Connecting Essay 5

For this image I relied heavily on formal elements such as tone, colour and contrast in order to express elements of hyperreality. The idea of this representation of hyperreality is that the world we perceive is different from what we actually experience. To express this I focused on the glasses, causing the background to fade into obscurity. Within the lens of the glasses, a completely different environment can be seen. This environment contrasts greatly with the background as the audience are presented with a sharp, colourful landscape compared to the blurred, dark background. I have enhanced these contrasts through the use of a black and white filter. This draws connotations to dulness within the background while everything within the frame of the glasses appears vibrant. Using these aspects, I have attempted to create a visual representation of hyperreality and its effect. Everything outside of the frame represents the real world as being dull while the lens represents the world that we create in our minds through hyperreality as being vibrant. The fact that the glasses are in focus but the background isn't implies how we choose to ignore our reality and indulge the hyperreality that appeals more to us.

This image features a focus on a pair of glasses while the rest of the frame is out of focus. The setting of the image appears very simplistic as it appears to take place down the walkway of a street. This is a common sight for most people within their everyday lives. This image stands out from what takes place within the frame of the glasses. The extremely small scale of the background is heavily contrasted by the images within the glasses. It appears as if cosmic elements are featured within the lens and vast galaxies and constellations are used. This allows audiences to experience the mindset of the person who wears these glasses as their outlook on life is represented as being very positive and filled with wonder instead of viewing it as being boring or mundane. While the area around the glasses appear quite colourful, using colours which offer connotations to positivity the lens of the glasses features colours that aren't present anywhere else within the frame, evoking an otherworldly feeling.

Both of these images relate under a number of factors. The composition of the images are almost identical, as they both have a massive focus on the glasses while everything in the background remains blurred. Both images use perspective in an interesting way as they make the surrounding frame seem very boring compared to whatever is happening within the lens through the use of colour and the use of different settings. Both of these images focus on people's perceptions of the world. The people within the image choose to ignore their boring reality in favour of a more extraordinary perception of a hyperreality.

Connecting Essay 4

This image uses visual aspects to explore what is going on within the mind of the person within the photograph. This creates a statement about hyperreality as it shows how how the audiences emotions and connotations drawn towards the image can be manipulated by Photoshop. I used a harsh light on one side of the face in order to create contrasts within the image, causing the opposite half of his face to fade into darkness. This use of shadow offers connotations to mysteriousness and obscure thoughts. The position of light allows for a large portion of the person's face to be covered by the red tone. The colour of red offers connotations to violence and anger. The addition of the sharp object pressed against the face of the person holding it is enough to make the audience feel uncomfortable, the harsh light of the image emphasises this as the impact of the object can be seen, deep on the skin. These factors combine to suggest that this person is psychotic and mysterious, without these visual cues the tone of the image would be less prominent to the audience.

This image attempts to depict intense emotion through tone in a simple portrait format. A soft, direct light seems to have been used on the face of the person in order to emphasise shadows within the frame. As a result, aspects such as the muscles in the neck and expression on the face become more apparent within the image. These aspects of the image imply a certain strain on the person's face as if he is shouting. This is a clear example of anger as it is represented through an act that offers connotations to violence. The use of a black and white filter helps to emphasise these tones within the image and make shadows more prominent. However, the composition of the image causes the audience to look into the eyes of the person being photographed. The  soft light reflects from the eyes in a way which make them appear to be watering, as if the person within the image is holding back tears. This tone is emphasised through the use of a dark background which helps to provide connotations to isolation and emptiness. These factors combine to suggest that the person within the image is suffering with something that is affecting him dramatically, causing an outburst of rage.

These two images link under a number of features. Both images use visual methods in order to analyse what is going on within the mind of the people that are being photographed. Tone is a heavy influence as light and colour are used to enhance shadows and draw connotations to different emotions and mind states such as loneliness and anger. These visual aspects act as a prominent influence on the audience in order to manipulate the way in which they perceive the images and the themes present within the frame. Both images use a black background which offers connotations of loneliness in both instances. The use of this implies that the people who are feeling these extreme emotions feel detached from the rest of society and do not fit in.

Connecting Essay 3

Within this image I attempted to convey a sense of hyperreality by focusing heavily on contrasts. The image utilises double exposure in order to imply a sense of thought and looking into the mind of the subject for the audience. The world that is manifested within the mind of the person is one of vivid colours, busy streets and excitement. However, the world which surrounds the person is represented with the colour of white,which offers connotations to emptiness. This is image attempts to use these elements of the image in order to represent hyperreality. I attempted to communicate how hyperreality can pollute our ideas of the real world by assuming that it is as exciting as it appears within the media,in reality the world is bland compared to the hyperreality which is generated by the media. These two aspects heavily contrast against each other as the bright colours within the frame of the person differentiates massively from the empty white background which engulfs the remainder of the frame.

This image by Yaser Almajed utilises the effect of double exposure in order to depict a different effect. Almajed attempts to use the effect to explore the mind of the person in which he is photographing. The audience can deduce that the subject is thinking of the Eiffel tower as it makes up a large portion of the image. However, Almajed has chosen a specific composition when depicting this. A low angle was chosen which almost simulates a person's perspective viewing the landmark. The position of the camera and the posture looking up of the person being photographed implies that this is not just a thought but a memory instead. This adds more implications within the image as it could be suggested that the person is from Paris or maybe he has strong emotional ties to the location.

Both images link under a number of aspects, the first being the use of the same technique of double exposure. While the two images may differentiate in their reasoning for the use of the technique, they both utilise the effect in order to explore what is going on within the mind of the person who they are photographing. This technique offers a much more personal study into the mind of the person than many other techniques can offer. Both images use colour in order to create vivid contrasts within the frame, causing the images to become more visually striking while directing the audience's attention to what the photographer wishes them to see.

Connecting Essay 2

For this image I have attempted to use photomontage in order to blend elements of the real world with a world that is entirely fictional. I used a miniature model of the iconic batmobile which I blended in with an image of New York. The image contains a cast amount of visual information within the frame. People are gathering all around while vivid colours from the surrounding environment and lights offer connotation of a heightened reality. I wished to use this image as a statement against hyperreality. The location chosen within the image is famed for mass advertising and media related spectacle. I chose to bring an element from the fictional world such as the batmobile into the real world. This simulates the effects of hyperreality as the image intentionally makes aspects of the fictional world and the real world start to overlap. This relates to hyperreality as the audience typically begin to blur the lines within their understanding of what is real and what is simulated by the media.

This image from Cedric Delsaux uses photomontage in order to blend something extraordinary with reality. The chosen base image of a vacant area creates a heavy contrast with the otherworldly sight of the AT-AT model. A low angle has been purposely chosen by the photographer in order to create a more intense sense of scale within the frame, to heighten contrasts of scale further. The use of bland colours within the image imply a sense of realism within the image, instead of attempting to evoke a sense of surrealism. This implies that the real world is much more bland in comparison to the fantasy world of Star Wars. Delsaux uses aspects of his environment such as the fog in order to add to the effect of his image. The fog creates a silhouette of the model which obscures some of the structure. This evokes connotations of mystery surrounding the subject while also making it more intimidating, providing a sense of large scale to the AT-AT.

Both of these images link under a number of different aspects. The two images utilise the same effect of photomontage and use similar effects by incorporating models into larger environments. The two images use the environment of the subject to help make the effect seem more credible. For example, in my image I use the lights of the signs and simulate the effect of them on the car by changing the saturation of the image. I also simulated a real world asset of fire in order to make the car seem like a real, working machine. Cedric Delsaux uses the fog within this environment in order to provide scale and blend the AT-AT into the background gradually. Both of these images can be argued to depict aspects of hyperreality. The images depict aspects of a simulated world being blended into the real environment in order to imply how the real world and hyperreality can be difficult to distinguish between. Deksaux's image argues another aspect of hyperreality as he depicts our reality to be very bland compared to the fictional world of Star Wars through the use of colour.