My initial idea for the portrait is to capture a person in his/her moment in thought--not a pose for the camera/photographer/painter, but a secret or not so secret moment in his/her mind in the shape of his/her body, posture and face that in one way or another shows an emotion of that thought that they're in. Even though what I want to photograph is the complete opposite of someone posing, acting an emotion, as one of my research is film--in particular Bela Tarr's Kárhozat. Its dramatic despair gives a secret yet open view to human feelings and behavior, which I am interested in; to document in the means of making art.
As my photographic research I have been advised to look artists such as Sarah Jones, Helen Van Meene and Alex Soth because of their work has the notion of a photographer/camera not being there, the person photographed not posing but being themselves in their moments.
Alex Soth, from series Paris/Minnesota
Alex Soth, from series Sleeping by the Mississippi
Helen Van Meene
Helen Van Meene
Helen Van Meene
Helen Van Meene
I found all of the photographers as well as these works posted here very interesting; the sort of nothingness that turns into everything; something that that is silent yet screaming at the same moment, the moment of accident; the photographer shouldn't be there, yet they have been given this opportunity to come in and have these intimate moments with the people in the photographs.
In terms of aesthetics I'm interested in photographer Paolo Roversi's work especially his series Nudi, contemporary painter Hayley Quentin's work, and George Richmond's drawings from the 19th century.
My problem for this aesthetic is the fact that we have to shoot this project in black and white. I'm going to make test shots with different lighting to create this sort of feel for my portrait in this week's lighting workshop.
In larger terms what I want to do with this work is to make something very physical, very emotional and heavy into something light and transparent, almost as thin as air. I'm interested in the lightness and the single moment, thought, the softness of being in its own harshness.
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