Final Blog Post- Photos to come later

My central idea was to create a sense of mystery by hiding and distorting my subjects' face.  I also wanted to explore and experiment with the lighting and composition of underwater photography. I've always been in love with the water, and when I was deciding on my concentration  I knew I wanted to explore the idea of underwater photography.  At first I didn't know what I wanted to photograph, but I decided to use people because I wanted personality and emotion to be conveyed in my photos. My focus was on hiding and distorting the faces of my subjects to create a sense of mystery.  As I progressed through my concentrations, I learned how to control the lighting underwater, and I was able to increase the abstract qualities of my photographs.  For example, concentrations 1 and 2 were darker and less abstract than concentrations 10 and 11, which are brighter and more abstract.

Almost the End!- 9th and 10th Concentrations

My ninth and tenth concentrations were taken with the past few so they have the same quality.  I used bubbles to distort the face.  In my next two I really want to bring back the murky, mysterious water to connect to my first few.  Im going to try to control it so that less light is on the subject's face.  I'm also thinking about editing or replacing a few of my concentrations to create more of a connection. 

7th and 8th Concentrations

In my next two concentrations I focused on looking up at my subjects to not only increase my quality of lighting, but to change the point of view.  I wanted the viewer to feel like they are underwater with my subjects.  I am still with my theme of hiding and revealing faces. In concentration 7, the distortion of the face creates a mysterious feel, and in concentration 8 the odd color and the fact that her face is partially hidden by bubbles does the same.

Concentrations 4,5, and 6

I started using a digital underwater camera after my first three works to increase the clarity and lighting. I felt more prepared when shooting the last three photos because I knew how to make them more interesting and how to make the lighting better than the first three.

concentration #3

My third concentration was taken at the same time as the first two. This one is revealing my subjects face, though it is still partially covered by the bubbles.

I used a disposable camera for my first three works in which the lighting wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be.  For my next three I am still going to use a disposable camera, but I am going to try to control the lighting a little better than in the last three photos.  I'm planning on using a digital underwater camera for my last few works to increase the quality and show growth.  My idea for my next work is to use the reflection of my subjects face. The challenge and experimentation of my idea keeps it compelling and interesting to me.

inspiration: Jolene Monheim

concentration update

The central idea of my concentration has changed to the idea of hiding and revealing faces.  I used different lighting and shadows in a dark pool to veil or accentuate my subjects face. In my first photo, my subject's face is almost completely blacked out, and in my second, only half of her face is visible underwater.

I am going to have trouble with the quality of the photos if I keep using a disposable underwater camera, so I am going to have to borrow or buy a legitimate underwater camera.  I also want to find a way to better control the lighting in my next works by possibly putting studio lights above the pool that im shooting in. I've been successful in my first few works by limiting the color scheme, but I think it will become more difficult to

stay within these limits the farther I move into my next concentrations.