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...