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Unedited images
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Edited images
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Heinecken uses both photographs and magazines and layers then in the darkroom - experimenting with positive and negatives versions. I wanted to try and use this technique in my own work, and thought it would be an interesting way of combining word and picture. I liked how the images have a 'messy' sort of look due to the layering and different proportions of each element. I also thought this was effective in contrasting the 'perfect' representation of women in magazines, as the image has been made darker, with juxtaposing white and black colouring.
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After photographing my mum and the magazine text/phrases, I had the images printed onto acetate so I could use them in the darkroom to create photograms - by layering the acetate over photographic paper. I combined both the images of her, presented as she looks on a daily basis (left), and her in a more 'stripped back' and natural appearance (right), with the words and text I took pictures of in the magazines I looked through. I wanted to relate the text to the images as well as some of the ideas that I discussed with my mum in the conversation above, such as pressures to look a certain way and uphold an appearance. I also thought the words and phrases I chose linked well to each set of images, for example 'so fresh, so clean' matching to the images of her with makeup and a 'put together' outfit on.
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Reid's technique of writing over her images appealed to me, as I wanted to try various ways of adding text to my images. I like how the fuzziness of the image combines with the text to create a 'homemade' or less polished feel.
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I like Kruger's combination of text and photograph, in the style of magazine type covers through the colour and font of her text. Her work seems more radical and outspoken, as the text stands out as the main component.
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I used this YouTube video for inspiration, and wanted to experiment with the techniques they demonstrated. I especially liked the transfer technique using sellotape, and how white paint can be scraped over a collage to bring various elements together, as well as making the collage a bit rougher and less perfectly put together. I also liked how the white paint allowed words to be seen underneath it, but obscured them slightly, which gives the collage a bit more depth. Overall, I was pleased with how my collage came out , and I think the individual elements worked well together. I thought that this collage seemed richer than my last one, and the variation of materials made it more interesting. However, I could have experimented with writing over the images, in the style of Clunie Reid.
Finished collage - |
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For this response, I had my model pose in various positions - standing and sitting - before printing out the photographs on a small scale and cutting them out. I then placed the images in various places around the dollhouse, trying out various different locations. I also experimented with having only one image in a room, and also with having two - one further forward than the other - to create more depth in the image. This was effective as it helped to show the true scale of the dollhouse. I also liked how the photograph of my model sitting down worked when I placed it onto the doll chair, as I had printed the images in the right size in order for it to seem realistic. As this was my first time photographing the dollhouse, it took some trial and error as I often caught my reflection in the walls due to the very reflective material, but I was able to photograph at an angle and move out of the way so that I couldn't be seen.
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My edits were successful, and I found that there were pros and cons to each technique I tried out. The layer mask worked well (the photograph directly above), however I did find that because the house was so reflective, it was hard to keep shadows and reflections hidden, which disrupts the illusion of it being one single image. Although, the layer mask did make the hands look more natural and realistic, whereas by pasting them on top of the house did look more artificial. Nonetheless, I preferred the end result once I had cut out each hand and pasted them on top of the image of the empty house (the two photographs on the left), as I think they embodied the collage style, and this tied in well with how Barbie dolls and seen as artificial and unrealistic.
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For these images, I used tiny figures that I had ordered from Amazon as I planned to use them in a previous shoot but didn't in the end. There were many different figures, in a range of colours which I liked as they would stand out in the house. I positioned them coming down the stairs in the house, which was the main focus of the images, and then I had them in other areas of the house, such as on chairs and propped up against the furniture. I liked how the small size of the figures made the dollhouse seem much larger than it is, and this effectively alters the viewers perception. This was also a contrast to my previous images where I used Barbie dolls, which were much more oversized and made the house appear smaller - and I thought it was interesting to develop my ideas by exploring how the contents of the dollhouse can alter perception.
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After my development inspired by Tanaka, I wanted to move back to incorporating 'real people' in the dollhouse, and decided that the most effective way to do this was to print out photographs of people and physically put them into the house. I thought this would work better than photoshopping people into the house, as the prints would mimic dolls or characters that would typically physically be in a dollhouse. My aim was to create a fantasy family of 'characters', in the sense that each individual has a role and certain traits when seen in the dollhouse; for example, the working father, housewife mother, laid back teenager and preppy/girly younger sister. I decided on using the photographs I had of my mum from earlier in the project, where she is presented in the housewife role, as I thought this would work well for this idea. I photographed my family, as well as my friend and grouped the images together on
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