Connecting Essay 5

Reference Image

In the reference image above I thought the dripping blood was very provocative. This image could be horror related but equally could be from a medical manual. I like the composition as this adds emphasis to the hand and also leaves room for any message. I notice that lots of images crop like this especially in photo libraries so designers can add messages. 

My Image

In my own photograph I wanted to show the cut in the vein and the amount of blood that would result in a cut like this. I added lots of contrast and saturation to the fake blood until the got what i felt was as close as possible to real blood. This image actually had someone poring blood over the hand just above the cut. I retouched this out in Photoshop. I asked the model to make here hands as limp as possible but still show her nails. 

The model had blood red fingernails to add to the drama and colour co-ordination of the shot.  

The Connection

Both images show blood on hands. I took my inspiration from the reference shot but wanted to take it further and push the boundaries to the edge of believability. The red nails are believable but add a lot to the overall feel. The amount of blood is believable - Just. The fake cut in the wrist (done in photoshop) after the shoot could be real. Overall I think my shot is better than the original.

Connecting Essay 4

Reference Image

In the reference image above the wide open eye coupled with the reflection shows the fear of what might happen. The blue cast adds to the threatening feeling in the shot. This gives a feeling of suspense and menace. The blood shot eye and the veins show that the person is probably already captive and could have been kidnapped and held for some time and has been badly treated.

My Image

In my own photograph the bandaged eye shows that the person has been treated for some kind of head or eye injury already or is being restrained in some way the veins in the eye add to this feeling. The reflection of the person with a knife (from a previous photoshoot shows) what is about to happen. Turning the image to black and white adds to the menace and feel of the shot. I have also added a vignette to direct the viewer to the action in the reflection. The fact that the eye is not wide open can be read that the person has been so mistreated that nothing is any longer a threat to them. 

The Connection


Both images portray a threat of what is about to happen in the reflection. They are both in the genre of horror images and although similar both can be interpreted in different ways. But it's unmistakable that both are eyes and both show immanent threat. Both also show blood shot eyes and both are heavily manipulated and retouched to evoke a similar feeling and to lead the viewer to look more closely and guess what is going to happen. So both images have an element of suspense.

Work Diary - Shoot 8

Evaluation:
In this shot I decided to do a large range of possible horror images that would be viewed as being horrific. I decided at first to get images of someone with white bandages wrapped around their face. I also had them wearing different clothing though out the shot and at the end had blood on the bandages seeping though from the face to make it look more realistic. I thought this would be a good idea because in older horror movies the thing that installed horror in the viewer would be covered in bandages which though out the movie would slowly build up blood on them. The reason I did this is because the people most likely to view these images are of that generation and would appreciate it and also find it to bring up old fears that they had when they were younger.
The main point of this shot was to instal fear in the older audience because the techniques of showing fear I used were all from classic horror movies which I thought would still be rather interesting and horrific to shot. Most of the images are over exposed because it highlights the whites in the images.

In this image I decided to darken the blood in the image by making all red more black, this was to make the blood look more like blood because it was a darker shade of red then I had used. I like this because it looks like something for a vampire TV show poster. I like how the blood is also very dark and also that I managed to capture the blood dripping from the hand. Another point to make on this image is that you can still see where the person stated bleeding from which is the wrist. I think that this makes the image rather controversial because lots of people cut their wrists so this image would make certain people feel rather uncomfortable.

In this image I decided to take a photo of a persons head covered in bandages and then crop it to cover half of their face. I also decided to turn it into black and white because I think that it makes the image look better. Also by doing this you can more easily see the distinction between the sections of the bandage. In this image the criss-cross also looks good and also the small slits for the eyes make it look even more creepy. When I changed the image to black and white and changed the blacks and whites it made the eye slits fully black which made the image look even more creepy then it already was. 

Progression:
For my next shot I would like to have more classic horror. The way I am going to do this is have a person covered in blood dragging tools like a pickaxe or sledges hammer covered in pieces of people. The reason I think that this would be a good idea is because it reminds people of older horror movies and also is still pretty scary now. For another shot I would like to have them wearing a gas mask and is possible to be in a black mining suit or something along those lines to make it look like it was from a movie. Also the gas mask I use would be an older one from possibly the wear because it comes with a tube which I think that if i covered that in blood would look really interesting.

Here we see an image from the movie "My Bloody Valentine". This is someone with a gas mask with a pickaxe covered in blood. This is the sort of image I would like to get because it is a horrific image of a person with a gas mask and has a gas mask. The person also has a black mining suit which is exactly the sort of image I would like to do. This is the exact image I would like to try and re-create.

Here is another sort of image I would like to do because it looks rather  horrific  and all shows a murder scene. I would like to re-create this image but also with lots of different sorts of tools because I believe that all of the images would be rather interesting. These images would be done outside because they would create a rather erie atmosphere. I would also like to get an image of a person in mid swing so I could also get the fear in someones eyes just before they get hit by one of the tools. I think that this would make some rather interesting images.

Straight Images - Shoot 8

Exam Plan

For my exam I plan to do a zombie type of shoot in both a forest area and also one in a studio but with more body looking parts. This is because it links with both my criminal section and the new horror section I have started to explore into. For my shoot I will need lots of fake blood and make-up to make the four models I have look like zombies. I will also need parts of animals that I will buy a the butchers to act as human flesh being eaten by the zombies. I will also need prop guns as well to use for the survivor shots and also to add to the area to make it look like a more apocalyptic world.
I plan to do this at my house because there is a forest right next to it and also plan to use my own camera. I also plan to use a car to arrive at college and leave. I plan to arrive back at college for about 1 o'clock because that will give me time to download the photos onto the school computer system.

Connecting Essay 3

Reference Image

In this image we see that the photographer has taken a photo a a bloody boot. It looks like the blood has dried up and has clotted making it very crispy. The photographer has taken the image at a low angle because by doing that two things can happen. First is we see the boot in more detail and the boot takes up more of the image. Second we get a blurred affect of the background of the image which takes any unnecessary focus. By doing this it moves the viewers focus over to the boot straight away instead of them looking at the surrounding which shouldn't be the main view of the photo. We also see that the photographer has taken the photo and then decided not to edit it. This works well because it it doesn't create any unnecessary distraction from the main focus of the image being the boot which would be evidence for a murder.


My Image

In this image we see the that I have decided to place  a bloody boot next to a tree stump. In the creation of this image I decided to make it look like the boot had fallen of or gotten caught in the tree stump. I also decided to take it at a low angle so I could get some of tree stump in the image as well. This is because it adds to the affect of the crime. We can also see that this is from a crime because it is also covered in blood and also seems rather worn out and used. I have also decided to change the vibrance and saturation of the image to add a bit more of contrast in the image. This is because the boots surrounding area is rather light and colourful and the boot itself is still dark. It also makes the blood look more red and contrast more against the black of the shoe.

The Connection

Both images are of a boot that is also covered in blood. The difference between the two mediums of blood are in my image the blood is still fairly fresh and hasn't dried out and become crispy. I think that the still fresh blood works better in the image because it is easier to see and the contrast in my image between the crimson blood and the black shoe works well. I also like in my image that there is a large contest between the boot and the surrounding area. It works the same way as the top image because it moves to focus on the boot which is in focus and in mine it moves the focus of the image to the boot because it is like a dark void in the image because everywhere else is colourful and vibrant.

Computer Experiments