Nejron Photo - Artist Research

The moment I saw this image, I was inspired. In terms of colour, the blue haze given off by the light in the upper-left and the bottom of the image contrasts somewhat subtly with the beige/brown of the dust to the right. The decreased saturation of the image makes it all blend really well, thus making it easy to look at. I really like the framing of this particular image. The dust is being blown to the right, as are all of the particles. With the image being framed so that the model is to the left, more emphasis is put on the movement of the dust and particles away from him, perhaps implying that his soul/essence is leaving him, or that he is being reborn with the layers that are his current life being blown away. I am assuming that this image was created by merging several different images together, as opposed to creating all of the effects at once.

This appears to be the same image as the first, but un-cropped. I am choosing to analyse it still, due to the effects seen in the one that can't be seen in the cropped version. On the model's torso, there is a stoke of light following the path of the main "crack" going up his/her body. This effect looks as though it might have been achieved with the use of light drawing. If I were to try doing something like this, I would use a long exposure setting on my camera whilst I, or a friend, moved a light in a line in-front of the camera, with a black background. After that, I would import the image to Adobe Photoshop and change the 'layer' type to 'screen'. Then, I would add that 'layer' on the top of whatever image I want to add the effect to.

This, from the same collection of photographs by Nejron, is a different shot to the others. Here, we see the model with his/her hand on his/her head as though moving across it. It could be interpreted as the person embracing what is happening to them, which could suggest that they are being reborn. With the edges being faded to black, the light sources could be metaphorical for "a light in the darkness", as though to furthermore suggest that he is leaving his old, possibly bad, life behind and is being reborn.

Hooded Man Photo-Shoot Planning

After researching Dmitrijs Bindemanis and analysis some of his images, I am now planning to conduct my own photo-shoot of a hooded man -- this is something that I have always been attracted to in 'Fantasy' worlds, such as Sith Lords in 'Star Wars'. I consider people wearing black hooded robes to be interesting, mysterious, and menacing; the entire notion is cool to me. I would now like to capture my own fantasy of dark-robed men in images.

For this shoot, I will be using a black robe with a hood, my school's photography studio, and a snoot. I will capture the images under low-key lighting, in order to capture the darkness in the atmosphere as well as the subject.

On top of using my friend as a model, I will also use a timer to capture images of myself. This idea came to me whilst moving my hair off of my face when I was researching artists for Photography. I have long hair, and a fringe which can cover my eyes and upper-half of my head. I think it will be interesting to explore the idea of mystery and not being able to see the subject's face properly by not using a hood, but a fringe instead.

Dmitrijs Bindemanis - Artist Research

This is an image that I found whilst searching for 'Fantasy' photography on ShutterStock.com. This photograph of an 'assassin' was captured in low-key lighting settings in a studio environment by the look of the precise lighting which frames the head and the blank background. The subject is grasping a large sword by the hilt, holding the blade to the ground, and his/her face is shrouded in darkness due to the lighting and the hood. We can, however, see the spiky bottom of the sword's hilt, which is rather menacing. Dressed in all black, and surrounded by shadows created by the low-key lighting, this image portrays a dark assassin and a menacing atmosphere. The essence of this image is in the lighting, props, costume, and framing.







This is interesting as the pose, costume, and props in this image are practically the same as the first image's. Essentially, the two images are the same, however, simply by changing the lighting for this one, and zooming out a little bit, Bindemanis was able to create a completely different look and atmosphere. The lighting this time is clear, and angled to hit the subject's right-hand side. With the camera also being zoomed out more in this image, more of the sword has been revealed, and the light in this one now hits the side of it, making it more visible and therefore slightly less threatening. The same goes for the model's face. With a stronger light and a different angle, the model's face is now visible, and we can see a smirk on his/her face. Being able to see more of the subject makes it less threatening. The other main difference is the background, which now has smoke in it and is no longer blank. The smoke, possible added in Photoshop, creates an air of mystery, but also brightens the image even more.

As for this image, Bindemanis has created a rather morbid feeling. The low-angle shot of the model who is holding a sword to the ground gives the impression that he/she has just stabbed the viewer, and is glaring at his/her next victim/target. The black armour and spiky sword make the model look dark and menacing, and the facial expression only adds to this. Although we can see the model and the sword clearly in this image, it is still menacing due to the expression on the model's face, and the low-angle shot combined with the model's pose. The image is framed well for this, too, as the model's head is to the right-side of the image, and he/she is looking to the left-side -- the "looking room" helps build the implication that he/she is glaring at another person.

Sci-Fi Fantasy Inspiration

This image, by Rankin and First and from their book titled 'Myths, Monsters and Legends', has inspired me. When I looked at this, I, at first, thought of the crystal skulls (Ancient Astronaut Theory), but then saw something else. The shiny look of the skulls in this image reminded me of 'The Terminator', which inspired me to use a half-metal/half-bone (not actual bone) skull I have. I think that a fiery setting would look good, but at the same time, I want to make it more fantastical by creating the look of a post-apocalyptic battle ground. Maybe for the latter I could experiment with miniatures.








For the fiery setting, I am thinking of something like this. A close-up of the skull with fire surrounding it.







The half-metal skull I have looked a little bit like this one.

Perhaps the inclusion of time travel implications would make the image somewhat more fantastic. I will definitely pursue this idea, though.

What Does 'Fantasy' Mean?

'Fantasy', as I have previously mentioned, can be interpreted in many different ways.

'Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting... Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes' - Wikipedia

This is what I meant when I said that 'the genre itself can be interpreted in many different ways'. Whilst 'Medieval Fantasy' might be the way most people see the 'Fantasy' genre, and probably often view 'Sci-Fi Fantasy' as regular 'Sci-Fi', it is a version of 'Fantasy'.

With this in-mind, I have a lot of freedom within this genre to explore many different kinds of sets and imagery.

Legend Photography

Whilst researching 'Fantasy' photography, the first examples I came across were those of Legend Photography's work.

Legend Photography is a photography studio that does a lot of 'Fantasy' photography... photography. The work they have up for examples on their website demonstrates their forte of portrait photography, which is a style that I am considering experimenting with.

This image's focal point is in the centre of the Rule of Thirds grid, with the head of the model aligning with the upper horizontal line. This is conventional framing for portrait photographs as it draws all focus to the subject. The lighting is quite dark and low-key, creating a faded look around the edges -- this, again, draws attention to the model, which is important in portrait photography. The faded effect, and the darkness of this image also builds an atmosphere of mystery, linking with the 'Fantasy' theme. Combining with this, the Moon in the background, which will have been added digitally in software such as Photoshop, provides a gentle glow. To make the model look more fantastical, a mermaid costume has been used.

Portrait Photography (Fantasy)

One of the styles I could, and probably will, experiment with is that of the portrait. In a 'Fantasy' genre, many things can be done, and the genre itself can be interpreted in many different ways. One of the most common interpretations of this genre is 'Medieval Fantasy', consisting of things such as knights in armor, fairies, mermaids, dragons, angels, et cetera. Of course, these things can be seen in other interpretations of the genre, but they are conventional aspects of 'Medieval Fantasy'.

A good way to "show off" these characters is to isolate them and focus on their image, separated from the rest of their fantasy world. Portraits are an effective and well--suited way of accomplishing this.

Here are some professional examples I found whilst researching photography of this genre:

Exam Question

I have chosen to respond to the 'Fantasy' question for my exam. My decision is mainly based on my imaginative style and my confidence with using Adobe Photoshop to enhance the fantastical look of my images.

To respond to the theme of this exam, I will look at the work of multiple artists and photographers, take inspiration from them for my experimentations, and work toward developing my own fantasy style.