Empty
For us, who suffer with depression, feeling lonely and empty is a prominent feeling that can pull us down. However, in that time it gives us the chance to reflect, take long walks and sit thinking about who and what actually matters. The truth is when you feel empty you are not alone. We feel empty in different ways. For instance, we might feel empty because something is missing in our life. Or the emptiness might stem from “slowly abandoning ourselves, not listening to our own hopes and desires.” We might abandon ourselves unintentionally or unknowingly because were’re striving for perfection or others’ approval. For instance, we might stop exercising or sleeping to compensate time on our career. Abandoning ourselves can spark anxiety, depression, guilt and shame. “This kind of empty feeling comes with not caring about much, not being interested in things, not feeling fueled by anything in particular." -Ashley Eder,
Shoot 3.
Single images-Alicia Savage and Katerina Plotnikova
Alicia Savage created the silent image of the girl sat on the chair in the water, and the other two by Katerina Plotnikova. These landscape fantasies show narrative through sound. Just like many of the images I choose the elements are all natural. The colours are what we would naturally see in every day life, however this is very important because it plays a big part in keeping the fantasies as realistic as possible. The colours of the sunset and the water is soft and peaceful, however we may see the world as evil and a place of sadness, these are contrasted with a white dress representing purity. The shapes are again all natural, even the way the subjects are sat or lied. As much as these images look so real I think there is a possibility that they are split up and put together in photoshop. I think this because of where the lighting is. In Savage's image there is light on her right shoulder, which looks as if it comes from the sun, but realistically it wouldn't hit that sharp, therefore I think the girl was taken in a studio with artificial lighting , I think the sections are very cleverly put together despite and edited in a way they look so realistic and you don't second guess them till you realise there is a floating boat and people sat on a chair in a tree. The work makes me feel empty and lonely, especially the image by Savage, this is due to the soft silent waters and the huge amount of negative space. Thee colours and tones used in all the images capture the world around us, in its most natural form. The colours are not over edited they are kept true to what you would see, making the image look more realistic. I think Savages image is slightly more edited, with a purple tone to capture the 'silence'. I think if this image has lots of colour like the other images it wouldn't have the same 'silent' effect. The compositions throughout are put into rule of thirds, which makes them aesthetically easy to look at, this makes the images feel calmer and more reserved. I think the artist is trying to say that it's okay to be lonely and it's okay to different and that it doesn't mean you don't belong in the world because theres alway a place for you. I think the work could possibly be commercial, especially Plotnikova's images, because of how surreal they are. But I also think they could be made as exhibition work and printed very large so you can see each individual part of the 'world.'
Contact sheets.
This shoot did take a long time because they are self portraits, and needed to have a wide angle but also keeping in focus. I had to work closely with nature to find the best lighting and shapes to help represent emptiness.
Final images.
I am happy with the overall outcome of these images. The bright vibrant nature contrasts heavily with the bright white dress and the bold red dress. If I was to display these in an exhibition I would print them very large, so people can pick out all the small details of the landscape but still not forgetting the subject.
Development.
To develop this shoot I wanted to cut out half of myself, the bits I maybe don't like or that females have a hard time accepting that is part of their body. Obviously this differs from person to person but we all would find it much easier if this section was empty.