WR2

Plans for Shoot

For this shoot, I will be researching into the photographer Bettina von Zwehl, who was recommended in the exam paper, I will then be recreating Zwehl's work personally, and see where this will influence my future work.

Research
Bettina von Zwehl
Bettina von Zwehl is a German photographer who lives and works in London. She is known for her "subtle and unnerving" portrait photography. Many of her portraits are either of children in formal presentations and harsh lighting, or of adults in unflattering and odd positioning and lighting. I did further analysis on Zwehl's work in the blog post "Photographer Research - Bettina von Zwehl". After research into her work, it was clear that Zwehl used harsh studio lighting and most likely a lower shutter speed to capture the slight movement captured in the models.

Image bank

These are a few photos from Zwehl's portfolio 'Alina'.

Contact sheet

These are all the photos I took for this shoot.

Best Photos

These are the best-selected photos from this shoot.

Photos that require improvement

These are a few of the photos that required improvement in my shoot, the issues with these photos was due to shutter speed settings. In Zwehl's work it appeared as though she used a slightly longer shutter speed to capture a slight motion in the photo. So, during my shoot I experimented with different shutter speeds to try and recreate this. In the brighter photos the shutter speed was roughly 1/60-80sec, however in these darker photos the shutter speed was roughly 1/4-2secs, also increasing the aperture to F11. This unfortunately removed the intensity of light in the photo and created a slight yellowish haze in the photos. This shutter speed was for too long and captured too much movement, leaving an unsettling yellow blur to the photos which does not represent Zwehl's work accurately. Once realising this I changed the shutter speed back to a faster setting to ensure the light intensity was still there and and blur was at minimal intensity.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

My Ideas

My intention for this shoot was to research into the second recommended photographer Bettina von Zwehl and use this research to recreate her work and further influence my topic of artificial lighting. From my research I discovered that Zwehl used intense studio lighting settings to create a harsh and sterile light onto the models, she also candidly captured the models using a long shutter speed to capture the slight impression of movement, this helped me with recreating her work. When creating my own shoot, I was unable to recreate the exact setup to Zwehl's, so this effected the recreation accuracy. I varied my shutter speeds in my shoot to see which would best recreate the minimal blur that Zwehl creates. I do not feel I was as successful as I intended to be with this shoot, as my photos compared to Zwehl's lack something that Zwehl's has and it appears vital. 

Reference to best photos

I selected this photo because of the personal atmosphere it creates with the viewer. This photo may not be candid like Zwehl's but this still creates a perplexing and intense atmosphere to the photo. Due to me looking directly into the camera, with a rather vacant expression to my face, it makes the viewer feel as though they have intruded my personal space and I have no confronted them, creating this awkward tension between me and the viewer. My surroundings being completely white and empty makes it appear as though I am in my own world different from the viewer's, and I am curious of it in this photo, hence why I am looking out to the viewer.

I selected this photo because I feel it is an accurate recreation of Zwehl's work. My body posture appears stiff and rigid, as though something is making me uncomfortable while this photo is being taken. Due to my face looking down and appearing deep in thought but slightly uncomfortable could suggest that my discomfort is coming from something I am thinking about, a bad memory perhaps. My entire presentation conveys a hostility, as if the viewer shouldn't be viewing this photo and is intruding on something serious and personal. The completely clear white background could make it appear as though I am so deep in thought that the world around me has disappeared, and I have been left to my own mind.

I selected this photo because of the curious atmosphere it creates. My body expression appears slightly more relaxed in this photo, but my facial expression coveys curiosity. The direction of my eyes suggest I am possibly enclosed in my thoughts, but it could also suggest there is something I am seeing that the viewer cannot see, this can create curiosity for the viewer. My facial expression could create an unsettling feeling for the viewer because they are unable to understand what I am feeling or doing.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

Shoot Process/Use of Camera

For this shoot, I used the college studio and studio equipment to create my photos. Using a white backdrop behind me and pointing two dish lights to it to make sure during photos the background is a strong clear white. Then using a softbox to the left of me to flash a harsh white light, and a reflector to the right of me to then bounce that softbox light back onto the right side of me also. Using a clicker connected to the camera to make sure all equipment flashes at the appropriate time when the photo is taken, and using self-timer and a tripod to take the photos of myself. I used my Nikon D3400 camera and the settings were shutter speed varying from 1/4-1/80, and aperture dominantly set at F8, and exposure set to ISO200. I was unable to completely recreate Zwehl's work and hadn't involved a table or sitting in my shoot, so instead I would pose in front of the camera and attempt to move slightly just before the camera took a picture so I could recreate that slight impression of motion in Zwehl's photos and recreate the impression of me being candid during the photos being taken.

Experimenting

For the photos, I feel the actual subject (me) was over exposed, but to change this with the camera involved changing the exposure to the background also. So, using 'camera raw', I was able to slightly alter the exposure and saturation to photos and make them appear more defined on the subject (me).

Overall, I feel this slight editing helped the photos appear sharper and give more of an impact, so this edit was useful.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

Through my research, I have learned new studio techniques in creating a surreal and sterile lighting setting using studio equipment. I was also able to practice and almost perfect my technique in shutter speed to create a minimal motion blur in my photos. Zwehl helped me to better learn studio techniques and also understand better symbolism and connotations for possible photos.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

Progression

Overall, I feel Zwehl's work is representing a distorted empowerment to women by presenting their vulnerability in a harsh and strident way. She presents them in vulnerable compositions and uses bold lighting to make them appear helpless and in a clinical setting. I feel though I was not the most successful in recreating Zwehl's work, this was due to being unable to perfectly recreate the composition of her photos and unable to find a specific camera setting that recreated Zwehl's settings. The composition of these photos are impacting to the viewer, but I feel it does not meet the theme I wish to create in my personal work. So, moving forward, I would still like to further experiment with portraiture for artificial lighting, so in my next shoot I will look into portraiture incorporating artificial light in a more subtle and emotional manner.