In a group, we made a mind-map with the theme of dreams. The ideas that I was most interested in were nightmares, fantasies, warped perception of reality and abstract surrealism.
My theme for this project might be based off of fictional concepts from TV shows and movies e.g. Stranger Things. I am developing ideas by creating a mood-board with many different kinds of techniques and examples of fantastical, bizarre themed photos that other artists/photographers have taken.
I have researched photographers such as Carter Baran and Kyle Thompson. I found that Carter Baran’s work fit well with my concept due to many of his photos being relatively dark with a limited number of soft light sources emitting from mainly doors and around corners. To me, the softness of the lights he uses creates a hazy atmosphere which I think characterises the feel of dreams really well. I took an interest in Kyle Thompsons work because of how many of his photos present a version of altered reality with abstract ideas creating a cross between fantasy and real life.
Other research I have done is a photoshoot in the style of a photographer called Luke Gram where I took some photos of a person and overlaid photos if nature-that I had also took-on top of them to create a double exposure image.
This has influenced my ideas as I am thinking of doing the same thing in another photoshoot with a different theme linking to dreams. I did some additional research online using websites that were also about surrealist photography, along with Pinterest. I would like to produce an exhibition piece which illustrates the surrealism and sense of altered reality which dreams convey.