Pinhole photography, according to a web definition is:
"A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens and with a single small aperture – effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through this single point and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box."
I find the most important thing about pinhole photography was how it distorted things. Within my ideas about mental illness and eating disorders interlinks an idea about distorted thinking. During my Psychology work within another subject I have investigated the cognitive approach to abnormality and a key idea is about distorted thinking. Therefore I feel I can try to mirror this within my own photography. Below is a mood board which explores digital pinhole photography as I feel this is a bit better for my theme than traditional pinhole photography using a photogram style process.
Mood Board
Looking at these images I found there were many black and white ones. Going back to my original mood board I found the most effectively emotional images were the ones with dark or subdued lighting. So without further ado I grabbed a SLR and converted it in to a pinhole camera by covering the end with paper and piercing a small hole then grabbed a model and went into a dark room to shoot.
Contact Sheets
Chosen Image
I chose this image as overall it was my favourite but also because I feel it communicates my ideas for this theme well.
For this image I again ripped it up but ripped it so a piece was missing rather than that it was in pieces.
I did this to show how by being bullied because of mental illness or an eating disorder you can feel that a part of you is missing.
As well by happy accident I found when not all pieces were stuck down there was a slight shadow which was ncie almost showing that the person in the middle desires to break free and move.
Additionally the fact that there is a piece missing from the middle could show how there is a gap between her and the rest of the world and society.
I liked this experiment and found it was useful, I could develop this further by possibly using a different image or ripping it in a different way.
Previously I had experimented with photocopiers and they gave a nice effect when I moved the image. To advance this I took a scanner and tried to do the same thing. I was incredibly happy with the results. I found the more you moved it the more the picture changed and developed. However what I did fine is the quality of the photography was limited however I could touch this up in Photoshop.
I chose this image as overall it was my favourite but also because I feel it communicates my ideas for this theme well.
A main idea is bullying - being stemmed from mental illness and possibly leading to eating disorders.
Therefore with this image I placed her in a corner to mirror how bullying can make someone feel alienated from society and others. She is dressed normally to try and show how she wants to fit in and look like everyone else. The fact she looks down shows she is maybe ashamed or upset and can't bring herself to look at anything else. Also having the blurred image is my attempt at showing more sadness. When a person cries there eye sight becomes blurry therefore making the image blurry mirrors how she is sad and maybe crying. Also having the dark lighting shows how there is no brightness in her world.
I want to try and experiment more with this. As I want to focus on the idea of psychological problems. Therefore I may work with physically ripping up the image and sticking it back together wrong or painting over it.
Physical Experimentation
Previously I have done a lot of experimentation with images of fruit. Some things I learnt from that experiment was the effect ripping, photocopying and paint can have on an image.
Experiment 1
With this image I ripped it up into a quite a few pieces and then stuck it back together again roughly in the same way to display the same image.
I did this to show how someone who is bullied can feel ripped up inside and hurt.
Also another idea I had was mental illness and the ripped up image could show how they have a torn mind and are fragile and can easily be pulled apart.
I like the effect this gives and find it quite interesting.
To develop it I could combine a few images into the same thing or maybe different versions of the image. Like before when I merged different versions of the fruit image into a jigsaw puzzle.
I found that doing this physically gave it more emotion and more powerful making it seem more raw and honest rather than doing it digitally which could have made it seem unreal and fake.
I did this to show how someone who is bullied can feel ripped up inside and hurt.
Also another idea I had was mental illness and the ripped up image could show how they have a torn mind and are fragile and can easily be pulled apart.
I like the effect this gives and find it quite interesting.
To develop it I could combine a few images into the same thing or maybe different versions of the image. Like before when I merged different versions of the fruit image into a jigsaw puzzle.
I found that doing this physically gave it more emotion and more powerful making it seem more raw and honest rather than doing it digitally which could have made it seem unreal and fake.
Experiment 2
I did this to show how by being bullied because of mental illness or an eating disorder you can feel that a part of you is missing.
As well by happy accident I found when not all pieces were stuck down there was a slight shadow which was ncie almost showing that the person in the middle desires to break free and move.
Additionally the fact that there is a piece missing from the middle could show how there is a gap between her and the rest of the world and society.
I liked this experiment and found it was useful, I could develop this further by possibly using a different image or ripping it in a different way.
Experiment 3
For this image my aim was to use paint to paint on a cage almost showing how she is trapped.
I feel the inital idea was good but the outcome was not. I could work more with the paint to show the cage more. I also aimed to include colours of red as red can represent anger which this girl may feel however the red came out more pink which changed the concept.
Working with paint I found difficult but something I could expand and work with more. Using a variety of media can help show how the girl whose being bullied is being bullied in a multitude of ways. Or possibly if I follow the idea of mental illness that she is affected in many ways.
I feel the inital idea was good but the outcome was not. I could work more with the paint to show the cage more. I also aimed to include colours of red as red can represent anger which this girl may feel however the red came out more pink which changed the concept.
Working with paint I found difficult but something I could expand and work with more. Using a variety of media can help show how the girl whose being bullied is being bullied in a multitude of ways. Or possibly if I follow the idea of mental illness that she is affected in many ways.
Experiment 4
Previously I had experimented with photocopiers and they gave a nice effect when I moved the image. To advance this I took a scanner and tried to do the same thing. I was incredibly happy with the results. I found the more you moved it the more the picture changed and developed. However what I did fine is the quality of the photography was limited however I could touch this up in Photoshop.
Looking at these scans and the effect they give through having a twist could highlight how someone with a mental illness has a confused mind. I therefore wanted to experiment more with these scans and decided to take them into Photoshop and see if I could overlay them over the original image.
The use of overlay means that the scan doesn't overpower the image but does help give it more meaning and allow the viewer to try and understand that this girls head is confused and she's not sure whats going on.
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