Body & Object

Task One: Body For this task I wanted to dispute the stereotype of elderly people and unmask their young spirit hidden inside of them, as many of old people still maintain their active lifestyle and enjoy their lives in spite of their age. Using the medium of photography I am going to portray three personalities in three different environments showing their true characters. Task Two: Object In my still life photograph I wanted to depict the problem of famine in the Horn of Africa and how this problem is being fueled by corrupted authorities of countries involved. I am going to use metaphors and symbolism through objects regarding works of baroque and renaissance painters.

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My initial idea was to portray people living in care homes. I researched photographers such as Jim Goldberg but after my visit in one of the care homes, where I spoke to the manager, I decided to change my plan slightly and moved on, not to waste my time. Unmasking As my main photographer I chose Richard Avedon, who (in his series "In the American West") leaves behind social classification and tries to shatter this notion of stereotype by showing real people in their real environment.

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Contextual research
(Standard Life is saving and investment company, which offers a range of long-term savings, pensions and investment products to help its customers to save for the future. This company looks after savings and investments of almost 4 million people in the UK.) In one of their brochures I found that many old people over 65 years of age are more ambitious for the future than any other generation has ever been at this stage. They want to: -Travel more -Stay at work (but on their terms) -Start new businesses -and learn new skills or hobbies They have to overcome society's perception of being over 65, cultural barriers to having their lifestyle they aspire to.

YouGov survey commissioned by Standard Life of a UK representative sample of 2,100 adults conducted during May 2009 and show the Perception of lifestyle and reality of how people aged 55+ live.

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Economist.com Photo exhibition held under the theme Good health adds to life. Hosted by World Health Organisation (WHO) Based on ageing and health. Its purpose was to fight stereotypes of old people and focus on how good health can help older people lead full and productive lives. WHO has also designed a series of posters challenging the current stereotypes of older people. They show older people in positive situations.

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I visited Medway Council (care homes in Medway area) and Friston House in Rochester

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Social Club Rochester This is a place, where elderly people spend their free time, enjoying themselves, taking part in variety of activities.

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WRVS Chatham WRVS (Women's Royal Voluntary Service) is one of the largest organisations supporting local communities in England, Scotland and Wales.

Positive about age, Practical about life

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Mrs. Lilian Lyons, and on 14th January 2013 she will be 81. Mrs. Lyons isnt an ordinary old lady. She is a very lively and active person. She is computer literate, She even has a Facebook account; She is a Tutor, she took exams and can hold the class and teach; She is a Volunteer at WRVS centre; She is a secretary of the social comity at Sheltered Housing in Rochester, which accommodates 70 residents; She is an assistant secretary at Medway Pensioners Forum; She does knitting and crochet, and her work is being sent to Baby care Unit and Salvation Army, soldiers in Afghanistan; She also makes loads of different types of cards (Christmas cards, etc.);

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George 90 years old (12 April 1922) he was an ex Chief Petty Officer in the navy in British Army. Ooh Cherry, what you goanna do...? I promise you the world... I want to make love to you... and then he said how they replied to him: Get your filthy hands of my combination you swine...

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Mr. Crisp

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Ghetto
I focused on the chapter that talks about Successful Ageing, which is defined as the ability to maintain: 1) Low risk of disease and disease-related disability 2) High mental and physical functions 3) Active engagement in life. It contained humorous and grotesque photographs of old people , which definitively fights the stereotype.

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I researched photographers, whose work I found relevant to my tasks.

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Conceptual Research
Steve Pyke Pyke's photographic career - driven by his fascination with the face. Famous for his distinctive close-up portrait style. The way we live our lives is etched into the landscape of our faces, We create the face with which we live.

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Arnold Newman
Newman was a master photographer of the 20th century. He was famous for his "environmental portraits" taken in his subject's personal or professional surroundings. "Photography, as we all know, is not real at all. It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world."

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Irving Penn
Penn photographed an extraordinary range of sitters from the worlds of literature, music and the visual and performing arts. Famous for innovative use of composition, light and printing techniques. Penn depicts women as elegant, confident and powerful.

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Gesture/Posture

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
He very carefully studied principles of human anatomy and composition. The model on every painting is represented in a large scale and takes the whole space on the canvas Ingress biggest advantage was the ability to interact with his sitters. Famous for his women portraits. He was able to perfectly express the cult of the ideal woman.

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Task 1

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Task 1
Jean Tomkies. She was born on 10.05.1936. She is 75 years old and still a very active and lively person. She used to be a hairdresser. She loves dancing (ballroom, every month), she does it since she was 16. She loves theatre, she visits theatre in London and she is a member of Medway Little theatre. She enjoys swimming since she was 5, and loves walking in country parks. She is a member of WRVS. First image represents my subject

as very enthusiastic to have her photo taken and passionate. When I mentioned the theme of my project, she said: Ageing is a myth. Like in Pykes images I tried to get close to my subject and keep the camera on eye level. I used reflector to get as much light on her face as possible and to form catch lights in her eyes. Second image shows more of the structure of her face and reveals what she managed to mask in her first image. I used standard lens to avoid distortions and maintain correct perspective.

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Task 2

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Task 2

I used wide angle lens to get more of his environment and distortion makes the scene less formal and more fitting to his character.(humorous, lively, easy going) Photographed him amongst his memories which remind him of his youth, and he still goes back to it when he tells me stories about his past. Low camera angle (eye level) helped to get close to the subject and engage the viewer in this light conversation.

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Task 3

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Task 3

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Task 3
This image of Caroline, 70 (sales person, representing WRVS ) shows her as an elegant and confident person, due to low camera angle. This reflects her profession and shows that despite her age she still cares about he appearance. I wanted this image to look like one of Irving Penns fashion photographs. She is posing like women from Ingres's paintings. I chose red background as red colour is associated with energy, speed, strength and passion, which could describe this womans personality.

Evaluation
By employing different photographic techniques we can represent the person in different light. We can reflect someones character and personality by using various types of lenses, camera angles, lights and postures.

My contextual research focuses on the issues of stereotypes of ageing and photographer Richard Avedon who fights the notion of a stereotype. My conceptual research helped me in terms of decisions of how to portray my subjects.
My visual choices of low camera angles and wide angle lenses, as well as lights reveal the true personality of my subjects. I think I managed to fulfil the briefs targets. I should take more test shoots for my environmental portrait, as I am not happy with the image. I was going to reshoot it but I couldnt rely on the model I was going to use for this shoot. She just was unreliable and she stood me up. I should contacted someone else in time. The most significant challenge of this task was to break barriers of approaching strangers and talking to them before asking to take their portrait.

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Contextual research

Horn of Africa
Includes: Eritrea Djibouti Ethiopia Kenya Somalia

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Somalia
Since the fall of Presidents (Mohamed Said Barre) leadership in 1991 Somalia has been affected by two decades of Civil War, massive internal displacement, frequent drought.

Somalia turned into the worlds worst humanitarian crises.

Inter communal strife, combined with drought ruined Somalia's stable agricultural economy. The principal farming centres were unprepared for the massive influx of refugees. The denial of food was utilised as a weapon of mass destruction, and by mid -1992 the resulting famine had claimed more than 200,000 lives. The worst crimes are committed by jihadist Al-Shabab movement, which controls large areas of the countryside.

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Al-Shabab
Al-Shabab - meaning "The Youth" in Arabic - are the largest armed group that aims to topple Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and impose Islamic law.
The rebels operate a sophisticated and wide-reaching "tax" collection system. It is estimated that it generates up to $100m (61m) a year through the control of airports and seaports, and taxes on goods, services, produce and livestock.

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www.transparency.org
Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index 2011 Somalia Top place

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In spite of the United Nations and WFP (World Food Programme) getting involved, not much help reaches the most affected. Their relief supplies were often stolen from the people who need it most by armed groups/rebels and sold for ridiculously high price within refugee camps and on black market.

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I researched artists, whose work is relevant to my concept.

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Conceptual research
Tina Modotti
Her work became politically motivated after she joined the Mexican Communist Party in 1927, Her images reflect violent rebellions which began during the period of counter-revolution against the anti-Catholicism of Mexican Government. Modotti in her photographs used objects, which refer to Mexico (Such as: Corn, Guitar and Sombrero) and war/conflict (Bandolier, sickle and hammer).

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Geliografic studio
Geliografic studio is a design collective based in Russia. They created this series of still life colour paintings in sort of renaissance style and added guns and other weapons of war.

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David LaChapelle
Earth Laughs In Flowers
He uses the traditional baroque still life paintings to explore the contemporary vanity against the transience of earthly possessions and fragility of humanity.

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Jan Davidsz de Heem
He painted vanitas subjects (still-lives which feature objects to remind people of the transience of life.

Pieter Claesz
His objects portray a sense of mortality and a reminder of unavoidable ends.

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I was wondering how I can represent famine in my still life photograph.

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Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse

In the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist, in chapter 6, verses 1-8 there is a description of Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. After the third seal was opened, the third rider appeared. He's riding a black horse and carries a pair of scales in his hand. He says a sentence, which represents Famine. "When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come! And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!"

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How to understand a painting
This book helped me to choose the right object in order to depict the message I want to communicate. As my theme is about "corrupted authorities and famine in Horn of Africa" I am going to use the following:

Mask depicts deception. Covers/hides the truth. Indicator of a lie. Log of wood An axe\saw - It is linked to the force of evil. Symbol of battle, Armed with axe-was perceived as a butcher and executor. Luxury red cloth wealth/richness, blood/martyrs A horn- as musical instrument it figures in emblems symbolising spiritual call to join the Holly War. Horn of Africa A crown of thorns-sorrow and hardship 3 black Flowers -sacrifice Scales Grapes Olives Bread A Book (Bible) I am also going to use sand as my base and a black background.

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Still life planning

This is my sketch of how I want my final image to look like I want to use spot lights to light my objects separately.

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Final Image

I used 300mm lens on Horseman camera to compress the scene. I shot it from above to give the overview of the problem I wanted to bring attention to, and to keep the horizon line beneath the horn. I like the composition and how objects I chose translate my idea. Spot lighting and black backdrop add drama to the scene. The only thing I am not happy with is the cropped bottom of the image (after developing film) and too much negative space. I should have reconsidered framing and left some room at the bottom of the image.

Object Evaluation
By employing symbolic objects in my image I was able to communicate the message and depict the problem I addressed in my research. My contextual research focused on the problem of famine in the Horn of Africa and allowed me to understand the problem I was going to talk about in my still life image. My conceptual research helped me to choose appropriate objects, which translate my idea. My visual choices such as long lens and high camera angle compressed the scene, while black background and spot lighting helped to create a dramatic atmosphere. I think I managed to fulfil the brief even though I started this task a bit too late, because I focused more on the first task(Body). In my image I would reconsider framing. I think I also should research more photographers. The most significant challenge of this task was in the beginning, when I had to choose which area of social issues I was going to cover, but research helped to establish a strong concept.