Foreword: As I have already shot the main event of my folio, I wasn't sure weather to write in past or future tense. I wrote one way, then edited a 2nd copy so I had both. Written here is the past tense.. that is, the accurate one.
For the personal half of the final folio for the Social Commentary/Documentary series I intended to document the progress of a friend of mine, Kieran Walsh fight for the New South Wales state kickboxing welterweight championship belt. I planned to document his training and preparation as well as the final fight. The series should tell Kieran’s story from a personal, intimate perspective.
Kieran has been Kickboxing for more than 7 years and began fighting in semi-professional fights in 2007 at 17 years of age. Since then he has fought 6 fights, winning 3 and losing 2 with one draw. Kieran has fought the current title holder previously, before he won the title, and won.
The amount of work that Kieran must endure to be physically and mentally ready for a fight all reaches its peak on the fight night. I want to show how Kieran prepares for a fight, as well as documenting the night. On the night I intended to not just record the fight but show “the other side”. The people behind the scenes, the mental preparation and crowds’ reaction. The series will hopefully depict “snapshots” in time, that is, images showing reactions, emotions and candid moments.
I planned to shoot the whole series in high(ish) contrast, black and white as a throw back to the old film images of Mohammad Ali. I will and have of course payed close attention to maintaining details in the black.
I anticipate it being quite difficult to display all the facets of the fight (and the preparation) in only 6 images, so I may, as discussed with Belinda, submit up to 10 images, although I am aiming for 8.
The fight night was in the Castle Hill RSL in Castle Hill, Sydney on 2 August 2009. Permission was gained from the Promoter, Paul Grima of Pitbull Kickboxing to shoot on the night. I was ringside for Kieran’s fight.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Second Coming
Sooooo I put a lot of effort into photoshoping this pic.. so you better look at all the detail..
CLICK THIS LINK FOR THE FULL SIZED IMAGE..
PS.. Full sized is a big 6mb file..
CLICK THIS LINK FOR THE FULL SIZED IMAGE..
PS.. Full sized is a big 6mb file..
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Multiple Flash Portrait and Light Painting
A few portraits using multiple flashes.. Shot with Megan and Andrew so equal credit across the board..
Then a few light painting shots to ensure we understood the process.. nothing too flash.. (excuse the pun)
Then a few light painting shots to ensure we understood the process.. nothing too flash.. (excuse the pun)
Andrew signing his signature.. haha..
Civic and QBN photos
I personally have never felt too much of a problem with taking photos of randoms in Civic etc.. I have shot a little bit of street in Canberra before, and did a bit in Hobart on the "Tazzy" trip. I have also done a bit in Sydney. At no stage will I ever say I'm that good at it, but I'm not afraid of it. I find it a lot harder approaching someone and asking for them to sign forms.
A little girl also looking inquisitively at me taking a photo..
This kid told me he was at CIT, doing a survival course.. after he said he was 13..
Looking down from the walkway between Dendy and the car park..
Getting a look from someone while in the Bird Hide..
A little girl also looking inquisitively at me taking a photo..
This kid told me he was at CIT, doing a survival course.. after he said he was 13..
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Portraiture and the Construction of Identity
The images I chose to compare are as follows:
Hilary Swank by Norman Jean Roy, 2005
There is vast differences that are immediately obvious when you view each image. Things like the subjects pose and the colour or lack of it.
Jean Harlow is in a "cute" pose, on a rug on the floor. She is casually leaning on the bear's head, looking frame left. She appears halfway between comfortable and uncomfortable in her facial expression, however she is obviously not grinning or scowling.. All of this combines to give an elegant, soft and feminine like a women was expected to be in the 1920's.
The image of Hilary Swank is vastly different for many reasons. First of all the image is obviously a frozen moment while Hilary is running along the beach. The pose is dynamic and graceful. She is determined in her face, with her eyes set on what's in front of her. This gives the impression of an athlete. A women focused and dedicated on what she wants to achieve.
In technique, the images are again quite different. Obviously one is a colour digital image, while the other is a black and white film negative. The lighting in the photo of Jean is quite soft while the photo of Hilary has a quite harsh light. They are both lit from similar angles, semi-behind the subject, camera right.
The image of Jean could have been an exposure anywhere down to a second while Hilary's image would have had to have been faster than 1/500th of a second to freeze the motion. The aperture used in both is fairly narrow with the out of focus backgrounds.
Both of the images give a sense of who the person is, in the context of the day. Jean is in a very typical "movie star" pose and she also look like the movies stars of the time with the blonde curly hair.
The shot of Hilary is less typical of a movie star, however it is relevant to the character she played in her latest movie of the time, Million Dollar Baby. In this movie she is a boxer, who is training to be the best at boxing. Obviously this would fit in with what the article was saying.
The actresses 'identity' is not displayed in either image. Both depict a facet of their life, be it as a movie star or as a character they have played in a movie. The image of Jean is a typical movie star image. Hilary's image depicts here as a character of one of her movies. Either way the subjects have much more to their life than what is recorded in this fraction of a second.
Jean Harlow by George Hurrell, 1934
Hilary Swank by Norman Jean Roy, 2005There is vast differences that are immediately obvious when you view each image. Things like the subjects pose and the colour or lack of it.
Jean Harlow is in a "cute" pose, on a rug on the floor. She is casually leaning on the bear's head, looking frame left. She appears halfway between comfortable and uncomfortable in her facial expression, however she is obviously not grinning or scowling.. All of this combines to give an elegant, soft and feminine like a women was expected to be in the 1920's.
The image of Hilary Swank is vastly different for many reasons. First of all the image is obviously a frozen moment while Hilary is running along the beach. The pose is dynamic and graceful. She is determined in her face, with her eyes set on what's in front of her. This gives the impression of an athlete. A women focused and dedicated on what she wants to achieve.
In technique, the images are again quite different. Obviously one is a colour digital image, while the other is a black and white film negative. The lighting in the photo of Jean is quite soft while the photo of Hilary has a quite harsh light. They are both lit from similar angles, semi-behind the subject, camera right.
The image of Jean could have been an exposure anywhere down to a second while Hilary's image would have had to have been faster than 1/500th of a second to freeze the motion. The aperture used in both is fairly narrow with the out of focus backgrounds.
Both of the images give a sense of who the person is, in the context of the day. Jean is in a very typical "movie star" pose and she also look like the movies stars of the time with the blonde curly hair.
The shot of Hilary is less typical of a movie star, however it is relevant to the character she played in her latest movie of the time, Million Dollar Baby. In this movie she is a boxer, who is training to be the best at boxing. Obviously this would fit in with what the article was saying.
The actresses 'identity' is not displayed in either image. Both depict a facet of their life, be it as a movie star or as a character they have played in a movie. The image of Jean is a typical movie star image. Hilary's image depicts here as a character of one of her movies. Either way the subjects have much more to their life than what is recorded in this fraction of a second.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)