For my next step in moving towards finalising this exam project, I have researched a few of the ways I am planning to display my work. As I have explained and presented in my last post, I will be using a large number of my favourite outcomes from this project to enlarge and exhibit as well as include in a potential photo-book. Below is an introductory look at some techniques that I have previously attempted in my past projects as well as a few new styles I intend to experiment with. The first contact sheet below depicts a look at different styles of window mounts as well as photo collections and picture stories…

By mounting my chosen photographs and framing them with the available materials l am able to explore many different display options to enhance the overall look of the project. Using a well-designed combination of frames, mounting, and card mats I can form an important part of the visual expression displayed throughout my images, separating them from their surroundings and giving them more visual weight. One of the main mounting and framing techniques I will be using for my display will be window mounting; cutting out the centre of my material and using the frame that’s left to stick over the top of my uncropped photographs. This type of mountings is usually cut with a bevelled edge and because it covers the edges of each piece, window mounts can also be useful for cropping or levelling images. As well as this I will also be using this technique to explore the idea of combining my final images using triptych/ diptych displays. Diptychs and triptychs are a brilliant tool for photographic storytelling, by presenting two or three images from the same session or completely different scenes they are amazing for showing opposition as well as contrasting ideas.  The top row of the contact sheet below displays some examples of window mounting and the various techniques and styles in which it can be done…Apart from window mounting I will also be potentially creating a Picture Storyboard to present some of my larger collections such as my shoot from the La Collette ‘Energy from Waste’ facility. The definition of a picture story put simply is a visual representation of something produced on one surface in a creative medium. What I like most about this method is no picture story can ever be the same, even if the subject and photographs are identical. The way you deign your story and lay it out can give the overall outcome a very different look, showing individual styles in each version. On the bottom row of the contact sheet above I have added some examples of varied picture story layouts including one I made in Photoshop.

To get more ideas about the different compositions of photo books my next step was to find three personal inspirations that are presented on the publishing website I will be using, Blurb. Below are three very different examples presented and captioned in a contact sheet to clearly view their layouts. On the top row is an example that was put together by Mark Roberts, called ‘PDML Photo Annual 2017’, which presents a simple and classic photo book style.  The book is a Standard 10×8 inch landscape size and consists of 108 Pages. The layout is a common arrangement of each photograph taking up a single page with a white border and a blank page left between. Although I like this classic technique I am sure I will be wanting to do something a more creative for my end result to emphasise my images as well as my message.The next photo book, displayed in the middle row, is an interesting piece called ‘We The People’ by Daniel Levin which explores protests taking place in America. This book is only 50 pages long and is a nice 13×11 inch landscape size. I like the variety of layouts in this example including, however, I am mostly researching it for its straightforward set out of the title, second title, and then preface. Lastly is my favourite inspiration for my own photo book displayed out of the three below. This book by Michael Farnworth, simply named ‘Photographs by Michael Farnworth’ is a standard 10×8 inches landscape size and consists of a short 30 pages. The book portrays the author’s “first book of photographs” depicting the beautiful landscapes of Hampstead Heath. The inspiration I can take from this book is the beautiful way he presents multiple images on the same page, combines contrasting/complimenting images, and presents full-page bleeds…