"Shoot what you like to be hired for" Who is she?Lyndsay Adler is a photographer and author based in New York who focuses on portraiture images and is well known for her fashion editorials but also as a teacher of photography. She is an educator because she believes that my helping others grow, she herself can learn and improve in her work. She calls herself a 'visual problem solver' as she is driven by the challenge of creating the perfect atmosphere for a shoot and producing the best images. This helps her to enjoy every part of her work and product and allows her to push boundaries in the visual world.
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Here, Lyndsay Adler has used the techniques of colours gels and reflection to portray a story and create a setting. Colour gels are coloured sheets of plastic which are put on the lighting , in this case she used 3 strobe lights all at different angles, so that there is coloured light displayed on the model. In these images we can see she uses a mix of teal and magenta, while also using a normal light to create contrast and prevent abstracting the model. For the reflection aspect she has used a mirror which the model looks into, interacting with her model. For the 'night rain' effect, she sprayed water on the mirror and gave the model a wet makeup look and hairstyle, so that the two aspects blend
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This is her shoot plan diagram which displays the lighting and its position, the placement of the mirror and model, and where shell shoot with what camera. This was clearly moved throughout the shoot to allow her to be more dynamic and have more variety in her final images.
The model is positioned in a strong pose, interacting with her reflection. She also has dark looking makeup to reinforce the idea of her strong femininity but also to complement the dark lights while not distracting. She has slicked back wet hair to blend what is meant to be outside ,with the rain, and inside.
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Here demonstrates how she created her 'night rain' effect by spraying water onto the mirror. Here you can see she is spraying it near the top and middle so it can fall down the mirror like rain but also trying to cover the whole mirror which will be in shot so it doesn't look deliberate.
Adler uses colour gel filters over her lighting to have the various colours coming in from different angles. This technique helps her to be dynamic wit her colours because she can regularly change them rather than using a coloured light. This is an example of what a colour gel looks like and how Adler herself uses it herself.
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In this video, Lyndsay Adler uses colour gels and shadows to create a unique display of colours to present the sexuality and depth of women. In regards to actual props, Adler uses different shaped colour gels lit up with a bright lit in front of a black background to create elements of contrast, shape and colour. The black background helps to focus the eye on the colour displayed onto the subject. Adler uses colours overlayed onto each other mostly which contrast or complement each other while also creating lines on the models face with the colour gels and the light. She has a multitude of forms and shapes of colour gels so she can create a variety of shapes upon the model but
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Adler also uses different shapes of colour gel with which the model can interact with the create unique poses, shapes and shadows. This also gives it an abstract effect increasing interest within the image beside just the colour. For her images, she makes the makeup, hair and nails of the model all correspond with the colour gel used weather to contrast or complement.
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By using the colour gels of unique shapes she is able to create different shapes with the shadow while also involving the actual gel as a prop. A prop such as the one in this snippet can be used within the image in a variety of ways with the model as demonstrated in the video whereas props such as the triangle can be used also in a variety of ways when playing with light.
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Adler layers the colour gels on top of each other with complementing or contrasting colours. This can make the image look brighter or darker depending on which colour she uses as the difference and can create an interest point where the rest of the colours in the image are relatively similar like in this snippet its yellow, then she uses the purple to stand out.
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To make the colours pop more Adler uses a black background while also lighting up only the model to help create the shadows with the colour gels and the create contrast between the actual model and the black background. This is very evident in this snippet especially because there is a variety of colours throughout the image which help them jump out at you more.
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I have drawn inspiration from Lindsay Adler because of her use of colour and contrast which creates the desired atmosphere for the shoot. She is inspirational throughout the shooting process to pick apart every detail to have the perfect shoot while she also thrives to convey the strong inspirational women she is which I find very empowering.
My shoot will take place in my classroom right before and going into lunch so because its midday there will be plenty of light coming in from the window but I wont be using it and will rather use artificial light so the location doesn't matter as much. The props I will use will be coloured lights that ill set to different colours, contrasting and complementing. Ill probably also use a white light to make a clear focus, but most of the images will be using coloured light. Ill also need a background, the one ill be using is a light black, navy colour with white dotted sections. I'll |
Step 1: Firstly, I selected subject then inverted selection to select only the background so that I could increase the shadows without lightening the subjects face since its alrighty quite bright and white which is the look I was going for so that the shadows could stand out more, so I didn't want to change the face light.
Step 3: After that, I went onto editing the subject by firstly selecting subject and then using the colour balance tool and changing the midtones and shadowing. This was so that she blended better into the background but I ended up only doing it mildly because I still wanted the white to stand out. For the same reason I didn't edit the colour balance of the highlights.
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Step 2: Then, i used the magic wand tool to select all the coloured shadows and increased the brightness of them so that the colours popped a but more. I tried using the colour balance tool but it ended up warping the blending of colour so i used brightness and it worked much better.
Step 4: Finally, I used the magic wand tool again to select the darker parts surrounding the subject, mainly the blues and the shadowing of her hair, and slightly increased the exposure. I didn't do much because I still wanted the dark shadowy effect but without turning her hair blue. I also wanted the only white to be from the actual subject so I kept the shadows quite dark.
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During this shoot I was able to explore portraiture and identity more deeply while using more complex professional props and just having more props to experiment with overall. In this shoot I tested with colour, shadow's, contrast, harmony and balance. The props that I used were coloured, bright lights, string coloured lights. a cd for reflection, mirrors and spray for reflection and mood setting, black and white spotted background and my DSLR camera.
Some of my strengths during this were shadows of colour which I love and was able to control throughout many different images displayed on the model or on the background. Overall I'm happy with my control of lighting and how I was able to split it especially in this image, I also like how the glittery purple highlighter really makes her face shine in the dark blue section and actually ended up adding another colour. In regards to reflection I likes how in some of the images I could display one colour on the background and another on the reflection with the model. I especially had fun playing with the cd but putting the inside clear circle around my lens which made light circles or dots in the corners of my picture which gave them kind of a magical effect. I also had some weaknesses in this shoot where I struggled for example when shooting the reflection I found it really difficult to fit in the reflection and the background while not showing anything beyond the background in the classroom though the ones I liked which had that I was able to edit out. I also had trouble with the string lights because they kept showing up as just plastic because they were breaking but I just timed my pictures for when they were working. |
"I take inspiration from my own personal experience and observation of how, in other cultures, bodies themselves are treated as living graphic symbols." - Maurizio Anzeri
Why this video?I chose this video because it demonstrates a variety of Anzeri's work from simple to complex. It shows a creepy variety of their famous physical edits using coloured string. It demonstrates more humane working were the string is complying with the forms of the subject but also abstract characters on top of their subjects, creating characters and shapes.
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Why this artist?Now I will look at the work of Maurizio Anzeri as the start of my study in physical editing in which and image is taken and printed then altered by using a different artistic form. Anzeri uses coloured sewing on top of their original black images to distort the faces of their subject with mind playing coloured shapes and patterns. They are a good entrance into physical editing photography because they intertwine two simple artforms together to make an abstract and unique piece of work. Though despite the simplicity of sewing and photography the intricate detail needed to create this reflects their dedication and talent.
Why this quoteI chose this quote because it very easily conveys the inspiration of the artists work so you can better understand the perspective of their art. It also shows the social symbol in which they are wanting to portray. It also helps to better understand the artist themselves because it is directly from them while also not telling the observer how to interpret their work which is useful in such abstract works as thus. We can also connect the contrasting styles of needlework and vintage portraiture.
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"I like money in its shredded state because it is stripped of value and power. No one values money in this impotent state. it no longer has the ability to poison relationships, threaten democracy, topple governments, create privilege and misery." - Lisa Kokin
Why this artist?Along with Anzeri, I'm studying the works of Lisa Kokin because she is a mixed media artist who also uses string within her artwork to physically edit it, but she is also different because she more creates an entanglement of images connecting to one another with one another to create a deeper meaning. They're usually separate figures and people which she connects because of a shared group feeling or memory. similarly the images that she uses are old fashioned portraits of unique people. She also specializes in threadwork without the photography which is comprised of thin lines of thread which appear randomly places on the canvas, or she creates symbol appearing shapes.
Who is she?Lisa kokin is a textile and mixed media artist born 1969 from California who specializes in threadwork as both a physical structure and on a canvas. She has been inspired since she was a young girl when she would play with her family's upholstery, which is reflected now in her work as she often times use scraps and remnants in the form of recycled and reclaimed materials to create delicate pieces of artwork which are also good for the planet. That is part of why she is inspirational as an artist because she is able to take into consideration the physical materials that she is using in order to do better for the world, which is starting to be seen more in the art world due to climate change action being taken.
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Why this video?I chose this video because it shows an array of all of her kinds of work that being structural and canvas. It portrays a tiny bit of her creating her work and in addition its all voiced by Lisa Kokin herself explaining her different artworks as they are shows. Previous to this it also explains a bit about lisa and who she is which is good to help get better knowledge of her work. This personal input makes the video more reliable and understandable. It shows her diversity of artwork with and without the images were focusing on and she is able to explain the bigger pieces that she has worked on recently and in the past.
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"In photography,I avoid references to the modern world while I often try to embed them in a climate of fairy tales. The inspiration for me as a photographer is all that surrounds me." - Magdalena Berny
Why this quote?I chose this quote because it gives the audience a better understanding of her inspiration which is always useful to know especially before exploring an artist, but from this we can reflect our knowledge when we look at her work to better see her intent and the composition she did to portray her work in this way. For Magdalena Berny specifically, you can truly notice the fairy tale inspiration in her work enhancing her as an artist who works to perfection to portray her inspirations and I think she does this really well. Additionally yo can understand her reasoning for photography, she isn't doing this for society or to prove a political point, it seams to me more like she's adventuring with her own inner child.
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Who is she?Magdalena Berny is a self taught polish photographer who specializes in child, family and portrait photography and has been able to create her own distinctive style over the years. She uses illustrations as guides for photographing children which help give it the wonderland style that appears in most of her images. Her images have appeared on many book covers also. She is inspired by the world around her which is represented in many of her images with children pictured in fields and on streets or with peculiar or abstractly mundane images which perfectly complement her dreamy style.
Why this video?I chose this video because it displays a wide array of her images allowing to demonstrate how she is able to carry an innocent and dream like trope throughout all of her images regardless of the setting or subject. It demonstrates how she can create both thoughtful, sharp images and picturesque, fantasy style images. The photoshoot arrays also show how she can tell unique story's in her images and photoshoots really emulating her inspiration of fairy tales. Furthermore, its quite a long video so you can see all of her images clearly to admire the composition and effort which she proves into her images. Even this image on the thumbnail i find admirable because it is sharp while also holding properties of a painting adding to its fairy tail state, I also admire how their is a black setting, but it seams as though the child is able to light up the entire image which is quite breathe taking.
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In my opinion, the most important thing is creativity, having your own style and not copying. Be able to read the light however it is outside or in studio. Experiment a lot and know perfectly the technique which you are working. - Marc Lamey
Why this quote?I chose this quote because it reinforces his title as an original artist, which I could already see in hos work as I've never seen this style before with the intertwining of different things is it is evident that he does follow this advice. It also gives great advice that experimentation is the way to get the perfect images, not even professionals can get it right every time but they just experiment, trial and error until they get it perfect and come out with these amazing, creative images.
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Who is he?Marc Lamey is a professional French photographer located in Paris who focuses on mainly portraiture photography working on fashion and implementing beauty into the cityscape. He is strongly inspired by music and uses his photography to impress and express but also to symbolize his interpretation of the portrait and beauty which he allows to be read on many levels by his beauty. He has been featured on many magazines in France and around the world as well as multiple galleries'.
Why this video?This video is great firstly because it adds motion to his images, which i think really empowers both his images and the women in them, making them appear fierce and strong. Furthermore, it displays an array of complementing images with the same mood, the bluey hue which I think really helps it to flow throughout. Furthermore, each image display has added seasonal interactions, such as leaf's for the autumnal ones, or snow in the winter ones. I also like how it displays how he includes famous landmarks in this array of images more specifically there is many of the Eiffel tower which I've never really seen before in my research. However, if you go onto his website you can truly see the diversity of his work.
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