Unit 9- Characteristics and Contexts | Horror Portraits Inspired by Film.
I will be doing a series of Horror themed portraits but one section of the series will contain LED masks, another section will contain hooded figures to keep the most part of the series subtle however I will be using this series to showcase a story as the series will be on Location in woodland areas to add atmosphere as well as an unsettling, eerie feel as it will be dark so my main source of light will be from a speed light which will flash in the direction in which I point it so if i flash it directly at my model then only the trees around my model will be shown but not fully shown due to the amount of flash that is used which will also add eeriness as the viewer won't be able to see the full background behind my model which will also give off a sense of "wonder".
The models will be wearing LED masks similar to the ones shown below:
Haunted air is a book that was published in 2010 however the book contains images of children dressed up for Halloween the images shown below are images from the book
These photographs give an eerie feeling and this has inspired me to make my own eerie series of images using masks similar to the ones shown above and I will be using woodlands as the setting as the depth of the image will add to the eerie atmosphere.
In order to add eeriness to my photographs, I plan to shoot a set of photographs on film as it will give an eerie atmosphere and it will also give my series of images a different perspective.
I will also be referring back to images I have saved on my "Horror project" board on Pinterest which contains images that I will be replicating/taking inspiration from, the images shown below are some of the images that I have saved:
I took inspiration from these photographs as they set a sense of eeriness especially photograph 3 as a mask that was made to be seemingly harmless is shown to be quiet creepy especially with the way that the model is holding a large kitchen knife that that can be seen clearly in the frame and the combination of a mask and a black glove masks the full identity of the model which could leave the viewer questioning "who are they?", "why are they dressed that way?", "Who are they?", "Are they dangerous?" and there will be no answers to their questions which will leave them in wonder and the eerie atmosphere may draw them in or it will make them look away as they could be put off by masks.
The images caught my attention because although there is no mask involved there is no face being shown which gives off an unsettling atmosphere as like the other images shown it'll make the viewer question "Who are they?', "Are they planning anything?" or "Have they just committed a felony?"
The similarities between these images and the images shown above is that a mask and a face not being shown is that they give the same eerie atmospheric, unsettling feeling as nobody knows who these people are other than the photographer which leaves the viewer in wonder and put off due to the fact that there is no face which metaphorically masks the persons identity and masks the features of that person.
This series has a way of showing that you can physically with a mask and metaphorically mask your identity/who you are.
I will be creating this series of portraits by going into a woodland area with either one model or a group of models with LED masks and I will be using a speed-light for lighting as it'll be dark when I do the photo-shoots which will add eeriness and an unsettling feeling, I will be using "Film shots" as a guide to the different angles that I could use during my photo-shoots to add a different perspective to my series as by using different angles and different type of shots, the viewer will be seeing the model in a more dynamic stance as if I photograph my model from a low angle then my model will look like they are bigger and have more power over not only the photographer but also the viewer and my model will be masked so the photograph would show what someone in "danger" would see as they look up which would show my masked model as being in control and much more powerful in strength than the viewer/photographer/anyone who could be in that "danger". By doing this project I'd like to portray/tell a story through my images.
Planning-
I wrote these 3 shoot plans as a guide for my future shoots
I wrote these as a guide and wrote down simple shot ideas which I will expand upon in my photo-shoots, I plan to use these pages to set the foundations of my shoots so I know where to start so then I can build upon my ideas as I'm shooting the shoots
IDEA DEVELOPMENT
After looking and thinking about how posture and gestures effect an image and effect the feel that viewers get from the photograph, I will be applying my knowledge of this to my images by getting my model to stand in different stances it could portray them in a different light so if i get my "hooded figure"to stand in a dynamic broad stance then it would show that the "hooded figure" is dominant and powerful and by getting another model to portray being scared/frightened by the "hooded figure" it would add to the "hooded figures' dominance, I would show this by getting my model to have a scared expression on their face and get them to stand or look like they are about to start running and I would then photograph a set scene where it looks like my model has either fallen or been caught by the "hooded figure" and if my model for the "hooded figure" character is tall and my other model is smaller that would also show the dominance that the figure has over the other model/character.
I will be looking at "film-stills" to give a sense of direction in my project so I have a guide to my shoots rather than the shoots being unplanned and having no sense of direction however by looking at film stills it will guide my work towards telling a story.
If I shoot over the shoulder then the viewer will be viewing a third person view of what the "hooded figure" will be seeing
By using 'shot types' I will be giving my photographs depth and a sense of direction.
1st Photo-shoot.
The screenshots shown above are all the images that were taken on my first photoshoot of the project, I looked at these photographs and decided what fits and what doesn't fit, whilst looking at these photographs I looked at where my strong points were within the photographs and found areas that were not as strong within the shoot so then I had a guide to what I should work on developing on my next shoot.
I used a torch as my main source of light as a speedlight or a flash from the camera would have lit up my whole model and the surrounding area which would not have given the dark, eerie feel that I wanted to create.
The effect of using a torch was to direct the light onto my model's face to direct light to only the face and a small section of the hood to add atmosphere rather than using a speedlight and lighting up the whole body that would eliminate any sense of atmosphere.
By using a torch on the left photo it created a circle of light which left any subject out of the light in complete darkness.
The photograph on the right had no lights involved as it would have lit up my model and the excess light would have ruined any atmospheric feel.
Whilst shooting my first shoot, I faced the problem of getting the correct lighting as using a speed light would have lit up the model and the surroundings which is what I did not want so instead I had the idea of using a torch so I could direct the light onto my model and a small area of the surroundings which gave the circle of light shown in photograph 5, by using the torch it added eeriness as it darkens the image apart from where the light is being shone to. By using a torch I had to take multiple test shots until I got the correct ISO and exposure that enabled me to start my shoot with no further problems as the image was exposed enough to be seen properly by anyone that looks at the images.
Edits
The first photograph is the original photo, whilst editing in Photoshop, I cropped the image smaller which gave me the second and third photograph shown below, which I then turned into black and white which gave me a powerful image.
Whist looking back on my images, the edits I have done makes the images looks more dynamic and by cropping the first image to give me the second image, the crop brought the empty, negative space into a more compact and controlled space, this also made my image more atmospheric as the model is center frame which also shows the blank yet slightly annoyed expression on my model however because my model isn't face on with the camera, the viewer can't read my models eyes which could leave a sense of wonder.. "What has he done?", "Where is he going?" or "Where has he been", "What is he about to do?", "Why does he look slightly annoyed?", "What is he thinking?"... So by not having my model face on and having his face slightly masked, the viewer can't read his emotions, expressions and they can't look fully into his eyes, its the small features like this that a human looks at when trying to read a person so when you can't see those things, it leaves you in wonder and in some cases it makes you feel uncomfortable.
I then used a copy of the first image and cropped it down to the same size as the second image but cropped it so my model was on the left and not the center, I did this to vary my work and make it look like my model was looking more into the dark and unknown space around him. By not lighting the background and surrounding areas it makes my model stand out in the frame but also gives a sense of atmosphere and wonder as the viewer can not see the location that my model is in as around my model is shown to be pitch black so nothing can be made out and by covering the majority of my models face ,only the eye can be seen, which masks my models identity and also masks my models expression.
I edited these images the same way I edited the last set of images, I cropped the images down which makes the image more compact and gets rid of negative empty space but by cropping the image down it makes my model stand out and draws the viewer to my models face rather than the viewer looking into the dark, empty space that was surrounding my model, so the crop makes the image stand out and more dynamic.
Photographing empty places
Whilst my model and I were in the woods, we found a plastic chair and I thought it would look creepy if I photographed the chair against the dark, empty space, I the edited the first image which gave me the second image which I lit up more by changing the levels and curves, then i used the second image and cropped it down to make a more composed image.
When looking for a location to shoot in, I decided to use this woodland area which is Located in Burscough and I chose this place as all the trees are aligned which then gave me an even background and when I was stood far away it was easier for me to get into position where I could photograph my model without a tree getting in the frame and taking the main focus off my model.
After my first shoot I plan to go out and shoot again to further my ideas and take close up shots of my model and any props used as well as take more compelling and powerful shots, I plan to do this by doing set up shots such as one model look like they are attacking the other model, which will give my male model the "dominant" character within this project.
Second shoot
The screenshots shown below are all the photographs taken on my second shoot which range from close ups, staged shots to distanced shots as well as shots where I photograph my model from a low perspective which makes them look "bigger" than me and I link this to my project because I looked at stances and gestures and by photographing my model from a low perspective shows that they are more "dominant" than the photographer and the viewer of the photograph as it shows my model being "big and powerful"
Selected images
When photographing my second shoot, I decided to include a knife as a prop, I decided this as I wanted to expand my work and also expand upon ideas that I had as I wanted to do a low perspective shot of my model holding a knife by their side and have my other model in the background which then gave me this shot.
The first photograph is the original photograph and the source of light was a speedlight which was placed on the right hand side of the frame, this then gave me the lighting that ran through the gap between both my models which also lit up the right side of my model which then enabled the viewer to see the knife that is being held by my model in the foreground and the speed light also lit up the back of my other model which can be seen in the background of the photograph, by having the speedlight placed where it was it lit up the grass which also brought in color to the frame. This shot is a "typical horror shot" which was the first set shot of my photo-shoot by using a knife as a prop it shows that a sinister event could take place and also suggests that the model with the knife could be "dangerous" and the "simple typical horror shot" could give the viewer an unsettling feeling.
The editing done to the second photograph was a crop and I modified the levels to lighten up my photograph, which I then turned into black and white to give me the result of the third photograph.
Following my idea of using a "hooded figure" I got my model to wear a hat and a balaclava which covers everything but the eyes however by standing slightly higher than my model which then hides every part of the face including the eyes so by using accessories my model managed to mask everything about him and by masking who he is, the viewer of the photographs has no idea who this man is and if he`s capable of anything "dangerous" which also could give off a sense of wonder.
I also used a speed light above and directly in front of my model which then gave the light on the hat which also separates my model from the black background, I also turned the photograph into black and white to make it look more dynamic and give the image an atmospheric look.
The first image is the original image and I took this image whilst my model was sat down and I was stood higher than my model and the angle I was shooting at hid my models eyes and any part of him that would have been shown is hidden so this "masks" who he is and also "seals" his identity.
I then used the first image and turned it into Black and White which gave my image an atmospheric feel as the black and white gives off an unsettling feel.
By using the second image which I had already edited into black and white, I used the "brush tool" to remove the black and white filter on the rose on the hat so my whole image is black and white other than the rose on the hat which brings some color back into the image.
Editing Process
I took screenshots of the editing process,
I was originally turning my images into black and white by using the default filter which lets you decide how light or dark you want each colour which are red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta.
I then found that there is a better way of turning an image into black and white by changing the vibrance to +100 and changing the Saturation to -100 which changes the image to black and white however this gives my image a "Noir" look, rather than using the default black and white filter
I then changed the levels which enabled me to lighten and darken the image to the style that I wanted.
However I want my images dark and eerie so I changed the levels to what they are shown as in the image.
The first photo is the original photograph and the screenshot shows the cropping that was done to the photograph, which is followed by the screenshot of applying the black and white filter.
By cropping the image to a smaller and more compact size, it made the photo more dynamic.
In order to expand upon my ideas, I will be buying the masks online for my future photo-shoots.
One problem I encountered during this series was, when I was ready to bring masks into the project I could not get any masks online to arrive before the deadline date so I followed through with the idea of using a "hooded figure" so I expanded upon the idea of using a hooded figure so I decided to use props such as a knife to add to the eeriness and the atmospheric feel.
Problem solving.
At the start of this project I planned to shoot on film so then I have a set of black and white film photographs however I was unable to do this as the college department was being refurbished and there was no darkroom available so I was not able to process/print the film images so I decided to continue with using a DSLR camera and then change the image into black and white on Photoshop. As I mentioned above I was unable to buy the LED masks online as they would have arrived after the deadline for the project so I decided to further my ideas using hooded figures and decided to include props which gave me a set of images.
Evaluation.
Whilst looking through my blog and looking at my project as a whole, I realize that some photographs that I had taken didn't fit into the project therefore I didn't use them but showed them in contact sheets when showcasing all of my photographs. Whilst reflecting back upon my images my first photoshoot of the project had some powerful images but mostly I had images that I couldn't use as they didn't fit into my project which helped guide me for my second shoot to which I then went out to shoot my second shoot and shot more photos that I can use as I took more time to plan and compose the images I wanted to take, which I then showcased in my blog through contact sheets and also in selected images, I also showed some steps of the editing process to show how the small changes make an image more dynamic. Although I planned to do masked portraits by using LED light up masks I encountered a problem that the masks that I was going to order online would not arrived in time for my project as it would have arrived after the project deadline so I decided to focus on "hooded figures" and expanding upon my ideas by adding a prop such as a knife which gave me the "typical horror shot", I then ordered a balaclava which would mask half of my models face so my model wore a hat and a hood to mask everything on their face other than their eyes, so by doing this they masked their identity which correlates with the idea of "masked portraits". If I was to do this project again I'd order the masks in advance so I have them ready for the photoshoots, I'd also use more props and use more time to plan photoshoots and create more powerful shots and stage more shots and use more time to plan out a story through images as looking back through my blog there wasn't a story unfolding so if I were to do this again I'd take photos to tell a story and take a diverse set of images so I can either show two stories or to show how things can go from "sweet" to "sour" what I mean by this is how someone can go from a good and safe day to then taking a short cut and then they become "in danger".
Speedlight workshop
As I will be needing speedlights throughout my project the workshop activity which focused on the use of speedlights which helped refresh my current knowledge. The images shown below where taken in the workshop but there were also colored gels use over the speedlight so there wasn't just "white light" used.
By using a speed light the photographer adds excessive light to the natural lighting, this then balances the white light and adds a catch light into the models eyes which will make them look more lively.
The colored lighting behind both models was made by a speedlight with a colored gel placed over the flash so instead of white light being flashed into the background there is a colored light being added into the photo which also makes the model stand out more from the background as it is a colored background rather than plain white.
By having the flash off the camera it allows the flash to be placed or held a distance away from the camera as far as 20 meters as it will still fire at the same power no matter how far away it is as long as the pop up flash on the camera reaches the speed light sensor the speed light will fire.
The speedlight has a setting for different channels which is useful for when there are two photographers using a different set of speedlights at the same time so if you use channel 1 and the other photographer is using channel 2 then when you shoot their speedlight won't go off, only your speedlight will and then when they shoot only their speedlight will fire providing the correct settings are set so the camera and speedlight must be on the same setting otherwise the speedlight flash will not flash.
