Unit 10: Engaging with an audience

Admin
Nov 20, 2018
9 min read

Bibliography:

Google

Google images

whatibeproject.com

Wikipedia

Proposal

When I got the brief for this project I sat down with a pen and paper and wrote down all of my ideas for this project.

The moral of my vision for this project is; to show that we get treated like numbers instead of real life people, we are all just waiting, waiting for something, waiting to die.

I am going to photograph the mannequin store room in college, have models acting like mannequins with props such as tape measures, fake needles, coat hangers, masks etc.

I also want to write triggering words such as 'fat', 'too thin', 'not manly enough' etc on my models. I will be working mainly in the studio but I also want to photograph people waiting like mannequins in places such as waiting rooms, bus stops, queues etc.

I want to photograph my friends, family and class mates whilst also incorporating the further college into this project, which will help boost my portfolio by adding fresh faces and new styles. I want to photograph Charley and Jay, both of which are my classmates but I feel they will both be great models and also stand out as they are both red haired so I can write things on their arms like things they have been called and how it has affected the way they look at themselves and their mental health.

I also want to photograph Rob and Shea in my class and put them back to back to show we are all different, there are definitely going to be plenty of back to back shots of varieties of people in my life.

My audience is mainly aimed at body conscious people, mainly teenagers as we struggle to see our ever changing bodies as anything but pretty but every single body is perfect in its own beautiful way, we just have to change societies version of 'beautiful' to include all bodies, to help everyone see their bodies as their home and not a battlefield.

'Beauty' is a construct created by the capitalist system to make you see flaws that don't even exist, to sell you things you don't need, to impress people you don't even like.

If we started believing and investing in self-love we would destroy a billion pound industry, whilst investing in the most precious thing on this planet, yourself.

You can't put a price on loving your self, you are your longest relationship, you are your home and you are the only permanent home you will ever have on this earth. It really doesn't matter if you have stomach rolls, acne scars or stretch marks- this is life and beauty is all around us, beauty is in the mindset.

Once upon a time there was a long standing cultural idea that body image issues and eating disorders only effect women and not men, due to toxic masculinity and this cultural idea men struggle to talk about body issues they face which in turn can cause further issues both mentally and physically. Being male comes with a huge amount of privilege within our society which goes without saying, however men are still subjected to ridiculously high beauty standards. Men are expected to have broad shoulders, a 6 pack, a chiselled jawline, to be strong and to be masculine and if you don’t fit to these standards then you don’t belong. It is just as hard to be Barbie as it is to be Ken, males need to speak out on body image and we all need to come together to tear down the toxic beauty standards and toxic masculinity. We all need to come together in general, to love eachother, to support eachother and to love our bodies for how amazingly different and diverse we are. Self-love is empowering.

Research

Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister is a New York based photographer and graphic designer.

Stefan has a vast catalogue of work from car brands such as KIA and BMW, music companies which include the likes of Capitol Records and Atlantic Records, and arts colleges such as the Museum of Modern Art and Les Arts Decoratifs,

so he really does have a vast insight into every sector.

His work is so exquisite and innovative that he has his own team to help manage his vast array of clients.

So what makes his work stand out from everybody else? He uses typography to digitally express words onto people, objects or clothing but normally the photograph has a heart-wrenching meaning and the words help to emulate this.

I think Stefan's work encaptured my heart and inspired my mind, because it truly is so graphically raw and meaningful which is my motive for this current project on body image, which affects us all and is a very hard subject to talk about but I feel it needs to be spoken about more and portrayed better within modern media which in turn will help people love their bodies. I also want to have writing on my models be it digitally or actually handwritten, which is something Stefan's work will help me to achieve as I will be able to learn and create.

Take a look at Stefan's exquisite work below:

1 2 3

Figure 1 shows a female with the strong words 'THE TIME IS NOW' powerfully emblazoned onto her skin. This portrays the need for change in society and in the world as a whole and that we need to learn to love and respect ourselves, our bodies and others.

Figure 2 deliberately emphasizes the physicality of the body in this nude male shot with blood-like writing handwritten onto his body, which I think is very encapturing and moving.

Figure 3 emphasises the need for self confidence by saying 'self-confidence produces fine results' across the models face. I think in this shot he is trying to show that males struggle just as much as females do with body confidence but we often aren't allowed to show it due to toxic masculinity. Very powerful.

'WHAT I BE PROJECT' by Steve Rosenfield

Steve Rosenfield moved to California in 2006 to create a fresh start as he was unhappy with his life, this move allowed him to find himself, new friends and new possibilities and in 2010 he started this captivating project to photograph peoples insecurities and lives whilst twisting societies 'norms' and allowing people to love themselves without labels.

The 'WHAT I BE PROJECT' is truly exquisite and raw, it escalates the sense that we are all beautiful and that we shouldn't be defined by numbers, be it height or weight because we are all perfect in our own way, no matter what the media tries to tell us or show us with manipulated photos of skinny white females, instead of showing a true representation of our society which has beautiful skin tones, sizes, heights and personalities, which I believe if they were correctly represented we wouldn't have such a massive body image crisis and we would all be utterly in love with our bodies but then a trillion pound industry would collapse if we all believed that we were born beautiful- which is why companies still only show skinny white females instead of representing the diverse society we live in.

http://whatibeproject.com

Mood Board

I have created a Pinterest mood board which will help me to inspire and grow my already vast ideas for this project on body image. I want to portray body image for both males and females as it really does effect us all,"It's just as hard to be Ken as it is to be Barbie".

Below is a screenshot of my body image moodboard, to see more click this link:

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/william12byrne/body-image/

Practical Skills

Communication - I will be able to further develop my communication skills to direct my models whilst ensuring their understanding of what is required and the vision I have.

I also will have to communicate with staff in local charity shops/shops as well as staff from the performing arts part of the college to be able to purchase/borrow props, clothes, jewellery and things for my set.

Camera- F-stops, shutter speeds, ISO, meter reading, spot metering etc - utilising materials, techniques and processes accurately drawing from my skills building throughout the year to help me photograph my models beautifully with a vision.

Lightroom/Photoshop editing - I will edit my raw images in photoshop by using the spot tool which helps to get rid of any blemishes my models may have. I will then transfer my PS edited photos into Lightroom to make minor adjustments such as clarity and/or filters, I am going to use Lightroom instead of Photoshop for adjusting clarity and/or filters for workflow as LR is a lot quicker and simpler to use than PS but both are absolutely incredible.

Equipment

Digital SLR camera

Analogue camera

Lenses

Light trigger

Light meter

Speed lite/s

Tripod

Softboxes

Backdrop (in studio only)

Lighting reflectors

I am planning on using a mixture of both high and low key lighting as well as Rembrandt lighting and natural lighting as I think each lighting scenario will give my shots different atmospheres as well as giving my shots a more dynamic range.

Problem Solving

After shooting on film we realised we had no printing paper so we had to wait till some becomes available from college.

Trying to find different types of models that aren't busy, I managed to photograph some more people than the last project but not as many and as diverse as I wanted.

Audiences in Photography

The audiences in photography are truly vast, here are the main types of audience for photography:

Exhibitions
Advertising - billboards / magazines
Commercial
Books - self published
Newspapers - local / regional / national / global
Online - ecommerce
Magazines - specific to photography area i.e. fashion, documentary, environmental, humanitarian, portraiture etc
Stock agencies - Getty, Shutterstock, Picfair etc
Brochures - individual
Individual client work - could be anything
Instagram / Social media - marketing / features

There are advantages and disadvantages to each one of these depending on what it is you are advertising and who you are advertising too, for example if your target audience is the older generation then it is probably best to do physical advertising in newspapers etc than online which appeals more to younger generations.

Shoots & Planning

Today I visited local shops to find bits and bobs for my shoots, I came back with luggage tags, syringes and tape measures.

I am thinking of hanging the luggage tags off of my models hair and/or body with words such as 'too fat' 'too skinny' 'not enough' etc to help show my audience that my project is on body image.

I am also thinking of hanging the syringes off of my models hair and/or body too to show that some people get their bodies change either to make them happy or to fit to societies high standards of beauty.

With the tape measures I am intending to wrap them around my models body and mouth to show how we are controlled by beauty standards and numbers.

Today (28/01/19) I shot on analogue in the studio, it was nice to shoot on analogue again as I haven't shot on analogue for a few months. I find shooting on analogue magical, it really makes you appreciate photography and how photography has developed. Here are the negatives from the shoot, I am going to print them and present them along with my other shots from this project.

Presentation

To present my work I am going to create another magazine layout which can be featured on a table with my favourite images up on the wall in the background. I want this project to really capture peoples minds and to have them analyse how beautiful their body is and how hard it works to just keep you alive, I want people to look at my work and feel empowered to stand together to change beauty standards and to make every brand be more inclusive, which in turn will help people love their bodies more as they will realize we are all beautifully diverse and different. Beauty comes from the inside.

I want to incorporate words into this project, both my own and other authors. I almost want them to be as important as the photographs. I want to have photos layed out with words and poetry surrounding it. People need to realize that kindness is beautiful and to just be kind, as you never know what someone is going through or how your criticizing words and actions can effect somebody both mentally and physically.

I love this piece below from my favourite author, Rupi Kaur. This piece just preaches how important self-love is and how it can change your whole entire mindset and life:

Couture - Your body is your home

https://www.canva.com/design/DADPUUddgmM/9MBL61koHyoJkH6qYe2JOA/view?utm_content=DADPUUddgmM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton

Evaluation and Reflection

I think this project went well overall and I adore the final outcomes, however I wish I had more models to make this more inclusive and as inclusive as it should be. I am going to carry on this project fully in the future with more inclusive models and different styled shots but for now I am happy about this project and I enjoyed every minute of it, this project helped me to love myself and made me realize that my body is my home.

I want to thank my body,

thank you for never giving up on me when I often gave up and scrutinised you.

thank you for showing me love, light and laughter when I didn't think it was possible. thank you for letting me feel with such intensity.

thank you for allowing me to experience life in its truest and most sincere forms;

and thank you for always staying strong,

even when I wasn't.

I am sorry for all of the times I didn't love you as much as you loved me,

you keep me alive and allow me to experience life,

I shamed you for your imperfections,

and I told you that you didn't deserve love,

that you didn't deserve happiness.

I showed you loathing and hate when you offered nothing but love,