Un corpo di fotografie meravigliosamente stravaganti realizzate senza trucchi digitali. Immagini che sembrano piegare la luce e il tempo, distorcere l’aspetto e produrre messaggi codificati nelle riflessioni, nelle rifrazioni multiple, nelle ripetizioni visive e nei gesti che si fanno luce come macchie tra le tenebre. Overall, I chose the exam question human figure but dived in deeper by choosing the theme of 'distortion'. I have taken five shoots but three mini shoots in one. I liked my theme because it allowed me to improve my photo shop skills as it is computer based. However, I had taken my initiative and researched five photographers to take inspiration from and expand my ideas. When looking at the photographer,Brno Del Zou; I had noticed that they had printed out their images and manipulated it in person, possibly so they have a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve. I have taken this idea and was inspired by their work and their take on distortion. So I was encouraged to take on the challenge too. My favourite images are the top and bottom right photos. This is because tey are the most simplistic out of the set, but still get through the textures and tones I was focusing for. Furthermore because of this, the original pictures are still unrecognisable. This experiment has made me want to layer my images in different ways, such as double exposure, or layering the images by printing images on top of each other.

Originally, Demaison worked with a model, but she eventually began taking photos only of herself, partly to limit expenses. “She doesn’t feel that they’re self-portraits at all,” notes Bernard Gerson, director of Galerie BMG. “They’re not about her. She’s using the reflecting and distorting qualities of the water or the glossy paper to make phantoms, ghosts of herself. She disappears from the image.” Brno Del Zou is a photographer who takes distortion photography to another level. By not only taking the perfectly exposed and professionally taken images, Zou has taken photography to a further outcome by printing, cutting and distorting these models faces. However, from a far these masterpieces could potentially look normal to the naked eye but as you come further in, you almost feel the discomfort on the models faces by the neutral grins portraying through the last outcome.

Arachnophobia (fear of spiders)

Expositions [ modifier | modifier le code ] Expositions personnelles [ modifier | modifier le code ] Her work with self-portraits originated from her dislike of using models and that she could never get them to follow out her directions to her satisfaction. So she decided that it would be much easier to cut out the communication and use herself as the model so that she could achieve exactly what she intended. Demaison’s distortions are not simply a way to hide herself, but more a way for her to experiment with different techniques and to broaden our way of seeing.

Start thinking about display strategies. I want to experiment with using these images and distorting them, by the The Indian saint Ramana Maharshi achieved enlightenment by asking “Who am I?” over and over. Demaison asks the same question, but not in words. Meanwhile, her body changes and ages. Her photographs become a journal of inquiry.” One set of images is composed of time exposures registering carefully orchestrated performances for the camera, during which Demaison creates representations of the outlines and surface of her body with layered, multiple exposures of her own hands. These read as both traces of a performance and the sort of simultaneous fluid yet frozen moments to which Butoh dance aspires. My next steps: I want to create my own box construction or experiment more with the one I have already used. I don't want as much materials included in the box, to make it less busy. But the materials I do use, I would like to use different ones, to see how they look all together. I will also focus on taking my images from more of a variety of angles and close-ups, as my previous images were mostly taken from the same face on, eye level angle.

Refusant la facilité de Photoshop, le photographe construit patiemment ses mises en scènes, avec une grande exigence formelle. Dotées d’une forte charge symbolique, ses photographies sont autant de paraboles - volontiers dérangeantes - sur la condition humaine, nourries d’empathie et d’ironie. Laurence Demaison, currently living and working in Strasbourg (France), started out as a self portrait photographer. All of her earlier work, starting in 1993 up to 2009, consists of self portraits. While browsing through the series you’d never suspect all these images show the same person, it’s like every series shows something new about her personality. To make it even more special none of these images are (digitally) manipulated aftwerwards, except for the chemical treatment of some negatives. I’m amazed by how much diversity can be found in Lauence’s portfolio. Some images are beautiful, some are sad. Some seem to tell a story, while others are straight out terrifying. In her latest work Laurence expanded the range of her models from just herself to dolls and mannequins as well, yet still succeeds in capturing haunting, conceptual portraits. LODLP : Apart from the monograph, what impact did the prize have on your career? And what is your relationship like with HSBC today ? Laurence Demaison is a French experimental photographer and visual artist who works mostly with self-portraits. She has a particular interest in the female portrait and body. (Galerie BMG, 2009)

My favourite image of hers, is the top right. I really like this one, as the majority of the photograph, is lighter tones. But when the darker tones do appear, they really stand out. I want to try and focus a lot on tones and different ways of using lighting, to create an image that makes the viewer feel something emotionally, just through the tones. Laurence Demaison, born in 1965 in France, is a photographer and visual artist, graduated from the Strasbourg School of Architecture in 1988. Her first approaches to photography took place in the early 1990s. Her photographic work is exclusively consisting of self-portraits from 1993 to 2009. LODLP : Can you tell us about your winning project? Has the prize had an influence on your subsequent work ? I would like to explore creating more abstract images, through further experimentation, using the set of images I have just created in my final outcomes. I want to do this as I really want my project to emphasise on textures and tones and after looking at this set of images, I realise that they include these two themes repeatedly in each image.As a result, her photographs seem to bend light and time, distort the appearance of her own human body, and hold secret coded messages in their multiple reflections, refractions, visual repetitions, and semaphore-like gestures that become smears of light in darkness. Since 2010, she occasionally uses models or dolls. The techniques used – shooting, development, printing – are argentique and produced by the author. No special handling is involved beyond the shooting (except for chemical films inversion, for certain series).