Connecting essay 2

This is a beauty photograph by Damien Lovegrove, I like how the shadows have been influenced into the image as it creates curves and different shapes. Also the shadowing in this image highlights main aspects of the model such as the face, hair and skin on the shoulders. He has used a model that is very naturally beautiful as he has no used much makeup and it does not appear that he has edited the image to major lengths. The black background in the image contrasts with what is highlighted because of the shadowing which I like also. This image shows beauty in a simplistic however effective way.

In my image I tried to create shadowing so that certain muscles and bone structures really stand out, this was because these specific features are commonly linked in the aesthetic beauty category. I used a male model in this shoot because typically women are used in beauty photography and I wanted to rebel slightly to the normality of other beauty themed shoots. I decided to use a lighter background as I felt that the shadowing on the model became more apparent and noticeable, which was what I intended. During the editing stage of this shoot I had decided that black and white remained within my initial ideas and I feel that using this has improved the image as it shows the influence of the lighting on the skin and how it highlights the beauty. 

There are many similarities between the two images such as the use of shadowing and certain lighting on the skin that create shapes and focus the viewers eyes on the attractive curves of each model. Also the positioning of the models have been selected because it helps the shadowing show the beauty even further. 

The two images are also rather different for example the selection of model, I chose to use a male model in my shoot whereas Lovegrove had decided to use a female as it is more typical for this photography theme. I had also decided to use black and white in my image which is different to the top image as it has been edited in colour. 

I really like Damien Lovegroves photography in this shoot and it was a large influence on my own shoot, which I believe can be seen. I am happy with how my photographs turned out and I think they clearly show physical beauty.