1. Connecting Essay 4:
- My image created by a combination of shoots. – Professional surrealism by Thomas Barbey.
I created my image by using shots of the birds from my shoot with the origami
and a close-up shot of an eye from my second shoot. I wanted to create the idea
that perhaps these paper birds that have been brought to life are now
imprisoned within their capturer’s eye. I kept the eye in black and white as the
vivid contrast made it quite striking and eye-catching, whilst also looking quite
intense and almost evil. The whiteness of the eye contrasts with the intensity of
the black around the pupil, which connotes this idea. I chose to keep the birds
quite small so that they are purposely not visible initially, and so it would take a
serious look at the picture for someone to identify the meaning. I also chose to
keep the birds in colour as I liked the contrast between the black and white eye,
and would help the viewer to notice them eventually.
Thomas Barbey is another photographer very similar to Jerry Uelsmann, in
terms of the fact that they both use a combination of different images to create
something very surreal. Keeping the image in black and white makes it appear to
be more real, add a severe and serious tone. The use of the alley inside the mouth
adds depth, as the lines guide the viewer towards the light at the end. The use of
the mouth is also very clever as this creates a circular shape, which almost acts
as a telescope lens to look down the alleyway. The idea of the alley inside the
mouth appeals to the Fantasy theme, as it is something quite horrific to think
that such a thing could possibly happen, and would reflect the typical scenario a
hero or villain might find himself or herself in a Sci-fi or Fantasy film.
Both of our images connect because we have the recurring theme of using body
parts to present different ideas and surreal scenarios. Whilst I used an eye,
Thomas used the mouth but we both presented something completely random
and usually within them to create something completely unrealistic and strange.
Also, we have both used black and white tones to add something serious about
both of our images. The use of black and white suggests a documentary product,
and using it in surrealist photography adds the possibility for the viewers that
the objects were in fact photographed in real-life and were not edited like that.
Looking at both images, we have also used the shape of a circle as the main
‘frame’ for the other objects within the image, as such a shape suggests an
eyehole or a telescope, looking in on the other surrealist objects within them.