Soliloquy- Experiments

Once I had chosen an image which I felt showed some relation to the quote, I started to experiment with text and picture together on the image. There are many ways in order to lay out the text with the image, underneath, on the idea, backwards, shapes and so on. This needed a lot of thinking as the layout would make a very big difference to the emotion and message of the image, which is given off.

Depending on the quote and the image, it would make a difficult decision when deciding for the text font as it can become very harsh and distant from the image. The whole idea is the make a connection between both the quote and image interpretation to show the emotion and message which is trying to be portrayed.

Below is an image of DUANE MICHALS which influenced me and head started me with initial ideas.

Below is the first attempt of laying out my piece together with the image off centre and the attention of the quote falling like hail stones or rain, which is the imagery shown in the quote.

Here are print screens that show an initial process of putting together the image on Photoshop. Here shows the process of typing out the words and turning them to write downwards, as well as ruling the words up evenly.

This was my second attempt and experiment, I was attempting different techniques on Photoshop and experimenting with alternative ideas, such as the red wash and the rubbing through technique to show the image. I was not convinced with this idea, it seemed too harsh and although the red colour links in the fact she was in love, the colour took the attention away from the quote and emotion.

Here just shows the rubbing through technique on Photoshop.

This was my third attempt, here the main focus is on the idea of falling, the falling of emotion, falling of rain, hail, and the falling of love. The quote makes it clear that Helena did not handle the concept that Deterius was not longer in love with her, she exclaims that he swore they'd be together forever. The falling of the words and the angled letters initiates the dysfunction of the situation and the power of which Helena lost in the relationship she once was head over heals in.

These print screens simply show the process of typing, turning and positioning the letters, filling in the colour and placing the image along the bottom.

Soliloquy- Pictures, Research and Quotes

When looking into different images and photographers work, I was aiming to find different pieces of work which could link in well with the quote from a soliloquy I chose.
Some of the images below are just the photographers work but the ideas and concepts that come across in many of them really influences me in the direction of my main theme- emotion.

Duane Michal's is an American photographer, whose work makes innovative use of photo-sequences, often including text to examine emotion and philosophy

Below are two of Duane Michal's quote, which I found most intriguing:

"I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce some body's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways."
Duane Michal's

"I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see."
Duane Michal's

I found his images with his own hand writing on underneath the images most fascinating. The uniqueness and more personal act of handwriting his own thoughts and poems adds an insight into his relationship between his father and himself. I find laying out the image like this and handwriting a few notes most influential towards my own ideas and work.

When I was researching for an image which linked well with my soliloquy quote I felt this one shared some aspects with the imagery used in the quote.

"He hailed down oaths that he was only mine"--- "he showered me with promises and swore he'd be mine forever"

This image shows a literal imagery of the modern interpretation of 'showering with promises'. Rain is linked with hail which is the impression when you get when looking at this image, however the quote 'swore he'd be mine forever' also has an impact within this image as once the water touches your face it then belongs to you and becomes part of your body.

This image is one of GUY BOURDIN many, he was the first photographer to make a complex narrative, then snatch a moment- sensual. provocative, shocking and surreal. The narratives were strange and mysterious, some full of violence, sexuality and surrealism.

When looking into the quote from Midsummer's Night Dream by Shakespeare, the character Helena is one of 4 iconic lovers and is described as a desperate women.

As far as the storyline goes Helena and Demetrius were previously betrothed. Demetrius is known to not care about who he is with. He was first engaged to Helena, but was told to marry Hermia. He was fine with that, but Helena wasn't. She wishes to have his love again and in this quote especially she exclaims how he (Demetrius) said that he was in love with her.

"He hailed down oaths that he was only mine"

Helena is considered to be a very vulnerable, sensitive and obsessive character, due to her growing up in the shadow of Hermia, as well as because of her treatment by Demetrius. She shows strength and a new belief in herself by refusing his advances when she believes he is making fun of her, despite the fact that he claimed that she was his one true love. Helena can also be a funny humorous character at times, particularly during some of her desperate arguments with Demetrius. Overall, Helena is the character who changes most and for the better, changing from a self conscious, lovesick girl into a confident, happy beautiful women.

This quote shouts Helena feelings at the moment of the play and how she is in love with Demetrius but has been mistreated by him throughout. Feelings change, events happen and words are spoken.

In the quote 'he hailed down oaths that he was only mine' this use of the word hail means "to shower down, to pour," but, since it sounds exactly like the verb hale, it also carries the sense of "pulling down," as if the oaths were being tugged down from the sky.

Portrait

As a new project we started to look into TED Prize and the recents winner idea of taking portraits and portraying them around random on walls, sidewalks, buildings in different towns.

The TED Prize is designed to leverage the TED community’s exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and, much more important, “One Wish to Change the World.” After several months of preparation, s/he unveils his/her wish at an award ceremony held during the TED Conference. These wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact
JR's wish:

"I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we'll turn the world...INSIDE OUT

"The Plan
Create a large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work. Everyone will be challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world. These digitally uploaded images will be made into posters and sent back to the project’s co-creators for them to exhibit in their own communities. People can participate as an individual or in a group; posters can be placed anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window to a wall of portraits on an abandoned building or a full stadium. These exhibitions will be documented, archived and viewable virtually"
http://www.tedprize.org/jr-2011-ted-prize-winner/

We were influenced by this topic and idea, so individually we took a portrait of ourselves to show our personality/character and portrayed it in black and white. This would then lead onto various extravagant ideas such like those of TED Prize.

Capturing The Summer At It's Best!

When I was on my summer holidays, I took a lot of photos and here below show a sequence of different images that I snapped away at when away on various occasions.
They're images from camping in summer, and Turkey's culture.

Bench Mark Continued

These photos below are images taken at two different benches when away in Turkey, I asked my family/friends to tell me how they were feeling at the specific moment and to perform it in a dance move, position, balance etc.

The whole idea of this is to experiment with capturing moments of emotion and character. I hope to over the next year improve my ability to capture images with a story; like the photographer Lois Greenfield for inspiration.

Each image has a different emotion attached and each person has a different character to them. The idea of the task that I have started, I hope will continue and develop through experiments, learning, and stepping out of my comfort zone.

All the images are captured in motion of the movement they were doing.
Here Jenna is spinning, she was filled with excitement and span for the sake of spinning. "I just felt like spinning *smiles*"

Linda was jiving; she said she felt very happy at this moment and with the subtle grin shows she's very relaxed.

Adam here is balancing with his legs in the air; apparently he used all this strength to lift himself up, for me this picture brings the question, how is he feeling? why is he actually doing this? although I asked him to perform something of his emotion, it doesn't seem to obvious as no facial expression is seen.

Sally seems tired, self explanatory with the expression of yawning, caught at the right moment, she expresses from walking around and the hot climate at the moment she had an over whelming sense of wanting to sleep.

Barry with a huge smile and grin on his face shows instantly how he was feeling, and a jump off the bench expressed this.

At another bench here they did the same...

Adam at the time felt very frustrated and the sudden movement was caught as he was stamping and pushing forward. The image again, doesn't show his facial expression but the body movement speaks something more.

Here Jenna is jumping with joy, she seems overwhelmed with happiness shown by her smile and instant leaping in the air.

Here Sally is in the process of doing something that looks like a leg exercise or movement. My instant thought, why was she doing this?

Here Linda and Barry are dancing together, romance and love speaks through these photos as they sweetly look into each others eyes.

This photo again of Linda and Barry instantly made me laugh, this photo has a story behind but can you guess what it is?

The set of photos above show emotions caught through movement, I feel pictures can speak a thousand words but can it reveal someones true feelings?