http://www.therealbenhopper.com/Projects/Natural-Beauty/1/
I chose Ben Hopper as one of my photographers because he has done a shoot on natural beauty from which the photographs above are from. I believe that his photographs are pushing societies perception of what beauty is by including key components that are not usually seen as beautiful but never the less are.
The photos above are showing women with hairy armpits, this definitely shows a feminist theme and promotes the beauty with what people would usually presume is ugly. He has used different types of models as well with different skin colours, hair style and colour and even their personalities are different. The woman in the centre seems to be more masculine than the other models and I think this is important to have in the shoot, different personalities, as it shows that the natural beauty with body hair isn't just for one type of person.
Having looked through his photographs on the subject of natural beauty it has given me ideas of how I could use a feminist view when shooting for natural beauty and I will also influence the use of different model types in my shoots.
I really like these images and find them extremely interesting.
Mihaela Noroc
http://theatlasofbeauty.com/archive
Mihaela is a photographer who goes around the world taking photographs of women from different countries. I chose her as one of my photographers as I think that her shoot targets a dramatic theme of racism. This is because she is showing that everyone everywhere is beautiful no matter where you come from. A quote from her website that depicts the whole idea of beauty, to me, is "beauty is everywhere".
The four photos above have many contrasts with culture however Mihaela has incorporated natural beauty with each woman to create a similar theme. I think that the fact she hasn't highlighted which country each of the models are form too loudly allows you to look even more into the beauty aspect of the photographs rather than illuminate the differences in race.
I could easily do shoot in the style of Mihaela and I think that it would be a very good way to show beauty. I would use a contrast of models and also try to make the theme the main objective in each photo.
I think that the idea of what she is doing is good however it could be looked into more and developed.
Andy Latham
Andy Latham is a landscape photographer and the reason I have chosen him for this is because he shows the beauty in nature. He has done shoots in many different countries taking photographs of all of the different environments showing the individual charm that each place has to offer.
My favourite photos from the ones above would be the pink lake and the snowy mountain, this is because the other two are very close to home where as the lake and mountain, to me, are more adventurous. I also really like the natural colours in both of the photographs and how he's captured them. I think that all of the images create a lovely environmental setting.
I feel that even though I wouldn't be able to necessarily take photographs in many different countries, that doing a shoot in Andy's style would be good and I would really be able to show beauty within nature.
David Ward
I feel that David Ward's landscape photographs show the beautiful world this is because the character in each place has been highlighted. He really captures all of the stunning colours in each image which to the audience will establish an emotion and feel of each environment. I feel that his photographs are beautiful in another way where each individual can conduct their own story.
My absolute favourite out of the above would be the far left as the colours all compliment each one another, also I feel a sense of magic radiating throughout. He really has captures an amazing setting. I also really rather like the bottom middle image as it has a darker underline that I find refreshing. Even though it shows the dark clouds in the background and emanates a sinister perception I think that David's photo shows the that you can find beauty anywhere.
I really like the images that he has produced and would like to base a shoot around what I have seen as it shows my theme and also because his landscape photographs seem to have a different impact than other landscape photographers I've looked at.
Susan McConnell
Susan McConnell was an obvious choice for one of my photographers because her work emanates the theme of beauty within the animal kingdom. Susan shows me the unique beauty in each animal she photographs. I think that she not only takes the images of what is undoubtably beautiful but she also takes them in ways that increases it.
The photograph of the three elephants is one of my favourite out of her gallery because she hasn't just photographed the animal, she has taken the photo so that the elephants are in a silhouette which to me shows more of the relationship between the animals. I also really love the zebras in the savannah as the colours are spectacular and it really shows the animals in their natural environment. Lastly the photograph of the swans is another beautiful image of hers that I adore, I really like this image because, unlike the zebra one, the lack of colour is what makes the image beautiful. You can imagine a story with this photo. Also as swans are most commonly known for their white feathers the whole photo being in a High key style creates an extremely natural feel to the photo.
I think that beauty in animals would be an amazing shoot to do as there are so many different species and techniques with which I could use.
Craig Jones
Craig Jones is another wildlife photographer, however I feel that his photographs are different to others that I have looked at. The animals in the images seem to be a lot more natural in the sense that it looks as though he has caught the animals in a movement or whilst doing something. I really like the different shoots that he has done since in all of them the colours are vibrant but do not seem as though they have been modified on computer, they also use techniques such as repetition, reflection, movement and silhouettes.
I really like all of the photographs above but the image of the orangutan. I like the things like how the orange fur is just highlighted around the edge of his body because to me this feels like its telling me what animal it is but still with a hint of mystery. Also I like that the trees in the foreground are in silhouette because it lets you focus on what Craig wants you to be looking at but at the same time it give the image depth and creates more of a natural setting.
The photo of the peacock is literally named "beauty of nature" which is the whole relevance of my theme. A quote from Craigs website that also has such significance to my project is "Captures the beauty of the natural world" this is what I hope to achieve in my shoots.
I would absolutely love to be able to create a whole project on shooting wildlife animals in this style because I really believe that it shows beauty. However I feel that it would be more of a challenge since I would be limited to what animals I could use, so I will have to plan a shoot out carefully to be able to accomplish what I would hope to.
Silvia Mana
The images above are from Silvia's 'natural woman in a natural environment' shoot. Looking through I can understand where the title is coming into the photographs however through many of the images she has decided to cover the models body with a thin, sheer type material which I think completely stunts the impact of this shoot because it means that the model is not completely natural I feel it contrast with what the title says she's trying to show.
I chose the three images above as they were the only photographs that I felt actually shows natural beauty.
The first photo is nice where the dirt is on her back and she's lying on the ground, it looks like she's connecting with nature and really showing the natural grace of the forest. The main colour in the image is brown or nude which are both connected to the natural world. The image would be suitable to more of an audience since you can only see her back but the implication that she is naked is still there.
The second image is my favourite out of the three as it shows the natural beauty of three different aspects and infuses them all together in one image. Each aspect seems to have there own section to the photo however they cross over slightly which make the photo feel less set up. I also think that placing the image upside down gives it a different viewpoint that makes it more interesting.
The final photo is my least favourite of them because even though it gives a wider angle and shows a lot more of nature the fact that the model is covered in a material makes me feel that she was embarrassed to show fully naked bodies in her photographs, I think she should have just shown the body at how it would be naturally.
I don't think that I will be doing a shoot in this style as it would hard to find a model willing to be naked also finding a place where it would be legal to shoot with naked models. The difficulties that would come with this shoot doesn't make me excited or wanting to do a shoot in this style.
Robert Charbonnet
Looking through Charbonnet's photography I've noticed that the theme of beauty is clear. He has done a mix of shoots, all of which I've seen with models, some with make up and others completely natural. I think that the photos of the models without makeup on show a very typical natural beauty, the models are stereotypically beautiful to what society believes, because of this Charbonnet is not one of my personal favourite natural beauty photographers. I do like however that he has photographer not only photos of women but men in his photos. I feel that his shots do not really show any contrasts to one another, however I think that my favourite photo would be the medium shot of the woman's body as I feel it tries to convey a positive opinion on natural bodies. In opposition I also feel that the fact he has only used a certain body shape does not help show the same message. I think that I could do a shoot in Charbonnet's fashion style and to try and build on it to show a wider range of natural beauty. For example I would take photographs using the same techniques and angles but use didn't body shapes and types to show how every body is beautiful in its own way.
The photos he's done where the models are wearing make up really shows beauty and I think will connect with a lot of women as make up is globally used in an attempt to create a more find beauty in that person.
Gracie Hagen
The shoot that I looked at of Hagens shows two photos of each of the models where in one they seem proud of their naked form and in the other they seem awkward with being unclothed. I really like these photographs because I feel that she was trying to show that your body can be seen as beautiful even though the observer themselves can not necceserily see it.
The fact that all of the photographs out of her shoot are in the same style I think that each individual photo works in showing beauty and gives a different feeling. Each model shows their own personality and I think their own battles with how they either view or used to view their bodies.
I think each photo holds the same good and bad qualities. She also had used a variety of ages in her models which I love because beauty is not just in a certain age range.
The difference in the colours of the backgrounds I find irritating as it is not consistent with each photo, the shades of blue vary. This however is not changing the message of impact from the theme of beauty.
I would be seriously interested in doing a shoot like this one as having the side by side photos creates an easy contrast to show how I believe people should view and feel about themselves. It would be extremely relevant to my subject topic and help show it.
Jade Beall
Beall has dedicated herself to photographing beauty mostly in motherhood for example being pregnant, with their children and even older mothers. Her website name is 'truthful beauty and self love' which practically says it all. I really like her photography because I feel like her choice of showing beauty in birth and making life as refreshing as I have never seen someone try and show this. I think that her work shows the theme in two different ways, firstly by showing pregnancy and the relationship between mother and child because being pregnant and giving birth are one of the most natural things to happen. Secondly I think she tries to show that even though their bodies many have changed, the female body after they have been through pregnancy and child birth is still beautiful.
My favourite image from above would be the one of all of the women with their children and the pregnant women behind because it shows the beauty of the different stages of becoming a mother. I do however feel that the way the models have been set out could have been done in more of an interesting, artistic way as the way it has been done makes me feel as if it was just caught in the moment.
It would be difficult to do a photo shoot myself of beauty in motherhood and pregnancy as finding models would be difficult. I do not see myself doing a shoot along these lines for my project however I feel I could maybe use and shoot like this in the future.
Jen Davis
This was a personal project for Jen Davis as it is about her own struggle with how she feels about her appearance. A quote from Davis that links her project to my own personal theme of natural beauty is "I was doing was seducing myself. I could't necessarily identify with the idea of someone seeing me as 'beautiful' but I could accept that the pictures that I created and inhabited were." I think this is a very powerful shoot at it shows the insecurities that a lot of people have and highlights the beauty that is there.
I really like the photo where she is sitting on the bed because there is so much emotion in this image, from how her head hangs down a little it makes her seem disappointed and some what feel as if she's not worthy to hold her head up high. I also like how she has used natural lighting in these images, in this photo the light is mainly focused on the main objective of herself and this makes the darkness of the room look as though it is creeping in towards her, which could depict her mental feelings towards how she looks.
My least favourite out of the four above would have to be the one in the brightly lit room. I think that the lighting doesn't create an impact on the image or convey how she looks she's feeling.
I think that doing a shoot like this would be such an impact especially to myself. I think that everybody will have things that they do not particularly like about their bodies, no matter what size or shape, so it would be similar in what its trying to achieve of showing the beauty in a person even though they themselves can not see it, however it will show differences in the feelings as my personal thoughts and peeves about my body are not the same as others.
Randy Halverson
http://dakotalapse.com/night-sky-workshops/
I am obsessed with the photographs that Halverson has taken of the night sky and whats more natural than the universe. The colours and detail in the images creates a sense of fantasy and magic, it also almost doesn't seem real because in cities and lit areas where people live its hard to see a night sky that looks like this.
I especially like the photo with the tree in the centre. I love how the tree is in silhouette because it allows the viewer to to focus on the sky, however still gives the effect of being grounded and on earth. The colours in this image are simply spectacular. I do however feel it would give more of an impact if the sunset on the right side had not been there, although it does show the realism of the photo.
I do like how he has everything that is not the sky itself in non colour because it does just focus us in on the beauty of the sky.
Even though I do like the photo of just the stars and the sky with no reference to earth, its not my personal favourite and I think thats because it doesn't feel real in a strong way for me as I wouldn't be able to see the sky like that, except in certain scenarios.
I would absolutely love to shoot the night sky in my beauty project, I feel that it wouldn't be common idea when people think of what beauty is and there would be so many techniques that I could use in this shoot such as animation of a shooting star or multiple imagery of different night skies. I do however feel that this would be a difficult shoot to do as it would have to take place at night and I would have to be able to capture the stars and colours. I would add other images while doing this projects, I would also take images of sunsets, sunrises and the beauty of the sky during the day as I feel they all show beauty.
Patrick Zephyr
http://www.patrickzephyrphoto.com/gallery/
These photographs are incredible as they show the beauty in insects and small animals where you wouldn't usually be able to see or notice. The amount of detail and colour that he has been able to capture is amazing and would shock people.
I love all of the images above especially the first one of the dragon fly simply because the detail of the wings is just beautiful, Ive never been able to look at the wings of an insect of this size. The mix of colours that the dragon fly has wouldn't usually be linked with nature because they are so vibrant but Zephyr has really embraced and shown them.
The image of the spider is an interesting one to me, spiders are widely known for being scary and have a huge phobia rate in humans but this image does not show it as being scary in any way in fact he's given the spider a warm and teddy like feeling, this is from the way he's photographed the glint in the eyes, also the hairs and colours add to the teddy like image.
I am obsessed with the amount of detail that is included in the images because they really show a different side to the creatures.
I think it would be so interesting to try and photograph images like these, however it would be extremely difficult to capture the insects and animals in this way. I also think it would be a good way to show beauty as it shows a different side to how people usually think and feel about each living thing.
Damien Lovegrove
http://www.lovegrovephotography.com
This photographer shows beauty in many different ways, one way where he uses black and white creates a vintage feel. I like Lovegrove's portrait photography he uses close ups which allows the viewer to focus on the main features of the image. The face is a part of the body that is highly associated with beauty and the fact that he makes that a main aspect in the images is nice.
I really love all of the images above especially the close up portrait of the ladies lips and hand because its interesting and different to just showing the whole face. This would be a really good way of showing beauty.
I also like the image in the top right hand corner, this is the image that to me feels vintage. It gives a high key kind of feeling but still allowing shadows to be included which I like as it gives a depth feeling to the photo. The positioning of the her eyes the way they are looking down and the angle that Lovegrove has used would be a really good for a makeup shoot as there is so much focus on the eyelids an lips.
I think that doing a shoot in his style would be a really good way to show beauty, and using the close up angles would be a different technique that I wouldn't have used in my other photography.
Alexander Semenov
http://twistedsifter.com/2012/04/breathtaking-undersea-photos-by-alexander-semenov/
Alexander Semenov has created a portfolio mainly based on undersea life. Similar to Halverson's shoot of the night sky I think that Semenov's photos capture natural beauty in places that people wouldn't instinctively think of. His images have main focuses where the beauty is mainly shown. I seriously love all of the images above.
I really like how he's used a fish eye lense when taking the image of the fish, it shows a slight sense of comedy. Also it shapes the fish in a way where all of the detail and individual beauty of it is shown. I think that how the fish's body is tries to look like the rocks and coral of the sea, this might be due to the evolution of the species for camouflage.
The first image of the jellyfish seems to show movement with the way he has captured the stingers all bunched in the centre an the top all spread out. The movement of the animal creates the sense that Semenov has taken the image of the jellyfish in its environment. I think that this image is so beautiful with the contrast of the pinkness of the actual jellyfish with the changing green background.
If I were to do a shoot in this style I would be able to incorporate different techniques, for example animation, multiple exposer, multiple imagery and blurring. There is such a wide range for what I could do to portray beauty with this project, however it would be extremely difficult as you would need certain cameras and technology to shoot underwater. Hopefully some point in the future I will be able to capture the beauty of underwater life.
John Daniels
http://www.john-daniels.co.uk/pet-portraits.html
These photographs are different to other animal shoots I have looked at, firstly in the sense that the others have been wildlife photographs and these are images of everyday pets. I do like these photos because they show the natural beauty in animals that are widely loved around the world. However I do feel as though the animals being posed take awash from the naturalism that I would want to be showing. Natural beauty is shown though because the animals are themselves beautiful.
The photo of the horse running is the most natural in the sense of how the animal would act.
A lot of people can relates to images such as these because they are very common pets which the majority of people either have or have had in their life.
I also like the image of the black dog, this is because the light highlights the dog even against the also black background. Ive not really thought about taking images in a studio of animals but after looking at this photo it has made me reexamine that possibility.
I will be doing a shoot of similar animals however I am going to change the impact of the photos by trying to capture them in more natural stances or even in movement. Again the range of techniques that can be used in this shoot is limitless and I look forward to using them to push my theme further into the images.
Heather Angel
http://www.heatherangel.co.uk/#/Portfolio/Wild%20China/26/thumbs
Here Angel has taken photographs of landscapes in China which is interesting because how she has captured them shows beauty in a different way in each photo. She seems to have taken her shots at different times of the day which gives each image an individual feel, I like all of her images a lot. She not only took photos of landscape but also wildlife, Ive mainly focused on her landscape photography because I think they show a difference compared to other landscape photographers I've looked at.
All of the images above show beauty and I chose these in particular because I really felt that they show the beauty that I want to show in my own shoots.
One in particular, from the choice above, is the photograph of the mountains. I really see the beauty in this image from how the mountains move backwards and slowly blend into the clouds, also the varied shades that change the further back the mountains gets is really interesting. I also like how I can not tell weather the image is in black and white due to the lighting which she had to work with or if she has decided to change it into these colours after on photoshop.
I also really like the image of the dead tree in the shallow water, this is because the colours of the blue and greens are connected to nature. Also I like that how the reflection of the live trees are caught in the top of the image, I think that the live trees contrast against the dead trees in the water and show the concept that for something new to grow and live others must die which is kind of poetically beautiful.
I think that taking images in the same way as Angel would be a good way to show beauty. I think that I would find difficulties in finding objects to photograph however it would be a nice challenge to convey the beauty in what people do not usually see as beautiful.
Carey Fruth
Carey Fruth has shown beauty in a very clever way. She has used the american beauty type of setting, except she uses different body types to give the message that there is not just one body type that fits what American beauty is. I really like how she has used not only different body types but ages in the woman as well. I also think that the message she is trying to convey to the audience is strong however, I feel that because the shots are all practically the same due to the background and some of the positions that it does not keep the viewer interested. Although, having the same setting for each of the models does make me feel that she is showing that each woman is beautiful in the same way, even though they may look different to each other.
I like this shoot because it makes me thing solely on beauty in appearances and I always think that in is area emotions are always shown as well which gives photographs a deeper meaning behind them.
Colin Hutton
http://www.colinhuttonphotography.com
Jake Hick
http://jakehicksphotography.com/#/rusted-midnight/
Jake Hicks is a very talented photographer who significantly captures beauty in his shots. Looking through his photography has shown me how lighting and colours are a strong component and how they really compliment beauty shoots. I particularly like the photo's from the shoot above, this is because even though the same techniques are used in each photo they are each interesting and show a different type of beauty to me.
I particularly like the image of the short haired girl in the bottom left corner. This is because the lighting and specific colours that Hick has used create shadowing and highlight specific parts of her face and body in an idealistic way for the audience.
I also like the image in the top right hand corner because he has included colour in the photo in a different way. By having the reddish overlay on the top of the image it creates the sense flames which links to making the audience perceive her as 'Hot'.
I think that these images are clever, interesting and show a very clear theme of beauty, especially the kind used in the media.
Colin Hutton
http://www.colinhuttonphotography.com
Colin Hutton is an insect photographer who takes close up shots of insects and other small creatures to capture their beauty. Colours, textures and shape are highlighted areas of his work. He shows contrast between a the different species and also the differences in themselves which I find interesting.
I really like all of the images above and a lot of the other photographs that Hutton has in his portfolio, however I particularly like the image of the tarantula because to me the photo makes what is known for being a scary creature not see. That way at all. I can also really appreciate the stunning colours the details of the body that I would never look at or notice if I wasn't able to look at it so closely.
The dragonfly is a or interesting photo that I love, the reason I like this image so much is because of its wings and the detail of them. It really is beautiful how they are formed and shaped and the patterns that they hold.
The background to the photographs to me could be better because even. Though he is using bright colours that connect with the photos I feel they look too studio like which would not be natural to where the insects and creatures would be.
I would extremely enjoy doing shoot in this style by showing intricate details that people wouldn't necessarily notice, I would also really like to use insects to do this however I feel that this would be less likely for me to accomplish because of the difficulties with locating them and having the time to capture the perfect image.
Jake Hick
http://jakehicksphotography.com/#/rusted-midnight/
Jake Hicks is a very talented photographer who significantly captures beauty in his shots. Looking through his photography has shown me how lighting and colours are a strong component and how they really compliment beauty shoots. I particularly like the photo's from the shoot above, this is because even though the same techniques are used in each photo they are each interesting and show a different type of beauty to me.
I particularly like the image of the short haired girl in the bottom left corner. This is because the lighting and specific colours that Hick has used create shadowing and highlight specific parts of her face and body in an idealistic way for the audience.
I also like the image in the top right hand corner because he has included colour in the photo in a different way. By having the reddish overlay on the top of the image it creates the sense flames which links to making the audience perceive her as 'Hot'.
I think that these images are clever, interesting and show a very clear theme of beauty, especially the kind used in the media.
overall a good level of top in research of twenty photographers.... you have evaluated a wide range and in doing so this will give you ideas for bringing your own work forward.
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