Creative Direction: Me + Borja Portugal
Casting: Me
Photographer: @ar7bxr
Makeup Artist: Ethan Boyle
Models: @antsabyss + @0_cleooo
Post Production: Me
Darkness is something we will never understand, for the fear of the unknown and the unseen is innate within human nature; I wanted to take advantage of this.
With the silhouette being a USP of PHTMNE, I did not want it to be entirely lost. The human brain is great at filling in the blanks, and I believe if I enhanced the highlights to show light bouncing off of the clothing itself, we could mentally outline the clothes, regardless of the shroud of darkness surrounding the models.
The post-production editing here served to only enhance the darkness which was already present, yet I believe it is equally, if not more important as the composition itself. In Gestalt theory, it is stated that we view objects, and in this case clothes, as whole forms as opposed to individual parts, especially in this dark setting. As humans we rely on Gestalt for closure and comfort which we innately desire; our mind fills in what is not there to create coherent shapes, or attempt to, which is what I want to harness.
I have found that darkness can be manipulated in a multitude of ways. Depending on what one wants to achieve, it can be used to bring attention to certain areas due to its intensity, it can also create a stark contrast between two areas which creates a dynamic, or it can be used to blend in with shadows and the background thus drawing attention away from what it surrounds. I had been wanting to use shadows and darkness as a means of communication, acting as a conduit for what is important; a variable of sorts to elevate and diminish aspects of an image. This ‘experiment’ turned out as planned, giving the viewer an active role in its consumption and understanding, thus allowing for interpretation and different understandings per person.
BEFORE AND AFTER