Soldier, Civilian and Veteran
Assignment five calls upon everything that we have leant and studied through context and narrative. Something I have struggled with through the journey is establishing the context to the image. Though this project has given me time to develop where it was, I wanted to end.
A single image that portrays the journey into what is still slightly unknown in my career path. 25+ years of service in the military will come to an end in April next year. It seems fitting for a portrait/photomontage to complete this course. Not something you’d expect from me from seeing my work over the course. Pushing the limits has been part of my life for the past 25+ years. At times I need the confidence to push further into new areas.
Developing the concept of Soldier, Civilian & veteran has been at the forefront of this assignment, you can see that through the work in progress projects. Assignment three spurred me on to continue to explore the self-portraitures, understanding how light can control the viewers’ eyes to study the picture.
During assignment three feedback, I signposted to Chiaroscuro, famously used by Leonardo da Vinci & Caravaggio, where he would create the triangle of light under the eye. During the development stages, this was something I played with during lockdown. It becomes clear to me how light and dark plays such role in not only my street style but how a portrait can give meaning and context. Something I hope is visible through this picture. Looking through images in Pinterest and other social media platforms, at times, leads you away from what it is you have in your mind. Conceptually it may seem right to look elsewhere though at times it would confuse the situation and take me to another image something I didn’t want. The torn images have been part of this project from the start; whether torn or edited in photoshop, it has pushed my editing skills and patience to it limits where a triptych may have been the final picture.
Demonstration of technical and visual skills – This, I believe, is something that you wouldn’t have expected from me had I been the tutor. It is well beyond what you have seen through my OCA journey. It is not street photography and shows no resemblance to it. What it does show is how I am starting to understand light and how it adds to an image during the composition stage. Using LED lights to a studio modelling lamp has proven its weight during this assignment and through the lockdown phase of COVID-19. Only when you have time can you see how things work. It has not been a rush to complete this assignment.
Quality of outcome – Overall, I am content with the final image; its taken plenty of tutorials to find the answer in the editing process. Nothing is ever 100% certain or finished. I have created a single picture that I am happy to say I made.
Demonstration of creativity – This had opened my eyes to something I was dreading when I started to read the course handbook at the beginning. It is not every photographer’s idea of standing in front of the camera. Seeing the works of Vivian Maier and Lee Friedlander has inspired me in delivering this idea of three images into one. It has pushed everything I have in my photography arsenal in techniques and creative thought process, to the way I have edited the image to how I capture the journey in time-lapses, and short WIP inserts to learning journal.
Context – The Soldier, Civilian & Veteran title has been key to this single image. Had this not been the case, it would have left the viewer struggling to understand. I believe this assignment establishes a side you have not seen from me. It had at times put me on the pedestal as to whether or not I would continue the study. I will continue to research and slow myself down at times to understand the context better.
Contact sheets ass five cam ass five suit ass five contact sheet bomber jacket ass 5 contact sheet ass 5 contact sheets
Why was this assignment so key to me you may ask? The reasons for this image is simple. So many people struggle with what is going on the world right now, mental health is a key issue that comes up more than once in a month depending on who it is and what they have done. We can have our lives torn apart at times where we do not know where our mind is. But if your talk and are prepared to listen, then these lives can be pulled back together as one. Mental strength is one thing having something to generate thought process and keeping the mind occupied is another which is great. Photography is my mental fitness, testing the way my mind works, keeping it busy by looking and stimulating the thought process. Having the tools to use to create visual art for me has been part of the journey that will continue. For those that know me I’m not one for talking about things, I prefer to produce them visually if you can understand how my mind works. Thank you for joining me on this journey of discovery.
Bibliography
Chiaroscuro | Glossary | National Gallery, London (s.d.) At: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/chiaroscuro (Accessed 19/06/2020).
Self-Portraits (s.d.) At: https://fraenkelgallery.com/portfolios/friedlander-self-portraits (Accessed 19/06/2020).
Vivian Maier Photographer | Official website of Vivian Maier | Vivian Maier Portfolios, Prints, Exhibitions, Books and documentary film (s.d.) At: http://www.vivianmaier.com/ (Accessed 19/06/2020).
Part Two Context and Narrative BA HONS in Photography OCA 