Samsofy Research.
Image 1.
In this photo, Samsofy has gone to an unknown location but one with grass so it would appear to be a garden of of the subject’s (the ‘Batman’ figure) house. He has then created a miniature washing line creation and placed it in the centre of the frame, filling up most of the centre grid lines. Samsofy has used the rule of thirds in the placement of the components of the image, leaving the top and bottom landscapes of the image blank - just left with the grass. The bottom third of the image is in focus, yet the top is blurred using a low aperture and a shallow depth of field to highlight the subject of the image. Here, there is a lego figure of the superhero ‘Batman’, clutching a miniature peg - a macro lens is clearly used to create a shallow depth of field and allow the miniature peg and the figure to appear larger and more life-like. The ‘Batman’ figure is supposedly hanging his Batman suits on the “washing line” which also appears larger than it is in reality. The Dark colours from ‘Batman’ and [his] suits juxtapose the greenery and vegetation surrounding [him] which could represent the ‘Batman’ character being an anti-hero in many of the classic Batman films, due to the clash of light and dark. Samsofy has also created an atmosphere of irony in this image by the ‘Batman’ figure hanging [his] capes when traditionally his character being a billionaire play-boy whereas, here, he is completing typical domestic chores. This is then highlighted by the use of shape in the image, created by the straight lines of the ‘washing line’ and the curves of the capes - the irregularly placed pegs interrupt this use of shape which grabs the viewers’ attention.
Image 2.
This photo features a classic Lego mini figure of the superhero ‘Superman’, supposedly lifting a drain cover. The photographer, samsofy, has used a shallow depth of field (a low aperture) and has left a slight section of the drain cover in focus, and all of the mini figure in focus. I think that he has done this to emphasise the difference in size between the drain and the Lego Superman, yet the appeared lifting of the drain gutter represents that (despite the appearing size difference) ‘Superman’ clearly has more strength than objects he tackles. This has a contextual link to ‘The Superman’ well-known films, where Superman tackles villains larger than him, such as ‘Doomsday’ – who always appear more powerful, yet he overcomes this – which further emphasises his vast strength and capabilities. Additionally, the bright primary colours of the Lego minifigure’s costume stand out against the grey and bleak atmosphere and colours which also highlights the good in the ‘Superman’s’ character which samsofy is portraying in this image. This symbolises the traditional theme of good vs evil in superhero comics and films, and how the superheroes ‘save the day’ and how the good (the bright colours) have to fix the evil (the dark and grey colours).
Image 3.
This is another image from Samsofy's 'Legographie' collection. In this image there is a blank, white background with the creation of a miniature police lineup in the centre of the frame. There is a vivid use of line in this image with the horizontal lines running across the centre. They run from one edge to the other and, not only create the background to the police lineup that Samsofy has created, but they also frame the image and composes the photograph altogether – to create a more natural looking image. This use of line also aids the art of perception which Samsofy is trying to achieve – to make the Lego figures appear larger. The yellow and red colours clash which causes the image to be slightly strange on the naked eye, which catches attention. The clashing colours could also represent the antithesis of the Santa Claus figures in a police lineup, Santa is supposed to be the symbol and epitome of good behaviour and positivity – yet Samsofy hs created an image where these figures are doing the opposite and possibly commiting a crime. The simplictic composition and the horizontal use of the rule of thirds creates a minimalistic atmosphere and allows the subjects to stand out, creating a more bizarre image which I think was Samsofy's initial intention.
Image 4.
This image features the Lego minifigure characters from the 'Star Wars' franchise: 'Darth Vader' and a 'Stormtrooper'. Samsofy has used a studio with a dark blue background, where the flash on his camera has created a gradient beneath the subjects of the image. He has most likely used the programme 'Adobe Photoshop' and a tripod to layer the different sections and images of the Lego 'Stormtrooper's' body parts – it resulted in the 'Stormtrooper' appearing to be falling apart in mid-air. Diagonally to the left of the floating 'Stormtrooper' is the 'Darth Vader' Lego figure, clutching his infamous weapon of a red lightsaber. Samsofy has compositionally made the photo appear as if the 'Darth Vader' Lego figure has destroyed the 'Stormtrooper' with his weapon. All elements of the image are black and white, apart from the blue background and the red lightsaber – which displays the power of the 'Darth Vader' character and his weapon. Compositionally, the Darth Vader character is smaller than the 'Stormtrooper', which draws the natural eye to the defeat of the 'Stormtrooper' Lego figure – which only exhibits the pure strength of the 'Darth Vader' character.
Image 5.
The subject of this image features the famous shadow of the superhero ‘Batman’. The specific lighting which Samsofy has used to create this image has produced a shadow of the ‘Batman’ Lego mini figure, which has created a vivid shape in front of the figure. The lighting also creates a dark tone to the image which creates a dramatic and mysterious atmosphere, which directly links to the character of ‘Batman’. Traditionally, ‘Batman’ is somewhat of an anti-hero and Samsofy has used this tone and dark colours in this photograph to represent the personality and attributes of the hero 'Batman', similarly to the way Christopher Nolan portrayed the character in 'The Dark Night' trilogy, with his darker cinematography used in the films. The shadow of Batman could also be in reference to the 'Bat-signal' in many of the 'Batman' films and comics where a bright light is shone into the darkness, shaped with a bat, to signal the need of 'Batman's' help. Similarly, Samsofy has used lighting to create the shape of the 'Batman' figure, outlined in the ground - I believe that this was Samsofy's intention, to create this reference within the image, which allows the photo to be more interesting and innovative.
Image 6.
With this image, there is a compositional perspective change which is different to Samsofy’s usual shallow depth of field approach – where he makes the Lego figures appear lifelike. Unlike his other images, I think that in this image Samsofy isn’t attempting to portray the power and significance of the tiny Lego figures, yet he is in fact portraying the insignificance and worthlessness of these figures. A shallow depth of field is still used and the entire coffee machine is in focus, yet the figure isn’t. Compositionally, the mini figure is placed directly in the centre of the frame and the rule of thirds is used in the placement of the Nespresso capsule disposal, behind the figure (the square block fills the centre grid square). The use of line also gives frames the image and gives it a structure, which further highlights the instability and insignificance of the Lego figure. I believe that Samsofy has used these methods and is exhibiting the insignificance of mini figures to portray and adult’s perspective on children’s toys. Both the formal elements used and the structure of the image, paired with the coffee and the German biscuits shown in the image, create a theme of maturity and adulthood. This could represent the lack of imagination in adults, compared to children and how children would view this particular toy. This is also shown in the irony of the stormtrooper possibly drowning in the espresso. In the Star Wars films (where this toy is from) the stormtroopers are the villains (originally dating back to the Nazi SA ‘stormtroopers’ of 1921) who are commonly known as being the powerful villains. However the irony in this image, which Samsofy has created, shows the stormtrooper being defeated by the simple household coffee which could represent childhood imagination being defeated by the maturity of adulthood.