Angus McBean

Here is a photograph of Audrey Hepburn and the final outcome of McBean's masking layers to create a surreal image is one of sublety. There is careful consideration of the angle of light within the possible three to four layers (Hepburn, clouds, pillars, ground) in which they are all highly similar. I particularly am interested in how the background of the image has in fact become a part of the foreground and has arguably replaced her clothing. making her seem connected somewhat to her surroundings.

Here is a self portrait of Angus McBean, Multi-angles of the same subject within this single image are being used as different platforms for his ideas.The thought process itself must have taken a long while and i particularly am inspired by the masking of the back of his head being used to create a 'canvas', for the paint brush as he is an artist.

This self portrait is similar to to above however seems to say less about his actual personality whilst remaining just as complicated as far as composition is concerned. This shows how it is very easy whilst playing with multiple masked layers to create something very different and perhaps less effective.

McBeans Technique

McBean uses multiple layers using film and panels of glass masked with a particular colour of paint so as not to expose the areas of the paper where, for example, he wants to place the next image on the paper. This technique would be easily recreated in photoshop and I will most likely use this digital form of photography and printing however I definately want to experiment with using 35mm film in the darkroom as I feel that it will appear far more authentic with such surreal imagery.