecting Essay 2

The above image is from my shoot number seven, whereby I focused on how different people live with different pets. In this image the child appears to be innocently playing with her pet dog, this is interesting as some people would often consider this breed of dog (pit bull) to often be violent, however here it can be seen to be innocently, and gently, playing with its young owner- therefore this may challenge people's stereotypical views. I used a tripod to capture this image as animals and young children are often moving a lot, therefore the tripod allowed me to minimise any blur from the camera, and keep my image clear. Within this image I also admire how the subject is unaware that I am photographing her, as this makes the image more natural and believable to the viewer, also creating a type of fluidity to the image. 

The above image is a photograph which I found online, of a pet and its owner. This photograph appears to have been taken some years ago, due to the dated furniture which can be seen in the background. The animal in this image is a cat, which is laying over its owner, almost as though it's cuddling her, as its paws are either side of the owners neck- this stance shows love between the owner and her pet, which creates emotion in the viewer. Moreover, the fact the owner is looking at her pet shows that her cat is her pride and joy, and that she cares deeply for the animal, almost linking to the saying 'the apple of my eye.' The blue colouring on the females top contrasts the grey colouring on the cat effectively, creating a cool tone, which contrasts the warmer tones in the background of the image.

Overall I believe the two images link as they both are of the same situations- owners and their pets. The differences between the two images surround the age of the two subjects involved, as my photograph is of a younger child whereas the image I found on the internet is of an older female; moreover, the pets in the images differ too, as in my photograph a dog is evident, but in the image I found online the cat is the subject. A similarity between the two images is the love shown between the owner and pet, shown through the cuddling of the animals in both images, and the smiles on the owner's faces. My photograph is taken outside, whereas the image I found online is evidently photographed inside the owners house, this may suggest that the dog in my image is more outgoing than the cat in the image I fount online- similarly this difference could suggest that the cat is a house-cat. Overall, the principles and meaning behind the images are similar, despite how they appear being slightly different from one another.