Work Diary - Maplethorpe location

This was my first shoot in relation to the work of Robert Mapplethorpe. Mapplethorpe always uses the black and white effect in his work and very often acquires expressions to the subject's faces to convey particular emotions. Also violence tends to theme in his work a considerable amount due to the introduction of props related to this theme. This shoot was a challenge because the majority of Mapplethorpe's work is based in a studio with a plain background. This was hard to replicate on a location shoot because it was difficult in finding a plain background to work on. So as a result on this we had to focus more on the framework itself and the positioning of the figure.

I feel that this photograph is relatively successful due to the framework of the piece where minimal areas of the frame can be considered as wasted. I have used a black and white effect to replicate the work of Mapplethorpe. However, I wouldn't use a background like this in the future because this doesn't contribute to the effect I was intending.

I am disappointed with the outcome of this photograph because it doesn't really hold any resemblance to the work of Robert Mapplethorpe. Yes, there is no frame wasted but the camera angle doesn't do justice. It doesn't relate to any camera work that Mapplethorpe has used in the past. To improve this piece I would need to use a different camera angle, a plain background, apply and expression to the subjects face and edit the photograph with a black and white effect.

Next time in a Mapplethorpe shoot I would use plainer backgrounds which would allow my work to replicate his work much more successfully. Also I would always edit my photographs into the similar black and white effect as Mapplethorpe where dark areas are very dark and the faces of the subjects are very light. I would then acquire different expressions to the subject's face which can create aspects of mystery which can relate to the work of Mapplethorpe.