When analyzing picture stories you need to look at the different aspects that are in the images, for example if there is the setting in the image or whether the image is close-up or not. The different aspects that are in a picture build up a story-board and make it tell a story about something which has interest to someone reading it. The text that is in the picture story should explain what the images do not, if the images are ambiguous then the text will explain what the images do not, unless the photographer is leaving the images up to interpretation. 

These are the images that i have put forward for the JEP exhibition that will be displayed in the Jersey Museum. At the exhibition Channel 103 and Channel TV will be there viewing these images. As these images are suppose to be of a picture story, everyone had to choose 3-5 images that tell a story. These images tell a story of my mums life and what she does on a weekly basis, some of these images the things get her stressed and others are things that she does and they relax her. 

This is an image of my mum before she goes to work, in this image she is about to go onto her bike. As my mum has fallen off her bike a couple of times this makes her very anxious. Some days are better than others, but most of the time she gets very stressed about going on her bike. This is why i took this image as my story is about my mums anxiety and this is something that arouses her anxiety. 

This image is of my sister and my mum as my mum is helping her with her homework. I like this image as it shows the relationship between my mum and my sister. This image is a relationship shot and i think that as i have taken this image from far away it shows the environment in which they are working together. There is a lot of junk in this image which i think arguably distracts from the actual thing happening in this image. This image is of my mum and my little cousin, twice a week my mum looks after him. I think that this time with my little cousin relaxes her as she is not thinking about herself, but she is looking after him. I think that this is good for my mum as she thinks too much about how she is feeling. I think that it is important that in this image my mum is smiling, as this image shows that she is happy and enjoying time with her nephew. 

When creating a picture story there are 6 or 7 different types of images that are usually present in a traditional picture story. Some of these are a person at work shot, relationship shot, establishing shot, detail shot, environmental portrait, formal portrait and an observed portrait. These images make up a traditional picture story which is usually created from these different types of images, including a title about what the images are about and text which would be placed by the images giving context about them. A person at work shot is an image of someone at their job or doing something which involves an action, a relationship shot can be of two or more people which shows the relationship between two or more people and shows a connection between them. An establishing shot is usually the biggest image that is on the picture story, this image is the photo that by just looking at it, it should tell you what is happening, this image is usually from further away so it gives some context of the scene, in addition the establishing shot can also be another type of image, for example a relationship shot as well. An environmental image is a photo of the setting which tells the viewer the location of where the image have been taken, another type of images is a formal portrait, this is where the person you are taking the image of is under your control and you have told them what to do when you are taking the image. Usually you can take a better image when you have a good relationship with the subject. An observed portrait is when the subject is not aware that you are taking the image of them, this usually can make for a more interesting image as it has no rules for taking this image so it is completely unique. 

Person at Work • Relationship Shot • Establishing Shot • Detail shot • Environmental Portrait • Formal Portrait • Observed Portrait

When taking these photographs

When taking a person at work shot it is important not to rush into taking these images and move around the subject taking to them and asking them questions to engage in whatever the activity they are doing. When taking a relationship shot it is somewhat essential to start off with some small talk with the parent or child who you are photographing to engage the relationship. Taking these images will need a lot of photos taken as it takes time and concentrated effort to show the relationship between people and get the desired image. When taking an establishing shot it is important that this image catches a viewers attention as it is essentially the first image that people will look at and it will set the scene for all of the other images that are on the picture story. Considering light, composition elements of animation and other elements of visual interest is important to catch the attention of the viewers. When taking a detailed shot these image are often overlooked but it can sometimes be vital to a picture story. When taking a formal portrait you decide how you want the lighting to look in the image, the persons posture and distance, however this should still show the subjects personality through the image. However this sometimes ends up having an opposite effect and showing the personality of the photographer, or the view the photographer has on the person and not actually their personality. When taking an environmental portrait it is essential to get the background in as well as the person, which you should be able to see their face, this is show it shows what they are doing and reveals a lot more about the person through the photograph. In an observed portrait there are no rules when taking one, this is because these images are usually spontaneous and therefor it is not easy to set up the images and get them how you as a photographer wants them. 

When creating a picture story there are major and minor images that will be in the picture story. The major images will be the ones that are larger on the page and the minor the ones that are smaller and are maybe not as important as the major images. In these images there will be an  establishing shot which will establish the scene and tell the context of the story images, there will also be detailed shots which will show what is happening at the time and they sometimes will be closer up to show precise details of the event/moment. In picture stories there will be a title to the picture story with captions and text written about it, this is so that when people read the text they understand what is happening in the images, as through some images it may not be so clear about what is happening. Picture stories are never the same, different photographers will place their images differently and will lay them out as to what images they think are more important. For instance photographers will choose different establishing shots as to what they think will tell the story best. 

When taking pictures for a picture story you can use different lenses, for example by using a wide-angle lens to take an image means that you get the context in the background of the image, and this tells a viewer what is happening in the image. By not using a wide-angle lens and using a telephoto lens this will mean that the photographer can stand far away from the subject and can use depth of field to make the background blurred and the main object/subject in focus which makes them the main focal point of the image. By using a wide-angle lens it creates a wide depth of space. Photographers can also use a wide-angle lens to manipulate an image, photographers do this by when they take an image they can place something close to the lens which makes them the largest object in this image. 

In this image the rock in the photograph looks as large as the girls head, which this is what happens when a photographer is using a wide-angle lens, it makes whatever is closest to the lens look larger than it actually is. 

A local story: 

In this image this can be seen as a person at work picture, however it could be an establishing shot as from one image it shows what is happening in this one image. As we can see that the people are at church at a service, and this is shown just by this one image. Further images that are in the picture story it has images of the carers, and pictures at work. Detailed images show details of what is happening and photographs that are relationships portrait, which imply a relationship between the people that are in the images. 

Photography students at Hautlieu were invited the the Jersey Museum to view the Jersey Post exhibition of the past 125 years of the evening post. There was a room which had been allocated with a range of images from the past 125 years of the Evening Post. These images ranged from portrait image of single people to group photographs to some landscape images of Jersey from years ago. I think that these images were really interesting as it gave an insight into the community that there was in Jersey and what people in Jersey use to get up too. Some of the images were also from events like the battle of flowers, i found these images really interesting as the battle of flowers is still on so you can make comparisons between the two events in time.

Write down the first thoughts about the exhibition that enters your head when you walk in?

At the exhibition there was a range of images and unknown information about events that i did not know about. I also thought it was interesting to look back at 125 years of different events and occasions that had happened in Jersey that had been displayed in the newspaper. However the exhibition misses out some information from the 1930’s and also from the present decade either. 

What is it that you like about your favorite image?

My favourite image is the one from the battle of flowers, this is because it shows the community coming together and working together to build a float. In the image all of the people look happy and excited to be taking part. I also think that it is interesting that in still in 2015 we have the battle of flowers which means that this event which is in history is still taking place, and i think it is interesting to see how times have changed through this image. 

One of the image is called Football Fever, i think that this image is interesting as it shows a group of people coming together for something they all enjoy, which shows the community which they take part in. In this image the people are walking towards a ball.3

What is wrong with your least favorite photograph?

Cadet regatta 1948 is my least favourite image, this is because in this image you cannot see the peoples faces it in, so i do not feel that you can connect as well with the image. In comparison to the other photographs i do not think this image is of high standard, however as it is a document of history this could be why as it was taken in 1948 so the quality was not as good as nowadays.

Do any of the photographs in the exhibition show similar events or activities to what you will be doing in half-term?

Most of these image which have been presented in this exhibition show the same kind of events which still happen in the present, which makes it easy for these images to be compared to our lives to see how time has changed. Some events for example football and of people working show activities that people still do nowadays.

When walking around this exhibition i thought it was interesting to notice that the images are not actually from 125 years of the JEP they actually miss our 50 years and there are no images from this present decade. This means that this event does not show the changed through time in the JEP through the images, and i am confused as to why they have called in 125 Hours of the JEP, as crucial moments in history have been lost through these images as they have not been displayed in this exhibition. In addition all of these images were in black and white, i think that it would of been interesting for some of the image to be in colour so we could see what type of colours people wore decades ago, but also to get more emotion from the images. 

These are some images that i took while i was at the exhibition: 

Jo Spence

Joe Spence’s photographs are about the idea of using photography as therapy. Whether this is for an illness, like it is in Joe Spence’s book ‘Putting myself in the picture’ where she goes through MRI scans and appointments for her breast cancer, most of the images are very explicit photos of her breasts while she is getting scans done, but also images to document the changed that are happening to her body, to make her come to terms with the fact that she has cancer. An idea which Joe Spence writes about in the book is using family photos as therapy. For this therapy to happen it is not about just talking to family and friends about the images or the past, it is about looking at the image with a Councillor. In this section of the book Joe Spence has included a few photographs from her childhood and also dialogue from the conversations. I think this idea of placing dialogue into documentary work is really interesting as it gives the viewer an insight into the conversations and the lifestyle that someone leads, which sometimes helps to understand what is happening in the images. Jo Spence plays with the idea of a photographer/therapist while she assists people in helping them get better with their mental or physical illness. In most of these images Jo Spence is in them herself, where she is the main ‘character’ in the images.

“We are not trying to show familiar objects in unfamiliar ways, but rather to denaturalize the genres of photography which already consist of fully coded visual signs” – JO SPENCE

This image is of Jo Spence when she found out that she had breast cancer and she went to go for scans, she photographed this moment to document this part of her life and what was happening at this point in time. This image is a very explicit images and it brings up questions about ethical reasons for posting an image like this, however because it is an image of Jo Spence herself the image is not as shocking.

I think that this image is very alarming as Jo Spence has taken this image as a type of therapy for herself, and it shows the deformity in her breast because of what the cancer has done to it. I think that the idea behind Spence wearing the helmet is that she wants to protect herself, and this implies that she is scared, maybe scared of the cancer. As this image is in black and white it makes this image more plain and documentary like in my eyes. 

This image is of the perspective that Jo Spence has while she was having some treatment, i think that this is interesting as it shows what she can see from her perspective and you can see how frightening that it must be.