This E-Folio consists of the photography work I produced over the course of September 2016 through to July 2017, including the research I did whilst studying my final year of the two-year UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma Film & Photography Course at Croydon College, which I have since completed with a Pass. will also consist of photography work and possible research I will be doing in the future.
This E-Folio will also consist of photography work and possible research I will be doing in the future.
This E-Folio will be updated on a regular basis so you will be able to see the photography work I have published, the research I have published, including the website links that will take you to the original articles that consist of the photography work and research shown below.
The Trek to Dungeness consisted of wide-scale photographs that documented the scenery of Dungeness Beach, Romney Marsh and this showcased the natural beauty of the landscape given the rocks, pebbles and shells. I kept in mind that some areas of Dungeness, such as the Nuclear Power Plant and other areas of Dungeness were photography-free zones, which would prevent me from photographing the nuclear power plant and certain zones of Dungeness that were restricted due to security.
Kelsey Park / 24.1.2017 / Click here to view the entire photography collection of Kelsey Park.
During my visit to Kelsey Park, I was able to photograph the landscape despite the frosty weather conditions and I had made sure to get up, close and personal with the Canada Geese and some ducks, which really helped to inform my creative knowledge. This photography collection consisted of Mallard Ducks, Mandarin Ducks, even two swans and some pigeons, and this really helped me as I was able to get a better understanding of the photographers I have researched; Ansel Adams, Art Wolfe, David Muench, John Shaw & Joel Sartore.
Dulwich Park / 31.1.2017 / Click here to view the entire photography collection of Dulwich Park.
As this photography collection was a continuation of the Kelsey Park photography collection, Dulwich Park presented more of a close-up of nature, as I was able to take a close-up photograph of one of the Moor Hens, which was really good for me as this allowed me to showcase the photography skills I currently have, as well as to how much my photography skills have improved over the course of time.
As this collection of photographs were a continuation following my previous visit to Dulwich Park, I photographed in and around Beddington Park, as I wanted to make sure to really capture the scenery, including noting down information photographically of any of the gravestones based on where that specific person was buried, as well as to what they may have died from. I did make sure to tread very carefully when I photographed in and around Beddington Park as I didn’t want to create morbidity in these photographs, also because I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong impression that I was photographing the gravestones in a least respectful manner.
Photographic Edits I Have Produced
As part of my Self-Directed Curiosity Project, I was asked to develop my photographic experiments further based on the photographs I took, so I have made sure to handpick the photographs I have taken already and edited them into four different colours each, in a Simon Says kind of style.
For the 30 photographs I have handpicked and colourised myself, I chose the primary colours; red, blue, green and yellow, as I see nature as being vibrant, full of life and full of colour. These colours, to me, represent that exquisitely natural beauty that I would expect to see in every photograph that I take.
Pecha Kucha / Japanese for Chit-Chat / Click or tap here to view the full article.
As part of my Final Major Project for the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma Film & Photography Course, I produced a Pecha Kucha presentation which would consist of all 20 slides lasting 20 seconds each, and this presentation would consist of notes I gathered together, including some photography work that I referenced in the presentation, photography work of which that was produced by Thomas Ruff & Bert Stern, which I have confirmed I take absolutely no credit for considering the work that I didn’t produce that I have referenced in this presentation isn’t at all mine. I also included my own photography work that I produced following my visits to Kelsey Park, Dulwich Park and Beddington Park.
Fazal Sheikh / Research / Click or tap here to view the full article.
As part of my Final Major Project, I have been doing research on the photographers that influence me in the photography work I want to produce, which will be based on Facial Expressionism. The first photographer I researched for my Final Major Project was Fazal Sheikh.
Fazal Sheikh’s photography work aims to document and personalise the power of portraiture whilst bring the displaced parts of the world, including its own people, into focus.
Shown below are the slides in the exact order, and the work I have done Harvard Referencing for that references Fazal Sheikh’s photography work I take absolutely no credit for. I also confirmed that I take absolutely no credit for the photograph of Fazal Sheikh produced by the MacArthur Foundation. I have merely referenced Fazal Sheikh’s work and the photograph of Fazal Sheikh produced by the MacArthur Foundation in my research as inspiration to inform and develop my own photography work inspired by him.
The pages that are referenced can be found below, complete with Harvard Referencing, the awards that Fazal Sheikh has received for his work, as well as the various exhibitions he has done that showcases his work, not to mention the publications and ISBN numbers, and also his collections, with external links to further research. All credit goes to Fazal Sheikh and the MacArthur Foundation.
Irving Penn / Research / Click or tap here to view the full article.
Continuing on from the first photographer I researched for my Final Major Project, the second photographer I have chosen to research is Irving Penn.
Irving Penn was an American photographer who was best known for his portrait, still life and fashion photography collections, and his photography career consisted of work he produced with the top fashion magazine company, VOGUE, including Clinique and Issey Miyake.
Below are the slides in the exact order, and the work I have done Harvard Referencing for which references Irving Penn’s photography work I take absolutely no credit for. I also confirmed that I take absolutely no credit for the self-portrait photograph produced by Irving Penn himself. I’ve merely referenced Irving Penn’s work in my research as inspiration to inform and develop my own photography work further inspired on Irving Penn’s photography work.
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Jonathan McCartney for publication of these photographs.
Following on from the research I have done so far for the Final Major Project, I started to develop my photography skills further, and the first subject I photographed for my Final Major Project was my good friend, Jonathan McCartney.
As Fazal Sheikh and Irving Penn’s photography work inspired me in the development of my Facial Expression Final Major Project, I experimented with a white backdrop on the first set of photographs I took of my friend, Jonathan. Below are the headshot photographs I produced showing Jonathan doing different facial expressions. I acknowledged that some of the emotions might not connect to some of the photographs depending on the way these photographs are viewed, but I will be improving on this over the next few weeks.
Below are the headshot photographs I’ve produced so far, including the edited versions of these photographs which were edited with WordFoto.
Canon EOS 1200D
WordFoto Edits of Jonathan McCartney
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Jonathan McCartney for publication of these photographs.
Following on from the first set of headshot photographs I took of my good friend, Jonathan McCartney, I present to you the second headshot photographs I took of my friend, Jonathan, but this time, with a black backdrop, which I must say actually worked much better compared to the white backdrop I used in the first set of headshot photographs, and the black backdrop was an idea a close friend of mine suggested to me after he critiqued the Headshot #1 photographs I took of Jonathan.
These headshot photographs not only improved my photography skills, but it did make a lot of sense to use a black backdrop in these photographs, including any other photographs that I will produce.
I did make sure to experiment carefully with these photographs by editing them in WordFoto and GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) so that they can retain the facial expressions I asked Jonathan to make, as these headshot photographs tie in with my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project, including the research I have already done so far on the Facial Expressionism photographers, Fazal Sheikh and Irving Penn.
Canon EOS 1200D
WordFoto Photo Edits
Black & White Edited Versions of the Headshot #2 Photographs
Thomas Ruff / Research / Click or tap here to view the full article.
Continuing on from the first and second photographer I have already researched for my Final Major Project, the third photographer I chose to research is Thomas Ruff.
Thomas Ruff is a German photographer who lives and also works in Düsseldorf in Germany. As he currently shares a photography studio with other German photographers, such as Andreas Gursky, Axel Hütte and Laurenz Berges on Düsseldorf’s Hansaalee, the photography studio itself formerly comprised of a municipal electricity station, which was converted between the course of 1998 and 2000 by architects, Herzog & de Meuron, who are part of Tate Modern fame, with an updated basement gallery that was completed in 2011.
Below are the slides in the exact order, and the work I have done Harvard Referencing for which references Thomas Ruff’s photography work I take absolutely no credit for. I also take absolutely no credit for the self-portrait photograph produced by Hans Peter Schaefer and Thomas Ruff. I’ve merely referenced Thomas Ruff’s work in my research as inspiration to inform and develop my own photography work and photography skills further.
The pages that are referenced can be found below, complete with Harvard Referencing, the awards that recognised Thomas Ruff’s work, as well as the various exhibitions he has done, including his publications and ISBN numbers, and also his major collections, with external links to further research. All credit goes to Thomas Ruff, Tate Modern, Hans Peter Schaefer, Haus Der Kunst & Rubell.
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Steven Geer for publication of these photographs.
Following on from the research I have done so far on the photographers, Fazal Sheikh, Irving Penn and Thomas Ruff, the second subject I have chosen to photograph for my Final Major Project is Steven Geer.
For these headshot photographs, just like I did with the Headshot #2 photographs I took of my friend, Jonathan McCartney, I did make sure to use the black backdrop again, so that the facial expressions I would get Steven to do would have not just a real sense of depth, but that the expressions that Steven would make would capture a real sense of emotion.
I experimented very carefully with these photographs as these photographs build on the research I have done so far on 3 facial expressionist photographers; Fazal Sheikh, Irving Penn & Thomas Ruff.
Below are the Headshot #3 photographs of my friend, Steven, including edits of the photographs I have done in WordFoto and also GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program).
Canon EOS 700D
WordFoto Edits
Black & White Versions of the Original Photographs
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Oli Regan for publication of these photographs.
Following on from the research I have done so far on the photographers, Fazal Sheikh, Irving Penn and Thomas Ruff, the third subject I am honoured to have photographed for my Final Major Project is the famous actor and Mental Health Awareness Campaigner, Oli Regan.
For these headshot photographs, I experimented with a black backdrop so that the facial expressions I asked Oli to make would give the emotion from the facial expressions he made more emphasis and more depth.
After I photographed Oli with the black backdrop, I then opted to try out a red backdrop, so that I could capture some of the facial expressions again, but this time, I wanted to try and photograph Oli like as if I photographed him for a magazine cover photoshoot.
Canon EOS 1200D / Black Backdrop
Canon EOS 1200D / Red Backdrop
WordFoto Edits / Black Backdrop
WordFoto Edits / Red Backdrop
Black & White Versions of the Original Photographs
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Leonardo Mouza for publication of these photographs.
Continuing on from Headshot #4, in which I photographed the famous actor and Mental Health Awareness Campaigner, Oli Regan, Headshot #5 brings the next subject I have photographed for my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project, Leonardo Mouza.
For these headshot photographs, I wanted to take a different approach with the same expressions I wanted him to make, but this time by getting him to do those expressions naturally as to how he would make those expressions himself, but from his perspective.
These headshot photographs I produced build on the research I’ve already done so far on the photographers, which are Fazal Sheikh, Irving Penn & Thomas Ruff.
I used a black backdrop to produce these photographs of Leo as I wanted to make sure the facial expressions he made would stand out and that his facial features would create a sense of sharpness that would connect to each emotion I got him to make. These photographs help to build on the foundations of the Facial Expressionism Final Major Project I’ve been working intensively hard on.
Below are the headshot photographs I have produced of my friend, Leonardo Mouza.
Canon EOS 1200D
WordFoto Edits
Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
August Sander / Research / Click or tap here to view the full article.
Continuing on from the first, second and third photographer I have researched for my Final Major Project, the fourth photographer I have chosen to research is August Sander.
August Sander was a German portrait and documentary photographer, and his first book, titled: “Face of Our Time (German for Antlitz der Zeit)”, was published in 1929. He was also described as being “the most important German portrait photographer of the early twentieth century.”
Below are the slides in the exact order, and the work I’ve done Harvard Referencing for which references August Sander’s photography work I take absolutely no credit for. I also take absolutely no credit for the self-portrait photograph produced by August Sander and used by Widewalls. I’ve merely referenced August Sander’s work in my research as inspiration to inform and develop my own photography work and photography skills further.
The pages that are referenced can be found below, complete with Harvard Referencing, which includes August Sander’s legacy, the posthumous exhibitions done after August Sander passed away on the 20th April 1964, including the publication he released in 1929, titled: “Face of Our Time”, also noting the unreleased book that was left incomplete that detailed his travels, with references and external links to further research. All credit goes to Die Photographische Sammlung/ SK Stiftung Kultur der Sparkasse KölnBonn – August Sander Archiv and Widewalls.
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Terrence Mathew & Leonardo Mouza for publication of these photographs.
Continuing on from Headshot #5, which consisted of the subject, Leonardo Mouza, who I photographed for my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project, I have, again, photographed Leonardo Mouza for Headshot #6, but this time, with his close friend, Terrence Mathew.
For this photographic set, I have decided to photograph Leo & Terrence doing the facial expressions that I’ve asked them to do, as well as the natural facial expressions they have made themselves. For some, if not, a lot of the photos I took of Terrence & Leo, I wanted to photograph their own expressions, as well as what interests them, so in this case, they’re using technology, but I wanted to create the concept where their facial expressions describe what they are looking at.
These photographs build upon the research I have done so far on the photographers, which are Fazal Sheikh, Irving Penn, Thomas Ruff & August Sander.
Below are the photographs I have produced of Terrence Mathew & Leonardo Mouza, including the WordFoto Edits and the Black & White Versions of these photographs.
WordFoto Edits
Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Mhamad Rauf for publication of these photographs.
Continuing on from Headshot #6, in which I photographed Terrence Mathew & Leonardo Mouza, Headshot #7 focused on my next photographed subject, which was Mhamad Rauf.
For this photographic set, just like I did with Terrence Mathew & Leonardo Mouza, I photographed Mhamad outside and got him to do the facial expressions I asked him to make, but also photographed him in different positions, including some modelling headshots.
The graffiti on the walls of the walkway really helped as they put an emphasis on the facial expressions I got Mhamad to make, as the colour of the walkway, including the graffiti, helped to compensate for the facial expressions I asked Mhamad to make.
At this stage, these photographs informed the research I’ve done on Fazal Sheikh, Irving Penn, Thomas Ruff & August Sander.
Below are the headshot photographs of Mhamad Rauf, including the WordFoto Edits and Black & White Versions of the Original Photographs.
Canon EOS 700D
WordFoto Edits
Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
David Bailey / Research / Click or tap here to view the full article.
Drawing the research stage of my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project to a remarkable close, the fifth and final photographer I have chosen to research for my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project is David Bailey.
David Bailey is an English Fashion & Portrait photographer, who became a photographic assistant at the John French studio in 1959 and in 1960, was a photographer for John Cole’s Studio Five before he was contracted for the iconic and internationally renowned fashion magazine, British VOGUE.
Below are the slides in the exact order, and the work I’ve done Harvard Referencing for which references David Bailey’s photography work I take absolutely no credit for. I also take absolutely no credit for the self-portrait photograph produced by David Bailey himself. I’ve merely referenced David Bailey’s photography work in my research as inspiration to inform and develop my own photography work and photography skills further as I approach the end of my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project.
The pages that are referenced can be found below, complete with Harvard Referencing, which describes in short detail who David Bailey is, the best photographic pieces of work he has produced, the publications he has released, the exhibitions he has done to showcase his photography work, including the awards he has received, with references and external links to further research. All credit goes to David Bailey.
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Kasra Soltani for publication of these photographs.
As part of my Final Major Project, Headshot #8 follows on Headshot #7, which focused on the subject, Mhamad Rauf, and Headshot #8 focuses on my next subject, which is my close friend, Kasra Soltani.
For these photographs, I wanted to create a different approach to the facial expressions I wanted Kasra to make by getting him to do those facial expressions as to the way he makes those facial expressions naturally.
I experimented, just like with Headshot #6 of Terrence & Leonardo and with Headshot #7 of Mhamad, with the graffiti as a backdrop, as I wanted to photograph Kasra down in the walkway that is just on the right-hand-side outside the rotunda of Croydon College.
All of these headshot photographs build further on all of the research I have done over the course of the Facial Expressionism Final Major Project, and the five photographers I have done research on are Fazal Sheikh, Irving Penn, Thomas Ruff, August Sander & David Bailey.
Below are the headshot photographs I have produced of Kasra, including some Monochrome photographs that I produced after I finished photographing Kasra making the facial expressions I asked him to do for these photographs.
Canon EOS 1200D
WordFoto Edits
Monochrome (Black & White) / Facial Expressionism Photographs + A Continuation of the First Set of Facial Expressionism Photographs
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Kasra Soltani for publication of these photographs.
Continuing on from Headshot #8, I photographed my close friend, Kasra Soltani, again for Headshot #9 of my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project.
For these headshot photographs, just like I did with Jonathan McCartney, Steven Geer, Oli Regan & Leonardo Mouza, I used a black backdrop to bring out the emphasis of the facial expressions I asked him to make.
As my research influenced, informed and helped me to develop my critical thinking and photography skills further, I made sure that these photographs would stand out and give the facial expressions I asked Kasra to make a better insight, so that each facial expression brings to the surface the emotion that goes with that specific facial expression.
As well as the facial expressions I asked Kasra to make, I also photographed him doing different facial expressions naturally, so in this case, when I say natural, I mean he was able to do facial expressions I wouldn’t usually expect him or anyone else to do. I even got him to do some of the expressions again, but this time, in his own way, so at least then his natural facial expressions compared to the facial expressions I asked him to make originally put more emphasis on the photography work I have already produced.
Below are the headshot photographs, including the WordFoto Edits and the Black & White Versions of these photographs I have produced featuring my cl0se friend, Kasra Soltani.
Canon EOS 1200D
WordFoto Edits
Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
DISCLAIMER: Permission was granted by Kasra Soltani for publication of these photographs.
Bringing my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project to a remarkable close, Headshot #10 marks the end of my Final Major Project Practical Work as I have photographed my close friend, Kasra Soltani.
For this final collection of headshot photographs, I made sure to get Kasra to do some facial expressions like before, but for these headshot photographs, I adjusted the lighting to accommodate for better focus on Kasra so that each expression he has made connects to the photography work I have already produced. Taking a new direction on the photographs, Kasra did some new facial expressions that I initially didn’t have in mind at first and this has given me a better outlook as to how I was able to assign each expression with its own name, as well as to how that specific emotion connects to the facial expression I’ve not only asked him to make, but the facial expressions he’s made naturally in most of these photographs.
This final headshot collection informed my critical thinking, as well as the research I did on the five photographers, which were Fazal Sheikh, Irving Penn, Thomas Ruff, August Sander & David Bailey.
Below are the final headshot photographs for my Facial Expressionism Final Major Project, complete with the WordFoto Edits and Black & White Versions of the Original Photographs.
Canon EOS 1200D
WordFoto Edits
Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
As I prepare to end my Final Major Project, which comes to a close on Monday 5th June, I have created Contact Sheets for my Final Major Project, which will be in my sketchbook once printed.
All of the Headshot Photographs which consist of my close friends, which are Jonathan McCartney, Steven Geer, Oli Regan, Leonardo Mouza, Terrence Mathew, Mhamad Rauf & Kasra Soltani, are almost ready for the End of Year Show, and all I need to do now is get the photos put on to a large number of slides, timed around 10 to 20 seconds each, and then all that’s left is to finalise my proposal and then the sketchbook annotations, along with the Final Evaluation.
I hadn’t anticipated my last year of college would fly so quick! Time flies when you’re having fun, also when you’re working your socks off to make sure you can achieve the best from the work you produce.
Below are all of the contact sheets from #1 to #10, including the photo edits and black and white versions of the original photographs.
Headshot #1 – Jonathan McCartney
Headshot #1 – Jonathan McCartney / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #2 – Jonathan McCartney
Headshot #2 – Jonathan McCartney / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #2 – Jonathan McCartney / Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
Headshot #3 – Steven Geer
Headshot #3 – Steven Geer / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #3 – Steven Geer / Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
Headshot #4 – Oli Regan / Black Backdrop & Red Backdrop
Headshot #4 – Oli Regan / WordFoto Edits / Black Backdrop & Red Backdrop
Headshot #4 – Oli Regan / Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
Headshot #5 – Leonardo Mouza
Headshot #5 – Leonardo Mouza / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #5 – Leonardo Mouza / Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
Headshot #6 – Terrence Mathew & Leonardo Mouza
Headshot #6 – Terrence Mathew & Leonardo Mouza / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #6 – Terrence Mathew & Leonardo Mouza / Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
Headshot #7 – Mhamad Rauf
Headshot #7 – Mhamad Rauf / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #7 – Mhamad Rauf / Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
Headshot #8 – Kasra Soltani
Headshot #8 – Kasra Soltani / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #8 – Kasra Soltani / Monochrome (Black & White) / Facial Expressionism Photographs + A Continuation of the First Set of Facial Expressionism Photographs
Headshot #9 – Kasra Soltani
Headshot #9 – Kasra Soltani / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #9 – Kasra Soltani / Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
Headshot #10 – Kasra Soltani
Headshot #10 – Kasra Soltani / WordFoto Edits
Headshot #10 – Kasra Soltani / Black & White Versions of Original Photographs
End of Year Show / Facial Expressionism / Final Major Project / B-Roll / Alex Smithson
As I drew my Final Major Project, which surrounded Facial Expressionism, to a remarkable close, I produced an End of Year Show B-Roll that consisted of all of the headshot photographs that I produced throughout the entire Final Major Project.
Below are the black and white versions of some of the photographs I took of Saviyon, with different captions that I felt worked really well with the selected photos.
Below are the facial expressions that I photographed of Shaquille Roachford.
Below is a black and white version of one of the photographs I took of Shaquille, with a caption that I felt had a powerful connection with Mental Health.
Oli Regan / 22.8.2017 / Click or tap here to view the full article.
Following on from when I photographed my close friends, Saviyon Thomas & Shaquille Roachford, I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to photograph my close friend, the actor and mental health awareness campaigner, Oli Regan, again, but this time for this photography series.
As I look to explore the concept of expression in the subjects I photograph, photographing Oli gave me the chance to explore his personality, regardless of the angle, but more importantly, as body language is a consistent boundary for the subject’s facial expression, photographing Oli again gave me the chance to explore his personality through these photo headshots, as well as his persona, so in this case, because he’s an actor, he puts on a serious face, which makes the photos interesting, considering that being serious really makes him stand out.
The serious impression and the modelling approach that Oli has taken to make sure the photographs I have produced look visually eye-catching are out of this world. Whilst I remember, keep an eye out for Oli on the latest EE advert that’s been on TV recently. You don’t want to miss it. To spot him, wait for Stormzy‘s song: “Big for Your Boots“, taken from his album, Gang Signs & Prayer, to come on after Kevin Bacon finishes with the word: “INCOMING!” and you should see Oli on the left-hand-side of the screen skanking to Stormzy’s record. It’s a bloody good advert and you will not be disappointed.
Below are the photos I’ve produced of my close friend, Oli Regan.
Amazing work my brother
I admire you ❤️
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Woow
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Thanks so much for the kind words Kasra, your response means so much 🙂
Alex Smithson
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