This contact sheet shows the images I made during a short skateboard session I had with Zac. I experimented with shot angles and different types of skateboarding photography to represent the sport, with the influence of skateboarding magazines and typical skateboarding short films such as the film in my previous post. I also briefly experimented with shutter speed the capture whole movements, and I am happy with one of the outcomes of this experimentation.
Please Check Exam dates and class lists here. For those of you who have extra time – check when this has been allocated.
FINAL PRINTS DATES:
Select your final images for both EXAM and COURSEWORK (if you haven’t completed this already)
You must make sure you have uploaded prints, saved as your name and in a high resolution (Min 3000 pixels) in the folders on Image Transfer
see example here: https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo16a2e/author/sodonnell05/
To achieve a top marks we need to see a coherent progression of quality work from start to finish following these steps:
Personal Investigation (coursework):
Students listed here MUST bring in all CW from last year (AS) including final prints/outcomes.
Jade Perez
Jasmine Alder
Tanisha Bougourd
Bradley Grant
Mattie Knapman
Leigh Laverty
Adriana Luiz
Zach Marshall
Ryan Marett
Rochelle Merhet
Nina Powell
Becky Scaife
George Tidy
Emile Pitter
Jake Stanley
Chrissy Knight
Externally Set Assignment (exam):
Jade Perez
Rosanna Armstrong
Thea Civi
Molly Happer
Ben Knight
Brooke Lidster
Elana Marie
Megan O’Connor
Emma Richmond
Eve Smith
Chrissy Knight
Nina Powell
Jake Stanley
As an element of my performance work I wanted to try a more surreal approach and experiment with editing techniques such as superimposition. I did this in Photoshop by layering or duplicating the images and adjusting the opacity and positioning. This links back to the early research I did into artists such as Idris Khan who has explored combining multiple images in his work. I think this has been a worthwhile experiment because it has allowed me to develop and emphasize the idea of movement and create a slightly spectral appearance. I could expand on this idea by refining the outcomes I have and also trying different variations and effects. However in a way I prefer the simplicity and clarity of the original images and I think I would rather dedicate my time to investigating interesting presentation techniques for my final outcomes.
A large part of ours lives was once occupied by skateboarding, and this is something I want to reflect on briefly in this shoot. Skateboarding is an amazing past time that is an extremely social sport with no rules to stick by, and as a result it became such a big part of my life (not as much in the past years) and so I want to portray this almost social environment.
I also think it would be fitting to experiment with a short video of Zac skateboarding. I have an old handheld video camera with a fisheye lense, and these lenses are commonly used to film skateboarding videos.
Below is a video made by a group of older Jersey skateboarders. It shows the fun of skateboarding around jersey with friends, and I may use it to inspire my video techniques when making this film, and doing the shoot.
This is an example of this typical shooting style for skateboarding. It focuses on shooting from low down to get a good angle showing us the best view of the skateboarder. I may use this technique when photographing Zac skateboarding.
After comparing all of my final outcomes that I have produced during this project, I next wanted to look closely at each theme, analyse images relevance to the project and decide how I will narrow them down. By doing this I am making the next step of selecting my final few photographs much easier and showing exactly how I reached that point. Below are four contact sheets depicting symbolic smoking waste and plastic pollution; documentary plastic and beach pollution; symbolic and abstract ocean pollution; and the different methods of disposing of waste in Jersey…
The first 2 rows of the contact sheet below are images from my 2 symbolic portrayals of smoking waste and plastic pollution. The meaning behind the first 6 images on the top row is to symbolise the vastness of this pollution issue and how it is caused by us, affecting and poisoning everything natural. The next 7 images depict the problem of plastic being used for everything (filling our surroundings), the effect it has on animals and marine life, as well as our connections to this issue. Because in both of these shoots, each image is depicting a different way to symbolise a similar message, I will narrow them down simply by judging their symbolic strength and visual appeal. If selected for printing I will most likely change certain aspects of each image to ensure its quality when enlarged and presented…
Next in the two rows above are my outcomes from my documentary style shoots depicting plastic pollution and beach pollution. The meaning behind my plastic agricultural shoot is to represent the darker side of Jersey’s most famous product as well as a pollution issue that is directly related to where we live. For the second shoot on beach pollution, my aim was to show the scale of common beach pollution using what I found collected together in one powerful photograph. Although very educational, because of the not so appealing subject matter, I will most likely not be using the photographs for final prints. Apart from a few of the more dynamic scenes I have presented above, I will be choosing from these documentary images mainly based on their relevance to the message.
The next collection below consists of my different styles and techniques used to look at the growing problem of ocean pollution. The first 9 images in this contact sheet depict a mixture of documentary and abstracted pieces taken of pollution in Jersey seas. The aim of this shoot was to portray the reality of this issue, and how it affects even the cleanest seeming waters. The next 5 outcomes show my symbolic take on this subject using real pollution I collected from a few of our Island’s beaches. As these are all very vibrant and interesting portrayals of this pollution issue I will most likely be using quite a few in my final presentation. However, because the documentary/abstract shoot was taken using a mobile phone, I will have to be careful about how large I display the chosen images…
Lastly, the final sections of my project above portray the different methods of disposing of common household waste in Jersey. The first and most extensive shoot in my project, featured on the top 2 rows, depicts my visit to our ‘Energy from Waste’ facility that deals with all common un-separated waste. I will most likely be featuring many of these photographs as this insider’s view of the plant produced a lot of intriguing and educational images. The bottom row however, depicts the new La Collette Recycling Centre and is aimed to inform my viewers on its importance and how easy is has now been made for us. As both shoots are very relevant to the of this project (because they show exactly what happens to the waste we don’t recycle and how easy it is) I have decided many of these abstract/documentary images will be used in my final presentation.
Now that I have researched, completed and analysed my outcomes individually for each of my environmental awareness shoots, I am happy with the quantity of good photographs I have, and am ready to start evaluating and finalising my project. To help with the task of narrowing down my outcomes, I have analysed all of my final images in my next blog post as four separate groups, one for each theme. Before this, however, I had included a contact sheet depicting all 66 of my final outcomes, from all 10 of my shoots depicting a few of the different elements of pollution. Although I am not yet certain on how exactly I am going to present this project I have organised my images in the order they were taken. This temporary composition can show how I have moved through my ideas of depicting environmental awareness and developed my project accordingly. As well as this, by viewing my whole project so far as a single collection of images, I am able to properly compare all of my final outcomes from each shoot against each other…
By viewing them in this composition I have realised that I have mostly touched down on three major themes; plastic pollution, beach/ocean pollution, and Jersey’s waste disposal systems. When comparing all my work above with my initial ideas mind map for this project, I found that I did not manage to bring to life some of the original plans I had. If given more time I would definitely include some of these ideas such as depicting rural landscapes vs urban landscapes, melting ice symbolism, air pollution and exploration of the smaller factors. However, In the amount of time we were actually given to complete this exam, I am quite pleased that I managed to show my original goal: portraying environmental awareness using a mixture of symbolism, abstraction, documentary photography and topographic photography.
This is my contact sheet for shoot 1, focusing on Zac is his room. We spend time in his room and at his house often, and so it was a good environment to photograph. I wanted to try make a couple of still life photos focusing on personal objects and features of his room such as the star gazer, the bin and his photo shelf. I tried to do this by shooting some close ups and experimenting with flash. I also wanted to experiment with the natural light available through the blinds to produce more atmospheric outcomes of the room. I am fairly happy with this shoot as I managed to create some interesting images that I may use in my final prints.
For my first shoot I want to spend time with my friend Zac. His room is an environment he, myself and friends spend time in fairly often. We watch TV, play playstation, and sometimes have small gatherings there. I want to represent Zac’s room as a personal environment by focusing on the liveliness between friends and the personalised features that make it Zacs room. I will use both flash and natural light, swapping between the two depending on whether I am photographing still life, portraiture of wide angle images of the room.