These are my underwater shots that I took in response to Tanja Deman’s images. In this shoot, I wanted to follow up on the idea of photographing nature in a way that isn’t normally looked at by other people. This is because I wanted to capture elements that are considered invisible or irrelevant but really have not only a spiritual significance, but also scientific evidence as well. By taking images of elements that arn’t always seen by people, this also further explores the how and evolutionist stance as by identifying the nature of individual elements we learn more about their charectistics. Therefore by learning more about these charecteristics this can also be related to the spiritual creationist side of the story as because we are continoulsy learning about the nature of change, we can essentially use the scientific side in order to understand the spiritual creationist side.
Digital CameraDigital CameraDigital CameraDigital CameraDigital CameraDigital CameraDigital Camera
Tanja Deman is an artist who creates art that is heavily influenced by her desire in exploring the “perception of space and her relationship to nature”. This photography’s purpose through by examining built legacy or natural sites, is to highlight the development, structure, and functions of human society by exploring the idea of space. In exploring space, Tanja Deman reflects “dynmamics hidden under the surface of both the built and natural environment”. This theology is of great interest to me because I am personally looking at the idea of creationist values being apparent within nature, showing that despite, despite what man has made of nature, their are natural properties that were designed by a creator that still exist in coercion with their relationship with other forms of nature. This links back to the theory of creationism vs the theory of evolution because it reverts back to the idea that nature operates as one movement through all the various forms and elements. This also links back to the idea of freedoms and limitations in exploring creationism which explores why the elements are why they are and how the elements exist. In doing this I am comparing and contrasting the relationship science has between spirituality. Because Tanja Deman is exploring the features under the surface of natural environments, her work is also similar to mine in that she is suggesting that there is a reason and a cause for why change in nature occurs. Observing how legacy has impacted modernism within the natural landscape, Tanja Deman’s images reflect also the idea of how humans have lost their connection with nature as people forget often that they are part of it. These images are a collection that Tanja Deman worked in whilst being Archisle International artist in residence called “Sunken Garden”. These images reflect the hidden perceptions of underwater life, with the inclusion of landscapes offering a wide variety of different geomorphology, flora and fauna. This alongside with the creative use of sunlight, illuminating up these elements brings a sense of spiritual intimacy that relates and connects with our own human spiritual senses. However Tanja’s images depict a foreign and unfamiliar environment that really emphasises the idea of experience. As she explores the idea of man’s impact on the land, arguably contributing as a major factor as to why so many humans have lost their connection with the spiritual world within nature, Timothy Morton who describes the idea of hyperobjects as an example of global warming within the environment, change our experience of reality and force us to reconsider our relationship with nature and why we have such a particular one. Therefore Tanja Deman is visualizing the aesthetic experience whilst also highlighting how continued human activity causes us to be isolated from nature which isn’t what was necessarily intended for us.
I particularly like this image because of the light features but also as well how the composition has included an abundance and wealth of variety in terms of natural elements found within the sea. In a sense Tanja Deman is photographing natural elements, in their natural environment, fulfilling their natural purposes that all work in cohesion as one movement of nature. I particularly like the strong contrast levels that help distinguish and evoke the differing roles an importance of these individual roles in sustaining the whole habitat within the image. From a scientific point Tanja Deman is clearly documenting these elements and their roles, however from a religious/creationist point of view, I believe Tanja Deman has documented the very process of life that is intangible and can’t necessarily be physically described. For example I like how she has captured what appears to be looking like the depth of the environment is endless, symbolizing the power of nature but also posing the question of how we don’t specifically know the reason we are here. Furthermore the lighting features, shining light on all areas I also find particularly interesting because it further displays a strong sense of spirituality in that life is engaging with other life forms within the environment. Overall I believe this image is fascinating as it succesfully includes the how in nature, but also the why, which links heavily to my project of creationsim vs evolution as I am interested in why we are here vs how we got here.
I like this image a lot because because of how it represents the idea of the source of life. For example this is represented in how the light source is a single, natural light source. I like how elegantly simple this is as it invokes how everything is reliant of this but also how everthing and how it changes, can all trace back to the one same simple process. This is interesting as it links to the idea that change can only occur if it is given the natural substance to do so which in turn is originally by some creator. Furthermore, the significance of this light source is symbolic because as light is shining through the dark depths of the sea, it reaches everything, emphasizing the idea that everything has been created by and for a creator. I also particularly like how the photographer has included the surface of the water, appearing almost as if light is coming through a mirrorless surface, but we cannot necessarily see what is through it. I believe this is successful because it is further sombolic of the depths of the reaswons for change and how we don’t necessarily understand it – as a limitation, but as a freedom we are part of it as we are one with nature ourselves and likewise with the environment we dont have to understand it, but we can make use of nature and the spiritual relationships that coexist between each element.
At home, I downloaded the software called Bookwright which is a similar software to Blurb and is of thew same organisation as Blurb but a different piece of software with a different interface. I downloaded this as it will allow me to create my magazine better than I could do on Blurb as Blurb does not provide this option.
However, because I have downloaded it at home, I can only produce my magazine at home in my spare time, however, I will work around this and make sure it is completed in time for me to produce other work in class on exam days.
Before I began creating other cover pages with different text graphics and a different layout, I only had my primary draft version using the handwriting text I had originally produced. Therefore, I could only insert these covers as experiments for how a cover may look but I had the intention of crating other drafts – which I have done and will publish this as a blog post soon.
This have me an opportunity to begin becoming comfortable with the Bookwright software and its tools and how to navigate and there are also video tutorials on how to create magazines using the software and I intend to watch these also.
I inserted JPEG images of my front and back cover an this is shown below in the first screenshot.
Screenshot of primary front and back cover experiments in Bookwright
Screenshot of same page on Bookwright, however, with a different back cover but the same front cover as previous. This back cover eliminates the use of imagery and concentrates on the title graphics and the slogan I also created for the magazine as this is a common convention of fashion magazines that look at gender and expression
This screenshot shows the the inside pages of the cover pages an I had made them both yellow, on the back and front to create a colour theme and the yellow used is the same as that of the title colour
A screenshot of the first page where I have inserted an image of the same slogan that was present on the second back draft
After completing my first four shoots with my models, I have gathered all the images and collated a final selection of my best ones which I would be happy to use in the final product.
After each shoot, I looked through all my photos and selected the best ones and then narrowed these down even further to my best 10-20 and edited these with the intention that they would all have the potential to be published in the magazine.
From my shoot with Lucy, Peter, Max and Jasper, here are all the best edits that I will be using in the magazine and I aim to produce at least one more shoot to bring my total of shoots up to 5 and provide me with around 25-30 images overall with about 5-6 images from each shoot/character.
The film, The Tree of Life was my main form of inspiration for this experiment. My goal was to create a film full of scenes of nature during evening time as an experiment for my project Wabi Sabi. The Photographer Rinko Kawauchi is another source of inspiration that I used for the film. Her style of Sublime photography really suited my theme and idea. To create the film I need to capture a lot of imagery of a few second shots of different things such as light, the sea and everyday events. An idea for the film is to use a subject, a model, as the focus of the film. The film would be about the different things that occur throughout the evening through nature. The title, Before the Sun goes works really well with the idea for the film because I am capturing the beauty and specific details that happen in the evening, before the sun sets. I decided to use a subject within the film because it made it more interesting and showed more of a story line by using the subject to symbolize the sun disappearing. In the last part of the film, the subject is seen running away towards the sea. My reason for this was to create a visual and symbolic link between the subject and the sun. As the sun was setting, the subject was also running away. Overall, I am very happy with the outcome of my film, Before the Sun goes, because it ties in well with my overall project and shows a thought process and story line behind my theme.
In the book Concerning the Spiritual in Art Kandinsky writes about the spiritual effect color has on a person. In the first paragraph of the chapter The Psychological Working of Color Kandinsky writes about how if you let the eye stray over a palette splashed with many colors it produces a dual result. Kandinsky goes onto say
“In the first place one receives a purely physical impression, one of pleasure and contentment at the varied and beautiful colors. The eye is either warmed or else soothed and cooled. But these physical sensations can only be of short duration. They are merely superficial and leave no lasting impression, for the soul is unaffected. But although the effect of the colors is forgotten when the eye is turned away, the superficial impression of varied color may be the starting point of a whole chain of related sensations.”
Kandinsky then goes onto write about how different colors and different shades of color can have a different affect to a persons soul. For example hes one red would prove exciting and another would cause pain or disgust through the association with running blood. A bright yellow may look sour because of the association to the taste of a lemon. He also goes onto say there is a link between color and musical notes. For example he says “it would be hard to find anyone who would try to express bright yellow in the bass notes, or dark blue int he treble”. I find this very true when visualizing music personally I picture darker colors for the bass notes and brighter colors for the higher tremble notes.
Kandinsky also goes onto say that chromotherapy, which involves stimulating the brain with different colors, has had definite influences on the whole body. Red light stimulates and excites the heart, blue can cause temporary paralysis. However when tried on animals and plants this no affect. Which Kandinsky goes onto say:
“Generally speaking, color is a power which directly influences the soul.”
“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
On the 18th of April I drove to St Ouens bay to do my shoot three for the wabi sabi film. The aim of the shoot was to capture more images of nature and the landscape with the sun setting because that was the time of day that I had decided to focus on. I wanted to capture the different colours and the different ways the sun can effect nature. I also wanted to capture the sense of movement within the film to replicate the movement of the sun while it sets. The different things I managed to capture was the way the sun hits on leaves and flowers such as the clip below.
Another way I wanted to replicate the movement was by simply moving my camera while I was filming. I used this method mainly for far away clips such as the sea and the sky. I really like this clip because of the colours and shapes that are captured.
Another way I was able to show movement was by filming the sea and the waves by the shore in St Ouen. I wanted to capture clips of the sea because Its the last thing the sun touches before it sets. I also love the expressive movement it naturally creates. The pal blue and green colours also work really well with my wabi sabi project because there is a lot of use of colour, mainly pale colours.
Michelle Sank is a contemporary photographer born in Cape Town, South Africa. Her biography on her website reads: “Michelle Sankwas born in Cape Town, South Africa. She left there in 1978 and has been living in England since 1987. Her images reflect a preoccupation with the human condition and to this end can be viewed as social documentary. Her work encompasses issues around social and cultural diversity.”
Sank is a photographer who has the ability to, so poetically, tell a subjects story so well through her ability to interact with her subject to make them feel comfortable in order for them to feel comfortable to perform for the camera. Sank relies heavily on body positioning and facial expression to tell a narrative i her images.
In particular, I will be looking at Sank’s project that consists of 18 individual images which each tell a story of one individual. The project is entitled ‘In My Skin’ and is a very poetic and truthful series of images which focuses on one subject per image and tells their story through that one image. Each image is very similar to the previous in the way it is constructed and this is a deliberate attempt at telling a consistent narrative that is understandable.
In the project, ‘In My Skin’, Sank visits the houses of a variety of people across Britain who are either thinking of having cosmetic surgery or have had it in order tot change the way they look. She sets out to tell each of their stories and achieves this through an intimate relationship between herself, the camera and the subject. On her website, the project synopsis reads: “These images are from a project called In My Skin about young people under 25 in the UK who are challenging their body image. I am looking at those who have had or are considering having cosmetic surgery in order to become more acceptable to themselves and achieve their ideal of being ‘beautiful’. Social consensus in Western society today is particularly focussed on physical beauty and achieving and maintaining the “perfect” face and body. Intertwined with this I am also documenting body dysmorphia as young people try and conform to this social expectation resulting in eating disorders and body transformation. Lastly I am documenting transgenderism and the struggle young people have to live within a body they were born into but have no affiliation with.”
The images are very elegant and can also act as typologies because of the way they are presented and the similarity between them all in the way they are constructed and framed. Each image is photographed in the subject’s bedroom and Sank positions them exactly how she wants them to come across to the camera.
I will be using Sank as inspiration for the way I take my own photos and although I will not be covering as hard-hitting topics, I hope to be able to present my subjects to the camera in the same poetic way.
Sank’s images are very raw and look as though the have been edited very minimally and I would imagine Sank has done this as she feels the actual content of the photographs speaks for themselves and therefore, did not want to over-edit them to the point that it removes their meaning. In my own images, I will only be editing them very subtly to enhance any necessary factors such as highlights, shadows, exposure or the black and white leveling because I do not want to distort them to the point that they lose their meaning that should be told through the way the subject present themselves to the lens.
As well, Sank uses bedrooms as her studio and in particular, the bedroom of the specific subject she is photographing because this is where they feel most comfortable and therefore, the truest representation of them can be expressed and it becomes a very personal series through photographing in such a personal space.
For my own set of images, I will be using the street as my studio as I will be creating street fashion photographs that show the behavior of boys when given the opportunity to roam free and act however they want.
Sank also uses the ‘gaze’ of her subjects to tell a narrative and this is a very powerful tool to use in order to get across a message and allow the audience to feel a a sense of connection and inclusion into their story trying to be told. Through the subjects gaze into the camera, the audience can easily connect with them and feel a sense of sympathy if the content is as raw as what Sank has explored.
Looking at Sank’s work will allow me to better tell a narrative through my images, which, although doesn’t necessarily have to follow a clear narrative, I will be able to better take images that are more expressive after examining the work of Sank and the methods she uses to create poetic works as shown in this project.
Laura Pannack
Laura Pannack was born 12 June 1985 and is a British social documentary and portrait photographer, based in London. Pannack’s work is often of children and teenagers.
Laura Pannack, like Sank is a modern, conceptual photographer that has the ability to photograph a subject so elegantly to tell their story. Something that is evident in Pannack’s work is her use of very soft colours and tones as well as a use of very soft focus around the subjects existence in the forefront of each frame where, most of the time, Pannack captures them either looking directly at the camera or facing the camera with their eyes closed.
This effect of the subject closing their eyes in the photo is something I will be trying to up-take and emulate in my own work because I feel it adds a very subtle and elegant tone to the imagery and a compelling mood is achieved when the subject eyes are closed because the audience feel a sense of inclusion in the image – that when looking at the subject closing their eyes, we are included in the thoughts they are thinking. I will using this technique of the subjects closing their eyes in a couple of my images so achieve a look of vulnerability – that when they close their eyes, they become more vulnerable as they become unaware of the happenings in front of them due a deep focus in their mind about their thoughts. This sense of vulnerability is something I wish to capitalise on in my project to show that boys are not always confident and boisterous freaks of nature that don’t fear anything and instead, through particular photographs of them with their yes closed, a much more vulnerable state of their personality can be shown.
Pannack, like Sank focuses on telling her subjects story and focuses on the audience ability to connect with what the subject is experiencing in the frame. Both photographs focus on the notion of a gaze from the subject in the image to aid the narrative that can be told. When a subject gazes at the camera and in-turn, the viewer, they achieve a very somber effect that often works very well to present a mood. A gaze can not only be achieved through the eyes but through the other facial expressions of the subject and how they rest the other feature on their face to bring the attention to the eyes. A gaze can also be achieved through body positioning and body expression and the use of hands to help create meaning is also very effective.
Pannack’s work has been shown in three solo exhibitions and contributed to a couple of publications. She has received a number of awards, including a first place in the World Press Photo Awards in 2010, the Vic Odden Award from the Royal Photographic Society in 2012, and the John Kobal New Work Award in 2014. Pannack has also worked commercially for The Mental Health Foundation, Save the Children, Oxfam, Dove, Samsung, Barclays and Vodafone.
Pannack’s notable personal projects include The Untitled,Young Love and Young British Naturists. For her personal work Pannack largely uses a film camera and I believe this is noticeable in her work because of the very soft and subtle colour tones that look quite faded – an effect achieved from shooting on film.
The video above shows Laura Pannack at Nicer Tuesdays – an event by It’s Nice That which invites exciting creatives to share short, sharp insights to recent projects, aiming to inform and inspire. Pannack in this video, talks above her recent works to an audience and shows her processes and the meanings behind what she does.
In an interview with The British Journal of Photography, Pannack describes her processes on how to take a good portrait photograph and the thought behind taking compelling portraits that for so many, seems so simple but the methods Pannack uses shows her professionalism and dedication to creating the quality of portraits she does. BJP writes in their article, “dedicated to developing strong relationships with her subjects, Laura Pannack’s work is always a collaborative endeavor between artist and sitter.” This resonates with me strongly because I too believe that to create a strong portrait image, the collaboration between the subject and artist is vital because from this relationship can become a developed bond between the two of them in order to create the right portrait to tell their story. Pannack’s interest in youth culture is evident in her work and BJP highlights this in their article.
Pannack’s focus on documenting youth culture is another reason I have decided to study her work. Fro m observing the way she photographs this particular sub-culture will give me a sense of understanding to go and do it myself as I too will be photographing the youth of Jersey – youth are often ignored in this newly-developed political society that is now so focused on the present and the views of elders and the empowered at a time where the economic states of our country is the most talked about subject for last two years.
In Pannack’s project entitled ‘The Untitled’, she aims to “challenge the sweeping generalisations and often negative perceptions of teenagers held by many, by capturing the individuality of each of her subjects.” In her portraits which she confesses to often titling the name of the subject pictured, Pannack’s aim is to show to her viewers that these people are unique individuals, not just as part of one single group.
BJP also asked Pannack, what, for her, makes for a compelling portrait and Pannack answered, “for me, a compelling portrait is one that provokes emotion and encourages an attachment. I like the idea of a threaded connection from subject, to photographer, to viewer – one that flows effortlessly and connects all three.” For me, this is very true and I agree with this strongly because it reiterates to the gaze that not only myself, but many other conceptual photographs attempt to achieve in their images. The gaze of a photographer on their subject is shown through the release of shutter on their camera and this gaze is then carried on to the subject that, in their image, gazes at the viewer on the other end of the photo. This is what I will be attempting to achieve in my portraits of young people.
James Greenhalgh
James Greenhalgh is another conceptual photographer and is British, like Pannack an again focuses on youth culture of England to create a range and sense of consistency I his work – photographing youth is his specialty and being young himself, this allows him to connect extensively with his subjects in order to create a collaborative process which results in images that show another side to teenage Brits that people often don’t see – Greenhalgh highlights the youth of Britain in his soft images that are a mixture of black and white images and colour images.
Greenghalgh’s work is of such a similar nature to Pannack’s that he was picked out by The British Journal of Photography to shadow Laura Pannack on an exclusive BJP portraiture commission.
BJP writes: “After a lengthy judging process, Laura Pannack has selected 18-year-old James Greenhalgh as the winner of a competition to shadow her as she shoots Separation, a series of portraits commissioned by British Journal of Photography. Separationexplores the angst and myriad emotions experienced by London-based couples who, as a result of Brexit, have been forced to contemplate separation.”
Greenhalgh is currently in his first year of studying Photography at London College of Communication. However, it was his A-Level project, Tungsten, that caught Pannack’s eye. A series of portraits of teenage boys, Tungsten seeks to break down the mask of masculinity and show the beauty and sensitivities that lie behind. And this seen, this is why I have chosen to study James Greenhalgh as his interests in photography lie within the opportunity to collaborate with his subjects, and in particular, teenage boys to show the sensitivities that exist beyond the face of masculinity that is often so forced in an attempt to fit in to society that sets, on a regular basis, the standards and ways boys should behave and act.
Greenhalgh was asked what appeals to him about portraiture and his reply to this was, “The connection that you share with the person you are shooting is so precious and special. For somebody to open up in front of you and be themselves without fear or judgement (with or without a camera present) is truly beautiful, especially in a world where everybody is putting on a mask or persona in an effort to appeal to others. With portraiture I feel I can capture that organic moment.”
These are Photoshop edits of my previous wave shots. I like these images because I wanted to create edits that blow up the idea of light, and therefore represent accurately the spiritual forces that are working within nature that is beyond human comprehension. These images are almost blowing up and highlighting what can’t be seen and what is beneath the surface of ordinary comprehension. I believe these edits link well to spirituality and the idea of action beyond our realm which however directly affects us as humans living on this planet.
This was a shoot that I took waves and wave motion. I was interested, following on from my previous post, in photographing the random and unexplainable reasons for the forces of wave motion. These images I believe strongly link to the idea that nature is not just a powerful force, but one that is stimulated and controlled by nature. I believe I have captured a sense of spirituality in these images because I like the harsh, white tones but also the movements and the close shots. In doing this, we can see individual details of the elements of the water and also see how they move collectively. This links back to the theory of creationism and the idea of continuous evolution, adding spirituality to the scientific processes of origin, because it presents the water as moving all in one direction, to go somewhere or achieve something figuratively speaking.
Sank also uses the ‘gaze’ of her subjects to tell a narrative and this is a very powerful tool to use in order to get across a message and allow the audience to feel a a sense of connection and inclusion into their story trying to be told. Through the subjects gaze into the camera, the audience can easily connect with them and feel a sense of sympathy if the content is as raw as what Sank has explored.
This effect of the subject closing their eyes in the photo is something I will be trying to up-take and emulate in my own work because I feel it adds a very subtle and elegant tone to the imagery and a compelling mood is achieved when the subject eyes are closed because the audience feel a sense of inclusion in the image – that when looking at the subject closing their eyes, we are included in the thoughts they are thinking. I will using this technique of the subjects closing their eyes in a couple of my images so achieve a look of vulnerability – that when they close their eyes, they become more vulnerable as they become unaware of the happenings in front of them due a deep focus in their mind about their thoughts. This sense of vulnerability is something I wish to capitalise on in my project to show that boys are not always confident and boisterous freaks of nature that don’t fear anything and instead, through particular photographs of them with their yes closed, a much more vulnerable state of their personality can be shown.
Pannack, like Sank focuses on telling her subjects story and focuses on the audience ability to connect with what the subject is experiencing in the frame. Both photographs focus on the notion of a gaze from the subject in the image to aid the narrative that can be told. When a subject gazes at the camera and in-turn, the viewer, they achieve a very somber effect that often works very well to present a mood. A gaze can not only be achieved through the eyes but through the other facial expressions of the subject and how they rest the other feature on their face to bring the attention to the eyes. A gaze can also be achieved through body positioning and body expression and the use of hands to help create meaning is also very effective.
In Pannack’s project entitled ‘The Untitled’, she aims to “challenge the sweeping generalisations and often negative perceptions of teenagers held by many, by capturing the individuality of each of her subjects.” In her portraits which she confesses to often titling the name of the subject pictured, Pannack’s aim is to show to her viewers that these people are unique individuals, not just as part of one single group.
BJP writes: “After a lengthy judging process, Laura Pannack has selected 18-year-old James Greenhalgh as the winner of a competition to shadow her as she shoots Separation, a series of portraits commissioned by British Journal of Photography. Separation explores the angst and myriad emotions experienced by London-based couples who, as a result of Brexit, have been forced to contemplate separation.”
