“Rapunzel had beautiful long hair that shone like gold. When she heard the voice of the witch [crying, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"] she would… unbind the plaits of her hair, and let it down…” – “Rapunzel”, Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales
What is striking about the Grimm’s version of Rapunzel is how macabre it is. Rapunzel is locked in a tower, forced to cater to an ugly witch’s needs. Her prince’s eyes are gouged out. And yet, somehow, the story ends happily ever after. Rapunzel is a victim in the story, vindicated by a prince. My twist on the story is putting the power in Rapunzel’s hands, she chooses whom she “lets her hair down” for. She takes command, not needing a prince to save her from utter despair.
In my version, Rapunzel is locked in a dilapidated room in an old, abandoned warehouse. She is plotting her escape and her revenge. Her hair is a symbol of her independence, since in the original story her hair is the means by which she was oppressed.
Below are some outtakes from the shoot. I loved the close ups with Rapunzel and her braid, but I felt they looked a little too studio like for my narrative series. It was really difficult for me to choose the right warehouse room shot; I liked so many of them! But I felt the one I chose was the most dynamic and fit my theme of “defiance” the best.
My sister, Krinda Carlson, is a senior attending Saint Martin’s University with a major in English. As graduation day approaches, I see the anxiety in her eyes as she wonders if she can “make it on her own” in this economy. I also hear the excitement in her voice as she talks of graduate schools, summer plans, and her upcoming move to Hawaii.
As a final project, I will document my sister’s journey over the next few weeks through graduation. Her college years have been a tremendous success. She is graduating with a 4.0 grade point average, co-valedictorian of her class, a four time Academic All American, a three time presenter at Scholars Day, and the receiver of the 2007 Nursia Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Literature. In addition, she has competed on scholarship in track and field and cross country and is the holder of the 1500m Run record for the university. However, her successes are not the only things I am interested in capturing. I am intrigued by the emotions, fears, and anxieties a young adult experiences during this transitional period in their life. As her sister, I will aim to capture her character as she completes her undergraduate years and faces a new beginning.
Through digital photography and a multimedia Soundslides presentation, I will present a portrait of Krinda. The photographs will focus on her relationships with her friends and family, her valedictorian speech and academic presentations, her competition in athletics, and the small events throughout her everyday life. I will create at least ten final prints, each printed larger than eight by ten inches and accompanied with an artist statement. In addition, I will create and post a Soundslides presentation to my online blog. The slide show will include audio from interview material and from Krinda’s speeches and conversations. Both the printed photographs and the multimedia presentation will be designed to complement each other in order to provide a cohesive portrait of Krinda.
Placeholder Example Images Below:
In Greek mythology there are nine muses, each a patron of different art forms. The muses are Calliope, Cilo, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpischae, Thalia, and Urania. Each were commonly depicted with an object or symbol that showed which art form they were a patron of.
For this shoot I went with the idea of the muse as an embodiment of creative thought and art in general, not specifically one of the nine muses. This muse is colorful and vibrant and always present, she exists at the site of artistic creation, the studio. Even when the artist leaves and the canvas is blank, the muse remains; her inspiration is always there. Muses represented in art are often accompanied with a male artist and are clad in revealing garments, sexualizing them for the male gaze. I wanted to represent the female muse differently, as an independent entity, a patron rather than a dependent.
I tried three different lighting set-ups for this shoot, in the end liking my last two frames the best. I stacked the artist taborets to create a set that looked somewhat like the pristine, pentelic marble that characterizes classical Greek ruins. For lighting, I used one shoot though umbrella camera right with the black cover over half of it to limit spill. One strobe was behind the set, with a pink gel.
Below are some of the outtakes with different lighting styles.
Krinda Carlson, 22, waits to cross the street after attending church at Capitol Christian Center. A member of the youth ministry team, she is passionate about helping kids face the challenges of this new generation.
Krinda Carlson is a senior at Saint Martin’s University, majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing. She has maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout her four years at SMU, and she is the co-valedictorian for the class of 2010. In addition to her academic dedication, Krinda is also an athlete, co-captain of both the cross country an track and field team. This series attempts to capture her energy. Confidence in herself and in her faith is the driving force behind this energy that keeps her motivated and moving. I am fascinated that even through all her commitments and responsibilities, she is able to be such a giving, extroverted person. Always quick to smile, Krinda possesses an exuberance which she applies to everything …whether it be academics, athletics, family, friendships, or faith.
Krinda styles her hair before attending church at Capital Christian Center in Lacey,Wa.
Krinda races across the street on her way to church on April 16th, 2010.
Saint Martin's students gather for a study group organized by Krinda.
Her hands always moving quickly, Krinda constructs an art project for her Social Theory class.
Krinda runs with her track and field teammates on Saint Martin's University campus. She has been running since she was twelve years old; she also won a state championship in the 800m Run in high school.
Image by Lauren Greenfield from THIN
Documentary photographer Lauren Greenfield’s work has largely focused on cultural issues, specifically those social and cultural issues which pertain to youth, woman and girls. Her first large project after graduating from Harvard in 1987 was entitled Fast Forward, a documentary of how growing up in the “shadow of Hollywood” affects children’s and teen’s maturity rate and behavior. Greenfield has done countless photo essays following Fast Forward, but Girl Culture from 1998 and THIN from 2006 are two of her larger pieces. Both were released as books. Girl Culture portrays woman and girls in the role they assume in American culture and how the media and consumerism has influenced their own perceptions of their identities. Greenfield has referred to the project as the “body project.” In her artist statement, she says “the body has become the primary canvas on which girls express their identities, insecurities, ambitions, and struggles.” A common theme throughout the series is the influence of media culture on woman and girl’s relationships with their own bodies and the image they project outward.
Images from Girl Culture
THIN focuses on “body” issues even more closely. The project documents the lives of those recovering from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia at Renfrew treatment center in Coconut Creek, Florida. She began taking photos of the patients at the treatment center in 1997, and in the subsequent years received full access to document the lives of the patients. Receiving commission from HBO, Greenfield directed the documentary film THIN, accompanying it with a photographic book of the same title. The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006 , nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Direction in 2007, and since has won many awards.
Images from Thin
The film is very impacting, emotionally. It had me in tears; I really felt like I had shared a part of the patient’s lives by the end of the film. Viewing the photographs after the film, they seem even more intimate and jarring. Greenfield states,
“While the Girl Culture journey was very personal for me, inspired by my own body-image issues and memories from childhood, Thin was a crossing into the unknown. Though it began with a familiar departure point of the body project, it descended quickly into the heart of darkness of mental illness. The women in the film and book helped me navigate the deep, difficult places that I have never known firsthand.”
The teaser for the film and slideshows from Fast Forward, Girl Culture, and Thin came be viewed at laurengreenfield.com; the documentary film Thin came be seen on YouTube in eleven parts.
Sources: laurengreenfield.com
Spanish fashion photographer Eugenio Recuenco’s work has been described as “cinematographic” and also “pictorial”. But much of his work has a dreamlike, illustrative quality. Particularly his “Fairy Tale” series for Vogue magazine, which ran in 2006. The images have a beautiful tonal quality, and the sets and situations are both surreal and rustic. The above is a depiction of Sleeping Beauty. Below are scenes from The Princess and the Pea, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Beauty and the Beast respectively.
I love the muted colors in these images and also the bizarre elements, such as exaggerated hair on the models and larger than life props and sets. The series definitely has a “dark” feel. The models have a distressed look and their situations and scenarios are less than ideal (i.e. Cinderella shown raking leaves instead of going to the ball, Little Red Riding Hood in the midst of a pack of wolves, Belle dancing with the “Beast” instead of the prince etc.).
In an interview with Bak magazine, Eugienio Recuenco was asked what he thinks of “darkness”. He replied, “I feel darkness more attractive than night. For darkness I understand [is] craziness not detectable at first sight.” This “craziness” captures one’s attention and is a trademark of Recuenco’s work. Below are more examples of his fashion and advertising photography.
Most of Eugenio Recuenco’s images do not look like photos but more like paintings or illustrations. That is my favorite aspect of his work. I am inspired by the way he toys with the viewers perceptions of reality by presenting these bizarre situations that are clearly staged, yet seem entirely believable. He is my favorite working commercial photographer because of his unique approach, not only to the fashion, but to photography in general.
To see more of Eugenio Recuenco’s exciting work, go to his portfolio website.
In many fairy tales and even in Classical mythology, Death is often personified as a person or a thing. Grimms’ Death’s Messengers is an example of this. A brief synopsis of the story is as follows: Death is personified as a man who gets beaten down by a giant in ancient times. However, a young man finds Death along the road and takes compassion on him and helps him. In return for this kindness, Death promises to send “messengers” to the man so he will be forewarned before he dies. For Death says, “I am Death…I spare no one, and can make no exceptions…” And so, the young man goes about his life, fully expecting to receive a grand sign before he is to die. However, it does not happen that way. “Then one day someone tapped him on the shoulder.” It was Death, he had come to take him away. The man was surprised that he had received no “messages.” But Death merely explains the messages where the sicknesses that came upon him and that his brother, Sleep, had been reminding him. “The man could make no answer; he yielded to his fate, and went away with Death.”
For my interpretation of the story, I latched on to the idea that Death has a “messenger” or some sort of warning system that will alert one to their fate. I asked myself, if there are such things as these “messages,” what are they and what do they look like? Ultimately, I came up with the idea of “Death’s Messenger” as a young maiden bearing a white rose, who haunts one through dreams and Sleep, sending “messages” of fate.
Below are a few outtakes from the shoot.
I had this idea for a shot with the model between the gates, standing as if “welcoming” one to Death. It did not quite turn out the way I wanted it. I used one umbrella camera left, but kept on getting flare. One strobe was placed behind the model and zoomed with a blue gel. I shot with a Nikon D80 and a 50mm lens at f/1.8. I marked the changes I would like to make if I get a chance to re-shoot on the below photo. In addition to the marked changes, I’m also going to get A-clamps and some black matte board so I can start gobo-ing (I think I just made up a word) my lens to avoid lens flare!
Oh and just for fun… I had one of my “crazy but just might work ideas”… the idea? Stick lights in the model’s hair like a halo! Well, needless to say that was one of my just “crazy” ideas, but I had a good laugh seeing the result.
Source: Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales
In both Greek and Roman mythology, women are often personified as aspects of nature. The Greek creation myth includes mother earth, or Gaia along with Chaos, procreating the elements of the earth as well as the Titans and other gods. Women and nature are closely linked. Sea nymphs, dryads, and the chthonic goddesses called the Furies are all of the earth itself. Yet they are distinctly feminine. The nymphs are defined as a “beautiful, idyllic goddesses of wood and stream and nature, often the objects of love and desire”.(1)
This photo is my first in the new fairy tale/mythology series I am working on. I wanted to capture Jamie, the model, as “part” of the tree. I wanted her to distinctly blend into the environment (yet be clearly visible of course). I found this great, mysterious tree on one of my runs through the forest last week. I felt it had a spirit and character of its own. The surrounding woody area was quite creepy. The location fit perfectly for my series, since it seems most of the bad things that happen to characters happen in the forest! However, I felt this tree was most fitting for my nymph shoot. The lovely Jamie just blended perfectly and her strength matches that of the gigantic tree.
I shot this in film with a Calumet 4×5 view camera. It was only my second time using a view camera so it was quite difficult to get everything perfect. It was rainy and nasty that day, luckily none of my gear got ruined! I used three Nikon speedlights to the right of the model through a shoot through umbrella, and I underexposed the ambient by about a stop to get nice ratio between the model and the background. The lighting on this shot was very SIMPLE; I didn’t want to overwhelm myself by getting all fancy with the light since I was so new to using a view camera. This is one of the only negatives that I liked out of the six I shot. I’m still not happy with the editing; it needs something, but I’m not sure what. It looks too green to me and perhaps there is too much contrast. I want it to look dark and fantastical but not too photoshopped. I want to get it right since I think I’m going to print this at least 40″ by 38″ inches. I’m will work on it in PS CS4 some more and post another version, along with the other outtakes from the shoot.
More tk!
Source(s): (1) Morford, Mark, and Lenardon, Robert. Classical Mythology. New York: Oxford, 2007.
I was born with an inherited, genetic disorder called Phenylketonuria (or PKU). It is a rare disorder, affecting only one out of every ten thousand births. My body is lacking an enzyme that is able to process the amino acid phenylalanine (found in protein) into tyrosine. Since I cannot process this amino acid, it builds up in my body like poison. The only way to stay healthy (and as a child, to develop normally neurologically) is to maintain an extremely low protein diet. However, since one cannot live without adequate amounts of protein, I must drink a medical formula called Phenyl -Free HP2. It is my life support. Every morning it is my ritual to make this formula. I used to hate the chore, but now I am learning to respect the process. It is a very mundane task, mixing powder and water and using a blender, yet a necessary one that I must continue for the rest of my life. In this series, I wanted to present the task from my new found perspective of appreciation. Being incredibly expensive, I do not take the medical formula for granted. I am thankful, for without Phenyl-Free, I would not be able to enjoy the activities nor live the life I do today.
Born in 1941, fashion and fine art photographer Sarah Moon has a unique and distinctive style. Much of her work has a dreamlike, ethereal quality to it. Soft focus, extremely shallow depth of field, and muted colors are common in her images. She prints in sepia tone on matte paper, a process that became obsolete in the 1920s. Sometimes dubbed an “impressionist photographer” because of the grainy, painterly style of her images, Sarah Moon’s work has a strong narrative quality. Working with fairy tales, Moon created a series during the 1980s entitled Little Red Riding Hood, based on the classic Charles Perrault tale. The images in the series seem to have a film noir quality to them. Light and shadow play off each other in a haunting manner. The image below is from the series.
Sarah Moon also illustrated and adapted Andersen’s The Little Match Girl in the film Circus. She created a series of photographs from the set of this film. In Moon’s adaptation. The little match girl is an abandoned performer’s daughter who is part of a circus struggling to make it through the winter months. As in Andersen’s version, the tale ends tragically.
Image from Circus
More work from Sarah Moon
The softness and monotonality of her images are really stricking to me. I appreciate how these stylistic elements contrast with the sometimes disturbing and melancholy content of her work. I’d like to explore using this technique in my own work.
