Woohhhhhhh!!!! Freaky self portraits!

10:46 | 0 Comments


Artist-draws-dozens-bizarre-self-portraits-high-drugs.


Click on the link above to see more...................

An artist by the name of Brian Lewis Saunders from Washington decided to do a portfolio of self portraits whilst under the influence....below are some examples and a link to see the full collection.

                               Bath Salts

I think the variation is massive and some downright scary, especially the portrait named bath salts, a nick name for the drug MDPV, reason for calling it bath salts?  This is because bath salts are not for human consumption and apparently this isn't either!!





This Xanex one is quite nice, mellow and happy....might give it a try hahaha 

Variations of Self Portrait

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“I make photographs to see how things look like” said Garry Winogrand, and I wonder whether this might be also the aim of self-portrait photography, as if we wanted to see how we “really” look like; we stop trusting the reflected image, - because there is no way we could objectively judge anything that is happening at the same time that is being analysed- but neither any representation of ourselves through photographs taken by “the other”.

There are so many variations of self portraits I couldnt list them all. The basic ones tend to be posed or mirrored but even them are varied from on extreme to another, especially when photoshop comes into the equation.

I haved decided to have a little play around with photoshop whilst doing my self portraits, I will them continue to explore a more hands on approach with the manual settings of my camera. 

Along the way I have come across a few images that stood out for me......one of them being the russian photographer Lena Aliper. Her portraits were a project. 20 days of silence although each day she captured an image of herself conveying the mood she was in.
http://lenaaliper.net/20days.html
I like this method as the self portrait then has a meaning and a story to tell behind it....I may have to use this idea for mine.

Self Portraits-Where it all began

09:44 | 0 Comments


So I hit the web to see what I could find about self portraits.

 Before I started snapping away at er myself, well I wanted to understand where it all began....

 Ok, so a self portrait is what it says it is...a portrait of oneself. This could be in many forms ie painting, photography, solo portrait or a portrait of oneself within a group of other people.

 In the history of art, one particular artist stood out when it came to self portraits and they went by the name of Albrecht Durer.

 He was a prolific self portraitist.

 The earliest is a silverpoint drawing created when he was thirteen years old
He portrayed himself more often than any artist before him, producing at least twelve images.
It appears that Durer then set a trend, with other well known artists following suit such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh
Rembrandt 1628
Van Gogh 


Silverpoint drawing of Durer. Self portrait aged 16 in 1484

Me......Wacky self portrait

09:31 | 0 Comments

My first attempt at a wacky self portrait!
What ya reckon?

I created this image in Photoshop by layering two images on top of each other. The first image/layer was taken of me lookin straight on into my camera. The second image/layer in the same position but with my forearm placed across my eyes. I then erased the eye area on the second layer, allowing the eyes to.come through from the bottom layer. I neatened it up with various blending tools then merged layers together. I then created the high key action by adjusting the curves and a few fill layers to.bring out my eyes. I chose to do this self portrait as it represents me. I'm a quite secretive person who doesn't trust easily (arm protecting my face) but am always keeping a watchful eye out for the opportunity :D

Self Portrait

14:59 | 0 Comments


As photographer we rarely put ourselves on the other side of the camera. We prefer to capture than to be captured.
However, there is a long tradition in art of the self-portrait.
For this assignment I have to research a range of photographers and artists that have used themselves as the subject. 

 Discuss their use of material techniques and processes as well as their use of the formal elements and the principles of design in their composition. 
How effective is the image and does it communicate a message?

 I will be given an essay/presentation task in another unit along with a lecture to help me achieve this.So keep an eye out in future blogs for these too!

 During my initial research I will be capturing and editing a series of self-portraits that help me explore and demonstrate what I have discovered.

Tone/Value

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Tone/Value

 Now lets just establish the difference between tone and value, as they are very similar and appear to be the same. 

 Value -- the range of light and dark within either neutrals or colours. Black is at one extreme, white at the other.

 Tone -- is a colour mixture where both colours are not of primary hue, not black and not white. This mixture is an intermediate  (please refer to my COLOUR blog). In other words, if you were to take a pure colour and add grey, you would have Tone. 

To help me understand the basic principles of this element I had to get my head around the terms used when describing tones/values and how to use them. I have added these terms below:


SHADE: A colour (hue) with black added.

TINT: A colour (hue) with white added

TONE: A colour (hue) with grey added

VALUE: The amount of lightness or darkness in colours.


The element of value or tone is, in its simplest form, the juxtaposition (being side by side) of light and dark. It is defined as the intensity of lightness or darkness in anything that is visible.


Balancing all the different values of lidarks, whites and greys is very important when wanting to create a three dimesional object to be portrayed as 3d in a seemingly flat image.


Value in visual arts is the light and darks tones. Lights tones are know as high, dark tones known as low (hence low key and high key)

In art this can be achieved by shading, crosshatch and stippling. I found a great site that explains these techniques click here
I also enjoyed a lesson with my class learning how to create tone and value in flat objects. We were given an object to draw, we had to attempt to draw it and create a 3d image.
Bill our tutor then showed us how to create a 3dimensional rectangle, created by charcoaling shadows. The outcome is demonstrated in my sketchbook 

In photography this can be achieved with correct lighting techniques and photoshop, Here is a link to Rembrandt lighting technique as a example introduction-to-rembrandt-lighting-for-portrait-photographers






Texture & Pattern

13:32 | 0 Comments



Texture:


 Texture is one of the most over looked elements in photography, even though it is very important and if used correctly can convey emotion and depth in an image.

 wiki: In the visual arts, texture is the perceived surface quality of a work of art. It is an element of two-dimensional and three-dimensional design and is distinguished by its perceived visual and physical properties. Use of texture, along with other elements of design, can convey a variety of messages and emotions.

 Tactile texture is what we feel, it is three dimensional and we can touch to feel the texture of that given object.
Visual texture is the illusion of a texture in something we see. Its what tactile texture looks like on a two dimensional level. (sounds like a script from red dwarf!)

 How do we see texture??? We can feel texture but how do you show the texture of an object/s in your photographs/image?

 The answer is light!!! All surfaces have either light absorbing or light reflecting qualities or both, this creates a PATTERN (we will come to that later), so therefore creating the appearance of texture. The next step after understanding why is how to create texture by using correcting lighting and camera angles

 Texture is made more visible with the use of side-lighting, which will create shadows on a surface in proportion to its roughness, so you can get excellent textures during dawn and dusk when the lights are low and angled.
Midday sun is also good for enhancing texture on certain objects such as brick works, tree trunks etc.
Tactile Textures by Wooblet Deviant Art
This image above is a perfect example of tactile texture. The lighting which appears to be coming from the top left highlights the patterns and texture of both the leaf and ladybug. As I mentioned earlier, all objects carry light absorbing and light reflecting qualities, this image portrays the both. The light reflecting off the ladybug portrays visually that the bug is smooth to touch, the light reflecting and absorbing on the different levels of surfaces on the leaf highlight the fluffiness and where the veins have more shadow portrays to the viewer that those veins are more prominent that the lighter ones.
If this image was taken completely in a shadow with an overcast light it would be very hard for the viewer to pick up on all of these different textures.
Vincent Van Gogh Room of Arles
Roy Lichtensteins version

I thought these two images would be an excellent example of how you can create tactile texture in different ways. Although this is art, you would use the same principle in photography also.



Pattern


Pattern is all of the above elements.....Patterns, both natural and man-made. They create rythmn. Patterns appear whenever strong graphic elements—lines, colours,  shapes, or forms—repeat themselves.

Since researching the visual elements of photography I'm seeing them everywhere, for example patterns...brick walls, pavements, symetrical windows on buildings, patterns on birds wings, butterflies wings etc...
Lighting is another key factor again. For example, the image below on a dull overcast day would appear flat and you would be unable to see the pattern created by the plowed furrows of the field, my mate Rob a farmer gave me this one as an example!


The key to highlighting a  pattern in an image is to isolate it from its surroundings, zooming in on the key patterns can create an amazing image at times. 

For eg. If I was to take a photograph of the whole building from a distance, the viewer would take the whole size and structure of the building into consideration  Since I zoomed straight in, the viewer is left to appreciate the patterns only.
                                   by ME


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