3000 word essay

Nathan Rawlings
Unit 3 Photography

Hyperreality


Hyperreality was first coined by Jean Baudrillard who highlighted that "truth and reality are mediated and interpreted to an extent that culture can no longer distinguish reality from fantasy". In its most basic form, hyperreality is the inability to distinguish real life from a simulated reality. This is simply the idea that the media create and mold the world’s ideas about everyday life. We can see this in magazines when airbrush is used to make models thinner and their skin smoother. It has been a wide topic of controversy as it has affected so many young people’s opinions on the standards of the human appearance in a negative way, causing them to want to aspire to unrealistic standards. Some examples of hyperreality can be seen within images in everyday life. These effects can be so subtle that the audience will not tell the difference. Examples of this form of hyperreality within media can be seen in magazines such as esquire, vogue or other fashion magazines in which they forces on appearance. In reality, the colour will be dull instead of the exaggerated tones that will be present in the final edit. This idea of a distorted reality can be likened to other subjects such as surrealism which highlight similar techniques and methods.

This is a real-world example of the ways in which hyperreality is incorporated. This will most commonly be used in a fashion magazine and will go on to influence a large percentage of it's audience to believe that this is an accurate representation of a person. This is from a magazine named Redbook, which focuses on anti-aging methods and dieting. The person's appearance within the image has been drastically edited in order to appeal to the audience, giving them false hope that they can achieve this unobtainable look. This false idea about human appearance is a prime example of hyperreality as the real thing may look worse than expected as a result. There are clear alterations to the person within the image. Their skin appears smoother, wrinkles appear to be reduced and her eyes appear sharper and more striking. When you observe the two images side by side, you can clearly tell that this is a completely false representation of the female model/celebrity. However, this form of hyperreality is witnessed every single day and is accepted to be real. The result can cause women of all ages to aspire to achieve unrealistic standards by starving themselves or doing ridiculous things in order to look like this hyperreality version of a person. However this is not the first time that art has been publicly questioned and protested. Movements such as Dada highlighted issues within art as they began to protest using non-asthetically pleasing imagery in order to question issues within society and the role of art.

History of techniques and photographers:

An early example of complicated techniques being incorporated into photography can be seen within the work of someone such as Oscar Rejilander. The techniques that Rejilander helped to realise within the world of photography would eventually become massively utilised by others when the surrealist movement began later down the line. Within this image, audience were treated to one of the first examples of photomontage, a technique which has become commonly used through the development of Photoshop. Rejilander used this technique in order to tell a visual story of varying lifestyles, going from left to right detailing contrasts of virtuous and sinful lifestyles. The technique has allowed more information to be stored than was previously available, allowing for more multilayered examples of photography. This technique was much more complicated around this time and the effect appears less natural or complex than what can be achieved now, Rejilander's work was probably the pinnacle of what could be achieved at the time and was greatly limited due to restraints on technology.  The image that was used consisted of thirty two different images that were combined together. It was a long process that would take considerably longer than it would with modern technology such as Photoshop. The technology has provided the necessary assets that will allow more experimentation than can be seen within Rejilander's work. This ensures that the subjects in which this technique is used will be more diversified as a result.

As time has moved on, technology has moved along with it. With the advent of the computer and CAD software such as Photoshop, photographers have been able to explore a vast range of techniques which have opened up a new realm of possibilities for creation within the subject of hyperreality. Where practicality of images and the quality of different effects may have limited the area of possibilities for the subject, Photoshop has expanded what was previously thought to be within the realm of possibility for photographers. Now photographers can create vast worlds that blend seamlessly into reality. This creates a more convincing effect that allows for audiences to believe in the hyperreality that is being created and make their everyday lives seem less exciting as a result.

Many key photographers have contributed to the genre of hyperreality and surrealism. The likes of Staudinger Franke, Jerry Uelsmann and Phillipe Halsmann would take everyday settings and make them completely extraordinary through simple techniques.

Thia image, entitled Dalí Atomicus features Slavador Dali in mid air as a nod to his previous work, Ledia Atomica which can be seen within the image. Slavador Dali was a surrealist painter and collaborated with Halsman during the 1940s.  Philippe Halsman's variation of surrealism and hyperreality is more chaotic than the previous images. Every aspect of what the audience would deem to be as normal is massively altered. The rules of gravity appear to be gone as each component is weightless. This representation of hyperreality was so groundbreaking as the effects are so convincing to the point where what is happening within the image seems impossible. According to Halsman, the image took 28 attempts in order to achieve a perfect result that can be seen now.

This image from Jerry Uelsmann uses a simple, yet very powerful technique. There is no real trickery going on within this image as the same tree is actually featured two years apart. Ansel Adams had previously photographed the tree when it still had leaves on the branches. Two years later when the tree had fallen down, Uelsmann featured it as a parallel to the other in order to create the image that can be seen now. With Photoshop or other new technologies, you could accomplish this effect by simulating the tree with or without leaves. For Uelsmann however, he had to work within a dark room and layer images physically in order to achieve his effects. This was a process which appears painstaking compared to the amount of ease which you can accomplish this effect with now.  He merely uses a reflection to show a passage of time. This creates a massive theme of contrast within the image as the audience can see the tree was once surrounded by life and light whereas now, it is wilting and is surrounded by a desolate landscape where nothing grows. The black and white format of the image allows for this contrast to become more apparent, the brighter tones appear cleaner and pure while the darker tones become more clouded and dark as a result. This image offers negative connotations to the effect that time has on things. The composition of the image and the use of parallels also lend itself to this idea as you could turn the image back as if you were turning back time in order to view the same environment from a different perspective.

Two Current Practitioners:

This image shows how simple techniques can be utilized in order to create a visual story. This idea of an enhanced reality can be seen as the man within the image is picturing himself within his own hyperreality. The audience can deduce this through the use of the formal element reflection. We can see that the reflection represent Franke’s idea of a hyperreality. An important factor to note within this image is the lack of visual effects used. Instead, Franke has relied on the use of composition in order to direct the audience's attention towards what he wants them to see. This shows how hyperreality can purely direct the audiences attention instead of relying on effects to achieve this. As a result the message behind the image becomes abundantly clearer.

As photography and the technology used within shoots have changed and advanced. Photographers have been utilising photoshop in order to show even more baffling examples of hyperreality. For example, we can see that this image clearly uses these new platforms in order to create a different effect that would have been less convincing if it were done years before. From this simple screen split, the audience can see the aspirations and the age progression of the person within the image. The child shows this by playing with a toy horse, the effect clearly shows the progression by merging the images together. The colours used within the image promote this idea of a passage of time. The past is shown in a washed out colour pallet, in order to give connotations to a less advanced time.

This next image from Cedric Delsaux, titled AT-AT in fog, Dubai 2009 shows how convincing these effects have become since the implementation of Photoshop. Where older photos would have to implement negatives of film and physically overlap film, this image can do the same digitally in a fraction of the time. Where an old effect would have been less believable, this example seamlessly blends images together by using aspects such as fog and colour grading. These forms of editing would not even be available to photographers such as Uelsmann. Delsaux takes techniques used in the Star Wars films and applies it to this image by using physical modals and overlapping them onto other environments. This blend of practical and computer effects give his images a more physical aspect to them instead of being completely computer generated. He uses the fog in order to blend the images together further and to give a sense of scale and distance to the model.

My work can relate to these areas of hyperreality. Initially, I have attempted to focus on hyperreality, and it's effect on our everyday lives. I wanted to replicate the way that ideas and our perception of the world can be changed through simple editing techniques. These shoots are used in order to misdirect the audience and manipulate them into believing that the hyperreality worlds that are being set up by the photographer are accurate in their depiction of the components of the image.

This image shows the extent of what can be achieved through simple editing techniques within images. Through a simple change in the saturation, the audience can begin to see colours that are not present within the original, unedited image. Without adjusting any features in the image, the plant life appears, dull and possibly on the verge of dying. This is enhanced by the dullness of the real colours. A more common representation of an area like this within media will have enhancements in order to make colours appear brighter. As a result, the edited image appears vibrant, healthy and placed in a colourful location. This is a false representation of the real world and can be classed as a hyperreality since in many instances it may be regarded as the real thing.

This image takes everyday items and gives them an entirely new perspective. The image achieves this by shooting from a close up in order to make the components appear larger in scale. The comparison between the human and the surrounding objects. This gives a further feeling of scale and adventure that would have been lost when looking at such an object regularly. This sets up a totally unbelievable hyperreality but at the same time enhances certain aspects of the world.

This image attempts to convey the main idea about what hyperreality is. The image on the television screen in colourful while the surrounding area is featured in black and white. This promotes the idea that reality is enhanced and presented to us in a mediated way. The perception of this false reality can influence people's ideas about the real world. In comparison, the real world is more dark and dull than the enhanced hyperreality that is portrayed through the media.

This image was a part of a shoot which aimed to replicate the types of hyperreality which can be seen within everyday day life through magazines and advertisements. The person within the original image appears pale and blemishes within the face are present. With the use of Photoshop, the blemishes and paleness ofd the skin has been reduced. The airbrush technique has removed any and spots that remained while the black and white filter has managed to smooth out the skin even further. The face now appears to be more defined as dodging and burning techniques have been used in order to exaggerate some features and add more depth to other areas of the face. As a result, the face appears slimmer and other features become more up to the standard of other fashion shoots. It is important to show the contrast of the before and after within this shoot as it allows the audience to realise how fake one person looks compared to the other. On its own, the final image may confuse some audience members and cause them to believe that this image was actually real. This is a direct attempt to address the ways in which hyperreality versions of people and objects can be confused with reality and can even give negative results by encouraging impossible goals.

This image by photographer Zed Nelson highlights the results of the expectations of hyperreality. We can see that the woman within the image has had a nose job. Magazines and other forms of media have adjusted the appearance of their models to a point where people begin doubting their own appearance. These people begin to hate themselves, only being happy again until they spend thousands on plastic surgery. The plastic surgery process can cause long term issues and cause people to have strange appearances. This image perfectly sums up the amount of pain in which people go through in order to achieve their hyperreality vision of human appearance. Zed Nelson's work is so relevant especially within todays society as he shows how vanity pollutes the mind of normal people and weighs in on the media such as glamour magazines and their effect on the public.

The future of hyperreality:

While hyperreality is common within the media and can often manipulate the audience's minds, there are still some clear limits to the methods that are currently being used. While Photoshop and other editing softwares allow for models to be airbrushed and environments to be made vivid and otherworldly, it is often clear when an image has been edited as the colours remain too saturated or the skin of a model is feathered with no detail in the skin whatsoever. As technology and techniques begin to develop over time, audiences can expect to see the line between reality and hyperreality blurred. Technology will be able to blend effects into environments and people better creating more convincing results. While the advancement of techniques and technology is a positive, the same cannot be said for the effect that this will have on audiences. Since the effects will become extremely realistic, audiences will become more affected by body image. Some people within today's world find comfort in knowing that an image has been photoshopped, however a point will be met where they cannot tell the difference and fall victim to the unrealistic expectations that are being generated by media outlets such as magazines and advertisement.

To conclude, hyperreality is a subject that has been present throughout media for years. It can shape the ideas of its audience into believing the world that has been set up to be true. This side of the subject has caused much controversy as the connotations of the enhanced world are typically bad. This idea of false portrayals through the use of Photoshop airbrushing techniques can be seen within magazines and advertisement and have largely impacted the lives of women and men alike. The idea of body image and the concerns raised within the issue has caused people to put their lives at risk in order to reach a standard which is deemed 'attractive' within the media world. It is clear that this problem will persist and become harder to distinguish from reality as technology improves, instead it is up to the media to choose a more honest approach to photography. Many companies including Dove with their 'Real Beauty' campaign. However, hyperreality also allows the audience to witness aspects of life in entirely new meaning as their perspectives are manipulated. They can be shown places and objects that are lost within the details of everyday life and discover them again as different effects can be used to invigorate new life within the images. Much like the Dada movement hyperreality can be parodied and used to highlight these issues that are created within the media by highlighting themes such as body image and censorship.