Illustrated Project Proposal

My Personal investigation is:  

To explore different areas of photography which fall into the genre of the surreal.

Surrealism: a 20th-century art form in which an artist or writer combines unrelated images or events in a very strange and dreamlike way.
Surreal: Beyond the real

Background research:

I have decided that I would like to complete roughly 2 series over a span of 10 shoots.  The first set of shoots will be focuses around the use of prosthetic makeup to create images which put a darker spin on popular idioms,  I have decided to undertake this shoot so that I can further explore my interest in portraiture photography as well as prosthetic makeup.  

The second set of shoots that I am interested in focuses around the idea of telling someone's life story through the use of shots of flowers this interests me particularly due to my interest in Victorian flower language and the heavy symbolism that can be gained from certain flowers.

Research:

I plan to approach this project by carrying out 1 prosthetic look per shoot for the first 7 shoots as I feel that each look has potential to take up to an hour to create.  I will be documenting each of the processes through a series of images which I may form into animated GIFs if I feel that the result achieved will be desirable.  For the second series revolving around flowers I will be tackling 2-3 compositions per shoot as I feel that completing more than this number of compositions will result in a clumsy and poorly executed series.  Each shoot for the first 2 series will take place in the studio as I feel that this clean and controlled environment will be beneficial in my attempts to create clean and precise images.

Illustrations/Photographers

Below are some images which have influenced me throughout my research:

Series 1:

This image by Rachel Baran appeals to me because of the way that the artist has created a striking portrait through the combination of a look achieved through fx makeup (the honey) and computer manipulation (the bees).  I like the images composition due to the way that the subject has been shot from one side of the face opposed to head on and is only featured from the shoulders up as it allows for more focus to be on the subjects face as well as for her features to appear more striking.  The colour combination particularly the contrasting colours of red (the models lips and dress strap) and blue (the background) are also interesting as they add a sense of dimension to the image and make the model stand out from the background.

This image by Miss Lakune also interests me due to the way in which she has carried out an eye-catching shoot in a similar style to high fashion photography but has added a gruesome and surreal twist through the incorporation of fx makeup and prosthetics around the models eyes.  The use of colour in this image is interesting as the image has a very cold appearance due to the muted blue of the background, pale complexion of the model and the silver metal jewellery which serve to make the image appear less flat due to their reflective qualities.  The use of black lipstick and red blood also provide an interesting element of contrast to the image.

This image is interesting due to the fact that Elizaveta Porodina takes fashion photographs with a surreal twist (the above image was shot for Vogue Ukraine).  This is particularly interesting due to the fact that a subtle combination of glitter, body paint and computer manipulation have been used to create a striking image with an excellent contrast between the reds and pinks of the glitter and models lips against the blue of the body paint.

The above image by photographer TOMAAS is interesting to me due to the way in which it combines standard portraiture formatting similar to the work of Thomas Ruff and incorporates an Andy Warhol pop art colour scheme (which is how the series gained it's name "Candy Warhol").  This combination of contrasting colours (pink and blue), bold composition and props draw the viewer to the subject of the image create an interesting image.

Series 2

This image by Brooke Di Donato interests me due to the way that the flowers are the centre of the image and tell the story opposed to the model in the image who is in fact obscured from view by the flowers.  This image also uses a shallow depth of field in order to draw the viewers eye to the flowers at the images subject.  This effect is amplified by the fact that the photographer has positioned the brightest colours in the bouquet in order to the draw the viewers eye there.

This image by Oleg Oprisco interests me due to the way in which the model is hidden by the flowers.  I also like the numerous colours featured in the wall arrangement due to the fact that it creates an interesting muted contrast whilst complimenting the subjects fair complexion and red hair.  There is also a contrast present between the subject purple eyes and the flowers this draws the viewers eye to the model despite her being largely hidden from view by the flowers.

This image by Jose Romussi appeals to me because of the way in which the artist has incorporated flowers into the piece stitching them to the photograph in an example of physical photography.  The contrast between the harshness of the leather jacket and spikes with the flowers is interesting and the eye is drawn to the embroidery specifically due to the fact that the flowers have been embroidered using coloured thread and the image is in black and white.

Techniques

The techniques I intend to explore as part of the project are:

Macro photography, Animated Gif, Portrait photography, Photo joiner, and physical images.