laurenpomfrett-ardn631-2024
Lauren Pomfrett
My name is Lauren Pomfrett, I am a landscape photographer, specilising in photojournalism and rural settings
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Come for the fanart stay for the... art?
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Photographic campaign questions
Who do you want to photograph?
My sister and I by ourselves, my parents are away overseas
Students who I coach at my tennis club
People out on the street who are pushing the boundaries of fashion and identity, or people in their cultural gowns in a day-to-day setting
What might link the group together?
My sister and I share our ability to be independent, in our own spaces, content with our alone time
At the tennis courts, learning to play, are they here because they want to? Or are their parents forcing them to be here?
Living separate lives but feeling tied by their personal self expression
Having to change their environment, possibly migrants, and change to fit a New Zealand schedule and lifestyle.
What do they have in common?
My sister and I look alike, we have been raised under the same roof, yet we handle our independence differently
Children, school uniforms, cheaper practice racquets, energetic, hard to focus, interested in friends
Thrift stores, maximalists, colour clash, patterns, jewellery, unique hair cuts
What are potential strengths to the concept?
Showing the transition from living at home with parents to being out on our own, learning how to take care of ourselves, showing responsibility, less sheltered and more exposed
Showing the different lives of many children, how they carry themselves and behave during a lesson of tennis. How their characteristics can shine when immersed in a hobby they enjoy, the opposite if disinterested.
Normalising different cultures and how they can blend with New Zealand, without having to be eradicated, both can exist in harmony and create a beautiful combination.
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Conceptual ideas
Fashion photography - direct combination of masculine and feminine clothing; ties with dresses, shorts with heels. Direct contrast of location, feminine fashion in industrial urban space, masculine fashion in a floral garden
2. Aunties place, environmental shooting of couches and clocks, boats, missing of my uncle
3.
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Kassel Dummy Award
Stas Ginzburg
Nicola Zolin
Patrick Slesiona
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Week 6 Formative Presentation:
My exploration over the past 5 weeks during the portraiture assignment has been experimenting with a wide range of framing, narratives and lighting techniques. For my self portraiture, a big learning aspect for myself was to get more comfortable with being in front of the camera and pushing out of my comfort zone.
I have a preference for sunset daylight and diffused daylight as it brightens my skin and creates a glow and vermeer lighting. I could push this further with adding flash photography and using the reflector technique to create the most light.
For the future, I would like to experiment with more narratives, exploring my interest of different self expressions. I felt drawn to my paired series of my identity and how I express myself differently depending on my environment. In my personal space, I express myself as more feminine with floral dresses and soft expressions, however, my public appearance is more guarded, grungy and masculine. I could push these ideas further by clashing these two personas together and combining my identities.
This idea could spread into my portraiture of other people, and showcase maybe their going out/staying in styles. This would combine identity with fashion and environment, which matches with the artist models that I have researched over this time period.
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Week 5 Roll of 36
I conducted two separate shoots for this week as I felt I had not experimented with enough lighting techniques and set design.
For the shoot on the left, I was inspired by Álvaro Gracia with their use of fabric, silk and abstract poses. I created another home studio inside my bedroom with utilising the light shining in from my window. I used a paper green background to reference the mother nature aspect and experimented with hand poses and using a silk ribbon. I wanted to explore the idea of being constrained by expectations and beauty standards, and how I can feel uncomfortable will showing my vulnerable identity in public spaces.
For the shoot on the right, I was inspired by Marina Dean-Francis and her ability to manipulate coloured LED lights to highlight the face. If I were to make changes for the future, I would use a different back drop as I felt the blanket absorbed the light as opposed to bouncing it around my face. This is a learning lesson to pay closer attention to how my surroundings are reacting to the light I am artificially creating.
I also practiced the front/rear curtain flash technique, which I felt was difficult to time. I wanted to combine the coloured lighting with this technique but the low lighting meant that my portraits became blurry, I need to increase the light sources in a future shoot to increase the focus and sharpness of the frame that is crisp.
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Front/Rear Curtain flash
I have learned that this photography technique involves using a quick burst of flash with a shutter speed of 1/500sec or 1/1000sec paired with a slow exposure in one of two ways.
A front curtain flash has the flash fire when the exposure starts, causing the beginning of the motion to be in focus and the movement afterwards is blurred. The rear curtain flash has the flash fire just before the exposure ends, which causes the final part of the movement to be in focused with the motion before to be blurred.
Knowing which timing of the flash paired with the exposure is important in creating the right shot. It is encouraged to use this technique at night time with the flash to create strong contrast and highlights.
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Artist Photographer Model 12
Information:
Marina Dean-Francis is a portrait photographer from London, United Kingdom who specialises in "beauty, fashion, publications and model portfolios". Her photographic series "New Skin" was publicised in 2016 for the Cabinet De L'Art Magazine which operates from Moscow, Russia and focuses on lifestyle, fashion, beauty and art.
Analysis:
All three images utilise a studio setting with a red background that has a radial light gradient. They all contrast the red, pink tones with highlighting the skin with cool blue tints. The skin is glossy, wet and shiny, which indicates flash.
Left image: What stood out to me with this image was the wet, almost free falling hair that sticks to her jaw and cheekbone. This contrasts what we would expect with a beauty magazine, as we predict a clean, polished and perfect look. Out of the three, this looks to have the least amount of visible makeup and so the portrait comes across as more fluid, natural and vulnerable.
Middle image: This portrait has the most "beauty magazgine" essence with the controlled braided hair and the gold shining eye shadow. The eye shadow makes this image pop and creates a luxurious, ethereal and goddess like atmosphere. Her looking down at us creates this hierachy that she is in charge.
Right image: This image has the deepest shadows, with the use of a black reflector to create depth and to highlight her right side. What is compelling is her left shoulder darkens, yet the left side of her face has the strongest highlights. This contrast paired with her dynamic head tilt and hand position creates a feeling of mystery, curiosity and questions our thinking.
My findings: This artist model is unique in comparison to my previous examples, as I have followed a similar preference for the portraits I am drawn to. The strong red and blue combination really makes me want to play with artificial lighting myself and create different moods. I love the use of flash and the shine, it creates a grain and shows the texture of her skin. I would like to emulate this authenticity.
References:
Behance. (2023). Marina Dean-Francis. Behance. https://www.behance.net/marinadeanfrancis
Mdf retouching, & Dean-Francis, M. (2016, June). “New Skin” for Cabinet De L’Art Magazine. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/37855203/New-Skin-for-Cabinet-De-LArt-Magazine
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Artist Photographer Model 11
Information:
Chelsea Macor is a self portrait photographer now based in Seattle, but originally from Texas, United States. She explored a series of headshot portraits that focused on showcasing her history and struggle with depression and an eating disorder. She took photos during her low points when her panic and fear would overwhelm her.
Analysis:
Left image: This image is a headshot, which creates a feeling of intimacy, vulnerability and being very personal. The soft diffused lighting creates a sense of beauty with her pain as the tear rolls down her cheek. The lighting has highlighted the tear, emphasising how emotions can be the biggest factor of our expression. Her relaxed expression creates a feeling of hopelessness, realisation and comfort in the familiarity of her pain.
Middle image: This image is unusual as there is a physical filter over the camera lens, my assumption would be a sheer fabric. This creates a haze and blurs the photo, making it feel suffocating, foggy and overwhelming. These represent her emotions on the inside, however, her relaxed face again creates a false exterior that everything is okay.
Right image: This image has a shallow depth of field and we are drawn into he expression of her eyes. The light placement creates a shadow on the right side of her face, potentially referring to the darkness of her pain masked by the 'light and bright' face. The placement of her fingers in her mouth is a comforting mechanism of self defence and self reassurance, showing that she is uncomfortable.
My findings: I have learned that by being vulnerable with the camera, we can bring light to our history that we have always kept to ourselves. I can relate to Macor as I, like many people, can struggle with mental health and I feel that it is important to showcase our true selves. We can show who we really are on the inside without having to showcase the 'best' version of ourselves.
References:
History, M. (2019, October 9). Chelsea Macor Photography. Chelsea Macor Photography. https://www.chelseamacor.com/blog/2019/7/17/self-portraits
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Artist Photographer Model 10
Information:
Álvaro Gracia is a Spanish portrait photographer who blends fashion photography with conceptual ideas to explore colours, abstraction, emotional depth, mother nature and taking the audience on a dream-like journey. His series "The Color of Freedom" creates an immersive environment that reflect on freedom.
Analysis:
Left image: This image has a warm tone that creates a yellow tinge to the silk green fabric. The folds of the fabric create depth, movement and leading lines. By matching the dress with the fabric of the dress, Gracia has created an environment that blends the line of humanity and nature and as a pair, they work harmoniously together. The slick back hair is highlighted with the flash and her skin glows under the bright light.
Middle image: This image again pairs nature with fashion as the leaves on the floor of the studio match with the ruffles of the shirt. The slight tonal changes of the green a strong silhouette. This dynamic pose creates fluidity and the use of thirds holds our eyes at the bottom of the frame.
Right image: This image utilises the pattern of the fabric as a statement. It reminds me of camouflage, however, against the plain soft green backdrop, it stands out and contradicts what we would first predict. The pose of the hands breaks up the upwards direction of the figure and allows our eyes to take in the whole frame.
My findings: I have learned that a simple colour palette can be really striking if done correctly. It has inspired me to experiment with my own connection to nature and fashion to create dynamic and ethereal portraits. I would love to utilise flash more, to create bright photos that bounce light across the whole frame.
References:
Devid Gualandris. (2020, September). Álvaro Gracia’s Fashion Editorial Is An Ode To Freedom And The Color Green - IGNANT. IGNANT. https://www.ignant.com/2020/09/01/alvaro-gracias-fashion-editorial-is-an-ode-to-freedom-and-the-color-green/
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Artist Photographer Model 9
Information:
Alex Wein is an Oakland, California based photographer who crafted a series "Headstands". For this quirky project, Wein took environmental landscape self portraits in various locations while performing a headstand. This unique and unconventional take on self portraiture has pushed the boundaries of expression.
Analysis:
Left image: This environmental portrait utilises the cliff face as a leading line towards Wein's body. This horizontal line contrasts with his perpendicular portrait direction figure, creating a sharp 90 degree angle. The large depth of field has the green forest in focus, but its similar shades make sure that the cliff and Wein are the focal point in the foreground.
Middle image: The uneven slates and apexes of the roofs create a zigzag effect of leading lines towards Wein. The deep brown background creates a still and calm feeling of nature, which contrasts with his work clothes.
Right image: This image utilises the road as a leading line as well as giving off a rebellious feel. Wein's self portraiture breaks conventional rules and with loitering on a road, it fits the series. The long shadow indicates that the sun is close to the horizon line, and because the sky is bright, I would assume it is sunrise.
My findings:
Wein's photography breaks the rules of what we would consider "normal" portraiture. This has inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and create something unexpected. I would like to experiment more with environmental self portraiture and use his idea of finding interesting locations to create a narrative.
References:
Cade, D. (2013, August 22). Quirky Self-Portraits of Photographer Alex Wein Doing Headstands Across the World. PetaPixel. https://petapixel.com/2013/08/22/quirky-self-portraits-of-photographer-alex-wein-doing-headstands-across-the-world/
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Week 4 Roll of 36
For these headshots, I wanted to practice with strong natural lighting, which in this case was a warm sunset. I took inspiration from Nassia Stouraiti, who explores female identity, insecurities, and the idea of challenges standard beauty normalities. I created unconventional poses such as roughing up my hair and showed close up shots of my raw skin to imagine going against the grain and emphasising authenticity and my natural appearance.
I also took inspiration from Dionna Bright who uses head pieces, in my case I posed with a sunhat to create a theme of warm, sunshine, summer and being outdoors whilst creating contrasting shadows and manipulating the light on my face.
I also practiced focusing on my cheekbone to practice with my technical skills and my ability to create depth of fields with the features on my face.
Next time, I want to experiment more with creating an elaborate theme as I feel my backgrounds, textures and scenes are rather simple. I am inspired by large productions with makeup, costuming, textures, jewellery, props and patterns. I feel my photos are too 'safe' and I need to expand out of my comfort zone more.
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Week 4 Class light tent
In class Week 4 we created a reflector tent with having two frames and a roof of white styrofoam, the aim of this is to bounce light around the face and create a 'flatter' look. I experimented with flash photography in darker scenes to create shine and to highlight Sarah's face. I think in the future, I would like to improve on my ability to use the tent in natural daylight, as I still had shadows, which meant that the angle of the reflectors was misaligned.
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Week 4 Class outdoor shoot
For this shoot, my group and I brought our cameras and 5-way reflector to the AUT car parking beside WO building. The industrial look of the carpark created a grungy and rough atmosphere to the photos. I wanted to explore the idea of loitering with lounging around in non-public spaces such as on the road, leaning by no public access signs, sitting on ramps and in carparks. This created a rebellious yet carefree mood.
In terms of lighting, I experimented with overhead artificial tungsten lighting inside the carpark and natural sunny outdoor daylight. I posed Sarah, my model, in both of these lighting conditions and utilised the building to manipulate light in half shaded spaces and metal mesh frames.
We also experimented in an emergency exit staircase, which at the time had a perfect stream of warm light through the window. This created a warm glow and created a strong reflection on the glass.
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Artist Photographer Model 8
Information:
Brian Oldham is a young self taught freelance artist based in Los Angeles, USA who specialises in experimental photography. He committed himself to a 365 day photography challenge to improve his techniques and skills. His work explores vulnerability, surrealism and conceptual ideas that transport the viewer into new worlds.
Analysis:
Left image: There is a shallow depth of field with a bokeh effect on the deep background of this headshot. This makes his skin and figure outline sharp/ contrasting. The butterflies covering his eyes potentially could represent a rose tinted glass viewpoint, being blinded by beauty or being in touch with nature. The soft but bright lighting may have been created using a diffuser on a studio light, or diffused natural lighting.
Middle image: The middle image is an environmental landscape portrait shot. The decayed and rusting bathtub contrasts with our idea of cleanliness and scrubbing away imperfections. The lush green flora surrounding his body could represent growth and finding the good in the bad. There is an even distribution of light on the shot, so I would assume natural daylight has been utilised.
Right image: This half body portrait creates a theatrical and surreal fantasy world with the floating petals. The use of the shallow depth of field draws us into Brian and the bright pink petals. I interpret this image as the walls or shields we put up fading or potentially being exposed to something traumatic which could damage our sense of beauty and worth within ourselves.
My findings: I would like to explore and utilise nature with myself to create surreal scenes that showcase the idea of beauty from a unique viewpoint. Potentially, I could show the facade of ideal beauty fading and replacing it with my authentic self, to represent who I truely am, without any walls or guards.
References:
all-about-photo.com. (2024). Brian Oldham. All about Photo. https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/407/brian-oldham
Yoo, A. (2011, February 24). Creativity from a Self-Taught Teenage Photographer (10 photos). My Modern Met. https://mymodernmet.com/creativity-from-a-selftaught
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Artist Photographer Model 7
Information:
Nassia Stouraiti is a young self-taught self-portrait photographer from Rhodes, Greece. She originally studied law and communication in Athens, but had a deep passion for photography. Her photography is dreamlike and looks as if it were a painting. She experiments with makeup to represent her identity, the image of a women and the relationship with others.
Analysis:
Left image: There is a cool studio light directed to the left side of her face. The shadows are deepened with a black reflector to create drama and imply negative feelings. Her expression is dropped and her eyes are wide open, somewhat mimicking the Kubrick stare. This paired with the cartoony string tears makes for a disappointed, bothered and hopeless look.
Middle image: The lighting creates a shine on her face and there are shallow shadows, so potentially has used a white reflector. The deep red is a consistent element with the background, clothing and lipstick. The pop of green leaves is striking and the focal point alongside with her lips.
Right image: The lighting is on the left side of her face again with the use of a black reflector to darken shadows. This image is much more intimate as her face fills the frame. With this closeness we can see the texture of the paint on her face, potentially to show impurities as we try to cover our skin with makeup to hide any imperfections. The warm toned paints contrast well with her soft blue eyes.
My findings:
I was first drawn to the pretty, feminine and sweet look of these photos, but was more intrigued by the serious messages that are being expressed. The idea of a women's identity and societal's expectations to be seen as beautiful and perfect is a relevant topic and explores the counter idea of representation of our authentic ourselves.
References:
ImageNation Paris. (2024). ImageNation Paris. https://www.imagenation.paris/nassiastouraiti
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