Medium Format Contact Sheet

This is my contact sheet for my medium format film taken in the studio. I used F8 and the shutter speed was 125. There are a few problems with this film, for example the lighting has made some of the images have an almost green background. As well as this I was unaware of what was in the frame as you can see the lights in the background.

There are a few shots that I would identify as the best of the film the last two of 'sloth.' The lighting in particular in these shots really stand out to me because it almost looks as though the television is glaring back on to the subject.

I could always edit this by scanning the images onto photoshop and change the lighting as well as cropping some of the images. I really enjoyed used the medium format camera though, I found it quite hard to remember the order in which you have to do things but the longer process generally means you concentrate more on the image you're taking. It is very different from a normal 35mm camera however, I really like the way you can look into the viewfinder and you're still able to see everything without having to move the camera at all, also the sharpness a medium format can give an image. I don't think I will be using my medium format film for my final prints as they weren't as sharp as my digital images.

First film shot on digital

Contact sheet showing a few of the shots I'm considering to use for my finals.

Some of the shots will need cropping if i plan on using them, it was quite hard to avoid getting unwanted background in to the shot whilst having the models standing.

Gluttony and Lust

Sloth

Greed and Envy

Wrath and Pride

Greed and Envy 

Evaluating my digital prints

I shot this film on F8 and shutter speed 125 using a Cannon 5D SLR.

I wanted hard lighting so I could create definition in the shadows and also to give it a dark look reflecting the idea of the seven deadly sins and religion. I decided in the end not to use text projecting on to the subjects as I wanted to really focus on the models and their characters. Instead I have decided to put the text on to the images through photoshop. My two faviourite images of this shoot are the bottom one, 'greed and envy' and the top 'lust and gluttony' I paticularly like the subjects composition in these images and the lighting also works very well. For example for greed and envy, the light falls on to the newspaper highlighting what I wanted to show, the spending cuts. I have also noticed that there is a colour theme occuring through the images, reds and skin tone/beiges.

 I have styled the models myself and love the way the clothes really bring out the idea of their sins, especially gluttony with the flesh coloured lingerie. The facial expressions are especially strong in the top and bottom images and overall  I'm pleased with the results.

Inspiration for my idea

When looking at the seven deadly sins, I thought about different ways I could portray these sins without being too cliché. 

I found this on a website which I thought was quite interesting because its a different way of looking at the sins and it gave me some inspiration toward what angle I could come at for my shoot. There is a list of each sin and the punishment you would supposedly receive if you were to sin.

I could possibly show the punishments instead of the actual sins, this could be done in a number of different ways as well as being quite a diverse way of showing the sins and I like the idea of combining the editorial idea with it also. However, some of them would be hard to show literally as I will be doing it in a studio I might be restricted.

Sin	Punishment in Hell
Pride	broken on the wheel
Envy	put in freezing water
Wrath	dismembered alive
Sloth	thrown in snake pits
Greed	put in cauldrons of boiling oil
Gluttony	forced to eat rats, toads, and snake
Lust	smothered in fire and brimstone

This photograph of Kate Moss was taken by Juergen Teller in 1994. I intend on producing an image similar to this for the sin Lust. I want the subject to be in all red, looking seductive and I will have LUST with the meaning projected on to the face and body.

Lust

The most violent appetites in all creatures are lust and hunger; the first is a perpetual call upon them to propagate their kind, the latter to preserve themselves.” 

'' Lust is the craving for salt of a man who is dying of thirst''
This quote has given me inspiration toward how I will present the models. I am thinking of having the sin's lust and gluttony together and this quote would work well with how I plan to present them. I want gluttony to look helpless and emotional as well as looking trapped, with lust looking at gluttony as if she is getting a thrill from gluttony's desperation.   

Gluttony

Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.” – Peter De Vries

This quote has given me some inspiration for how I will show gluttony. As I want the images to reflect modern issues in society I aim to reveal through imagery problems that we are faced with everyday. In a media saturated society we are constantly aware of body image, the 'perfect' body, and the undesired body. In my photographs I want to explore the sin, gluttony, and how our emotions can be responsible for this 'so called sin.'  I feel that these dated sins are a good reflection of the modern world, gluttony is clearly still seen as a sin but for different reasons. 

Wrath

“Fairest and dearest, your wrath and anger are more heavy than I can bear; but learn that I cannot tell what you wish me to say without sinning against my honour too grievously.” – Marie de France

Sloth

“Sloth like rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while the used key is always bright.” – Benjamin Franklin

''Sloth and silence are a Fool's virtues''- Benjamin Franklin

Pride

“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.” – C.S. Lewis

Greed

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Envy

Envy eats nothing but it's own heart.

I am thinking of using these quotes as my text in the image, I will look at some more and see whether they work well with my final images. 

About my idea.


The Seven Deadly Sins — lust, envy, gluttony, sloth, greed, anger and pride — have had an enormous impact on the moral compass of the modern world. These sins have had different interpretations in Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and some argue that they have even greater significance than the Ten Commandments.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/seven-deadly-sins-get-a-modernday-makeover/2008/03/10/1205125821756.html

My idea

After looking at a range of photographers and artists text based work I realised I wanted to go down the editorial fashion route. I looked at the idea of involving quotes as my chosen text, I really enjoy the idea of involving religion and decided to look at religious quotes. I think involving fashion with a such a controversial topic could work very well, I intend on giving religion a modern twist through imagery. First of all I looked at 'The Ten Commandments.' Using religion as my main theme could work very well with the projected text I plan on using over the subject. The idea is to project the text over the model, giving it a dominating feel, similar to how religion could feel for somebody. I want the text to look over powering which links to the idea of how some people perceive religion today, as well as how it would have been historically when the commandments and the seven deadly sins were produced.

• You shall not steal. ( Subject with bloody hands in focus, words projected onto hands.)
• You shall not commit adultery. ( Subject in lingerie, a seductive look, focus on wedding ring)
• You shall not steal 

The Seven Deadly Sins.

My final idea will be based on the seven deadly sins.

• Sloth
• Gluttony
• Lust
• Envy
• Wrath
• Greed
• Pride

Photographers with Image and text

Victor Burgin

'Possession'

For the image below Burgin has deliberately designed the layout to reflect that of typical advertising. The opposition of the text and image immediately catches the audiences attention and triggers questioning as to the reasons behind it. Burgin explores the idea of capitalism and uses this as a staple to produce meaningful images combined with contradicting text. 

                                                                

The image above is titled ' Life diamonds a little give and take' taken in 1974.

For this image Burgin has used a piece of text in a context that makes it's unrealistic assumptions evident. It's layout is that of a fashion magazines, but by looking at the text there seems to be some meaning behind the use of subjects used here. The cameras gaze seems to fall onto the black woman standing at a bus stop in modern day England, by looking at the text Burgin could be attempting to show some binary opposites through his imagery. Burgin usually shoots in black and white and his images have a documentary look to them, they seem to be shoot mainly outdoors using natural lighting, the image above is a good example of this, the subjects are not posed and the overall image is quite grainy and high contrast. 

Lorna Simpson

Lorna Simpson became well known for her photographic work in the mid 1980's. Her work with image and text challenged and confronted conventional views of gender, culture, identity, history and memory. Simpson looked at how our gender and culture differences shape our interactions, relationships and experiences in a contemporary multi racial American society. I have been looking at Simpson's work for inspiration as she also has works with confronting modern societies issues through imagery.

The image above is called, Waterbearer, 1986. Simpson has used Vinyl lettering and it is a gelatin silver print. The combination of black and white makes a great binary opposite here, as well as the highlights really standing out. I reckon Simspson has used a slow shutter speed to capture the water falling.  Lorna combines text with her images to express modern society's relationship with gender, race and ethnicity. 

The image above is titled 'necklines,' taken in 1989. 

Simspon shows in this photograph a black woman's mouth, chin, neck and collar bone. For the text in this image Simspon has used the words: ring, surround, lasso,noose, eye areola, halo, cuffs, collar, loop,' The text is quite suggestive, and could be used as a technique to confront an audience's opinions and views on the subjects that she explores through imagery. 

Taryn Simon

The photographer, Taryn Simon has been influential as to how I will approach and execute my final idea. . I have been looking at 'An American index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar.'

For this series of images she examines diverse subjects such as science and medicine, religion, entertainment and nature as well as government. She has used a large format camera and it took her 4 years to shoot the whole project. For my project I am also examining the idea of religion as well as exploring the government, and modern day issues, and like Taryn Simon I aim to expose different ideas through imagery. Taryn uses the technique of text to inform and engage the public, but after processing the visual side she adds text to define the images fully. 

Taryn Simon's work relates to my idea to a certain extent as she tries to expose the hidden sides of cultures and religion and the government. I am interested in exploring this idea further through my images. 

I particularly enjoy this series of images, it is obvious that Taryn Simon has taken so much time into researching these subjects, and I admire her bravery in exposing them to an audience. The image below really particularly stands out to me amongst her other work. It is a photograph of a man on death row, it has an strong element of ambiguity, you find yourself questioning and debating over the subject and the meanings behind why this picture was taken.

Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger re-makes signs. Unlike the bulk of signage we see every day, Kruger's work tries not to deceive us into believing we have a need to fulfill, but to allow us to discover the deception of signs. Kruger is considered a montage artist.  

 Her key influences are "movies, television, and the stereotypical situations of everyday life. I particularly like her work titled "Your comfort is my silence." It is a good example of an image that really involves the audience with the use of text. The use of the pronoun 'you' leaves the viewer shaken because the natural reaction to the piece is that the "you" does not refer the viewer in particular, but to some otherness that is not viewing the picture at the moment. The viewer reacts by stepping out of there normal frame of reference to evaluate the picture, almost forcing an audience to form their own micro narrative of what the image is referring to.

Jim Goldberg

Jim Goldberg is a good example of a documentary photographer who consistently combines text with image. He uses the technique of hand written text to add emotion and depth to an image. Goldberg takes photographs of his subjects and gets them to write about their themselves and their lives or emotions below the image. His style of photography is very complex, the images almost talk to you and they have the ability to have emotional hold on an audience, reading the text offers you a glimpse into not only their lives, but into their psyches. I find the individual narratives, for example the photograph below, hugely compelling.

  SAN FRANCISCO—"To me life seems so messed up but littel by littel I am trying to over come that. Because it is hard being a woman and to accept me as I am," 1978

Looking at Text used in Advertisement

These are some images taken from the book 20th century Fashion. I want to give my final images an editorial look so I have been looking at possibly mixing advertising with fashion and using text in that way. The book looks through 100 years of apparel adverts and I really liked these examples of image and text used in advertising. The text on the last image isn't as clear, but it says ' The only way to get higher is illegal.'  This really draws an audience in and is a good example of how companies create and maintain a brand identity and image.

Text can also have a huge impact on the way you view an image, sometimes just adding a few words to an image can change the connotations instantly and can be used as a powerful tool especially when used in advertising. Adbusters, a magazine that consists of advertising that we are familiar with however, instead of the text we are used to seeing, beneath the images we are presented with text that completely changes the tone of the original images. 

I have picked these two particular images as examples of work from adbusters. 

Typically, above the well known label 'Calvin Klien' we are used to seeing a woman or a man with a great body, and the purpose of this is to make an audience believe that if they buy that underwear their bodies will look just as great as the models. Adbuster's has basically turned that whole idea upside down and shown what the majority of real audience would look like. Although the Calvin Klien for men advert here is quite humorous, the one above, for women has a serious tone to it. The one for women explores the issues of eating disorders and how body image through advertising could effect how we see ourselves. 

I have taken some influence from adbusters as it has helped me to explore further into the sin of gluttony that I'll be looking at and how I could present it in different ways. Looking at gluttony through a media's perspective could be a route to go down.

Text

How I will present the text

For my final idea I want to project the chosen text on to the
model and the background, similar to the image on the right.
For my idea which is based on the Seven Deadly Sins, I will have the religious meaning of each sin projected over the model.
For example for sloth: ' poisoning of the will; to despair, faintheartedness, and even desirelessness, a lack of real desire for anything, even for what is good.'
I will hand write the text to make it more personal. 



I might use the projector as my main light source, but I will experiment with that once in the studio. 
I have taken quite a bit of inspiration from the composition of this image, I'm considering experimenting with a range of body compositions in my final piece. 

Brainstorm: Image and Text

These are some pages taken from my work book, I've decided to brainstorm some of my ideas for the project.
Key ideas I have explored:

• Labelling
• Religious quotes, images.
• The Ten Commandments
• Seven deadly sins
• Style I will explore: Fashion, editorial.
• Famous quotations
• Well known sayings
• Juxtaposition with text and image. 

I quite like the idea of using postcards as a way of showing text and linking that into exploring the idea of different cultures and religions. As I want to go down the fashion route I was thinking of exploring the idea of how we stereotype a country through fashion. For example the French are normally associated with wearing a beret and a stripy top, and the Japanese with quite a quirky and colourful style. I've had a look at some photographers for inspiration to see whether I can develop this idea further.  

 

These images were taken by Eugenio Recuenco, Who's work I really aspire to. I really enjoy his use of location and also the way he works within a studio http://www.eugeniorecuenco.com/fichas/1021.html

That is his website with his portfolio of images, I'm not too sure what this series is called. His images seem to follow a consistency of being very dramatic almost theatrical, overall he produces very allusive photographs.

I would be aiming to present my images similar to these with stamps on the image showing what country I am trying to show with writing also, like a postcard. I could possibly have the writing in different languages as if it's a language barrier for the audience giving the image and text a sense of ambiguity. 

Project Brief, Image and Text

What I aim to achieve throughout project


For this project I aim to produce four enlarged (A3) photographs combining image with text. In order to produce a meaningful idea for this project I intend on developing my ideas through research such as viewing various exhibitions for example the photo fringe that is being held in Brighton currently. I will also take inspiration from film, articles as well as visual and verbal references from both historical and contemporary photographers and artists.
As this project is to be shot in a studio I aim to learn about certain lighting techniques and how to use studio equipment.
This project should be a good opportunity to experiment with cameras and camera techniques that I haven't used before, as I am usually used to shooting on 35mm film. I aim to use medium format, and if it works well with my idea I will use it to shoot my final images.
As well as this I will explore how text is used with images, and the meanings behind the two being combined together.

Initial thoughts on brief


When first given the brief I didn't have as many ideas as I usually have for a project, Initially I thought it could be quite a challenge to combine a text with an image and at the same time produce connotations behind this. I didn't want to be to cliché or make it unoriginal. However, after looking at various photographers I was a bit more open minded to the project and started to brainstorm ideas that could work very well.