Cinematic Portraits
The still and the moving
The still and the moving
I created a set of five cinematic portraits. The sitters are framed in akward dark spaces, lit as if on a stage to predict a narrative. In this work I was investigating the relationship between still and moving image in context of portraiture influenced by several photographers. Hannah Starkey captured a whole story in a single image, suggesting narratives that has been artifically superded in time declaring still photography's ability to stop the moving and create a tension between the real and the imaginary. Gregory Crewdson and Philip di-Corcia were also playing with similar ideas, creating anticipated narratives even though they never reveal an obvious past nor what may follow. Bill Henson's work showed his sitters vulnerable in cinematic settings, revealing a certain trust that became important for me to develop in to my own photographs. The trust was essential for me to achieve my hypothesis of going beyond the exterior of my sitters.
My interest in the relationship between the still and the moving image never developed in relation to an interest in cinema, it was influenced by my interest in the ever-changing technology. I never intended to work with moving image. To me, moving image did not seem to have the same value as a still photograph. Moving images didn't have the same physical value. Not until the tablet was invented. Now you may view moving image magazine covers, hold a video in your hand and even interact with moving images in certain ways. This technology is proving to have infinite possiblities.
My interest in the relationship between the still and the moving image never developed in relation to an interest in cinema, it was influenced by my interest in the ever-changing technology. I never intended to work with moving image. To me, moving image did not seem to have the same value as a still photograph. Moving images didn't have the same physical value. Not until the tablet was invented. Now you may view moving image magazine covers, hold a video in your hand and even interact with moving images in certain ways. This technology is proving to have infinite possiblities.
