I took this photograph for a Surrealism Project. The aim of the brief was to create a series of surrealistic photographs without manipulating it on Photoshop. Everything we did had to be in camera. I decided to use double exposure as I was not keen on using props or makeup. I chose this photograph because I felt as though it was the most “Aesthetically pleasing” photograph that I have shot. The reason I say this is because of the surrealist element, most photography I have done has been documentary based however this was an example of fine art photography. Aesthetics is defined as “a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty. “In this blog post I will be criticising my own work and discussing the principles of design. The photograph evokes a sense of confusion and dis-order yet induces a feel of serenity and solitude. The work makes me think of mental health, a visual representation of what goes through the mind, for example depression/anxiety. It makes me think about how we show one face to the world, yet keep the other hidden. There is a young female in this photograph, in her teens. The photograph consists of two photographs merged together using double exposure. It is a portrait shot. The background is a black backdrop and there is nothing in the foreground apart from the subject. It is a studio setting. I would say the photograph is an example of abstract photography, as it has no realistic values and does not depict the real world. In terms of composition, I used a centred composition by placing the subject in the middle of the photograph. In the first shot I directed the model to sit facing the camera, and then in the second shot I asked her to sit sideways. I did this so that her face in the second shot would overlap her face in the first shot. The colours in this image are quite dark and gloomy, for example the black backdrop and the black shirt my subject is wearing. I believe colours play a big part in evoking a certain mood in photographs, for instance the dark colours in this image could invoke a sense of gloominess or isolation. Dark colours could connote negative emotions, for example in this instance. There is also a lot of negative space in this image, especially because I used a landscape orientation, however I believe it works in this case as it contributes to the feel of solidarity and isolation. The contrast in this image is also quite strong, the dark areas are darker, and the highlighted areas come out more.