Robert Mapplethorpe Re-shoot Work Diary

Evaluation

In this photography session I chose to re-shoot and expand on my Robert Mapplethorpe shoot; I adored my first shoot for Mapplethorpe which is why I was so keen to shoot again. I used the same models for continuity and think I really mastered some of Mapplethorpes qualities with this shoot. I still had the same difficulty of expressing the same emotion within my photographs as Mapplethorpe did; however I think I got closer to achieving it this time.

Progression:

If I could progress once again with Mapplethorpe I would use different people and treat it as an entirely separate shoot rather than a continuation. For one progression idea I would like to try adding numerous models, so three or four at once, and possibly shooting with people dressed in unusual ways, or with dramatic makeup.

Robert Mapplethorpe Re-shoot Straight Images

Development:

Final Pieces

Top 40 Photographs

Robert Mapplethorpe Video Notes

Robert Mapplethorpe:
- Was a pre digital photographer who worked in black and white.
- He focused primarily on the gay community within society which he was a part of. (the sexuality of manhattans gay community)
- Americas most famous portraiture photographer/artist.
- Photographs show collaboration between squalor and glamour
- Focuses on controversial topics such as race, sex and nudity.
- His photographs were what he wanted to see his objective was never to shock despite this being the eventual outcome.
- His content was controversial however the quality of work he produced was exceptionally uncontroversial.
- "He has bridged the line between unacceptable and shocking."
- Mapplethorpe is known for capturing not just photographs but feelings and thoughts of moments in time.
- Robert sets the tone and takes the photographs to other levels
- His photographs were revealing of emotion, he could capture everything he was faced with, all emotions were bare.
- He came from quiet suburb outside New York City but then started art school and moved to Brooklyn to pursue his career as a photographer.
- Used still life to experiment with light because he believed taking photographs of people is too special to risk experimentation and preferred to use perfected technique.
- Robert was brought up in a catholic home.
- He shot album covers, portraits, still life, a listers
- He got some feeling from pornographic imagery and tried to create his own
- "Bath House" was a place for men who were gay to meet - Robert Mapplethorpe photographed many men from here
- He captured violence that was sexual "Legs from the ceiling"
- Robert was one of the main agents to help the community define itself because he captured it well as he was a part of the community and not just on the outside looking in.
- Nothing was set up/ploy/victimization it was all just what people in this time were doing - the way of life.
- "Obligation for me to do it - make pictures that people have never seen before."
- "Robert was photographing what he lived - his lifestyle"

Connecting Essay 5

The photograph I have chosen from the internet is a square of grass from a field, I chose this photograph because I think it is an excellent example of the use of colour, depth and blurring. Colour is used to draw attention down the photograph, depth is used in the way of how the photograph is taken slightly at an angle. and blurring is used in companionship with the depth due to the fact it draws focus on the bottom of the photograph causing the viewer to look up from the bottom to the top.

The photograph I have chosen that is my own is one I took in our Walk 1 shoot for the topic journey, I saw this as journey because of the way it looks like footprints up the photograph. The footprints leading through the grassy area add depth to my photograph as I aimed to use these as leading lines. Colour is also a major part of my photograph due to the fact I wanted a bright photograph for my journey collection. 

These two photographs connect based on their subject which is grass and journey of sorts, the grass can represent the journey of man or also the journey of life due to the fact grass has roots and can die just like human beings. These photographs connect based on the photographic techniques used as well for example both depth and colour are used in the photographs to give the effect of what I interpreted as journey.

Multiple Imagery Image Bank

These are examples of multiple imagery; multiple imagery is where the photographer takes photographs of one thing from multiple angles in order to capture the whole object. My favourite multiple imagery here is the one of the mouth, I love the way this focuses on the conflicting of beauty for example it is something which should be beautiful however the green dusting adds a dark quality to the photographs and challenges the way society views the face and makeup (with beauty'). Secondly, I really enjoy the multiple imagery where the photographs are combined with nature and fade in and out of each other, this challenges the viewer and encourages them to come up with their own concept.