Photography

Portrait Photography

 I started this project with a series of portrait photography to begin my interpretation of the theme of cynicism. I wanted to keep the set simple so the focus remained solidly on the model. The boxed off nature of the set makes the subject appear trapped, stuck in the inevitable. The small space represents the limited room one has when they enter cynicism - 'cynicism makes contact with your skin...grows on you...and eventually you will be unable to mover and stuck in the same place forever'. I placed white sheets in the background which would eventually be destroyed and stained by the subject, symbolising the use of cynicism as protection of one's heart from disappointment and so the blackness stains herself AND the tight environment around her. All of the images below were taken with a Lumix camera. Some images suited the black and white filter very well to move the viewer. However, I felt that some of the portraits containing the black paint appeared best in colour for a stronger contrast between the innocence of the child and the invading blackness.

                         

  

Ink Cloud Photography

As my creative thinking developed so did my photography. I decided to move on from portraiture and focus more on representing the physical 'black carapace' that cynicism is. I began to look into the interesting shapes and textures created when ink is dripped into water. I used a slow motion camera to record this myself and I was extremely pleased with the outcome. I found that it truly looked like a growth getting bigger and bigger. The contrast between the clarity of the water and the invading blackness is quite intense but exciting. I believe that this photography helped both with development in the creative symbolism in this project and offering opportunities for interesting experimentation with texture.