Identity- Written Evaluation

To conclude my identity project ‘Millennium Girls’, I have produced prints featuring two of my subjects from this series. The concept behind my work was to document the identities of 18-year-old girls who, like myself, was born in the year 2000. I felt that it was important to document girls who turned 18 in 2018 as turning 18 is a milestone often romanticised by society and it is the age where you are a legal adult. I felt that by looking at the individual identities of different girls it would test if the notion of becoming 18 and gaining freedom lived up to the expectations set by society. To perpetuate the concept and to delve deeper into each subject’s identity before photographing my subject I asked them to answer three set questions which I chose to see their views on being 18 and also being female. The answers from each subject allow the viewer of the images to connect with the subject and their story as they find out more about them and their opinions, also I asked them to hand write out their response, this is a visual reminder to the reader that the writing comes directly from the person in the portrait and makes it more authentic.

I felt that to strongly convey the concept I needed to present a mix of images for each girl. My two subjects have juxtaposing identities which are clearly seen from the style of each shoot, but the images still work together as a cohesive series. Erin’s shoot is ethereal and calm which coincides with her aesthetic and the location is part of her identity, she has grown up in the countryside, I took inspiration from the work of Cole Sprouse who often channels this serene aesthetic in his photography. Sheena’s shoot is vibrant and modern, she has grown up in the city and has a fast-paced, contemporary personality. The idea of incorporating text was inspired by the work of Duane Michals who often accompanies his photographs with segments of handwriting that describes the subject or situation. I put my own twist on this by presenting the subjects own handwriting and their own personal thoughts, rather than my view of them.

Overall, I am happy with how this project ended up, however, If I was to redo my project, I would have put less pressure on the number of subjects I wanted to document. At first, I aimed to photograph 18 subjects, but this was an unrealistic goal due to the time-frame of the unit as my subject range is specific (18-year-old females) and a lot of this age group are living away at university or at work so it was hard to tie in the shoots. In future, I would plan my subject range better to ensure I had enough access in the time given. I shouldn’t have worried about set poses as much, which is the approach I adopted in the latter of my shoots. When I stopped putting pressure on the number of shoots this led me to take more time thinking about how I can project their personality onto the images. This led to my final two shoots which I believe were most successful as I knew what I wanted to achieve from the shoot. Towards the end, I thought more about my final presentations and creating simpler layouts which clearly showed elements of the subject’s identity.

Final Outcome

To wrap up my identity project ‘Millenium Girls’ I have decided to focus my final prints on two of the subjects- Sheena and Erin. This is because these two girls portraits turned out the most successful and also I believe that they embody the theme of identity the most as the location and outfits are juxtaposed with each other and express each of their individual identities.

I decided to present 2 regular portrait images for each of the girls A4 size and then print 1 A3 collage incorporating both their text and a collage of images like below:

I decided to present a montage next to each of their writing as I think that this projected each of the girl’s identities in a clearer way. By using a montage I could show several of the images including their outfit shot, close-ups and long shots.

I chose a close headshot and a full body shot for both of the girls, I chose these images as they are my favourite of each girl and although they are two separate subjects they still flow nicely as a coherent series.

I printed the images on the Canon printer at uni:

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FINAL LAYOUT:

07- Erin

My seventh and final subject for this project was Erin, who was born on the 9th of May 2000.

The location for this shoot was Cliffe Pools, an RSPB site near where both Erin and I live. She suggested this location due to its sentimentality to her, she said she spent a lot of her childhood on walks with her family and it’s often where she spends her time in her teenage years when she needs to reflect. I wanted these images to encompass the feelings of contentedness she feels in this location so I captured a variety of portraits of her surrounded by the beauty of this place.

I captured both an outfit and a leg shot. Although I am not carrying on with the set poses for each subject, I felt that the outfit shots really help to ‘set the scene’ and show an initial glimpse of the subject’s identity as I believe that clothing is a major part of each subject’s identity.

The muted, neutral colour tones compliment the subject’s outfit and the mood of the images. The background may appear bleak but this makes the subject stand out and also nods to the feelings of reflection and nostalgia I was trying to communicate.

I also captured some wide shots with a large depth of field, placing the subject in the middle of the background which is in focus. By having the background in focus that meant I had to ensure I was completely happy with the composition and take time to carefully compose the shot, for example, In the first shot below I wanted to capture some slight symmetry. I had the model walk in the centre of the path and then I changed my stance so I was shooting slightly lower to have the horizon even and capture the leading lines of the path.

These are the rest of my edited shots:

My favourite 5 images from the shoot:

 

 

 

 

Research and Shoot Plan:

For my final identity shoot, I am taking photos of Erin who was born on the 9/05/2000. She chose the location of Cliffe Pools RSPB site, local to where we both grew up. To complement both the surroundings and her free-spirited attitude I want to emulate an ethereal, peaceful mood.

Previous shoots with the subject:

 

Here are some photos of the location:

 

I want to primarily focus on the open areas of the site such as the fields rather than the dense tree-filled areas as I haven’t shot with this open, natural aesthetic before and it’s something I want to experiment with.

 

I am inspired by the work of Cole Sprouse, much of his fashion/portrait photography is set in vast, natural landscapes and exude feelings of beauty and freedom.

Sprouse (26) is primarily known for acting but is also a photographer. Since taking photography to a professional level he has shot for Teen Vogue, L’Uomo Vogue, W Magazine and several others.

He often uses a large depth of field to ensure that both the subject and their surroundings are in focus. The aesthetic of Sprouse’s images ties in perfectly with the location I will be using. Although I won’t be styling my shoot like his are due to the fact that one of the key ideas of my project is to see each subjects individual identity so it wouldn’t have the authenticity I am striving for if I dictated the appearance of the subject etc.

His subjects always work in harmony with their surroundings, his compositions make each photo seem almost dream-like. He uses light playfully and embraces interesting shadows in many of his images (above), which is something I began experimenting with on my last shoot and is something I want to try more on my next shoot.

previous shadow experimentation:

The final inspiration I am taking from Sprouse’s work is his use of negative space, he often frames his images so the subject is mainly surrounded by the sky creating a clean composition.

 

 

06 Sheena

For my sixth identity shoot, I did a photoshoot of Sheena who was born on the 18th of August 2000.

Sheena and I met in Shoreditch, a location chose by her as she says this is her favourite part of London and the place where she has many memories which have shaped the person she is today.

I shot these images on the Canon 80d with my Tamron 24-70 f2.8 lens, to edit them I raised the brightness and contrast and for some images with the more vivid backgrounds, I lowered the saturation of the specific colours in the background to make the subject stand out more.

I took advantage of the bright sunny day and shot some in direct sunlight, unlike most of my other shoots. I liked the effect that the harsh, direct lighting gave. Also, this allowed me to try some experimenting with shadows:

The interesting street art around the area allowed me to try some interesting, quirky compositions. These boxes in the wall allowed me to frame my subject and she stands out from the bleak grey surrounding walls.

I also tried some inside, within Old Street tube station:

Like my other shoots, I tried some from the above angle. I also asked my subject to reach out towards the camera as I liked the depth this gave to the composition and makes the composition more interesting and playful.

I tried to create a relaxed yet youthful composition so tried a variety of poses and backgrounds.

In the first image below, I used direct flash to try to create a ‘snapshot aesthetic’. But after comparing all my images I prefer the ones where I used natural sunlight like the one on the right below as I believe that it looks more visually appealing.

I also asked Sheena to give me her handwritten answers:

I created a visual collage using this:

And I created the simple layout:

After looking through all my images, these are the ones I believe to be most successful. I have arranged them into three series’ of 4-6 images to practice composing a series before the hand in:

COMPOSITION 1- MONOCHROME (4 IMG)

 

COMPOSITION 2: HORIZONTAL COLOUR (6 IMG)

COMPOSITION 3: VERTICAL COLOUR

I also arranged some compositions featuring some of my other shoots:

Shoot Plan and Research

For my penultimate shoot, I am planning a shoot in Shoreditch, London with my subject Sheena.

Previous shoots with Sheena:

Location: Shoreditch- I want to look for vibrant colours and street art associated with Shoreditch. This is to complement the subjects vibrant fashion and personality as I want the images to sum up her identity.

Inspiration Images:

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I aim to exude notions of youth and modernity in these images, I have two final shoots planned with two juxtaposing models so want to embody both their separate personalities through the backdrop and pose. I will put an image from each shoot below once I have completed them:

 

 

Research: Duane Michals

When I came across this image from Duane Michals, I was immediately drawn to the simplistic, poetic nature of it. Upon the first glance, it seems to depict a normal couple sharing a romantic moment in their bedroom, but the text gives the image another dimension. When you read the text, it gives you the couple’s backstory and informs you that they are in fact unhappy and this photo serves only as ‘proof’ that they were happy at one time.

The hand-written text states:

”This photograph is my proof. There was that afternoon, when things were still good between us, and she embraced me, and we were so happy. It did happen, she did love me, look for yourself!”

The use of past tense indicates that the love they shared at that moment has now died, this surrounds the image with feelings of nostalgia and melancholy. Michals uses text in an extremely clever way, it allows the viewer to connect with the subject and see more than just what is on the surface.

The fact that the writing is handwritten rather than typed adds a nice aesthetic quality to the image, it makes it more intimate and personal, almost like a private letter between the couple. It makes the story more believable as it makes it feel like the subject is speaking directly to the reader.

The text use gives the viewer a sense of the subject’s identity, it allows them to dig beneath the surface and transforms a portrait into a story.

I have taken inspiration from Michals work as I now want to take a more simplistic approach when presenting my images:

I want to present my favourite portrait from each girl next to their writing on a plain white background like this:

05 Bethany

For my 5th shoot, I took portraits of Bethany who was born on the 12/06/2000.

I used the Canon 80d and my Tamron 24-70 f2.8 lens. We shot the portraits in the subjects local area.

I also asked Bethany to hand write out her response to my three set questions:

New Idea:

I have taken my ‘Millenium Girls’ project in a different direction rather than a photo collage comparing them all, I want to present 4-6 images which contain one image of each girl presented alongside their written statement. Also, another change is that I do not want to do 18 girls now, I believe that in this short time frame 18 is unachievable and I would rather focus on fewer subjects and take the time I need to pull this project off successfully. I am now hoping to photograph 8 subjects: Hayley, Grace, Jasmine, Agneiszka, Bethany, Sheena, Tayo and Erin.

Reflective Journal Task 1: Evaluate and Analyse