Info:
Rough Layout and Positioning
Final Product
Below are some examples of the pages up close.
The majority of the text below comes from my statement of intent, I have used it here because it shows my intentions of the photobook and I wanted this blog to be clear about what I am doing.
For my photobook I want to take my viewers on a journey through images that represent the union of dreams and reality, I chose to focus on this subject because of my interest in dreams and how our actual lives fuse with them to create bizarre stories and scenery that may represent certain events or emotions or just some random thoughts.
I’ve also chosen to focus on the aesthetic and technique of ‘found footage’ and liminality, I believe these help showcase uncanny worlds that combine elements of dreams and reality to create an image or video.
I plan for the photobook to be random and not in a narrative structure as I believe this will give the affect of spontaneity and randomness that dreams feature.
I have chosen the name “Threshold” as my book title because when relating this word to dreams it describes the space between reality and dreams which is the sole meaning of this project.
Inspiration
One of my inspirations of the photobook design is Yury Toroptsov – Deleted scene
The purpose for Toroptsov’s pieces of work and photobook was to document his journey in finding traces of his father’s memories in Eastern Siberia. His father died before Toroptsov had turned two.
Links used:
Mock Ups
The black border in the images below is what I would cut off. The same goes for the third image with the white boarder.
Photoshop Gallery
Conclusion
Overall I am satisfied with how this project turned out, I believe I was able to interpret the idea of dreams and reality uniting into some sort of screenshot or freezeframe of a moment.
What I would have done differently is I would have included a lot more human subjects and lean towards Francesca Woodman and Anthi Kollia’s work in order to create a narrative of a character experiencing these scenes (my images) instead of the viewer being left to interpretation. I would have also mounted my images differently to try and form a narrative.
The best part I like about a few of my images is the ‘found footage’/ liminal style that I had created on Photoshop. It creates a more eerie and old camera-like affect. I also like how it brought out more colours and caused a glitch affect.
Plan
Contact Sheet
Selected images from photoshoots
These are potentially all the images I have selected to edit further on photoshop.
Final Images (Photoshop Edits)
Development Process
In order to make the images above, these are the steps I took:
Steps I took to make the VHS style camera images:
To achieve the image below, I had created multiple duplicates of the original image, I then lowered the opacity of each duplicate layer to different setting.
For the first duplicate layer I had lowered the opacity down to around 50% and then shifted the image towards the right to get a glitch like affect.
For the next layer I set the opacity much higher I then erased horizontal lines all the way down the image to create more of a glitched affect.
For the last layer I erased the whole image apart from the cat, I then changed the opacity of the layer and shifted the cat into a spot that I liked in order to make the cat look like the leading source to the glitching.
In order to make the image above, I had taken these steps:
I then created a second version with a VHS affect as I wanted to see what the image would look like in that style.
To make the images below, I used the Brush Tool and slowly drew the hand prints, body and arms with my computer mouse, this was a challenge for me as I’m used using a specialised pen for drawing digitally, however I like how the drawings turned out, I think the messy, unperfect style of them adds more to the uncanny and eerie atmosphere of the images.
For the hand print image I changed the opacity of my drawing layers individually to make the entity look as if it is behind the glass. I made sure to have individual layers for each drawing so that when I went to erase or edit something it wouldn’t affect the actual image or other drawings.
To create the image (and similar ones) below, I had used a combination of techniques that I had explained earlier. In this image in particular, I took great inspiration from Trevor Henderson and his creatures, I decided to draw my own entity as I felt the original image was lacking something.
I started drawing a random shape and then used the Smudge Tool to pull out and distort the edge and overall shape of the body. I then drew lines on the creature to represent teeth, I then used the Smudge Tool to do the same as I did with the body. Lastly I drew the spiralling mouth or eyeball by using various sizes of my Brush Tool and stacking them onto each other, each time using a smaller brush.
For the final touches I had duplicated the body of the entity and changed the opacity, I then distorted it to make a shadow. I had also decided to include the VHS style to make the image look more film like, I then added some text similar to ones you’d find on “Found Footage” work and on old cameras.
Mind Map & Mood Board
Notes of other ideas:
For my project I will be focusing on the union between dreams and reality. My own interest in the subject and photographers/artists have inspired me to go with this theme, one of the people who inspired me was Carl Jung, a Swiss psychologist known for his theory about dreams and reality in association with the unconscious and conscious mind, unlike Sigmund Freud’s theory, Jung sees dreams as meaningful messages from the unconscious that could help people navigate both their inner world and reality. I was specifically inspired by his process called individuation which is the journey of uniting the conscious and unconscious mind to become the best version of oneself.
I was also very much inspired by Trevor Henderson, a surrealist digital artist who is well known for creating cryptid-like creatures in a vintage-style filter. His creatures and uncanny style really impacted and strengthened my ideas, I plan to also create my own creatures while including a vintage or ‘found footage’ style to try and include the nightmare side of dreams and reality.
In order to respond to this idea, I will create photoshoots that interpret the union of dreams and reality or the conscious and unconscious mind, I interpret this by using editing techniques such as blurring or creating a ‘found footage’ style to the photographs in order to resemble the transformation or fusing of the two worlds, this will act as the connection point. I will also focus on the aesthetic and technique of liminality as well as ‘found footage’, I believe these will help create uncanny worlds that combine elements of dreams and reality within my images.
For my photobook I want to take my viewers on a journey through images that represent the union of dreams and reality, Another reason I chose to focus on this subject is because of my interest in dreams and how our actual lives fuse with them to create bizarre stories and scenery that may represent certain events or emotions or just some random thoughts. Therefore I plan for the photobook to be random and not in a narrative structure as I believe this will give the affect of spontaneity and randomness that dreams have. I do want some of the images to link as if they are part of the same dream, I will do this by places images with similar characteristics or subjects next to each other on a page or two.
I have also decided to interpret elements of Pictorialism and the Baroque style, I want to include the soft hard focus (Mainly Pictorialism) and ethereality of both themes within my images in order to represent the delicate and enjoyable side of dreams, however I also want to use drama that the Baroque style uses, for example it’s intense colours, scenery and posing, I will do this in order to represent the conflict that people may experience in dreams or nightmares.
Liminal (Space)
Liminality is a quality of being in between two places or stages/on the verge of transitioning to something new.
I plan to use this inspiration by using liminal space as the union/connection point of where dreams and reality connect.
Liminal spaces look and feel real yet there is some dream-like and uncanny quality to them.
Found Footage
Found Footage is a cinematic technique and film genre, all the work is presented as if it were film or video recordings recorded by characters in the story which are then later “found” and presented to an audience.
I plan to use this technique to create some sort of narrative that interprets what someone may see during this union of dreams and reality/the unconscious mind. I also want to use it to make my images more intimate for my viewers as if they are actually watching someone go through these experiences.
“I was inventing a Language for people to see…” – Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman was an American photographer well known for her B&W photographs which often featured herself or female models. Throughout her life she had practiced techniques such as long exposure to try and capture movement, blur and occasionally full disappearance. She took inspiration from surrealism and fashion which can be seen throughout her images featuring clothing.
Woodman was interested in what photography as a medium does with time, it disrupts the linear flow between the past, present, and future. As a female artist, these interests made her work unusual for its time, since Feminist artists of that time were boldly affirming individual presence, Woodman privileged trace, absence, and reflection.
To create her photographs Woodman used long shutter speeds and double exposures, this allowed her to create her ghost like and ethereal images, by doing this she was also able to capture different stages of movement and a pattern of time.
“Real things don’t frighten me just the ones in my mind do.”
Analysis of Work
Technical –
Unlike some other pieces of her work, Woodman most likely used a faster shutter speed to avoid capturing movement within this photograph. She has also used natural lighting and a varied tonal range, the darkest parts of the image are completely black while the lightest parts are a smoky white.
Visual –
Just like the rest of her photographs, this image is in black and white which adds to the image’s surrealist atmosphere. In this photograph she is wearing a polka-dot dress and directly making eye contact with the camera whilst some of her other photographs feature her nude body and blurred face.
Contextual –
This photograph as well as her other polka-dot dress images were a staple of her RISD period, these images were made while she was studying abroad with RISD in Italy from 1977 to 1978, these continued when she moved to New York 1979.
This photograph in particular, along with some others, were made in her studio/home which was an old dry goods factory off-campus with no kitchen, heat or shower. The decaying building was used as a backdrop for the majority of her work.
I chose Woodman as one of my inspo photographers because of the aesthetic of her work and uncanny aspect of them. I was also inspired by the blurred motion that she includes.
Links Used:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/francesca-woodman-10512/finding-francesca
https://www.artnet.com/artists/francesca-woodman
https://woodmanfoundation.org/francesca/works
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/woodman-francesca
https://www.modernamuseet.se/malmo/en/exhibitions/francesca-woodman/francesca-woodman
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/classic-photographs/francesca-woodman-polka-dots
Trevor Henderson
Born in 1986, Canadian Artist Trevor Henderson is a surrealist digital artist known for his horror-themed artwork often featuring creatures. He had gained popularity online for creating eerie, cryptid-like monsters in a vintage-style filter.
He had been interested in the horror genre from a young age, his father was the first to introduce him to then genre and his parents have been supportive of his work ever since. His most well known piece of work is a cryptid called ‘Siren Head’ which he created in 2018, a game developer had made a game for ‘Siren Head’ in 2018. Henderson started to become well known and famous in 2020 due to famous YouTubers such as Markiplier and Jacksepticeye who had played the game and introduced his work to their communities.
His work also raised to fame due to the ‘Cursed Images’ culture. people would often use Henderson’s images and combine them into a compilation of cursed images along with creepy or cheerful/unfitting music in the background. These compilations would get millions of views on YouTube which further pushed Henderson’s work out.
Henderson creates his art by “I draw on top of photos using a couple specific photoshop brushes, and then play around with filters like noise and gaussian blur to try and mesh the two together!”. He has created hundreds of creatures, some of his most popular creations are called Cartoon Cat, Bridge Worm, Long Horse, Anxious Dog and many more. His creatures come in three different groups, Creatures (the normal ones), the Giants/Titans and the Giants/Misty Titans (that only appear in foggy or cloudy days).
Anthi Kollia
“Photography was the first form of art that made me feel uniquely different in my early years of all the forms I tried and experimented with.”
Greek photographer Anthi Kollia began her photography journey in 2017 and is currently studying photography at the University of West Attica to further develop her skills, her early work explored the themes of beauty, emotion and human expression. Her work often reflects deep emotional states such as madness, despair, and vulnerability.
Her work often conveys a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere, she blends reality with the subconscious to explore the intersection of dreams and emotions. Kollia seeks to capture the inner world of her subjects by turning their emotional states into visual narratives.
One of her projects called “Ophelia” was inspired by Shakespeare and his theme of tragic heroine, it specifically focuses on the themes of madness and sorrow.
Evaluation
I’ve decided to use these three photographers as reference to my own project because of their unique styles, compositions and how their images look overall.
Firstly, I decided to look at Trevor Henderson’s work, I really like his nightmarish style featuring creatures that give a spine-chilling sensation and how he fuses reality with these creatures to convey the feeling/image of a nightmare. I chose him as my first photographer to reference because he inspired me with new ideas of how I will present the “Dream/Nightmare” aspect of my images.
I then chose Anthi Kollia as my second photographer because of her dream-like ethereal images. I really like how she has used a veil/cloth because it adds more of an ethereal aesthetic to her work. I want to reference her because she portrays the beautiful and dramatic side of reality/dreams which is something I want to include in my own images. In other words I chose her due to the aesthetic of her work.
Websites/Links used:
Pictorialism
Pictorialism was a photography movement during the late 19th to 20th century, the movement aimed to make photographs looks like paintings. Photographs following this movement tend to lack a sharp focus in order to dreamy, painterly images, the majority of photographs taken were of landscapes, portraits and dramatic lighting, this was inspired by painting styles such as Romanticism and Baroque.
Pictorialist photographers used techniques such as:
The Baroque Art Movement
The Baroque… endlessly produces folds. It does not invent things: there are all kinds of folds coming from the East, Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Gothic, Classical folds…..Yet the Baroque trait twists and turns its folds, pushing them to infinity, fold over fold, one upon the other. – The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque, Gilles Deleuze
The Baroque art movement is known for it’s emphasis on drama, exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail and intense emotion. The term Baroque comes from the Portuguese word ‘Barocco’ meaning ‘irregular pearl or stone’.
It often reflected the hierarchal and patriarchal society of the time, it was used to persuade as well as impress to be both rich and meaningful. Unlike the Renaissance style, Baroque was known for it’s movement and drama.
To achieve the Baroque style photographers, such as Nazif Topçuoğlu, use techniques such as:
- Chiaroscuro lighting – A lighting technique that uses dramatic lighting with strong contrasts to add depth and emotion.
Links Used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictorialism