Today I did this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA0mjnzQues

Exodus update.

Since my last post was a bit wordy, here are some images that look fairly similar to what I imagine my first shot will look like. 


My housemate Ed pointed them out after helping me with a test shoot.

Washed Up: Adam Simms.

Similarities:


- Nudes in urban landscapes. 
- Isolated/cold tone.
- Night scenes to make use of unnatural lighting.


What I want to lose:


- Architecture, focus it down.
- HDR look.


What I want to add:


- Technology theme.
- Larger bodies in the frame.

Warning - May contain arty bullshit.

Thought I would let everyone have a look at my initial proposal for my current project. This is a really long module that lasts all the way until the end of term, so it warrants a fairly detailed and deep subject. 


If you have time, have a read and let me know what you think.
Feedback helps more than you know! 

Exodus.

“You and I may not join them in this choice. Regardless, their exodus, because of its sheer size, will affect us all.” Edward Castronova 2007.

Virtuality is something that concerns us all. Even if you have managed to avoid the onset of the digital revolution, some aspect of it has likely already affected your existence. Virtual reality is often associated with 3D headsets and laboratories filled with screens and speakers but in truth it is not purely science that has led the way in creating entire new worlds. Entertainment companies have stealthily formed their own realities and persuaded millions of people to leave the physical world behind for hours at a time. These newly formed populations live in constructed worlds, designed specifically to appeal to our human nature.  The virtual worlds are modelled after the physical, containing thousands of other citizens, complex trade economies and have even developed their own language.

Not all online worlds are based on gaming, the worldwide phenomenon that is Facebook and all the other social networking tools, have started a revolution that blurs the line between virtual and physical relationships. They have changed the way millions communicate and maintain friendships, yet I see social networking in the same vein as persistent online games. It’s a means to exist digitally and away from the outside world.

I named this project Exodus in reference to Edward Castronova’s book “Exodus to the virtual world” Castronova is a doctor of economics and studies social interactions with virtual worlds and their relation to the “real world.” This connection between the virtual and the physical may seem un-important but when you consider the effect of millions of hours disappearing into the unreal, it suddenly becomes an issue worth our attention.

My goal is not to explore or represent these virtual worlds but to visually address the effect they may have on our physical reality, feelings and relationships. I agree with Castronova’s predictions of a huge change in society as virtual worlds become more and more popular. In economics it has long been agreed that people flock to the things that are fun and cheap. Virtual worlds are exactly this. What I want to express in this work is the world and body that is left behind. The mind may be entertained in another reality but the real world and body still remain on the outside.

My work will be constructed to be a representation of what is left behind. My imagery will consist of humans interacting with computers. (windows to the virtual world) How I direct the models to react with the computers will be the key to expressing my ideas. I may even incorporate landscapes to help create the sense that what we are looking at is a shell, an unwanted and abandoned body that is not relevant to the mind’s reality.

I will also attempt to put this in a social context. This is important, as one of the key reasons for the online world’s effectiveness is the social experience it offers.

I hope this work will question what the current state of social interaction is and if our virtual existence is at the expense of the physical. 

Are you sitting comfortably...

This Thursday saw the end of my first brief as a 3rd year. Scary!
As I quickly described in my last post, the brief was based around creating images that could fit into a another photographers series. The challenge was set by a visiting lecturer named Mishka Henner and finished with a group critique with the rest of the year, my tutor and himself. 


The brief wasn't just about copying another artist but an exercise in fully understanding a body of work. We were encouraged to pick a photographic monograph that we felt was in tune with what we plan on exploring throughout the rest of this term. After scouring the library for a book that had some kind of basis in contemporary technology I left empty handed. We were also told that if we wanted, we could use magazine or editorial spreads that contain reasonable bodies of work so that's what I did. 


I had recently discovered a magazine called Amusement, a French magazine that combines video gaming, fashion and geek culture into a new genre, "digital culture" or what it's creator often describes as "digital leisure."

The magazine is slowly establishing itself but I've yet to get my hands on an issue or find somewhere that stocks an English version (which I'm starting to doubt exists) 

A few sets of images from the magazine are up and available on the website. I went for the one I thought would challenge me but also be possible to recreate in a week. 

So here is the second of the two images I created for this brief.

And like my last post, here is another shot from Elène Usdin's series Fair eTale, so you can compare. 

So, how did I do... 

I'm hoping your answer is "not too bad but..." because I'd agree. 

There are things I like about the two images and things I don't, but the main thing that prevents me from giving myself an internal hi five is that I didn't shoot on location or build a set in the studio. Both images would have been much more successful if I'd had that opportunity. 

I did consider hashing something together in the week we had but honestly I didn't want to make life harder by leaving the studio just for a backdrop that sort of looked right. I wanted a decadent, regal looking stately home but since I couldn't magic one up in time I decided to lose the background all together. Do I regret that decision... maybe, but hopefully being able to explain myself in the crit saved me a little. 

Since this series was based on a light hearted and playful fairy-tale by the photographer it didn't require a whole lot of analysis which hampered my presentation slightly (Mishka is quite serious) but it didn't go so badly. 

I tried something I'm not very experienced with (fashion editorial) and came out with two images that I quite like. All though they don't fit seamlessly into the original series by Elène Usdin visually, I think the idea is there. The cables and connectors create a sense of older technology taking revenge. 

p.s. I've now added an unedited shot from the first shoot to my last post.

I don't often do much post processing but hey, you only live once... 

New Shoot.

Quick upload of my latest shot.
Part of my current brief to create and image that could be part of another Photographers series.


Here is an image from the collection I chose, just for comparison.

Elene Usdin - Far-e-tale.
For Amusement magazine




Edit: Just as a little extra, here is the original shot. 
Might not seem liked I changed a lot but took me about an hour to get what I wanted. Plus, the actual image is about A1 sized. Subtle differences are lost on uploaded jpegs. 

If you take anything away from this, let it be that Susie is too tanned...