Final Prints
Final Print Layout Experimentation:
For my printed images I chose the ones that represented all aspects of my photo book. The landscape images I have chosen show when i went out at different times of the day and in different weathers. The biggest A3 image is from a shoot where I went out and photographed the landscape at dusk to produce work that had blue and cool tones within the scene to create a mysterious, other-worldly appearance. I chose this image as my only A3 image as i wanted to emphasise it as i think it gives an insight into the landscape images I produced in this projects. I then chose four A4 images to be printed where i have three of my own photos that have more detail within them and also an archival image. I included more detailed images to contrast with the A3 landscape images as i wanted to show how my photos vary in the angles they were taken and what is portrayed.
I included a archival images into my final prints as my project was based around how the landscape had changed over the period of 100 years so I thought that including them would also give an insight into what my project was about and the history of the area. The A4 archival image shows the layers within Green Island when they were doing an excavation and also shows three men in it which i think contrasts well with my images. The A5 archival image is of a skull which was found at La Motte which i included as I think it goes well with the a$ images where it shows light rock, the shape resembling a skull as well. For the rest of my A5 image I included 3 of my formal images where i photographed objects I found at La Motte in a studio and edited them so that they mimic that of a photogram. I did this to interpret the work of Chrystel Labas and included them in my final prints as they were a different aspect to my project.
I experimented by arranging the image in photo shop to see which layout was the best to arrange the printed ones in and found I liked the last layout. This is because I think that the images are balanced on each side so that one section doesn’t have too many of the same sized photo. I also like it because the images are displayed spaced out and not in a grid format, but it still looks structured and deliberate as some of the images are lined up at there edges. I tried the place images around colours that complement the ones in the picture. For example, I placed The two yellow and red edit of flowers and rocks next to each other as they are from the same series and the warm colours yellow and red complement each other. I then placed the landscape image of the rock with the yellow surface above these two images as this also complements the yellow and red colours. This creates a section of my layout that contains warm colours, which can then be contrasted to other sections of my board.
I then placed the archival image of the skull diagonal to my image looking down at the white rock as I displayed these together in my photo book. This is because I think that the shape of the skull resembles that of the rock so displaying them together creates a link between the two. I then placed the other archival image to the left which is the only image on my board that contains people. I specially chose this image to use as I liked the compostion of where the figures are standing at different levels on the earth of green island. I also think that it links to my image t of a close up angle of the earth on green island on the top right of my board showing the plants and grass growing. I think that the other layouts i experimented with are still effective, but are not as aesthetically pleasing and balanced as the first.
P.H.Polk
H. Polk was an African American photographer born in 1989 in Bessemer, Alabama, he first became involved with photographed after he heard C.M.Battley, who was the head of Tuskegee’s Photography Department, who later became his mentor. 
He was speaking that the potential of the field and was encouraging students to come and see if they had any interest in the subject. After this meeting Polk went up to Chicago to further his study photography with his blessing. Hw then return to his home town and open his own studio and then took over as the head of Tuskegee photography department. In which he documented many critical moments in the civil rights movements on the campus. In much of his early worked he was photoghing his subjects on a Kodak box camera with a Graphex lens, in which he has been praised by credits for his technical mastery of the medium but not having the best equipment . His book Through These Eyes: The Photographs of P.H. Polk is a collection of over 100 hundred photographs that depict southern life in all of its different forms, the images range from African/ American George Washington Carver , to images of the farmers working the lads the the cotton field of Macon County, these collection of images are essential in my eyes, in showing the differences of how African/ Americans saw one other, to how white Americans saw them. He photographed a range of African/ American subjects such as George Washington to poor working class citizens. One of his most influential series, ‘Old Characters’, in which he documented ex-slaves from Macon County.
One of the reasons that I decided to pick P.H.Plok as one of my photographs to references is because of that way that he documented African Americans. In his images they are presented with class, dignity, and humanity. When compared to the first documentation of African Americans, in which they are shown as specitls of nature, and photographed as freaks of nature who need to be studied, shows a great compassion in how the civil rights movement many fret changes in America. This image was taken in 1932 it is entitled ‘The Boss’ In the image looks as if it was taken in a studio using artificial lighting that looks to be coming from the left hand side of the frame.The woman in the frame who looks to be from the working class from the look of what she is wearing, has been positioned powerful stance with her hands on her hips. It looks as if the camera was taken from a lower angle as the woman in the frame is looking down into the frame, which is in turn giving her the power. She is looking directly down the lens to the viewer which, draws the onlooker into the image makes the images more personal.
text to put inside my photobook
I belive after much research it would probably be too much text if I were to research stories, because of this I belive I will focus on quotes and short stories about the sublime. I wanted to start off by looking at poems which attempt to describe the sublime, which is a great relation to the subjectivity it has. With this I believe it would be possible to connect these explanation of what someone sees and connect them to my own imagery. The poems are divided into more abstract and contemporary feeling describing what the sublime is, combined with a more of a defiant research by a philosopher or writer describing what he thinks the sublime is, and what it means to people.
A meditation rose on me that night
Upon the lonely mountain when the scene
Had passed away, and it appeared to me
The perfect image of a mighty mind,
Of one that feeds upon infinity,
That is exalted by an under-presence,
The sense of God, or whatso’er is dim
Or vast in its own being (1805 Prelude, lines 66-73)
I chose this short part of a poem written by William Wordsworth as it reflects on his experience. The means by which ‘Nature’ transforms the mist into an ocean. It’s quite comprehensive and subjective as a text in its relation to each person, but this is why it is successful, as it mimics the feeling to that of the sublime.
Is with infinitude, and only there;
With hope it is, hope that can never die,
Effort, and expectation, and desire,
And something evermore about to be. (1805 Prelude, lines 538-42)
The sounding cataract Haunted me like a passion: the tall rock,The mountain, and
the deep and gloomy wood
,Their colours and their forms, were then to me An appetite
; a feeling and a love (our emphasis 76-81
“Whereas the beautiful is limited, the sublime is limitless, so that the mind in the presence of the sublime, attempting to imagine what it cannot, has pain in the failure but pleasure in contemplating the immensity of the attempt”
― Critique of Pure Reason
― Critique of Pure Reason
“And I find a happiness in the fact of accepting —
In the sublimely scientific and difficult fact of accepting the inevitable natural.”
― The Collected Poems of Alberto Caeiro
In the sublimely scientific and difficult fact of accepting the inevitable natural.”
― The Collected Poems of Alberto Caeiro
“Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain, and danger, that is to say, whatever is in any sort terrible, or is conversant about terrible objects, or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a source of the sublime; that is, it is productive of the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling.”
analysis:
After speaking to one of my photography teachers, I know the importance of the size and where the text lies on the page, and to make sure it is not too crowded. Because this I have above experimented with three different forms which I could lay out my book. The first being a short poem, which is quite large over the page. I believe the poem, first off, being next to this image is successful. The image itself is quite ambiguous yet does inflict connotations of loneliness abandonment and mystery. Because of this the poem discuses a lonely girl mimicking a lovely landscape which she believes to be sublime. To my mind this is a perfect example of a text and image helping each other in order to further evoke an emotion and a narrative story for discussion. However an important aspect which I need to change, is the sizing of the text. This on screen does not look large but when it is printed, this will overwhelm the page and make the layout look too messy with the large gapping. Overall I belive this double page spread with this text is successful and I will further develop this to my final cut of the book.
The second composition I experimented with I am less keen on. I wanted to experiment with this image because it is a mimicked expression as what the sublime stands for. Her being underwater and face divided shows a beauty and inevitability of death yet peacefulness. Because of this the image should be displayed on a much a larger level. However due to the poem I chose being quite long to the extent of the space the text overwhelms and creates the page lookout to be too busy and then takes away from the poem , instead of enhancing the image itself. I believe the poem I have used already is successful on its own but the overall composition with this a layout, even with a smaller text is not very successful, and should not be used for the final edit of the book.
The last layout is a long extended poem discussing the limitlessness of beauty. These go hand in hand with the young girl in a deep tonal colours with a light shining on her, this symbolises her beauty, and due to its darker tones also creates an aspect of Pictorialism within the photo. The boarder use also frees up space making the text look less crammed for space The smallness of the text itself also works and due to its shortness this once again enhances the image and I should develop this further, and possibly keep this as a final composition.
Understanding Photobooks
Suite Vénitienne
1. Research a photo-book (select one you have looked at previously in your project) and describe what story/ narrative the book is telling – its subject-matter, genre, style, approach etc.
Story and Narrative – pdf edition and book : The book is a collaboration by Sophie Calle and Jean Baudrillard, though I will mainly focus on Calle’s work and photographs since Baudrillard includes only text in his section of the book. There is another edition of this book, one that solely focuses on Calle’s perspective and story, this is the one I have in hand.,The book follows a very chronological and linear storyline, it is almost written like a diary; Calle clearly documents her day to day observations and doings as she searches for Henri B. The genre is strictly documentary, the approach is rather informal and it remains that way throughout the book as the images are not stages but instead spontaneous. The main subject of her photographs is Henri B, though she follows and photographs a passing flower delivery boy during her search and some alleyways she spent time in. Other than that, the subject and theme is solely focused on Henri B. The book explores her journey and story from the start to finish, starting with the day she first met Henri and ending bitterly with a inevitable confrontation and her decision to stop following the man.
- Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
it’s light, small and portable. It smells a lot more like a literal story book than a traditional photobook.
- Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
The images are prominently black and white, the text is also black wirth certain points highlighted in the same blue as the cover. The paper is texture like a story book, very think and cream in colour. The texture of the photographs is a bit rough to the touch though it looks matte.
- Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
There are 48 pages, the book is A5 and in portrait orientation.
- Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leporello cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping.
Hard cover with an image wrap. Simple swiss binding.
- Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
“Suite Venitienne” – translates directly to Venetian Suite, which is because this book is set in Venice, Italy. It is set there due to the origin of the story; Sophie Calle had followed a man in the streets one day but lost sight of him, incidentally, she met him at a party that night and overheard he was travelling to Venice. She had decided she would follow him there.
- Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?
Documentary approach, the story is told like a journey or diary that documents what Calle does each day during her search for Henri B. The subject matter is predominantly Henri B. though she does include multiples shots of streets and other people who she either followed in the meantime or were connected to Henri B. It can also be said that Calle becomes the subject. I became interested in her decisions and framing of Henri B. ad well as immersed in her detailed and straightforward descriptions of her subject. Calle tells us that she is in disguise — wearing a blonde wig. She carries a camera with a double reflective lens. In the charged moments when Calle reveals her proximity to Henri B. the act of following becomes a performance and the quality of the relationship between follower and followed reveals itself to be one of a high tension.
- Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
The design is linear and written entries create a very sharp and clear narrative. Calle describes her feelings, observations and doings to the audience; in a sense, it’s a little unsettling and would make the viewer uncomfortable but it also does not leave them wondering what is happening in each image and the context/relevance to Henri B.
- Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.
The book design consists of a lot of empty space intervals mixed with very filled pages, her entries and writing tends to take up a whole page; even when the writing is very sparse. This is contrasted with an image usually directly linked to the writing, even with that, the images take up the whole page. There’s multiple full bleeds and images that go onto a double spread. Though, there are also double spreads that contain just text.
- Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others. Use of captions (if any.)
The text and images are intertwined and have a distinct relationship. Without the text the images would be very disorientating and confusing – the text allows the audience to understand the images much better. Personally I think the text is really is where the artist shines. The writing is brilliant. It’s poignant and moving, it is also clever while hinting at its author’s various vulnerabilities. It frames the photographs and makes them a lot more interesting than they actually are in that sense.
FINAL BOOK
http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/9324110-orlas-book
Above is a link to preview my final book ‘The Evolution of Essentialism’
Key Image Analysis
This image is a a double page from Rita’s book “where mimosa bloom” displaying two photographs one a still life and one a portrait, which work together conceptually and aesthetically. The image on the right where peoples eyes will be drawn to first is a portrait of a women with red hair, wearing a light floral shirt in front a of a textures pale blue background. The image on the left shows a type of calendar with blue and pink card, these colours have connections with the opposite image and share a pastel aesthetic. it is perfectly composed in the centre of the frame with an off white background. These are both naturalistic images showing important parts of the photographer and her mothers life and relationship. The circle shape on the left is parallel with the woman’s face and help to draw the viewers eyes to the important parts of the image. The format of the images next to one another is important, the simplicity of the image on the left doesn’t take away from the portrait too much but they compliment each other well. The Background colour of both images is in the same tone, the on on the left appears white at first glance but is more of a pale grey blue which matches the blotchy, slightly darker textured background on the right image. The portrait image looks like it was taken in natural lighting but not direct sun light, this is because of the subtle shadows on the subjects face. The space in this image has also been represented by the foreground and background which are distinguished with different focuses from the small dept of field. In both these photographs the subject has been placed in the centre of the frame intentionally so the page spread is balanced.Compared to real life the portrait image has been slightly manipulated to look paler and more gentle with a romanticised feel. When I look at these photos the first thing that stands out to me is the woman’s red hair which is one of the darkest parts of the two photos. The image of the left has not been much effected by flattening what we can see in real life to the 2D image because the object is flat anyway, however seeing it in a simple set up would make us appreciate it more that we would when just coming across the item in real life. On the other hand the portrait captures on split second of what was happening, meaning the facial expression pose and setting could have been very different in person. If i could ask the artist anything it would be about the relevance of the two images being placed together, i would like to know if their is a specific story behind it or if they just fit the theme and aesthetically match.
Experimenting With Text For Book
Once I had made a first draft for the layout of my book I decided to implement text into it. The text I wanted to add into the book would be quotes of the chosen photographers I studied, with my essay at the beginning. For me not only would this provide relevant text that links to the images, but also wouldn’t distract the viewer from the image causing it to lose its qualities. To do this I would firstly research various quotes from the photographers Edward Burtynsky and Henry J Fair, aiming to have them relate to the topic of consumerism, here I produced a mood-board which consisted of the quotes I found best related to the overall theme. These are my results: 
By implementing these quotes into blank spaces I hoped to utilize the area, preventing it from becoming useless and instead allowing it to serve as a more aesthetic implementation into the book. Below I explored a few ways in which the text could be positioned next to the designated images:
When looking over the text positions I found that the left and right alignment would pose as the best position due to them taking up little space as possible, whilst aligning themselves aesthetically against the side of the photo chosen. The center position however I did not think would suit the design of the book and its layout, this is because of how it did not have any end or beginning to it, leading to an unorganized look which didn’t compliment the environment it would be put in at all. Some examples of how I would like the text to be positioned next to the images can be seen below: 
I found the text to be most effective when looking over various books to be ending as the image starts, this creates an aesthetic effect which does not draw attention from the photos but instead subtly adds a bit of information. I would probably place the text near the top or bottom of the desired page due to the being the most implicit compositions to place it in, as the middle would be to clear. As a result of this I have concluded that the text should be placed in an isolated area of the blank space which does not take away from a photos visual appearance, whilst only being seen when observed closely.
additional images and editing process
After speaking to both of the photography teachers, their favourite shoot is the water reservoir shoot, where I show both a combination of colour development, and use the light in such a way to evoke a sense she herself is submerged within the water. Both the water shows reflections of not only the Light and sky, but of the woodlands themselves. This illusion of the setting being repeated shows a really interesting aspect to the images themselves. All these are images which I did not choose when I did my first selection process. This just showing the pivotal importance it is to look back on your images as there will be a good variation which are too successful. The top three of my images I edited in such a way where her eyes and the water is the same colour, and both are over exaggerated to create a mystical and perhaps even a Utopia atmosphere altogether. I believe these images are very successful and That I will be using these inside my end product photobook. I belive I will replace these images withe the underwater Go Pro ones. This is because the go pro images, not only are not the best detail, but most of which do not have such a successful composition as these do. I do not want my book to be a reflection of the development of my project, but just a successful finished product. Not only this but due to their quality, it is near impossible to edit the colour of the images clearly and successful, so they do not blend and work with the rest of their images. I will now start experimenting with the way I will be able to use these images, alongside the current layout with my photobook, and hopefully this change will really benefit the quality of my images, and create a deeper interest within the book. I have edited an array of images, all with the variations of slightly different styles throughout. Some I have edited just in order to change the tonal colours. This is because I want to show a reflection of a certain theme, or perhaps I wanted to emphasis the tonal colours within the piece. However, due to the majority of my pieces being complicated to shoot and being largely full of many elements, many of them I do not need to specifically photoshop further. This is seen within many of many water imagery. However some of my images I though to would be interesting to see how far I could take them and possibly change and refine them to appear more sublime. Another shoot I decided it would be worth while to look at and find more images of was, the pool shoot. Due to me discussing about removing many of the go pro images as they do not fit in with the newly created narrative as much as the images above, I thought it would be interesting to experiment with finding and editing more of the images from this shoot.
With these more colour experimental images left over, I wanted to show a more abstract water life through the sublime. The water and mounting of the bubbles is all over the place, and because of this I thought it would possible to create very interesting imagery to split apart my much more controlled tablo shoots. I edited the images to have an array-of blue tonals but deferring from dark blues to greens and purples e.t.c.I perhaps Will experiment with possible ways which I could apply this in my book, however I belive currently, the rainbow rock image are the main priority for the concept of how I am splitting apart my images. Additionally these images are not as successful as the shoot above, and I only want to show the most successful of my work throughout the book.
Forth Photoshoot
Photoshoot Plan: I am planning to take photos of family members who link to my Grandpa and share memories with him. I decided to take portrait images of my Gran who also shares his love for the environment and garden. This is why I want the location to be in a greenhouse, where there will be very bright lighting . I want her to wear a bight colour to stand out and display her personality and style.
After doing the photoshoot I think I have achieved the style of images I was hoping to create, the photos are simple but display a strong character in them, the location of the greenhouse worked out well due to the bight natural lighting from all angles. The colours in the greenhouse of the dried out tomato plants in the background tie in with the red jacket and scarf and contrast with the slight green of the leaves and background. One thing I might change if I were to do this photoshoot again is the unintentional solemn look to the photos. with the dead plants in the back and the slight blue tint the portraits have a slightly sad tone.
