The twice disguised is the fact that throughout our lives we have interactions with people, places and things that create who we are. We as human try to “disguise” who we really are for good or bad. The cloths we wear, the haircut we have, or the make up that is put on the face display this. No matter how hard we try to become the person we want to be we can’t change who we actually are. It is twice disguised because not only do we disguising ourselves from society but also we are disguising oneself to oneself. This is the idea of changing or pretending to alter the image of what we actually are to become what we want to be. We break down our body into small pieces analyzing which parts we like or dislike as though we are programmed to fracture ourselves into a look at ourselves not as a person but more as a construction.

In the creation of the photograph I wanted to show that both the mask that we wear is fractured which disguises who we really are emotionally and physically. So the imagery, I wanted to echo the idea of the mosaic style because it is a direct representation the idea of each of us being fractured. I wanted to showcase different elements of size within the photograph because we focus on different elements with in ourselves with a hierarchy of importance. The hierarchy is different between each person because it an identity struggle that each person fights in attempt to figure out whom they are. So I took close up photos of a person’s face at different depths. I wanted to put these images mixed and matched to create the essence of the hierarchy with in them. I then face painted a mask of a skull onto his face. This was done to express that we are born wearing a mask and the skin is really a mask onto ourselves. Also this was a play off of the societal needs that we feel like we need to wear makeup or alter our face to fit into a societal norm. This will also be a mosaic because we are putting an emphasis our imperfections.

In my photography I wanted to have an essence of Penn’s complex simplicity with creating a table setting. I also showed the aspects of the fractured imagery as well as the idea of abstracting the image slightly like Penn did with the hands. In my photograph I showed a man who is reading a newspaper sitting at a table. Off center of the photograph there is a fracture, which shows the other side the table, empty as well as smaller then the table that the man is sitting at. This displays the idea of how the man feels in his subconscious. Despite his persona of being dressed nicely and seems to be educated by reading the newspaper but inside he is lonely and life seems to be rather empty. The juxtaposed imagery showcases the idea of the real to unreal, but what exactly is real and unreal? It questions whether his inner feelings are the real while he is just masquerading as a person that he wants to be seen as. The idea for this photo of capturing this idea with in two separate frames one, which is trapped inside of a container of glass and the other on the outside of the glass which echoing the idea of seen and not seen.

The black and white image creates showcases the human hands trapped under a glass. They appear to be organic and allows for the viewer to try and figure out what the object is. I wanted to make it black and white so that the color is not distracting from the overall meaning. I wanted to make sure that the idea of hands being contained or captured is stronger then the distraction of color. I choose to crop the image creating a long strip self-contained by the wine glass and the hands. The way that the hands are placed is open for interoperation but to me it is appears like two men sitting back-to-back thinking. This is a sort of ambiguity in the fact that the hands are almost indistinguishable as hands but create an abstract form. The message is still contained with the idea of capturing, holding, or containing something that is unreal or indistinguishable. Also by containing it within another daily object of a wine glass. The wine glass is a symbol of high society and how they try to repress the things that are not known to them. I like the idea of showing this in a photograph because much like the zoo a photograph allows us to look on and try to find or figure out what we are looking at.

The Other photo I wanted to capture the same meaning as before with human hands trapped under a glass but this time showcase the idea of breaking free or away from containment. Breaking free from society shackles that try to repress and capture the unknown for the entertainment of others. This still shows the idea of real or unreal with ambiguity as well as a repetition. The showing more of the body with the arms and the back of the head create a new dynamic that again is indistinguishable to the eye. The form of the person in the wine glass is repeated inside and outside and creates the viewer to look closer at the message. I chose to leave color in this because I thought it was important to show that there is color in life if you break away from the shackles that contain you. This created another dynamic to the image.

Displaying Time

The second is both of my models together holding up six photos covering both of their faces. This one is intriguing because the photos create a wavelength and creates movement just by how the position of the photos is held jaggedly. The photo in this one is more of a storyline; one that echo’s their relationship. The photos can be a progression from distance to one of intimacy or vice versa. Or it could be looked at as the male holding the photos of them separating and the female holding the photos of them getting intimate. I set them up in a position that is common when a couple get photographed, the male standing behind the female. This was a discreet message telling the view that these two people have some sort of relationship.

Think

The First is a photo where a female is holding up three separate photos. It is open to the viewer to interpret it they way that they see fit. Is it an echo of different options or paths that she could choose? Each of her choices would result in different experiences. Is it an echo of her current relationship? Is it an echo of how she is nervous to be in a relationship? Is it showcasing how she feels about men? The ambiguity allows for the viewers to make their own mind about they see. I wanted to also have the photos held ajar to indicate the idea of movement and how each of the photos could have different outcomes.

For my exploration of Thursday I wanted to continue my exploration of echo but add the idea of ambiguity. I wanted to photograph a form much like Weston’s pepper. In doing this I choice the item of an onion. I think that the natural form of the onion creates a nice texture as well the veins that run down the bulge of the onion. I also like the idea of the symbolism of an onion with the layers. Much like society an onion looks messy and complex but over time we are trying to shed the layers. The picture that I chose showcases the different texture of the image. There is an echo of different textures as well as an ambiguity as we try and create something that is recognizable with the image. The onion is beautiful and at each angle the image changes to give an impression of something different. In playing with the imagery of the onion I want to just showcase the form, much like Weston’s Pepper.

Technically for the onion shots I had a strobe light with an umbrella on the background, which was a wooden blind. I had a white small seat that I placed onto a stool. That is where I placed the onion. I also had that light from the right by a soft box. I put a flag between the background and the soft box because I wanted to separate the light, one just onion and the other just on the background.

For my exploration on Wednesday I wanted use apples in a way of repetition. My original idea was to have an apple with the cut but is still in the proper place and form. This would show echo by displaying repetition, similarity, and a nice sense of rhythm. I wanted to play with this idea of a cut up apple slices that maintain their form thought several photographs. This idea is a more literal of showing the actual repetition and movement of the apple. I wanted to show the echo the idea of what nature intended to have an apple look like and how we as human take that object and use it to our own means. I chose to have the slices in the background because it showcases the idea better that apples are being used to our own means.

Technically I wanted to have the apple shown as best as possible so I shot it on the table sweep. I lit it from behind with a strobe light as well as a soft box from the front. I do think that it was shot a little hot from behind causing the apple to have a white glow around the apple. I like the glow around the apple but I think that it might be a little too much. I like the texture of the apple and wanted to showcase that so I chose the soft box that was almost directly behind me.

This photo seems to relatively complex but I felt I could try to recreate it. But it was not that easy. The way that I feel that Penn executed this photo was to run water down glass but have the camera maintain focus onto the face. I did run into a may lay of problems. It is a lot harder then I anticipated. The problem that I ran into was the ratio. In order to make the water transparent and keep the face in focus I needed to play with how far away from the glass I was standing. This was hard because I did not have a high zoom lens.

In shooting I would interact with my model by asking questions and shooting quickly as he was talking. I wanted to try and capture the essence of a moment in time that creates a sense of identity. My model is creating his own sense of identity in the way that he is interacting and I am trying to capture that with my lens. I set my focus at a range, which would allow taking shots rapidly. I did have some that were slightly out of focus because I wanted to give my model freedom to be natural when he was talking. I feel like each shot tells a different story and creates an identity of its own.