Blog 3 – Project outcome
My project for Contemporary Portrait photography was badly influenced by the covid-19 pandemic since we were not able to collaborate in teams nor had any professional equipment to work with. Therefore, the brief has been adjusted to the current situation. We had to create home quarantine portraits of a family member, a person who cannot be present or a self-portrait using our smart phone or any other available device. At first, I was really disappointed by all the negative circumstances, but then I saw it as a creative challenge being limited in my resources.
As the lockdown continued I was really inspired by some photographers shooting online through Facetime. In one of the lectures we looked at the work of Heather Glazzard who used Facetime to produce her work.
I decided to portrait a friend living in another city through my laptop screen whilst she was doing her make-up even if she had nowhere to go. Creating different kind of layers through the screens I tried to build a feeling of proximity despite a long distance. Furthermore, I wanted to underline the necessity of social distancing and its importance towards the society.
Among other things, I chose a photograph I shot during a trip through Europe as desktop background to build a connection with my friend’s make-up in terms of colour and to reminisce about the days before the pandemic when travelling was still possible.
By highlighting the privileges we still had three month ago I wanted to create an awareness of not taking them for granted. Better Lives has inspired me especially in terms of appreciating the opportunities and personal freedom given by health, political stability and social responsibility.
My main focus has been on social responsibility, because it has never been more important in recent years than it is now. Even if we cannot see many of our loved ones in person it is important to have deep conversations and listen to how people feel during quarantine.
At this time, we are all limited in recourses, social contacts or feel unmotivated and uncreative. Nevertheless, we should see this as a chance to rethink our values and principles and change them to build a more positive environment.
Project outcome: