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cornelia

cornelia

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Cornelia
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Okay so I'm lovig tp soo far just uploaded some of my work.
Check it out and see if am on a good track :D

Oh yh so I'm doing my AS in photography and My project is about Empowerment of shadows any ideas of what comes into mind when you think of that. I'm looking at cinematography like the French Noir !930's sort of thing

Hope you can Help :p
 
This is why I think I would struggle with doing a Photography qualification, having to deal with things like "Empowerment of Shadows", my brain isn't arty enough to do it :D

The only thing that pops to mind for me is high contrast black and white portrait shots.
 
Sounds like a pile of low key shots to me... using the word "empowerment" sounds like a cue to do some nudes too, perhaps with the naughty bits in shadows.

Not sure thats suitable for AS mind you!
 
Maybe do a portrait of Hank Marvin sitting on a throne?

Too young?....thought so..:D

But seriously


How about taking it slightly further and making shadows the subject itself?
Dark, long shadows can do interesting things when cast a certain way or on a certain thing.
 
I had a similar assignment not long ago(I'm on a National Diploma), have a look at The Third Man (1949) by Carol Reed, a classic example of film noir and the very first film to be shot on location(most of it). And I think it won an award in photography, anyway thats the film we watched as a base to our project
 
Harvey_nikon said:
The only thing that pops to mind for me is high contrast black and white portrait shots.
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Yh I started off with that (Y) check my gallery to see if its what you was thinking. (Y) thanks for the feedback dough (Y) :D
 
IgorFB said:
have a look at The Third Man (1949) by Carol Reed, a classic example of film noir and the very first film to be shot on location(most of it). And I think it won an award in photography, anyway thats the film we watched as a base to our project
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Omg this was great reserch and helped me alot my teacher was really happy about it lool :D however he let me know that its an english produced movie so how can I incorporate it into the french noir thing?
 
Adey said:
How about taking it slightly further and making shadows the subject itself?
Dark, long shadows can do interesting things when cast a certain way or on a certain thing.
Click to expand...

yh I've considered that theory but applying it is whats difficult. I dunt know how to do it *** it be best to do it during the day or at night etc.. many guestions all soo confusing :/
 
desantnik said:
Sounds like a pile of low key shots to me... using the word "empowerment" sounds like a cue to do some nudes too, perhaps with the naughty bits in shadows.
Click to expand...

OMG :eek: that was my first idea but someone in my class stole it :razz: and she's calling it "sensual photography" (N) Grrr :bang: So i kinda dunt wanna have same work as another although it will be done diffrently. Maybe its me just being childish :?:thinking:
 
Well, unless you completely copy someone's entire shoot, its not really copying.

Just make sure you design your own shoot, choose your own models and lighting etc and then you'll be fine.

I suspect if you looked at everyone's submissions for AS photography nationally you'd find that the same stuff comes up thousands of times. Given a particular topic it would be hard to come up with infinite variations.

I mean you thought of it, I thought of it and your classmate thought of it - and thats just out of 6 of us on here!
 
cornelia said:
Omg this was great reserch and helped me alot my teacher was really happy about it lool :D however he let me know that its an english produced movie so how can I incorporate it into the french noir thing?
Click to expand...

Film Noir is not french, it's American.
 
For a start 'empowerment' is a really stupid word. It sounds like the sort of thing an overpaid manager with no idea as to what they are doing would use.

I'd lose it for a start its probably stifling your creativity and making you think in the wrong direction.

But French Noir is definitly the right direction. Not so much 30s, but there are loads of great Traffaut films with great plays on shadow and light that would help you.

Paul.
www.photographybyriddell.co.uk
 
riddell said:
For a start 'empowerment' is a really stupid word. It sounds like the sort of thing an overpaid manager with no idea as to what they are doing would use.

I'd lose it for a start its probably stifling your creativity and making you think in the wrong direction.

But French Noir is definitly the right direction. Not so much 30s, but there are loads of great Traffaut films with great plays on shadow and light that would help you.

Paul.
Click to expand...

I depends how the word is used.

Empowerment of employees is often misinterpreted as a method of transferring blame.

Empowerment as a social term, e.g. empowerment of women, of minorities, etc is very descriptive.

It would be short-sighted to disregard the term as stifling without exploring the possible interpretations of of the term in relation to the project. It may be an AS-level assignment, but there is an opportunity to demonstrate a very high level with a topic like this. Disregarding difficult terminology from the outset will almost certainly result in self-exclusion from the top marks available.

TBH, I think you've done well to avoid the "sensual" angle, as glamour/porn have very little to do with empowerment of anyone but the photographer and the viewer.

Film noir very succesfully identifies with shadows, but how does this relate to the concept of empowerment? What is it about the shadows that gives power to one character or another? Is it just characters that are empowered or did this style of film-making also transfer power/importance to the location?

Film noir is also a very literal interpretation of shadow. What else can shadow mean? It could also be interpreted as out of the light (out of the limelight?) and out of sight, or in the margins.

If the shadows are the margins of society, then is social photography the act of empowerment by making marginalised people/societies visible? Historically this could include the depression era photography of Dorothea Lange, in contemporary times this could include coverage of homeless, migrant or other disinfranchised members of society.

Just throwing out some other ideas for you.
 
IgorFB said:
........have a look at The Third Man (1949) by Carol Reed, a classic example of film noir ......
Click to expand...

Also have a look at 'The Night of the Hunter' (1955). Great use of shadows & silhouettes in this film - e.g.


IMDb 'Night of the Hunter' - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048424/usercomments
 
riddell said:
For a start 'empowerment' is a really stupid word. It sounds like the sort of thing an overpaid manager with no idea as to what they are doing would use.

I'd lose it for a start its probably stifling your creativity and making you think in the wrong direction

Lol, you're probably right. This is a fine example of art education in the UK. The tutor probably knows as much about photography as he/she does about Film Noir! Very sad.

Paul.
www.photographybyriddell.co.uk
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Alastair said:
I depends how the word is used.

Empowerment of employees is often misinterpreted as a method of transferring blame.

Empowerment as a social term, e.g. empowerment of women, of minorities, etc is very descriptive.

It would be short-sighted to disregard the term as stifling without exploring the possible interpretations of of the term in relation to the project. It may be an AS-level assignment, but there is an opportunity to demonstrate a very high level with a topic like this. Disregarding difficult terminology from the outset will almost certainly result in self-exclusion from the top marks available.

TBH, I think you've done well to avoid the "sensual" angle, as glamour/porn have very little to do with empowerment of anyone but the photographer and the viewer.

Film noir very succesfully identifies with shadows, but how does this relate to the concept of empowerment? What is it about the shadows that gives power to one character or another? Is it just characters that are empowered or did this style of film-making also transfer power/importance to the location?

Film noir is also a very literal interpretation of shadow. What else can shadow mean? It could also be interpreted as out of the light (out of the limelight?) and out of sight, or in the margins.

If the shadows are the margins of society, then is social photography the act of empowerment by making marginalised people/societies visible? Historically this could include the depression era photography of Dorothea Lange, in contemporary times this could include coverage of homeless, migrant or other disinfranchised members of society.

Just throwing out some other ideas for you.
Click to expand...

Thank'Q you soo much I've being sitting in class for the last term thinking about ways in which I can attack ,y work. The problem is how do i do these shoots is all well knowing but when it comes to applying it I'm stuck. Any advise or ideas?
 

looool i hear that but its my project and I've got to make do with it.
 
cornelia said:
Thank'Q you soo much I've being sitting in class for the last term thinking about ways in which I can attack ,y work. The problem is how do i do these shoots is all well knowing but when it comes to applying it I'm stuck. Any advise or ideas?
Click to expand...

I'll let you figure out the empowerment and shadows angle from the pointers I've given above, but how about Help Portrait? You can ignore the 3rd December date.. that's just one event, the principle applies 365 days of the year. Just make sure with the empowerment angle that you're always approaching it from the right point of view. It is not about empowering you the photographer, it's empowerment of the subject on the subject's terms.
 
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