Panoramic Image: "Dance In The Dark"

After hours of planning out how to achieve one of my concept sketches [refer to my blog for those] I undertook 2 hours of shooting from the balcony in the Mandella Hall [Queen's Student Union]. I tried to recreate the frenzy and fun that is had at a disco.

For this project we had, once again, a few guidelines to follow. The first decision to make was whether we would have our images function as art or as documents whilst having a narrative. I think I have blurred the lines and achieved both. This image can function as a piece of photographic collage art or it could be an account of student life seen from an abstract [Cubist] angle.

The ability to collapse time into one image was another requirement. This approach was favoured by photographer David Hockney. To achieve this I took many pictures from one position over a period of two hours. The only other variables I changed in my technique were Shutter Speed [ranging from 1/30sec up to 1minute] and my angle. My tripod ensured that the angle only changed along the horizontal axis and reduced the obvious peril of camera shake. This meant that my focal length, exposure and aperture were fixed which provided a basis for joining my images in Adobe Photoshop.

The final image shows how people behave inside the dance hall over the course of a night [10:30-00:30] and how their movements and interactions are influenced by alcohol and music. The tiled effect allows me to fragment the spheres of time and space and arrange them en masse to create a new narrative. This effect provides the ability to juxtapose solitary dancers from earlier in the night [like the woman in the centre left of the frame] with the frenzied crowds that Storm the dance floor towards the end. These harsh contrasts display the range of actions that dominate a night out- dancing, drinking, chatting and taking pictures. The tiles provide a barrage on the viewer's senses as they are presented with varying lighting, motion and colour. This recreates the befuddling and chaotic feel of a dance floor where people are continually bombarded with lights and the motion around them.

To support the sea of bodies in the centre of the image i needed to have a solid frame. In these sections of my panoramic image I refused to upset the time and space too much. To stay within my themes of time, space and motion I had to repeat the rectangular boxes but the railing remains very solid. The railing acts as my leading lines as they draw the eye around the image- sweeping from the epicentre to the left and right edges. The repeated colour patterns within the image [see below for details] also help guide the viewer around the image and remove some of the overwhelming array of colour and motion.

I have used Photoshop techniques called 'Colour Casting' and 'Colour Balancing' to repeat specific colours and use them as motifs. The chaotic sections shot at long shutter speeds appear as a brighter pink and white where as the earlier shots in the night appear as darker blues. I have also added hues to certain sections of the railing- to do this I made sections on the original layer then copied it onto a new layer to add a unique colour. This allowed me to go beyond the images I had and create many new coloured layers- the best example would be the bright yellow section on the bottom left of the image. It contrasts very well against the dull wood grain which it was previously a part of.

The influences for this piece include the work of David Hockney [1937-]. As a photographer he pioneered the extended photo-frame image and displayed an outstanding ability how to collapse moments in time.

He carefully composes his images using a variety of techniques. I have adopted his tiled effect and although some people may find it jarring- I see it as revolutionary. It takes photography from the basis of being able to capture time and motion to an elevated level where the two can be exploded and rearranged.

Another contemporary photographic influence would be Andreas Gursky [1955-]













From his work it is clear where I have taken the enormous scale and use of jarring colours. Like Gursky my panoramic would be printed and displayed on a large scale- 2m in width and 1m height at least.

Alain Paiment [1960-] was another great influence upon my work. His work centers upon architectural panoramic photos whilst providing an insight into human life. He shows the banal and the mundane- supported by the simplistic colours he uses [see below]. I have chosen to depict a slightly more exciting aspect of life so my colour palette had to be equally as vibrant- hence the bright blues and luminous greens.

Finally, as a member of the website http://www.flickr.com/ I am am to connect with photographers across the globe and view their work. I was struggling to find sources to reference my work and influence my post-processing so I surfed the plethora of images on flickr. Here are a few of the best that I found:

These show, as does the work of Hockney, how the collage technique (pioneered in photography by Henry Peach Robinson[1830-1901]) is used to create a disjointed yet coherent image. The effect is similar to the abstract art of Kasimir Malevich [1878-1935] or the photo-montage of John Heartfield [1891-1968].

"Cyber Self" A Surreal Self Portrait

"Cyber Self"

For this 'Self-Portrait' task the only specified requirement was that we had to include text and convey some elements of our personality, background or interests.

The idea behind this image was quite simple- the world has gotten all too fast paced and mechanized. The metallic texture ripping through the skin was my way of showing how people are becoming more modern in their living and increasingly more dependant upon technology. The way in which the metal is shown is similar to scrapes, scars or scores; which was my way of showing how the pace of modern living has eroded or ravaged humanity. We are becoming more dependant upon technology- such as the incorporation of synthetic limbs and organs within medicine for example.

The binary coding is a great symbol for the digital age. This is the most basic code upon which computer systems are built. I have overlaid this to represent the dominating effect it has in our post-industrial world- it is everywhere! It was become more iconic since the film The Matrix (dir. Andy and Larry Wachoski, 1999) was released. In the film it was used in screensavers, backgrounds and excessively for special effects. I have slotted descriptive words (such as 'Poet') into the binary coding in an attempt to cover all the guidelines and help define myself. The words are quite jarring and difficult to find but this helps convey how easily people can lose themselves in this maelstrom of modern living where people can redefine themselves at will on community websites such as "Myspace", "Bebo" and "Facebook".

(The scrolling ciphers of The Matrix)

My abstract use of text is based on the work of Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) who was highly innovative in 1920's-1930's Russia for his graphic design and was one of the founders of constructivism. His work also included creative political portraits in which he used 'photomontage' for effects which were striking and fresh. His portraits are also cropped much tighter than classical portraits which increases the magnitude of the image.



The art of John Heartfield (1891-1968) is a massive influence on my work. His use of text in satirical Nazi propaganda as well as his sublime use of photomontage places him as one of the fathers of montage and collage (within photography). I have used text at the bottom of my image. It may not as witty or sharp as Heartfield's work but it ties in my personal thoughts and opinions upon the current global situation. The second line ("We have traded the handshake for the fist" is actually a Bob Marley quote. I have used this for two reasons: firstly, I thought it was fitting considering the current state of unrest within the world; and secondly, Bob Marley is a nickname that I commonly go by, so using some of his words adds more a personal element.




Other influences:

George Grosz (1893-1959) and his images of a desolate future and decaying bodies,



Man Ray (1890-1976) and his surreal work within portraits],



Alessandro Bavari (1963-) for his dark futuristic portraits and surreal collages,
















Daniel Lee (1945-) and his creative surreal portraits














Also, the random images that I found when I typed "Cyber" or "Industrial" into 'Google'...














From these images it is clear where I got ideas for my overlays (the text and the keyboard squares). They make the image much more complicated- quite like the shell of a computer or camera which houses many circuit boards and wires. These overlays also help enforce the cyber culture of which is on the rise.

My initial sketches are shown below.

The original image was taken using natural morning light diffused through a window. To help even the image out I reflected some light onto the other side of my face using a sheet of cardboard wrapped in tin-foil. This resulted in the dramatic light and shadow play across the face. A narrow depth of field was used so that only the eyes and nose were sharp and that all other areas were slightly out of focus. Using 'Adobe Photoshop' I enhanced the highlights using a 'Diffuse Glow' filter on a copied layer and then set an appropriate opacity to further control the extent of how the white areas bled into the remainder of the image. The metal textures were applied using a series of layers and layer masks. Once these were applied I used the 'Dodge' and 'Burn' tools to make them seem more natural- so that the light play was consistent throughout. In the next step I applied a light 'Unsharp Mask' to the area around the eyes and nose to further sharpen them. From here I 'Flatted' my image and began building up the overlays of text, shapes and colour which make up the majority of my image. I tried adding in additional images of circuitry and geometrical forms but this made the image too complicated to read.

Repetition within composition

When composing an image there are many factors we must consider; the most fundamental of these variables would be repetition.

This includes a recurring subject or theme, use of colour, use of texture, use of proportion, use of lead-in-lines, use of tone, use of shadow and form, use of macro images, use of series photos and so on. The linking theme between my images is 'autumn'.

1. 'Playing with Proportion'

2. Reflections

3. The Colour and Tone Repetition

4. Macro Magic

5. Shadow and Form from Afar