locations for fashion shoot...

Favourite Picture (form)

Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida, 1947, Toni Frissell.

The formal elements within this image are arranged in 3 parts, at the base of the image are rough slime covered rocks, in the middle section floats a woman in clear still water and at the top is the waters rippled undersurface. Each section is made up of different tones and textures ranging from rough to smooth.

The image is sharp, simple and beautifully composed. The viewers eye is instantly drawn to the main element within the image, the woman's figure. This is effectively achieved through the use of colour, white on black. The woman's dress glows placing the emphasis on the figure within the image. The light gradually drops of the further you get away from the subject, creating an illuminated circle around the figure. The waves in the waters surface catch the light reflected upward from where the figure floats. The position of the woman's body flows with the other elements within the frame. The image has depth created by the space surrounding the subject. The sense of space is enhanced by the angle in which the image has been taken. 

Favourite Picture (subject matter)

Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida, 1947, Toni Frissell.

A woman floats effortlessly in dark motionless water as a soft light penetrates the surface illuminating her white dress as it clings gently to the curves of her body. Her arms are outstreatched as if to hold her head just above the waters edge, making the figure unrecognisable.

Fashion, Style, Identity and Meaning (group 7)

Our group has been looking at how designers and photographers use their available mediums to portray death and vulnerability of the body, we have been focusing on the ephemeral nature of photography and fashion design.

here are a few things i've been thinking about... in regards to Alexander McQueen and Nick Knight.

• McQueen and Knight force you to listen to their views on society through visual mediums that invoke reaction and asks questions... this in turn makes people question the vulnerability of their own bodies.

• McQueen and Knight use raw human emotion to get their points across. Images can act as a reinforcement of peoples ideals, so as to confirm what they already believe through what they see.

• in order to confront viewers they need to step outside peoples comfort zones and take risks to generate different responses from the public.

• images are a powerful medium for message conveyance, viewers are pulled into the situation by what they see.

• both McQueen and Knight are consistently challenging the conventional notions of beauty.

images by Nick Knight.

Fashion, Style, Identity and Meaning (group 7)

photo by Nick Knight, wearing Alexander McQueen

today we brainstormed some ideas about our quote, and these are some Q's we came up with:

Quote: 

"the objects and images of fashion may also involve potent critiques of mainstream values and ideals. Hence the tendency of some contemporary fashion designers and photographers, such as Alexander McQueen and Nick knight (see pic) to use an ephemeral medium to comment on fundamental issues such as death and vulnerability of the body." 

Questions:

What is the relationship between both designer and photographer > why? why are they connected? is there a connection at all?

How do they use their own mediums (fashion and photography) to portray 'death and vulnerability'

"Ephemeral" how does it relate to fashion... and in what context?

What are the 'mainstream values and ideas' based on the two?

FASHION STYLE IDENTITY MEANING

End of 1st YEAR

Skin Holes, Kaaron Warren

I found this story rather upsetting, in the beginning of the story the female character talks about the way she feels in relation to body piercings, she doesn't have any intention of getting any and hopes the fad will pass... however... by the end of the story she wakes up in bed, looks down and the first thing she thinks is how beautiful she looks! all because her body is covered in piercings! The male character has completely f**ked with her head, he's messed with her mind and manipulated her way of thinking. He's made her into who and what he wanted her to be, instead of accepting her for who she was. I believe he had no right to change her body without her consent. In my pictures I tried to show the internal struggle going on inside her head (whether she knows it or not). I think she's confused as to who she is, she has been hypnotised and has lost track of her own beliefs, becoming blinded by her boyfriends.

Mate, Kate Grenville

After reading the short story Mate, by Kate Grenville,It made me think about how Australians are stereotyped (Akubra wearing G'day mate) and viewed by others. I think that Australia's identity is closely related to the land we live on. I tried to convey a connection with the land in my pictures.

Bromoil Printing Technique

Bromoil Printing was discovered in 1907 by C Wellbourne Piper, and has been in use ever since. Bromoil printing is essentially a print that has had the silver image bleached away and replaced with an oil pigment.

The process is as follows:

An image is printed onto silver bromide paper, the print is then placed in a bleaching bath which hardens the gelatin where the image has formed. The print is then soaked in a week sulphuric bath which allows the paper to swell, (darker shadow areas containing the hardened gelatin are less prone to swelling, whereas the highlighted areas will swell the most). Bromoil ink is then applied using a specialised brush, areas with water will reject the ink as water and oil don't mix. and volla! A Bromoil print!:)

Images by Joe Besse.

For more information on Bromoil printing click here.

 

Short Story

I couldn't think of a short story idea so i looked on the net and found this web site that generates one for you, all you have to do is put in some words then it comes up with a story for you. this is what it came up with for me...

Things That drive Me Crazy

I just hate it when.

Mum serves chocolate for dinner.

my pet dog chews my house.

Silvia gets mad at the class for being furry.

My best friend Tina decides to sleep with somebody else.

I get wasted for something I didn't do.

Dad makes me wear only shoes to school.

My favorite TV show "friends" gets cancelled because the station has to broadcast a news conference.

People skip into my bedroom without knocking.

*here is the link if you wanted to try, its pretty funny. www.sundhagen.com/babbooks/adlib.cgi

The Beer'st Day Out, National Capital Craft Beer Festival

Mid day we set out, downward street to enjoy a day of beer tasting, good times and ahoy!

We arrived with excitement only to be told, to come back in an hour only pre tickets had been sold, so off we went not a beverage in hand, waiting outside where we could hear the band.

Once we were in the fun times began, beer after beer of tasty delight, some tasted remarkably like rotten banana, but we didn't let that ruin our larger.

A sausage sizzle down and a few more beers the final hour drew ever near, "ow no!" we said "many beer tickets we still have" well drink up my dear friend we shall have to scull down.

Three beers at a time was the plan from there on in, well what do ya know we finished with a grin!! So off we went with a swing to our stride homeward bound we were, to make hot chips and goodnight.

Icon and Archive, Australian War Memorial.

There was more to this exhibition than i initially thought, there was so much to look at and take in. Looking at the photographs I could only imagine what it was like to live in those times of war. I kept looking at the pictures of all the departing ships full of young men waving and cheering goodbye, I couldn't help thinking, how many came back... it's amazing that there are so many photographs documenting the wars, it must have been so so hard being amongst all the action and chaos whilst trying to capture those shots, definitely not something I'd be able to do...

Georges Perec A Void

A Void

Beyond Reasonable Drought, Old Parliament House.

What a great example of documentary photography... This exhibition really shocked me, I had no idea that things were so bad. It so easy to forget about things we don't see, I wish there was something I could do. Its so sad to think about all the loss associated with drought, I think the images in this show were sad and definitely eye opening. Even though it was hard to look at I couldn't seem to draw my eyes away because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I hope this show will act as a wake up call for many people, hopefully they'll think twice before wasting water. Beyond Reasonable Drought.

photos by Peter Eve and Andrew Chapman.  

M16, Dan O'Day and Hilary Wardhaugh.

M16 is a great space, i love going to see exhibitions there. Dan O'Day and Hilary Wardhaugh's photographs were completely different from one another. i didn't find Hilary Wardhaugh's images particularly amazing on there own although when pared with the text they were incredibly moving. Dan O'Day's photographs were great, i love the way he uses light to create an atmosphere. i think the images with balloons were my favorite although its hard to choose when i liked them all.

photographs by Dan O'Day.

Pinhole Camera, New Parliament house.

The pinhole exhibition was great, it was really interesting to see the type of quality prints you can achieve with just a pinhole in a box. The images were beautiful and very creative.

Strike a Pose, with Lee Lin Chin

what a funny exhibition! from mini skirts to leather pants! what more could u want...

i enjoyed the bright colours and comical styling of this exhibition.

it was great to see what fashion photography was like in the 60's and 70's... 

though slightly cheesy, i thought it was a show definitely worth seeing although to be honest i didn't pay too much attention to the photography side of things just what was in the pictures.

Wild Placees, Richard Green

What an amazing exhibition, the landscapes in this show were breathtaking... it was lovely to read in the brochure that Richard Green wants to create awareness about climate change through his photographs, turns out its not just a pretty picture...

The images were fab, so much detail! I'd love to be able to do something similar to this one day. 

It seem even nature has a deadline, it must have been hard to get the shots he was after before the sun rolled behind the hills :)

photos by Richard Green

A Modern Vision, Charles Bayliss

The first thing I noticed about Bayliss's photographs was the amount of space he created within the frame. Many of his photographs were of wide open spaces, i noticed that even when he was photographing a subject instead of focusing his and the viewers attention on the subject he chose to focus and include their surrounding environment. 

I think I often get distracted and pay too much attention to the subject i'm photographing and forget to take a step backwards and see what it is that i'm not photographing or including in the picture. 

The Indigenous Edge, Blacksoil country by David Malouf

The main character to me in the story was the land. I wanted to take pictures that portrayed the land as being beautiful and strong.