Photoshoot 2: Masks

If someone were to ask me what my favourite thing to draw was I would say two things. The first would be eyes because I find them beautiful and full of emotion. The second thing would be masks. For some reason I have an obsession with masks. Therefore for this photoshoot I focused on masks.
Here are a few of my favourite images from this photoshoot. 




 There are many reasons why I selected these images. First of all I like the composition because in three of the images it looks like I am wearing the mask. I believe I chose to photograph these masks because they have a deeper meaning behind them. They symbolise multiple things and can be interpreted in many ways. One reason I chose them is because I feel as though we all wear a mask. We hide our true identities in order to fit in. Every day I put on makeup and hide my real face. Majority of people and actors do it. I feel as though society puts pressure on people to look and act a certain way. We are influenced by celebrities who post photoshopped photos of themselves wearing a lot of makeup. People then feel pressured to look like that because that is what society considers to be beautiful. Another reason why I am drawn to the mask and to these images is because I am interested in the contrast between the light and dark in the photographs. Once again there is a possible meaning behind this. Could this symbolise the contrast between good versus evil? Is the mask used for good or evil? You could argue both sides. The mask is used in many ways. Children and actors use it when they are using their imaginations to become a different character. Would you consider this to be innocent or is it a negative thing? Do people wear a mask around others to hide their real identity or are they just trying to become a different person because they just want to change who they are and how they act? Another way in which the mask is used in society is online. I feel as though people are one person online and another person offline. As a society we have an addiction to social media. There are positive and negative qualities to this mask. One negative is that people use this mask (computer screen) to hid their true identities and bully other people, including celebrities. A positive quality is that they might not have the confidence to share their positive opinion in real life but have the confidence to share online because they feel protected by the mask (computer screen).
So in conclusion the mask can be interpreted in many ways. There is no wrong or right answer.