Photographer: Tom Hunter

Tom Hunter is a British photographer from Dorset who later moved to Hackney. The photograph above is from the series 'Life and Death in Hackney'. This series explores the decaying scenes of post industrial Hackney and the history of the Rave scene which became popular in the 90's. All of the photographs from this series are taken in this area which was adopted as the home of a mix of music and drugs.

All of the images in this series are influenced by these events in the early 90's and are inspired by stories of loss, abandonment, music and self indulgence. The images play part in narratives brought into context with the party goers of the raves playing the main characters. 

The image above called 'The Way Home' is inspired by John Everett Millais (pictured below) tale of Orphelia and shows a young female raver who's journey home doesn't end up so well and so she ends up in a canal which was once an important part of the journey of goods in the industrial era. The image is supposed to represent a tragedy as she is left with her own thoughts of the actions she took in the hours just past. 

Hunters influence from old pre-Raphaelite artists/paintings creates a modern urban chronicle with a somewhat different perspective. The beauty, nature and social attributes he has taken into account when producing his work makes it engaging and interesting to look at. 

I also like how he has used similar framing to that in the paintings which he has been inspired by but has used aspects of modern conflicts and urban land to make it his own. 

Photographer: Philip-Lorca DiCorcia

Philip-Lorca Dicorcia is an american photographer whose work drifts between the realms of both documentary and portraiture. His work often seems to document the real however has an mix of fiction thrown in. This results in complex images which often have their own narratives. His images are carefully considered and composition is almost staged like a set.

The three images above are from a collaboration with W magazine that was arranged as an editorial shoot. DiCorcia has taken the standard editorial shoot and turned it into his own with the women in the images wearing styled designer pieces set in shots you wouldn't usually see them in.  These images are somewhat withdrawn from the usual high gloss style you would expect to see, however instead add a little bit more of a realistic gritty feel and something you'd least expect when turning the pages of a woman's fashion magazine. The images are each their own and all tell different stories which is very coherent with the photographers style. All images are untitled so they're left for you to make your own mind up about their stories.

In one image above you see a lady walking down the street near a car wash, in another you see a woman up a ladder in a elegantly dressed gown.

I feel the lighting in these images are very important as they set an overall mood and make the images more engaging. Each of the photographs above include slightly different lighting. The first is very direct light on the models face, the second is slightly warmer and diffused and the third seem to be coming mostly from the lighting above.

My favourite image is the middle one with the car wash as the tones and overall composition really seem to draw me in. The wall in the almost centre of the image kind of splits it so you're left looking at both scenes on each side. To me it makes me think whether she is actually anything to do with the car being washed or if she is simply just making her way past. The lighting also suggests that it was taken towards dusk as everything has a soft warm cast to it. The model is dressed in all black and is slightly dresses up so it could also suggest she is going somewhere for the evening. It looks like some artificial lighting may have been used to highlight the model and the red wall in the centre.

Progress: Bringing issues with today's society into my images

Whilst progressing with this project the UK election took place which came with a lot of advertisements and discussions with political parties. I thought it would be interesting to see if i could represent some of the issues these parties were highlighting and trying to change. This then brought me onto looking at global issues which affect many people across the globe.

Although my main priority in this project was to learn about and represent greek goddesses in an editorial style i felt the backgrounds of my images could bring other stories and issues into account subconsciously. In ancient Greece mythology played an important part in the running of communities and politics. Although a lot has changed since that time we still have leaders who make judgements for the land and the people that live there. Thus linking todays issues with ancient societies.

Some of the sources i have looked at for choosing the issues i wish to present are from the following:

• National Trust (Trust concerning the well being and conservation of the land - what they consider big issues)
• BBC Rail Fair Article (article from 2014 talking about increases in rail fares in 2015)
• National Geographic (Deforestation)

I also looked at policies from political parties, charities (WWF), national geographic and the media (newspapers). 


The six images below are the images i am wishing to display for this project as i feel they are constant in the way they are shot and also are all very different from one another. Under each image i have highlighted the issues they represent.

Land Usage

Deforestation 

 Rising Transport Costs

 Conservation 

 Consumerism and Fair Trade

 Pollution and Climate Change

Artist/Photographer: Erik Ravelo

 'The Untouchables' is a series by Cuban artist Erik Ravelo and was produced to highlight the right children should have to be protected by different types of abuse they suffer around the world. The series draws attention to facts which sometimes can be overlooked without someone reporting them in the adult world. The Untouchables is thought provoking as is shows each child crucified on an adult human cross much like the famous icon of Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross in the christian branches of religion. The adults posed as the 'cross' are dressed to represent the events that affect children.

The frist image refers to pedophilia in the Vatican, The second represents, Sexual abuse in tourism in Thailand and the third refers to the Syrian War. The fourth image refers to Organ trafficking on the black market in poor countries, the fifth weapons in america and the sixth to obesity which is likely caused by fast food companies.

I feel these images are very striking and have a big impact because the message is visual and also shows the extremes of these forms of abuse. Ultimately all of the six images show abuse that can lead in the death of a child through one form or another. The images are particularly aimed at problems in the US, Syria, Thailand, Brazil and Japan. I found this work initially on social media and so i also found it interesting to see the reactions that viewers had to the works. i have included some screen shots below because they really show different points of view. Most of the comments had a positive reaction however some did not get the point of the message and found the work a little too harsh. 

Progress: Alectrona early Goddess of the Sun

Progress: Rhea Goddess of Nature