All of these photos are by Sophie Calle. I think the last three (especially the last one) are powerful because of the emotion they bring out. I want to be able to create powerful photographs like Sophie Calle does.
My plan for my first work is to take a picture showing vulnerability through guilt. I took pictures a year ago of a person with red paint (like blood) on their hand and face so I might see if I can take some better pictures like them or find those old pictures.
My second work is probably going to be about vulnerability because of appearance. I'm going to South Carolina over thanksgiving break so I think I will take a picture of my sister in a bathing suit looking uncomfortable.
My plan for my third work might be an artistic nude, but I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that. However, the state of nudity is definitely a vulnerable state and I think it's important to include in my concentration. Sophie Calle also takes artistic nude portraits sometimes and they clearly show vulnerability...
(I don't know if this next photograph is really considered a nude since you can't really tell that they're naked even though they're under blankets with naked shoulders.)
I think Calle's work is very compelling. Think about what visual quality you might use to connect your work. For example, photos 2-5 above all conceal the subjects face with a mask or covering of some kind. The 6th photo creates a sense of concealed identity through a cropped composition. The last photo above, the subjects are turned away so we see only part of their faces. I suggest choosing one way that you can express the vulnerability of your subjects and repeating that throughout all of your works.
ReplyDeleteAlso think about WHY people feel vulnerable. is it because of what they think others might say or think about them, or is it due to their own insecurity and feeling uncomfortable with their personal identity/image?
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