Idea for Portfolio/'Something Is Missing'

My idea for my portolio for this module is to make a series of pictures that imply a story from only the abandoned/lost clothes depicted in unusual and public places. I was inspired to undertake this by often being confused by the presence of such clothes observed whilst out walking and wondering how the came to be there. The above pictures are some pictures I have taken of some I have seen whilst out, although they are not shot in the style I aim my project to be in.

The title and theme of the exhibition that I am working toward is 'Something Is Missing'. I have picked my project to fit with that theme. The clothes are obviously intended to be missed by the wearer, but in the pictures it is they - as well as the story behind why the items were abandoned or lost - that is absent.

I want my series, despite its being inspired by real occurences - ones that I think most people will have memories of similar sights - to be obviously constructed. This is because the way I want to work on this series is by working to make technically satisfactory and visually pleasing pictures that evoke a fictional story that I have concocted.

I will use elements of the pictures themselves, their construction and subjects, to stress that the series is not a documentation of actual situations. These will also add a distinctive visual style to the mix.

I will do this:

By having a shallow depth of field, emphasising the artificial nature of the way of seeing. In opposition to Peter Henry Emerson's idea that having one area of sharp focus is closer to how the human eye sees, I observe that whilst one can only focus on one plane at a time the bokeh of a photograph remains the same rather than adjusting along with the the movement of the eye upon it. Therefore, in my opinion, the shallow depth of field frozen by photography highlight the artifice of the medium as a way of seeing.

By shooting in colour. This is an example of avoiding anything that would suggest to a casual viewer that the pictures are not set up. Black and white having become visual shorthand for photographic realism in the same way that sepia toning represents the past, because of their use in that genre and at a certain time period.

By using items of clothing that are all either black or black and white. This is part of the 'distinctive visual style' I mentioned. It adds uniformity, pun intended, to the pictures and is part of my deliberate use of colour in creating the pictures. Though I want the surrounding location in the shots being fairly realisting in their colouring.

By (subtly) digitally manipulating the pictures to ensure they look how I want them. My scanning the negatives and digital printing, though mostly due to the necessity of it being cheaper for me and having readier access to it over a colour darkroom, also helps me by making it easier for me to remove any blemishes or accidental damage to the pictures as well as any adjustment of the colours.