Blackbird Test Shots

I wanted to continue with the use of fabric and dancers and wanted to try my idea of the "Black Swan". After receiving the brief and finding we have to use metaphors and relate it to our work, I was looking at songs, poems and novels that have metaphors with the piece. I came across the song "Blackbird" by The Beatles, lyrics shown below.


Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
all your life
you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise


I decided to use my idea as it symbolises about being different, the odd one out and everyone has the strength to be who they want to be. I am aware that the song was apparently written with the Civil Rights movement (it was written in 1968) but I also see the song in more individual terms. Below are some examples of the 4x5 film. This was to practise the lighting and whether the fabric would come up better than when it was just the arms moving.

I feel they have turned out better but they are still too subtle. I want you to see them but have to look twice but I feel they do not stand out enough. I spoke with my tutor and I will be going back into the studio to try different things to try and improve the image.


Next time I will try using a bold black instead of a cashmere black. This way the effect of the wings should stand out more. I will also try the technique of multi flash (details in alternative post) this may give a different effect but may work better. It might not be as smooth but I would like to test it to see what I get.

I will be using the large format camera but after speaking with one of my university colleagues I will try using a medium format camera as I have been told that the large format camera is better for landscapes and still life. Apparently, the medium format camera is better for images that require movement. So, as well as trying different things to improve the effect of the wing I will also use a medium format camera to see what effect that creates.










Below is an example of one of the images I edited in photoshop. I used the dodge and burn tool to bring out the highlights. It is just a quick example and will use the university scanner to scan the images on so they are clearer and I am better able to edit them.