FMP Production August 1st - Swansea Podcast shoot and Portraits

I shot these portraits just before the podcast in which I talk about music and the culture of bands touring and preserving in todays climate. It was a great chat and I was happy about the images especially the one above. I do feel the branded shirt does distract a bit to much and almost makes the viewer think of it like an ad. This could be a device and manipulated in a way to re purpose a message but I feel that that wouldn’t work with what I’m trying to do, in this case anyway it’s just to central and focused. It looks too much like an ad. A tighter crop could work better but at the sacrifiace of print size and I would rather shoot it right then crop in.

Again like with previous shoots I’ve found that having a personal history with the subject often makes it harder to get what I want. Adam ( above) is also a photographer and is very aware of what I’m doing and isn’t the biggest fan of being in front of camera. There is something to be said about utilising ones approach with a stranger, obviously solicited but that distance or lack of knowing each other allows the photographer to work in a way that familiarity wouldn’t allow for.

Luckily I’m becoming more and more critical of my own work and from previous shoots and realising that I didn’t quite get what I wanted I make a point to quickly review and check as Im working cautions not to distract from the interaction with the subject. Luckily I recomposed the shot I felt didn’t work above and I am quite proud of this portrait. Again it’s only part of the finished piece as it will be used with text but even as a stand alone image I am happy with it.

I keep being reminded by Shermans work when I find myself doing performative self portraits. I find empowering to be able to do take on a role for the art. I know Sherman was a pioneer in the way she used the visual motifs of pop culture and hollywood as a device in her own work which she used to comment issues surrounding women and how she felt in New York city a very hard place to live for a young woman (her words) at the time. I had the imagery of water and being lost amongst it and being sucked back into the world via the sea. It’s been visual idea I’ve had a for a while and especially living near the sea and also with inspiration from an Iron Chic song….

https://ironchic.bandcamp.com/track/cutesy-monster-man

Wolf Dix Rd by Iron Chic

I'm gonna think real hard
About what I'm gonna say
I really couldn't stand you thinking any less of me
And how I spend my days
So I'm looking for the perfect phrase

I'm gonna try real hard
I'm gonna find a way
I'm really gonna try and stand on my own two feet
Spend my days
Looking for the perfect place
To lay my head
Close my eyes and get some rest

What was the question?
I don't know
I wasn't paying attention
You say I'm lacking direction
Is my course corrected?
I don't fucking know
I'm gonna find out on my own

I can only coast so far
There's gotta be a better way
I really wanna chance to prove that
I'm not a waste of space
So it goes these days
I can barely keep up the pace
Approach the edge
Close my eyes and take one step

Fought real hard
Tried to stay
Dropped our guard
And let the tide drag us away 

I think I was really drawn to the imagery of nature reclaiming us and not in a really depressing way but trying to step back outside of the moment and realising how fragile life is and how our time is limited.