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Portfolio - WK 6 Contextualise and Presentation Questions

Its week 6 and my purpose for doing this project remains the same.  That is to produce beautiful portraits of family and friends.  Throughout this whole process the thing i wanted to emphasis was that my portraits remained true to the subject.  Ultimately I want my subjects to see the beauty that i see in them.  Coming from a culture, maybe even a generation of people which down plays personal successes and self validation.  Being a New Zealand born Samoan there's a heck of a lot of influences which have moulded these ideas.  On top of all that as a youth worker one of the saddest things to see is young people who simply cannot see how beautiful and talented they are.  I guess in some way this is my way of giving those i love an opportunity to affirm themselves.

What is your project about?
This particular grouping of portraits i chose as my final images represent three families, from three ethnic backgrounds.  They are all connected under the umbrella of a blended family.  For this reason i have chosen to name this series: Blended.  It references blended families and the evolution of the traditional family structure.  Each individual brings something to the mix which enriches the flavour of the family unit.

How will these images be viewed?
I have chosen eight portraits for this collection to be printed on Hahnemühle paper A3 size.  They will be arranged in a grid of four.  Below are my portraits.

The portraits are grouped in generations the group on the left are the nieces and nephews and the group on the right are the aunts and uncle.
What do they say about the world?
Blended families deal with a lot of negative undertones from internal and external sources.  The messages which are often portrayed is that blended families are broken or abnormal.  This ideology is echoed through the media, government policies (benefits for families), and even our religions. 
  
How does your presentation affect the viewing of your work?
Using the Hahnemühle paper lifted the images off the paper.  The details and textures are appreciated so much more, especially when viewed close up.  This was evident when the Hahnemühle print was place by the black and white richo print.

Placement of the prints was very important because i didn't want one portrait to over power another.  Each portrait in the grid compliments every other portrait around it.  Placing the portraits in grids give a formal feel to the images.  The formations reinforce clean lines, and order which is influenced by the traditional classic look which i wanted my portraits to appear.


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