Rhythm & Cycles:
Alternative Ideas
The theme for the exam is rhythm and cycles. At first I couldn't think of many ideas which relate to the theme however when I got brainstorming my ideas I came up with three main ideas which I then chose my final idea which also changed as time passed. The three ideas were the following:
- Idea 1
- Idea 2
- Idea 3
Final Idea:
Annul Events
I have finally decided on my final idea. It is very similar to my mini project except the idea of basing my images all around Indian culture has changed. Instead I have chosen to photograph five different annul events from different parts of the world. The events I will be photographing are Holi, Diwali, Easter, Onam and Carnival.
The reason I have chosen five different events from different cultures is to show that even though their cultures are very different they all have annul festivals which in some cases are very similar to each other, for example, holi and carnival are both known as the festival of colours. This links in with rhythms and cycles as all the festivals are widely celebrated annually which makes this a cycle, which is part of their cultures. My final piece will consist of five final images.
The two images below are the two different mood boards I have created in order to help me with my final idea. The mood board on the left are all the different festivals I have decided to photograph. This helped me come up with ideas as I was able to pick out similarities within the same events, for examples, colours. costumes etc. This along with my festival research was very helpful as one covered the visual aspect of the event and the other covered the deeper meaning of the event.
The mood board on the right was created to inspire me to create my own mask. I chose to create a mask for the event carnival so I thought gathering images of different styles of masks would help me come up with my own design. Click here to view my final piece.
The reason I have chosen five different events from different cultures is to show that even though their cultures are very different they all have annul festivals which in some cases are very similar to each other, for example, holi and carnival are both known as the festival of colours. This links in with rhythms and cycles as all the festivals are widely celebrated annually which makes this a cycle, which is part of their cultures. My final piece will consist of five final images.
The two images below are the two different mood boards I have created in order to help me with my final idea. The mood board on the left are all the different festivals I have decided to photograph. This helped me come up with ideas as I was able to pick out similarities within the same events, for examples, colours. costumes etc. This along with my festival research was very helpful as one covered the visual aspect of the event and the other covered the deeper meaning of the event.
The mood board on the right was created to inspire me to create my own mask. I chose to create a mask for the event carnival so I thought gathering images of different styles of masks would help me come up with my own design. Click here to view my final piece.
Festival Research
Holi
Holi is an Indian festival which is associated with Lord Krishna. Crowds of people fill the streets, squirting coloured water on people regardless of age, caste or creed. The festival maybe celebrated with various names and people of different states might be following different traditions. Holi is also known as the Spring Festival as it marks the arrival of spring the season of hope and joy. Winter fades as Holi promises bright summer days. Fields begin to get filled with crops promising a good harvest to the farmers and flowers bloom. Although it is said to be a spring festival I have categorised this festival under winter as it occurs at the very end of winter welcoming spring.
People light a bonfire called Holika on the eve of Holi festival and celebrate the victory of good over evil and also the devotion to God. The ashes of the bonfire are considered sacred and people apply it on their foreheads. People apply it on themselves because they believe it will protect them from evil forces.
Shops and offices remain closed for the day as everyone is out on the streets celebrating Holi. The air is filled with bright colours.
In my final piece I have used the concept of the colours being thrown on each other to the festival Holi. The model will be dressed in white clothing as it said that on the day people where white and the backdrop will also be white. Using the concept of colours, I will dust the models face with many different colours of powder which will represent the festival. For this photograph I want to use a headshot as in my prep work I found that a headshot is more effective when representing this event because when the camera has closed up on the models face the colours are firstly more obvious and secondly the photograph looks better than a full body shot.
People light a bonfire called Holika on the eve of Holi festival and celebrate the victory of good over evil and also the devotion to God. The ashes of the bonfire are considered sacred and people apply it on their foreheads. People apply it on themselves because they believe it will protect them from evil forces.
Shops and offices remain closed for the day as everyone is out on the streets celebrating Holi. The air is filled with bright colours.
In my final piece I have used the concept of the colours being thrown on each other to the festival Holi. The model will be dressed in white clothing as it said that on the day people where white and the backdrop will also be white. Using the concept of colours, I will dust the models face with many different colours of powder which will represent the festival. For this photograph I want to use a headshot as in my prep work I found that a headshot is more effective when representing this event because when the camera has closed up on the models face the colours are firstly more obvious and secondly the photograph looks better than a full body shot.
Easter
Christians all over India celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Prayers and services are held in churches and cathedrals on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Easter is the most oldest and important Christian festival. It is the celebration of the death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ. Easter is the last day of Jerusalem before his death. The Easter story includes the last supper, Good Friday the day which Jesus was crucified and Easter day, the day which he came back to life. The Easter seasons begins on Easter Day and lasts 50 days.
Some Christians take part in an Easter vigil, lighting a new fire outside the church early on Sunday morning. The Paschal candle, decorated with studs to celebrate Christ's wounds, may be lit from the fire and carried into the church where it is used to light the candles of the worshippers. The Easter Eucharist is a particularly joyful service. It is a popular time for baptisms and renewal of baptism vows. Some churches have an Easter Garden. A stone is placed across the mouth of a tomb before Easter, and then rolled away on Easter morning.
The first eggs given at Easter were bird’s eggs. These eggs were painted in bright colours to give them further meaning as a gift.
As chocolate became more wide spread in the 20th Century, a chocolate version of the traditional painted egg was developed. The size of the chocolate egg has grown over the years and is now more likely to be the size of an ostrich egg rather than a small bird’s egg.
Diwali
The festival is celebrated for five continuous days, where the third days is celebrated as the main Diwali festival or 'Festival of lights'. Different colourful varieties of fireworks are always associated with this festival. On this day, people light up divas and candles all around their house. They perform Laxmi Puja in the evening and seek divine blessings of Goddess of Wealth. The festival of Diwali is never complete without exchange of gifts. People present Diwali gifts to all near and dear ones.
The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance, although the actual legends that go with the festival are different in different parts of India.
The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, meaning row of lights.
Diwali is known as the 'festival of lights' because houses, shops and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called divas. These lamps, which are traditionally fuelled by mustard oil, are placed in rows in windows, doors and outside buildings to decorate them.
The lamps are lit to help the goddess Lakshmi find her way into people's homes. They also celebrate one of the Diwali legends, which tells of the return of Rama and Sita to Rama's kingdom after fourteen years of exile.
In India oil lamps are often floated across the river Ganges - it is regarded as a good omen if the lamp manages to get all the way across.
I am going to take the element of candles being lit to represent Diwali and use that element in my photo shoot.
The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance, although the actual legends that go with the festival are different in different parts of India.
The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, meaning row of lights.
Diwali is known as the 'festival of lights' because houses, shops and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called divas. These lamps, which are traditionally fuelled by mustard oil, are placed in rows in windows, doors and outside buildings to decorate them.
The lamps are lit to help the goddess Lakshmi find her way into people's homes. They also celebrate one of the Diwali legends, which tells of the return of Rama and Sita to Rama's kingdom after fourteen years of exile.
In India oil lamps are often floated across the river Ganges - it is regarded as a good omen if the lamp manages to get all the way across.
I am going to take the element of candles being lit to represent Diwali and use that element in my photo shoot.
Onam
Onam is a traditional ten day harvest festival that marks the homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali. It’s a festival rich in culture and heritage.
Onam is celebrated in the state of Kerala, in southern India. It's the biggest festival of the year there. The most spectacular celebrations take place in Trivandrum, Thrissur, and Kottayam.
People strikingly decorate the ground in front of their houses with flowers arranged in beautiful patterns to welcome the King. The festival is also celebrated with new clothes, feasts served on banana leaves, dancing, sports, games, and snake boat races.
The famous Aranmula Boat Race boat race carnival is held along the Pampa River, at Aranmula, towards the end of the festival.
A curious activity takes place at Swaraj Round in Thrissur, on the fourth Onam day. Pulikkali, a traditional Kerala art form said to have originated in the late 18th century, sees people dress up as tigers and dance.
On Atham (10 days before Onam), people start the day with an early bath, perform prayers, and start creating their floral decorations on the ground in front of their houses.
For this photo shoot I am going to use the idea of gardening and flowers which I will then put a modern fashion twist on it incorporating my own style.
Onam is celebrated in the state of Kerala, in southern India. It's the biggest festival of the year there. The most spectacular celebrations take place in Trivandrum, Thrissur, and Kottayam.
People strikingly decorate the ground in front of their houses with flowers arranged in beautiful patterns to welcome the King. The festival is also celebrated with new clothes, feasts served on banana leaves, dancing, sports, games, and snake boat races.
The famous Aranmula Boat Race boat race carnival is held along the Pampa River, at Aranmula, towards the end of the festival.
A curious activity takes place at Swaraj Round in Thrissur, on the fourth Onam day. Pulikkali, a traditional Kerala art form said to have originated in the late 18th century, sees people dress up as tigers and dance.
On Atham (10 days before Onam), people start the day with an early bath, perform prayers, and start creating their floral decorations on the ground in front of their houses.
For this photo shoot I am going to use the idea of gardening and flowers which I will then put a modern fashion twist on it incorporating my own style.
Carnival
Followers of the catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of wearing bright wild costumes which was the beginning of a huge festival just before lent. As time passed carnival in Italy became well known and other countries such as France, Spain and all the catholic countries in Europe too began to celebrate it. This soon spread all around the world and is celebrated every year across the world.
African traditions have had a huge influence on carnival, for example, parading the streets in villages wearing costumes and masks. Another African tradition also includes putting together natural objects (bones, grasses, beads, shells, fabric) to create a mask, or costume. Each object or combinations of objects represent a certain idea or spiritual force.
Feathers on headdresses are used because the African tradition used it as a symbol of human rising above all sorts of problems. A large part of carnival is music as streets fill with people dancing to different styles of music.
African traditions have had a huge influence on carnival, for example, parading the streets in villages wearing costumes and masks. Another African tradition also includes putting together natural objects (bones, grasses, beads, shells, fabric) to create a mask, or costume. Each object or combinations of objects represent a certain idea or spiritual force.
Feathers on headdresses are used because the African tradition used it as a symbol of human rising above all sorts of problems. A large part of carnival is music as streets fill with people dancing to different styles of music.
Experimentation:
Indian Culture
My main idea at first was to photograph each season which would represent one festivity that would be celebrated each year from a different part of the world. For example, I was going to photograph Easter for spring and Chinese New Year for winter. However as time passed my idea slowly evolved to focusing on the Indian culture. The concept of representing festivities in each season remained the same but the cultures were narrowed down to one. In order to decide which festival is celebrated in which season I had to research all the different Indian festivals and then decide which ones I wanted to portray in my photo shoot and also which festivals would be feasible. Once I narrowed down the search for the festivals I had to find out which part of India it was celebrated in. I then drew a small mind map to help me organise and clearly state which festival I had chosen for each season.
At first this was going to be my main idea but I decided to slightly change my idea and use this idea as a mini project within the exam. The final images for this mini project will be four separate images representing one Indian festival for each season. I also created a mood board to help inspire me for ideas and as part of my research. I will also use the same mood board and ideas that I have used for Holi as this Indian festival still remains as one of my final images for my final piece.
At first this was going to be my main idea but I decided to slightly change my idea and use this idea as a mini project within the exam. The final images for this mini project will be four separate images representing one Indian festival for each season. I also created a mood board to help inspire me for ideas and as part of my research. I will also use the same mood board and ideas that I have used for Holi as this Indian festival still remains as one of my final images for my final piece.
America's Next Top Model Video: Make-up Research
This is a short video which illustrates one of the concepts I want to use in one of my final four fashion photoshoots. The concept of coloured powder thrown on the models face is very simular to one of the indian festivals I have researched called Holi. Holi is a festival where crowds all over India fill the streets and squirt each other with water and coloured powder. This links in with the video I have found on youtube which has also inspired me with many ideas for my photoshoot which will be representing the festival of Holi.
Prep Pictures: Experimentation
Holi
The following pictures are prep pictures I have taken in which I have experimented with make-up lighting and different camera shots. I have chosen numerous images and then in Photoshop I have experiment with different tools such as; colour adjustment, hue and saturation, brightness and contrast and other tools. To show that I have experimented with Photoshop I have also added the original image to show the difference and also an explanation next to the pictures I have experimented with.
The pictures below are the same pictures as the one above except I have edited these photos using Photoshop. I used the colour balance tool to change the colour balance creating to different effects. The image on the left has a much colder feeling to the picture which is created by the blue shadows and tinting. Whereas the image on the right has a much warmer feeling which is created by adding a yellow tint to the lighting which not only create a warmer feel to the picture but also emphasises on the powdered colours on her face.
The image on the left shows my experimentation with the brightness and contrast tool which I used to slightly increase the brightness and as I increased the brightness I decreased the contrast. The effect of increasing the brightness is that the lighting hits the nose and the chin more than the original but it's not an obvious change. The photo on the right shows the use of the hue and saturation tool in Photoshop. The difference with this image is that colours on the face appear to be brighter due to the increase in the saturation.
Draft Notes/Planning
These are the notes I made while deciding which festival I will be shooting for which region of India and which season it will be represnting. I have also annotated my artist's photographs to show how they have inspired me.
Experimentation (mini Project)
Onam
This picture below is the same picture as the one above. I was experimenting on Photoshop to see what would happen if i tried to increase the colours in the picture. In this image I increased the saturation to a ridiculous amount so now the picture doesn't look right. She looks like she has been burnt and the colour looks almost fake.
In this picture not only did I increase the saturation but I also increased the hue which makes this picture look like pop art. This picture looks unreal but it looks better when both the hue and saturation is increased unlike the picture on the left where only the saturation is increased as the image starts to pixelate and the model looks burnt.
Diwali- festival of light
I have used Photoshop to make the original picture which is on the left into black and white leaving the candle which is in the models hand in colour. I think this gives the picture look more old/vintage which
Holi- festival of colours.
The image on the left is the original photo. The image on the right is what I came up with when experimenting on Photoshop. I used a filter on Photoshop which gave it that effect. I chose to use this effect as firstly I like the fact that the picture doesn't look real and secondly I like the way that the colours glow on the black background of the face.
Easter- death and the coming to life again of Jesus Christ
For this event I chose to do a mixture of black and white with colour. I was inspired by one of my research photographers called Michael Creagh to choose the element of black and white. I chose to the colour because another photographer I researched called Stephen Eastwood used vibrant colours in most of his images so I decided to combine the two techniques. In Photoshop I used the quick selection tool to select the background and then changed it to black and white.
Stephen Eastwood
Stephen Eastwood is a New York based beauty and fashion photographer. I have chosen him as my second photographer because I really like his style of work. When looking through his work I noticed that majority of his work consists of close up and shoulder shots. This was not only similar to my last project (7 deadly sins) but it is the style I was going for when I was photographing the festival Holi when I was experimenting with make-up, lighting etc and my mini project. I am also going for this style in my final piece. I also noticed that this photographer likes to use bright colours which stand out in his photographs. The image on the left reminds me of the event Holi but with a fashion and modern twist. This is what I want to achieve with my work. I won't be able to achieve these vibrant bright colours naturally so I will have to use photoshop to enhance the brightness, saturation and colour balance to achieve the same/similar affect as Stephen Eastwood. The images below are some of my favourite pieces of Eastwood's work.
Michael Creagh
Michael Creagh is my favourite photographer out of the three photographers I have researched because I think he is more versitile than the other photographers as his portfolio shows a variety of projects such as bubbles, reflections and black and white. Looking at his portfolio really inspired me to do one print that used the idea of reflections. However this was the idea before I had decided on my final idea so I am not doing that anymore. The reason I chose to research him as one of my photographers is because I think he is such a talented high end fashion photographer. His work is very inspiring as it had inspired me with reflection idea even though I didn't follow it through he still inspired me. The fact that his photographs are of such a high standard is inspiring on its own and is what I wish to achieve in my final piece.
Yanick Dery
The reason I have chosen Yanick Dery as one of my photographers for my research is because he has incorporated some of the ideas I want to use in my work in his own work. The pictures I have selected out of his work are the pictures which are most useful and more like the work I want to produce. These photographs are very similar to the ideas I have, for example, bright colours which is my theme and the style of make up. In some of the pictures below Dery has incorporated seasons into his photographs which was my main idea to start with but now has changed. Dery has good examples of fashion photography which has been based around the different seasons. The reason I am researching him as one of my photographers is because I wanted to see how he is different to the other photographers I am researching and how his work can and has inspired me for my final piece. I also want to work and experiment in his style as part of my prep work as I think trying his style of photography will inspire me and help me turn ideas from other photographers into my own which I can then incorporate into my final piece.