Fears And Phobias

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racerpilot

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Hello there,

Although this is my first post here I have been around for a long time lurking. I am hoping that firslty I am posting this in the right place, and secondly I can ask you for some advice.

I am currently doing a degree in Graphic Design, but have recieved a photographic assignment and am at a bit of a loose end with it. Although I am a keen photographer I am short of ideas for this one.

The breif is to produce a conciously constructed photographic image along the theme of peoples fears and phobias. It must be carefully put together within the frame, and all elements must have been thought about, much like the work of O. Winston Link.

With such a wide brief it is difficult to know where to start. Any ideas or inspiration will be very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Mark
 
Just some ideas :-

From a technical perspective:-
primary resources:background and subjects..

Additional factors: Use of colour, lighting and placement.

From an artistic/philosophical perspective :-
Fear is an emotional state and can be represented as a response to the stimuli.

example : subject with a fear of arachnophobia seeing a spider.

twist : A scared spider running away from a guy in an t-shirt that says "arachnophobic".

I would make lists of all common phobias and then make 3 basic drawings (as a cinematographer would), and then try to recreate your drawing in a photograph...

hope this help...
 
Hi racerpilot.

I saw a competition entry some years ago... very powerful.

The subject was a spider on a carpet. Taken from floor level with wideangle lens up close.

Frame was portrait and bisecting the frame was a door. Other half of frame was oof interior of room. Looked as if spider was entering the room.

Light was from behind spider (as if illuminated by light from a passage or other room that the spider was leaving). Spiders shadow was slightlty preceeding spider into the new room.

If you add a person standing on a chair (suitably oof but recognisable as such) placed in background (for scale) so spider seems LARGE I think you would have a powerful depiction of arachnaphobia.

Subject spider in focus looming large while terrified human oof and appearing small.

If you don't like that idea (or think arachnaphobia too cliched or spiders are hard to come by) remember that phobias are irrational so provided that you have a model that can act terrified you do not have to actually show the object causing the distress you could imply it. Maybe mock up a shadow (of a bat or mouse or cat etc) on a wall behind your model.

For instance a slow shutter speed shot of someone beating at their hair (lots of motion blur) with a shadow of a bat on the wall (easily done with a cardboard cut out in front of light).

The brief may be difficult because it is so wide but it also allows you to do anything (so long as you get the result) - give your imagination free rein!

Good luck. And please post your image(s) here so we can have a look.
 
errgh how on earth do u expect me to get within the distance to be able to take a photo of a clown :S lol ill try at the pleasure beach lol but i hatw hate hate clowns my biggest phobia.
 
Firstly many thanks for your replies.

Mike, thanks for the suggestion of drawing. This is how I would normally design pages etc, but seldom apply it to photography. This helped a lot and then I gained a few more ideas.

Also helpful was the intrduction of the final brief in which the image was to be used...this meant I could view the image in context (for print rather than as just an image).

Barsbyart, also many thanks. Although I think arachophobia would be a little cliche, the shadow idea was inspirational.

Below is what I came up with. Although it is not all that exciting as an image on its own, I feel it is perfect for the document. The first image is the photograph and the second is, more importantly, the finished document. I am quite pleased withe the finished article. Please let me know what you think...good or bad...I still have a little time to alter anything.

barneyai7.jpg


fisihed1dw0.jpg

Please note this should be a magazing page size.

Once again, many thanks for the help.

Mark
 
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