V i s u a l P r o d u c t i o n 2 : P h o t o g r a p h y

K a t h r y n K e l l y

A l e x a n d e r Q u i n t o n B r u n e t

S e p t e m b e r 27th 2013

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Part One: Name v

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Part One: Name

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Part Two:

Remake

Diane Arbusv

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P a r t T w o : R e m a k e

 Diane Arbus is an American born photographer who was names Diane Nemerov at

birth. Born in 1923 we can defiantly she a vintage style in her work. She married a young Allan Arbus who was training to be a photographer for the U.S Army. These ambitions passed as Allan and Diane began working as a team in fashion photography. They worked for magazines such as “ Harpers Bazzar”. The duo split up in 1959. Diane was encouraged by co-workers and models to continue with her own personal projects. When Studying under Lisette Model (1955) she honed her own style. Diane developed a documentary style of portraiture. Her subject matter seemed to revolve around the outcasts of society such as transvestites, the mentally challenged, drug addicts and twins.. From the 1960’s Diane began working for some of the biggest newspapers and magazines in America. Some include The New York Times and Sunday Times. In “A young man in curlers at home on West 20th Street, N.Y.C. 1966” we see a what seems to be a transvestite or a man simply wearing curlers , waiting for his hair to be done as he enjoys his cigarette. The mood portrayed seems somewhat deranged much like man of Arbus’s other works. Perhaps the other works an influence to this statement but regardless seeing a transvestite in the 1960’s was quite a shocking sight. The dark a vintage style adds grunginess to the photo, which is what most people enjoy about vintage photography. Arbus seems to be trying to reintegrate the strange and ostracized people into society , trying to portray them as normal people with defects just like everybody else. This photo-shoot was an extremely fun a knowledgeable experience! I used my Canon Rebel EOS T3 with a 18-35mm lens. I was already somewhat familiar to my camera, which made shooting much easier. Also I have had prior knowledge about light and photography techniques ( Photos & Film) Using the light techniques I already knew I set up the three lights behind my camera shooting against a white wall. I used three spot light in a dark room ; two behind the camera and one on the ground shooting up to create a shadow on the wall. This would help light the face of my actor. Before doing hair and make up I decided to take test shots to understand my models face and the physics of the light in the room. After hair a make up we began the shoot. There was very little flexibility seeing as this was a remake. The most difficult part about this shoot was casting the perfect shadow. Due to the fact my actor had a different body shape and I had not known how Arbus casted such a shadow. I was left with no choice but to photo shop it. After doing some research I learned that Arbus did not use stable light but rather a flash in a very dark room. Overall this was my favorite part of the project as it really challenged my knowledge of light and it’s relationship with my camera, which is one of the most crucial skills in photography.

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Diane Arbus

A young man in curlers at home on West 20th Street,

N.Y.C. 1966

P a r t T w o : R e m a k e

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Part Three:

Story

Yellow Shoes

In

The Darkness

By;

Richard Lamereaux

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Upon reading this story I knew instantly that this would be perfect for a 10 shot photo sequence. The poem and meaning behind the poem went straight to the heart and conveniently enough, had 10 stanzas. I began by writing notes for each stanza which discussed the light, angles and setting however I knew that the photos would only come through being natural a flowing with what the actors and nature gave me. Ultimately this was the case on both days of shooting. Eighty percent of the shots were improvised; some rooted from the notes and others completely new ideas. The poem “Yellows shoes in the darkness” by Richard Lamoureux is a story as much as it is a poem. The author depicts a character wearing bright yellow shoes entering the realm of darkness. The character is unaware they are destroying the darkness. The character meets the darkness who submits but later explains that darkness is needed as much as light, for they balance each other out. The moral of this poem is that to appreciate happiest of moments there must be darker periods in ones life, that sadness is as much a blessing as happiness. Seeing how this story is a poem, I decided to make the photos as poetic as possible using angles, the depth of space and light. I felt that without a poetic atmosphere the story would not be portrayed in the correct manner. The depth and meaning of this story was also a huge factor in adding a poetic feel. The main inspiration behind the design & costume of the character playing “The Darkness” came from the album cover for Bring Me The Horizon’s third studio album entitled “ There is a hell believe me I’ve seen it , there is a heaven let’s keep it a secret”. In this cover we see a character that is wearing a very blank mask that shows very little emotion with a half black and half white cloak. The mask that I used is a fully white mask that is much more blank then that of the album cover. The contrast between the black cape and white mask could be considered symbolic of the meaning of the story. The light can’t live without the dark. Also another reason for the white mask is to represent the uncertainty of life whether It be through dark are happy periods.These photos were taken with a Cannon Rebel EOS T3 with EFS 18-55mm lens as well as a 75-300mm Ultrasonic lens. Already being somewhat familiar with my DSLR camera, taking the photos were easy. I also had knowledge to photography prior to this project. Seeing as I already had some of the necessary skills I decided to try and go against the grain and push the boundaries a little. In one of the shots we see the “light” character walking towards the sun which is a difficult shot for it disrupts the vision ad contrast of the main focus making it sometimes barely visible , but by testing the light I was able to take a photo that depicted the light source, the character and some lens flares which add to the atmosphere of the photo. The others however we’re taken in a very traditional sense with the light source being behind the camera, but seeing as I did want a very natural feeling to these photos the only source of light was the sun. Using the sun worked in my favor more often then not, for I enjoy improvising.

P a r t T h r e e : S t o r y

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P a r t T h r e e : S t o r y

Walking through the land of shadows Wearing my yellow shoesWith each and every stepI created color and hues

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The shadows started retreatingAs color permeated the ground

Out of the darknessI heard a horrible sound

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"You do not belong hereI command you to go away

You are in the land of darknessYou must listen to what I say"

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I kept on moving forwardNot sure what I would see

Where was the voice coming from

I looked behind a tree

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Light and color expandedTraveling up to the skiesThe entity that scared meWas right before my eyes

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As my shoes banished the darkness

The entity was reduced to tearsWithout the aid of shadows

He couldn't tap into my fears

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I reached down to touch himI told him he was safe

He looked up with confusionAs I gazed upon his face

P a r t T h r e e : S t o r y

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"Are you here to destroy me?Have you come to take me

away?There is a purpose for shadowsThey create hope for brighter

days."

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I heard what he was sayingThe shadows have their

reasonIn order for spring to comeWe need a darker season

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So I removed my yellow shoesWatched as the shadows

returnedIt was time for me to go homeWith this strange lesson I had

learned

P a r t T h r e e : S t o r y