Evaluation

Evaluation

I chose to do photography because I have quite an eye for camera angles and I am willing to experiment with it. I liked experimenting with different mediums of digital photography. I very much enjoyed using the photography studio that college had to offer, it gave my photography a more professional feel due to the lighting. Overall, I am very happy with the outcome of my project, playing with light and shadows, and turning death into an art form, showing the beauty of the internal anatomy.

I experimented with different contexts in my photos, in some I attempted to change the background and the setting of the skull, for example, in some images I used a dark black background to add mystery, and in others i used various materials, including other animal parts, as the backgrounds. For the characteristics, I chose spines and skulls as my main focus, as the spines have an interesting structure and work well when it comes to lighting and shadow on a photo. Skulls have a lot of personality, sometimes more than what the actual animal had when it was alive, which I find greatly interesting. I like to think that I achieved this.

My target audience for the project is people who are interested in anatomy and animals, and the taxidermy side of the project. However, my target audience may also be people who are interested in editorial photography and quite expressive photography.

The research I did for my project connected through my work through subject matter. I considered how each person had done their work and how they placed things. Like how some of the photographers placed their animals next to food, I liked the idea of placing skulls on skins and next to wood, making the photos seem quite natural, yet still like some effort has been put into them.

For my digital art at the start of the project, I started simple, using the program Paint Tool Sai and a drawing tablet to aide me in my work. However, once I moved onto photography, my materials changed. I used my Canon EOS Rebel T1i, A flash stand, and a position. At home, I used my fish tank lights to create the desired lighting. Obviously I used my animal parts, bird skins and skulls, as the subject matter. The photos I took in the studio are my favourite, though, as they look the most professional with low-key photography.

My project developed from Digital art into digital photography,  I started the project with drawings, both traditional and on the computer. However, I soon realised this wasnt working for me, and my photography was. This is what decided my transaction, to finish off my project in that field. I also thought it would be easier, and it would give me a broader spectrum to work with.

I am very happy with the way my final piece, and could  not think of any ways to improve it. Maybe I couldve experimented the poses with different animals. I could've used fur as well as feather as my backgrounds and matter.

I think I have improved my photography greatly, and learning how to use my camera in a more professional way. I really enjoyed doing the low key photography as it worked great with my subject matter.

I do not see myself working in the creative industry, I'd just rather have it as a hobby.

My project has kept to the brief I set myself, showing respect to the animals through photography, and I am quite happy with the results. I have expressed my context and characteristics through my photography quite well, using the lighting and shadows to enhance this imagery. I also really like my choices of poses and backgrounds for said pieces. Overall, I am very happy with how the project evolved and developed, and I am incredibly glad that I developed it from digital art to photography.