Secrets, Codes and Conventions – First Shoot

Planning

Task – Take 150-200 photos exploring the theme of tunnels/caves under the key work ‘secrets’

Props – I will mainly be using only the tunnel/cave and its contents as the subjects but there may be people that feature in the photographs.

Camera Settings – Due to the extremely dark nature of the tunnel I will have to use flash in most of my photographs in order to illuminate the subjects enough. I will be using this with an ISO of 100 and a shutter speed of 1/40.

Lighting – I will be using strong torches, flash from the camera or natural daylight in order to capture my photographs.

Location – Jersey War Tunnels

Context – I am looking at the theme of exploration which includes caves and tunnels for my AS level externally set assignment.

Concept – I hope to take photographs of secrets within these tunnels that would not usually be seen whilst taking inspiration from both Robbie Shone and Gregory Berg.

My Response

Contact Sheet

My Edits/Top 5

My Favourite Photograph

In this photograph I used flash lighting in order to illuminate the dark tunnel. The use of flash helped to bring out the highlights in the photograph but also create contrasting shadows within the photograph. A deep depth of field was used to capture this photograph as the whole of the photograph is in focus even the subjects in the far background. A shutter speed of 1/40 was used along with an ISO of 100 which allowed the photograph to best the best quality that it possibly could be.

I used a black and white filter for this photograph as I felt that it brought out the shadows and contrast within the photograph more. It is also more suitable for the theme of mystery and exploration. There is a very wide tonal range within this photograph which creates a more dramatic and interesting image. The texture of the dirt and rust on the subjects can be seen which makes the photograph seem more contextual and shows how forgotten the subjects are. It is quite a 3D photograph and there is a clear distinction between subjects in the foreground and the background.

This photograph was taken inside one of the tunnels that was made by the Nazi’s during the occupation of Jersey. This particular tunnel was intended to be used as a munitions storage and never reached the finished stage. This photograph shows the ruined state that the tunnel was left in and the railway system that they would use to transport materials.

From this set of photographs I am trying to look at the unexplored areas of Jersey that people would not usually see. This photograph contains old secrets of Jersey that have remained untouched and it shows that there are many of these secrets around the island that people are not aware of.

Mari Mahr

The work of Mari Mahr is deeply personal and autobiographical, yet addresses universal human concerns regarding where it is that each of us come from, and where it is that we each belong.

Her work has been exhibited worldwide including at the Serpentine, London and is held in numerous important collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London

I chose Mari Mahr as a photographer to research as many of her images contain a variety of objects: clocks, birds, fish, books, picture frames, eyes, stars, buildings etc. This could link to the theme of conventions as they seem to be relatively domestic objects suggesting the life of a family or community.

Mari Mahr constructs her photographs from artefacts of her past life and that of her family. She was born in Chile, grew up in Hungary and moved to London in 1972. Her father was an architect but died when she was twenty four. Her mother was a translator; work that brought her into contact with Che Guevara and Pablo Neruda. These diverse origins are represented in her work by an equally diverse selection of objects

This series Between oursleves: ‘My Daughter, My Darling’… and ‘Time for Sorow’ all use the same stage and the same backdrop within their seires; the only variations being in the lighting and in what is displayed. This simplicity is her strength, for she needs little to tell her stories; leaves for the time of year, but also for her memories. Her photographs are therefore both imitations of remembrances and completely artificial. This is clear in her use of old photographs. A story is told as if it were a myth or nursery rhyme combining a landscape and objects that carry a symbolic meaning

NEW PLACES – NEW CODES (2000)

“These are based upon recollections – sometimes vague and sometimes quite specific from that miraculous time when as a child I was trying so hard to make sense of all the people and all the things around me.”” So, existing in a kind of limbo, these images of mine might be seen as reality re-considered – things that I might or should have said at the time.”

SYMBOLS OF OURSELVES (2002)

“All through the ages and in all cultures there have been effigies made to represent us – sometimes for religious reasons, sometimes for commerce and sometimes just for play. My house is full of them.”

“I see these faces around me not as specific representations of particular people, but representing all people. This generic quality has made them especially suited to their being cast as characters with universal significance in some of my previous works.”

“These portraits are a tribute to this international ensemble that surrounds me.”

Here is Mari Mahr’s website and a link to one of her series that links into my interpretation: