HOW: For this photo shoot, I used my regular DSLR camera in order to capture the images.

WHERE: These images were taken again at Sorel point in St.John where I conducted my first photo shoot, this time focusing on the granite mining site there.

WHEN: This image was taken during the early/mid morning meaning that the shadows which are cast are at a very steep angle, giving different shadows than if it were to be taken during mid-day.

WHO: I attempted to incorporate both the landscape and people into my work, being representative of the human impact upon Jersey.

WHAT: The difference between this photo shoot and my previous which included the mirror is the inclusion of a model which is symbolic of the human impact on nature and landscapes.

WHY: One of the themes which I was trying to convey through my work was landscape romanticism therefore I tried to capture the sublime nature of the landscape and how it has been altered through man-made forces which are clearly reflected in the mirror.

MOST SUCCESSFUL IMAGE:

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

VISUAL:

The first thing which strikes the viewer whilst looking at this image is the mirror which is in the hands of the model, in it we can see the reflection of the Ronez quarry plant. This was the exact point which I wanted to capture in my photography, the impact we humans have on the landscape itself. The plant itself is mining away at the side of the cliff, excavating the rock and altering the coastline over time. There is a clear juxtaposition in the image between the undisturbed nature in the backdrop of the image and the quarry plant being reflected in the mirror. Another very effective aspect of the image is the lack of a face the model has, being hidden behind the mirror and only having her arms and torso showing. it gives the model and ambiguity and removes any character or recognizable features, making her less of a focal point in the image. In a way this image also represents how we are a part of nature, we were created equally, yet in the reflection we see the man made quarry plant, separated from nature therefore part of a separate reality. There is also a sense of the surreal and natures power with the presence of the vast expanse of sea in the background of the image. It almost goes on forever as the line between the sky and sea is hazy. As it was a very bright and clear day when this image was captured, the colors are striking and powerful. In the reflection though, everything seems to be just that bit more monotone and dull, again representative of the ways in which we have harmed the planet and the less than promising future we are heading into.

TECHNICAL:

The day on which I conducted this photo shoot, I was greeted with ideal weather conditions. No wind and very clear skies. Due to the very bright weather conditions, I had to lower the ISO of my camera down to 100 to avoid having over exposed images. During this photo shoot I also experimented with capturing panoramic images, yet I soon realized that the logistics of framing and displaying one of these pieces would be very difficult therefore I scrapped the idea. Again the logistics of carrying a heavy mirror down a cliff path was quite challenging yet I didn’t want to compromise and stuck with it, producing some very impressive images at the end of it. I set the white balance of my camera to 5500 k as this is ideal for using outside in direct sunlight, creating images which aren’t too cool or too warm. The aperture of my camera was set at f/4.8 this meant that the exposure of the image wasn’t too high and the focus was universal.

CONCEPTUAL:

When exploring the theme of landscape urbanization, one of the largest impacts humans have is the change in environment through mining, physically changing the shape and makeup of the landscape itself. Mining is the extraction of minerals and other geological materials of economic value from deposits on the earth. Mining has the potential to have severely adverse effects on the environment including loss of biodiversity, erosion, contamination of surface water, ground water, and soil. The formation of sinkholes is also possible. Other than environmental damage, mining may also affect the surrounding population’s health as a result of contamination caused by the leakage of chemicals.

CONTEXTUAL:

There were five products for which the island was famous, many years ago, only one of which is still extracted in any quantity. The best known is granite, a primary rock, composed of crystals of quartz, felspar and mica, all closely united.

Jersey has three main colors in granite: red, pink and white, the shade of the stone being dictated by the impurity of the felspar.

The use of the colourful local granite has done much to enhance the Island, so much more than the dank black granite achieves for Guernsey. Complementary to the hard granite is the soft rotten granite which was quarried in large amounts as gravel. A most splendid example of this stone may be seen at the lower end of Les Varines, in St Saviour, where the walls forming the sides of the road may be presumed to be, upon passing by, of solid red stone. Upon closer inspection, however, it crumbles at the slightest touch.

Granite is, by virtue of its hardness, difficult to produce in large quantities, and so, to provide the large quantities necessary to satisfy the demands made by the 18th and 19th century housebuilders, quarries for an inferior secondary rock, Diorite, were opened up.

This stone is softer than granite, and may be dressed in a very short time with very little work. It was used for walls of gardens and houses, in the latter being used with cornerstones of granite or of the ‘new fangled’ bricks.

OTHER SUCCESSFUL IMAGES:

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