Shoot 2 Work Record

Date: 18th April 2016.
My aim for this shoot… 
For this shoot, I intend to capture the atmosphere of "creepy" by the use of my lighting- for example use the flash on the camera to purposely form that red-eye effect, or using a red gels on my lights to symbolise death/blood. I also aim to position my subject in a way that it makes the audience feel drawn in but scared to be so drawn in- for example her having a tilted head with a fixed gaze of the camera- holding the eye contact.

What I achieved…

For this image, I used an extended shutter speed and then got my subject to swing. As when I took the picture I used the flash, it meant the first thing I shot if more dominate- her standing. Although as she swung throughout the time of the shutter speed, it meant parts of her appear faded- her face blends in with the background light of the houses behind. I really like this effect of forming the creepy atmosphere because it appears scary. Also the way I told my subject to stand with her head tilted, makes that sinister effect. People should look at this and feel like it's a tiny bit creepy. I really like this image and believe it has worked very well in what I wanted to achieve. The camera settings I used for this image were…
Shutter speed: 8 F-stop: 4.5 and ISO: 400.
This image holds the denotation of someone just getting ready to swing and the light has interfered with the image.
However this image also holds the connotation of a sinister scene in a horror film- it's as if this is a ghost, she was once there but died so now haunts the playground.

I included this image in my straight images post although I also wanted to use it as an example of my work in this post because I feel like it is a very good way in creating that creepy atmosphere which I had originally intended for. This is because the extended shutter speed of 12 was used. This meant when I took the image, I was holding the camera for quite a while. Like the image above, I used flash, this meant that part of my image would be more dominant than the rest. This has therefore help this final result. I like this image because it's almost as if she is leaving her own body- she is mental decaying behind these bars- Or an evil is entering her body. The reason I believe this image is creepy is because it is almost as if my subject is part of a mental alyssum- trapped behind these bars. I think think this holds a creepy atmosphere because stereotypically, those who are in a place with "mental" people are normally to be seen as quite creepy- for example "American Horror Story" in season 2. The camera settings I used for this image were:

Shutter speed:12 F-stop: 4.5 and ISO:400.
This image holds the denotation of someone sat in a park holding on to the gate and the person who took the photo moved a bit.
However the connotation I intended to achieve was a creepy person lock behind bars as a safety barrier for everyone else around her.

My idea for this image was to make it seem like someone is hiding away- something if you were to look out your kitchen window to see would creep you out and force you to have to double look to double check if what you seen was real. However, I do not think this image worked as well as I had wish it to. This is because the flash from my camera covered most of the window and then in the foreground it is covered with rubbish and gardening objects which take away this creepy atmosphere and just replace it with the thought of why is this person just standing in a shed? As I would like my audience it be engaged into a creepy atmosphere, I do not believe this image does this. Therefore I do not like it. If I were to reshoot this, I would use a tripod- so I wouldn't rely on the flash and could therefore extend my shutter speed without showing too much movement. I would also make sure the foreground was emptier. The camera settings I used for this image were:

Shutter speed: 1/6 F-stop: 4.0 and ISO: 400

When my subject was in the shed, I thought it would be a good idea to show her creepy through the slit in the door- as if "She's watching you", although this is an example from this shoot which didn't work. I do not like how her whole face is seen. To me this decreases the creepiness. Even though it is still quite creepy, it isn't as creepy as my other images which I got with my subject in the shed. Another factor I don't think worked with this image was the positioning, as she was crouching down, her head was in the middle of the screen. Although for me this is too "precise" because it looks like i intended her face to be central, which I didn't. Personally, my images of her in the shed looked much better when her face was off centre much more than this. An example from this part of the shoot which I do like is also shown here. The reason I prefer this one is because it is unclear on what her whole face really looks like. I also like the shadowing which has been casted on her face because even though the door is open wider, her other half of her face is blacked out and you just can't see what she looks likes. The camera settings used for these photos were…
Shutter speed: 1/6 F-stop: 4.0 and ISO: 400.

Overall…

Overall I believe this shoot worked really well because the atmosphere of creepy is really clear in the majority of my images. These are two more examples I wanted to include in this work diary because I also think these two show how my work in this shoot shows creepy. I believe I positioned my subject/s really well in order to convey creepy. I asked them to stand straight, yet tilt their head. I really like the position in a way of creating creepy because it is the position animals such as dogs do when they are confused on what to do- these subjects may be doing this because they are supernatural and don't know what to do- other than kill- stereotypically one of the creepiest things someone feels.

Shoot 2 Straight Images

Shutter speed: 12
f-stop: 4.5
ISO: 400

For this image I used a shutter speed of 12. I achieved this image by using the flash on my camera then the extra long shutter speed. As I didn't have a camera it showed the movement. Although for my creepy atmosphere I wanted this effect because I believe it helps create this atmosphere. This is because it's almost as if my subjects soul is leaving her body- death. Or an evil soul is entering her body; the connotation. However the denotation is just an image of someone holding onto yellow bars with a bit of movement in the photography.

Shutter speed: 1/6
F-stop: 4
ISO: 400

I shoot this image through the window of my back door. This is because I wanted to form the effect of someone looking int he window- the creepy atmosphere created in horror films. I gave my subject a knife to hold to help portray creepy because it would be quite scary to find someone standing in your garden like this at night. Sometimes I do not like being able to see the flash from my camera, although I like how it helps my atmosphere of creepy clearer- it shows dust/ dirt on the door which almost appears to be rain, yet this subject is dry- she is supernatural. 

Shutter speed:1/4
F-stop:4
ISO:400

For this image I used photoshop to edit two images together by decreasing the opacity to 50% on each. I first discovered this affect when editing one of my practise shoots and found it formed a creepy atmosphere really well. This is because it shows two sides of my subjects face- one where she is looking forward and one when she is looking to the side- the denotation. I think this helps create a horror type image because it's like she is inhuman- something isn't quite right and that forms the creepy atmosphere. The connotation to this however is the creepy atmosphere which is helped displayed, this person is moving irregular , you shouldn't be able to see two sides of the face at one given time, therefore it is quite weird and creepy.

Shutter speed: 1/6
F-stop: 4.5
ISO: 400

For this image, I wanted to create that deadly type of creepiness, I done this by getting my subject to hold the knife as if she were about to smash it down onto a victim- this fro that very "SAW" like atmosphere for creepy and is very sinister. Through editing, I quick selected the knife and changed the colour to red- blood. Additionally, my subject had a cut on her hand, which I duplicated across the hand because I thought this could work as a creepy atmosphere- she has been ripped up. Although due to where it was on her hand, it only looked right it certain places on her fingers, otherwise it looked "too edited". The denotation to this image is just someone holding a knife. But the connotation is that she is looking for someone, her next victim to kill with her already blood stained knife.

Shutter speed: 1/6
F-stop: 4
ISO: 400

For this image I placed my subject in my shed, almost shutting the door, so she can glare out of it. By using the flash on my camera it meant it had a shadow on her face- only a small section of her face can be seen. Creating that creepy atmosphere building up because its a fear of the unknown (The connotation) - who is behind there? The denotation for this image however is the main image is of the door of a shed which is open a little bit and casting a shadow on someone face.

Shutter speed: 5.2
F-stop:5
ISO: 400

For this image, I had a low shutter speed to show movement. I got this idea from an image I done in a practise shoot and it worked really well in forming creepy. I believe this worked well as well because its of two subjects holding hands- as if they are the creepy dolls you see in horror films (the connotation). Yet because there is movement you cannot focus on their face completely. Additionally, I used street lighting for this image because I liked the orange colour it gave the image. I thought this was creepy because its as if this image has been taken out of the beginning of a horror film credits. Yet the denotation could be for this image that a photographer took an image with a couple of friends under a street light but moved quite apt in the process of it.

Shutter speed:1/6
F-stop: 5.6
ISO: 400

For this image I placed my subject in the alley beside my house. Even though this is unclear in this image, I thought this would be a good idea to show creepy because no one really feels safe when walking down an alley, this image is of the person waiting for you at the end of the alley. Therefore the simple denotation for this image is just someone standing in an alley. However it holds a connotation of a subject waiting for the next victim to walk down this alley.

Shoot 2 Contact Sheet

These are 16 examples of my second shoot creating a creepy atmosphere.