Images from the photo shoot

Below are some images from the photo shoot which for different reasons did not reach the final selection.  In some of them the image was not strong enough, in others because the light was poor I had to use long exposure but this resulted in camera shake. Whatever the reason that they failed to reach the last five, these photographs are part of my journey and they show the different ways with which I tried to represent  my idea of the ordinary day of a girl that a camera watches her...

The girl on the train

I filmed the video clip above of a girl putting on her make-up on the train on my way back to Preston last weekend. My camera, left casually on the table like another personal object, functioned as a surveillance camera for me to take this film. This gave me the idea to create a series of images that show a train passenger or passengers from the angle of the surveillance camera.

My ideas so far for the photos I could take to explore the theme “Exposed”

After researching both surveillance and Voyeurism as different sides of the theme “Exposed” I came up with a few different ideas for a story in images that could portray either surveillance or voyeurism.

1.       Inspired by the “art dimension” of voyeurism in photography I had the idea to take a series of photos in shops’ changing rooms.  I could use the same model as she changes and tries different clothes and take the pictures with the curtain slightly open, creating a story of someone who photographs this woman as she exposes herself without being aware of the camera.  The slightly open curtain and the half seen figure of the woman could give me the opportunity to present voyeurism in an artistic way.

2.       Inspired by the surveillance side of “Exposed”,  I liked the idea to create a story of a person who does things  without thinking that he is watched,  because there is nobody around him but he is not aware of the surveillance camera that catches him in embarrassing moments. I could use as a caption for the photos : “You are being watched all the time..”

3.       On the same theme of surveillance I like the idea of a woman that goes through her everyday routine without knowing that a stalker watches her all the time.

4.       Coming back to Preston by train I noticed the cameras and I realised that the passengers are being watched all the time. This gave me the idea that I could take some photos of train passengers from the angle of the surveillance camera.

5.       I have thought a lot about the dual nature of exposure, the idea that when we watch images of exposure, for example in the form of violence or porn, we expose ourselves to something that can affect us emotionally or mentally in a negative way. I could present this idea with a series of photos of a model, ideally a teenager that views in different situations “exposed” material.

The piano lesson

I filmed this video when I was visiting relatives this weekend. I wanted to show how effortless is, with the latest technology, personal moments of our life to be publicised  without our knowledge.

For this video I hid behind the door with a small camera just visible on the bottom side of the door and  I filmed a part of a piano lesson without teacher and pupil being aware that they are filmed. When I later showed them the clip and explained to them how I filmed it they were astonishes.

What “Exposed” means to me?

-          To exhibit images that depict personal moments of individuals without their permission, creating a distorted impression in the mind of the viewer for the personality or the lifestyle of the individual that does not usually reflect who really this person is.

-          To subject ourselves to images that affect us mentally or emotionally in a negative way. For example, by witnessing violence, watching pornographic material, especially in young age,  in films, TV, video games, on in the Internet.

-          To exhibit our private self daily though Facebook , by uploading photographs from our personal life and by writing up about personal moments from our everyday life. With the new feature of of Facebook that gives the opportunity to someone to track our movements not only expose ourselves even further but we allow people to watch over us...

Exposed: Definitions and Synonyms.

adjective

1. unconcealed, revealed, bare, exhibited, unveiled, shown, uncovered, on display, on show, on view, laid bare, made manifest.

2. unsheltered, open, unprotected, open to the elements.

3. vulnerable, open, subject, in danger, liable, susceptible, wide open, left open, laid bare, in peril, laid open The troops are exposed to attack by the enemy.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

The Brief

Produce a photograph that explores the theme 'Exposed'.

The image should draw on themes explored within the Tate Modern's Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera exhibition.

New York City. 1978. A man taken into custody in a police car. Photo: LEONARD FREED/MAGNUM PHOTOS

The above image is from Tate Modern's Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera exhibition.
Exposed offers a fascinating look at pictures made on the sly, without the explicit permission of the people depicted. With photographs from the late nineteenth century to present day, the pictures present a shocking, illuminating and witty perspective on iconic and taboo subjects.