Traditionally, people say that a photograph is shaped by the person in front of the camera through how they act and how they compose themselves in front of the camera. However, I feel that a photo is also shaped by the photographer. The photographer chooses how to photograph the subject and does this based on who the subject is, how the photographer feels they should be portrayed and the environment that they are in. The photographer knows how to work light in order to create the image that they desire and, in terms of portrait photography, how best to present the subject.
A brilliant example of this is the video below found on worldvillage.com. It features one model and six different photographers who are all told different back stories about the model before being asked to take his photo. They all produce amazing portraits of the gentleman however they are all completely different, which confuses each photographer as they question why and how the other practitioners took the photos like that with the backstory that they know. Some are told that he is struggling musician, some are told that he is a multimillionaire while others think that he has just been released from prison. The photographers use the light and pose the man in a way that they think tells his story best, some looking sheepish, some looking powerful.
This really highlights how much input the photographer has in how the subject is portrayed and how the viewers see them. It has made me question the way in which I would like to photograph my model. My project differs from this example, in my work I will be eliminating the subject faces and am not looking to create images that tell their personal stories. The point of my project is to show solidarity between people who have experienced poor mental health. I will, however, consider how I situate them in each environment. do I want the images to have a sense of personal identity? This can be shown in the way that they position themselves in front of the camera and the way they hold the mirror. Are they holding it with one hand? do they have the other on their hip or in their pocket? do they feel more comfortable sitting down? are their legs crossed or out in front of them?
Or alternatively, do I want my project to be more uninformed, should everyone be standing upright holding the mirror with both hands to highlight this idea of solidarity and communicate that there is an army of people in the world who don’t know eavhother, and who viewers dont know, who are all exeriencng similar things?
http://www.worldvillage.com/6-photographers-shot-the-same-person-and-the-results-are-astonishing/
Final Major Project 