Backyard “Studio”

I mentioned earlier in the week that I was inspired by Adam Ferguson’s images that used a bed sheet to separate the subject from the background. Today I decided to try it out on myself, and set up a sheet on the clothesline in my backyard. I didn’t have a deep concept underpinning this image (unlike with the white kimono images), and just wanted to see what it would look like, and if it would fit into my body of work. 

I set up the camera on a tripod, and used my nifty fifty to retain proportion and play to the ‘snapshot’ aesthetic. I deliberately chose to shoot in the afternoon once it was overcast, as I wanted flatter lighting without harsh highlights or deep shadows. 

I am awful in front of the camera, and have no idea how to pose, but I hoped that the stances and facial expressions would reflect how I was naturally feeling. I tried not to think about anything in particular when the shutter went off, and instead allowed my facial expressions to surface. (Mostly I just had a kind of strained uncomfortable look because that’s my natural ‘in front of camera’ face.)

These three images are the ones I deem most successful.

What I also quite like is the green and gold trees in the background. I am not sure if they are Australian natives or not, but the colours most definitely represent Australia’s national colours. I also think that the Hills Hoist clothesline is a strong symbol of Australian.

I was planning to only use one image from this shoot in my final body of work (if it fits in with the other images), but I actually quite like these two images side by side..