Irene Rudnyk “Peyton”

Irene Rudnyk is an amateur photographer well known on social media for her photography and video tutorials. We can see that she’s an amateur from the different tones in the skin of her model; the first two images are warm toned where the last image is cool toned. A professional photographer would firstly use a grey card in a test shot before shooting so they had a reference to ensure all the images in a series are colour corrected succinctly.

However, I chose to include this set as the warm autumnal colours work strongly as the background for the timeless clothes the model is dressed in. I enjoy the middle image as the composition makes it feel as if I am peering into a private moment, which draws me further in to the frame to wonder what the model is reading, who she is, and where she is. This is similar in all 3 images; although in the first and last the model is looking at the camera we still have the sense of watching her as opposed to being in the moment with her. The series is also shot in a way that it could be set in contemporary or historical times; the clothes are modest, and the model is made up in a very natural way. The only exception would be the showing of the model’s bra, the kind of which is only present in modern times.

The lighting is soft and complementary on the subject’s skin, highlighting her delicate features and slight frame. This further emphasises the uncontroversial nature of the images; the subject is preened and pretty, almost doll-like.

These images could have been taken purely to highlight the attractive subject, perhaps for a partner or to immortalise her good looks for her future self. Otherwise, they could have been taken for an Autumn issue magazine for the young adult age range to advertise a particular clothing brand, or to show the “in styles” of the season. Overall, these images were made purely to be pretty and uncontroversial however, I like to think that there is something else going on. Particularly the idea of the subject being watched, unaware.

Simon Upton “JONES”

Simon Upton’s “JONES” series stopped me in my tracks immediately; from the dramatic lighting to the use of complementary colours, and the sheer loneliness that screams out from each image. 3 out of 5 images have a slight blue cast to them; giving off feelings of coldness, loneliness, sadness. The model looks out of place in these, and the remaining 2, images; and this adds to the uncomfortable and erroneous feeling I get when viewing this series. In all 5 images the model is facing away from the viewer with 4 images having her placed to the right, facing left and the remaining image again placed towards the right but facing in the same direction. This massively adds to the feeling of disconcert as it breaks compositional rules and goes against our natural instinct to read the image left to right, we are drawn out of the image instead of being drawn back in.

All but one are shot to show the vast, empty landscape behind her; the sharp and unforgiving cliffs contrasting with the soft and malleable sand and sea. The contrast between these different textures create drama and interest as well as advancing the dark and gritty underlying atmosphere of the series.

Aforementioned atmosphere is also helped along with the dark lighting; the lightest parts of these images are not the subject, but the landscape behind her. By using lighting like this it applies that the subject is unimportant; forgotten and unnoticed whilst emphasising the strange and controversial imagery present.

These images are shot to be beautiful, however they are dark and twisted. Beautiful yet morose, giving off a sense of longing and emptiness from the subject, solitary in the wilds of the coast. I feel that these images could have been intended for a darker editorial story, perhaps an edgier magazine with a young and artistically minded audience. These images inspire me to try doing things a little differently; it says to me that beauty and fashion shots don’t necessarily have to be about the glamour and highlights of a lavish lifestyle, it can also illustrate the darker and more subversive side of humanity.

Bibliography

Online Sources

• RUDNYK, I. 2018. [online] Available from: https://500px.com/irenerudnyk [Accessed 09.10.18]
• UPTON, S. 2017. [online] Available from: https://www.simonupton.net/vii/ [Accessed 11.10.18]