Proposal FMP
For my FMP I am photographing women that have had a child/children and showing the effects of their body & how they feel about this.
For my FMP I am photographing women that have had a child/children and showing the effects of their body & how they feel about this.
The reason I have chosen this is because I wanted to do something that was personal to me, work with more creativity & concept but also stay in contemporary social photography. When I had my daughter I had a lot of mixed feeling about my “new” body. I was happy with the way I was because my daughter had made these dramatic changes to me but on the other hand I missed the old me and become self-conscious about my “new” body.
Every woman has their own unique story of what has happened to their bodies so I am using a range of women different age groups and different sizes. People photograph families; pregnancy etc but there is never mothers out there that are willing to just have the photo done just them especially nude or semi nude. Women that have had babies and children have different bodies once they've been pregnant and given birth and they view their bodies in a totally different light.
I want them to pose to reflect their feelings about their bodies using different lighting & lenses to help achieve this so therefore every lighting set up will be different to each woman. I will be giving very little direction to the models so that their pose is genuine and it shows how they really feel about their body. For example somebody that is shy and not happy with their body is not going to have a dramatic light and I would use the lens baby. To ensure I have the correct lighting for each woman I am going to get a quote beforehand to know how to set up the studio. Whilst I am photographing these women I need to make sure that women are shown in the best light & not to seem like I'm picking out their flaws. I am going to use the uni studio as there is a wider range of lighting, being more adventurous with lighting effects will help create the mood for the image I want to achieve and I am less restricted of space. The series is not being just for women to understand but also to give men an insight into how women can feel about the changes to their bodies after carrying a child - this can be very personal & not always talked about. The project is also very closely linked with body image and body expressionism so I am going to find other photographers (& maybe artists) that have tackled the same or similar issues.
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Examples of Exhibition Space
Photographers
I have had a look at different famous nude photographers and artists. Some photographers I have looked at are just photographing for the art of nude and some have a huge concept by behind the image. I have the research very intresting.
Jodi Bieber - Real Beauty
South African photographer Jodi Bieber's produced a project on Real Beauty it was inspired by a Dove advertising campaign that put ordinary women of all shapes and sizes on billboards.
This project is really relevant to my images I want to produce for my FMP.
All of Jodi's Bieber's work deals with reality, so she has not post processed any of these women, so all of the flaws are shown in each image. In her images on Real Beauty she has also brought a sense of fantasy as well as reality in to her images. This project was constructed in these women’s home, she wanted the images to appear natural and their poses to be unstaged, this would show each women’s personality and each image would be entirely different but conveying the same message.
The photographer uses alot of space and her images are quite simplistic.
Dove Advertising Campaign
This campaign inspired Jodi Bieber for her project on "Real women".
It was aimed away from body image and more toward helping women feel more confident in their appearance.
Ellen Von Unwerth - Campaign for Real Beauty
Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton photographed really strong looking women nude in the studio.
Robert Mapplethorpe
Rober Mapplethorpe uses classical tradition throughout his work and is insiped heavily by Michelangelo.
His book illustrate the human experience and well as analysis from art and photography historians
1982
1985
Walter Chappell
Walter Chappell photographs nudes but also close up of the body which gives an abstract feel to the image.
Ruth Bernhard
The Eternal Body was the first collection of Ruth's forty year study of the nude that was presented in a single, elegantly bound monograph.
Imogen Cunningham
Imogens book "On the Body" explore the human form in great detail: this includes eyes, ears, heads, hands, breasts, feet.
Pamela Creevey
Pamela Creeveys images on the body are quite abstract.
Edward Weston
Most of the nude photography I have come across has all been in black and white, which must be the fashion of nude photography. The images for my Fmp are going to be black and white although I will try in colour. .
Leonard Nimoy
The full Body Project
Leonard Nimoy photographed a project called "The full body Project" because he felt that our culture was conscious of body size and body image. Most of the images he did were nude women.
Paulo Roversi
Paulo Roversi images here are quite bright so it's difficult to see the nude body.
I like his technique he has used.
David Bailey
Brassai
Horst P Horst
Robert Mapplethorpe
Jenny Saville
'I want to be a painter of modern life, and modern bodies'
Venus Of Willendorf
In cavemen times Venus of Willendorf was seen as the perfect mother from the shape of her. They thought if you looked like this you would be able to look after your children better. Nowadays being small is the fashion.
Other Images
All these images convey the same message.
Poses and Angles
Some poses are more visible and some are abstract. I would like to photograph using both these techniques.
I also like the silhouette images in a quite high contrast black and white.
Websites
This following link is an insite about women having children, the link concentrates on both physical and mental effects. Each story told is entirely from the last. I found this link intresting and also very useful for the images I want to produce for my FMP.
These links show the reality of what happens after having a child/children. Also very useful and relevant for what I want to produce.
Printing Methods and Framing Work Ideas
Fine Art Paper
Matte Fine Art Paper is made of cotton or pure alpha cellulose present smooth and textured surfaces and are provided with a matt Premium-Inkjet coating. The coating permits high quality printing. Fine art papers are usually thicker and heavier than plain matte papers, with a variety of surface textures including smooth, satin, velvet and watercolor.
Acrylic
Frames
There are so many different types and colours out there to choose from.
I believe my images would work well being framed because of the amount of images I have. It would appear to overpowering for images and for the viewers.
Canvas
Prices
I have researched different price for different materials and printing options and put them in a table.
Printing Process
prepress, the actual printing process, andfinishing.
Influences on how we should look.
Celebrities and the media have a huge influences on how we they think we should look.
Model Release Form
It is very inportant to have to a Model Release Form in the exhibition. This is the
form I have made for the models and I have had all them signed it.
FMP Photoshoots
I photographed all my models nude in the studio using different lighting techniques and a mixture of white and black backgrounds. Post production throught out this process has consisted of the same techniques - de saturating the images and increasing the blacks. I experimented with both black and white and colour images but I felt that black and white suited my set of images best.
Model 1
This model was very confident with her body and had no problem being in front of the camera nude. Her poses were very strong and I believe you can tell this by looking at the images I have produced.
Lighting consisted of two background modifiers to make the background white and one beauty dish in front of the model.
Detail shot - The tatoo has a lot of meaning and symbolism behind it.
Contact Sheets
This is how I am presenting my images. One large image, two small detail shots and under the detail shots will be quotes from each person about how they feel about their body.
This was her quote:
I'm more confident about my body now than I've ever been. My scar is evidence that I've done something amazing.
Model 2
This model was very self conscious about the way she looks.
I have a black background as I believe it fit well with the style of image I wanted to achieve and also her quote.
Lighting just consisted of one large soft box infront of the model.
Her quote was:
I have low self confidence with the way my body looks. An ectopic pregnancy left a scar that I don’t like and pregnancy left me with wobbly bits, altogether making me feel unattractive.
I used a 50mm for close up shots.
I liked how the model left her necklace on, it gave the image more of the model personality through the image.
Contact Sheets
Model 3
This model was very shy about the way she felt about her body, I believe you can see this by the way she is postioned and how I have shot the image.
Lighting techniques - Two background modifiers and two black reflectors placed at each sides of the subject.
Quote
I have small breasts after breast feeding my children and a wobbly stomach which has no tone to it anymore. I don't feel as confident as girls with big breasts. I am now more self conscious.
I have made some images dark to help convey her quote.
I have made this image quite overexposed.
Model 4
This model wasn't very confident about her body. I used a black ground and a large softbox directly in front of the subject. I didn't direct the model on how to pose but all her images she was away from the camera.
I am less confident about my body since I have had my child, but I am also proud of these changes because they are proof of the journey that my body went through to carry my child.
Model 5
Model 6
This model was very comfortable about her body and no problem being in font of the camera.
Lighting: Two background modifiers and a large softbox. I wanted to be quite bright for this shoot because I thought it would suit her quote and poses.
I'm very proud of my body after having my children. I worked out before I got pregnant with this baby but it was more 2 get fit and healthy rather than for vanity or confidence reasons.
Contact Sheets
Model 7
This model was very confortable with her body and didn't have a problem being in front of the camera.
Quote
Before having children my body didn't have the bumps that it has now, but all the same I'm happy with my body as it is a symbol of my womanhood and children.
Process of putting images up
After researching different ways types of printing methods, I have decided to print my images on to boards. There was a few reasons why I had chosen this method:
Frames would of looked to much with the amount of images I have. The frames would of power my images.
I thought about printing my images on to fine art giclee paper but the images would of either needed to framed or mounted, but with the amount of images I have it would look over powering again.
I needed to print onto something that was matte, so I decided on the boards.
Getting my images onto the wall was quite challenging than first thought because I had to use velcro to hang them.
Stages of hanging.
All the images up and with buisness cards underneath.
I then got my lights up above the images.
Lighting Ideas
Backlighting (silhouetting), Rembrandt lighting, direct, spotlight, soft
Lenses
Lens baby, 50mm, 18-55mm
Printing Examples
Fine art paper / textured? / super matte?
Foam-board but sticking own fine art paper prints
Cardboard self made canvas's
Buy sample packs - canvas
Do sample prints before hand
Layout Examples
Practicalities
Budget – Left open
Timescale – Shoots 6 models booked in for photo shoots on 24th April and 1St May which gives me enough time to edit and sort printing.
Scale – See diagram above. I will probably do at least 4 of the first example.
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Report
For my Final Major Project I have photographed women that have had a child/children showing the effects on their body & how they feel about this.
For my Final Major Project I have photographed women that have had a child/children showing the effects on their body & how they feel about this.
The reason I have chosen this is because I wanted to do something that was personal to me, work with more creativity & concept but also stay in contemporary social photography. When I had my daughter I had a lot of mixed feeling about my “new” body. I was happy with the way I was because my daughter had made these dramatic changes to me but on the other hand I missed the old me and become self-conscious about my “new” body.
The series of images being not just for women but also to give men an insight into how women can feel about the changes to their bodies after carrying a child - this can be very personal & not always talked about. I research many different photographers and artists that have photographed similar issues and projects such as Jodi Bieber who photographed a project on Real Beauty, Leonard Nimoy who photographed “The full body project”. Being the first time photographing nude/semi nude I felt it was important and relevant to research not only projects similar to mine but nude photographers and artists. I looked into photographers such as Paolo Roversi, Helmut Newton and Robert Mapplethorpe. I also thought it was relevant to research advertising companies and the media relating to my concept.
Every woman has their own unique story of what has happened to their bodies so I have used a range of women different age groups and different sizes. People photograph families; pregnancy etc but rarely mothers out there that are willing to just have the photo done just them especially nude or semi nude. Women that have had babies and children have different bodies once they've been pregnant and given birth and they view their bodies in a totally different light. I wanted to convey how they felt through my imagery.
I wanted the models to pose to be natural and reflect their feelings about their bodies using different lighting & lenses to help achieve this; this meant that the lighting set up was different to each woman. I gave very little direction to the models so that their pose was genuine and it showed how they really feel about their body. In total I had six models, three models were very happy with their bodies and the other three wasn’t, this gave a good balance.
To ensure I had the correct lighting for each woman I received a quote beforehand to know how to set up the studio. This was very useful because I would how to handle the shoot.
Whilst I was photographing these women I ensured that they were shown in the best light & I was not picking out their flaws.
I have used the university studio because there is a wider range of lighting, being more adventurous with lighting effects helps create the mood for the image I wanted to achieve and I also was less restricted of space. I used a 18 to 55mm for normal shooting, 50mm for detail shots and a lens baby for both normal shooting and close ups.
I have chosen to present my images in black and white because I feel this gives them a clean and contemporary feel. I wanted the images to appear minimal and without props because I didn’t distract away from the cause.
All my images were post processed into black and white because I believe this gave the images a clean and contemporary appearance. I haven’t air brushed or edited the model because this would contradict the whole project. My images would be displayed with the one main image, two detail shots and the quote from each model; I felt it was important because using the quote would put the images into context. After researching different printing methods I decided on Foam boards for a number of reasons, for instance, frames would overpower the space with the amount of images I was having.
Overall I am pleased with my images and my photo shoots I have produced for this module. I have found it challenging not having done a nude photo shoot before and I found it to be so rewarding getting to photograph these women with their unique stories. I would like to carry on this project in the future.
Sizes
6 – 12x16
18 - 7.5x5
Prices
12x16 - £12 each = £72
7.5x5 - £ 4 each = £72
£144 plus VAT
