EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF PROPS, COSTUME AND MAKE-UP ON PORTRAITURE
Portrait photographers use a range of different props, costumes and makeup in order to enhance their final products. Over the past few years the use of props and makeup has become more drastic, allowing photographers to create a body of work that is both edgy and interesting to the audience. With an increase in the number of photographers that rely on the use props, costume and makeup to set their work apart from others, it begs the question, does the use of props and costume affect the quality of portraiture?
Hal Kawaguchi is a Japanese photographer who has created a range of work based on the theme of love titled ‘fresh love’, he attempts to capture the connections and relationships between people. He recently documented married couples by putting them in vacuum packs and sucking out the oxygen. The subjects are positioned awkwardly which adds to the weird yet unique outcome of these images. The vacuum packs are a vital prop in Kawaguchi’s work, the packs act almost as a container for the subjects. Costume, or lack thereof is also critical to the success of this body of work, eliminating any possibility of distraction and drawing the audience's attention solely to the subjects.Primarily Inspired by Kawaguchi's work, I became interested in the theme of distortion and decided create a unit using cling film.
Hal Kawaguchi is a Japanese photographer who has created a range of work based on the theme of love titled ‘fresh love’, he attempts to capture the connections and relationships between people. He recently documented married couples by putting them in vacuum packs and sucking out the oxygen. The subjects are positioned awkwardly which adds to the weird yet unique outcome of these images. The vacuum packs are a vital prop in Kawaguchi’s work, the packs act almost as a container for the subjects. Costume, or lack thereof is also critical to the success of this body of work, eliminating any possibility of distraction and drawing the audience's attention solely to the subjects.Primarily Inspired by Kawaguchi's work, I became interested in the theme of distortion and decided create a unit using cling film.
Wes Naman is self taught photographer whose work is heavily reliant on props, costume and makeup. He completed a series of work named ‘valentines day’ where he used red and white paint to completely cover his subjects. The images were mostly dominated by white which has positive connotations. The outcomes each represented different types of people on valentine's day for example the loving couple who were shown embracing each other. Naman also completed a second unit titled ‘smoke’ where he used a range of different props with smoke being the recurring one. In one of the images he uses a gas mask as a prop and has the smoke appear as if it is coming from the mask itself. The subject is dressed in a black hoodie and the background is also black. The images are shown in low key lighting which creates a contrasting atmosphere to that of his previous unit ‘Valentine’s day’.
Naman created a ‘ Rubber band’ unit which inspired me to create my own rubber band unit replicating his work. He used these as a prop to distort facial features. The number of rubber bands used on each subject was different, some having more that others. The outcomes were uncomfortable to look at but they were very interesting. Naman then went on to create other bodies of work for example ‘invisible tape’ that were also dependent on the use of props and makeup.
Props, Makeup and costume have proven to be essential to the work of these photographers. The use of them allows the photographer to enhance their images and perhaps tell a story through the images that they couldn't tell without the use of props or makeup or costume. When used and applied correctly they can evolve and upgrade the overall look and aesthetic of the photographers work, however, if not applied or used correctly the can result in disaster. Props, costume and makeup application can be the difference between a good final outcome or a bad final outcome.
I was inspired by Wes Naman to create my own rubber band unit. I used four different models, two males and two females. The number of rubber bands i applied to each subject differed and the way in which they were applied was also different. This unit of work was a replication of Naman's own work, however, i decided to desaturate the images in order to make the overall appearance more effective. It also meant that there was bold colours to distract from the subjects face. This unit was entirely reliant on rubber bands, making the effective use of props vital to the final outcomes. Naman’s subjects were costumes in casual wear such as hoodies, perhaps to reflect their different personalities but i decided to costume my subjects in smart wear such as suits. This gave my work a different vibe in comparison to that of Naman's. I left that having the characters dressed in smart wear created a contrast between the elegance of their costuming and the distortion of their faces.
I also attempted a cling film unit, where the subjects faces were wrapped up in cling film. The desired effect was for the cling film to distort the subjects faces, however this proved to be difficult as the subjects started to experience problems breathing, which meant that a hole had to be poked in their mouth allowing them to breath, however, this affected the effectiveness of the cling film and the subjects face was not as distorted. Cling film was a hard prop to work with as there were so many risks, however, when used correctly the outcomes can be great.
Props, Makeup and costume have proven to be essential to the work of these photographers. The use of them allows the photographer to enhance their images and perhaps tell a story through the images that they couldn't tell without the use of props or makeup or costume. When used and applied correctly they can evolve and upgrade the overall look and aesthetic of the photographers work, however, if not applied or used correctly the can result in disaster. Props, costume and makeup application can be the difference between a good final outcome or a bad final outcome.
I was inspired by Wes Naman to create my own rubber band unit. I used four different models, two males and two females. The number of rubber bands i applied to each subject differed and the way in which they were applied was also different. This unit of work was a replication of Naman's own work, however, i decided to desaturate the images in order to make the overall appearance more effective. It also meant that there was bold colours to distract from the subjects face. This unit was entirely reliant on rubber bands, making the effective use of props vital to the final outcomes. Naman’s subjects were costumes in casual wear such as hoodies, perhaps to reflect their different personalities but i decided to costume my subjects in smart wear such as suits. This gave my work a different vibe in comparison to that of Naman's. I left that having the characters dressed in smart wear created a contrast between the elegance of their costuming and the distortion of their faces.
I also attempted a cling film unit, where the subjects faces were wrapped up in cling film. The desired effect was for the cling film to distort the subjects faces, however this proved to be difficult as the subjects started to experience problems breathing, which meant that a hole had to be poked in their mouth allowing them to breath, however, this affected the effectiveness of the cling film and the subjects face was not as distorted. Cling film was a hard prop to work with as there were so many risks, however, when used correctly the outcomes can be great.
Although some photographers rely on the use of props, costume and makeup application to make their work more interesting, others do not. Lisa Kristine is an American humanitarian portrait photographer who completed a body of work titled ‘Modern day slavery’. Her work had minimal use of props, costume and makeup, instead she used clear and concise close up shots of her subjects, perhaps this was due to the purpose of the images and the message the photographer was trying to put across. One of the images i found particularly interesting was a close up image of a mother and child. Kristine’s work is completely reliant of the subjects with no props to enhance the photographs. It focuses on the subjects and the the subjects alone, leaving nothing to distract away from them, perhaps this is because the photographer is trying to tell the audience a story through the subject's facial expressions and she doesn't need to use props or costumes to tell the story, perhaps the story lies in the lack of props, costume and makeup. Whilst Kristine doesn't use any props, it doesn't make her work any less effective for its purpose than the work of a photographer who does use props and costumes.