Object & Body Presentation

For the first part of the "Object & Body" unit  I chose the idea of depression & heartbreak. I used specific objects that represented my own personal past in this area and attempted to create a still life out of them. For the second part of the unit; the body, I opted for a literal interpretation of the term “portrait”.

Object research

For the object, my research was mainly web based, I looked at the meanings of song lyrics and the symbolic representation found in items and objects associated with love. 

My final print features damaged and distressed photographs of past loved ones, mixed in with objects that reminded me of them. I opted for a dark setting for this still life, with lots of dark, negative space representative of the soul after heartbreak.

Object final print

My research for the body involved me looking at the work of a photographer called Martin Schoeller. I liked his work because of the way it conveyed simplicity within a portrait and the clarity in which we can see ourselves in portraits.

Martin Schoeller examples

Body test shots

I decided to go for a quadriptych in order to show the idea that people's personalities can have multiple variants despite being the same. They feature 4 portraits shot straight on of the same subject that are similar, yet slightly different. I used Rembrandt lighting to make the photos look natural & realistic to try and give them a more literal look.

Body final prints

Self Evaluation

My understanding of the issues relating to the object & body is that this unit can be interpreted in both a representative and literal matter, with both able to cover each section either separately or jointly. That is why I addressed one with each.

I think my visual choices translate to my ideas in that I tried to use a specific visual style to influence what I included within the photographs.

The aspect of my shoot productions that I need to reflect upon are my forward planning because I felt that I didn't plan my shoots thoroughly enough before the date. This let me to make rushed decisions closer to the shoot itself.