IND AFF...: B&W Portrait Expressions: Scars

A collection of my portrait work. These are part of the selection I chose from for my final project in photography this semester. I decided to do black and white portraiture on the theme of scars (physical and emotional), but I have included a couple of the color versions that I liked before the BW conversion. I have also included my final picks that I used in my class presentation. I decided to do high key photos for the physical scars and low key photos for the emotional scars to emphasize the difference in tone and nature. I used a Nikon D90 (thank you to Jason for lending it to me!) on all except the picture of Christine, which I had to take using my Sony Powershot. Luckily, I don't think there is much visible difference in quality.

In my final presentation I did include a short write-up of each person's story behind their scars. However, to maintain privacy due to the personal nature of the project, I have not included those stories here. To give you an idea of the vision behind the images though, the physical scars ranged from minor sports accidents to near-death experiences and the emotional scars ranged from insecurities to divorce and depression.

All of the high key photos were lit using natural daylight through the window except for Christine, who I shot at midnight the night before my project was due because I was dissatisfied with another picture I had planned on using. I shot her in the kitchen against the white fridge and used my desk lamp to create the sharp contrasts. The others were shot around 3 or 4 pm when the light was perfect in my kitchen.

The low key photos were more involved in terms of setting up and lighting. Most were shot against a dark background (I hung a blue or brown blanket for the backdrop) and lit with either my desk lamp or laptop light. The desk lamp tended to be too bright, so I muted it with a scarf draped over the top; and when that didn't work, I used my laptop's screen light, which provided surprisingly good light.

My self-portraits were difficult because I did them in the middle of the night (I was bored and couldn't stop thinking about my project) so I didn't have anyone to help me. So I set up my tri-pod, draped a dark blanket behind me over the bed and went through a process of trial and error to find the right lighting, focus and pose. I used my teddy bear (Mr. Ruggles) to try and focus by holding him in the general space that I would be sitting in in front of the camera and focus the lens with my other hand. Then I had to gauge roughly where I had held him and tried to sit in the same spot so my face would be in focus. Trying to find the right combination of focus, light and pose/expression was not easy. However, I did manage to produce two pictures that I am proud of. Although the photo I submitted in my final portfolio is slightly out of focus, I think it adds to the tone/message of the picture, so I am pleased with the result. Although it is a very dark photo (thematically), I am really proud that I could create an image of myself that is almost unrecognizable––even to my own mother! I had to stretch myself to get this product and I think the hard work paid off (on this particular shot, as well as the project as a whole).

I hope you enjoy.

A Sample of My Work