Joel Griffiths

AS Photography Entry Project

Lyric Possibilities

*“I need sunshine, I need angles” – ‘I need’ by Maverick Sabre

*“All these days seemed to fade away, as I lost faith in myself” – ‘I need’ by Maverick Sabre

*“How I didn’t go out of my mind, only God knows” – ‘I need’ by Maverick Sabre

*“Fading out again” – ‘Bloodstream’ by Ed Sheeran

*Song title ‘Blk & Blu’ by Chase & Status

*“I stared up at the sun” – ‘If I lose myself’ by One Republic

*“Which way is right? Which way is wrong?” – ‘Too Close’ by Alex Clare

*“If destiny’s kind, I’ve got the rest on my mind” – ‘For Reasons Unknown’ by The Killers

*“Somewhere between psychotic and iconic” – ‘Furthest Thing’ by Drake

“How I didn’t go out of my mind, only God knows”

The word ‘God’ brings a religious focus to the lyric. It is highly representative of the model’s personality and circumstances. It is instantly hard-hitting for the viewer and adds a higher degree of seriousness to the whole situation.

The term ‘only God knows’ portrays the model’s inability to deal with his/her current situation on his own, it tells us that he/she feels the highest force possible is the only explanation. This is a bold statement which would cause doubt among athiests and more sceptical viewers.

The model’s ‘mind’ is another big talking point in this scenario, it is unclear how trustworthy his mental state actually is. This casts doubt from a viewer’s perspective over the validity of the whole statement. It also creates more depth to the model’s personality and background in general.

The introductory word ‘How’ portrays the theme of the rest of the line which is uncertainty, questioning and belief, both by the model and the viewer. The fact this line starts with a question as opposed to a statement suggests the model has a lower level of self-confidence and independence.

“Somewhere between psychotic and iconic”

The word ‘somewhere’ instantly shows the audience that the model is indecisive, vague and uncertain about his situation. This mindset heavily influences the viewer to take different interpretations from the image rather than having a set view point.

‘Psychotic and iconic’ are very contrasting and portray the idea of a completely split personality that the model could have. It also encourages the viewer to look closer for detail which could reveal a more ‘psychotic’ or ‘iconic’ reality.

The word ‘psychotic’ is sudden and shocking as it is not a word often used. This startles the viewer into looking further for psychotic evidence in the picture.

The fact that in the image the model is ‘somewhere between’ psychotic and iconic suggests to us there is a middle ground that the model finds himself in. The irregularity of a middle ground like this effects the whole mood of the image, making it more strange and interesting.

*Lydia Roberts

*“

With Roberts’ work, I really like the way she uses black and white to enhance mood and atmosphere in her photos. This is a theme I feel I can implement into my edits, whilst still making them unique and linking them back to my lyric.

Composition: The model’s hand positioning is dramatically smothering the majority of her face. This could symbolise her attempt to hold her emotions inside. This links to the idea of ‘more to a book than the cover’ in that a lot of detail is lost from the constraints of our physical sight. Her eyes also conveniently coincide with ‘the rule of thirds’, meaning our attention is enhanced on the model’s eyes.

Facial Expression: The model’s expression is that of fear and anxiety, portrayed through her wide-eyed, paranoid stair. It suggests that there is a presence she fears beyond our line of view. With her hand covering the majority of her face we are only to assume she is frowning and trying to suppress an imminent scream.

Colour Scheme: Although a black white portrait, you can see a great depth of colour in it. The blacks are heavily emphasized, especially in the background and also in the model’s eyes. The dark theme creates a twisted and dark undertone, making us sympathise with the model. In contrast, her hand is fairly light which symbolises a positive force keeping her mouth shut. Mood/Atmosphere: The atmosphere is intense, dramatic and uncomfortable. It seems to be moments before or after a shocking event which adds to viewer interest. Another sense you get is one of emotion. Her eyes look as if they are watering slightly leading to the assumption she is in a horrific situation.

Lighting: Hard lighting is used in this image to highlight the strong emotion portrayed by the model’s facial expression. It also creates a focal point that we can assume she’s looking at, this creates a range of questions in the viewer’s head and increases our general curiosity. The lighting also creates strong contrast between the jet-black background with the much whiter face and hand.

*Kyle Thompson

Kyle Thompson (January 11, 1992) is a photographer from Chicago, Illinois. His style, as he describes it, is surreal conceptual photography; the creation of a surreal world in order to depict concepts. He has a fascination with abandoned houses and empty forests, locations where the majority of his photographs take place. He specializes in self-portraiture. He has no formal education in photography.

When looking at a lot of Thompson’s photography, I noticed that he actually has a lot of deeper meanings to interpret from his work. I thought this theme would link into my Maverick Sabre lyric really well as I could use deeper Religious imagery in my edits as well.

*1st Shoot Plan (Maverick Sabre lyric)

Subject: Model (Rob) Set: Run-down area. Possibly under bridge, next to abandoned building, over-looking city, woodland area etc.Composition: The framing will see his full body and close ups shots. but the camera will be fairly close in. The back-drop of the image is will vary from woodland areas to in-city views. Shot types: Long shots and close ups.Camera Angle: Varied.Lighting: Natural.Clothing: Black to match distressed theme.Camera Settings: Slow shutter speed. Smaller aperture. Props: None.

“How I didn’t go out of my mind, only God knows”

I feel these images in particular will influence my shoot.Equipment:

- Camera- Tri-pod

Shoot Thumbnails With this image I felt I had a good base with strong contrast, but there was still room for improvement whilst editing. The composition also went very well with my chosen lyric.

I really liked the way I was able to catch a defining siluette, which convinced me to use this one out of the few I had. It also had a nice natural-man-made split which I felt would be nice to edit.

Although nice, I didn’t like the idea of using these images because they showed too much of the school grounds which took away from the effectiveness.

Shoot ThumbnailsI chose to use this image in what was an all in all unsuccessful shoot, because of my lack of concentration on my ‘ISO’ settings. However this was one of the least grainy ones and I was able relate it to my lyric.

Unfortunately, the majority of the other photos I tried to capture were unusable because they were too grainy. This was an inconvenient mistake as it lost me a lot of time and I had to re-shoot. In future to prevent problems like this I will make sure I’m more careful in the planning stage of the shoots, especially when I go somewhere other than the school.

Edit 1

Final Image I feel with this edit I was able to achieve what I intended: A lost, uncertain character striving answers. Rob’s hand positioning meant I was able to successfully convey my religious undertone, which instantly connotes further meaning from the audience. The addition of strong natural lighting from the sun on the model also has connotation of a more powerful force, because we are unable to see what he is looking at. My mistake of having the wrong ‘ISO’ settings in this circumstances was for the better. I feel they fit the mood and atmosphere of the image, creating a sense of the unknown about the scenario in which the model is in. Obviously the grainy effect could be seen as a big flaw, something which I will have to rectify next time I am out shooting.

“How I didn’t go out of my mind, only God knows”

Edit 2

Final ImageOverall, I was pleased with the outcome of this final piece. I was most pleased with my ability to capture intensity in Rob’s facial expression. The mood and atmosphere is drastically enhanced by the piercing focal point created by his eye, which appears to be looking straight at the audience all the time. The composition of the photo was another effective aspect as Rob looks as if he is hiding behind a tree, thus connoting a scared, insecure interpretation of his personality. This being an effect I desperately wanted to emphasise. As a possible improvement I would have got more of the tree’s bark in shot, this would have made the ‘hiding’ element more noticeable without any explanation to go with the picture.

“How I didn’t go out of my mind, only God knows”

Edit 3

Final Edit This was all in all a decent outcome. I was able firstly to create a sillueting effect which was unique and also linking in with my inspired lyric. It is also very diverse or open to interpretation, I feel it could have a number of meanings; anything from a confused man at the end of his rope, to a man summoning the courage to do something about his circumstances. The backdrop which features some trees is also particularly effective as it suggests a lost aspect, or alternatively it could make reference to the contrast between the metallic fence and wildlife. The one aspect that lets this photo down in my opinion is the addition of the school grounds in the background. It doesn’t really fit with my lyric and was careless composition. This is something I will take more care of in future.

“How I didn’t go out of my mind, only God knows”

Edit 4

Final EditThis was a very simplistic but effective final outcome in the end. I was able to emphasize my focus on drastic contrast in the white back-drop and the dark foreground. Although seemingly insignificant, I felt the white sky made good use of negative space, as there isn’t a defined focal point and this leaves openness to interpretation. The composition is also particularly effective because it shows Rob’s hands in a praying position and his eyes closed looking into the sky. These simple details link heavily to my inspired lyric and add more depth to the image with its religious under-tone. A possible improvement could be the addition of a prop, for example a Bible, which would relate it to my lyric even more.

“How I didn’t go out of my mind, only God knows”

*2nd Shoot Plan (Drake lyric)Subject: Model (Rob) dressed in a

mixture of iconic and psychotic clothes in a variety of positions to portray my lyric.Set: alleyway in Bristol.Composition: Varied. Some shots will feature Rob running, and some will be full body portraits. However clothing will be important in most pictures.Shot types: Mixed.Camera Angle: high, low and mid (dependant on which shot is of model is taken)Clothing: Smart shoes and trousers. Glasses, but ripped white T-shirt. Camera Settings: Slow shutter speed, large aperture etc. Props: None.

“Somewhere between psychotic and iconic”

These images in particular will influence my shoot.

Shoot ThumbnailsI felt this photo had a very psychotic edge which made it more effective and gave it the edge on some of the others. I also felt the eye-contact with the viewer made the facial expression much more powerful and expressive.

This was a particularly interesting image for me because of the anger that his body positioning portrays. It is very realistic and links in well with my chosen lyric.

This photo told a good story so I felt it would be good to analyse as well as edit.

Editing Steps

Final EditI had mixed feelings about this edit. On the one hand I was able to portray the psychotic nature of the model’s persona, with eye contact. There is an evident focal point which instantly draws the viewer’s attention, it has an effect that also makes you fear him and wonder what he plans to do. His glasses give him an added sense of power and authority, which could be seen as dangerous in the wrong hands. However the addition of a ‘shape blur’ ruined it slightly. In hindsight, the best option would have been to stick with the less blurry version as it followed inspiration from my lyric better.

“Somewhere between psychotic and iconic”

Editing Steps

Final editI was happy with this edit overall. It conveys my lyric quite well in my opinion as it has both aspects of it. We see two sides of the persona one of which being important with glasses, shoes and suit trousers but then this contrast very well and confuses us when we see him carrying a bin with a ripped top. This type of contrast automatically implies a lot of questions about his situation which adds to the interest in the image. Another detail I added was the in-colour shoes which just adds to the iconic emphasis I tried to convey. I feel that the insignificance of a standard, fairly run down road in Bristol actually adds a mysterious atmosphere to the whole thing and keeps people questioning.

“Somewhere between psychotic and iconic”

Final EditThis was an interesting final edit. I was able to use fast shutter speed to catch the persona in a violent, threatening, energetic position. This connotes fear from the viewer, and also makes you wonder about what brought about this scenario. The body positioning is very effective because it seems as though he is going to punch the door as hard as he can, this aggressive attitude heavily contradicts the smart shoes and trousers, leading to the assumption he actually is stuck between his psychotic and iconic personas. By increasing the edit’s brightness, it adds a sort of ‘cold light of day’ sobering feel to it. It puts into perspective his insanity for the viewer, especially in a long shot.

“Somewhere between psychotic and iconic”

Comparative image by Henri Cartier Bresson.

Editing Steps

Final EditThis edit was very focused on getting the lyric’s message across. His body language insinuates someone who is questioning why he has been treated unfairly or alternatively he could be seen as a threatening character who is angry. The black glasses portray an attitude that he doesn’t believe anyone really knows him and that he is very secretive. His open stance could show his acceptance and that he doesn’t care what others think, maybe this could be a more arrogant side to his character. The effect of having a black and white filter, is that the image we see looks closer to reality than one which is bright and white which has a fake effect.

“Somewhere between psychotic and iconic”

*Most Successful Edits