The initial idea that I had when I thought of distortion was to physically change the face in a way that would create a new face or even make a face become unrecognisable. I want to experiment and find out what works best for making a face look disfigured.
Distortion using Gloves 1.
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This was one of the first photoshoots I did when experimenting with distortion. The idea was very random because I just wanted to experiment with shapes that the face could make by itself. I used various different lighting techniques but mainly stuck with a overhead spotlight to create nice shadows.
For a first experiment, I decided to do something that would have a dramatic effect of the form of a face. I started of using clam-shell lighting and had the models face be squashed by other peoples hands. Throughout the shoot I changed the lighting to create better shadows on the face which help add to the distorted look. One of the things I noticed was that the black gloves disappeared into the black background of the shoot and it made the pictures look better because it made some parts of the face look like it was molded by itself. For this photoshoot I used mostly butterfly lighting because it created the nicest shaped shadows.
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I chose these two as the best because of the black gloves and how they blend seamlessly into the background which is something I thought was important.
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Also, the models face has been squashed well in this. I want to do
this photoshoot again and use a different models who's face is more
flexible because alot of these images turned out the same to eachother.
Overall, this photoshoot was unseccessful.
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Distortion using Gloves 2.
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For this photoshoot I took a different model and I did the same as before. The models face was much easier to work with and I got alot more outcomes. This was mostly to experiment with how to manipulate the face. I mostly used butterfly lighting for this photoshoot because I like the shadows it creates on the lower parts of the face and under the parts that are being squashed but I sometimes changed the ligthing to split, because it changed the shadows completely, giving the images a whole new shape. The overall shoot was very dark because I didnt want the photo's to be over exposed but I edited the best ones and highlights the parts of the face that stick out.
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I like these photos because of how each shape is different. By using someone elses hands to maniuplate the face it gave a variety of images and I thought these were to most different. The different shapes look like different creatures and I think the lines in the face create a nice texture.
Wes Naman.
"Wes, a commercial art photographer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He discovered how good the scotch tape looked by accident one time when he was messing around with some friends and then realised the potential it had."
Scotch Tape.
He has created portraits of his friends using scotch tape to distort their features. Wes says he originally got the idea after applying tape to himself to test a lighting rig set-up. I think it would help me develop a better understanding of the face by looking at Wes' work and experimenting with it. I liked these images because of the transparency of the tape compared to the rubber bands. Using tape looks more smooth and less scary than rubber bands. I think this is enhanced by the soft light thats used to create overall brightness on the face rather than lighting specific parts which would create harsher, larger shadows.
Rubber Band.
The rubber band photos have a similar effect on the models as the face is very squashed. This creates folds in certain areas of the face that make nice shadow appear very finely under the rubber band. The rubber band looks more painful because more folds created with it than the scotch tape. These have a darker background than the scotch tape photos which therefor meakes it feel as if the tone of all the photos is darker.
My experiment: Distortion using Sellotape.
This is the lighting set-up I used to make sure there was a lot of light on either side of the models faces. I also used spray lighting to create the same effect as Wes Naman. This way it would help me achieve photos similar to his.
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I decided to experiment with sellotape and hoped to achieve something as shocking as Wes Namans work. I started off looking at the places that his models looked the most squashed in order to have the best effect. I started the sellotape around the side of the models head so that the starting point was hidden and then wrapped it around the face. I was assisted while squashing the models face into different shapes because it turned out better if more than one person worked with the face,
I used two lights to brighten the face as much as possible and also one at the back as spray lighting to replicate Wes Namans work. |
Again this photo worked out better because of the multiple ways that the face has been manipulated. The sellotape really changed the face of the models face. But, again, the sellotapes shine is very distracting. I decided to do one more experimentation with the Sellotape and this time i really squashed the face to the extreme so that there would be parts of the face that were pulled very tightly in, and parts that were being squashed out.
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Rosa Verloop
Rosa Verloop is a Dutch artist who has found an interesting use for stockings. By molding, folding, and squeezing common nylon stockings, Verloop has created interesting, layered facial structures. She uses regular pins to keep the stockings in the shape of a facial structure. She says her portraits sit at an "uncomfortable place in the life cycle between birth and death."
Tights.
I thought this idea was really clever and it inspired me to experiement with tights because of the similarity in colour to skin. Also the sheerness of it creates a nice new texture which, along with the molding and shaping, will add to making a distorted look. I think her work shows how faces can be created from nothing and even though her 'sculptures' are trying to replecate a normal human face, I want to use this techniquw to turn a normal human face into something deformed and distorted.
My Experiment: Distortion using tights 1.
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I recorded this video to show the process of putting tights over the face because it was a difficult process so thought it would be good to see it being done.
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This photoshoot was fun to do but did not turn out the way I had hoped that it would. I used the ligth in various angles because it created many different shapes and shadows that allowed some photos to look better than others. I used a black background for this shoot to make the overall tone feel unpleasant as I wanted to create an abnormal distorted face.
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I like these photos the most becuse of the way that there is a element that a face is forming. The higher points that I enchanced using tights, such as the eyebrows and cheekbones, make really nice shaped shadows under the eyes and cheeks (if the lgithing was in the rightr plce - directly above). Also, I liked some of the photos that were taken from the side because the profile looked like that of a humans even though its not the perfect shape. I liked these the most becasuse they turned out to look alot like statues which i think shows how to turn an old face into a new one.
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Distortion using tights 2.
This was the second time I tried to use tights over the head it worked out a bit better because I had a better idea of what I wanted from the previous time. The final images came out better because there were more obvious shapes created.
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Best.
I think these images were the most successful of the second tights shoot because there is an obvious face shape that is being created. The tights enhance the distortion in the face because the new lumps and bumps that have been created making the face bigger and more grotesque. I also think these images looked the scariest because the lack of real features has made the model look unpredictable. Also, you cannot see any emotion underneath all the tights. |
Distortion using tights 3.
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I decided to record this video to show the process of pinning the tights being pinned onto the face because I think the pins made it a lot more successful. The pins allowed the tights to be secured more closely to the face which then made the overall outcome of the distorted face look much better.
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When I did this experiment the third time, I used pins to hold the tights more securely. I thought this would make it easier to mold the tights into a distorted face shape as the pins allowed extra parts to be pinned closer to the face. I am happy with the outcome because there are some photos that do resemble a face which is something that I was worried about when creating this. I think focusing on the eyebrows, nose and upper lip, really helped to form a face, even though the emotion seems to be moody throughout the photo shoot,
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Playdough Distortion Experimentation.
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I liked doing this photo shoot because it gave me the opportunity to completely remodel the face. The play-dough was fun and easy to work with and I decided to start of by making the nose an odd shape. I also thought it would be good to add more above the eye because it would create a dark shadow under the eye when the light was above. I then added lumps of play-dough all over to make sure the new 'skin' didn't look smooth. I wanted the end result to look like it was part of the face but at the same time I wanted it to look abnormal. I had the model positioned in the centre and took all the images straight on because I wanted to focus on the face.
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The finished result looked like strange skin which I was quite pleased with and I like this idea for distortion because of the way they shape of the face has been complete remodelled.
Make-up Distortion Experimentation.
I did these two makeup photo shoots to briefly experiment with the way that make up can have quite a dramatic effect when it comes changing the shape of the face. There are many ways to make a face look skinnier and I achieved this by contouring the face (putting darker colours below the cheekbones, in the temple, through the eye socket, along the jawline, under the nose ands chin and down the sides of the nose, and the lighter colours on the forehead, centre of the nose, under the eye, on the cheeks, top of the lip, and main chin area. This brought forwards all the light parts and pushed back the darker parts creating a skinnier effect. This make it look like there are natural shadows on the face.
Scans distortion Experimentaion.
I decided to do scans of the face to do the opposite effect of the tights. The tights created more shape and shadow and this way the shape is being taken away. By squashing the face down it distorts it in a different way and moves the face in a way you wouldn't usually see. This created some similar shapes to the sellotape shoot but also some new ones as the squashing of the cheeks came out the same.
I really like the scanned images because of how much detail you can see. I think that this and the Sellotape photo shoots worked the best because they show the faces being distorted but without covering or blocking any of the face. I like how the photos turned out being squashed.