Connecting Essay 1

Online Image:

In the above image, we are able to a male covering himself in glitter. The males eyes are closed in this image, creating no relationship with the viewer. This generally means that the model has something to hide however in this context, he could be simply shielding it from the glitter. The male is bright and also the main focus point of the image despite the glitter being thrown up and surrounding him. His body is very defined, with the ombre of colours showing the mix of gold and purple. You can clearly see the males body, which conforms to the theory of the female gaze. His entire body is covered in glitter, which enhances his muscles and also draws the attention of the viewer into it. The lighting is very specific, illuminating the males entire body yet leaving his arms in darkness. This draws more attention to the parts the photographer wants the spectator to notice. The glitter appears to be raining down on the model, which enhances his expression as we can see that he has just thrown it into the air. Using a black background, shadows aren't shown however it does appear to be more masculine. If it was a white background, the image would come across as having more clarity. However, the glitter would not have been as obvious and instead it would have relied on the formal element of  colour to explore the glitter on the males body. Overall, I feel like this image is extremely striking as it looks at a male with a fairly feminine approach to her body. 

Own Image:

In my own image, I photographed Josh to be looking directly at the camera. This enabled him to create a relationship with the audience as he is looking directly at them. The model is covered in blue glitter, which is enhanced through the patches between this and his arm which is glitter free. The lighting is placed in a way where shadows are present, enhancing the males muscular body. These shadows emit from the left side of the models face, and also on his shoulders. Half of the males face is in darkness, yet when you zoom into the image you can see his eyes and the edges of his face. This connotes that the male has something to hide as his face is in the darkness. The males posture is facing away from the viewer however he is looking directly into the camera, this enables the audience to see a side profile of the males physique but also the expression of his face. The formal element of colour is displayed in this image as the blue of the glitter is shown to be the only colour present. This enhances the glitter amongst the black background. The black background in the image makes the model stand out, and if the background was white the model would be much brighter allowing the spectator to see a full outline of his body. 

Overall, when comparing these two images, they are both fairly similar in the way they have been composed. They both have black backgrounds, and use the formal elements of colour and form to enhance the glitter. Although the images use a feminine substance such as glitter, they are shown in a fairly masculine form due to the males bodies being the main focal point of the image. The lighting in the two images is fairly different, as the online image highlights the males body in its entirety, whereas my image of Josh focuses on his muscles to enhance the masculinity.