My Artist Statement

“I'm fat. I'm too skinny. I'd be happy if I were taller, shorter, had curly hair, straight hair, a smaller nose, bigger muscles, longer legs”

Body Image is a broad theme, which can be interpreted in many different ways. Of all contemporary issues, I chose this topic because it relates predominantly to my peer group. The people around me, like myself, are often concerned with their appearance and become constantly preoccupied and upset about their body imperfections. How we feel about our appearance is part of our body image and self-image. Lots of people have some kind of dissatisfaction with their bodies and often become caught up trying to attain what the fashion industry considers the “ideal” figure. This is especially true during teen years when our bodies and appearance go through changes.

This obsession is often influenced by social environment (cultural messages, criticism, and teasing), as well as the value society places on being perfect. People are incessantly surrounded by images of emaciated models that appear on the front cover of all fashion magazines, on television and in shopping mall windows, giving them the message that in order to be happy and successful, they must be flawless. This constant confrontation provokes teens to feel inadequate and go to great lengths to change what they look like, subsequently triggering body dysmorphic and eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.

Many people don't realize that the photos displayed in magazines have gone through many touch ups and have been airbrushed to make the models look perfect. My original idea, based on this theory, was to photograph this masked reality and underline the importance that teenagers need to realize that society's ideal body image is not achievable and the photos we see in magazines are not real either. I intended on highlighting this through portrait photography and comparing two images of the same person... one edited, airbrushed etc. and the other natural – a before and after display. However, rather than explore this interpretation of body image (which a few of my classmates are already looking at), I decided to look at the impact that media has on society and emphasize on the emotional and physical circumstances that can result. I illustrate this through the distorted view that many people suffering from such disorders have of themselves.

Using the distortion that can be produced underwater, I created a series of unique and idiosyncratic images that interpret the chosen theme in an original way. I took the photographs in the Australian Institute of Sport public swimming pool in Belconnen, which fortunately had mirrors running along the floors and enough light to capture clear photographs without the use of a flash. This eliminated the potential difficulty of having to remove light spots, which I have learned from previous experience, is very difficult to execute. Despite having a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to create and some roughly planned out sketches of the layout of my photographs, I was mostly inspired when I got into the water and began trying out various camera angles and perspectives through trial and error. Some turned out beautifully just by coincidence and others through hard work and precision.

My model, Natasha Pearce, was very patient and I commend her for the huge effort and time she put into helping me with this shoot. After working together for hours in the pool and experimenting with various techniques, we became more habituated with our environment and the photographs improved. There is certainly a clear distinction when comparing the photographs taken towards the end of the shoot, which look more professional and aesthetically pleasing, to those taken at the beginning.

This task has certainly made me realize how much more difficult underwater photography is, when compared to out of water photography. A lot of planning, effort, and long hours of hard work were put into the process. I personally contacted the AIS and organized a specific time to use the pool with the manager - at a time when there were no children or athletes training. I had to prove that the clothing I dressed my subject with, was not going to percolate any dye in the pool or drown my subject. Due to the pool regulations, a lifesaver also had to supervise us while we took the shoot. This made my model more apprehensive and it took some time before she loosened up and started feeling more relaxed and confident – I think this added to the awkward and uneasy feeling I tried to portray through my photographs.

While these restrictions made the process more time consuming and complicated, there were also other factors that added to the degree of difficulty. The pool we were shooting in had a depth of 2.5 metres and the mirrors were located at the bottom. This meant that each time we attempted a mirror shot, we had to swim (holding our breath) to the bottom and take a quick shot in a matter of milliseconds before swimming back up to get air - this might sound easy but after doing it over and over again it became very exhausting. My subject was wearing a long thick maxi dress in the shoot too, which added to the weight she had to carry. Although this piece of clothing looked great in the shoot, the weight meant my model fatigued quickly. As a result, we couldn’t shoot as deep as time passed because she didn’t have the strength to swim to the surface.  

With experience I can now justify that underwater photography is certainly the most difficult to practice. The shoot required numerous attempts at getting correct exposure, accurate focus, controlled movement of my subject and pleasing colour balance. Although there was plenty of light in the pool area, some photographs, taken at a greater depth, appear quite dark due to the loss of colour and contrast. I tried to adjust the colour balance to help offset the blueish tint of the water but wasn’t pleased with this result. Instead, I converted my images to black and white and, using colour selection, selected the outline of my model’s dress and left it in colour. I was really pleased with this outcome and decided to continue it through out the remaining photographs so that they all link together and form more of a distinguished series as such.

While most of the shoot took place completely underwater, some shots were taken half underwater/half above. This observed the distortion that is produced when water bends or refracts light, making things appear disfigured or much larger in proportion. This contrast between above-water and underwater distortion, shows the clear disparity between physical reality and emotional disbelief triggered when people become concerned with their appearance and their obsessive thoughts distort and magnify tiny imperfections. This "imagined ugliness" can become quite extreme and upsetting, which is what I tried to demonstrate through my series of photographs. I also took some shots looking down on my subject from the surface of the water. The distressed expression on her face and the angle of the shot, show her vulnerability and the extreme torment.

My project was influenced by the works of Narelle Autio (her fantastic underwater series the place in between and new colour works), Elena Kalis, Barbara Cole, Roger Ballen, Montalbetti&Campbell, David LaChapelle, and of course, my idol, David Doubillet - whom I gained plenty of advice and tips for shooting underwater. I discovered many interesting articles not only from the internet but also in books and magazines, which provided me with plenty of inspiration. I found that creating an online blog allowed me to explore a more contemporary medium and gave me the opportunity to express my views and feelings towards other artists work. The online blog has also allowed me to communicate and keep a clear record of my ideas and research over the last 7 weeks.

I am particularly fond of four images taken for this project, these works will be printed and placed in my end of year 12 exhibition. These along with my other work for this project will also be displayed in a 3-minute iMovie presentation (shown above), which will be shown to my class. This presentation is accompanied with a song of my choice, which best suits the mood of my photographs. I think this form of presentation has strong impact and communicates my theme in an original way.

As well as symbolic, I believe my photographs are aesthetically pleasing. Even though the series deals with a very upsetting theme, my prints are somehow peaceful and beautiful to look at. I have put a lot of effort into this project and I think my work this session is to the best of my ability. Exploring underwater photography has been a real challenge but I think it is something I could certainly pursue further in the future.