Final 20

Top 40

Top 40 Final Images from georgering

Overall Evaluation

When I transitioned from AS to A2 level photography, my aim for this personal project was to conform to the conventions shown in the Beauty industry but also challenge them when I felt like I had succeeded in doing so. The first shoot I did was in the studio, and I developed my ideas of the previous years work by using colour gels. This shoot allowed me to explore a range of technical ideas, however due to it being the first shoot of its kind in which I have done, I struggled with using my originality and also experimenting with my models. I wanted to explore a range of different shoots and enhance my different lighting techniques. I also wanted to conform my work to my beauty topic, and I want to look at developing my style and creativity. For example, I wanted to use a range of different props such as glitter. My next shoot was going to feature different accessories which I will stick to the face to highlight different areas like I have studied in my photography research. 

During my next shoot, I decided to do the same type of shoot by placing accessories on models, but instead I want to follow the work of Elisabeth Hoff who I studied in my photographer research and place it on males. By doing so I hope to subvert the stereotypes and make a feminine aspect of beauty on a masculine figure. I will do this through different coloured backdrops and emphasising the face with the gel lighting. Therefore, I used a male in my class and placed glitter over him. This shoot was effective in regards to the colours that I explored and the way I adapted my gel lighting. Following on from this, In my next shoot I used diamond gems with more relation to the beauty industry. I used a range of different close up and portraiture images within this. I wanted my work to draw similarities to that of Rankins, with high key lighting and a smooth complexion. My aims were also to learn how to airbrush on Photoshop properly without losing pores and making sure that my image is cleaner and more crisp. I feel like the work of Rankin influenced me a lot in the beginning of my work, and I had stronger ideas to take smooth and cleaner images.

In the next couple of shoots, I wanted to use the same model - but experiment with this style of beauty photography with different colours. I wanted to see if the difference in colours, for example - using a yellow to exhibit happiness and using a blue to exhibit calm and tranquility. Would change the emotions that came off. To progress from this, I used the knowledge which I have taken from the two previous shoots with Connie and applied them to work that you would find in a magazine. Having looked up campaigns for MAC and Anastasia Beverly Hills, I analysed the different shots that they use and the way in which they situate their models while highlighting the product they are trying to sell. I took on board the different positioning of the model. This was successful as I feel like my images did develop in such a way which led me on to being more creative about the themes of the beauty industry. Therefore, I aimed to subvert the stereotypes and Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze, and use men in these situations instead of women. I planned to use a topless male, and take pictures of him while he is sprayed in glitter - a stereotypical female object. Instead, I tried to subvert expectations and use a male in the situation of a woman. I hoped this will create an effective shoot, and I tried to experiment by enhancing the male form. I feel like the development of my work from this point onwards was strong as I was able to conform to the expectations of the beauty industry but I had challenged them several times along the way.

As I did not feel like the femininity was as strong as anticipated in this shoot. I then aimed to adapt this and do a different style of photography. One shoot which I came across online featured Colton Haynes being photographed by Tyler Shields, an american model and actor. This shoot subverts the stereotypes of the Male Gaze as it shows the model being clung to by a female who has given him love bites and outlines of her lipstick over his face. He is also being pulled about with his tie to show his lack of dominance. I succeeding in making this my most challenging shoot to do as I wanted to make it a self portrait shoot. 

Overall, after studying the beauty industry and creating shoots which I feel all conform to the views of the beauty industry, I decided to challenge the conventions of the topic and instead place a male in the scene. I feel like this is one of my best pieces of work since AS, (the self portrait shoot) as the shoot overall was really successful. It allowed me to learn how to edit and airbrush on Photoshop to conform to the industry, but also challenge this. By placing myself in the frame, I was also able to learn how to take self portraits and teach myself new ideas. It allowed me to see how it felt to be airbrushed and edited in away, where myself was instead was how the industry would want me to look. This photography unit has opened my eyes in terms of the work that goes into the Beauty industry, and making it one of the leading aspects of photography. 

Connecting Essay 5

Online Image:

Blue gel lighting illuminating his shirt and the right side of his face. The colour blue exhibits the feelings of masculinity, as the colour blue is usually associated with men. There is a strong light source on the opposite side of the males face, this lights it up and makes it stand out to the audience. The males facial features are also explored through the use of the colour blue, which highlight the males facial features. For example, the males wrinkles are shown with a tint of blue and a dark shadow. The males cheek bones are also illuminated by bright lights either side of the face. There are dark shadows at the bottom of the image, which make most of the males body in complete darkness. The photographer has chosen to use a black background, which calmly reflects the blue surrounding the males face and also creates a blue tinge behind him. The colour also conforms to the males shirt, which has been highlighted through the use of the blue colour. The shadows in the creases give the image texture. The male is looking at the camera, with a calm but also intriguing facial expression looking towards the viewer. The males hair is a plethora of different colours, which gives it texture but also makes the male feel quite rugged - enhanced by the shadows around his wrinkles. 

Own Image:

The use of colour gels in this image explore the males sexuality, with a light blue on one side of his face but a strong red on the other. The colour red in this image to me connotes anger, enhanced by the models strong facial features and deep glare into the camera. The male is lit from underneath, by a beauty dish, which enables the audience to see the males clothes and his neck. It also makes the model stand out and not blend into the black background. The use of gel lighting from both sides light up the models face. However, as there is not a light shining down on the male we cannot see his hairline, and therefore it blends into the background. The males face has shadows, but not enhancing his facial features. Instead, the gel lighting bounces off of the males eyes and make his appear to like tired. The lights also reflect on the males eyebrows, lifting them up and making them appear demeaning. The males eyes are the main focal point in this image, as they are much clearer and reflect the light into the viewer approaching them to look towards him. 

Overall, these two images are both similar but also very different at the same time. In the first image, the male is much more lit up through the use of a bright light on the left hand side of his face. In the second image, his face is purely lit by a beauty light which leaves the natural soft shadows and also keeps the colours the same. The colour gels are either side of the males face, which draw attention to the mid portrait shot, and in both of the images the males are looking directly into the camera. The first image appears masculine and ragged where the second image appears to be more sinister due to the bold red colour. 

Connecting Essay 4

Online Image: 

The model appears to be looking vulnerable, as she is covering her body and holding herself close. The only protection she has between the bare skin and the viewer is a silk blanket. This is shown through the metallic reflection it is displaying among the viewer. The models hair is wet and frizzy, which appears to be untamed. This gives the feeling that the model has lost control. The female is looking directly into the camera, creating a relationship with the audience. The shadows around the eyes make her feel weak and innocent, and it is as though she is looking into the eyes of the audience asking for help. Her back is shown, to enhance the feeling of being bare among the audience, while her hair and her hands are covering her front half. The formal element of colour is weak in this image, although it is still present with the red of her lips drawing the viewers eyes towards them. The model has her posture slumped over, which makes the image feel informal, but also allows the audience to see the model in her natural form. The model also appears quite pale, and there is a gradient of light to dark on the background, allowing the audience to see her hair lit up amongst the light part and the silk to contrast with the dark background at the bottom. The rule of three is explored in this image as the two thirds from the left are much lighter, leaving a blank space on the right. 

Own Image: 

Lighting is relied on in this image as it is positioned directly onto the model, and we can see a vignette round the outside where the edges are darker. This draws attention to the model, as she is the focal point in the centre of the image. The models whole body is shown, and her posture is quite slumped. This exhibits the female being quite casual and careless. This enables the viewer to explore her in her entirety and not just a closeup portrait of her face. The model doesn't have any makeup on her face, and therefore explores the side of the beauty industry which is untouched and natural. The models body has not been morphed into making it appear slimmer, and therefore looks more natural and conforms to the everyday expectation of a young healthy female.The model still appears to be beautiful, without the heavy reliance of makeup or Photoshop to alter her appearance. The background appears quite simple, with a soft nude shade of white as appose to a bright clean white. This means that the only contrasting aspects of this image is the models jet black clothing, on her pale white skin hitting the soft grey background. The formal element of colour is explored in this image through the models pale lips, and also the colour of her hair which reflects nicely onto the other colours in the shot. They all compliment eachother.

These two images connect due to the rawness which is explored through the models. In both of the images, there is a lot of negative space which makes the models appear to be isolated. This connotes that they are alone, and it is purely about them. There facial expressions seem timid, and they're also postured in a way that looks slumped over and natural. There is very little use of makeup in these images, showing the female bodies to be natural yet in both images they look beautiful. These images are both different in the clothing that they wear, as the first image shows the model to be naked making her appear weaker and vulnerable. Yet in my own image, the model is wearing jet black clothing which contrasts her from the light background. 

Connecting Essay 3

Online Image:

Composition of the image shows purely the females face. The rest of her body is not shown in this image and it is simply a portrait shot. The photographer has chosen a black background, making the gold much more prominent and enhances its colour due to the massive contrast between this and the background. The image has been heavily sharpened, making the gold leaf stand out and also giving it the formal element of texture. This makes the gold seem like it is thing, however enables the flakes to come off of the females face, giving the image more of a shape and directs the eyes to the outlines of the females face. The model is looking directly into the camera, with her eyes glaring. They appear to be wide open, almost frightening in her look towards the audience. However, this is a positive as it makes the image unique and memorable in its appearance. The gold leaf has been extended into her hair, making her hair line appear more difficult to spot. All that is left of the females face is her ears and her eyes. The colour of the eyes is much duller than the rest of the image, but enables the gold to stand out. The gold is also very reflective with it appearing metallic to the audience. It is not perfect and holds many flaws but it also gives the image texture. 

Own Image:

A medium closeup shot used to show the females face and also her hair. It allows the audience to see more of the female instead of just her face. There are dark shadows underneath the models face, as a result of a lack of reflection. Should a reflector have been present, this would have drawn attention to the models neck and the rest of her body.  The model is alternatively shown to be illuminated from the front and the sides to light up her hair and make her stand out amongst the background. This works well as it explores the colours shown. The gold leaf is sharpened and gives it clarity, it also gives it texture amongst the models airbrushed skin. It makes the image feel as though it is beauty for the upper class, as gold is a symbol of wealth and purity.  The composition of the model is placed with a tilted face, emitting the feeling of power and stance and gives the impression that the model understands what she is doing. The models face is smooth, with dark makeup around the eyes but also colour on the eyelids. This draws attention to an aspect which is widely explored in the beauty industry. The lips are also covered in gold, which explores the gold leaf on the eyelids and around the base of the eye. 

These two images relate via the use of makeup. In both of the images, the beauty topic is explored via the gold leaf which is placed around the facial features which are heavily relied upon in the industry. These are the eyes, the lips and also the cheeks. In the Internet image, the models facial expression is much more bolder than my own image. This is because she is exhibiting a shocked expression, whereas mine looks more powerful and in control. The portrait of the first image also purely focuses on just the gold, instead of the models face. Whereas in my own image, the model is shown to be striking a glamorous pose as she is looking directly into the camera and her hair is lit up from the back. 

Connecting Essay 2

 Online Image:

In this image, model and actor Colton Haynes is photographed in a set of images with his face covered in lipstick kisses. The images are taken on a grey background, which enhances the formal element of Colour as the boldest colours in this image are the red kisses of the lipstick. The female is placed with her lips on the model, and you are able to see her wavy blonde hair which also sticks out to the audience. The males facial expression is serious, but he also appears to be quite intimidated as there is not much emotion coming from him. On the other hand, the female emits the emotions of lust among the spectator as her eyes are shut. This image places the male in a position stereotypically filled by a female, as there is women lusting over him. The camera is placed directly in front of the males, with studio lighting showing some soft shadows. These are particularly on the males face, with the cheekbones and jawline being carved into by these. This draws the viewers attention along this line to the females face, which is placed slightly off the centre of the image. 

Own Image:

My own self-portrait places me in a position of being dominated by women. The image shows the male being held within the control of women. The females hands can be distinguished through the use of soft nail varnish, and also other items such as pearl and diamond rings. Placing myself on a white background, the image holds a lot of clarity as it feels clean. The use of colour is explored through the use of the lipstick on my face, and also the lipstick placed on the males lips. The colour red connotes lust and sex in this situation, as the male is being held by women. There are some dark shadows present, which are stronger and also show the light source is coming from the right of the image. This is because when the hand comes across the males body, there is a shadow highlighting this. The females arm therefore appears brighter. The male is seen looking directly into the camera, creating a relationship with the audience as they are able to look directly into the males eye. The males dark hair is also shown to be much darker than the background, which creates a nice contrast. 

Overall, these two images connect due to the themes explored. In both the images, a man is being lusted over by a female. In the Internet image with Colton Haynes, the female is shown on the camera, allowing the audience to see who she is and place her at the scene. Alternatively, in my own image, the female are not present however we can follow the conventions and see the nail varnish and accessories - all of which conform to the beauty industry. Both of the images use a white background, and have shadows highlighting the males body - although the internet image is much stronger in this aspect. The themes of sex and desire are both explored in these images, therefore linking them together in the same style of male beauty photography.