1. Take multiple self portrait photos 2. In photoshop, arrange and edit portraits to resemble the "Three Wise Monkeys"
Research
The final photo I want to create is one that resembles the "Three Wise Monkeys." It embodies the proverbial principle of "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil." Each monkey has their own role as to who doesn't see, hear, or speak evil. Mizaru, the monkey covering his eyes, sees no evil. Kikazaru, the monkey covering his ears, hears no evil. Iwazaru, the monkey covering his mouth, speaks no evil.
After researching, most creative arts of the "Three Wise Monkeys" are either a drawing or a sculpture. I want my depiction of it to be . a photo resembling each monkey but with myself doing each pose in a natural way. I like the drawing on the left because its a modernized way of interpreting it. One is wearing a VR headset to which now he can't see evil. One is wearing headphones to which now he can't hear evil. One is in the middle of eating to which now he can't speak evil. The picture on the right is a sculpture and because it's simple, it's a good reference to use for the photo I'm creating.
My New Photos
My photos were taken during the night and with my brother in some of them. I took photos in the night because I wanted to get an idea on how I should use dark lighting to my advantage. Some of the photos are portraits of my brother because I also wanted to know how facial features would interact with one light source; a street light. A lot of the photos are dark because I was going through a lot of trial and error and playing with camera settings until I could find the right way to take a good picture in the dark.
My Edited Photos
Because I knew I wanted my photo to resemble the "Three Wise Monkeys," I took multiple photos of myself in similar poses and arranged them how the "Three Wise Monkeys" are sometimes arranged. The left is hear no evil, middle is speak no evil, and right is see no evil. Since I wanted the picture to appear dramatic, I made it black and white because with the one light source, it created contrasting shadows and light to add the drama I wanted.
Printed/Matted Photo
5 step critique
Observe: The photo resembles the "Three Wise Monkeys" format but with a person and the photo is black and white. Describe: The photo uses black and white to its advantage because it shows the contrasting shadows and light. The photo also uses noise to its advantage because some older black and white photos have a grainy look to it. Because the photo has a noisy black and white look, it creates an old time feel despite the persons modern clothing. There are three of the same person with one in the center of the photo covering their mouth, one on the bottom left quadrant covering their ears, and one on the bottom right quadrant covering his eyes. Analyze: In the final photo, there is a connection between color and contrast. With the only colors being black and white, it creates a high contrast between light and shadow. The connection between color and contrast is important because it adds more drama. There is also a connection between texture and unity. The photo has a grainy texture and that allows the duplicated people have a sense of unity because they all have a grainy texture. The connection between texture and unity is important because if the grainy texture wasn't there, the sense of the photo being edited would be overpowering and the photo wouldn't have a unifying feel to it. Interpret: The photo creates a serious and dramatic mood because of its use of shadows. In many art forms, lighting is used to create drama. An example is a movie scene. If the scene was an interrogation between a cop and a criminal, you want to be able to create a dramatic setting by using a certain type of lighting. You can keep the room well lit and have the conversation happening but if the interrogation was high stakes, you'd want to use dramatic lighting to create the feeling that something major is happening. With the photo, there seems to only be one light source and that lighting creates a distinct light and dark feel to it. Like a yin-yang, therefore creating a serious and dramatic mood. The purpose of the photo is to represent the "Three Wise Monkeys" and its principal of avoiding any presentation of evil. Evaluate: Overall the photo is well executed because the poses are well presented to let the viewer know that it was inspired by the "Three Wise Monkeys." With using a dark setting to its advantage, it also accomplishes a dramatic look to it. The objectives are met because multiple portraits are used to be edited/arranged to resemble the "Three Wise Monkeys." One thing that could be fixed is the person on the bottom right quadrant of the photo. It could be better edited to blend more into the photo. The edges of the person seem to out of place and gives off a sense that it was inserted into the photo.