Mental Illness : Plastic Surgery : THE PILOT

I know I have spoken about plastic surgery in a blog post before this but I wanted to showcase just how much individuals go to become perfect.

The photograph which I have taken is a close up of what exactly my house mate would change about herself, the image before you can see what she would change but not without knowing exactly where the arrow is pointing to and the minor things she wants to change about, due  to individuals saying horrible things to her.

I personal think that individuals should never be told what to change about themselves it lowers there self confidence and it results them into wanting to have plastic surgery to make themselves look better or even worse harming themselves because they are so angry at the fact that they are not a certain way, what other people want them to look like but what the most iconic thing they want to look like is individuals  in the media such as pop stars, presenters and models and if people keep thinking that's what individuals should look like then its going to result in people wanting to change themselves like what my photographs are saying.

Mental Ilness : Self Harming : THE PILOT

This photograph is someone harming themselves. At the beginning with some of my images and wanted to be sensitive to individuals who had suffered from self harming, but I thought giving them justice isn't 'faking' self harming which I feel I was doing in the images before.

This image shows the girl taking the razor blade to her wrists and harming herself and even though its not real blood ( only fake ) its still giving you this realistic photograph of what it would look like when individuals do this to themselves. What made me look more into this is Larry Clark even though in his photographs you don't see blood his photos are still gritty and sinister and realistic to self harming and looking at my image I feel that the photograph is realistic of what happens when someone harms themselves and the blood flows out just like in my photograph.

I do feel that I need to make the photograph more realistic may be not have the razor blade in it as may be leaving it  out causing more questions of how they have done it what kind of instrument they have used to have this effect on themselves.

Mental Illness - Self Harming - Reasons why? THE PILOT

This is the image which is inspiration from C- Paige. What I have changed about it is the fact of keeping her face out of the image and just focusing on the words which have been written over her body as that's what she feels and what people have said to her during the past to make her self harm her self.

The photograph is in black and white, which I feel looks great as you able to see the words so clear against her skin so your able to read every single one, which I feel would touch the audience to know what has been said about her. Throughout this process I asked her what she felt and the emotions such as lonely and unloved are emotions she felt as an individual going through this process but words such as too fat, ugly are the comments which other peers have made to her which has then brought the emotions out of her feeling lonely and unloved.

I liked the fact she didn't hold back when I asked about the emotions and asking her how she felt, I feel it was good for her to let someone know and someone to understand just how much she was going through.

Lecture : rough guide to digital dirt

Within this lecture it was all about thinking about the quality in images which are in the media. Its not talking about quality of our project but the quality of our technical work within the project.

In the lecture we learnt about Pixels within an image the more pixels you have the higher resolution it is going to be, once you lose quality you can not get that back, you have to learn how to manage the pixels which you have and make sure you don't do anything which will mess with your pixels. Photoshop was another thing we learnt about and how not to down scale your image unless you are sure and happy with the image which you have captured. We then looked at compression quality remember to shoot in RAW, you need to be in control.

Hito Steyerl quoted on the defence of the poor image ' Poor image are the contemporary wretched of the screen the debris of audio visual production, the trash that washes up on the digital economies shores they testify to the violent dislocation, transferrals, and displacement of images their acceleration and circulation within the vicious cycles of audio visual capitalism' and this is what we do with images, we move them around.  Sounds are also compressed.

Sometimes pixels do work in your favour for example Michael J Totten who took a picture of a solider in Iraq,  he captured the moment of what is happening and the picture is showing this due to the pixels which are causing this fast movement of the action, it brings this image alive and causes people to realise the actually action of what this soldier's go through.

Clio Barnard was another person which was on the lecture, and he used a single shot he used a mobile phone and filmed a therapy session, he used the therapy session and created a video with the voice over of the person in therapy, it was recreating a memory. Vannevar Bush As we may think quoted ' compression is important, however when it comes to costs. The material for the microfilm Britannia would cost a nickel, and it could be mailed anywhere for a cent, what would it cost.

We then looked at Manu 'Faceless' and her using CCTV footage, she acted out scenes from her movies, she used lawyers to get back the images but had to have faces of others covered but not hers, this becomes a narrative based gives great effect.

Poor images circulate not only because of the compression algorithms that crunch their file size but also because of the network structures that distribute them.

How to avoid digital dirt still images
1. pixel dimensions versus resolution
2. pixels for screen
3. view at 100% in Photoshop or actual size
4. resolution for print
Dots/pixels per inch
The number of pixels
width 4000
height 3000

300 pixel at the end

must save things at high resolution (remember)

Pixels in an image of A4 print = 11.5x300= resolution you need
it = 3450 pixels

Lecture : Useful Strategies of Copying and Stealing

When I first saw this lecture I thought it was very bizarre especially with a title such as 'Useful Strategies of Copying and Stealing' but once I saw the lecture I understood.  Copying and Stealing but also getting ideas to help you along the way are all very different things. When a photographer does a piece of work you should never just Copy it or if your in the business Steal it away, it take away your imagination which you have as an individual, creating something which you have thought through yourself is extra achieving because its all your work..

I was shocked to think that the Olympic Cauldron Flame was a copy and it originally came from a New York Design Studio and they were furious with it, which is understandable as somebody has taken their idea and made it into this big world wide spectacular without concerning the individuals you had the idea in the first place.

Going on through the lecture you are able to see that not everyone copies or steals but purely adapts a photographers idea and puts there own stamp on it to make it more individual and personal to that person. For example when many people look at the "Odessa Steps" in Battleship Potemkin they take pieces of them and create their own image with Battleship Potemkin as their starting point

The rapid progression and alternation of images gives a sensational event even greater visceral impact - rhythmic montage – extended time.

For example Martha Rosler took an image called 'Bringing the War home' which has a bit of Battleship Potemkin in but then has her own idea added in to make it more personal. This is called borrowed appropriation which is ' Media producers take objects, images or practices from popular (or foreign) cultures and restage them within the context of their work to either enrich or erode conventional definitions.'

With my project I don't want to copy or steal anyone's work I would adapt their work into mine if I love it and add my own spin on the image to make it represent me and not the photographer who I got the idea from, as they are very talented and I would never take that away from them.

Lecture : rough guide to time

This lecture was on moving images in the shape of time, image, sequence. Every photograph has these elements to it in some shape or form. What was said in the lecture was that moving images don't really move and still images aren't really motionless, which is a great way to look at images it all depends on how you interpret the image as an individual.

Throughout the lecture there was photographers who were mentioned who take photographs of these elements. When it comes to images which don't move I am interested in this because you look at an image with someone running for example Henri Cartier Bresson photograph of a man running across a puddle and catching his reflection, this is a 'moving image' but the subject isn't moving they have captured a particular movement to take and worked with it and I feel I could create that within my images in my project, adapt this time essence into it as it looks beautiful and elegant.

While researching time within photography a lot of useful things came up, about photographers who take photographs of family members through time, photographers such as Steve Pyke and Mary McCartney, they all take images of this time element and create beautiful images with it.  

Lecture : rough guide to reality

This lecture was a guide to reality and the aspect behind reality. The reality aspect of this lecture was looking beyond documentary photography but looking at critical practice as the creative exploration of the world and its mediations.

The lecture went onto montage as realism and looking at photographers who create this but majority didn't and one photographer which really stood out was Berthold Brecht his photograph of Krupp factory was very complicated as the photo does not represent reality in the slightest and it doesn't mirror the reflection of realism which was very odd as you would think that a photograph would create this realism and real to life but there are so many things you can do to a photograph to create a different meaning which is interesting while looking through the module.

Further on the lecture a section came up about surrealist documentary and ethnographic surrealism. Surrealist documentary is 'In aspiring to open the imagination upon reality, Surrealism blurs the distinction between fact and fiction. 'In Surrealist documentaries the realistic effect is used to hook the viewer into the world represented by the film in order to disrupt taken-for-granted assumptions about that world.' ( http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Surrealist%20Documentary ) This can be portrayed within a photograph just as much as a documentary and there were many photographers who were capturing this open imagination upon reality, one person while in the lecture who captured my eye was the work of Man Ray and his approach on surrealist photography. A quote by Man Ray when he was doing his photography "Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask 'how', while others of a more curious nature will ask 'why'. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information." (http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/surrealism/Man-Ray.html) Man Ray had a lot of inspiration when it came to his work but the  inspirations through-out his life, one of the most notable being Marquis de Sade – a man imprisoned for writing about sexual exploits involving women. Man Ray was inspired by his obsession with women and also began to explore female eroticism, evident in many of his photographs. Man Ray tried to create a Surrealist vision of the female form, and utilized solarisation, cropping, over development (various photographic techniques) to create a surreal effect in his photographs, and this is where his idea started of creating these amazing surreal photographs

Looking at this lecture made me really get a view and an understanding of the way photographers work and that so many of them have different ways of portraying certain things and I find it really interesting to be researching more in to photographer which fits in well with the project which I am doing.

Lecture

I felt the lecture of term was a great lecture to get us to understand what the module was all about. Throughout the lecture it touched about photomontage was brilliant for me as I was doing the photography part of  the module, even though at this point I was still very unsure what I was actually going to do for my project I still found the photomontage really interested.

While going through the lecture and on the subject of photomontage we were given photographers who particular do photomontage work, the likes of Hannah Hoch and John  Heartfield looking at there work and getting an understanding of what my work could look like.

Further on in the lecture it wasn't just looking at photomontage but it was also looking at different types of photograph which we could do. There was the likes of Punk, DIY culture and politics followed by photographers who have captured some of these things for example Peter Kennard he has taking photographs which represent Punk, DIY culture and politics I found it brilliant because it really tested his photography skills but also his Photoshop skills.

Going on through out the lecture there was many more examples which were really creating ideas for me but it was also showing that I was able to create something great with my photography and do something which I found really interesting and push it to the boundaries.  

Mental Illness - Anorexia - THE PILOT

Not only was I looking at plastic surgery as a reason to Self Harm but also the illness which is Anorexia. A lot of individuals male and female suffer from this disorder and are so upset with themselves it leads to Self Harming as they are worried to talk to someone and gain help with it.

While researching into this subject of  Self  Harming I learnt that my other house mate suffered from anorexia when she was a teenager and it was due to her being called fat by a boyfriend which she had at the time, she didn't Self Harm herself but she was very ill from this illness and was depressed in may ways because of the lack of confidence which she had due to getting the disorder. She has told me that she does struggle in everyday but what keeps her going is the support of her family and her friends but she wanted to tell me about what she went through as she thought it would  help with my project and create a new idea of why people may Self Harm.

This image is of her and it speaks for itself.

Mental Illness - Self Harming - Plastic Surgery - THE PILOT

While looking into plastic surgery I found that not only was it her body which she wanted to change but it was also her face which she was highly strung on.

This image just like her body is what she would want done to her face if she could, she would feel better in herself if this was the case. She did say that because she felt so low about herself before hand she still feels that sometimes and she will criticise her appearance in every shape or form, and she said this is what someone who has Self Harmed does on a daily basis but keeps it to themselves as they are used to doing that at the start of harming themselves and not being able to mention or talk about it they keep it to themselves.

Mental Illness - Self Harming - Plastic Surgery - THE PILOT

Throughout this blog I haven't looked at Self Harming and individuals Self Harming but I haven't looked at what makes individuals do this to themselves.

I realised that individuals who Self Harm is mostly due to the appearance which they see in the mirror, which has made me think about plastic surgery. Individuals harm themselves because others bully them because the way they look so I thought if I looked at plastic surgery I would gain an understanding of a reason behind why these people Self Harm themselves.

The photograph which I have taken is of my house mate and I have drawn on her the parts she would love to change about herself, as she Self Harmed about her looks I thought this was a really good thing to create with her instead of her just Self Harming, showing why individuals Self Harm is putting it more into perspective and creating a meaning behind it.

PROPOSAL

When it comes to my final project, I want to produce photographs of Mental illness when it comes to Self-Harming. I want to show my audience who are viewing the images that Self Harming can stem from anything be it due to depression, losing a loved one or bullying, I am currently looking at plastic surgery and what that does to individuals self-confidence and how that effects someone in so many different ways.

The reason behind why I have decided to focus on Self Harming is due to one of my house mates who suffered from this a couple of years ago, she had a really bad time with it and I feel that Self Harming is a very raw and upsetting topic to look at and being able to have someone so close to me who has suffered from it makes it a little bit easier for me to continue this project as I can approach it with ease but also I know she will be open with me to talk about it and I'd feel more confident with asking her things about her Self Harming, than asking just a random person who has suffered I would feel it would be a little insensitive.

The aims of my project are to show people that Self Harming is a real life issue and it needs to be talked and spoken out about and people shouldn't be scared to talk about it, but not only this but I want to showcase that it's not just the typical emotions such as being heartbroken but it has more serious issues involved such as plastic surgery and depression which is what I'll be showcasing within my project.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

My production schedule that plans my project work week by week up to the submission deadline is really great for me. What is included with this week by week guide is me researching into more and different photographers, gaining stories from individuals who have suffered even if that's via a blog or website or even social network, I want to be able to gain more understanding of the topic and by looking at stories and photographers my development of this particular subject will become greater.

Also being included in my week by week production schedule is taking more images of Self Harming and keep creating new ideas which I am going to be putting forward. I want to be able to set up an interview with my house mate who suffered from Self Harming, but I may document her everyday life in an interview seeing if she is okay and asking her if its still a struggle for her, but I am going to ask her before hand if she feels comfortable if she isn't then I will stick to just the interview but I may spread the interview over a couple of days to get a real understanding of what she was going through.

Once I have taken my photographs I will then be uploading them on to Flickr to be able to see them blown up and see if I need to change anything about the images and if so then I can go back and re take them and get them to a better standard. As I said at the beginning I want to develop my understanding of this particular topic but not only through stories and photographers but also look at individuals who are not professional photographers but have a passion for it because I feel this would help me gain confidence in my photography and push me to develop amazing photographs as these individuals.

PRODUCTION PLANNING

My production plan is pretty straight forward. The source of my particular images will come from a friend of mine who is reliable and is willing to go through this process with me for as long as I need her to be. The only software I will be needing is word and Microsoft office so I'm able to change my images to black and white, and be able to create these elegant images which are portraying such a awful thing. Also within my production planning I will be still focusing on gaining more understanding of the topic and looking in depth at Self Harming and the effects it has on people not just the individual who is suffering but their family members and also their friends.

I will be arranging an interview with my friend to talk step by step her encounter and the effects self harming had on her every day life, including the effects it had on her family and her friends, but also looking at how she came back from it and what is keeping her head up and not wanting to go back to that place, I will ask her also what makes her stop going back, is it her friends and family, is it her career etc. I want to gain this understanding of someone so close to me who suffered from it.

RESEARCH

Most of the research I have conducted is in my blog. First bit of research I did was just about everyday life in quotes I wanted to get a feel of everyday life. I then started to research everyday life struggles such as love, relationship, friendship, depression, mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse, death, loneliness etc. and how I wanted to in- corporate some of these certain struggles within my photograph work. I then looked into equality and to do same sex relationship as that is a very modern thing within the media but I thought that would prove difficult as I don't know any same sex couple, so what led me on to researching more in depth about mental illness and the struggle that has on an individual everyday was the fact that my house mate suffered from mental illness and in fact self harmed herself, I thought it would make things a little easier for me as she would be willing to open up to me instead of just a random stranger as I'd be more closed off and wouldn't express the true feelings and emotions into the interview.

After I decided on my idea for the project I would research into photographers and get a greater understanding of self harming and the effects it has on people. These photographers include C - Paige, Larry Clark, Christian Hopkins, individuals on blogs who have experienced the illness, not only have I looked at photographers who portray mental illness but I've looked at artists and they are amazing. Clare Lieu is one of the reasons behind me researching this, the artist can capture raw emotion and can use their imagination to capture and get a grasp of the emotion, these art works look very much like a photograph. Another one is George Harding he has also suffered from mental health problems like Christian Hopkins, what I liked was that he turned Mental illness into a positive thing instead of an negative problem by talking and including people. Robert Lenkiewicz is another artist who has died but what made me so drawn to him was he painted a picture of 'mental handicap' and stated that these are people, they are part of society, they are ourselves and this goes for everyone who suffers from mental illness.

After looking and researching and I thought pop stars harm themselves so with the help of my lecturer I did just that. Richey Edwards from Manic Street Preaches he harmed himself before he disappeared. I wanted my research not to just look at photographers and artists but also people in society, its someone who is in the spot light and its saying that the pressure get to everyone at some point no matter who you are.

Research which I will need to complete the project is keep researching photographers and artists to gain more understanding and knowledge of self harming but also get an interview set up with my friend who went through self harming and let her express the emotions she was feeling, how she dealt with it and how did she got out of it but also why did she start self harming in the first place.


 

SIMILIAR WORK

There has been a lot of examples I have touched upon when it comes to mental illness and what I focused on is self-harming, I feel this is a raw and tough subject to approach and to speak out about, but a lot of photographs have captured self harming in their work. The work of other photographers which I have looked at relates to mine due to the gritty and dark side these images have but also the connection between them, I am not looking into doing exactly what the photographer does but looking at them as an example is making me broader my horizon and is giving me more and more ideas every time.

While looking through my blog you will find many images featured on my blog which I can relate back to but my key example are mental illness self harming work in progress even though this image has been changed a lot I'm keeping it too focus on, I feel that a lot of the time individuals harm themselves in a bathroom and somewhere out of the way, this made me look at Larry Clark and his photography which is dark and gloomy and doesn't glamourise self harming, his photography inspired me because he is showing people the amount of suffer and struggle they go through each and everyday of their lives and that is what I want to portray in my images. Another one which is a key example is mental illness C - Paige he has taken a photograph of an individual and has written comments which individuals have said to her all over her body. I have taken an image myself in relation to C - Paige's image but what I would like to change and what has inspired to do something similar but instead of showing the individual just show her back as it adds to mystery, I also feel it would bring more meaning behind the image which I have taken.

Not only have I done this but I have now thought of bringing ideas into my project and thinking more about why these individuals do it, is it through such things as plastic surgery or being called names, I have taken a few images which are on my blog as I feel researching more in depth with reasons behind self harming will really open up my mind.

 
 

THEORETICAL CONTEXT

While deciding on what aspect of my project I wanted to do I had to think about the type of questions which I would ask concerning mental illness. I want to question on why do individuals do it, is it due to them being depressed, bullying, being different or something which is more in depth that the individual is suffering with, I want to be able to grasp the idea of what a mentally ill person is going through. Through this project there are many ideas which are going to explored, ideas which I'm going to be exploring are photographers and the ideas which they come up with and the way that they portray mental illness and the way it effects people and see if a picture can speak a thousand words.

I feel exploring photographers who have had years of experience is a great way to start this process of my project, but not only professional photographers but individuals such as Christian Hopkins he has never taken a photography class before in his life and yet produced some amazing and beautiful images. What makes me so interested in Hopkins images are in fact that he battled with major depression for the past four years and much of this work are a reflection of the dark thoughts and feelings which were swirling around his mind.

PILOT

My Pilot is a clear view on what my final project will be touched upon. My aim with this project is to look at Mental Illness and what issues are surrounding Mental Illness and what individuals who are suffering from a form of Mental Illness are going through on a daily basis.

My intention and also aim with this project is looking at Mental Illness but I'm going to focusing on particular Mental Illness which is Self-Harming I feel this will make me create a deeper and greater understanding of what Mental Illness is, just by focusing on one part of the illness. My photography and the aim which I have behind it is that they will demonstrate technical adaptions which I have done through camera angles and shots looking at my victim to create this vulnerable and lonely image because that's what many individuals feel when they are Self-Harming. Not only will this be the case but I will create this black and white effect which is due to give my images this dark and sinister cloud over Mental Illness and the way it makes people feel.

The reason why I feel that black and white will be good is because of the connotation which black and white give off. Black is evil and dark whereas white is seen as purity and innocence there is this contrast between the two, which is want I want to get from my image, but creating this black and white image has also made me think to create some positive aspects within the photograph so its showing audiences and people who suffer from Mental Illness that there is hope and that's where the white connotation will come in.

My Influences while looking at Mental Illness are Larry Clark, Nan Golding and a lot of other brilliant photographers. These photographers have had a huge influence with me when it comes to my images and the aim of what my project is on. These photographers images really touch upon Mental Illness but all in very different ways: Larry Clarks images focus on Self Harming and his photographs are really powerful and they touch you, his images are also in black and white which I find makes the photograph more meaningful, but also brings this dark and evilness to the photo which is what Self Harming is about. Nan Golding photography is very different she wouldn't just look at one aspect of life it would be all different aspects which individuals would be struggling in everyday life. This is good for me because its giving me more ideas on what I could focus on when it comes to struggles of lives.

Mental Illness - Self Harming - Richey Edwards - IDEAS

Not only is it 'normal' individuals who self harm themselves but there are also celebrities and famous individuals who self harm themselves as well, and one person is Richey Edwards from Manic Street Preaches he disappeared but  before he did he cut himself and in away abused every aspect of his life.

Individuals look up to these stars and think that if they do that then its fine for me to do it and in away they don't think about the trauma and the hurt that these stars are actually going through. It was the same for when Justin Bieber did the drug Weed and all his fans started harming themselves because they were so upset that he has done this to himself, they are very much into the pop star or famous person that they react to everything that happens in that particular persons life.

Back to Richey Edwards, he carved '4 real' into his arm and there was a lot of discussion whether or not to show this image to the public because of the amount of harm and pain that it would cause other individuals especially his fan base which he received over the years.


  

Mental Illness - Self Harming - IDEAS : THE PILOT

Talking with my lecturer she mentioned may be just me searching online about individuals who are self harming themselves.  I found it quite alarming how many images came out, even though I know self harming is known about it was still a shock to the system.

One photography which is what I was thinking of doing is the one with cuts on the skin but in the form of words, I really thought this would be a brilliant way to portray self harming, but the one thing I wanted to change was not have cuts on the wrists or another part of the body with depressing words but positive words because individuals can get through self harming if they have the correct help, and I want my photography to have a positive outcome that comes with it. I am still going to keep to black and white because it gives this contrast of the two colours for the meaning that the photography has, but I would change the lighting a little bit, even though in this photograph the lighting is very dark and sad but as I mentioned earlier I want my photograph to have this positive element to it, so if the lighting was a little bit lighter that would showcase the positive element off to individuals viewing the photograph.

Robert Lenkiewicz - Mental Illness - ASSETS

Robert Lenkiewicz is a painter who paints about life. He first started painting the homeless but then went on to painting about mental illness. He painted images called 'Mental Handicap' he looked at the disadvantages that these  people had within society, this sort of painting had a powerful message in when it came into society and he portrayed this through this particular image.

Lenkiewicz wanted individuals to see them as 'These are people. These are part of our society. They are ourselves.' Each family contributed to the survey their response to a short questionnaire about the impact of their child’s condition on their lives.' I feel that documenting this and even though its not mental illness such as depression or self harming but its still affecting someone's life and can cause mental illness such as depression and self harming because they feel like an outsider, so I feel that painting someone who is handicap is good, as the quote above says they are individuals just like the rest of us.

These individuals in the painting are Barbara Bridgeman and Caroline Young (painted in 1976)

George Harding - Mental Illness - ASSETS

George Harding is another artist who suffered from mental illness and painted images of mental illness.  He quoted that' These paintings are of self portraits, portraits of artists, friends, family and mental health professionals who have guided and helped me through my mental health problems'. He has gone a different route of portraying mental illness, instead of painting these dark and worrying paintings he has decided to show a positive side of mental illness that there are people out there who are willing to help such as friends and family and mental health professionals, quoted again 'The work encourages people to look at ‘us’ in a way that is celebratory, unconventional and can teach us something about different ways of being.' He wants people to see mental illness as something which can get better not something which is looked down upon and something where no one can get better from it, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

I like this idea which George Harding has approached and I feel that I would love to approach this kind of thing, by making mental illness into a positive thing and not this scary disease which can't be beat as many people believe this is true. I would like to still focus on someone harming themselves or being depressed but somewhere in the image be it on their arm or the floor or someone in the image positive thinking words such as Hope, Faith, Loving, Caring, Kind, because this is showing good things about a particular individual and its giving others who are suffering a sense of Hope.

 

Clare Lieu - Mental Illness - ASSETS

Not only have I have been looking at photographers who are capturing the true essence of mental illness in a way which is so powerful and real it touches you. I have now moved on to look at artists who capture mental illness. The reason behind me looking at mental illness through an artists point of view is they would be able to draw/paint something which is much more raw than a photograph, in a painting or a drawing you have to use your imagination to capture and get a grasp of the picture.

An artist which I have found appealing and interesting is Clare Lieu, she looks at mental illness but in painting form. One piece of work which I was most drawn to is her paintings on 'Falling' she quoted while on this project "This project is a visualization of personal experience with depression and anxiety. The condition brought on frequent episodes where I felt emotionally and physically out of control. Unable to “release” myself from these episodes, I waited for the physical limitations of my body to end them. Recounting the affected years, I realize how accustomed I became to depression’s influence; many emotions and feelings belonged to it and not my own personality. After an extended, untreated struggle, a diagnosis brought relief, and the process of unearthing myself from the disease began." She is talking about her struggles with depression which I feel is really raw and real, she has opened up about it and created art work to help explain to others what she felt like on a day to day basis.

Here are some of her painting of 'Falling'

LINK TO FLICKR: WITH ALL MY ASSETS

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoelangham/

this is the link to my flickr with all my photos. :)

Everyday Life - Mental Illness - ASSETS

Not only have I been looking through books to find photographers but I have also been looking at other students work from different places and one which has court my eye is a tumblr account by a student from London who is also looking into mental health and they are taking pictures which are representing this.

What I think has really touched a soft spot with me was this wasn't just fantasy for them it was actual reality as they go on to explain that their mother suffered with mental health and they were expressing the affect it had on their relationship but also the affect they were going through as well growing up with having to deal with that. The pictures this  individual has put up wants to show others the sad realisation and show the emptiness and sadness which the photographs are giving off.

I want this to happen within my photographs, I want to create this sadness and emptiness within the photo to get the same effect that these individuals having over there own audiences.

  

Everyday Life - Mental Illness - Depression/ Not feeling worthy - WORK IN PROGRESS

While researching and reading through depression and that mental illness tag which comes along with it. I have come upon a photographer who is called Christian Hopkins. He captures images which create emotive towards the image which helps cope with depression. He has been battling with major depression for the past four years and many of his photographs are a reflection of the dark thoughts and feelings swirling around in his mind.

What I like about Christian Hopkins is the fact that he has never taken a photograph class before in his life yet and produced some amazing and beautiful images. There is one image which has really stuck in my mind was a photography of a bare back with what seemed like hands coming out of his back, its sending this message that someone is trying to get out but actually to me its very moving.

I am going to be taking parts of Christian Hopkins as well as C Paige. The part I am taking from Hopkins is the bare back but from C Paige I am taking is the writing on the body, he writes around the body as well as on the body but I feel that writing on the body is much more powerful and creates this meaning without pushing it in front of people.

Everyday Life - Mental Illness - Self Harming - WORK IN PROGRESS

Larry Clark was my inspiration behind this photograph which I have taken, even though his photograph is graphic and you can truly see the pain in the young person's face I am unsure if I want my subject to have the same reaction.

My image at the moment is just someone thinking about self harming, this image is work in progress and I will be taking more photographs of this and changing it around, I want to go a different route than just the normal seeing someone self harm but I feel due to speaking to individuals I need to go more dark and create the moment which this individuals are in and portray to the audience exactly what they are feeling at that particular moment in time.

I feel that black and white photography will help this image as I feel even though black and white is elegant its still showing this dark side of a picture which self harming is exactly that.

  

Everyday Life - Larry Clark - Self Harming - ASSETS

Larry Clark is another photography who has inspired when it comes to mental illness. I personally think that self harming is a mental illness and Larry Clark portrays this in his images.

It has inspired me due to his photographs showing individuals self- harming and showing people the amount of suffer and struggle they go through each and everyday of their lives. Even though I don't want to do down this route his most common subjects is youth who casually engage in illegal drugs use, under age sex and violence who are apart of a particular subculture such as surfing, punk rock an skater.

Even though I think that would be really interesting to look into, I think I'm just  going to focus on the self harming aspect of his photography.


  

Everyday Life - Mental Illness - C Paige - ASSETS

Finding C Paige really influenced me into looking at mental illness. He has a photograph of a 'mental ill individual' with comments which people had made to her or how she is feeling at the time written all over her, these have become a negative effect on her.

I have currently taken a photograph of someone who is portraying this 'mental illness situation' but what I would like to change and what has inspired me from C Paige photo is to do something similar as I feel it would bring more meaning behind my image.

I feel it will grasp the true element of mental illness and light it up in a sophisticated way.

Everyday Life - Struggles - Equality - ASSETS

As in my last post I mentioned about love and how everybody once in their life and how it can be a struggle throughout. But one thing I feel has been the most struggle is same sex relationship/marriage. Equality of same sex relationship hasn't been excepted in today's society and everybody has a bad vibe about the whole thing which I find very strange and I'm glad that same sex relationship is becoming more expectable in society and all individuals are able to be happy with whoever they want to be.

My photograph of these two girls are showing this equality of same sex relationship, they are embracing the relationship and happy with that certain individual, just because they are same sex doesn't mean that they aren't happy, they are just like any other relationship.

The way I have taken the image I wanted to create something so natural and so normal when it comes to a relationship that both sexes can do. This is where the idea of the holding hands and facing away. I find this pose loving and strong but also caring and showing a unity between two individuals who are in a relationship.

Everyday Life - Struggles - Love - ASSETS

Love is a struggle within life. Everybody at some point as been in love and sometimes love yes is a great thing but its also a struggle as well due to may be your other half working away or your relationship is long distance and it puts pressure on your relationship and causes you to stress more than you normally would.

With my photography when it comes to love, I wanted to create something which had meaning but without being too obvious. I was able to inform my models to do a heart shape, one half was one person and the other half was of the other person, I liked this idea which I thought of because when your in a relationship two halves make a whole and in a relationship it includes two individuals and they both bring qualities which the others don't have.

Even though I know a heart represents love I didn't just want to just photograph a red heart, I wanted to represent love which I have done, but in a creative way which I feel that I have done in a way which makes people understand that its about love but think more about it than just a red heart.

 

Everyday Life Struggles - Mental Illness - WORK IN PROGRESS : THE PILOT

As I have spoken about mental illness I wanted to create something which represented mental illness and create a moment of upset but also frustration towards it.

This photograph is a image of someone who is suffering from a mental illness . I didn't want to create an image of taking advantage of drugs but I wanted to grasp the idea of perscription drugs. The image is showing someone considering/taken perscription drugs and taking advantage of them . They have locked themselves in the bathroom to get away from the world outside. This is something so personal to someone and many people are unaware that taking perscription drugs is actually a illness and individuals need to get help for it. Not only that but its something that individuals don't think as a struggle due to people not broadcasting it daily, but also you are able to not see straight off if someone is has an issue or not which is why I find this topic so interesting and powerful.

The camera angle I thought was very important due to the fact I wanted my subject to be vulnerable and lost and low with life. I have done a high angle looking down at the victim as this sort of angle makes the victim/subject more vulnerable and powerless but is also creates the moment as more dramatic.

Everyday Life Struggle - Mental Illness - ASSETS

Mental Illness has always been topic of conversation and it is still in society. Bill Clinton once said that 'Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.' which I believe is true, I do think that a lot people don't get the full understanding of an illness and people are scared to support someone with mental illness just in case it reflects back on them but the only thing which is shameful  is the fact we don't do enough to help these people.

While researching into mental illness and looking at photographs it came to a bit of a surprise to me its such a shocking thing to have to go through some photographs are just disrupting but not only that but they are also so real and that is quite scary that an individual goes through that, even though I know what mental illness is, it is  still shocking to see images which represent that and show you what individuals go through on a daily basis.

Everyday Life Struggles - WORK IN PROGRESS

Homeless Big Issue man: A lot of people struggle through life and homeless people are just a minority of people. This homeless guy who I have taken a photo of is trying to better his life by working as a big issue man, he told me that he doesn't want to go back to being homeless and living on the streets like before hand, he said he used to be on drugs and was just a right state ( his own words ) this is a typical struggle which many people go through daily, there isn't that much support out there for individuals who are on drugs or are homeless, I feel that someone who is selling a big issue and trying to better themselves is a positive outlook.

I have titled this work in progress due to me editing it. I have decided to edit this photo into black and white the reason behind doing the black and white effect was because black is a form of elegance, mystery but also dark and death, black is also associated with fear and the unknown, where as white contrasted the black due to white connotations representing purity, innocence, safety and cleanliness. I feel this will work well with my photos due to majority of them bringing in this element of darkness but then the white connotations as there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Everyday Life Struggles - ASSETS

I have taken everyday life to a different level, due to be inspired by a certain photograph. I have been looking at struggles in life and everybody is used to seeing day to day struggles such as a homeless person, or someone who is selling big issues these are the individuals who people would represent with having struggles within life.

But I have decided to look more into struggles and go if I may say personal with subject. Being able to look at different struggles has been really interesting for me and has caused me to be more creative with my work. While understanding the whole concept of struggles in life I came across a lot of categories which could be consisted struggles, this includes : Love, Relationship, Friendship, Depression, Mental Illness, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Death, Loneliness etc. I will be using and incorporating some of these certain struggles within my photography work.

Mobile Phones and Everyday Life

Mobile Phones are consuming our everyday lives. Every single person has a mobile phone which they use everyday, if its used for emails, social networking, taking photographs or for just personal use, everyone is  using the technology of a mobile phone.

These individuals are using their mobile phones for taking images of a concert which they have attended, before it used to be a camera but due to technology we are able to do pretty much anything on our phone without having to bring a camera with us.

 

Pictures of Everyday Life

The difference of Everyday Life

I have learnt that not everyday life can consist of routine which people are in daily. I have found out that daily life and also everyday life can consume beauty of everyday life through flowers or arrangements of a certain shop window which people find beautiful.

The blog which I found this on goes by the name 'artsy ants'  I'm going to be stereotypical due to the photographs which are apparent on the blog they are very feminine. They talk about the photos which they have taken and the reason behind it, sometimes they don't post anything for a while because everyday life (as they say) and made them unable to grab the time to do so.

These are two of the photos which I like the best :

These photographs are my favourite especially the first one due to the shallow depth of field which she has used it really captures the essence of the flower and even though it focuses off the flower you are still able to notice the colour and the shape which it is showing.

The second photo I also like because to be it looks like nature vs nurture because she is a mum and she has a cup of tea in her hand but there is also a presence of a plant in the background which is of course likes to nurture herself. I also like how she states that everyday is different and has its own beauty.

Everyday Life- ASSETS

The reason why I have picked these particular photographs is because I feel they represent everyday life very clearly, the ups and the downs of everyday life.

The first  image is very touching as your a little unsure what is happening it makes you question is this person sad or fed up, but that is what goes on in everyday life because people do get fed up and sad and I feel its a true representation of feelings.

The second image is more of an up that happens in everyday life, sharing a family and having happy times with loved ones and  creating memories which will live on, I also feel that this is a true representation of feelings and emotions which people give off in everyday life.

Everday Quotes - ASSETS

I love this quote as I feel you should live everyday to the fullest and not just wish it away.

The other quote is also a great one to look at as it is very true, you are making your history through your everyday life, so if you want to sit back and remember in 10 years time about what your life consisted of then your able to and think that it was amazing and your life was fulfilled.

Birthday Party

Birthday Parties are also a way of socialising. Every single day somebody in the world is celebrating their birthday with their loved ones and on most occasions they party which invites a lot of individuals which is making you gain that socialising skill and giving you a boost to get to know people.

Even though socialising can be awkward its only awkward for a while and then your able to come out of your shell. I feel that events are the best ways to get involved with individuals are majority of the time they are in the exact same boat as you.

#Hereismybirthdaycake #21

Socialising

This is another photograph of socialisation with my friends this time these are my house mates, which is a different group than my other friends which I socialise with. Being able to socialise with a variation of different individuals has really made me understand people and their  needs a little bit more and not be selfish. Being in university has really made me independent in being able to socialise with people from different walks on life which I'm proud that I've done just that.


This photograph is also a long wide shot your able to see all the individuals which are in the photograph but also the surrounding and atmosphere which we were in. I personally think its a really magical photograph especially with the fairy castle in the background lit up makes it so special and romantic.

Socialising

Socialising is a key thing within everyday life. On a daily basis you are socialising with individuals from a different walk of life through work or university but then you are also socialising with friend and family when you can is also everyday life.

I feel that socialising can link in well with everyday life in the 60s and 70s because they socialised as well on a daily basis just like us in the 21st century do.

This picture is of my friends and I socialising at a meal which we do all the time to catch up and have a girly night. The photograph is a long wide shot due to individuals being able to see the entire object/ human figure, you are able to see what sort of clothing we have on, the drinks on the table but also the surroundings in which we were featured within, your able to see its in a restaurant due to the lighting and the sitting arrangement. Socialising is always a fun thing to do and sometimes it can be exciting to meet new people.


 

60s and 70s

Still on the idea of the 60s and 70s  of photography. I do think looking at these images which were taken they are elegant and they look really smart.

The photographs which were taken are by a photography named Paul McDonough, they are taken in the hustle and bustle of New York city in the 60s and 70s, they were taking in black and white which I feel is sophisticated but also got a sense of timeless feel to them, as you would have to be told what century the photos were actually taken in as they are very well presented but also the fashion hasn't changed that much, because many of the fashion which was popular back then is starting to come into the 21st century and is worn by many of the younger generation.

While looking through McDonough items most of the photographers are representing everyday life, but a lot of them can also represent everyday life the 21st century way, due to the black and white pictures but also to the things individuals are getting up to. Even though a lot has changed over the centuries due to equal rights, fashion, construction etc  everyday life still is the same in many ways.

For example this photograph of individuals in the park with people riding on bicycles, couples sat on the bench and children playing on a tree arm, this is what happens on a everyday life basis, I feel that everyday life hasn't changed much since the 70s until the 21st century  apart from more individuals are working and earning for themselves.

And this photograph as well is representing everyday life in the 70s and I feel  that this is also happening in the 21st century not much of everyday life has changed very much, and I am starting to see this while researching into daily life.

70s

While looking into everyday life I thought it would be a great idea to look into everyday life in the 70s and see how times have changed throughout the centuries. Exploring everyday life is exciting and a new thing to be investigating.

I looked at a photographer Joel Meyerowitz who has taken a number of photographs in the 70s and the everyday life which they consumed.  Meyerowitz photographed all over the U.S and the globe to get an insight into everyday life which is great, to get an over view of things.

This image which Meyerowitz has taken is very elegant and sophisticated I feel due to surroundings which the individuals he is photographing they are well off individuals due to the 'Gucci' shop which is present in the photo. I also feel that the smoke coming I'm guessing from a car makes me feel that it is from a Hollywood film/setting and even though it's in New York and that is Hollywood in away I still find it magical.

Halloween :)

I love Halloween, and especially when I was a kid purely for trick or treating. Dressing up in a witches costumes and going round knocking on people's doors and having sweets at the end, I thought it was brilliant. As I am starting to get older the fun is slowly dying down but you can never be too old to design a pumpkin and create something with it.

I feel that even though Halloween does not happen every single day I do still feel that leading up to Halloween is in every bodies daily life especially if they have children as children get really excited about dressing up and having treats at the end of the night, so it does consume a lot of people's daily life when Halloween is approaching.

I can tell you now that it consumed most of my everyday life due to the Halloween party we were going to throw for people making that as creative as we could possible get it but also by creating the pumpkins that's what got us in the true spirit of Halloween.


  

Public Transport Blog - Lee Welton

I have found a blog by Lee Welton on Public Transport. He has captured some great photos and one that stands out is one on a tube. He has captured it at the right moment where everyone is doing their own thing but they are sharing the same transport and idea of getting on a public tube.

He quoted ' Taking pictures of life going by on the daily commute can make those boring journeys to work much more interesting.' Which I feel is true, taking pictures of life as it goes by may seem strange at the beginning but in a couple of years looking back at those images will jog your memory back to that very day and you will remember it so clearly just from that one image you took.

I have realised this while taking images of everyday life, I didn't think it would have had an effect on me the way it has, I know for a fact if I look back on these images I will remember the day very very clear.

Here is Lee Welton's image on public transport: he really has captured it #brilliant.

 

Public Transport

Public Transport is part of everyday life, majority of people get on public transport to go to work. I use public transport on a daily basis and it consumes into my everyday life, I get public transport to and from University.

The only thing I would say about public transport is that at time it can be a bit of an effort but also the transport doesn't turn up on time, especially a bus and I think majority of people will agree with me when I say that it very rarely a bus will turn up on time. something has to be done about it in my personal opinion.

Anyways instead of going off on a rant about public transport and the cons of it, I do feel that public transport can be trusted and when its going smoothly it works a treat.

The image I have captured you are able to see just the different selection of people who get the bus they are all of different ages, class and race its a brilliant way to get from A to B.

 

As you can see I tried to make the picture a high angle so I could get the full view of people on the bus to show the different range of individuals which get public transport.

Every day Life

Still on the topic of everyday life. I'm still finding this very interesting as I keep finding more photographers who have captured some beautiful images of the everyday life and what is expected.

This article I found is by Henry Jones, who talks about images of everyday life. He says: 'Time never stops and so does our life. But still we sometimes find ourselves in some situations where we feel numb, the time stops for that particular moment. A photographer experiences emotions while taking a shot. Taking perfect/awesome pictures is really hard, as you don’t only need perfect timing but have to focus on other aspects like light, saturation etc as well.' I think this is very true and looking at these images on his website are just incredible, even though we are unsure on who the photographer is, it doesn't matter as the image is speaking to us on its own.

 

 This image speaks so many emotions and feelings. But this is everyday life, woman are giving birth everyday and these doctors for them its life and its such a special moment for individuals to experience, it can even leave you speechless, and looking through everyday life photographers majority of there photos are speechless and all you can say is this is what everyday life is about.

Doggy Love

This is my furry friend, my dog. Having him for 13 years he has become part of the family, and involved in everyday things. He loves going for walks and playing about with the family but most importantly he enjoys sleeping. The older he gets the more he enjoys sleeping but hey he is an old man at the end of the day.

He sure brings happiness to my life on a daily basis.

#cute #lovely #taffy #doggy #sleepy

Everyday Life

Everyday Life is seen as what somebody does or feels and how they bring that into the aspect of their everyday life. I think everybody at one point in their life has been in love, some people are in love right this second and I feel the people who are in love this second that is part of their everyday life as they are creating memories with this person, be it going for meals or taking a walk these memories will live with them.

I know this can come across cheesy but I am one of those people and so are many of my friends. The person I share my everyday life with is my boyfriend, we always tell each other about the others day and if it was bad or good, I feel this is a good way of expressing yourself to someone other than your friends. Everyday life is full of chaos and we have to learn how to solve problems when it comes to daily life.

Even though my boyfriend and I aren't in the same city that doesn't effect our everyday life we are still part of each other.


 The image I did a little colour change, I decided to go with the colour blue the reason behind this is blue colour represents a calming effect. It also symbolises trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven, and I feel within everyday life these factors are very important, no matter if its in a relationship, or a friendship or in the work place these factors should always be represented around everyday life.

My Everyday Life

My Everyday Life

Again, everyday life. Atomic Burger on Gloucester Road for people who haven't been I recommend it for sure, they do the best milkshakes in the entire world. They do all jazzy flavours ( I won't tell as you need to go and find out yourself :) ) I had the standard vanilla milkshake, I thought well you've got to start off being careful and then try the hard core jazzy ones.

I thought the vanilla was amazing, tasted so good. I was going to greedy and have another one but I stopped myself but literally they are that good that you will be wanting more after you've finished. The shakes also came in a funky glass like a milk bottle ( may be hence it being called MILK shake, yeah silly joke but ah well) and they jazzed it up with these straws but created them so they weren't just boring, bland straws but fun and child life, I was #lovinglife

Anyway this is part  of my everyday life as I wasn't on my own but with friends, and that's what I do daily  unless I'm studying of course but I hang out with university friends, house mates and when I go home to my city my home friends.