UNIT 8 Photography

In my contextual research of Tamara Kvesitadze's work I discovered the importance of the size and shape of each layer due to the face in my design being made up of layers rather than being a true form. Therefore I decided to explore facial structure to ensure the shape of each layer is accurate. 

To explore facial structure I planned a session in the photography studio. I used high key lighting so that I could see all the shapes of the whole face and I asked two of my friends to act as models for me. I took images of my friends faces in a neutral expression from eight different angles - 360/0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, 135 degrees, 180 degrees, 225 degrees, 270 degrees and 315 degrees - to gain knowledge and understanding of facial structure. This work further backs up my reportage drawing research where I found that the nose, jawline, eyes and hairline are the main facial features. When maquette making I can compare with this research to ensure the accuracy of the shapes.

To further develop my design I decided to explore the direction of the layers to see whether horizontal or vertical layers would be more appropriate and effective; I used my photography images to explore this. I used the 180 and 90 degree images and sliced them up to see how the direction would affect the images and how dramatic the contours of each layer are. The contours are an important element to look at as the material I use for the layers will have flat edges therefore the less dramatic the contours the better, I could include more layers if the contours are dramatic however I am limited due to the cost of materials. As you can see from the images on my sketchbook page you can see that horizontal layers look more effective due to the lack of dramatic contours.