Kay-Noire on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/kay-noire/art/Essence-of-Alex-476571678Kay-Noire

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.:Essence of Alex:.

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Description

Portrait on the left, microscope composite of her samples on the right.

Part of my Essence of People series (explanation of the series below. If you're lazy =P , the series in two sentences: I take portraits of people and then samples of what is 'essentially' them, make microscope slides out of these samples, photograph the slides under the microscope and present the results as diptychs. These are anti-environmental portraits, these are attempts of defining people via their microscope samples).

Portrait originally printed on Hahnemühle Torchon paper.
Microscope composite printed on MOAB Slickrock Silver Metallic paper.

Model: Alex De Vel

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Other photos of the series:

.:Essence of Blake:. by Kay-Noire .:Essence of Don:. by Kay-Noire .:Essence of me:. by Kay-Noire .:Essence of Mercedes:. by Kay-Noire .:Essence of Sara:. by Kay-Noire

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About the series:

Proposal / Starting out:

Essence:
es·sence:

    -          the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character.

    -          (philosophy) a property or group of properties of something without which it would not exist or be what it is.

    -          the basic nature of a thing : the quality or qualities that make a thing what it is.

I have always considered myself a nerd. I have always been attracted to various sciences, especially to the medical field. I love seeing and understanding how the world functions in ways that are logical and rationally explainable. People photography often leaves me unaffected. Perhaps because I’ve always claimed I have a bigger affinity with animals than with people or perhaps because I require time for people to grow on me. Be that as it may, pictures of pretty people have always seemed empty to me, even if the model was beautifully styled and perfectly lit. If the photographer was able to capture character, if I could have a sense or an assumption of that person by looking at that photo, or if I could tell there was a depth to that person, that there were stories to tell, then I would be intrigued. Yet is it at all possible to define a person’s character through a singular image? Wouldn’t props just be misleading or accentuating a single side and thus be superficial? Portrait artists have always tried to capture the essence of a person and not just render a likeness that bears similarity to their model. The likeness should give proof of that person’s character, or social standing or showcase something that is more meaningful and longer-lasting than a soulless reproduction of their physical attributes.

Commonly, when strangers get to know each other they inquire as to their jobs, their hobbies, choice of music or taste in food and beverages. We think it will help us make a connection, help us define the person, or maybe even subconsciously revert to stereotypes we are continuously accumulating that supposedly tell us if we’ll get along, if we think similarly: Are you Apple or Windows? Are you Marvel or DC? Are you Ferrari or Mclaren-Mercedes? We take ‘environmental’ Portraits, in which the surrounding helps to define the subject.

Alternatively, some photographers go the ‘back-to-basics’-route: Minimal or no make-up, a pure, clean background and an up-close framing, so that the focus is on the face with no distracting elements. We strive to get closer, to become more intimate, to extract what’s hidden deep below and bring it to the surface.

I would like to discover people with the closest proximity I can think of: under the microscope. I would like to take samples of their defining things: a drop of their blood, a strand of their baby’s hair, the ink of a tattoo artist, the wine of a vigneron. It’s an attempt to learn more of that person, to help visually define them, but in an environment I am comfortable with, a surrounding I can relate to, a bridge I am crafting to combine science with emotions. I am also hoping it’s a more unique way of looking at people, shedding another light onto them.

I would like to take a portrait of my subjects and then juxtapose it with microscope images, hoping there will be a clear link between the realistic and the abstract. While discovering microscopy I have looked at samples and although it was often the first time I had seen a certain compound under the microscope, I was usually overcome with a feeling of this visualization being ‘right’. And this is coming from a person who usually doesn’t feel the ‘situation-appropriate emotions’. As though this is how that compound is supposed to be looking under the microscope, despite me not having thought of it prior. The drink Champagne for example looks quite fancy under the microscope and I immediately thought it was fitting that Champagne would look like ‘that’. I hope there will be this emotional link and the sense of belonging between my subject and their specimen.

Development / Notes after a few weeks:

When I first started with Essence of People I was very fixated and excited about the scientific part of it and was dreading the people part. I was afraid that the portraits would look too boring. I suppose that is a matter of taste but from where I’m coming I loved working with my models / guinea pigs and I’m happy with the results. I loved interacting with them, I loved learning more about them, not only via the close proximity of the microscope, but through talking to them and finding out more about their lives, their stories, their triumphs and hardships. As this is a very personal concept. Despite it initially sounding a bit sterile, since I’m working with microscopes, chemicals and whatnot for half the time, it’s actually very emotional. I had to truly understand my subjects, before I could even think of a method of making a slide out of their samples. In a way I deconstructed them into tiny pieces, just to put them back together. And for me to be able to produce a microscope work that truly reflected the character of the subject (which I believe I succeeded in) I had to open myself to them as much as they opened themselves to me. Because without that photo on the jigsaw puzzle box that serves as our reference, all we’d be left with is a mountain of cardboard pieces. We wouldn’t know what the bigger picture is, we wouldn’t know what we’re dealing with, we wouldn’t know where we’re heading, we wouldn’t know what to be aware of.

I’m also touched by the extent of personal information some of them have shared with me. This concept would not be implementable, if my subjects hadn’t be as open, enthusiastic and cooperative as they had been. And of course I had to respect that there were certain comfort zones they didn’t want to leave, but that didn’t make the meeting a failure, but instead more challenging.




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Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II
Hensel monoblock, octabank, beauty dish, strip light

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Follow me on Twitter: @KayNoire
Image size
6816x3400px 16.64 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Shutter Speed
1/125 second
Aperture
F/8.0
Focal Length
135 mm
ISO Speed
100
Date Taken
Jul 30, 2014, 6:58:36 PM
Sensor Size
42mm
© 2014 - 2024 Kay-Noire
Comments2
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KiwiCocktail's avatar
Very interesting concept! :)