Some Initial Shots

These were some of the first set of photographs I took on the day in the studio. They are too light and do not use the low key lighting I wanted. Also the model looks very stiff and isn't interacting with the animal.

Gregory Crewdson - Lighting Images

Gregory Crewdson - Technical Notes

Gregory Crewdson 'Beneath the Roses'

"Photographs take weeks to plan, days to create, then they're taken in a flash - But they have stories to tell."

I have looked at Crewdson's work because I wanted to see how a really really technical photographer works. His photography, whilst telling a story, almost like a film, is mainly about creating the right lighting and then everything else follows. Crewdson uses light to maximise dramatic effect.

'At the heart of all Crewdson's work is lighting. He is drawn to the uncertain hour of twilight, not only because of its haunting, sinister quality, but also because it allows him to combine artificial light with the fading rays of the sun. "We probably use 40-50 lights in one shot and they will vary from a tiny electric bulb to a huge, 12-kilowatt light on a crane. Unlike movies, photography has its limitations in terms of being able to tell a story - there is no evolution of time, no movement of narrative, no music, no dialogue. So I use light as a device to lead you through my photographs and tell you the story."'

Some Lighting experiments

These are some photographs which I set up at home using torches and candlelight. I did these to show examples of my experimentations with low-key lighting and how it can be set up in different ways and in different environments.

Timothy Allen

These are a couple more Allen photographs which I looked at, although the subject is different, the lighting is very much what I was looking at. Very low key and atmospheric.

Timothy Allen

Timothy is a photojournalist who in 2002 photographed the intriguing subculture of the world of taxidermy championships in springfield, Illinois.

Although his style and message, especially the high key lighting which he uses (which is the focus of my project) differs greatly from what I am trying to achieve with my work. I thought it was interesting to look at how a contemporary photographer has captured taxidermy in their images. Despite looking at fur as a fetish, this is definately not the approach Allen has taken with his images. Which having looked at much of his other work after seeing these photographs, I think is really beautiful.