Work Diary Shoot 5

For this shoot, I wanted to tackle perhaps the most common example of hyperreality. The process of airbrushing and defining features is one that is incorporated into everyday life. Magazines tend to use these techniques in order to create an enhanced version of the people within the image. I attempted to recreate this idea by experimenting with different variations of intestines. I wanted to achieve both believable and slightly unbelievable variations of the effect and show the contrast between the two images. This form of photographical manipulation can be seen in most forms of media. It can seriously harm the public as they develop eating disorders and have issues with body image as they try to achieve an unobtainable appearance. From advertising and television to modelling in magazines, this technique of airbrushing has become a real source of controversy. I wanted to create some strong portraiture which would dive into this subject, creating a representation of a person which has been generated by what the media deems as attractive. I took inspiration for this shoot when I saw an image which showed the effects of Photoshop manipulation. The before and after were contrasted against each other in a way that made the changes even more apparent, highlighting how much the media change within the process. This image was featured as a part of the magazine Redbook, and has served as a massive influence for this shoot. I wanted to replicate this style of presentation, showing a before and after in order to highlight changes through contrast. For this shoot I used a shuterspeed of 125, an f stop of 11 and an ISO of 200. I used a simple two light set up. This combined with the camera setting would allow me to light up the face enough in order to make any blemishes and skin details more obvious. This would help me within the editing process as these areas would be easier to spot and remove. This also creates a larger contrast when the two images are compared as the original will reveal blemishes that are not present within the final image.

Redbook before and after:

I wanted to keep the effects used within this image to be reduced enough to remain believable. Through using this effect, I have managed to irradiate impurities within the face, even the skin tone and reduce the darkness of any wrinkles. The airbrush acts as a matte in order to reduce the presence of oily skin. The end result gives the image flawless skin with an unobtainable appearance that appears unrealistic compared to the original.

This example shows a much more over the top rendition of the airbrush technique. This utilises more complex techniques in order to enhance certain features of the face which can be seen in magazines. We can see a clear contrast from the original as spots and other impurities instantly vanish while the face appears more defined. The jaw line and nose have become more defined in order to create a more appealing look while the tone of the skin appears smoother. The end result appears unrealistic compared to the original, however it is clear that this method can clearly misdirect the audience enough to make them believe that these standards are obtainable.

I used the same method for both edited images, however for this image, I developed the idea by featuring a more extreme editing style which involves airbrushing techniques which are commonly used within magazines. I opened CMYK colour and moved to the channels tab. I selected the yellow channel and then proceeded to copy the layer. The yellow channel will highlight flaws within the face which can be removed. I removed the previous steps by pressing cmd alt z. This took me back top the raw image. I pasted the colour layer and inverted the image. I then changed the layer to soft light in order to create soft tones on the face. The effect was far too intense so I made sure to drop the opacity in order to blend the effect better. I pressed the cmd key and the layer mask tab in order to create an inverted layer mask. I used a white brush and began to paint over areas of the face. This would allow me to smooth out areas further. This was where I stopped for the first edited image however I continued to experiment with airbrush techniques after this point.

 

I created a new layer and used the fill tab. I chose 50% grey. I changed the blending mode to soft light. I then began the process of dodging and burning. I selected the burn tool, set the range to mid tones and adjusted the exposure to 59%. This would allow me to darken areas of the image which I would want to define. For this I highlighted certain aspects such as the cheekbones, nose and jawline in order to give a more define look. I used the dodge tool in order to lighten areas of the image. With the exposure set to 50%, I began highlighting areas next to the darkened areas, which would allow me to make features even more defined. I used levels in order to darken areas of the image, creating more contrasts in areas which I wanted to look defined. I added a black and white filter in order to create smoother tones within the image. I noticed that despite the airbrush effect, some areas of blemishes remained present on the face. I knew that I had to remove these features in order to create a convincing airbrushed portrait. I used the spot healing brush tool in order to remove any further blemishes on the face.

progression:

For my next shoot I would like to experiment with more metaphorical examples of the subject. I would like to continue experimenting with new effects however as this shoot has shown me how it can help to vary my work. If I were to develop this shoot further, I would use this subject to experiment with body types. I could adjust figures and make the models appear closer to a standard that the media would deem as attractive. Body types and images are another massive influence for people to develop eating disorders. This means that I could develop some powerful imagery and expose certain negatives of the subject of hyperreality.