Monthly Archives: December 2017

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Experimentation

Beach shoot// experiment edits

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The inspiration for this shoot stemmed from the idea of movement within the body. I wanted to experiment by using the environment as well as a material to convey this movement. The photographer Michal Konrad who I am going to be researching for my project created a series of images based on movement. He used a slow shutter speed so that the movement performed by the body would be blurred in the image. He did this to symbolize the tension and movement of the mind. Although I only came across Michal Konrad after doing my own photo shoot, I can see similarities between his and my images so I am going to use his work as a comparison.

I did the shoot during the Christmas holiday. It was during December and so the weather was really cold. This made the shoot a lot more difficult than it should have been because we were freezing and it started hailing at some point. The hail and rain did effect the camera because it blurred the lens slightly, however, the effect of the hail on the water did make some interesting effects.  Since it was cold, and we were on the beach, my model had to keep moving to keep warm, do she ran around which also made it harder to get a decent result. We were on the beach for about 40 minutes and out of the whole 497 images that I manged to capture, there was only a few decent results that I was happy with.

While dealing with the weather and the environment on the day, I had to change my camera settings constantly to get the best results. I used a fast shutter speed so that the image was in focus and so that It wouldn’t be over exposed. I tried to use the environment to my advantage so I got as close to the sea as I could for some of the images. I love the effect of the movement of the waves and the white foam that they created. The wight of the wave significantly brightens up the image.

Since it was windy at the time of the shoot, it created a really nice effect with the material that we used. The wind made the movement of the material much more dramatic. When editing the images, I tried to edit them so that this movement would be dramatized.

Like my other edits from other shoots, I wanted to achieve a constant colour scheme and theme throughout.  I emphasized the natural pigments instead of adding another tone. I’m really happy with the effects because Its also a slimier colour scheme to my other photo series.

Another photographer that I will be researching for my project is Viviane Sassen. She also uses the environment around her to create the best images. Her images are also a lot based on the movement of the body.

I edited each of the images in a very slimier way. I used Adobe Light room for editing. I firstly edited the brightness, contrast and saturation of the images. I then changed the coolness and tint of each one. The last part of the editing was too simple bring out the vibrancy of the natural pigments.

In the Photo book called Roxanne by Viviane Sassen she uses a combination of landscapes, abstract images, and portraits. For my photo shoot I also wanted to achieve a variation of images.  I managed to capture a set of on land portraits as well a portraits in the water.  I also captured a few landscape images to go with the series. I love the effect of the on land portraits because of the wet sand, it created a reflection in the images. I especially love this effect with the landscape because the clouds and the baby blue colour in the sky is repeated in the sand.

 

Instruction, Preparation

Photo Shoot Plan 4 – Project + non government organisations

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My contextual focus of my Personal investigation has been researching and discussing the different impacts that non -government organisations have on third world countries. Although i can portray this concept in my portraiture shoots i think that it would be useful to do a shoot specifically focusing on the impact charitable organisations have. This shoot is going to be the most open shoot where im not going to be so specific with my planning and what i aim to capture. I am going to take a more vernacular approach of photography for this shoot, capturing documentary style images of the community life in Burkina Faso.

The best way to show how the project that i am participating in is to capture images of previous builds which have been completed during the project and also document the new building that i am taking part in building. The building site will have a massive part in telling a narrative story through documentation of each day the Nursery project progresses and how it brings in work for the local men and keeps the children that don’t go to school busy. It will also show their sense of community and how willing they are to help their community develop and grow. With the use of Venacular photography i hope to capture the community and environment in its most natural form, not staging anything. This will create another series of images which differentiates from the more formal photography techniques i will be using for other shoots.

Genre Venacular Phtography -the creation of photographs that take everyday life and common things as subjects.
Concept ·         Capture photographs of the impact that the Freedom charity project has on the community in Burkina Faso

·         Taking pictures of the past buildings that have been completed and the children/ adults that are now receiving education/occupation due to these buildings.

·         Capture the work actually building is giving

·         Meet with the mums that the Nursery will impact

·
Subject ·         People – documentary style, they don’t have to be looking at the camera – some might just be building and I’ve documented that moment

·         Previous buildings

·         Location/ suroundings/environment

·         Local community photographs captured in vernacular form

·         Compassion day – how beneficial this project is to developing the children rather than just handing things to them.
Composition Composition to be thoughtful but not specifically played and moving the subjects so that the composition has been manipulated to construct a staged image.

–          Take photos in a blind way – don’t plan what they are going to be but work with the environment and the photo opportunities which present themselves.

 

Personal Study, Planner & Tracking, Preparation

essay plan

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Before writing my essay I made sure I was familiar with the structure of the essay and also what I was expected to include within it. This gave me a better idea of how my essay should look and also what I need to write about. This made it easier to start the essay as I knew what the layout was. essay structure.

  • Essay question- How does Phillip Toledano explore notions of change, fate and destiny on his work?
  • Opening quote- ‘One body, One soul, One density’
  • Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
  • Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian.
  • Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
  • Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
  • Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
  • Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

I will take each section one by one and make my first draft of each section until I am happy with all sections- which then would lead me to putting it together to form the essay. My essay question is “How does Phillip Toledano explore notions of change, fate and destiny on his work? “, which will be linked throughout to my own personal investigation into the change in my Granddad’s life.

Personal Study, Research and analysis

Different Art Movements

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Pictorialism

Pictorialism was in the time period of the 1880s so in-between the 19th-20th century, which  was the time of the second industrial revolution. Romanticism was also extremely popular during this time as well. A pictorialism photograph was like a painting, engraving or a drawing. It was a way of projecting an emotional intent into a viewer’s imagination. The characteristics pictorialism displayed were the blurred, fuzzy and textured images that almost look like paintings, this was through manipulating images, which is a key feature in pictorialism.  Artists were inspired by spiritual and allegorical motifs, which includes religious scenes. The images created in this movement reacted against the industrial revolution not accepting the modernist movement. Allegorical painting, which might include figures symbolic of different emotional states- for example love was an inspiration for this movement. The key characteristics spoken about before were used by pictorialist artists by using a slow shutter speed, or they made the lens intentionally out of focus, which resulted in the fuzzy or blurred effect. They also use the technique of manipulating images when they are being developed in the dark room, which is called photocarvoe.

One of the main artists were Julia Margaret Cameron, who was a victorian photographer in the late 19th century. She specifically worked on closely framed portraits and also illustrative allegories based on religious literary works. Her images almost look like paintings or detailed drawings, she used typical techniques such as texturing the images, scratching them and also making the outer edges of the photograph blurry, which makes the viewers focus on the centre on the image as it draws our eyes to the sharp area of the image. This is seen throughout many pieces of her work and they look like they have been inspired by allegorical paintings as they are emotive and show emotion within the image.

Realism / Straight Photography

Straight photography is sometimes known as pure photography, which refers to photography that depict a situation with sharp detail and full focus as is therefore capturing exactly what they see. It became popular as early as 1904, this was when they started to move away from pictorialism as people felt it was manipulated too much as preferred photographs having more realistic features, which focused on documenting events and every day life as they saw it. The term straight photography was used by Sadakichi Hartmann in the camera work magazine and was later promoted by the editor Alfred Stieglitz. This was seen as capturing the truth, without manipulation and was seen as a celebration of the quality of the camera at this time. The key characteristic was really just true and real images, which represent elements of social, economical, political and culture and this was later named documentary photography. Similarly, realism claims to have a special relationship with reality and shows the cameras ability to record real events and real life without manipulation. Its a way in which the photographer sees the world and the way they choose to photograph it- portraying the truth. Key documentary or straight/realism photographers are Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Weston and Philip Hyde.

Paul Strand was an influential photographer and early icon of the “straight photography”. In contrast to Pictorialism, “Straight Photography” was a move to “pure photography”, which was loosely defined as having stylistic traits that were not manipulated heavily to mimic other art forms such as painting. A modernist, Strand was highly influenced by Alfred Stieglitz and Charles Sheeler. His work had a huge impact on the f/64 school of photographers such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. He was driven to document his city with complete photographic objectivity, he created a means of shooting his subjects candidly. He worked out that by screwing in a false lens to one side of his camera pointing ahead while concealing the real lens under his arm facing his subjects, he was able to achieve such result. Most of his portraits were shot that way, including the seminal 1916 image of a blind street beggar (Blind), now an icon of early American modernism.

Modernism

Modernism rejects older movements favouring new art movements and experimental ways of producing art. It has characteristics of science saving the world, with a common trend being the ways to seek answers to important questions about the nature of art and society. One factor which shaped modernism was the development of modern industrial societies and the rapid growth of cities, followed then by reactions of horror to WW1. The world we are living in now is very different from the world of the past in terms of art so this makes the art movements that were popular previously, now out of date and no longer fit the world and are not popular within that generation. Another characteristic is that the view of the artist being the most important thing when producing the image or art form. Modernism is often seen as celebrating technology and machinery, this is very futuristic. The new art movements begun to question what art really is and how it supports other aspects of the world. The invention of photography was part of the step towards modernism because it deals with both machinery and technology. It is the modern way of image making, which contributed to the development of modernism and the modern society. 

A well known modernist photographer is Alexander Rodchenko. He is regarded as one of the most vibrant and progressive artists to emerge from Russia in the 20th century. With his work spanning painting, graphic design, photography and advertising, he continues to be widely recognized as one of the founders of the Constructivist movement and the father of modern Russian design. By rejecting conventional art forms, he radically contributed to the visual framework of Russia’s social and political values, influencing the development of European Modernist art. Rodchenko repeatedly manipulated angles, contrasts and tilts to achieve new perspectives and prevent passive viewing experiences. He wrote that “one has to take several different shots of a subject, from different points of view and in different situations, as if one examined it in the round rather than looked through the same key-hole again and again.” The drive for new perspectives echoed a yearning for a reformulation of aesthetics, one that was in tune with social and political developments. Modernism can be viewed as abstract, which is something you can see running through Alexander’s photographs.

Post-modernism

Postmodernism is a way of thinking about culture, philosophy, art and many other subjects. The term postmodernism has been used in many different ways at different times since it was established in the late 20th century, but there are some things in common with each way.

Postmodernism can be described in varies different ways- such as:

  1. Postmodernism states that there is no real truth. It says that knowledge is made or invented and that it is not discovered because knowledge is made by people. Because of this, a person cannot know something with certainty – all facts are therefore ‘believed’ instead of being ‘known’. When people believe that they know what the truth is, postmodernism says that they will soon think the truth is something different later.
  2. Since postmodernism says that the truth is just a thing that people invent, it therefore says that people can believe in different things and think it is the truth and it all be right. Postmodernism says that one person should not try to force someone else to believe what he believes, because it means nothing saying that one belief is right and the other is wrong. In Postmodernism, if somebody has a belief and tries to make somebody else believe it also, it means that they are just trying to gain power over the other.
  3. Something else about postmodernism is that it is very Meta, meaning it is self-aware. When it comes to this in photography, it is saying that it makes references to thing outside of the art of photography, for example things like: political, cultural, social, historical, psychological issues.

An Example of an post-modernist artist is Andy Warhol. He is someone who I actually studied in the first year of photography when looking out environment and I found his work extremely interesting. He is an American film director/producer as well as an artist, where he is the leading figure of Pop Art. He explores varies themes in his work such as linking expression, celebrity culture and advertising together in the 1960’s. He is most famous for his silk screening images, for example his Campbell’s tomato soup image, however he also explored other mediums such as photography, painting and sculpture. In photography there are always debates on whether certain images are real or they have been over-manipulated. Pop Art itself raises these questions, some people believe it is a genius idea, which expresses creativity within the postmodern era and others would argue it has been over manipulated and therefore is not true. However, Andy preferres to focus on what his work actually means and what he is trying to get across rather than whether the image is a true representation of the object or event. He also uses text to help him with this as he tries to get across messages through imagery supported by a strong statement. Andy Warhol’s work interpreted as style over substance because for what the art actually is, bold colours and simple shapes.

 

Essay writing, Inspirations, Personal Study, Written Task

Possible Essay Questions

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As my personal investigation progresses and i research more into the topic of family and environment i am going to do a small review and reflect on my project so far. After my trip to Africa i collected a vast variety of family, community and environmental images in a documentary and photojournalist style. After editing and refining my choices i picked 6 images to go in the exhibition which was located at the jersey arts center in the ‘Constructed Narratives’ exhibition. Moving on i need to focus on assessment objective 2 which includes further experimentation with my images and further refinements. I want to experiment with my First few shoots i did seeing how i can digitally manipulate them to create a more manipulated and staged story/message. However i also think that i should focus on doing some more shoots on exploring family and environment in jersey and then id be able to do a comparison between the different shoots and look at the similarities and differences between community and family life in Africa and in jersey. Also investigating the different techniques and styles which are used to captures a message in images from different cultures.

Moving on i am going to start to focus on my personal study which is linked to to the theme of family and be specific to the style i am trying to capture. As my personal investigation is specific to capturing third world countries and the community life in areas of poverty and hardship i am going to explore this in my study. i want to come up with a hypothesis which will lead to into exploring realism as a style of photography and how it an be manipulated and not always truthful. By focusing on realism i will be able to explore further photographers such as Steve McCurry and Sebastian Salgado and how they represent third third issues in different styles. I would also like to link into this the ‘Insider VS Outsider’ approach as i think that photographers from an outside perspective looking in on third world countries will never be able to truly capture the sense of community and the harshness of life truthfully, this further links into the topic of objectivity and how photographs may vary due to how subjective photographers may be.

Below is a mind map of initial ideas for the title and focal point of my personal study:

  • ‘How powerful/useful is photography in revealing worldwide issues?’

 

  • ‘Can an outsider ever really represent third world issues truthfully?’

 

  • ‘Is it possible for photography to capture moments in time objectively and truthfully?’

 

  • ‘In what way has photojournalism had an impact on creating awareness of worldwide issues?’

 

  • ‘How does subjectivity effect the authenticity of photographs representing third world countries?’

These were a few of my initial essay questions which focus on questioning the key areas of photograph which my investigation focuses on. However after producing these ideas for a hypothesis i still wasn’t certain that any of them were worded/included the ideas that i wanted to focus on. Therefore i started to look at influential photographers works at essay writing examples and the type of points that they focused on to give me inspiration. Using books of photographers such as David Bate and Susan Sontag as well as Maey Ellen Mark, i started to gather a greater understanding of the theory of representation and other key theoretical concepts.

Through reading Mary Ellen Mark’s ‘The Photo Essay’, its opened my eyes to different concepts, most noteablely the idea of exploitation. I think that the idea of how society and the community of these third world countries which are capture to make hard hitting message images may be being exploited in the process.

Furthermore ‘The Key Concepts’, written by photographer David  Bate enhanced my knowledge on representation  and the idea of realism. Through reading i have gathered ideas of what i want to focus on and a few key points which really caught my attention which could potentially be included in my Personal Study.

‘Manifesting a desire for reality.’

‘Documentary photography construct representations of reality according to someone’s view, their desire to see.’

The above quotes can be seen as relation to the concept of subjectivity Vs Objectivity and the idea that all photographers have a viewpoint and however objective they try to be to capture the reality of a specific event, their mind eye is always going to have some kind of input making them possess a subjective viewpoint which may effect the truthfulness of the images and the way that they represent third world countries.

Uncategorized

Established Influence

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In relation to the task at hand, I have discovered three artists with similar concepts already established to the one I am attempting to convey. First of all, I will discuss the work of Sian Davey, an amazing photographer from England who encaptures the struggle of her down-syndrome daughter trying to fit into the family. In the photo book “Looking for Alice”, we experience Alice’s journey as she smiles, cries, explores and contemplates over her child life. Though the positive photographs are joyous, the contemplation and crying images really cement her difficulties with fitting in, whether she is trying to fit into the family or society. The problems

Essay writing, Personal Study

ESSAY WRITING

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Week 17 – 18 & 19: 15th Jan – 2 Feb

WE ONLY HAVE 3 WEEKS LEFT TO COMPLETE  YOUR PERSONAL STUDY ESSAY

Have a look a the Personal Study Planner 2018 for an overview of what you need to complete this term.

DEADLINE: Hand in draft version of your essay Wed 31 Jan!

You must have your essay completed and proof-read for your MOCK EXAM to include in your photo-book design.

Mon 5 Feb Class 13A
Tue 6 Feb Class 13E
Wed 7 Feb Class 13D 

Objective: Criteria from the Syllabus

  • Be aware of some of the methods employed by critics and historians within the history of art and photography.
  • Demonstrate a sound understanding of your chosen area of study with appropriate use of critical vocabulary. – use for image analysis
  • Investigate a wide range of work and sources
  • Develop a personal and critical inquiry.

Quotation  and Harvard System of Referencing

  • Use quotes to support or disprove your argument
  • Use quotes to show evidence of reading
  • Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, sentences that can be used as quotes etc.
  • Write down page number, author, year, title, publisher, place of publication so you can list source in a bibliography
  • Use Harvard System of Referencing…see Powerpoint: harvard system of referencing for further details on how to use it.

ESSAY STRUCTURE

See below for a possible essay structure. Further help can be found here essay structure or see link here The Royal Literay Fund

Essay title: Hypothesis

Opening quote: Choose a quote from either one of your photographers or critics. It has to be something that relates to your investigation

Introduction (250-500 words).
Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can use an opening quote that sets the scene. You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study e.g. what and who are you going to investigate. How does this area/ work interest you? What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument? What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within. Include 1 or 2 quotes for or against. What links are there with your previous studies? What have you explored so far in your Coursework or what are you going to photograph? How did or will your work develop. What camera skills, techniques or digital processes in Photoshop have or are you going to experiment with?

Paragraph 1 Structure (500 words) : Use subheading. This paragraph covers the first thing you said in your introduction that you would address. The first sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. Other sentences develop the subject of the paragraph.

Content: you could look at the following…exemplify your hypothesis within a historical and theoretical context.  Write about how your area of study and own work is linked to a specific art movement/ ism. Research and read key text and articles from critics, historians and artists associated with the movement/ism. Use quotes from sources to make a point, back it up with evidence or an example (a photograph), explain how the image supports the point made or how your interpretation of the work may disapprove. How does the photograph compare or contrast with others made by the same photographer, or to other images made in the same period or of the same genre by other artists. How does the photograph relate to visual representation in general, and in particularly to the history and theory of photography, arts and culture.

Include relevant examples, illustrations, details, quotations, and references showing evidence of reading, knowledge and understanding of history, theory and context!

See link to powerpoints Pictorialism vs Realism and Modernism vs Postmodernismhere M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Personal Study

Paragraph 2 Structure (500 words) : Use subheading. In the first sentence or opening sentences, link the paragraph to the previous paragraph, then introduce the main idea of the new paragraph. Other sentences develop the paragraphs subject (use relevant examples, quotations, visuals to illustrate your analysis, thoughts etc)

Content: you could look at the following...Introduce your first photographer. Select key images, ideas or concepts and analyse in-depth using specific model of analysis (describe, interpret and evaluate) – refer to your hypothesis. Contextualise…what was going on in the world at the time; artistically, politically, socially, culturally. Other influences…artists, teachers, mentors etc. Personal situations or circumstances…describe key events in the artist’s life that may have influenced the work. Include examples of your own photographs, experiments or early responses and analyse, relate and link to the above. Set the scene for next paragraph.

Include relevant examples, illustrations, details, quotations, and references showing evidence of reading, knowledge and understanding of history, theory and context!

Paragraph 3 Structure (500 words) : Use subheading. In the first sentence or opening sentences, link the paragraph to the previous paragraph, then introduce the main idea of the new paragraph. Other sentences develop the paragraphs subject (use relevant examples, quotations, visuals to illustrate your analysis, thoughts etc)

Content: you could look at the following…Introduce key works, ideas or concepts from your second photographer and analyse in-depth – refer to your hypothesis…Use questions in Pg 2 or add…What information has been selected by the photographer and what do you find interesting in the photograph? What do we know about the photograph’s subject? Does the photograph have an emotional or physical impact? What did the photographer intend? How has the image been used? What are the links or connections to the other photographer in Pg 2? Include examples of your own photographs and experiments as your work develop in response to the above and analyse, compare, contrast etc. Set the scene for next paragraph.

Include relevant examples, illustrations, details, quotations, and references showing evidence of reading, knowledge and understanding of history, theory and context!

If needed…Paragraph 4  Structure (500 words): Use subheading. In the first sentence or opening sentences, link the paragraph to the previous paragraph, then introduce the main idea of the new paragraph. Other sentences develop the paragraphs subject (use relevant examples, quotations, visuals to illustrate your analysis, thoughts etc)

Content: you could look at the following…Introduce key works, ideas or concepts from your third photographer and analyse in-depth – refer to your hypothesis…Use questions in pg 2 and pg 3 or add…How does the photograph compare or contrast with others made by the same photographer, or to other images made in the same period or of the same genre by other artists. How does the photograph relate to visual representation in general, and in particularly to the history and theory of photography, arts and culture. What are the links or connections to the photographers in pg 2 and 3? What are the similarities, differences or links and connections? How does this work compare to yours? Include examples of your own photographs and experiments as your work develop in response to the above and analyse, compare, contrast etc. If more paragraphs are required, set the scene for the next paragraph.

Include relevant examples, illustrations, details, quotations, and references showing evidence of reading, knowledge and understanding of history, theory and context!

Conclusion (500 words) : Write a conclusion of your essay that also includes an evaluation of your final photographic responses and experiments.

List the key points from your investigation and analysis of the photographer(s) work – refer to your hypothesis. Can you prove or Disprove your theory – include final quote(s). Has anything been left unanswered?  Do not make it a tribute! Do not introduce new material! Summarise what you have learned. How have you been influenced? Show how you have selected your final outcomes including an evaluation and how your work changed and developed alongside your investigation.

Bibliography: List all the sources that you used and only those that you have cited in your text. Where there are two or more works by one author in the same year distinguish them as 1988a, 1988b etc. Arrange literature in alphabetical order by author, or where no author is named, by the name of the museum or other organisation which produced the text. Apart from listing literature you must also list all other sources in alphabetical order e.g. websites, exhibitions, TV/ Videos / DVD/ Music etc.

DON’T FORGET TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHS & EXPLORE YOUR IDEAS!!

  1. Produce a photographic response to your investigation in Personal Study. You must plan and produce at least another 2-3 photo-shoots in the next 2 weeks to make sure you have enough images to edit from. For example, responding to photographers subject-matter, style, form, aesthetics, specific skills, techniques, methods.
  2. Continue to review your responses and shoots and experiment with your pictures appropriate to your intentions Lightroom/Photoshop e.g. cropping, change colour balance/ b/w, brightness/ contrast, blurring/ movement, blending/ montage techniques.
  3. Select your best experiments and pictures and include in your Personal Study for analysis and comparisons.

We will begin work on editing and designing a photobook last week of January (week 19). If you don’t have any content i.e. text and images you can’t make a photo book!

Photobook Design, Research and analysis

UNDERSTANDING PHOTO BOOK DESIGN

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UNDERSTANDING PHOTO BOOK DESIGN:
FORM, FUNCTION, SEQUENCING,  NARRATIVE, CONCEPT

Here is a link to the Personal Study Planner 2018 for the remaining 5 weeks of this module.

READ these texts to better understand how to identify a narrative and understand the design process of photobook making.

Colin Pantall: Identifying the Story: Sequencing isn’t narrative

For the die-hards here are a serious blog post by Photobook critic, Joerg Colberg which consider the many aspects of photobook making:  Understanding Photobooks: The Forms an Functions of Photobooks

This article is the first in a series of five. You can find the other parts here: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5

Blog: Produce a number of posts that show evidence of the following:

1. Research a photo-book and describe what story/ narrative the book is telling – its subject-matter, genre, style, approach etc.

2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, awards, legacy etc.)

E.g Robert Frank’s “The Americans” was conceived with the help of a scholarship that allowed Frank to go on road trips across America during a two year period. He wanted to portray American society in the post-war period and his book has influenced (and still influence) many photographers since and also contributed to a new poetic style and subjective approach to documentary photography. Why?

3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book such as:

  • Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
  • Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
  • Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
  • Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.
  • Rhythm and sequencing: flow of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.
  • Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
  • Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter
  • Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
  • Images and text: are they linked/ introduction/ essay/ statement by artists/ use of captions (if any.)

Here a few examples from previous students

Photobook Investigation – Lobismuller

Photobook Investigation – Sugar Paper Theories

Final Result – Photo Book Research

4. Decide if you want to make a hand-made photo book or use BLURB.

Hand-made books: You need to attend workshop on InDesign and book binding techniques after school every Tuesday in January between 3:30-5:00:

Tue 9 and Tue 16 Jan: InDesign
Tue  22 and Tue 30 Jan: Book binding techniques 

BLURB: Look at BLURB online book making website, photo books from photographers or see previous books produced by Hautlieu students on the table in class.

5. Write a book specification and describe in detail what your book will be about in terms of narrative, concept and design.  Produce a mood-board of design ideas and consider the following:

  • How you want your book to look and feel
  • Format, size and orientation
  • Design and layout
  • Rhythm and sequencing
  • Structure and architecture
  • Narrative
  • Title 
  • Images and text
  • Colour and B&W (or a mix)
  • Paper and ink

Create a BLURB account using your school email address. With Blurb you have different options on how you design your book:

a) Using Lightroom to design your book which is integrated with BLURB. Only for use on school computers, unless you have LR at home on your own laptop.

b) Download Bookwright via Blurb onto your own laptop and work offline at home and you can work indecently of school. Here you have full control of layout/ design features. Once completed, you upload photo book design to Blurb

c) Choose online option if you want to work directly online. Very limited layout/design options (not recommended!)

Essay writing

Essay Plan

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  • Essay question: How chronic illness has inspired people to document their story through photography as a way of healing?
  • Thesis: The thesis will introduce the subject I am writing about as well as incorporating why I am basing my work on this topic. I will mention what artists I am studying or referring to in order to compare their work with my own and the touch upon  the most relevant art movement in relation to my work.
  • Opening quote: “Relieve (a person or animal) of the symptoms of a disease or condition.”
  • Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
  • Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. Link to powerpoints about isms and movements M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Personal Study
  • Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
  • Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
  • Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
  • Bibliography: List all relevant sources used