For my photography gallery I focused on superheroes, the reason for this is that comic books are my favourite media format and I felt I could create some interesting imagery due to my familiarity with the subject. In particular I worked with action figures in the photos in a technique called A.C.B.A., which stands for articulated comic book art. These aim to make images similar to the panels of a comic through the angling and depth in the photos. Along with this technique I also took an image of a pile of comics, laid out and overlapping each other that was edited to be over saturated enhancing the colour. I also took an image which is more perspective based with a hero looking over the domain he protects among other pictures.

 

One of the photos I have taken is a face off of three villains and three heroes. This image is angled at a tilt reminiscent of a Dutch angle, doing this informs the viewer that there is tension in the image between the groups and that something is not right or ‘off’ about the situation presented. The colours are saturated in order to make them ‘pop’ off the screen, making the colour bold like its comic counterpart. To align the colours in the way of sides the heroes whose backs are shown to the camera are dressed in primary colours whereas the villains are all murky green tones, making them grim and unappealing while the heroes are dynamic and bright. Composition wise the figures on both sides are central to the camera, with the heroes being closer making up the screen from the far right to the far left. The heroes being closer and having their backs to the camera could make it seem as if they are protecting the viewer holding the villains back as they run away and the picture is taken from their perspective. The image of the comics is less constructed in the posing as it is a heap of comics spread in a random order. The reason for this is to focus on the various colours that swarm the screen, again being saturated and bold to make it come off the screen but also to showcase the different styles of artwork on the books and characters. The angle is a regular landscape image with no manipulation other than the saturation. I feel that any other angle could have made the image less effective as the subjects themselves are already at alternate angles. The other pictures vary in content but are not very experimental in the angling or composition, if this was done I feel the pictures would have been more unique and interesting which is something I would try if I were to do this project again.

 

To create these pictures I gathered a bunch or action figures and comics I have a home. In the photos there are heroes and villains, sometimes separately and other times shown in conflict. I did this with the intent to show contrast between the quiet and action heavy moments in comics. As the figures have articulation in several places I posed them into positions that I most wanted to reflect my ideas. Sometimes this was not possible due to the limited movement some figures have but with the help of props outside the composition the figures could be held up to be closer to my original ideas. An example of this is the photo featuring Giant-Man, as the figure is the average size for its toy line and I wanted to show off his power of growth I took toys that were much smaller. In this case Lego Mini-figures that are around 1-inch tall compared to the other toys 6-inches and placed them near him for the illusion of growth, to heighten this effect I took the image from a bird’s eye view.  The photos were taken on a high quality camera phone with a high adjusted shutter speed and aperture after which I manipulated on a laptop to gain effects such as saturation.

 

My original intentions for the project were slightly more ambitious then the resulting photos however I am still pleased with how the majority of them came out. At first I wanted the images to be more sophisticated like the examples I had looked at online, for instance some had backgrounds and cut-outs that acted as miniature cityscapes or hideouts. Unfortunately I did not have things like this at my home or the supplies to build one. An example of how I overcame this issue and created the resulting images are my two pictures of the hero Giant-Man surrounded by Lego mini-figures. Rather than using computer manipulation I relied on the camera angle I used to create depth in the image due to the varying heights of the figures. This added with Giant-Man’s pose showcases his power in a way that is not unlike the comic books which was my aim to try and capture. I do still feel that if I had a more professional set up with backgrounds and adjusted lighting the photos would have resembled my original vision better. The most prolific ACBA photographers are a community on YouTube and other social media platforms that regularly share their work and encourage others to attempt it as it is a far more niche area of photography. I hope by my experience trying some lower techniques during this project that I could attempt harder displays in the future like the ones I have seen online. Things that make their images impressive and eye-catching include to use of speech balloons and sound effect which make the images look like 3D comic books. They also use display stands to simulate jumping or flying. If I experimented more I could possibly recreated some of these technique in a different style.

 

When constructing my interactive gallery I wanted it to blend in with the content that was already on the website, which is superheroes and bold colours. Like on another sections where there I a gallery of my sketches I designed the panels for each picture as a big black boarder that looks like a comic panel. Once the mouse is hovered over the chosen photo the picture goes to a greyer tone and the name is shown in yellow (“Comics” or “Giant-Man”) for example. The colour scheme of the site is mainly the three primary colours as I think they are the most important in superhero lore and this idea can be carried over and seen in my photos.  The pictures are displayed in a 3 x 3 rectangular format that shows the entire image in a low resolution but each image can be clicked to a link that displays a larger and clearer version. The viewer can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard to cycle the photos.

 

As I displayed my interactive exhibition the class I presented to gave me feedback including praise and criticism. One person stated “Good theme, liked the angles for the figures” which is encouraging as that is what I hope my final pictures could be. They did however agree with me that the background could have been better rather than the bland surfaces that are seen. Another person praise my idea as “unique” and also being “vibrant and entertaining” but criticized my lack of experimentation which I can agree with and if I were to redo the project I would have experimented with camera more, altering the focus and maybe adding motion blur to pictures to simulate an action scene like a punch. One other viewer particularly liked my ‘face off’ image and the pile of comics, adding that the “placement has been considered well” but they also said that the ordering of the pictures could have been better as they seem random jumping from figures to comics and back rather than flowing from one area to the next. Overall the class felt my image were interesting and unique in subject matter but lacked experimentation which could have made them more exciting with various effects.

 

From this project I have learned how to create a good composition and how to position an image and a way that is appealing and draws attention. I have also learnt how to explore depth and colour in an image but I feel I could work on this and become better at it. For example I could experiment with different camera settings and states to contrast and saturate an image before it is taken rather than doing it on a computer afterward. As for depth I could add a blur to an image that would give the illusion of depth or even move the camera in a way that mimics movement in the image therefore creating action that I wanted for this project. In the way of constraints there were not really any as although the figures I was using are based off copyrighted characters I was not profiting off the images. The community that began the ACBA idea are in contact with the toy and comic manufactures and actively encourage this kind of photography as long as they artist does not claim to own the character depicted.  

 

I feel I could have managed my time a lot better in this project as I did not create my experimental photos until a few day before the actual photos were taken. This is the most likely reason for the lack of experimentation as if I gave myself more time, especially during the daylight rather than indoor lights the images would have been crisper. If I gave myself the time to work on the various tools on the camera I could have made more interesting images with different styles that could have been interpreted in different ways if I continued to use strong colours like in some photos I took. 

 

I do feel that my gallery is fit for purpose as it shows of my specialty in media as well as my artistic style. The cartoonish tone and comic panelled aesthetic give the client or audience an idea of what the pictures will be before they see them in full rather than a plainer silver or white colour surrounding the photos. Having the pictures inside bold separate panels also helps imitate the comic style I wish to evoke. Some of the image I am more proud of than others so I could see myself removing or retaking a couple before presenting a final gallery to a potential client or employer. I would experiment more, adding effects both during the shoot and possibly after in editing software if I felt something could be heightened.  I could also expand the story of certain pictures for example the ‘face off’ image could be split into three parts. The original image being the confrontation, a second showing the groups fighting and lastly an aftermath. A similar thing could be done in the size alteration of Giant-Man, growing or shrinking at various stages. Doing these things with maybe adding dialogue balloons would also represent the comic books by looking like a whole page rather than a panel.