Geekisthecolour on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/geekisthecolour/art/Self-Portrait-152276715Geekisthecolour

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Daily Deviation

Daily Deviation

August 3, 2010
Self Portrait by =Dieux-Faux is a very creative way of exploring self-identity. Not only is it beautiful to look at, it is also cleverly thought through and charged with meaning.
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Suggested by TimberClipse
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Self Portrait

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[EDIT] Since people have mentioned it ;3 I didn't make the cranes the traditional way, they're made so they flap their wings when you grip the lower front portion and pull the tail, it's just how I prefer to do it. I'm aware that means they don't look 100% like the traditional ones, think of it as another aspect of making the whole thing personal...

In regards to the shot and my school application, it along with four other images on the theme of identity and a write up about them got me an interview though in the end I didn't end up getting a place at LCA, instead as part of my portfolio it helped get me a place on another course I much preferred and will be will be starting in September X3

Thanks so much for all the faves and comments, they're greatly appreciated~
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Possibly one of the photos I'm going to be submitting for my application to Leeds College of Art and Design, they requested four photographs on the theme of 'Identity'.
I'm not sure if I've gone a little too abstract with the theme or not, I'll be explaining my thought process behind this shot when I write about it anyway but I wanted to do a more conceptual self portrait of sorts.

We all have many things that make up our identities, different aspects of ourselves and our lives that make us who we are. Each crane is covered on a short passage about myself, one for my beliefs, my history and the people in my life, my interests, my personality, my ambitions and one left blank for the things yet to shape me.

I chose cranes because while it's never been a conscious decision I always have a paper crane on my desk and I wanted to use a series of things that where otherwise identical because identity in a psychological sense stems from the idea of sameness and continuance.

Please feel free to critique this if you have chance, I would really appreciate any and all input. ^^
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:icondonotuseplz::iconmyartplz:
All photography © Lucy Newman.
My art is NOT stock. Do not redistribute, repost or claim as your own.
Image size
915x604px 417.44 KB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 450D
Shutter Speed
1/1448 second
Aperture
F/1.4
Focal Length
50 mm
ISO Speed
100
Date Taken
Jan 30, 2010, 1:43:42 PM
© 2010 - 2024 Geekisthecolour
Comments147
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twieja's avatar
:star::star::star::star-half::star-empty: Overall
:star::star::star::star-half::star-empty: Vision
:star::star::star::star-half::star-empty: Originality
:star::star::star::star::star-empty: Technique
:star::star::star::star::star-half: Impact

Hi,

while I generally agree with jaded-august on her critique when it comes to details, I personally believe that your originally very good concept could have been better developed. This does not mean that your technique isn't good, quite on the contrary! But I lack a certain consistency between input and form. I will come back to this.

First, a few words on your technique. You have good control over the composition, the crop emphasizes all the parallel vertical lines and there is a nice calming feeling in the way how all elements are roughly equal in size and evenly distributed. This creates a good visual background for one focal point, which is the bottom one of the cranes (because of the selective sharpness). Personally I would choose the one higher and to the left (closer to the natural "hot spot" according to the rule of thirds), at this moment it is not exactly clear which one of the two is more in focus, I find it a bit confusing. Nevertheless, your selective, deliberate use of shallow depth of focus adds to the composition. On the downside, jaded-august is right: the blob of light in the top 1/3 of the background takes too much attention, keep in mind that the viewer's eye will always automatically go to the brightest area of the image. I don't think it was intended, unless you wanted to suggest something? I can easily imagine this bright light to be some sort of flame, this would correspond nicely with the paper (flammable) cranes, but if it was so then it is visually not strong enough. To summarise: your technique is overall very good, and there is nothing that some selective dodge/burn couldn't help.

Now for the content. As far as I understand, you are planning to show this picture at your intake exam for some sort of art academy. I do not claim to be an artist, but I do see there is a lot of content here, which is good and will certainly be praised. This is a very conceptual kind of photography, the kind I personally enjoy a lot. This said, I must add that in my opinion you are trying to say too much and in a too straightforward way. Instead of visually suggesting certain aspects of your identity, you literally write them down and photograph text. Furthermore, since the text in the picture is illegible due to selective sharpness, your interpretation is 100% dependant on the written description. Without a word from you, there is no way for the viewer to know what you want to say. This does not disqualify your concept, but is deadly for a photograph. What people say is, photographs are like jokes - if you have to explain what they are about, they are not good anymore.

Now, as I said, this does not disqualify your concept, I still believe it's very good. If I were you though, I would choose between either photographing it in a much more abstract way or (maybe?) delivering the whole installation INSTEAD of the picture. Maybe let the viewer (or the examination commission) unfold each crane and read a short passage about you themselves?

To sum it all up, just one word of advice: please remember that your image is already a part of your identity - your technique, the way you use colours and texture, the choice of subject and medium - there is already a tremendous load of information that you put in your work subconsciously. It's already there, and it's good. What you should watch out for is that you do not overdo it, do not impose the interpretation on your viewer. The more gates you leave open, the more you make them engage in your photography. You have the technique and the ideas, now it's time to let go, think less and feel more.

cheers, Tom