I found myself giving quite some consideration as to which route to choose with this project – I am tight on time now in respect to completing this module within the allotted OCA timeframes that ensure I stay on track for Level One completion – so I had to have resolve as to which image to make. As much as I like the idea of experimenting with a tableau-based image, I considered where I am and what I want to say as an image maker. I am a political animal and with this assignment saw an opportunity to ruminate on wider society ill’s and so thought it more fitting to pursue a constructed portrait. I still have a desire to experiment with a tableau image but would like to be able to give it more time to be experimental, I feel there would be a certain amount of post-production involved, this is something I’m aware I need to involve myself more with, at the moment I tend do just complete darkroom corrections if necessary. The exercise in part one has been as experimental as I’ve mustered so far.
A number of serendipitous factors helped to shape my development of ideas regarding the image. The first occurred prior to Christmas; my daughter came back from a trip to New York and presented me with a Make America Great Again baseball cap (a joke, she often hears me cursing Trump). The second was a tree in the field behind our isolate cottage came down due to saturated ground, dead roots and high winds. Not long after the local farmer started cutting it up and assembling a wood stack. The final piece of the jigsaw came together when my father-in-law gifted me a very cheap and poorly constructed Aldi chainsaw. Unfortunately/fortunately he broke it on assembly and what little confidence I may have had in it ran for the hills, but, I knew it would serve as a great prop. So, I had a location and a couple of prop’s that would help to fulfil my potential idea, all I needed now was a willing subject. I didn’t have to look too far – my stepson was more than happy to try his hand at acting.
Recently, I bought myself some portable studio lights and battery-pack (Profoto B2’s). I purchased these with a view to expanding a portrait portfolio that would hopefully help me to get some corporate headshot work and also be able to shoot portraits for websites. It has been a long time since I’ve used studio lighting arrangements (not since I studied a BTEC in the mid 90’s), but after a little experimenting at home I soon had them figured out. I have no TTL-metering/ trigger capability and can’t activate them with my light meter so had to experiment and make notes to establish a successful formula regarding power ratios and distancing from subject. This worked great in the house, but I was unsure as to how it would replicate on location. I also knew that I wanted to have an effect on the ambient light slightly under-exposed and subject lighting bordering on the ethereal, again, this would require some on site trial and error. I remembered back to my college days that aperture controlled ambient light and shutter speed controlled the flash lighting, allowing you to either alter the light on your subject or background. I thought it best to go and do some test shots prior to the actual shoot. I really wanted to try and emulate the lighting feel of Crewdson and Prager in using light to lift the subject and accentuate colour. I came away from my test run with a confidence in my understanding of the lighting set up.
Context and Narrative 