Dan Mountford
Context
Dan Mountford is a 23 year old
photographer, living in Brighton, England. He currently attends Brighton
University where he's studying Graphic design. Dan has worked with clients from
all over the world and even had a solo exhibition in Paris. Mountford has
worked with a range of brands such as Urban Outfitters, Le monde, The Barbican
and etc. Double Exposure Photography is when you use multiple pictures/layers
to create one photo, which Mountford is well known for. He describes his
Surreal Double Exposure pieces as “a visual journey through our minds
by calm and tidy means which the reality of everyday life does not show”.
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Analysis
What can I see?
This is a portrait. With the double exposure Mountford put another picture of a lot of burned out cigarettes. I can see the outline of the side of a man's head, facing my right. You can see a bit of his shoulders too. In the space of his head and shoulders, you can see so many burned out cigarettes. The cigarettes around his forehead, ears, neck and face are all orange to represent his skin. The cigarettes at the top of his head are all white, representing his hair. The orange cigarettes fill out his neck and stop at the beginning of his neck, with just his white top left. The background is a dirty white. The top right and left corners are slightly more dirty and look as if they have been burned by fire, most likely by cigarettes.
This is a portrait. With the double exposure Mountford put another picture of a lot of burned out cigarettes. I can see the outline of the side of a man's head, facing my right. You can see a bit of his shoulders too. In the space of his head and shoulders, you can see so many burned out cigarettes. The cigarettes around his forehead, ears, neck and face are all orange to represent his skin. The cigarettes at the top of his head are all white, representing his hair. The orange cigarettes fill out his neck and stop at the beginning of his neck, with just his white top left. The background is a dirty white. The top right and left corners are slightly more dirty and look as if they have been burned by fire, most likely by cigarettes.
Feelings, colour & mood
In my mind this picture of the cigarettes within the head can be interpreted in different ways. To me this picture shows that for smokers cigarettes can become all they think about and can even be a part of them hence the orange cigarettes placed as skin and the white cigarettes placed as hair. Some may think of this as a good thing and say that the cigarettes is a part of who they are, their identity but that's not how I see it. Growing up being taught that smoking is bad has effected my interpretation, to me this shows that cigarettes can end up being a part of the smokers making it hard to quit, which is a negative thing as cigarettes cause health problems. To me the mood set here is negative as when you normally think of cigarettes you link it to negative things such as its cause of health problems. I chose this picture because I find it interesting, because of the layers and also because this picture can be interpreted in different ways which makes it more interesting. Its not just a picture to look at, it's a picture to think about. Mountford has used subtle colours such as a dirty autumn orange and a dirty white colour. These colours give the work a sought of dark mood to it. The dominant colour in this photo has to be the dirty white, I’m not sure why the white is the dominant colour but I believe that he did this so that the orange cigarettes stand out.
In my mind this picture of the cigarettes within the head can be interpreted in different ways. To me this picture shows that for smokers cigarettes can become all they think about and can even be a part of them hence the orange cigarettes placed as skin and the white cigarettes placed as hair. Some may think of this as a good thing and say that the cigarettes is a part of who they are, their identity but that's not how I see it. Growing up being taught that smoking is bad has effected my interpretation, to me this shows that cigarettes can end up being a part of the smokers making it hard to quit, which is a negative thing as cigarettes cause health problems. To me the mood set here is negative as when you normally think of cigarettes you link it to negative things such as its cause of health problems. I chose this picture because I find it interesting, because of the layers and also because this picture can be interpreted in different ways which makes it more interesting. Its not just a picture to look at, it's a picture to think about. Mountford has used subtle colours such as a dirty autumn orange and a dirty white colour. These colours give the work a sought of dark mood to it. The dominant colour in this photo has to be the dirty white, I’m not sure why the white is the dominant colour but I believe that he did this so that the orange cigarettes stand out.
Light & Tone
The light is pointed to the middle of the photo, this causes the four corners to be slightly shadowed. The dark shadows around the edge adds more depth to the picture, makes the main focus - the outline of a mans head, filled with cigarettes – stand out more. The dark shadows created by the light gives off a dark mood. The feeling of danger or death is also present in this image as this is what people normally link to shadows and darkness.
The light is pointed to the middle of the photo, this causes the four corners to be slightly shadowed. The dark shadows around the edge adds more depth to the picture, makes the main focus - the outline of a mans head, filled with cigarettes – stand out more. The dark shadows created by the light gives off a dark mood. The feeling of danger or death is also present in this image as this is what people normally link to shadows and darkness.
Texture & Pattern
The burnt orange colour used around the edges create a rough old looking texture. The burnt tips of the cigarettes also create a rough, crispy texture. The ashes make a soft texture, as that’s what ashes normally feel like. You can tell from the image the sought of smell given off, the smoke still lingering in the air.
The burnt orange colour used around the edges create a rough old looking texture. The burnt tips of the cigarettes also create a rough, crispy texture. The ashes make a soft texture, as that’s what ashes normally feel like. You can tell from the image the sought of smell given off, the smoke still lingering in the air.
What have I learnt?
- From this picture I’ve learnt how to use the layer to create the photo that I want.
- I've learnt how to use lighting to create shadows to create the correct mood.
- I’ve also learnt that sometimes a plain white background is enough, as you can use it to your advantage by adding certain things to the white background.
I like Dan Mountford's work because it's unique and it's not something you see everyday. I also like his photography because it's clever and it looks so realistic, like the cigarette one he did where he used the colours of the cigarette to represent the man's skin tone and hair colour. A specific one that I like is the one with the buildings coming out of the girls head because of the fact that it looks really realistic and because it looks like it's a part of her.