The series of Traditional Drakroom prints shown are a predominantly self portrait series of photos along with few of a close friend who helped as well throughout the shoot. This series was then used along with the digital series "Hidden Identity Photoshoot Photography" to create the final outcome which is on the link at the end, both of which are on my portfolio.
The concept is the same as the digital shoot and looks at the ideas of a hidden identity and mainly how people who wear hoodies are stereotyped from some people to be bad, but who are they really?
It also hints at The Manchester Riots and makes the viewer look at this side to the question as well and so am wearing a traditional bankrobbers mask, the mask doesnt distort the face though but feel it creates a more interesting sense to the image as it makes the viewer try to see the face.
Throughout making the series, I very much wanted to create an old worn visual effect with scratches and blurs on them to add a sort of idea of abandonment to them and make you think that even though the Manchester Riots was just a mass looting event, that the idea of elements of society being abandoned isnt entirely wrong either.
In some photos, there is the use of active framing through making the image projection smaller when printing and also by varying the development process, making the subjects face disappear to add to the hidden character idea. There are some that show the masking and unmasking of the character and when masked, some show the distortion through ripples of the mask that help make the face less distinguishable.
As for the order of the narrative images, I wanted to create a sense of sudden changes to throw off the viewer off any sort of order and let them come up with ideas for what is happening to the character throughout.
People are seen who wear hoodies as potential people to be involved in criminal activities, but who are they really?
The idea for this photo is that the figures face is very much calm and peacefull, but is looking down at the bankrobbers mask in the hand and the way this puts any preconceptions of making a judgement of a person from their expressions and from "first glance" at odds!
With the following two images, the idea is to try and make the viewer question whether they are looking at the front or the back of the figure in them and so helps aid the supernatural atmosphere.
The photo above was the main one I had envisioned when creating this series and for the viewer to only see the blacked out figure stood afar in the carefully planned location, this image I'm pleased with as my friend captured it and looks exactly the way I intended it to.
The links to the digital photography project that ties in with this and also the Final Outcome for the Hidden Identity theme are shown on the links below.
