Evaluation

For this unit I have photographed portraits and used physical manipulation to make new images. These images will be used as postcards which act as the souvenirs of my project. It is a study as to how a portrait can be used in different ways and still be distinguished as a photograph.

At first I simply wanted to use black and white images and use ink or paint to colour the image. After a visit from Luke Waller I thought that monoprinting was the method to take because I really liked the style of his image. However after giving monoprinting a go I realised that it wasn't the right method to use. It was then that I was recommended to use screen printing just like Andy Warhol.

I have used a lot of equipment to complete this project. To just take the images I used an Olympus trip 35 and Bronica ETRS; the lighting was a bowens ceiling mounted lighting set with soft boxes. Since as I was using black and white film; I was using the developer, stop and fix for black and white film. To create the mono prints I had to use a board, roller and ink. Finally to make the screen print I used the printers to print and copy onto acetate, the screen, light sensitive emulsion, the light box, paint scraper and the paint.

I think the main difficulty of this unit was the time scale I had when I was actually able to start producing physical prints with the mono printing. I don't think I had enough time to experiment with screen printing, however this is something that I will continue.

One practitioner that influenced a lot of my work is Andy Warhol. The style of image production and composition is highly influential. However I have switched the colours and the black and white the opposite way around. I have also used a similar idea to how he displays his images by using multiple images in an organised shape. Another influence is Karl Lagerfeld who uses simplistic portraits, these simplistic images allows me to work with and add colour very easily. 

I am very pleased with the outcome considering the little experimentation I was able to have with screen printing. I feel that I have created a set of very strong images and researched relevant practitioners for the techniques and style in which I have photographed.

Third Shoot

35mm

 Here are the best images from this roll with only simply edits like crop and levels in an adjustment layer.

Medium format

All of these images show strong contrast and a lot of detail. However sometimes the shirt is blending in with the background due to being the same tone. I think if I have time to shoot again I am going to use a dark backdrop which will define the model better.

Screen Printing

Screen printing is a method of print making. Using paints and a screen which a pattern has been exposed on to, you can slide paint across the top and through to create the image.

First I printed my image onto an A4 sheet of paper, postcard size in black and white.

This is the original template which will be flipped in the next step of the process.

 I then photo copied that image onto a piece of acetate which was then given to a technician at my college who helped my with the making of the screen. Similar to creating a photogram we used a light sensitive liquid and the acetate, the dark areas of the acetate meant that light didn't get through to the paint so it could be washed off at a later time with water.

I can now use this screen multiple times to create multiple prints with different colours on any flat surface. First create a line of paint above the image and using the slider; slide the paint down over the image, lift the slider, spin it around and slide it back over the image to the starting point. You can then lift the screen and the print will be on the surface.

I am going to start simply by using black paint and the whole template.

 Some detail is lost using this method however it has a very rough look and I can still tell what the image is meant to be of. I am going to jump straight into blocking of certain areas of the screen now in order to create a style similar to that of Andy Warhol.

First I started with the purple of the shirt which was very effective considering the original darkness of the shirt. I then moved on to the orange of the face. I covered the hair so it wouldn't get coloured; however I forgot to cover the shirt. Not realising this till afterwards I only dragged the paint half way across the image which is enough for just the face, which explains the curved line across the middle. However I think this works really well, especially as they don't match up completely and there is an orange outline. Everything but the hair was then covered and I finished it with the blue paint.

I was also offered a piece of semi transparent paper by a tutor to try it on.

The image is of similar quality to the normal paper that I have used; however the paint seems to be a lot thicker. This might be because of the papers plastic feel which prevents some of the paint being absorbed. I was going to try another print over the top of the image although I think that due to the density of the paints it would simply cover the pink, hiding it.

Second Shoot

I wanted to try the same style again however I want to see how it would work if the model wore a lighter or even white shirt.

 

None of these images met my expectations. This is because I forgot to set the aperture correctly on Olympus Trip 35,  instead of being on f16 it was still on auto. Therefore the images are all too dark and there is a minimal amount of contrast; making the images look very flat. I will have to try this again however I think I may also shoot medium format film as well to see if I can get any better results.

Experimentation

I wanted to add colour to the original image that I created so I initially started with digital manipulation on Photoshop.

Using the brush shape I thought that it might look very rough and bright at the same time however as shown it simply looks desaturated and contradicting to the focus that the image has.

Therefor I am not going to continue with this method.

First Photoshoot

I am going to be shooting in black and white in a studio using a white back drop and flash units. Bowens Flash units with ceiling mounting to reduce tripping hazards of wires.

I have placed a flash unit with soft boxes on either side of the models face creating a shadow down the centre of the models face. The dark shirt creates a large contrast between the model and the very clean white background.

I am very pleased with this image. There is a lot of contrast and slightly diffrent angles of the body to face creates a very appealing aesthetic to the image.

Using Ink and Paint

During this task I was told to create an image using images I already had, paint and ink. This is a form of physical manipulation to an image. I have chosen images from a previous fashion project.

 This is the first image that I used. I thought that I should start very basically with paint however I disliked the innitial result and decided to use my hands to blur the colours which revealed parts of the image. In particular the face of the model had become visable across the eyes and mouth. This makes the image spooky to look at because all the details are not visable; like something is being hidden from the veiwer. I think that this vould have been more effective with shades of black since as the image is already made to be quite eerie and the black could be interpretted as the aura the character is trying to display. It could also be taken as a protective shield just like the face paint that she is wearing.

The second attempt I decided that I would use black and white ink to drip onto the paper; however when this looked too boring I tipped the image to let the ink fall down the page. I think that the colour revearsal works a lot better because it seems to act like a veil which is adding to the eerie appearance of the image. The original image shows the model already wearing black and white face paint, this shows an advancement of the 'masks' depth in the image.

Using a different image I wanted to use the ink to make something like a picture card often used to evaluate phsycological sanity. However the different inks have really mixed together and not worked out how I had hoped. I feel that this method might slow my down and not create strong results so I go back to dripping the ink.

I feel that this image has potential to be stronger, although I would have to use a more viscous ink or paint like acrilic paint. The ink simply was too thin and ran down the page to fast for it to be absorbed. This image was to originally to show the fear that some people carry with them when they gamble and now it shows more of the result. this would be a following image to the original work I did to create this image.

Health and Safety

COSHH 2002 regulation is the identification and understanding of the use of chemicals in a workplace or environment. COSHH makes employers consider the risks of the chemicals, consider safety measures that will be taken, enforce training to use the chemicals and plan for emergencies as a result of exposure. This will make sure that chemicals can be used safely and no one will get harmed.

Display screen equipment 1992 is the regulation involving people who work with graphic display screens including tablets, computers and phones. Working with screens is often related with eye strain, arm, back and neck ache. This regulation gives employers ideas on how to use them properly with positioning of the seat and time periods of usage.

The main requirement of the Health & Safety act 1974 is to conduct a risk assessment. This will identify all the risks in the workplace and give the employers a cause for action or prevention of potential accidents. This could be completed with protective clothing, training and recording of accidents so that they can be reviewed by management.