This assignment looked at ways of using photography to focus on a subject matter relating to the words “Vantage point”. The assignment asked me to look into a genre or revisit last years projects, using vantage point to express opinions. I was tasked with creating a series of photographs, video or magazine of my choosing. At the end of the project the final submitted series will be printed and displayed in a exhibition to a high quality standard.
During the first week of the assignment I focused primarily on constructing ideas for possible issues that I could tackle for the series and what would appeal to me and my viewers. The first idea was to focus on the art of cosplay the series itself was called “Split Character”. For the series I was going to treat it as a documentary style charting how our behaviour changes from when we are at work to how we express ourselves being a idol or character from an anime show or film. The idea was quite intriguing but felt it would be difficult to obtain models that are influenced in the art of cosplay. So for my final chosen idea I decided to revisit the culture project considering that last year series of photographs were my strongest achievement, focusing on the 1960’s of the hippies. For this assignment I wanted explore and interrogate the 2000’s or the present era, primarily focusing on the overuse of mobile devices by today’s youth. The series for the project was called “Unsocial media”. In my opinion I felt that exploring and interrogating the issue would be intriguing, as from researching the topic it appears that it has not been looked upon in photography. The idea was to photograph models in the studio using no studio lighting setups but just a long exposure to mainly capture the artificial lighting from the mobile phone, emitting on their faces.
During the second week I decided to conduct some test shoots in the studio, using myself as the model. The overall setup consisted of using the black backdrop which blocked off any light sources from the mobile phone emitting behind me. This also blocked off any light sources coming from behind the camera and the door. Considering that it was difficult to get the right focus depth I used an available land stand to focus on in the studio. Once it was in focus in the camera I tilted the tripod higher as I would be taller than the light stand in height. Once it was in position I placed used duct tape on the floor as a guide for me to stand in the dark. For exposure I experimented by taking photos at a exposure speed of 2 – 5 seconds, bringing the F-stops back and forth. Some of the photos came out quite bright due to the long exposure speeds. However, the majority of the photos came out quite well and perfectly exposed which was what I was initially looking for.
The other test shoots I conducted were in the canteen and the Hix restaurant at Weymouth College. For the canteen shoot I started to photograph from the corner of the room, by the sofas, using the canon 5D mark III attached with a wide angle lens. The photographs came out well for the test shoots, however during the main shoot it was not satisfactory for me due to organisation issues. In my opinion the photograph did have a inter sting perspective from a high angle but it did not have any focal point. The Hix restaurant shoot did provide some interesting perspectives as I originally decided to shoot from corners of a scene such as walls and corners. One of the corners in the restaurant during the main shoot worked well near the bar area as I could capture subjects sat on stools on their mobile phones, However I still did not feel it provided any focal points.
During the fourth week I decided to review the images taken during the test shoot and really focus on the approaches I wanted to express to captivate viewers. The overall style that I wanted to incorporate into my series was creating a dramatic approach. Considering that the main shoots in the canteen and the Hix restaurant were scrapped the alternative was to focus on photographing subjects in the studio. For the studio shoot I gathered students in college to take part in the shoot. The majority of the studio shoots went really well and no issues occurred. Minor problems were sudden movements of the students which was not an issue considering that I took a lot of photographs. Since I was lacking photos I decided to obtain a few more students for the studio which would allow me look through all the images during the post production stage.
Post production stage:
During the post production stage I looked through the photographs and picked ten images for colour grading in Adobe Photoshop. In photoshop, considering that there were not a lot of colours in the photos when reading the histogram, minor editing was involved. For all the images I wanted to create a dramatic impact and look for the series. Firstly I applied a brightness and contrast adjustment to decrease the artificial light from the mobile phone that has spread to the arms, clothes and the face. To create the overall dramatic approach I increased the contrast to create a harsh shadow on the face. To reduce the overall lighting and increase the contrast I turned the blending mode to hard light. Then I decided to apply a hue and saturation to slight blend the colours with the background. Considering that I accidentally sized the images as a4 I had to resize each photograph to a3+ for printing.
Printing:
During the printing stage I took my photographs to get them printed locally. For the 10 prints I was charged £20 however, due to printing complications the printer marked the photographs and the quality was not what I expected. I then decided to get them printed at college due to viewing the quality of other students which were excellent. As I wanted less images in my series I decided to apply to images in one a3+ photograph. In all I would have three a3+ prints with two subjects in a print.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the concept that I wanted to portray to viewers I feel has worked successfully. In my opinion, I felt that shooting in the studio using just the artificial lighting and no studio lighting has provided me with a unique dramatic approach and impact. I do feel that if I had the opportunity to revisit the culture projects for the overuse of mobile devices I would photograph more than one subject at a time in the studio. Looking through the prints of the series I noticed that the two subjects are separated from each other. This portrays that sense of disengaging with people due to the obsession of mobile devices. Comparing my series “Unsocial media” with Banksy work on “Mobile Lovers” my series has been explored more different mobile phone issues than Banksy’s work as he focused mainly on the relationship issues. Overall, I have enjoyed the culture project immensely, exploring the different ways of photographing my series. During my time at university I have learnt to a great amount about techniques and photographic styles and I am really proud with the progression of my work.
The shoot I conducted in the Hix restaurant and the Weymouth College canteen were not up to standard what I initially wanted. For the setup I gathered a few people to set up a scene. Considering that there were not a lot of people around due to them going to exams and finishing their courses early it was difficult to obtain models to fill the room. The overall shoot was not up to my standards as there was no focus point. Eventually the shoot was scrapped and I focused my attention on the Hix restaurant shoot.
The overall shoot in the Hix restaurant was satisfactory as I was shooting from the entrance to capture the mirror with the illusions of the vintage light. However there were not a lot of students available to fill up the scene around the bar. The shoot was then scrapped as I felt there were not a lot of organisation.
To gain inspiration for my youth culture series it’s essential to look into existing artists that have tackled the issue on the overuse of mobile devices. Since the overuse of our mobile phones range from different issues such as social interaction in reality, relationships and sleep deprive etc. For my series I will be primarily focus on the overuse of mobile devices by incorporating a dramatic approach for the images. Considering that I will be photographing models in the studio in the dark it will create that dramatic approach through the artificial lighting of the mobile device. This could also portray more issues into the photograph such as social media obsessions, feeling sleep deprived etc. To get a better understanding on how to shoot my series it would be essential to look into existing artists who have looked at the issue and get a sense of how they photographed it.
One of the most intriguing and well known artists is Banksy with his work “Mobile lovers”. Banksy is a anonymous English based graffiti artist. He is known around the world as the most controversial street artist due to his artwork creations which are known as controversial and dark humoured. However, they include very powerful messages. A piece of his artwork “mobile lovers” has intrigued me for my photographic series.
The mobile lovers artwork by Banksy focuses on the overuse of our mobile phones through the issues of relationships. Others issues that this could portray to viewers is the lack of social interactions. The photograph is of a couple holding each other while being on their mobile phones behind each others back. Reading the image mostly informs me that there is a lack of a social connection with the couple. The couple in the image could be updating their status on their mobile phones or they could be cheating on each other and completely distracting each other with meaningless love of a cuddle. The artwork itself is presented in black and white colours to portray a dramatic approach to captivate the viewers. The colours also focus on the main issue with black and grey representing the couple lost in the real world and white light from the phone representing life to them.
Does it work?
The Mobile Lovers artwork by Banksy focuses on the issues of the overuse of mobile devices. The image looks into the issue of relationships, incorporating a meaningless love for each other. The artwork portrays to viewers a hidden powerful message that mobile phones are more important than a human being.
Inspiration:
Looking into this artwork by Banksy of Mobile Lovers it has intrigued me visually to focus on creating a more dramatic approach for my photographic series on the overuse of mobile devices.The main issue that I want to tackle is the overuse of mobile devices by creating an overall dramatic approach. Since other issues will be hidden such as sleep deprived, social interaction etc, viewers will create their own issues about the series.
I decided to do some test shoots in the studio for my youth culture project. The photographic series focuses on social media obsessions and one part of the image consists of a long exposure in the studio. The concept of the image for the series focuses on the late night obsessions of our mobile phones. Considering that we are obsessed with technology in the forms of social media, it would be interesting to capture this in the dark to generate a dramatic approach and make an impact, rather than shooting it in the day as it would feel simplistic and ordinary.
In the studio I decided to do test shoots to get an overall feel on how the images would look. With the setup I used a black background as I did not want any light appearing elsewhere during the test shoot. I used my own equipment which consists of a heavy duty tripod, a shutter release and a Canon 700D. For my series on social media obsessions I want to capture the artificial lighting from a mobile phone emitting on my models face. This would involve me working in the dark which involves using long exposures to capture the dramatic approach and concept I’m looking for. With the black background setup I had to shut off any light sources in the studio. Considering that I did not have any models to use for the test shoots I decided to photograph myself. With the shoot I decided to attach the standard 50mm 1.8 lens to experiment for the long exposure. However, I encountered issues using the lens as it was too close to the subject. When I decided to move further back the light was reflecting from the equipment.. To solve the problem I attached another lens, an 18 – 55mm lens which allowed me to get closer to myself as the model and block out anything appearing from the right side of the photograph. Considering that I was using the artificial lighting from my phone it was essential to focus on the brightness from the phone and the exposure time from the camera, which allowed me to get a right exposure in the dark.
The test shoots in the studio were not coming out as what I wanted due to the focal length distance. I solved this issue by turning the studio lights on and placing a light stand in front of the camera. With the light stand in position I made sure it was in focus. Considering that the light stand is shorter than me in height, I had to position the camera slightly higher to capture my body in the frame. Another technical issue that occurred while shooting was the stabilisation mechanism on the lens. Since the camera was on a tripod for the long exposure, the stabilisation was focusing on movement even if the camera was not moving. The issue was simple to fix by turning it off on the lens which fixed the images for the shoot. Another technical issue that occurred was the exposure time. Considering that the only light source was from my phone it was difficult to determine the overall depth of brightness. With that in mind I decided to bring back the exposure from two to five stops to experiment with different exposure times for the brightness emitting on my body and face.
The overall test shoot went really well and I managed to capture the dramatic approach I was looking for in my photograph. The final image below was edited in photoshop. It was perfectly exposed and in focus. Since the images were shot in Raw I tweaked the exposure, highlights and contrast to enhance the light from the phone and to darken out my body from the picture. This allowed me to focus on what I wanted to portray to my audiences. With the final image, viewers would have to construct their own narratives or views on the issue of the overuse of our phones and the obsessions with social media.
ISO – 800
Aperture – F/8
Shutter Speed – 5 seconds
Lens: 18 – 55mm
I will be photographing in different locations with the series so primarily, I want to focus on indoor environments as it will provide me with different angles that I can shoot from. I decided to do test shoots in the Weymouth College’s canteen. It was excellent to shoot as the room itself is quite spacious and big. For this test shoot I decided to use the Canon 5D Mark III attached with a Sigma 10 – 20mm wide angle lens. The issue with the lens was it had a fixed vignette inside, which ruins the images for me. Considering that it was a test shoot, the vignette was not an issue as it was not the main shoot. For the test shoot in the canteen I wanted to photograph from a corner of the room rather than head on as I felt that would feel simplistic and boring. Considering that I’m using a wide angle lens, shooting it head on would not capture the right images I’m looking for. Using a wide angle for this part of the series would capture more of the room in a wider perspective. This would also allow me to capture more subjects in one scene.
The overall test shoot went really well as one corner of the room was perfect to shoot from. The area provided sofas which I used to my advantage so I could shoot from a high angle to get the right shots I wanted. The only technical issue that I was aware of was that the battery level on the camera was very low. I borrowed the Canon 5D Mark III for ten minutes for the shoot, but a student who had previously used it had not charged the camera after they used it.
The final photograph below was edited in Photoshop. The image really stood out for framing. This can include the majority of the ceiling and lights in view which works well with the high angle viewpoint, looking down at the subjects. In post-production the original image felt cold, due to blue and grey’s. In photoshop, using curves adjustments I brought up the tones of the highlights, whites, grey’s and blacks. Next I used another curves adjustment to enhance the colours slightly, mostly focusing on the blue channel. From then on I used another curves adjustment to create a cinematic colour feel to the image which focused on blues and yellow channel. This is a method that I use when editing my images. This allowed the photograph to feel warmer in colour and it also tints whites in a faint yellow for depth. Lastly I felt it was optional to include a gradient map adjustment to the image. It’s not essential but it just slightly enhances the colours a bit more. For the gradient I used the custom gradient in Photoshop of purple and orange. Switching the blending mode from normal to overlay and turning the opacity down to 10% gives the image a faint tint.
(Edited photograph)
ISO: 500
Aperture: F/8
Shutter Speed: 1/25 sec
Lens: 10 – 20mm (wide angle)
(Original image)
The last location that I conducted test shoots in was in the HIX restaurant at Weymouth College. For the setup I used my own camera, Canon 700D attached with a 18 – 55mm lens. For the location I decided to photograph the overall scene from different corners of the HIX restaurant that mainly looked over the bar area. Considering that I was working with artificial and natural lighting together it was difficult to get the right exposure as it was dropping under 1/20. To solve this issue I experimented with the exposure meter by increasing the shutter speed. The overall shoot went really well and demonstrated how I want the main shoot to be.
Initially I decided to shoot from the right corners of the room, leaning up against the wall. Personally I felt that this would give me a unique vantage point of the scene I was photographing. The first corner somehow worked for me as a viewpoint as the majority of the bar was in shot and a variety of vintage light shades above portray that sense of a typical bar where people socialise. The overall setting in the restaurant lacked subjects that I would normally want to include in the photograph as it’s quite cramped. With the post-production I did a rough edit on the photo by applying a tones curve to bring the tones up. Then I applied another curves adjustment to increase the brightness of colour. This was achieved by changing the blending mode to luminosity. Lastly I applied another curves adjustment to create a cinematic colour which makes the light and the floor more natural with a tint of yellow.
(Edited photograph)
ISO: 400
Aperture: F/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/20 sec
Lens: 18 – 55mm
(Original photograph)
The second corner was taken from the left side of the wall. This angle did not appeal to me as the majority of the bar is taken out from the shot. In the shot most of tables are further away from the camera. This wouldn’t provide an impact for my viewers as there is no focus point within the image.
The third corner was taken by the entrance to the HIX restaurant. The viewpoint really works well as the entire bar is in focus. When I conduct the main shoot in the HIX restaurant, many subjects will be sat around the bar. What really captures my attention to the photograph is the matching distance of the vintage lights. Looking carefully I noticed that a mirror has reflected one of the vintage lights, creating the illusion that each light is the same distance apart. The only common issue I havefrom each position is the windows in the background letting in natural light. This will affect the overall dramatic feeling that I want to incorporate in my series.
For the post-production of this image the vintage lights in the original image were bright and casting a strong white colour. This for me was quite distracting. In Adobe Photoshop the image was quite soft. To solve this issue I duplicated the image and applied a high pass filter of 2.3 and changed the blending mode to overlay. This sharpened the over edges of the mirror and the variety objects in the image. To soften down the brightness of the vintage lights I applied a curves adjustments and focused on the tones. Next I applied another curves adjustment to work on the light of the colours. To achieve this I changed the blending mode to luminosity and experimented with the overall light of the different channels. Lastly I applied another curves adjustment to apply a cinematic colour effect to the image. This brought out the natural yellows of the vintage lights and the windows. However, during the main shoot in the HIX restaurant I will be shutting off any natural light appearing from the windows.
(Edited photograph)
ISO: 400
Aperture: F/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/20 sec
Lens: 18 – 55mm
(Original image)
The forth angle was taken standing on the corner of a sofa. The angle does not work very well as the main bar is further away in the image. However, it could work well as there are many tables and sofas chairs that could be filled with people for the scene. In post-production for this image I applied a curves adjustment for the tones to increase the whites, grey’s and blacks. Considering that it was shot perfectly with exposure and overall lighting, it was easier to edit in Adobe Photoshop. Lastly I applied another curves adjustment to apply a cinematic colour effect to the image.
(Edited photograph)
(Original image)
ISO: 400
Aperture: F/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/40 sec
Lens: 18 – 55mm
The last angle was taken on the sofa, closer to the bar area. The angle itself does not work well as the majority of the vintage lamps I want in the photograph are covered. The variety of chairs could ruin the focal point of the photograph.
I aim to book out the Canon 5D Mark III to photograph the main shoot of the HIX restaurant, Weymouth College’s canteen, the photography studio and various locations around town. For the planning stage of this photographic series I am still in the process of gaining permission to shoot in the canteen. Considering that only one model will be needed in the studio and permission from members of the public will be exceptionally easy. It would be difficult to possibly set up a scene in the canteen as I would require a lot of people to have a dramatic impact.
To get a better understanding for the project it’s essential to do research on today’s youth culture. Considering that there are many youth subcultures today, it would be easier to narrow them down and have a few ideas in place. My idea, is to primarily focus on the social issues of the youth of today, looking into the issues surrounding social media obsessions. To get a better understanding of social media obsessions with today’s young people, it will be essential to research into the causes and the issues with social media that affects teenagers and others in society.
Technology today has progressed further than we could have ever imagined such as new mobile phones, computers, video game consoles, cameras etc. With updated systems featuring social media accounts such as FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, we have engaged with the benefits of online interaction with others. However, social media itself has become extremely addictive and very popular during the 21st century. According to many surveys based on social media and in depth research, social media has a high chance of making people seriously unhappy which can also be dangerous to our lives. On social media platforms such as Instagram or facebook, people will take continuous pictures and post themselves to accumulate “Comments and likes on their post or photo”. “According to a new study by New York Times best-selling authors Joseph Grenny and David Maxfield, social media obsession is correlated with higher levels of unhappiness. The ugly truth? More than half of the 1,623 respondents say posting the perfect photo has prevented them from fully enjoying life experiences.” Reference: REAL SIMPLE. How Our Social Media Obsession is Making Us Seriously Unhappy. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/technology/social-media-unhappiness. [Accessed 27 April 2017].
Other issues in the overuse of our mobile devices results failure of melatonin. Melatonin is a natural chemical in our brains that releases to allow our bodies to enter a state of relaxation. Many studies have been conducted which links into the key factors of the overuse of mobile devices. The melatonin naturally released in our brains is delayed due to our minds being constantly active with the addiction of our mobile phones. This can also occur when we are on our devices for hours in bed or when our natural time to go to sleep is disturbed. The artificial light that emits from our phones at night confuses our overall body that it’s still daytime. This can affect our melatonin releases which mostly affects our sleep patterns to fall asleep properly. Considering that our body is not getting any or enough melatonin this can also result in us suffering from insomnia. Since we are on our phones for hours during the night this can be attributed by our brains being overstimulated. This can be caused by a varies of things such as texting friends, playing video games, looking through or talking through social media and even listening to music. With the amount of activities occurring all at once our brain concretes highly on these which results in our body and overall mind to struggle on relaxation. (reference: http://www.addictiontips.net/phone-addiction/brain-phone-addiction/
With the obsession of social media, we are subjected to the virtual world. This can disconnect our social lives with friends and family because we are so absorbed in a fabricated world. It can also affect a person physically and mentally as behaviour changes on how we perceive the world. Mobile phones affect the way we look at modern society’s issues. This can focus on many different areas such as abusive relationships, public fighting, looking for a relationship and many more. We connect to the real world by documenting these issues through taking photographs and videos without the understanding of the consequences for victims. Many people obsessing with their phones tend to shut off from what is happening around them. The obsessions from social media can consist of updating platforms games, Facebook posts, twitter, Instagram, looking through Tinder and also replying to messages from close acquaintances. I have provided below an animation by Steve Cutts “Are you lost in the world like me?”. The animation focuses on the major hidden issues with our mobile phones and how we obliviously ignore what is happening around us.
Analysis Steve Cutts “Are you lost in the world like me.” (Video)
During the start of the animation, as viewers we follow the life of a young boy who seems distressed seen in his facial expressions. We can see he’s feeling uncomfortable or confused with the many people in public looking at their phones and budging past each other. A birds-eye perspective is shown, pulling out from the boy to show the extent of the public and for us to understand that the area is a city. Continuing pulling the shot out the city fades while zooming out, revealing the world and then multiple satellites receiving signals. We then see that the satellites fade in the eyes of the young boy. This informs us the deep thoughts or visions of what the young boy sees, much like the hidden truth. We then see that the young boy is alone in the crowd of people on their phones, ignoring what is around them.
In the next scene we are shown a quick message that appears, entitled “These” “Systems” “Are” “Failing.” The four words are repeated again. The word “Failing.” in the video flashes twice quite quickly before fading off. The word failing could represent different contexts in relation to mobile phones such as failing at work, failing at studies or failing at socialising with others etc. We are then shown a group of people on their phones, mindlessly falling down a manhole. The same message as before is shown on a poster on the wall to the right of the group of people. Because they’re unaware of the poster due to being on their devices, an accident is occurring. In this scene we can clearly see a builder on his phone behind the wall who is also unaware of the incident that he has caused himself.
In the next scene, we see the young boy sat on the ground looking upset and down at the floor. Many shadows of people are presumably walking past with their faces looking down at their mobile devices. The next shot informs the viewer of the extent of people on their devices. The many issues start occurring through the duration of the video. In the next scene many people start running through, passing the young boy as he struggles to keep up with them. This could portray a commotion that is happening in the distance and members of the public are rushing to the scene. The next scene shows a boy or man getting physically beaten on the floor with batons which presumably represents police officers. Crowds of people surround the scene videoing the horrible incident as the person continues to get beaten. This basically represents that the crowd have no sympathy for the victim. This also informs us that we are shaming others using videos as an embarrassment for them and a form of accumulating likes or comments on social media. In the next shot we see a family sat around a table eating their dinner and on their phones. Analysising the family closer the viewer can see the baby is also on a mobile phone. This informs us as viewers that even young children are being influenced by mobile devices. The child could be watching cartoons or playing video games to keep them content.
The next scene is of a burning building with many fire engines in the background. The issue represented in this scene focuses on the girl taking a selfie with her mobile phone with a tragic scene occurring just behind her. Looking closely, we can see people jumping from the burning building. This indicates that innocent people are taking their own lives, because they are not being rescued. The girl with her mobile phone has no consideration or sympathy for the many innocent people dying inside the building. However, she would rather photograph herself with the incident which is occurring behind her. Faintly in the background are animated billboards that are promoting mobile devices with bold writing entitled “BUY STUFF” and “YOU NEED THIS”. This informs us as the viewer must have the latest technology. This could also inform us mentally that we need technology to be accepted in modern day society.
The next scene is of a subway train inside which many people are messaging on their phones. The young boy looks at the two nearest people on their phones who are mindlessly watching it like zombies. Feeling disappointed at the situation the boy is pushed against a man behind him accidentally. The scene shows the man from a low angle which portrays to the viewer that we are insignificant to him and that we should worship him as a person. Since it was shot from a low angle perspective we are looking through what the young boy is seeing, considering that the man is taller than him. The man appears to have two arms full of tattoos, one side of which contains a tattoo of Donald Trump with the words “Vote Trump”. The symbolism could inform us as viewers that the man is a republican supporter and he believes that Donald trump would make a good president for the United States of America. On the other side of his arm are tattoos of skulls, snakes and daggers. Looking closely, one of the tattoos is entitled “Death to the stranger”. The symbolism informs us as viewers that he could be violent towards strangers. Since his overall expression is anger the tattoos perfectly describe his mental attitude towards people. The man then turns into a horrible looking monster which represents an anger outburst towards the young boy. The background behind the monster turns black and blurred. This focuses our attention to the monster in a dramatic way. We can also see varies flames emitting behind the monster during the outburst, the symbolism informs us that the monster could portray something that comes from hell. Feeling startled the boy runs away while focused on the man, not looking where he is going he accidentally bumps into another person. The women turns around and turns into the same monster as before. Considering that this scene does not essentially focus on the overuse of mobile devices between the two characters since we do not see the mobiles. It actually focuses on a psychological and social issues that could occur. With the overuse of our mobile phones we suffer from being dependent without it. This can change our overall behavior towards people, much like anger.
In the next scene is a teenage girl taking a photo of herself. Looking at the overall background as viewers we can see a messy bed filled with socks and other varies of clothing, bags and bottles on the floor and the floors all damaged in the room. The majority of colour in the scene is black, grey’s and whites. Whilst the only colour is from the mobile phone. On the outside of the mobile phone the girl is depressed, her hair is untamed and her overall colours are washed out. However, as she appears over in the phone she is a different person as the colour of her is shown. She seems happy and her appearance is appropriate according to what we are seeing through the mobile phone. But on the other side of the phone as viewers we can see what she is really like. Looking closely around the room, there are a few wine bottles in different areas, in the corner and by her bed. This could indicate that she could be an alcoholic and the many clothing on the bed could portray that she is a messy person.
In the next scene we see the young boy sat on a porch looking depressed due to his body language. A puppy then comes over to him and starts licking the boy’s face with joy. The boy then smiles at the puppy, indicating that there are many joys that can make someone smile. The puppy is then kicked by a stranger and is flown at of the scene. The stranger then continues to walk as the boy’s facial expression returns to being upset. As viewers this represents that due to the ignorance of being on our mobile phones there is no considerations to the well-beings of animals.
In the next scene we see a crowd of people on their phones at what appears to be a junkyard. The majority of the scene contains mounds of waste that consists of laptops and discarded mobile devices. The symbolism of this could represent the amount of time we spent on our technology that we are destroying them. As viewers we can also see a yellow creature, glowing in-front of the people smiling. Assuming that this creature is something from a video game the many people in the scene are following it as a sense of worship. Since this is a video game that requires users to follow this creature to different locations. We presume that these people are risking their own lives following something imaginary through a mobile device.
In the next scene we see the young boy walking past a restaurant and looking through the window of two couples at a table. The restaurant itself is called Moggsys which refers to cats having many symbols that represents cats such as the neon sign and a model of a cat in the corner. As viewers this could symbolise many different things such as the girl inside acting provocativly. The man in the restaurant is smartly dressed and talking to the girl, however she seems to be oblivious to him. She then swipes her hand back and forth where the males are being rejected. The symbolism for this refers to a dating app called Tinder where males and females can swipe right if they like a certain male or female and left if they’re not interested in them. Considering that the girl in the scene is focusing on a male who has a somewhat muscular figure, she accepts him through looks. They both knock each others glasses inside the restaurant while the boy walks past.
In the next scene we can see a girl who is dancing in a party, crowds of people are recording her display on their mobile phones while also laughing at her. As viewers this could inform us that she could be drunk considering that the video was uploaded to a streaming site entitled “TellTube”. This could refer to a similar video streaming website such as YouTube. The video itself is shown to us with the title of video “OMG!!! Girl dances badly at party! Fail alert!!!”. Since the title is in bold with capitals and with exclamation marks, it informs us as viewers that the video is important and should be watched. We are then shown a tablet of the video being played. There are many people in public with their devices laughing excessively at her. The girl is walking through the street feeling embarrassed and watching the crowds of people laughing at her because of the video. Felling ashamed she continues to walk ahead as many people continue to laugh at her. As viewers we mostly see this as a form of bullying which can also lead into life threatening situations. This could consist of the person moving away, not leaving their homes, resulting in drinking and possibly taking their own lives.
In the next scene we can see the same girl who was embarrassed by the crowds of people laughing at her. She is standing the edge of a high building since we have a high angle of the scene she is in. At the bottom of the road crowds of people are raising their mobile phones at the girl. As viewers this informs us that the people have no respect for her feelings. We are shown the girl looking down at the people, showing a emotionless expression as she’s crying. This could result in the bullying. We are then shown a first person perspective of the girl falling all the way down to the ground. However, the video fades to white quite early. As viewers this informs us that she has been killed. The crowd of people on their phones filming her, focus their cameras until she has fully fallen to the ground. Showing no sympathy of the horrific incident they have caused they photograph the girl and continue to walk ahead on their mobile phones. The young boy is then shown to us showing no emotion, he then sheds a tear looking at what happened to the girl.
In the last scene we are shown a bright orange sun. As it zooms out to show us the scene we see many people mindlessly on their mobile phones, all walking in one direction. As it continues to zoom out we are shown the edge of a cliff where many of them are falling off. This could inform us as viewers that the people obsessed with their phones would go to the extremes of sacrificing themselves, either to update their posts on social media or test their friends etc. It could also represent that we are not aware of what is happening around us.
Conclusion
The video created by Steve Cutts focuses on the many social, physical and physiological issues that arise due the overuse of mobile devices. The issues themselves are explored in-depth, using a perspective that informs us in a more head on and dramatic way. This method allows us as viewers to fully understand the issues that arise. The flow of the animation focuses on the minor issues of the overuse of mobile phones, gradually exploring the issues more seriously through the duration of the video. In my opinion, considering that the animation looks upon the issues as minor to serious it explores them in a dramatic approach. The method successfully works because the majority of viewers would take the video into consideration of the issues that they are not aware of doing themselves. In my opinion the issues that stood out the most is the cyber-bullying incident where the girl took her own life due to the crowd of people in public laughing at her from a video posted online. The issue linking to suicide is quite hidden as it’s not necessarily common but it can occur in a more physiologic approach to the victim. Another issue that was intriguing was the overall disinterested social interaction with others in the majority of the scenes.
The animation itself was cartoon based which was used by cartoon animations by Disney. The video animation was influenced by the 1930’s Disney approach due to the Micky Mouse themes of using pac-man lookalike eye design. Other Disney approaches focuses on gloved like hands which are shown on characters and the overall colour scheme of black, white and grey in the video. The creator of the video must have been heavily influenced by Disney as there are Disney characters briefly shown in the animation.
In conclusion the video focuses on the issues of the overuse of mobile phones successfully. In my opinion the animation works well for it’s target audience which aims at teenagers and adults due to it’s reoccurring themes of Disney cartoons to captivate them.
With the addiction of using our mobile phones during the day, we can subject ourselves to dangerous and life threatening situations that go unnoticed. The most common issue with addictions to our mobile phones being behind the wheel of a vehicle. In this situation we are putting not only our lives in danger but other people as well. To combat this issue, a new law enforcement order has been put into place with more stringent consequences if caught.
The assignment gives me the opportunity to revisit projects undertaken during the last year in my degree course in photography, and I may consider looking back at my projects for suggestive ideas. Considering that this project is my final major, I want to primarily focus on a subject that would captivate my audiences. Since I have been given the opportunity to review my photographic series, the 1960’s cultural series photographed, along with my model Stephanie Rushton was a project that I enjoyed enormously. The series itself was one of my strongest achievements, according to the praise I received from local people and social media.
For my first idea I would like to review the cultural project I undertook last year as it was considered to be one of my strongest series. Since I focused on the culture of hippies in the 1960’s, it would be interesting to do a photographic series based in the 2000’s or present era. With this project it would be intriguing to treat the photographic series as an fashion shoot but also as an documentary. I will be mostly researching the youth of today and outline the social issues that are occurring in modern society. I aim to also look into the many different issues that relate to social issues. These could include the lack of social interaction, change of behaviours etc. Rough ideas that I have so far, would be to see how some studio shoots stand out without lighting.
The positives of revisiting this project:
Allows me to focus on a new era, opening up many possibilities and areas that I can explore. These include many different issues that people are not aware of. For example the lack of communication with others, relationship problems etc.
This project will be somewhat challenging as it will allow me to photograph the subject from many different vantage points.
I can treat the project as an fashion shoot and allow it to focus on a documentary style.
Any locations can be considered (Personal preference).
The negatives of revisiting this project:
Although time management is not usually an issue it could occur with this project, minor things could result in re-shoots and change of schedule.
My models could be busy on some days which will result in rescheduling times and dates of photo shoots.
Gathering the right images that I want to portray to my viewers, which could include some in the studio.
For my second idea, following the culture concept, I want to create a photographic series on the art of Cosplay. Whilst following many cosplayers on social media I found it really intriguing that these people would spend many hours and possibly weeks on creating costumes and props of their favourite characters or idols. This niche hobby has been popularised globally. Many popular comi-con events even feature celebrities from television shows and directors etc. I find it intriguing that people would dress up as their favourite characters and go to these popular events, much like a social gathering. Cosplay has also been looked into as a somewhat serious art-form for photography and film.
For this photographic series I want to primarily focus on the overall change of the person from having ordinary hard working lives, to changing into a whole new atmosphere of portraying a character. This photographic series will be called “Split Character”. It will consider how, when we work in a job, our overall behaviour changes as we are in a working environment and we are not free to express our true self. It will then consider how in cosplay we can express ourselves through a character or idol. For this idea I want to photograph this concept using a documentary style as the series needs to look more natural rather than staged.
The positives of this project:
Allows me to focus on a entirely new subject that has not been reflected on previously. This could give me different opportunities to work alongside cosplay models and learn about the art of cosplay.
The project will be quite challenging for me. Considering that it’s a new subject I will need to photograph it from many different vantage points.
I could also include a behind the scenes visual experience for my viewers as it could give an insight into the art of cosplay and why people enjoy it.
The negatives of this project:
It would be difficult to find cosplay models in Weymouth due to it’s small population. Also if I consider obtaining models from further afield, such as Bournemouth etc, it could affect my time management with rescheduling if models don’t arrive.
Considering that one of the locations consists of my cosplay model working in her job, it could be difficult to gain permission to photograph her in the store.
Focusing on a overall concept could be an issue. Since I have a variety of rough ideas for the series, it could be difficult for me to gather images that makes a narrative.
My final decision is to create a photographic series on the modern youth culture of the present era. I feel the idea itself is stronger than the cosplay series. It also gives me the opportunity to treat the series of photographs as a fashion shoot and incorporate the issues in them. This project will research today’s social issues to understand what areas I could look into and apply to the photographs. During the project I’ll be experimenting using different lighting techniques in the studio. With the series I want to primarily focus on the youth culture using different social issues that the majority of us are not aware of.
In order to pursue my chosen idea it is essential to understand what the definition of ‘Vantage Point’ is and how it can be applied in the use of photography.
What is the definition of Vantage Point?
The main definition of vantage point is a position or place that affords a wide or advantageous perspective or viewpoint.
Vantage point can also be defined as a particular personal way of thinking or set of opinions:
Vantage point is commonly used in films as it adds different perspectives and viewpoints. This can focus on a specific setting of a event, scene or on a character. In photography it works in the same way but can be expanded through different focal points. The focus may include a subject or issue, but adds depth to the image of how we can view it. In photography it can be used as a powerful perspective of how we mostly see the world or a certain issue. We can also express our own viewpoint of the subject matter by adding a hidden narrative in a photograph. With vantage point we can captivate audiences by taking a photograph of a subject and how we see it, which expresses our own opinion through visuals. When viewers sees our vantage point of a subject issue, they may have their own opinion on it rather than ours.
There are many different vantage points of photography that can be explored which have their different aspects, meanings and benefits. Below are the many different perspectives that can be utilized in film and photography:
High angle shot
High angle shooting is considered to be a powerful perspective in film and photography. When shooting from a high angle at a subject it can portray the character or subject to be weak, small and insignificant to us as viewers. It can also portray that we are bigger and more dominate than the character in the picture. This camera technique has been known to be quite popular to take advantage of exploring different perspectives. The angle can also be used for looking down from a building which makes faraway subjects look even more insignificant than usual.
Low angle shot
Low angle shooting is the opposite to a high angle shot because as viewers we are looking up to the subject or character. This mainly portrays that the audiences are weak and insignificant to them, worshiping them as a person. Low angle shots portray subjects that look strong and powerful. Low angle shots can also be popularly looked upon as point of view shots (POV) or first person perspective. Low angle shots have been popular in films such as Inglorious Bastards, Kill Bill, Snatch, Reservoir Dogs and many more.
Point of View shot (POV, First person)
A point of view shot is also known as a first person view and is a camera technique that allows viewers to see through the eyes of the character or subject. Although the point of view shot has been popular in most extreme sports, it has not been popularly established in film or photography. This camera technique however has been gradually familiarised more in video than photography. In photography, point of view shots would provide a unique perspective and allow us to explore what the subject sees. A good example of this is from the photographic series by Murad Osmann “Follow me”. The series follows the adventures of Murad Osamann as the photographer and his girlfriend travel around the world. The entire series focuses on exotic locations with his girlfriend as the subject. A hand is shown consistently through his photographs which gives viewers a perspective on what Murad Osmann is seeing.
Point of view shots are not considered in films as a camera technique as it does not provide the impact for audiences successfully due to the way it’s shot. This camera technique is commonly used in horror films such as Graves Encounter, Rec and Paranormal Activity which involves the camera being controlled by hand. In most first person shots it can be difficult to provide an impact in films as it can be shot on one level and can be boring, focusing on a documentary style rather than a cinematic approach. This perspective can be overused in films as audiences are not entertained by the same shot over and over again.
However this camera technique works well in short films and extreme sports for promotion as it mainly focuses on physical activity of the person we are watching. A good example of this camera technique is from the Gopro cameras working alongside Red Bull. The majority of the extreme sports shot in first person provides that adrenaline rush for viewers and can be used from many different viewpoints of the body such as head, chest, feet etc. I have also provided some short videos below which follows the same aspects as the Gopro advertisement video. Point of view shots can also be popularly used for fast action scenes.
This assignment gives the opportunity to build on previous experiences that I have undertaken. This will further develop personal and creative skills within the contemporary photographic practice. The assignment focuses on the words ‘Vantage Point’ along with thorough investigations, experimentation and research. The project asked to create a series of images through an idea or concept which needs to be complex and also interrogates the photographic processes.
The assignment allows us to explore any subject matter and genre. We can also explore previous projects that were undertaken through our course. The chosen idea must be presented through peer assessments and professionally pitched to a group. The final submitted series of photographs will be displayed in a gallery and must be presented to a high quality, suitable for gallery viewing. Dates and locations for the exhibition will be finalised during the module.
In this assignment I will be focusing purely on subjects or ideas that I wish to interrogate during the project; looking at ideas and researching them in depth, focusing on areas of issues that people may not reflect on. For example, social issues in modern society. I will be avoiding the majority of subjects that are issues which have been over used such as the homeless, human representation etc. These issues could be used and taken from different vantage points through photography. However, because the ideas have been continuously overused during recent times I don’t feel they would have enough appeal for my audience. I will initially gather up my ideas and compare them with each other. This will allow me to focus on a subject matter and research it so I can get a better understanding.
This assignment looked at many ways of using photography to focus on constructing a photobook, magazine or slideshow on a subject of my choosing that follows a documentary style. I was assigned to create a series of photographs that focuses on a specific topic that would captivate my readers. At the end of the project the final submitted series will be presented as a photobook, magazine or slideshow.
During the first week of the project, I wrote down a few ideas, looking into them and figuring out what would appeal to me and my potential viewers. Initially I wanted to create a documented series on urban exploration as I felt it would be interesting to look into the history of the structured buildings. Considering that there was a range of health and safety issues to take into account I dismissed this idea as it would have involved me waiting around for permission to explore the area and also the risks I would be undertaking. For my second idea I decided to create a photographic journey of myself from when I was a child to where I am now. I felt that the idea overall would be interesting to focus on as I could express myself to my readers and how my journey has affected my progress so far in life. To get a better understanding on how to construct a narrative based documentary series I looked into the work of Murad Osmann’s and Jim Goldberg to get an insight on some possible ideas to incorporate into my work.
I conducted, the first shoot at Kingston Maurward college, which went quite well as I gathered the photographs that I wanted. Taking my time, I took the images in different angles and heights, including myself in the photographs. I felt that including myself in them would show my readers how I felt during that time. However, I felt that it would be different to not include myself in the series as it would make the series feel too simplistic. With this shoot I also took a photograph of the house I studied in during the year from a low angle to portray it’s frightening aspect since it was my first time at college. Linking this house with the bench, I decided to add paragraphs to incorporate narratives into the series which will allow my readers to see a different story of my life rather than just look at ordinary photographs. I felt this was important to try to portray to my readers my sense of loneliness and how scared I felt from being bullied.
The next shoot was at my school, Westfield Arts College. During this shoot I wanted to recreate a moment in time when I was a child. Feeling insecure and frightened of other pupils I would hid under the table. Unfortunately the images did not come out the way I wanted them to as they did not have the impact that I was trying to achieve. I also felt that they were too simplistic. Rescheduling for a re-shoot, the images came out very well as I decided to take a portrait of my teacher, along with taking another full size image of the table I hid under. I felt that I should have tried different perspectives for my development work. This would allow me to have different view points such as a low angle from the table and a high angle from above looking down. The reason why I wanted to include different perspectives would allow me to think carefully on which image would stand out the most.For the last shoot, I wanted to include a part of my life that affected me through the years, which was a staged girlfriend shoot. When I was taking photos for this part of the series the location shots were not pre-planned. I wanted to primarily find areas where some couples do not popularly visit rather than taking photographs which seems too cliche. These areas included an old ice cream building and amusement arcades. With the final images I really liked the perspective that I took them from, such as the ice-cream building which portrays that sense of an old era from the 1960’s which worked well with the effect that I was trying to achieve.
During the editing process of my photographic series I was editing the images in Raw as it’s the standard way I edit in Photoshop. With the edits I did basic colour grading using the colour temperature in the Raw settings to my advantage. This allowed me to apply negative and positive colours (orange and blue) for my series as I wanted to change the overall emotions for my photographs. For basic editing I duplicated the image and used a high pass to sharpen the details of the photographs. Then, I used in order, Levels, Brightness and contrast and curves for the layers. The reason why I use this basic colour editing setup is because it’s a effective process that I have learnt in Photoshop. Depending on the photograph I would possibly use the Selective colour for bright areas of light and hair. Once I had finished with the basic edits for my photographs I then reopened Adobe Photoshop and created a widespread. This allowed me to create the overall design in Adobe Indesign to create the magazine. The construction of the magazine will consist as follows: Front cover design, title of the series, Westfield shoot, scanned in photographs of magazines that I would read as a child, Kingston Mauward shoot, girlfriend shoot, Joe’s shoot, family shoot and my future shoot.
The photobook assignment overall was interesting and enjoyable for me to learn. On some occasions I did feel that the project was difficult for me as people were letting me down during planned shoots and mainly gathering models that were reliable. Personally the photobook assignment has taught me how to understand myself as a photographer and how to create a magazine using unique software such as InDesign. However, I could have included more photographs into the series just to explore my journey a bit more thoroughly which could have been more interesting for my readers. Exploring into existing photographers books such as Jeff Wall has giving me insights on the different layouts that I could work from to construct the magazine. Personally I feel that I have put a lot of hard work into the photobook project with high enthusiasm. I am quite proud of all the work I have done and in future project, I will apply what I have learnt to them.
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