CONNECTING ESSAY 2
This photo by Vivian Maier is part of her 'self-portrait' collection. Whereby she used reflection to her advantage, to take a photo of a frame but including herself within the frame. This inspired me in my work for reflection as it is very possible to recreate in my own style. I especially love this image as it appears to be in Vivian's bedroom. To me this means that what is in front of her reflects part of who she is and the style she has adopted within her life. As it is nicely decorated with a pretty mirror, light and a chair it shows me that she could afford some luxuries or lived with a family that provided her with them. This just allows us a little bit more insight into Vivian's quite closed personality. The lighting of this photo is particularly effective as it casts light areas all around the mirror and lights up the chair. If the whole image would have been dark then that calming and angelic feeling wouldn't be shown like it is. Overall, this photo gives me an all round idea of who Vivian is, where she feels comfortable and the condition of the place that she lived. This is why it is important that she is included in the frame through reflection.
The image above is my take on using reflection to show a self portrait. In the image I tried to use a white background as I wanted the blue wall behind me to be very prominent and the main colour of the photo. To take the image I got my sister to hold the mirror in front of her face whilst I took the image from in front of her. I think this worked well in terms of composition as I am in the centre of the photo and the border around me works well with the background. I also like the effect that where my head and shoulders end my insisters body begins, making it appear like a puzzle at first glance.
Both photos are similar in appearance, however I took the idea of the border representing myself and instead went for a more simplistic look. Instead of showing possessions that reflect me I used my sister who is very close to me which shows a big part of my life within the photo. Similar to what it makes you feel about Vivian it shows a little bit about who I am. I like one of the main differences between the photos is the time difference, as you can see I m using a phone to take my image and Vivian is using an old camera. This shows the development in technology between the two dates that the photos were taken.
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