On Tuesday the 10th October, I had a study period and due to my school being in close proximity to a graveyard, I chose to visit the site and develop a feel for taking images ahead of my visit to the churches of Jersey on Sunday. As I photographed the scene, I noticed the pictures were increasingly dark causing me to decrease the ISO to around 100/200 which decreased the grainy texture of the image also, however, for my shoot on Sunday I will bring a tripod and adjust the shutter speed so it is longer, allowing more light in.
Among the tombstones were elements of nature, for instance, this mushroom. I found this tiny little fungi in the middle of dead leaves, that have dried up in the moisture of winter. These two juxtapositions were interesting to photograph and stimulated ideas in my head to capture elements of dead vs. living in my project by using the graveyards of churches. In my mind, I envisioned the leaves to be symbolic of graves and the mushroom to represent a person temporarily visiting the dead. The mushroom grows through and is attached to the ground of the graveyard, giving an emotional attachment to this place by either memories or the burial of a specific person, demonstrating how there is a correlation and common ground between the dead and living.
After researching the work of a couple of tableaux photographers, being Alfonso Almendros and Maria Kapajeva, I really wanted to get underway with my own tableaux photoshoot, however, I did not feel like I wanted to produce a series of images in the style of either Kapajeva or Almendros because I wasn’t completely attracted to their work in order to implement their style into my own example.
However, I had a look through a photo book which present in the classroom at school. It was a book entitled ‘Where Mimosa Bloom’ by an artist named Rita Puig-Serra Costa. In her book, she also specialised in aspects of tableaux photography in the form of photographing objects – still life as such and portraits of the family members and then pairing the images together. However, the meaning and concept goes beyond what the simplicity it sounds like. The objects photographed in a studio style as opposed to photographing them in their natural environment or where she found them are then digitally directly placed in this photo book on the opposite page of a portrait also taken by Serra-Costa. It seems as thought the portraits are of family members and the objects paired with each portrait is relevant in some way to the subject of the portrait. Although there is no direct explanation or link between the two, a narrative is drawn by the audience where we provide out own explanation of what could be the intention of this – there is obviously a meaning of the object in relation tot he subject but this is not actually explained. I found this very intriguing and eye-catching in its minimalism and wished to attempt a series of my own in the style I witnessed by Serra-Costa in her book ‘Where Mimosa Bloom’ which is about her family and place they live.
The primary results are below. I first attempted by completing my own memory and I will then go onto do the same process with my other close family members, including my mum, my step-dad, my nan and my girlfriend. This will provide a very compete and cohesive set of image which tell a visual story of not only my childhood memories about the loved ones around me.
Explaining the Series' Process
Here are the images I created in response to Rita Puig-Serra Costa’s images from her series ‘Where Mimosa Bloom’. My aim from this series I have created was to show my own family through a composition and the juxtaposition of old archives in comparison to contemporary, staged portraits of their life now and how they look back on to the memory they have shown. I have presented nt only my own childhood nostalgia but the others around me to create a cohesive narrative accompanied by very thoughtful inserts of written notes by each individual to he;p the audience understand what is going on in the photo. Each individual has explained why they have chosen the object they have and what it means to them as well as the memory it brings back. I attempted to show this connection to a particular object even further in the portraits where I asked my subjects to create a facial expression/show through their presented emotion the feeling the object gives them when looking back on its worth of their childhood.
To create the studio-like images of the objects each subject handed me to accompany their portrait, I set-up a mini studio in my room suing black card. I collected a couple sheets of black card from my school to take home t allow me to produce to the still-life images. In my room I have two very large windows both with very large window sills as the windows are almost like alcoves in that they are very far into the wall. This allowed me to set up the black card on the window sill and this was perfect as I allowed for lots of natural light which resulted in my objects being perfectly lit and the conditions for this were great when I would come back for school each day. I created an infinity curve using one sheet stuck to the wall and then competed the set-up with another sheet on the flat surface and I would place each object on the curve and then adjust my camera settings accordingly to account for the lighting already provided which obviously illuminated the right side of each object and this allowed for an interesting look to each image where the left ide would be in the dark and I would aim to under-expose each very slightly to get the best effect of the black background. For the notes written by each subject, I got each of them to hold their own note with their hand so it adds a personal touch and I would photograph this against the black background also.
I don’t really feel a need to explain the actual chosen object of each person because the explanation in the words of the subject themselves is provided in written form and I feel like my words won’t do the memory justice because a memory is a very personal and it is best told fro the perspective of the person with that memory. I have attempted to get as close in to the note as possible to it is legible at the same time as keeping the hand in frame and I hope that the handwriting is not too difficult to read.
Aim: My aim for this shoot is to create a series of tableux portraits which show the memory of my bestfriend where we first met and first became friends but now 14 years on looking back at the environment.
Photo Shoot Plan:
Genre
Location
subject
lighting
Composition
Settings
Colours
-tableaux photography
-environmental portraiture
– St Marys primary school
-explore locations around the nursery as there are stories here aswell.
-outside the school has the biggest significance.
-Friend Naomi to be the protagonist of the portraits (focal point)
-Background subject = the school and environment surrounding it
-message of the images is friendship and how growing up hasn’t stopped us from being friends
i am planning to go on this shoot on a cloudy day so that there isnt much bright harsh sunlight – im hoping that this will mean the colors of the image will be bolder and more dramatic because the light wont be taking attention away from the image
– main composition element that i want to focus on is breaking the rule of thirds
i want to have a running theme throughout this short series of the subject being directly in the centre of the image
No flash setting
wide angle lens
bold colours
colours that will contrast with the subjects purple hair.
Bold colours = to symbolise happy and big memories and events in or lives
Contact Sheets:
Shoot Evaluation: i think that altogether the shoot was successful. There were some outcomes which i really liked and captured the story that i wanted to tell. The bold colours of the Blue which symbolizes St Marys has a powerful message and i like the constant story which now runs throughout the images because they all contain the same blue shade in terms of the background and then linking the subject to the environment is the same shade of blue in her outfit as she is purposely wearing blue jeans to match this. i also thing that strong portraits have been captured. Another message i have tried to capture in these images is the differences between the person who used to go to this school when we were younger to the mature adult that the subject is now. This is highlighted in the stance and posture and sophisticated facial expressions in the images.
Here are the contact sheets of the Childhood memory shoot that I did on Friday. My initial ideas for the shoot was to base it on the story book The Cat in the Hat. However, I decided to change my concept and choose to focus on a character from the book Alice in Wonderland. The character I choose to focus on was the Mad hatter because he was my favorite character. I didn’t want to simply copy the book and create something exactly the same as the fiction character. I wanted to create my own version of the Mad Hatter with a feminine twist. I chose to stylize the character with feminine features and clothing. I managed to achieve a wide variation of angles, positions and poses to create a series based on my ideas. I knew what I wanted to achieve in my head so I went to the hospice shop in St Ouen to buy props that I would use in the shoot.
The shoot took place in St Catherine’s woods because I wanted to keep to the theme of Alice in Wonderland. I wanted it to be set in a mysterious and sinister place. I also really liked the wild environment that woods created. It made the images more interesting because the greenery and natural scene added to the sinister and fairy tale theme I wanted to create. For the shoot I choose what outfit the character would wear. I wanted to make the figure look similar the character the Mad hatter, but I also wanted to add my own ideas. I borrowed a top hat from school because that was the main prop that created the personality of the character. The model also wore some old jeans, a black top and a big white coat. I wanted to the character to be feminized, so I bought some high heels from the hospice shop to add to the outfit. To add to the dramatic personality that I want the character to have, I decided I wanted her makeup to stand out, so I used a red tone for the lips, and I did her eyes with bright colors.
Here are my ten favorite edits from the shoot based on childhood memory. I edited each image by changing the brightness, contrast, vibrancy, saturation, exposure and colour hue. I wanted to the images to contain an autumn scheme, so I brought out the orange, yellow and pink tones.
The image above is an example of one of the close up shots I got when shooting the character. I’m happy with the positioning and framing of this image because the eyes are placed across the center of the scene. I also really like how half the frame is the characters face, an the other half is the greenery behind. The image has a mysterious atmosphere and feel to it because it looks like the character is lost, or trying to hide something as the eyes are looking away from the camera. I edited the image so that there was a slight shadow covering the eyes. I like how this creates a three-dimensional quality to the image. The highlight and reflection on the right side of the nose and right side of the forehead also brings that photo alive. I’m happy with the range of colours within the image, because there’s warm colour created by the orange tone of the hair, and the pink tint in the skin. I also like the contrast that’s created by the green from the background.
I like the image above because its a completely different angle and feel to the other images. In this image, the model was sitting on a fallen tree while i was below taking an image looking up at the figure. The trees are seen above in the background which I really like because it creates this sinister atmosphere, as well as just simply filling the frame. I like the tones and shading in the photo, because it ranges from the darkness created by the shadow of the tree on the left side, and the light coming through the trees at the top. I really like how the model is looking down, because it makes a powerful image.
The image above has a very strong, powerful feel to it because of the way the model is looking straight into the camera. I really like the pastel colour that the models hair has become during the editing. It creates this
I really love the image above and the image below because they have a fun, clever feel to them. I think this works really well with the personality of the mad hatter because it helps create this cheeky, playful atmosphere.
The image above is my favorite from the whole shoot. I love the framing and the colours within the shot. I like how the character is presented as the main point of the image, because shes placed in the middle, which is the main focal point of the scene. The path that starts in the middle, bottom of the image, slowly leads to the place where the character is standing which I really like. I’m happy with the way the model is posing because it creates this strong, stern, serious atmosphere. The colours in this image are my favorite part of it, because the yellow tones and the orange tinges work really well with the feel.
This image reminds me a lot of one of Anna Gaskey’s images taken from the series Wonder. The environment and scenery is very similar. The lighting is very similar as well because the lights coming through the trees, which is making the background a lot lighter then the foreground, similar to my image. The character is placed in the center of the path, which again is the same as my image. There is a lot more color is my photo, which I prefer because it adds to the details and makes the image more interesting.
I wanted to do a photo shoot inspired by the images I’ve seen by Anna Gaskell. I really liked the fairy tale theme she creates with the figures in the photos. I chose to create my own character using my friend. Gaskell likes to combine psychology a lot with her images, and I tried to use this idea as an influence to my shoot. My aim was to create a mysterious character with multiple expressions to represent the personalities of the mind. I wanted many expressions to be seen through the face, so I manipulated each original image and layered the faces on top of each other. The first three images are three separate edits of the same image. I wanted to experiment with the colors to see which edit would work best with my theme.
The image below is my favorite edit from the shoot. It looks more natural and realistic compared to the edits with bright colours. I really like the bokeh effect created in the background because it adds the effect of a …. The colours within the image work really well together because there’s multiple tones of yellows and oranges that make a warm atmosphere. For this edit I only layered two images to create the manipulation. ….
The image below is the most unusual edit from the shoot. You can see multiple faces hidden within the obscured figure. Some of the features are more detailed and stronger than others which creates this layered effect. The representation of the layered faces helps to emphasize the twisted personality of the character in the images.
For my environmental Portraits, I used the Documentary Photographer Sian Davey as inspiration. I really liked Davey’s work because she has a spontaneous feel to the environmental portraits. She always focuses on one particular character within the set of images, and this is what I tried to create within my environmental portraits. I wanted to achieve a theme within my images, slimier to what Davey does. For my project I chose to focus on my friend, who is like family to me. I wanted to do something which links closely to what Davey does in her images. According to Davey, she likes to link Psychology with her Photography, so I decided to incorporate parts of my friends personality within the environmental portraits.
Shes a very creative character, who likes to explore nature and live closely with the environment. I aimed to capture a set of images that showed this clearly through the setting and framing of each image. She also enjoys photography like me, so I wanted to interpret this within the photos. I wanted to create a natural, old fashioned documentary feel to the set of images, so I decided to edit them into black and white. I am really pleased with my final outcome because each frame is completely different, with some close ups and some far away. The way the model is positioned in each frame is also very different, so I’ve managed to achieve a vast amount of individual images which work together well.
Out of all the images from the shoot, this is my favorite one because of the framing, what shes doing in the photo, and the setting of the image. At the time of the photo, she was simply messing around in the woods, and I managed to capture a series of images of her in her natural environment. This image though is my favorite from the set because of the playful atmosphere around it.
For the photoshoot I carried, I looked at the role of the women of the house in my own circumstance – being my mum. I looked at this through documenting in a staged style, almost tableaux and it also has environmental aspects within it because the shoot is executed in the subjects usual environment and this either the home or the workplace, however, for my mum, it is both as she works from home so it is often you find her slaving away in the kitchen or her workroom and I aimed to encapsulate this lifestyle which can get quite repetitive as she said when I was photographing her by staging different scenes in which she is posing doing different household jobs. In each shot she is also looking directly at the camera – making the viewer feel quite intimidated or uncomfortable. I wanted to show her as though she stating her authority within her own home – with pride and confidence but I also wanted her to look quite vulnerable to the audience as she could be looking into the camera as to say “help, look at me, look at what I do”.
Evaluation of the Shoot
I found that the shoot and its end products turned out to be very successful and I think I will use this experience as a learning curve in order for me to improve for next time. I treated the photoshoot as an experiment of to try out different ways of photographing documentary images and it is evident in this first attempt that I focused on low angles, body positioning, facial expressions and a different camera aspect ratio to the usual 4:3 – the square for,at is not achieved through cropping on Photoshop – I achieved this through altering the settings on my camera to shoot in 1:1 in order to achieve a more vintage effect. This limited the amount of the surroundings I was able to include in each shot but I attempted to focus on the main objects in the frame, being my mum and the event she is doing and the object needed for this – for example, the sink, the work unit, the stair case and the armchair.
The first room in which I photographed my mum was the kitchen. I already had the idea for the action being performed to be her washing the dishes.
Before the shoot, I took some reccee shots to decipher and terminate which position I wished to have my camera in for the best results. I was aware that I wanted a low angle shot but this was difficult to achieve due to the small sized of the room. I found a spot where I could get a good frame which included the main areas of the kitchen, including my mum in the middle. I first started out using a tripod as I thought this would be easier to capture good quality shots at a low angle – which is quite awkward to photograph hand-held, however, this is the technique that prevailed in the end. As the shoot went on, I found that mounting my camera on a tripod in a tight corner was quite difficult especially when I had to direct my subject to change her position. Therefore, for the most part, I ended up not using a tripod and instead myself. I would lie on the ground on my front and point my camera up to the subject manually. This proved to be much more effective to achieve the drastic low angle I wanted.
However, what I found most difficult during the shoot was being able to focus the subjects face as I was in a rather awkward position in order rot get a full clear view of the camera’s screen as I could not use the viewfinder feature in this instance.
As well, I struggled to choose a pose which my mum would attempt to act out for me as I did not know what would look best nut I already had this image in my mind of how I wanted ach shot to look – vey serious, quite uncomfortable for the viewer but telling a story of a mum who rarely leaves which rarely leaves the house during the day and has the work-load of providing for the other occupants within the house. I wanted to get this across through the documentary style I took.
For example, the image above was the first image I took during the shoot and it was mainly an experimental sot to see whether I liked the look of this style. However, I opted not to proceed with this style of the rest of the shot because for me, the image looked to overloaded and it did not have the clean and polished affect I wanted due to the foregrounded object obstructing most of the frame. Even though this was intended, I did not like it at all.
The look I wished to achieve form the image above was a fly-on-the-wall effect; as if the viewer is discreetly watching the subjects movements through a peep hole. I placed the camera within the washing basket which has holes in and I pointed the lens through one of the gaps and focused on the subject to allow the basket to become out of focus, in order to make my mum the focal point. I realised that the image would look something like this but when I reviewed my efforts, I was not attracted to the way it looked and I decided it would be in my best interests to continue with a more traditional approach to photographing but with my own personal touches. I don’t feel like you ca et the same feeling towards the image when there is foregrounded objects obstructing the view because I feel as though you, as the audience are not connected with the subject and are not building that relationship enough with them because of the fly-on-the-wall effect. However, with the tableaux style, the audience can really begin to build a relationship with the subject within, especially as she is looking directly at the camera – breaking the normal conventions of documentary photography where the subject is seemingly unaware of the presence of the photographer. However, I wanted my mum to attempt to represent her role in the house and for her to do this in a way which shows her as vulnerable and this is aided by the style I adopted.
In David Bates book, Art Photography, in chapter three which cover the topic of Documentary and Story-Telling, he writes “documentary drew on the idea of information as a creative education”. The way I interpret this is that: providing a visual story or visual element to physically view is another way, if photographed in the right way, to educate people and inform people of relevant issues, just form that ne image or “photo essay”. I do believe that a photograph has the contextual and technical power to achieve this education – a creative education and this is what I am aiming to do in the shoot and edits which follow.
Again, this image above was another experimentation that I attempted to do to give a different perspective however, it did not work. I also want the photoshoot to be consistent in the way each shot was photographed, just in different rooms of my house. However, I would not be able to do this in each room that we shot in so this would not be appropriate to show as part of the final images but was useful as an experimentation but the reflection of the window is too over-powering and it fades out the subject.
The Edits - Final Images
Image taken in the kitchen, mum doing the dishesImage taken in the dining room, mum sitting downImage taken on the landing, mum looking downImage taken in the lounge, mum relaxingImage taken on the staircase, mum polishingImage taken in the workroom, mum at the sewing machine
Theory
Something I found quite interesting came not from the post photoshoot stages but the post editing stages when I decided to actually show my mum the images I had produced form the shoot she had no idea about until I called upon her to help me out with it at the last minute – something I do often if I need some assistance with models.
During the shoot, I had given very little details to my mum about the aim of the photoshoot and what is what for, as well as what I wanted to achieve from it and way I was even doing it. I gave enough information to her in order for her to know what she needed to do however. As well, throughout the shoot, I had snapped about 55 images and not one of them did she see. I also do this with any other portraiture shoot I carry out due to the inner worry of being judged if I was to show the subject what I was actually producing. I only enjoy showing people my products once fully completed – which would usually be after the photoshoot, after I had gone through them and defined which ones I would work with and then the final stages of editing. Only then would I show others because I feel I would get satisfaction out of showing something I feel proud of as I know my family would appreciate this too and would recognise the hard work I have put in. Yet, there is something disconcerting and worrying to me about showing my subjects the images I have taken of them due to the potential inner damage it could cause to me if they don’t “get” it or understand it. However, I have previously experienced the issue where when showing the model the images I have taken halfway through the shoot, they begin to doubt themselves and their attractiveness in front of the camera – this mostly being females. For example, when I worked with my girlfriend on previous projects she would comment on how “ugly” she looked and I experienced this for the first time with my mum after the point which I had shown her the edits from the documentary shoot.
What I find interesting however, is that for this shoot, I was not particularly aiming to show glamour or beauty, I was concentring more so on the message I could present but as soon as I showed my mum the images, the first thing she comment on was the way she looked and her exact words, as I flicked through the images were “oh, no, I look so gross”, however laughing as she said in a comedic way. She then went on to state how from the low angle I had adopted, you could see her double chins. To me, she was more focused on how she looked and how herself was being presented, not the character I wanted to portray. This is what contributes to the worry I have of showing others my work because of the reaction I may get where the focus of their comments is leant more towards how they look for the camera and they are often not pleased with it. It is at this point where I begin to question my own work and whether it holds any quality to it.
From my own view and perspective on the outcomes of the photoshoot I have now named ‘This Is Your House, Mum’ for obvious reasons relating to authority, I am pleased with the results because I feel I have ben consistent in the way I approached each shot and this has paid off for the overall look of the final selection of images which I believe would work nicely as a selection of four or six together.
This is my favourite image out of the six because of the successful composition and framing. I feel my mum is positioned in a great way here in order for her to, through the image, connect with viewers through her looks and her body positioning as she stands vulnerably yet statefully on the stairs with her hand on the banister as she polishes it.
Jonathon Bielaski is a Canadian environmental photographer specialist based in Toronto. Although environmental portraits are restricted to often just the place of work for the model in question, Bielaski visits more diverse and a variety of work places. Bielaski’s photographic range gives his collection of work an edge on other environmental portraiture photographers which is also enhanced by the body language of the model. Throughout his work, the model avoids eye contact, creating this sense of ambiguity and the viewer of the image immediately questions the image – does the person enjoy their job? Are they happy?
Presumably, the man in the image is the butcher, the man who butchered the seven pigs in the image. Although pork is a very popular meat, especially in the UK, to see meat in this formation is quite disturbing and grotesque, perhaps coinciding with the closed body language of the man in the image. The crossed arms, ambiguous side profile, aged skin and grey hair allude to an experienced butcher whose guilt of killing animals has caught up with him as he is surrounded by the corpses of pig bodies. Bielaski would have crafted the image in this way to show the struggles a butcher would face and perhaps the guilt the job accompanies. Alternatively, it may be other factors that are causing this man to be stuck in deep thought during his work hours and this may affect his performance. Perhaps his job is an escape from the strain of everyday life but due to the posture the model holds, the images emotion is ambiguous and open to interpretation, which is the key method to an environmental portrait.
Following the knowledge I attained from meticulously analyzing Jonathon Bielaski’s environmental portraiture work, I researched and reminded myself of how to take a successful environmental portrait of a family member, to stay inclined with the task and the main topic of family. I used the following links to help me conjure a plan of action…
Larry Sultan was an American photographer who framed his wealthy and prestigious family in the style of environmental portraits. Like many environmental portraits, the blank facial expression depicts a story open to interpretation, giving different dimensions to his photography as it becomes real although it is so clearly staged.
Initially, I plan to photograph my step-dad, a Chartered Accountant who jointly runs his office with brother. I’m going to tell him to model in the photograph as if he’s writing, on the computer, an image looking away from me and an image looking directly at me. I’m hoping by attaining a variety of images of the model, I am able to select a definitive picture that can portray the stress I see him experience. The working strain usually implements onto our family as it is clear when he is stressed.
Secondly, I want to photograph my little sister either in her bedroom or the garden on the trampoline. For this photoshoot, I’d have to find a perfect angle to get my sister and the objects I hope to capture with it. At the tender age of five, my sisters main aim is to have fun so if I’m going to capture images of her on fun apparatus, I’ll have to instruct her to keep a straight face, which may be a challenge.
Finally, for the environmental portrait study I will encapture images of my friends drinking and playing pool, which seems to be the culture since we’re turning eighteen this year. Personally, I consider my friendship an extension to my actual biological family, which allows me to incorporate them into my work.
Over the course of the summer, I took multiple photographs in a multitude of settings and places. I thoroughly enjoyed this freelance approach, photographing what I liked, espeically as each photograph withholds a personal and sentimental meaning.
Reinforcing this sense of inspiration and linking to the topic of environment, I thought I would post this collection of images in order to demonstrate and give a visual representation of the environments I get inspired by.
Tanja Deman set us a task to produce varies Collages with the photos we took on the photography walk from Grosnez to L’Etacq. I created 5 final collage images from this task. I enjoyed the task as I found some useful images, which I could use to produce my collages. However, I also used photographs I had taken previously to create these also.
As I looked through my images for find images, which would work well, I realised that I wanted all my images to be different, and to edit them in different ways.
I was influenced mainly by Tanja Deman’s work, as she was the one who introduced me to collage making. I only really used 2-4 layers in my images, however she would use a lot more layers than this, but admitted it took her months to make one, we simply don’t have the time to achieve this. I always had her work in my head when creating the images as she often creates a new environment and narrative. I was influenced also by a photographer Tanja showed us at the beginning of the six weeks called John Stezaker .Here is one of his works that influenced me:
For example, the image above was the first image I took during the shoot and it was mainly an experimental sot to see whether I liked the look of this style. However, I opted not to proceed with this style of the rest of the shot because for me, the image looked to overloaded and it did not have the clean and polished affect I wanted due to the foregrounded object obstructing most of the frame. Even though this was intended, I did not like it at all.
Again, this image above was another experimentation that I attempted to do to give a different perspective however, it did not work. I also want the photoshoot to be consistent in the way each shot was photographed, just in different rooms of my house. However, I would not be able to do this in each room that we shot in so this would not be appropriate to show as part of the final images but was useful as an experimentation but the reflection of the window is too over-powering and it fades out the subject.
