For my fourth and final shoot, I decided to create an extension to my third shoot, still photographing my friends. This time, I decided to venture out, in order to capture them in a different environment.

The way they both act in front of me proves that both posing and acting foolish are nothing that would phase friends that are not intimidated or judged by one another. I have tried to capture our boyish ways and what a typical day for us entails.

Here I capture Michael, in front of a hard sun, which helps to create a highlighted area on one side of his face, as well as providing light to intensify his eyes.

I felt this portrait was very direct and bold. It took out as one of the best photos from this shoot, for those qualities. His fixed posture, as well as facial expression create a memorable impression, as if he was starring at you. I feel of the boys, Michael most definitely performs the strongest in front of camera, as his facial features are very photogenic, I have I have captured this perfectly here. I think there is a strong essence of beauty, through the face of the subject, alongside the lighting and flowers in the background. Ultimately I am presenting an important figure within my own life, in a way that appears positive to other viewers. Seeing my friend the way I see him and not how you may think of him from a first impression.

Within this photograph we see both Michael and Joe alongside each other. Taken from a higher point of view, that allowed for an interesting perspective as the two of them were forced to look up towards the camera.

The height difference is very apparent between the two characters initially, which gives the impression of an age difference, although the taller one, Joe, is the younger of the two. The pair look unusual together, which to me is exactly what I wanted to capture, how friends are uncaring of these differences, as we see each other for how we treat one another, as apposed to the way we look or dress. This photograph shows me two closest friends, who’re complete opposites, looking towards me in the exact same fashion, therefore at this moment in time, they’re completely equal.

All of the images that I took on this shoot were based around the same concept. In my previous year in AS level photography we were given the task to present images based on 100 years of history in Jersey through a teenagers eyes. My focus on this topic was to create a scenario of  a young gambler. This is something that I would like to continue in my A level photography, however this time the images will be taken in the outside environment showing the islands natural beauty. The use of wearing typical gambling suits and black and white attire is to present the concept that our gambling has an effect on the nature around us. This links to larger problems of global warming and how we are causing this problem as man.

Looking around St Lawrence for a suitable location I decided that one field stood out a lot more than any of the other fields. This was because the entire field was filled with daffodils from top to bottom. This made the images more sublime in natural beauty. However the use of the man makes the image more mysterious and interesting since a plain field of flowers does not catch my attention. I think the use of the props in the image, such as the hat and suit make the image create the feeling of wonder. The images have the concept of gambling with our environment as we develop on our land as said above.

During this photo shoot,  I spent the day with my two closest friends Michael and Joe. During this day, along with the photos I took, I attempted to recreate the type of activities we would usually proceed on an average day.

Simple things that most teenagers are interested in like music, driving, tea and coffee, pets, smoking. Of course I myself am not featured within these images, but  I feel me and my perspective is very well documented throughout these images, being someone that is allowed into the lives of these two, in such a way that can capture their everyday lives.

When photographing Michael, it is hard to capture an image of him where he isn’t in some way posing, or showing his imperfections. This photo of him above, features him biting his nails, which was completely unintentional in comparison to the other set of images. This photograph became my favourite from the entire shoot as I felt it was the most real.

When taking this picture, I simply pointed the camera in front of Michael’s face and pressed the shutter. So this photo is essentially a snap shot, that became successful. I felt that this image contained very strong qualities in terms of expression, as I caught him in a moment of vulnerability, which actually became very strong.

Joe poses with his guitar, even though he can’t play it, which is why I see this as one of the most important photographs from this shoot. Without knowing any background into this photograph or the subject, this would not be obvious. But knowing Joe, his immaturity as well as confidence is shown clearly through this portrait. He sits in his boxers and his hoodie, while trying to play an instrument, which to me implies a comfortable relationship between myself and Joe, that he is able to do this in front of me and even the camera.

This in a sense summaries this whole shoot. The ability to act comfortably in front of one another and replicate real and raw moments.

Theo Gosselin is a French photgrapher, born in Le Havre, a small harbour city in Normandy. He grew up surrounded by the ocean and was in love with the outdoors. His involvement with photography started from an early age when he saw his parents taking photos on their analog cameras, Gosselin began to capture things like butterflies and flowers in his garden, later becoming more skilled he studied photography at Art College. His friends and his life became his subject “not as a photographer, but as a teenager who wants to capture memories just like everyone else.”

Gosselin’s approach to photography is very simple, no sets, no staging, just allowing moments to happen. This is ultimately how I intend to photograph a large proportion of my own shoots, simply spending time with those that are most important within my life and capturing them as they are. This is to give a true representation of the people themselves and present images of raw quality.

The image above, from a collection of Gosselin’s work, features an over the shoulder perspective of a car journey, with a strong depth of field. Although this image appears simple, I feel that it is encapsulates the intentions of Gosselin’s work well, as well as his relationships with those around him. As Gosselin, shoots over the shoulder, it is almost implying that both him and the subject share the same perspective, as if their journey is both the same, which to me created a strong photograph in terms of it’s deeper connotations, which include friendship, togetherness and even sharing. Ultimately I feel like this image is telling us that Gosselin is on a journey.

Here, despite the fact that the subjects face remains hidden, I feel this image encapsulates the living conditions and lifestyle that Gosselin surrounds himself in. The light shining through the windscreen highlights the subject, yet this cloud of smoke distorts him, which in itself is interesting as a composition, as we are forced to take a closer look at the photograph to work out who we are looking at. But also, I gather an impression that this lifestyle comes with ‘clouds and sunshine’, there is freedom, but with this becomes instability and not knowing where you may end up.