Making

Being the busy bee that I am, I'm making a lot of the props for my shoots (1 down 21 to go). Tonight I started making this christianesque broach. It's not finished yet as there are some 'rays' to be attatched but I'm pleased with it so far. Tomorrow I shall be papermaching melons and stabbing them with pencils to make those globey cross ball things (the name currently elludes me).

Dermalogical Rebellion

Idealize or Fantasize

In 1972 Burt Reynolds appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine lying naked on a fur. It was the first of its kind and was somewhat ground breaking in the representation of men in popular media, however it was deemed highly inappropriate. Women were able to be viewed in a similar light, and were seen with acceptability. I feel it was the dominant men of the time who would cast out such imagery of the male form.
Today there are plenty of magazines that feature womens fashion and fashion in general. With men's fashion orientated magazines at such a low and other publications orientated around sports and sex i question whether men are able to idealize instead of fantasize. Is it possible to present hetrosexual men with a magazine based around them, their fashion and their bodies without them in someway wanting to fantasize over it thus putting their sexuality into question?

The Importance of Teamwork

So I've been trying to distract myself all day, thus the new look blog and the various posts, and it's time for another one. I'm putting this picture up of the team from my shoot on Wednesday. It really shows how important teamwork is in producing a good shoot. I had originally planned to use two other models but one pulled out for work and there must have been some kind of 'miss communication' with the other. However, I spoke to Paul the night before and he gave me the all clear and because Kyle was on hand I was able to use him as a second model. I was working with Roseanna Velin for the first time, and she's a fantastic MUA so it was really wicked having the opportunity to work with her. Then there's Poppy, without whom i'd surely be lost. If it wasn't for Poppy I probably wouldn't even be doing photography!

Cropped tops for men this summer... if only

I was looking at Romain Kremer's Autumn/Winter 10/11 collection and although quite a lot of it looked like something a mad doctor from a sci-fi film would wear, I thought there were some really striking pieces. I really liked all the cropped jackets and tops he had. Although I think it would look great, I doubt the world of men is ready to show a cropped section of their stomach this summer. Although, V neck lines have got lower and lower, there may still be hope!

Fearful Façade

For almost 200 years the dress of the Enlgish gentleman set the standard for all nations. Where as women like to follow the latest trends men stay firm and almost seem fearful of the change. The gentleman's appearance was that of 'country pursuits' and had to be functional for a variety of causes. In today's societ no such practicality is present so I question what it is that keeps men's fashion so rigid? Is the modern man's centre the office?(research source:Colin McDowell's the Man of Fashion)

The Hanged Man

So this was my first shoot for my latest project. This isn't the final image but it's one I thought I'd release. The models are Kyle Perks and Paul Og and the fantastic make-up was provided by Roseanna Velin!

And so it begins...

Today is the day I start my asceticism. The word asceticism comes from the Greek Askein, which means to practice a skill or art. I find this relevant in context for the reasons I'm chosing to do this. Asceticism is voluntary self-discipline which can come in many variations. Because of my situations I shall not be going for the all out Buddha version but my own defined type.
I shall be having reduced sleep, refraining from sexual pleasure, food and a variety of other distractions. I do this, like many before me to seek a higher spiritual ideal in relation to my current Tarot card based photography project.
I want to be more than a photographer, or at least to not make photography a career choice, so I decided to become more actively involved in the creation of the images. When dealing with something like divination this seemed like the right choice as many ancient diviners such as shamans would have done similar things.
Forms of asceticism are also present in modern media, in one way or another:
The Elric brothers Ed and Al where sent to an island for a month with nothing but a knife. They were told to find the answer to 'One is all, and all is one'. At first they had no food, so this bodily deprevation to seek an answer before their eventual training is a form of asceticism.
In Fight Club people come to join Tyler in his mission. Tyler tells himself 'The applicant then waits for 3 days without food, shelter or encouragement. He may then enter and begin his training.' Once again we are shown a form of asceticism - Space monkey, ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
By having an altered perseption I hope to be able to come up with original images that come from within rather than gathered from other places. I seek the origins of imagery and the capture of human form. These are the reasons I am chosing to do this, and I hope I manage to stick it out, without it getting in the way of my other responsibilities. This world we live in can be so constricting.
It's only after you've lost everything, that you're free to do anything

Howl's Moving Castle

The following are the images from my latest University project based around Howl's Moving Castle. It was a difficult shoot but I got there in the end.

Kaiul

I needed to test out some new lighting for my next project. It's a little weird starting it without having finished my current project meaning my ideas are still all up in the air. Hopefully next week I'll be able to get it sorted though. Below is the image I took of Kyle, watch this space for future work...

What is Art?

Without the academy to put in place artistic law the real definition of what art is, is somewhat lost and up for interpretation. Modern society rules anything with depth or meaning as pretentious, but I feel this this just a rouse so as not to appear to have any understanding of anything that hints at philosophy. Perhaps this is something to do with the age of technology.
I always say, 'It is the right of man to give meaning to that which has none,'. I think this statement encompasses what we believe art to be. I found a definition that details '(art is) the creation of beautiful or significant things'. With the ever changing state of the human condition, art is something we percieve to be so. It is something we give purpose to.
I suppose the real question here is, 'is anyone able to make art?'Some people look at pieces of art and because they don't understand it, or like it say that it is not art. Above I have provided a piece of abstract expressionist art by Pollock called 'autumn rhythm'. Some people may say this is merely paint thrown onto canvas rather than art, but I think it is the ability to create something and give it specific meaning that makes it art, appreciated or not.
The reason I write this blog post is because I am about to endeavour on the creation of a body of work. I have been given funding by Birmingham City Council to put on an exhibition of new work that I create. It is going to be based on photographical formats but I question what status I take upon myself and how that effects the relation my audience will have with my work. Am I a photographer, or am I an artist? Perhaps neither of these labels is fitting. All I know is that I want this creation to be more than just the production of images.

A Technical Hitch

Tonight was the night I met Noddy and his lucky 20p.
Today I learned that if you search for something, you will find it.
Be who you want to be.