Final Evaluation

Throughout my preparatory work, I found many factors that were contributing to and influencing my final series of images. When creating my research log, I looked in depth into many different photographers and found myself being drawn to those whose work focussed on feminism. Through this, I found quite a few photographers who I felt were inspiring to me. These photographers all had different styles of work, which influenced me to pick this theme to work with as it allows you to still have complete freedom in what you choose to do. Whilst looking at different images and also creating my own, I found that I preferred images with darker tones as I felt it helped connote how dark the actual themes were. During my research, I found myself preferring pictures that used models rather than objects as I felt that photographing women to connote feminism worked extremely well. Therefore, I focussed more on using models within my shoots rather than objects. I did a couple of shoots with objects and found that they were more difficult to work with in terms of framing and how I positioned them, and also felt that I had more freedom when working with models as I could direct them and have them change position/expression.

As a result of this project, I have developed in both technical and aesthetic areas. Within the technical areas of Photography, I feel that I have made significant improvements in my abilities as I was completely independent in my shoots. One major development I have made is being able to overcome problems I encounter during shoots on my own. For example, when I came across issues with lighting (the images were coming out too dark), I used light meters and adjusted the ISO/f stop on my camera until the images looked appealing. Before doing my preparatory shoots, I had very little experience with shooting images of people within a studio setting. I feel that, as I did many shoots like this during my preparatory shoots, I am more confident and more able to direct shoots like this now. At first, I was nervous about doing this as I had only carried out studio shoots around five times, but now I feel that I would be able to comfortably and independently carry out studio shoots at any time.

In terms of aesthetic developments, I feel that I have been able to improve with creating images with darker tones. In the past, the majority of my shoots have appeared quite bright and have light tones within the image. With my final piece being quite dark, I have been able to experiment with lighting and Photoshop techniques to create images that are have dark tones and shadows. Having not experimented with this before, I really enjoyed how it came out and want to work more with this aesthetic again in the future. Another way that I have made developments with the aesthetics of my work is that I have experimented more with image manipulation. I have done this with many of my preparatory shoots and so feel that I have made improvements in what I am able to do to images within Photoshop. Before my preparatory and final shoots, I mainly stuck to basic editing within Photoshop (e.g changing the brightness/contrast). Throughout this unit, I decided that I could use photo manipulation to add deeper connotations and messages to images and so decided to focus on this within  many of my shoots. I feel that by doing this, I have gained stronger skills when it comes to editing.

I feel that I have been very successful in responding to the exam paper. The brief I chose to follow was personal opinions, as I felt this would allow me more freedom in what I chose to photograph. Once I narrowed down my chosen theme to feminism, I felt that I was able to create strong and clear messages within my shoots. This is because I had taken inspiration from many feminist photographers in my work and knew how I wanted my images to look. Even before feminism and within my preparatory shoots, I felt that the messages and connotations in the photo sets were strong as I ensured that the message could be easily understood. Throughout my preparatory shoots and in my final exam shoots, I have created photo sets that are unique and personal to myself as I feel very strongly about the topics I focussed on and wanted to raise awareness of them. As this is an opinion I feel strongly about and is personal to myself, I feel that I have been successful in responding to the 'personal opinions' brief.

One area in which I felt my work is strong is that my message is clear to interpret throughout all of my images. I feel that the use of black and white and black background ensures that no attention is taken away from the barcode and that the message isn't twisted or changed from what I want it to be through any other element, for example, colour. I also feel that my final pieces are all clearly linked and work well together as part of one photo series. This is something that I wanted to ensure, which is why my shoots from this exam were very similar. I did not want to do two completely different shoots as I felt that this would draw attention away from the main focus of the shoots and make the messages be less impactful. Another strength within my work is my use of computer experiments. The use of computer experiments within my photo series was vital as it was how, for one shoot, this is how I added the barcodes to my images. I feel that I did this well as, although the barcodes to not look completely natural, they appear to sit well on the skin which is what I was hoping for as I knew I could not get them to look perfectly natural through the use of Photoshop. A final strength I feel that I have in my work is that I have been able to work successfully with models in order to create the outcome that I hoped for. The models that I used were willing to pose however I asked them to and easily followed my directions, making my shoots easier to do.

After doing this exam, I feel that there are some areas in which I wish to improve. Firstly, I want to work more with colour and improve in this area as I feel that, in my preparatory shoots, my use of colour was not strong and did not add anything to the images. I feel that my final pieces seemed stronger than my preparatory shoots largely because of the use of black and white. Therefore, I hope to explore the use of colour more in the future. An area in which I felt I was weak in my work was with the amount of pictures I took during my shoots. As I only used two models and because there was not many parts of the body I could actually take pictures of, I was limited in the amount of pictures I could take. I feel as though I could have overcome this problem by using more models as I only used two. Lastly, I feel as though I should have taken more time and care when doing my shoots as I did encounter some problems that I feel would have not occurred if I had been more patient and taken my time. For example, a lot of the temporary tattoo applications went wrong as I did not spend enough time ensuring that they were on properly. If I had taken more time, this problem most likely would not have occurred. 

Final Pieces

Above are my final pieces from this exam. All of my images are different examples of connoting the objectification of women. As barcodes are universally recognised as a way of labelling a product for sale, I felt that using them in my images would be a great way of connoting objectification. I was lead to this decision through my preparatory work as during that time I researched many different feminist photographers and looked at how they expressed their messages through photography. For example, I enjoyed that Phebe Schmidt focussed on creating a look of plasticity in her work as it made her models look like dolls. I took inspiration from this, which is why my images present my models as products. I had already done a version of this shoot during my preparatory work and enjoyed the outcome of the images, which is why I chose to continue it as my final exam piece.

Shoot 2 - Work Record

For my second shoot I will be replicating the first, but will use temporary tattoos as my method of adding barcodes to the images. I will be doing this as I want my images to have the effect of the barcode really being on the skin - this is something that I am able to do through the use of temporary tattoos. Whilst I liked the look of the straight images from shoot 1, I felt that they still looked very Photoshopped, which is why I am experimenting with other mediums. The images will still have the same connotations - women are objectified in society and are a product for men to consume. It will also have the same denotations - close ups of different body parts with barcodes on. The difference between the two shoots is that the overall aesthetic of the image will be created in different ways. Another difference with this shoot is that I have asked my models to wear white this time around instead of black. I felt that this would help with my theme as it connotes innocence and implies that women are often objectified for their purity and innocence. The use of white will also help prevent a problem I had in the previous shoot where the dark clothing appeared to blend in with the background, making some images look odd.

Throughout this shoot, I faced problems when applying the barcodes to the models skin. When I tried to place the barcodes on to curved areas - such as the wrist, it was difficult trying to keep it in one place whilst the tattoo transferred. Many times, it did not work properly or smudged and so we had to take it off and try again. Secondly, I wanted my models wearing make up in any images I took of the face, but this meant that the tattoo would not adhere properly to the skin. In the end, I managed to place one barcode on the face by removing makeup in the area it was sitting. As I had problems with lighting last time, I used a softbox light this time around to ensure that my lighting was good in the images as I was able to use the burn tool and levels tool to bring the darkness of the background down to how I wanted it. Although, I am very happy with the overall result of the shoot. I felt that the images came out how I wanted them to and that the barcodes in this shoot came out looking very natural on the skin and so create the exact effect that I wanted, but it did take many attempts to get the barcodes perfectly on the skin and so it is much easier to use Photoshop to insert them.

Camera Settings: 1/80, f/5.6, ISO 200

This image was one that I felt turned out the best in terms of what I was hoping to achieve. I feel that, as the barcode is in the centre of the image, it becomes the focal point and so it clearly delivers a message to the viewer. I used the burn tool, levels and brightness/contrast in order to darken the background so that the model is in full focus. I then added a vignette to the image so that the centre of the image was bright than the rest, drawing more attention to this area. I feel that the use of white to connote innocence in this image works well as the white shirt surrounds the barcode, implying that the product is pure. The different tones in this image do well in creating a contrast of light and dark. For example, her skin in this image appears quite light, which makes the darkness of the barcode pop so much more.

This image is an example of what happened when I tried applying the barcode to a curved area. As the tattoo could not hold down properly on all sides where the arm was quite curved, it meant that the product could not stick to the skin properly and so peeled and smudged when the paper was taken off. If the tattoo had properly been placed on the arm and did not get damaged, this image would have done well in connoting the objectification of women. When attempting to fix this issue in Photoshop, it made the skin look slightly patchy and you could see that it had been manipulated on the computer - this was not an effect I wanted in the images from this shoot. 

Shoot 2 - Straight Images

Shoot 2 - Contact Sheet

Shoot 1 - Computer Experiments

In order to place the barcodes onto my images, I used Photoshop. This involved many steps in order to create an image I was happy with and so I have listed these steps below. 

The first thing I did was adjust the levels of light in the picture. As mentioned in my work record, I had issues with lighting which meant that my images were quite dark. The use of levels allowed me to correct this and bring light back into the picture.

I then used the brightness/contrast tool to further this correction as I felt it was looking too light on the background - the contrast bar fixed this as I was able to create darker tones.

As I was placing the barcode on the neck of the model, I wanted this to be a clean surface. As there were a few freckles on the girl's neck, I used the spot healing brush to remove these. This meant that I would not have anything laying under the barcode which would make it look unnatural or unappealing.

Once I was happy with how the layer image looked, I brought my barcode into the image. To start this process, I placed the barcode very roughly in the place that I wanted it to go so I could get an idea of how big I could make it.

As the barcode had a white background to it, I used the magic eraser tool to completely erase any white from the image layer. Once I did this, I used the transform tool to make the barcode bigger and to move it into the exact position I wanted it to be.

As there were still small bits of white around the black lines that I could not erase myself without making the lines look messy, I used the multiply option on the drop bar. This made the edges darker and therefore covered the white portions.

As the barcode was a flat image, the way that it was sitting on the neck looked extremely unnatural and I was not happy at all with how it looked. so, I used the warp tool under the transform tab in order to manipulate how the barcode sat on the neck so that it followed the curves and contours of the model.

This was how the barcode looked during warping. For the top and bottom halves, I pulled the corners out slighting and pulled the top edge up. this made it look like it was truly following the shape of her neck, giving the illusion that it was on her neck when the photograph was taken.

Again, the barcode still looked slightly unnatural on the model. This was because it was too dark on her skin. If the barcode was a tattoo, it would be slightly faded as it would be below the skin. So, I brought down the opacity slightly so that it gave the same effect.

Once I was happy with how this looked, I changed the image too black and white using the black and white adjustment tool. Using this allowed me to adjust how certain colours appeared. With this image, I wanted quite high contrast and so I brought down the yellow as this was the colour that adjusted her skin. I then darkened all other colours so that the black portions of the image were as dark as possible.

Finally, I decided to add a gaussian blur to the barcode as I felt that it looked too sharp. Whilst I wanted it too stand out and be the focal point of the image, I felt this was too much and looked out of place in the picture. Adding the gaussian blur softened the appearance of the barcode and made the image look better.

Before:

After:

Shoot 1 - Work Record

In the first shoot of this exam, I will be taking close up images of different body parts of different women (for example, the arm) which I will later edit in Photoshop by adding a barcode to the area. This symbolises the objectification of women and how they are viewed as a 'product for men' in society. This is a replicate from one of my preparatory shoots as I was extremely pleased with the outcome and knew where I could improve to make them even better. Like before, I will shoot these images against a black background in order to keep them looking simple and so that the attention is not taken away from the barcode. But, this time I will be using a snoot with a light so that the light beam is directed specifically to the particular body part I am shooting, rather than a soft box which would illuminate the whole picture. In Photoshop, I will make my images black and white as I feel this will give a darker and more serious atmosphere than keeping them in colour - a choice I made after my first version of this shoot. I made this choice as I felt the use of black and white would create a blank canvas for the barcode and prevent any attention being drawn away from the barcode. 

Throughout the shoot, I encountered some problems with the lighting. At first, it did not seem bright enough and so I moved it closer and brought the brightness levels up. I also adjusted the ISO on my camera so it was more suitable for the lighting conditions. I then found that the light being so close made the models' skin look orange, which would later make it appear too dark when turned into a black and white image. In the end, I had to move the light further away and turn it back down. The images did come out quite dark, but I was able to fix this by using Levels and Brightness/Contrast in Photoshop. Overall, this was the only problem that I had and the rest of the shoot went exactly as planned in terms of what I had wanted to shoot and how long I expected it to take. During editing, I found it much easier to place the barcodes in the images this time in comparison to the preparatory shoot as I now knew exactly what to do and even found some new techniques to make it look better (for example, adding a gaussian blur made it look softer on the skin). As I wanted a high contrast in tones, I used the burn and dodge tools to made the black areas darker and the white areas lighter. The images turned out perfectly and I am very happy with the results.

Camera settings: 1/125, f/6.5, ISO 3200

This was my favourite image from the shoot as it is quite different from the others. In this image, you can see the barcode on the lower back of the model, but it is being slightly covered by her top. Whilst the barcode connotes how women are objectified in society, the way that the top is covering, or hiding, the barcode suggests that this is an underlying issue in society and that people are trying to cover up that that this still happens. I feel that the use of tones in this image helps connote how feminists are trying to break free from this as the whole image is dark, apart from her body. This could connote that she is trying to draw attention to her objectification and make people truly see what is happening. I feel that the barcode in this picture looks more natural as a result of it being partially covered and so I feel that this image best matches what I was hoping to achieve.

This was an image that I did not like. When I originally took the image in the studio, I thought that it would be one of my straight images due to the contrast in her skin tone and the black clothing. But, during editing, the black clothing was a problem as you could not make it out against the black background. It therefore makes her ankle look slightly out of place and there is a possibility that it is difficult to make out what is happening. When I tried adjusting the levels and the brightness to make the leg and shoe more prominent, the image began to look grainy and had a lot of noise. It also started to look to bright as I wanted the dark parts of my images to be as dark as possible. Whilst this image still is successful in holding the connotations of objectification, I felt that it did not look as aesthetically pleasing as my other straight images and so have decided that this image is my least favourite. 

Progression

For my next shoot, I will be furthering this shoot. I will use the same background, models and shoot the same parts of the body but I will be using temporary tattoos of barcodes in place of photoshopping them on. I feel that this will give the images a more natural looking finish. I have learnt from this shoot that I should explore more with the lighting and possibly use different equipment in order to get a brighter and more focussed light. I feel as though I was too rushed with the lighting and instead of focussing on finding out the problem, I played around with settings and positioning of the light until it looked good. Therefore, I will spend more time and put more effort into fixing the lighting rather than deciding to edit it later in Photoshop as the images will most likely have a nicer finish this way.

Shoot 1 - Straight Images

Shoot 1 - Contact Sheet