Above Americano's

Saturday the 24th of November

I went out with Bish to take a few tester shots. I wanted to practice the effect of moving the camera while exposing the image to create motion within the photograph and double exposures. I wanted to create this feeling that Bish is here but at the same time he isn't. He is physically here in England but on paper he is not. So instead of showing him bold and strong as an object within the image, I wanted an almost shadowy, opaque figure. I think it also expresses his vulnerability as his figure and outline are not defined within the image, parts of him are shooting off into different directions, like he isn't settled, he's always stirring. The results came out really well. As well as this I also took some standard portraits of him. I played around when it came to editing the images. I wanted to experiment with the use of colour within them. The images were taken above the pizza shop, 'Americano's' where Bish works. This explains the machinery, fridges and tonnes of oil within the images.

All the imaes were taken using natural light. The above two show a strong section of sunlight that was creeping through the window.

I like the messy-ness within this image. The chaos of everything that is surrounding Bish, relating in the same way to his own life.

Stood infront of the pizza machine.

The multiple exposures, created when moving the camera while taking and exposing the image. I put the flash on too as this gave more focus to his face.

As you can see I experimented in editing the images by using different colours. I mainly changed the blacks to blues.

 This image is my favourite of all. There's something about the way he's looking into the camera. Also the second exposure of his face to the right side of the image is the most clear and defined than the others but still retains its see-through quality. This image speaks to me about everything I am trying to get across about Bish. His outline is strong but the second exposure reveals weakness in its lack of definition. He is vulnerable and young and chaotic but at the same time he is strong and has a lot of presence.

New Project Proposal

"My idea for my consolidated project is to focus on and document my close friend Bishwan. Bishwan is currently an Iranian asylum seeker living in Britain. I want to look at this young and vulnerable person's life that I find absolutely fascinating. What fascinates me most about him is that he is different. He comes from a different culture, with different values and beliefs to mine, that I am not use to being exposed to. I'm fascinated with the way he lives and works, the friendship’s he has, the music he listens to, everything about him. The more time I spend with him the more I have an urge to want to take his photograph. He is extremely beautiful and vulnerable. I can look at him in a place and situation and think, 'Wow, this would make a really interesting and fascinating image'. I want to expose other people to who he is. He isn't just a foreigner, he isn't just an asylum seeker, he's a human being, a very beautiful human being at that. I have witnessed at first hand the cruel and narrow-mindedness of other people, towards him. It makes me so angry and upset at how people, people who represent myself, could treat this vulnerable and beautiful 'child'. And for what? Because he has an accent and slightly darker skin? I want people to see him for who he is, get to know him through his photographs and fall in love with him the way I have.

I am not trying to look at and produce this project from a typical documentary perspective but more a fine art one. I am not wanting to just focus on the subject matter of the images but also the formalistic aspects. Of course I will be photographing Bish and his life and I do not want to change anything about who he truthfully is or what he does but if I have to set up images to make them more compositionally and aesthetically pleasing then I will do so. I will be researching into artists such as Nan Goldin who focus on friends and loved ones within their images and photograph their lives. Artists who look at identity with their work in regards to race and religion. I am wanting to do a lot of research into different photography techniques and try them out.

I will be editing the images. I am wanting to play around with the colours within the images and change them. I will be testing out different photography techniques and idea's to produce images with different twists. I want to play around with the exposure, focus and depth of field and try out new and inventive techniques such as moving the camera and lens as I am taking the image. I want to experiment with shadows, textures and tones throughout this project. Looking at different light sources and coloured lights and photographing behind and in front of different textures, such as, water, glass and material.

I will be shooting my images using digital. This is to make my life easier for when I am experimenting with the images while I am taking them and also when I am editing them afterwards. I do however want to experiment with polaroid as I have always been keen to use it. I am wanting to look at different ways to print my images and different materials to print them on to. I am interested in printing onto glass as glass is fragile, which represents the idea of Bishwan and his life being delicate and fragile. Acetate is also something I want to experiment with when printing. I am not sure how I am going to present my final images. however I am wanting to print them at quite a large scale. This being because bish is so beautiful I want people to spot his image from across the room and also because of the concept that I am desperately wanting society to accept him and see that something special within him like I do. I don’t want him to shy away from who is because other people are too narrow-minded to accept it. I want to tell the world, let everyone know, I adore this being."