Photoshoot 1: Surrealism Body Paint: Work Diary Evaluation -

Photoshoot 1: Work Diary Evaluation - 

Equipment Used: 
Canon EOS 450D, standard lens, snoot, key light and black backdrop. 

Settings: 
1/125, F/8 ISO 200.

Lighting: 
Snoot and key light. 

Theory: 
Beauty, race, gender etc is skin deep.

Favourite(s):

This image is my joint favourite of the shoot as the black light worked well with the paint and created the style that I was hoping for. The image is surreal in that the outline of the subject is unclear where it begins or ends.

This image is also a favourite of mine as the majority of the subject is in frame and the painting on the arm appears to be spreading up the arm whilst the black jeans also create a surreal image in that the body appears suspended in mid air due to the lighting.

Least Favourite:

The above image is the least favourite of the series despite that it conveys both sections of painted area. The positioning of the model was difficult to convey both areas of paint and thus the effect was lost as the painting was lost. Also, the paint on the face of the subject does not work as well as the paint does not extend to reach the black backdrop and thus create the desired effect.

Evaluation and Development -

This shoot was mostly successful in that the original idea of utilising the practice of low key lighting in cohesion with a Man Ray inspired body paint technique was executed well. The arm of the subject appears to disappear directly into the black backdrop as was the desired outcome that is often used by many make-up artists on social media. The only negatives that have arisen from my initial shoot is that the model is a friend who does not have experience posing and as such the final outcome is not as dynamic as hoped for. Moreover, the lighting did prove difficult to set up and to ensure that the body paint blended into the background the images are darker than was expected. Despite this it was still an insightful exploration of surrealism for the first photoshoot.

I am unsure as to whether I will implement this skill any further within my photographic shoots as the preparation is extremely time consuming and I have achieved the connotative meanings that I wanted to imply already within these images.

Photoshoot 1: Surrealism Body Paint: Contact Sheet -

Photoshoot 1: Contact Sheet - 

Photoshoot 1: Surrealism Body Paint: Straight Images -

Photoshoot 1: Straight Images - 

Body Paint:



This image was one of the first in the series and was the initial experimentation with the lighting. Using a snoot meant that a smaller beam of light would reach the subject which therefore meant that I introduced a fill light.



The lighting still appeared quite dark so I adjusted the light settings and took some sample shots; however, when increasing the brightness the overall image became too exposed to allow the technique to work. That technique being relying on the black body paint blending into the backdrop. I did also try increasing the ISO value from 200 but found that the image became too noisy for my personal preference and as a result returned to the original values suggested by the light metre.



This image did not work as well for a few reasons. Whilst the composition was pleasing and more experimental than some of the others the placement of the model meant that the technique did not work to full efficiency with the black paint blending into the black background.



This image again compositionally was interesting although the lighting failed the subject somewhat. The darker lighting adds to the tone of the work but takes away some of the professional styling that I was aiming for.

This image worked in that the positioning of the model within the framing meant that both pieces of physical manipulation, body paint, were in shot. Although, the artwork on the profile of the model was not efficient in that the black paint did not extend to the black backdrop to exaggerate the effect as was exemplified by the arm of the model.

Photoshoot 1: Surrealism Body Paint: Image Bank -

Photoshoot 1: Image Bank - 

Definitions:

• Surrealism:  A 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images.
• Body Art: An artistic genre, originating in the 1970s, in which the actual body of the artist or model is integral to the work.

Examples: 

(Madeyewlook)

(Unknown)

(Mykie)

(Mykie)



(Mykie)

Detailed Research: Surrealism/ Fashion Photographer Research: Man Ray -

Surrealism/ Fashion: Man Ray - 

Born: 1890
Died: 1976
Real Name: Emmanuel Radnitzky
Place of Birth: Pennsylvania, America
Occupation: Surrealism Photographer
Camera: Unknown
Style: Surreal, fashion, conceptual, black and white

Notable Places of Work:

• Offered a scholarship as an architect but chose an art career

Other Information:

• Born in Pennsylvania, America
• Lived in Paris, France

Known For:

• Dada movement
• Surrealism
• Collage
• Film

Examples of Work:

"The Violin of Ingres" (1924)

This image was a study into the objectification of the female form and more widely the animate objects in a position of an inanimate object and was created by painting f-holes onto the lower back of the muse Kiki Montparnasse.

The image was inspired by Ingres and his passion for violins which encouraged the pun which gave name to the piece "Le Violin d'Ingres".

The image evokes a connotation of female objectification and the confusion between reality and unreality in that the subject is both real as a woman but unreal as a violin; she is simultaneously animate and inanimate and objectified and an object.

"The Kiss" (1922)

The above image is a rayograph and is the technique eponymously named after Man Ray himself.

The photograph is two exposures of two layers, the bottom layer being a pair of hands laid directly on to photo-sensitive paper which is exposed to light. The second layer was then made when Man Ray and his lover Kiki Montparnasse shared a kiss.

The image provides an explicit idea about the passion and desire of humanity but also infers the many levels of human interaction. Just as the image is formed by many layers so are the human mind and therefore social interaction.

"Glass Tears" (1932)

The image is reminiscent of a film still and as such the photograph is cropped to convey Ray's interest in cinematography.

The model is instead a fashion mannequin with glass tears and thus could imply the false nature of humanity when interacting in relationships with one another as contextually the image was created as a retort to an ex-lover, Lee Miller, who left Ray.

"Black and White" (1926)

Contextually African art and culture was in Vogue and considered an aspirational aesthetic of the period.

The image challenges the conflicts of society in relation to race ideologies and racism.

The connotations of the black and white is a study of both the medium that was available at the time but also used to exaggerate the ideas of race and ethnicity within the context.

"The Gift" (1921)

The image was created as a gift, hence the name, for the gallery owner who was hosting Man Ray's first individual show in Paris.

The surrealism ideology comes from the object being rendered useless by the pin tacks causing the iron to be unable to fulfil its primary function of gliding smoothly to iron cloth.  

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-ray-man-artworks.htm#pnt_4

http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/37756/man-ray-larmes-tears-american-1930-1932/

Detailed Research: Surrealism Photographer Research: Christopher McKenney -

Surrealism: Christopher McKenney -

Born: Unknown
Died: N/A
Place of Birth: Pennsylvania, America
Occupation: Photographer/ Artists
Camera: Nikon D90 (originally)
Style: Conceptual, surrealism, horror, minimalist, aesthetic

Notable Places of Work:

• Self employed

Other Information:

• Born in America.
• Lives in Pennsylvania.
• Started out in art after dropping out of Community College.
• Prefers to be known as an artists rather than a photographer.
• Uses Photoshop to edit his images into surreal art.
• Vivian Maier was a significant inspiration to McKenney.
• McKenney admires things "for the love of art" rather than wealth.
• McKenney's work is reminiscent of Rene Magritte in that he doesn't give subjects an identity; “I don’t like to give people an identity; I like to focus on the story, not the person.”.
• McKenney's interests include: music, antiques and history.
• McKenney does not always have a concept in mind at the time but allows his subconscious to create art.

Examples of Work:

This image is to me about the disasters of the world and how everything that we know as normality is going up in flames. The subject is ignoring the dangers next to them as the media has made the world a much smaller place that they are too engrossed in the controlling media to realise that their individual life is at risk. McKenney himself said “I like to look at it now and think the person sitting on the couch is reading all the horrible things going on in the world, trying to take their mind off the fact that something horrible is happening to them”.

If I was to interpret this image it would be a response to how humans are treating nature, animals and themselves. As a species we are damaging our world beyond repair at an astonishing speed and the scenery of the location shows the lush green forested areas which we are destroying. Additionally, the subject is a human-deer hybrid which could be commenting on genetically modified organisms and how we are yet to understand the possible effects of this on plants and animals who eat them. Furthermore, the girl is showing a sorrowful emotion which could be in reflection of how humans treat each other in a way like animals and how humanity is quickly being lost.  McKenney commented that “The photo depicts a girl crying over her flaws (the antlers),”... “I feel as if everyone can relate because no one is perfect and everyone has a flaw”.

This image is very poignant and can be understood in a few eerie perspectives. Although, I believe that this image is to represent the ghosts of all young women who have died before fulfilling the stereotypical wishes of femininity which involve marriage and motherhood. It could also be a symbol to challenge child marriages and the failed pregnancies that often come with them. Or, the image could be a piece of art that is within the horror genre and mimics the style of stories such as "The Woman in Black".

This image is part of the series "Self Made Ghosts" in which McKenney photographs himself and then edits out his body. This ghost is emerging from a suitcase which could link to the skeletons in the closet saying. The suitcase is also a symbol of moving on and the ghost could be someone moving on from a past that they have struggled in.

This photograph is also within the series "Self Made Ghosts". This image to me is a symbol of the hold that patriotic beliefs have over individuals and workers. The flag masks the identity of the subject and can therefore infer that in a world of capitalism and patriotic ideals the average man is no more than a worker, a cog in the machine of wealth. Furthermore, the clothing of the subject is like that of a formal worker who has followed the American Dream and has realised that it is unachievable and that many peoples lives have been wasted on it. The futility of belief is shown in the gun being held to the flag.

Detailed Research: Surrealism Photographer Research: Lara Zankoul -

Surrealism: Lara Zankoul -

Born: 1987
Died: N/A
Place of Birth: Beirut, Lebanon
Occupation: Conceptual Photographer
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Style: Conceptual

Notable Places of Work:

• Self employed
• Represented by Ayyam Gallery

Other Information:

• Born in Lebanon.
• Lives in Lebanon.
• Winner of the 2011 Shabab Ayyam Photography Competition.

Examples of Work:

This piece from 'The Unseen' 2013 series is interesting for many reasons. Firstly the identity of the subjects are obscured and the audience does not know for what purpose. Another reason is why each animalistic mask was chosen for each; what do the masks represent. Additionally, the calm poses of the subjects subverts the idea that the room is filling with water and they are just keeping above the water line. This could symbolise how in a modern society we are all losing our individual identities and becoming so engrossed in the futile tasks that we do not realise we are so close to danger; to further this the white rabbit could be an extension of 'Alice In Wonderland' in which the rabbit states "I'm late" which again links to the fast paced lives we lead. However, another question that arises is the clothing of the subjects; both are dressed in formal clothing that could either place them in positions of power or place them in a subservient role as a servant. On the other hand, the photographer could just be creating these works for the same reason as Rene Magritte "To allow the viewer to think".

This photograph is from the same series as the one outlined above, "The Unseen" 2013, and also causes many interpretation and questions to be raised. Above the water line the two females are smiling and jovially linking arms and making a tie of friendship. Although, below the water one is holding scissors to sabotage her "friend" and cut the ties of the bond which could be explicit for a performance sabotage or more implicitly infer that in most relationships one builds the bond and the other cuts it. Furthermore, the two subjects are similar in appearance, dress but only different in the painted mask. This could symbolise instead a split personality or a conflicting personality. The masks are like those worn by the 'players' otherwise known as actors and could again link to the hidden traits of personality. The colour red connotes sexuality, theatre and being fierce all of which could be interpreted differently by a different viewer.

This photograph, and the one below, are from Zankoul's archive. This image is so intriguing for many reasons one being its use of colour. The pastel blue hue and lowly saturated image create a dream like atmosphere which is supported by the subject of the image. The windows are like that of a bedroom but the surrealism is in that the outside sky is inside and that the identity of the subject is obscured as they fall into the clouds of dream. The clothing is reminiscent of vintage child's clothing and the décor also links back to a Victorian theme. The image could therefore be discussing the nostalgia, freedom and imagination of childhood which is so often lost as we grow older for not being a realistic view of the world but more of a surreal interpretation.

This image is featured on Zankoul's website within the archive. The photograph to me is significant in how it can be interpreted. I see the clam shell as mother of pearl and the female as a response to the paintings of "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli which depicts the Roman goddess Venus in a clam shell, the Greek equivalent is Aphrodite, who is the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. Therefore, the seductive pose again draws upon links to the goddess and depicts women in a way that they are the goddesses of the modern world. The use of the living room background could imply that whilst women are so powerful they are seen in the eyes of some as no more than a goddess of domesticity.

This photograph is from Zaankoul's 2016 series "As Cold As White Stone". The image was captured in an abandoned marble quarry and from this ideas can be made. The two subjects lay motionless like marble statues which links in the location. Also, the natural tones of white and skin tones link to an idea of purity which is also a symbol of white marble alongside immortality. The composition of the subjects on different levels also links to the idea that people are constantly growing further away from each other. The two appear like lovers in a tragedy who were torn apart by forces of nature and who are immortalised in a pure state like statues as a reminder that love that does not always work.