Elena Klonsky

Commercial Magazine Cover Portraits



Fine Art Portraits

For the surrealism project I created my main image and two secondary images:
Meaning: The intention of this image was very simple. The meaning I intend to illustrate is that the majority of people refuse to be truly self reflective. I illustrated this by using the three men in suits looking at a reflection, and the smoke is to illustrate how they'd rather "self destruct" to avoid true reflection.


Secondary Images:
These two images were ones I created before coming up with my primary image.

Surrealism was a movement in the 1920s-1970s championed by writers and artists alike who sought to channel the subconscious as a means to stimulate the imagination of their readers and observers. Surrealists believed the conscious mind repressed the power of the imagination, weighing it down with taboos. The key ideas of surrealism was to create a sort of 'dreamscape', where real life ideas and images were compiled and distorted to create an alien world. This movement was best recognized through the works of eccentric painters Salvador Dali and Max Ernst, and photographer Man Ray.

Max Ernst:
 Salvador Dali:

SURREALISM IN PHOTOGRAPHY

Daguerrotype:
To make this daguerrotype, I used several "dark world" textures from the internet. I layered them with the image using the multiply mode and used a brush tool to bring out her face in a layer mask. I chose this image because it was more timeless than my others and it looked more realistic in terms of an older process. I downloaded images of a daguerrotypes from the internet and placed them on top of my image, erasing the contents but keeping the distorted and burnt borders. I added  a vignette to replicate the film look and converted the photo to black and white. I added a "dust and scratches" and a "grain" filter to make it more realistic. I edited the curves to flatten it and make it more metallic.

Gum Bichromate #1:
This first gum bichromate I used a multiple exposure of my friend Erin. I decided to go with the easier tutorial with the split toning for this one because I wanted to use the frame from an image off the internet. Instead of using my own, I cut off the border of a true gum bichromate and layered it with my own.


Gum Bichromate #2:
For this gum bichromate I went with the more complicated CMYK method. I filled in the colored selections with their corresponding color. I didn't like the pop art effect so I muted the colors.

Cyanotype
The cyanotype process results in a blue image. This alternative process was first introduced to the photography world by Sir John Herschel. He fixed images using hyposulphite soda in 1839. He coated paper with iron salts and used it in contact printing. The paper was washed in water, resulting in the trademark white image on a deep blue background. The images appear painted on. (Source: Alternativephotography.com)
Gum Bichromate
Creating a gum and gum bichromate print results from painting on a gum arabic and watercolor solution onto a fixed print. The print is then soaked in water for a considerable amount of time. Once its done soaking, you scrape of the gum which leaves a tint to each image. (Source:gumphoto.co.uk)


Polaroid Emulsion Transfer
A polaroid transfer is the process of stripping the emulsion layer from an exposed polaroid image and placing it on another object, usually water color paper, giving your image a new shape and creating interesting manipulations. This process was pioneered by Edwin Land, the original inventor of the polaroid instant photography. (Source: Impossible Project)