constructed realities

The framing behind this came from an idea about a deflated/abstracted human.  I chose to place four side by side in such a manner to create a topsy turvy feeling with the various angles of horizon lines in the back.

I created several different figures by draping various articles of clothing on a chair, couch etc.  and settled with this particular "person" who seems to be at a party setting.  There is a cigarette pack and bottles visible on the table. initially, i did not intend to follow this idea, however the results reminded me of the anti-drug commercials about marijuana. 

Others interpreted my image similarly to my interpretation after the execution.  Most felt that the composition of the four images was a bit distracting and confusing, and stated that they would have prefered to see the images separately.  Perhaps different "people" together as a series, but not together in such a manner.  Some suggested a black border around each photo to create some separation in the composition, while maintaining the unity.

The idea behind this image was aspects of my personality.  Many people perceive me as a girly girl, weak, and superficial.  I began with this shot hoping to create an image utilizing makeup to convey the strong side of my personality.  Later, I added a goofy mustache to enhance the idea of my more "masculine" side.  Some questioned my decision to defile my own face...My decision to add the mustache was in part for the humorous affect, as I value humor and laughing, in another aspect, it was to convey the strong presence of what I learned in psychology to be "penis envy".  My family is comprised of my mom and dad, who is the only son in his family, my three sisters, and my little brother.  Ever since the day my brother was born, much of our immediate and extended family's attention has been focused around him.  I have often experienced dreams where i am watching from the POV of a male main character.  I also think of myself as a person who is and strives to be strong and independent.  This photo is an expression of my contradictory feelings about myself.

Others questioned my mustache placement and choice.  They also found that my background story behind it would be an interesting jumping off point to create a series of self identity photos.

The framing for this was focused to create emphasis on the swollen hand.  This was the narrative piece, and the inspiration for it came when i was hanging out with a friend who just recently broke his hand.  The swollen hand comically reminded me of the hamburger helper mitten. 

I asked my friend to let me take a photo of his hand, and he posed with both hands to show the difference between the swollen one and the normal one.  I then followed up with a series of candid ones of him icing it.  The flash created an effective halo around the hand, emphasizing the main point of the story. 

The order that i printed the series was reversed, and during critique, many commented that it confused them.  I chose to reverse the order in this posting because in hindsight, I find that it is much more effective as a narrative.