Research
Project Proposal
Key
words:
Fashion
People
Documentary
Fairytale
Colour
Innovative
Magazines
Galleries
Commercial
Overview
of interests:
Fashion-
Since
I first got into photography I had always aspired to be a fashion
photographer for a high-end magazine. I am really interested in
fashion, make up and styling. I try to keep up to date with current
trends and what's popular. When shooting fashion themed shoots the
only thing I struggle with is directing the model so I think I need
some help on doing that.
People-
During
my studies at university I have recognised my passion for
photographing people. We have been given several briefs which
consisted of photographing people whether it was on the street or
models in a studio, at first I felt out of my comfort zone but now I
really think this is the path I want to take. I love creating images
with people and trying to portray their personality and style through
silent imagery, I also love meeting new people and hearing their
stories.
Documentary-
I
also really enjoy documentary photography whether it being
documenting an event or even just documenting a stage in someones
life, or the city I inhabit.
Working
Title:
Societal Ideology
Introduction/Research
Question:
The theme of my idea is that
women/models feel drowned by society and the pressures to look a
certain way and be somebody your not. I want to do in depth research
into this and get responses from real women around me and use their
views to aid my project.
I want to use these responses to
shape the style and form of each image, so if one response is that a
women feels drowned by the pressures to look a certain way I could
use the underwater idea for that but I will not solely base the
project on 'underwater photography'. I feel this will work a lot
better as a whole series of images all underwater could get boring
for the viewer and the difference in responses would not be as clear.
I could maybe ask a simple question such as 'describe in one word the
way the media/society makes you feel about yourself as a women?' and
use those singular words to illustrate each image.
I also like the idea of
re-enacting popular images in the media that make these women feel
under pressure by portraying how these images make women feel.
I want to achieve a series of
images which will be displayed in a gallery or a magazine.
Aims
and Objectives:
Aims:
- To expand my skills in styling and making props for a shoot
- To create a series of work that creates awareness of the subject matter- To explore the relationship between society and body image
- Produce a minimum of five images which have been strongly inspired by the subjects.
Objectives:
- I'd like this work to have two affects, to show women that they are not alone feeling this way and make others more aware of how serious this matter is
- To use singular words to create an image, and make sure this word is portrayed to the best of my ability
- I want to create modern studio based portraits which are heavily propped to stylise the images
Rationale:
I want to use a current issue in
society and the media today, one that I can relate too, and mix it
with something I love doing, working with people. I feel it will
bring out the best in me as I am very passionate about this topic
and the medium of photography.
I will base the shoot on the
theme of 'Women and models being drowned by the pressures in todays
society' and I will ask women how they feel about the pressures in
society today then portray these feelings in a series of images.
I want to make this set of work
to feature in a gallery or to go in a magazine, I want people to see
the images and either relate to them or realise what the pressures
are doing to the women of our society.
Previous
Research:
During Level 4 I did an essay on
'How photography has contributed to the perceptions of women in the
media and the influence it has on our views as consumers?'. All the
research I did leading up to this essay will aid and guide me onto
more in depth research for this project.
General
Methodology:
Equipment loan- seeing what
equipment is available to me.
I am going to create a question
for women on how they feel about the pressures in society.
Data
Collection and Analysis:
Research into my theme and
create a question from the research, I want to get real responses to
enable me to show the truth on how women feel about this topic in my
images. I would like to use some quotes from the answers as captions
for my photographs.
Qualifications
and Restrictions:
Restrictions-
Location- depending on the
responses I get,
Model- willing to partake,
someone who relates to this topic.
Qualifications-
I have plenty of women and
friends who I feel will benefit from this project and feel like their
voices have been heard.
Specialist
Needs:
Camera-
- Camera
- Lighting
- Lens
Location-
I will probably use the studio
for most of the shoots so that I can create backgrounds and use props
to illustrate the response.
People-
Casting models .
Proposal
summary and development:
I have realised that the strong
element of my work is my interest in the media and how it effects
women and this needs to be the body to my project. Any other elements
such as the underwater photography may come into it when getting the
responses from my subjects but I need to focus on the main body of
the project.
I have watched the new Dove
commercial that was recommended and I really feel it fits well with
my idea. The sense of how a women feels about herself yet what others
see is totally different and I want to research into whether the way
a women sees herself is affected by the media and society.
Initial
References (subject specific):
|http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2009/11/kate-moss-being-thin-beats-eating/
Cohen,
S. (2006). Media exposure and the subsequent effects on body
dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and drive for thinness: A review
of the current research. Mind
Matters: The Wesleyan Journal of Psychology, Vol. 1, pp.57-71
Jobling,
P (1999), Fashion
spreads: word and image in fashion photography since 1980,Oxford:
Berg. Retrieved, from
http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0c1a2W1yBoIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=debates+about+body+image+issues+in+fashion+photography&ots=Vxx4xSLsZ3&sig=DN4yDrTNjD1Zu6vgetRfpyLfuKc#v=onepage&q=debates%20about%20body%20image%20issues%20in%20fashion%20photography&f=false
Lacey,
J,Craggs-Hinton, C & Robinson, K. (2007). Overcoming
anorexia.London: Sheldon Press.Models link to teenage anorexia. (2000). Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/769290.stm
Street-Porter, J.
(2009). Don't let the B*****DS get you down. London:
Quadrille
Publishing Limited.
http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/gallery/16958/17/the-teenage-gaze
http://www.suhaibwebb.com/society/media/the-pressure-to-look-right/
http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/the-reasons-why-society-puts-pressure-on-women-to-be-beautiful-18637/
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/home/Women-and-Vanity-The-Societal-Pressures-to-Look-Perfect-133851853.html
http://www.hellawella.com/comment/1451
http://hubberonetwothree.hubpages.com/hub/Why-Does-Society-Put-So-Much-Pressure-On-Women
http://www.artfido.com/blog/nyc-artist-shows-us-what-famous-celebrities-would-look-like-as-normal-people/
