These are three of my first draft page spreads for my book design. I have decided to pick a landscape book for this project as I feel that it is what best fits my images and will help my get the best result as all my images are landscape. I then started my book design by picking one initial image on the first page and then started pairing photos together by keeping in mind things such as shapes, colours and objects. I also plan to incorporate some double page spreads where the left page is blank and only the right page has a photo to create a break within the structure of the book which will insure that the design does not become cluttered and not too much of a continuous pattern.
When compared to the work of Saul Leiter, there can be signs of influence in my response. The subject matter of both images is similar just mine is modern and his is from the 50s. This image does a great job at showing development throughout time. Leiters image is slightly darker than mine With much less noise within the image. Mine shows two rows of a variety of yellow coloured taxis. Whereas, Leiters image shows a gentleman and a yellow and green Taxi behind. The main reason i liked this image is because of they way they all have the same exact taxi sign on the roof Yet they are on different variations of cars, This makes them similar yet varied. Lieters image has a high contrast with a slightly lowered brightness, Where as my image is overall fairly light due to the different times they were shit at.
My planned photoshoot for St Helier did not go to plan due to the Jersey Boat Show taking place at the time. This affected my ability to shoot certain places and areas. Therefore I moved to Gorey and shot there as well to get some extra imagery. I spent 3 hours walking around town and also Gorey village looking for circles and exploring them through photography.
Below is the contact sheet of that afternoon;
This shoot was completely ground based, no drone today however I did take the drone up with my dad the day before and I will upload this in a separate post.
Infra, Richard Mosse’s first book, offers a radical rethinking of how to depict a conflict as complex as the ongoing war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mosse depicts the rich topography, inscribed with the traces of conflicting interests, as well as rebel groups at war with the Congolese national army (itself a patchwork of recently integrated warlords and their militias). For centuries, the Congo has repeatedly compelled and defied the Western ideology. Mosse brings to this subject the use of a type of color infrared film called Kodak Aerochrome. Originally developed for military reconnaissance and now discontinued, it registers an invisible spectrum of infrared light, rendering the green landscape in vivid hues of lavender, crimson, and hot pink. The results offer a fevered inflation of traditional reportage, underlining the growing tension between art, fiction, and photojournalism. Mosse’s work highlights the ineffable nature of current events in today’s Congo. Infra’s photographic dialogue begins as an intoxicating meditation on a broken genre, but ends as a haunting elegy for a vividly beautiful land touched by unspeakable tragedy.
Mosse’s photo-book ‘Infra’ was one I found very eye catching and appealing to me. I became instantly interested in his story and his images were compelling and told the story of his time in the Congo without using a single word. My book however is not following the same approach, my book aims to make people see the world in a different way and maybe be more observant of the world around them and circles are a shape that you can see everywhere, but nobody really takes notice. That is one similarity this book has with my idea, that nobody takes notice of the conflicts etc in countries we find ‘insignificant’ to us.
Richard Mosse (born in Kilkenny, Ireland, 1980) holds an MFA in photography from Yale University School of Art, and additional degrees from Goldsmiths, London; King’s College London, and the London Consortium. His work has been widely exhibited internationally, including at the Palais de Tokyo and the Tate Modern. In 2011, Mosse was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, with a supplemental stipend from the Leon Levy Foundation. Mosse is represented by Jack Shainman Gallery.
For this shoot, I wanted to concentrate on capturing light and darkness within architecture. This included taking my images in the day time on a sunny day with strong rays of sun light. Shadows were a bold factor in this shoot which helped me to create a sense of darkness in my images. I was inspired by a few photographers to create this shoot, which I discuss further down in this blog post.
Huang Qingjun, a Japanese photographer born in 1971 in Daqing, convinced families in china with very little to move all of their belongings outside and be photographed with them. The project called “Family Stuff”, which spanned over 10 years, shows Chinese families with all their belonging. I like this project because I feel it tells a story about each family just from their belongings and how much they have, and I feel I can incorporate this into my work.
The “family stuff” project spanned over many years. and the main dates of the project follow. December 2007, “Family Stuff” works exhibition in 798 Photo Gallery, Beijing, China. 2009 and 2010, “Family Stuff” works exhibition in PHOTO Exhibition, Paris March 2012, “Family Stuff” works exhibition in AIPAD New York, USA. November 2012, “Family Stuff” works exhibition in Conceptual Renewal-A Brief History of Chinese Contemporary Photographic Art, Beijing, China September 2013，“Family Stuff” works exhibition in Photoquai Photography Biennial, Paris September 2013, “Family Stuff” works 10 years anniversary exhibition in 798 Photo Gallery, Beijing China
The reason I want to use Huang Qingjun as my inspiration is because I find his images interesting. This is because I feel that they tell a story within the photo. I wish to recreate a similarly styled set of images, showing a person and their belongings to try and tell a story in a still image.
To do this I will visit car boots. I feel that car boots are the best place to try and recreate this story as I can Photography people with their belongings. Normally in car boots people are selling their unwanted belongings and can tell a past story rather than their current story which Huang Qingjun’s project showed.
This image shows a family outside with their belongings with the house in the back ground. The image has been taken with a wide depth of field as all of the image is in focus. The photo appears to have been taken on a dim day outside so the photo would have had to be taken with an ISO of about 800. It creates a sense of loneliness as the image is taken in a desert with very little possessions in the photo. This creates a minimalist image and shows this families wealth, whilst also telling a story and creating questions such as why they’re in this rural and deserted area.
This post covers my second final outcome of the ‘Variation and Similarity’ exam project.
As I intended to do I have produced my A3 print display display which overall I am very satisfied with, I am happy with the fact that following my plan for this display, I have managed to produce exactly what I was planning to. The layout which I planned to use worked really nicely once put upon the foam board, and allowing for a slight overhang of 2 prints which is a nice visual touch. As I said when selecting which photo-montages to use for these prints, it would be a good idea to choose those which contain intricate details since when they are enlarged they will become more visible; something which has effectively worked and went to plan. In my original project specification I stated that I would produce photographs surrounding the theme of chaotic imagery. I planned to do this by creating photo-montages, collages and edits in response to the artists and photographers and movements that I have researched. I said I would relate the work to the issues of overpopulation and capitalism which have and still continue to play a big part in the overpowered development of the world. And that I would photograph all kinds of things relating to this theme as rather than limiting myself to one specific subject matter this will not allow me to produce pieces with chaos as the main part. I also went on to state that these issues of overpopulation and capitalism are something which closely links Jersey with the rest of the world, through trade, immigration, politics and culture, planning to explore this link and how it has developed over time, looking at the past and how it has become the present. And then how the future may look in terms of these issues. This would be executed by the use of archival and found imagery mixed with my own purposed photographs through means of collage and montage. And overall in terms of how I believe this final display has come out I would say that I am confident in the fact that I’ve closely followed my specification and plans in order to produce something which reflects this to a full extent, along with my postcard display.
I started experimenting with different layouts that I could display my final prints as, arranging the photos digitally. I found the by doing these experimentations I was able to try different pairings and combinations to plan what do when I framed my images. I experimented with pairing two images together to se what they would look like displayed, and also all my images together to see which ones look the best. I also found the artist Alexander Mourant to take inspiration from when racing my cyanotypes.
I thought that these two images worked well together as the warm tones in them both links them together. I also like how the they are both centered as the compositions complement each other. To me, the bottom image is the most powerful and stand out more than the top image through the bright natural red colour and the light yellow centre. This yellow connects to the top image, as it has yellow/brown tones throughout. However I think that this combination of images doesn’t show the audience enough about m project, because of this i won’t use this layout to frame my final prints.
I think that by displaying my images all together on a board, the audience gets to look at the different aspects of nature i have explored, and an idea of what is inside my photobook. I placed the A3 images near the edges of the frame and fitted the A4 and A5 ones around the as I think this makes a good layout. I placed the A4 images of the koi fish and the bubbles next to each other as I think they make a good pair, where the textures contrasts to one another, but is still linked through the subject of water. I displayed two of the A3 ones together on the top left of the frame as I also think these two complement each other, through the warm tones and emphasis on light. I placed the A5 photos where I have manipulated the colours (blue and pink) near the edges of the frame as I think that spacing them out makes them more effective as images then together.
Alexander Mourant
I am taking inspiration from the photographer Alexander Mourant and the way he displays his photography in grid format. I also want do this with the photograms i produced, displaying 9 of them together. I think this will be effective as it presents them in a way that they can be contrasted against one another, but still shows the variation and similarity between them. I think this also links to the scientific background of cyanotypes when I display them precisely. When I do this I want to make the cyanotypes coming off of the page slightly, to give them a more personal and authentic look, rather than placed flat against the background. I also want there to be a frame around them so will leave space between the outside of the cyanotypes and the frame board I will cut in a grid format, so thats there is a white space separating them. This will also makes them seem as though they coming off the display.
The final prints that I chose are an array of different shoots focusing on body texture, nature and the objectivity of religion.
Doing this experimentation, has allowed me to visually see which is the best ordering and composition. I wanted to develop three Ways which I could show my images, in rows, columns and also possibly in a straight composition of many different levels and sizes.
I believe in a gallery space this piece would be the most effective, this is because It would enable me to experiment with even more prints, and also would allow strong lights to further emphasis the colour of the deep silver and black images already achieved.
My favourite presentation, and in my mind, the presentation I feel to be the most successful, is the first presentation, with two long rows, with the differing images of tonal qualities juxtaposing each-other. I wanted to show all different angles to see which perspectives best compliment the images and also access this narrative relevancy throughout. The choice of having eight also works better than my previous thought of 9 because it allows a sense of equality and evenness to the different stages throughout life and doesn’t give an abrupt ending to life and the book as a whole.
Development:
I have already printed, sprayed and placed my images onto card, and then cropping and trimming the images. After doing this basic development I need to discuss and develop the rest of my presentations. Due to all of the images being A1 I did not know whether I should Put them on a wall due to their sheer size. I want to use some type of developmental composition in order to see what in reality the huge impact it would be seeing physical side of the shoot.
Final display:
I believe seeing it as a reality is a very important aspect of the presentation itself. I wanted this large impact of black to juxtapose from the white wall and I believe this really is evident of the effectiveness within this presentation. It is not the same as what has been done before and the true largeness and amount of images portrays an ideology of an evolution, relating to that of my whole project, within its finality. I chose this order as I believe the variation is almost chronological with starting at a church scenario, and then exploring more to a naturalistic theme, then coming into the essence of people and lastly showing strong contrasting images of a movement of colour in order to connote the aspect of death. All of the images have such a different independent composition and this is why the presentation as a whole becomes interesting and meaningful, as there is not one image on its own holding up every other image.
Evaluation: Overall I definitely feel that these were the best images to choose, not only do they show a variation of many of my different shoots, but there is a clear connotation of the evolution of life and death throughout, and I think the details throughout each piece allow a clear connection throughout. The contrasting very light tonal prints to the ,much darker tonal colours creating a successful print. I decided in the end the best composition that would physically work and fit was The line of two rows. It allows this extended narrative of a line, but more clarity and visibility as it is narrowed down to one area. The two lines also allow the images above and to have a contrast or similar theme to have further connections within each other. Overall I believe this large scale presentations taking up a whole wall was definitely the best possible outcome for my design and really accentuates the true power this piece contains.
Much of this work is clearly focused on the actual entity of light and a presence of something such as otherness. The spirituality within these is so evident and an element which I tried greatly to access. The editing within my work you can see is very focused upon that of inverting to make the light much stronger., synthesising a flow to my images. This allowing the people and elements to be more heavenly and presented as a sacred entity. Within my work I was able to get these all the many specs of light by using refractions of water. I started to think about why I chose this artists’ work, and what specifically made me want to inspire my whole project behind it. And I think there are two main reasons as to why. I believe the use of the colour is definitely the first, it is so unique and they first photography book ever that seemed to almost glow within each and every image. Both the ink being silver heightened by the use of the black is something so unique and allowed both tonal colours to be heightened. The lighting helps accentuate the composition of the piece, also using the occasional black border to give the image a typology of light and darkness. The second part is the conceptual of why the photo was taken, not only is it to capture a sense of beauty but it is also about showing the element of life. Life is a subject which I believe to be such a specialised and yet open topic at the same time. Each element is so individual it is sometimes uncocenceivable. you are able to tell what exactly the image is of and I believe this is where its importance lies. The texture, elements and unique compositions shows an evolution of life, but in such a unique way. It is special and a book which really moved me.
I believe The work is reflected throughout my own. I first started off by developing the same strong tonal juxtapositions throughout, and then developing the narrative construct through the ordering of my images.
My work
I decided to edit this image to just focus on a order of highlights, I did not want to show too much when it came to the complete contrasts of darkness and light. I thought that might remove the almost angelic effect from this image itself. The small white circles of the light bouncing off of the water, and the details within the flowers and branches show more delicacy to the image itself. The thick trees themselves bring a composition to the image and allow a division to the central image, and concentration to the surrounding elements. To my mind, this image is my own twist upon the elements of creation, showing a clear inspiration from the images they have of specs of light within the air. I could do possible further experimentation and editing to this image in order to show just white internal shades, despite the image still being inverted I did not want it to be continuous with the rest of the darker images throughout my book so far.
Within this imagery I wanted to show the deep contrasting colours that are shown above by the artist themselves. I believe that this image is definitely one of my favourites. Not only does it project my own narrative of religion and the evolution of life, but it too constitutes a very open yet complex composition. The use of different foregrounding and backgrounding shows a very interesting element for myself to this image, allowing the viewer to almost walk through the graveyard. I also think the different tonal ranging of the stone shows a bigger interest within the image. The little specs of the black too shows that essence of otherness and something quite beautiful. This foregrounding and backgrounding also builds up the image in order to have a stronger relevance to life itself. The strength and interest within the photo is why it has this power within. It would also look very good as a large print.
I thought it would be beneficial too to look at textures and elements found within real life, this is why this image is similar to the horse image. I like the way which you can see the movement within the hair itself, the different textures of softness combined with the different tonal shades of black and white. I didn’t add in the section of the eye like the artists’ image as I thought it would show a form of identity rather then the concentration of the texture itself.
Overall I think my work does have a clear chronological type of link to the artist, this type of narrative element of light being an ability to construct beauty. Once again the circular motion of the water is so interesting and an element which is beautiful yet seems to have a sense of clarity within it. Overall I belive all the pieces above have a clear inspiration from the book Astres nois. Not only this but my own personal narrative of the structure of the book also upholds these ideologies of the beauty of life, caught in such a beautiful way. I believe this artist, has really helped me to accomplish the best possible outcomes I could, and also to experiment with themes which I have never done previously, allowing myself to come out of my comfort zone when discussing how photography should be taken.
