Photo Project: In Solitude

Treatment Photography

1. Type of production and brief details on Subject/Concept:

Solitude;
1
: the quality or state of being alone or remote from society : seclusion
2
: a lonely place (as a desert)

"In Solitude" is an emotional and moving artistic within the photographic world. The photos themselves are designed to incite an emotional connection with the subject of the photograph and the viewer. The power of such photography is such that, even a completely mundane object such as a raft, a can of drink or a person sitting alone in a wide open field can be manipulated in such a way that the viewer of said photograph feels deep emotions relating to their own experiences and views of solitude.



2. Facilities: What facilities do you need for this project list all including software and hardware for the whole project
Facilities vary wildly depending on the subject of the photograph. Primarily, in solitude photography is undertaken outside in situations where lighting rigs and studio like conditions are unrealistic. It appears in most in solitude photographs are manipulated afterwards in an editing software suite in order to incite the emtional response that the photographer is seeking.

3. Finance: If you produced this project outside of the college you need to show how much would it cost to hire the equipment that you intend to use.

To finance an in solitude photo shoot, all that is really needed is a camera and a pair of legs to take you to a location. Locations are not always the focal point of the picture, though sometimes they are. It depends on what the in solitude photograph is trying to "espouse". Solitude does not necessarily mean lonely in the dismal sense, solitude can mean a peaceful quiet feeling, the feeling of wanting to "get away". With in solitude photography, like most other photographical genres, relies on the archetype of the person observing the picture.

For example, a photograph of a single leaf in the middle of a grassy field can bring forth feelings of isolation in the viewer, they feel out in the open and completely alone and lost. It might inspire great feelings of peace through solitude in others, that they feel relaxed just thinking about some alone time.

Sometimes human subjects are used in in solitude, so a model's fee may be charged. Models can range from free (asking a friend to help you), up to hundreds of pounds.

For me, I find it much easier to wander around in any area I wish, if I spot something that looks out of place, or suitable solitary, I will photograph it. I find that is a much truer representation of solitude, it is random and fleeting, rather than a very planned process. I find the planning makes true solitude arbitrary and deliberate.

4. Contributors: Who do you need to help this for you project? This includes talent and crew.

I think solitude in nature is a more spontaneous way to inspire a whole range of solitary feelings in the viewer of the photograph. I feel that using human models tends to prescribe deliberately dismal and sadder emotional responses, as a solitary human observing the world tends to give off the impression of isolation and loneliness, even if the actual message is that, if you just take a moment to pause and relax on your own, the world is beautiful. I feel the message of solitude of often lost when using human models, it is very hard to manipulate the viewer without using very planned body language and facial expressions, also, the location the person is being photographed in has a huge bearing on the end viewers opinion and response to the photograph.

Singling out certain aspects of solitude in nature is, in my opinion, better in order to widen the emotional responses of the people viewing the piece.

For this reason, I will not be using any models for this shoot.


5. Codes of practice and regulation: What regulations to you need to be aware of. Think about college policy as well as regulatory bodies that you looked at in assignment 2, Worksheet 1.6 Regulation and Safety notes

College policy, in relation to this project, is not an issue. I will not be taking photographs of people or minors, and, as such I will not need their permission.

The regulations regarding photography on the streets, I am able to take a photograph of whatever I wish without placing a tripod in a busy area or on a path. If I wish to do so, I must have a pass and also signage warning people of the tripod setup. I will also not be using lighting rigs or backdrops and will not need local government permission to set these up either. Also, because I will not be setting any tripods or rigs up, I will not need liability insurance.


6. Presentation: How will you present the pictures? Will you include a soundtrack, think about copy write issues etc.
I have decided against present the pictures with music, instead presenting them on a blog post that is silent. The reason for this is due to the fact I think Solutide pieces are emotional yet music may inspire emotions that contradict the photographs, they may invoke emotions that would not be the true emotions felt by the viewer. For example, while a particular photograph may be sad to one person, another may not feel the same way, yet the music will force them to feel those emotions anyway. Since in solitude photographs may or may not be sad, morose, or depressing, findinf a piece of music that is very neutral will be extremely difficult. I also think I will have difficulty finding a piece that has fair use or creative commons licensing rules attached. For these reasons I have decided to present the pictures on their own.