For my first final piece, I cut out the outline of my grandma with a stanley knife. I then got a piece of plain white A4 paper, spray glued it and then added the gold glitter dust to it. I then spray glued the back of the photo and then layered it on top of the glitter paper. I then used red thread and sewed an outline of my grandma. I then layered the photo on a piece of black paper and made a border for the image.
For these images of my dad, I used a stanley knife to cut out the outline of my dad. I then spray glued him onto the original image, and then sewed a clock and an outline around the smaller image of my dad. I then spray glued the image on top of a piece of black paper
For my final image I used a stanley knife to cut around the outline of the original image. I then spray glued the original image into the reworked image, and then sewed around the children in the reworked image. I then spray glued the image on top of a piece of black paper
These are the selection of images that I will use as my final piece. After manipulating the images on adobe lightroom and adjusting settings such as contrast, vibrancy, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, cropping, changing to monochrome, saturation, vibrancy and clarity.
The first two images that I have inserted below are similar to the original image in terms of the subjects are both holding animals in both the old and recreated photo, a similar(ish) stance is also replicated in the new photos and the emotions/ facial expressions are similar. The images are of my dad. My dad has always shared a love for animals, and these images clearly portray that. Unfortunately animals don't tend to have a long life span, however these images show that although death occurs, life can also begin as other animals are brought into their lives.
For the images of my dad, the original image was taken on his travels in Australia. There aren't any koala bears in Jersey anyway, however I still wanted to replicate my dad holding an animal so I thought it was best fit that I recreated him holding my dog Salty instead. I like the colour scheme in both the images, it's almost like the denim blue of my dads shirt in the first image swapped with the background of the recreational image, and the white background of the original image swapped onto my dads t-shirt in the recreational image. I also like how both the koala bear and the dog are looking in the same direction. I also took this photo on my iPhone 7.
An image of my dad when he was younger on holiday holding a koala.
My recreated image of my dad holding my dog Salty.
I decided not to recreate this image of myself, my sister and my grandma, and instead just simply rework into the image. I am inspired by Carole Benitah's 'à la plage'. Especially the cut out of the figures in it. What I plan to do is to cutout my grandma from the image, then sew around her cut out. I will also get a separate piece of paper and place glitter on it. I will then glue the photo on top of the paper so only the cutout of my grandma will display the glitter. My reasoning for doing this is that I want to expand on the negative space. My grandma was also a very glamorous lady, and the glitter can display some elements of that glitter. My reasoning for cutting out my grandma is that she has now passed away, and although she is in that photo, the loss of her feel like there's almost a hole that's missing from my childhood.
A manipulated image of myself, my sister and my grandma when I was a young child.
For this recreation image, I decided to take some elements of the original image, but change up the image as well. I decided to change the subjects in the image to our family friends, I also changed the location of the image - the original image was taken in Ireland, to our family friends garden, I also changed the angle of the shot to a one closer to both the subjects and to the ground. I like how there are trees in both of the image as it shows that all children no matter what age of time still like playing outside in gardens. I also like how the element of playfulness remains in both images and the innocence that remains in the recreation image. I took this photo with a DSLR camera and used a 50mm lens.
The original and manipulated image of myself, my sisters and our neighbour at his house in Southern Ireland.
My reinterpretation and experimentation with this image with my sister and our two family friends in their garden.
For this final piece I am incorporating a few elements. I recreated my mum with my little sister, however I decided to keep the school photo of myself and my sister and will be cutting us out with a Stanley knife and then inserting ourselves into the recreational image. I'm doing this because both of the photos of me were taken at a similar time, and I remember meeting my little sister almost like it was recently. Therefore although time has changed and my little sister has grown up, the memory is still fresh and young in my mind. To take the photo I used an iPhone 7.
The original and manipulated image of meeting my sister for the first time
My recreation of my mum and my sister
I will then also incorporate and collage me and my sister into the recreation photo
Some old photos and recreated images.Some old photos and manipulated versions of them
Here are screenshot of the folders on my computer that have my childhood photos and recreated images. I have re-tweaked my replications by adding new characters, changing some of the locations and changing some of the composure. I have used a DSLR camera, iPhone 8 plus and iPhone 7 to take photos of some of the images.
My plan of action is to find some childhood photos and to either rework into them, completely replicate them, or recreate them but tweak some details. After I have manipulated and printed them off I will then rework into them using a number of methods including, cutting them, collaging, sewing into them, layering them, and drawing into them.
To get these images, I will find childhood photos of myself/my family, then conduct a number of mini shoots of taking a couple of photos to recreate some of the childhood images and then manipulate them using adobe lightroom. I'm not going to recreate all of the childhood images as some of them need to be reworked into to display their significant meaning.
When recreating the images, I will be using the images as reference, but will make different arrangements and adaptations to display the change and the journey of life. Also not all of the images will be able to be taken in the same location because some of them were taken in foreign countries for instance when I lived in Ireland there were photos taken that I cannot identically recreate unless I fly over to where I once lived.
For everybody, every day is a new experience and my project is based on the journey of life, and how time affects every individual and how everybody's experiences shape them into the person they have become today.
Once I have reworked into my images, I will then frame them in both old and new frames to show the diffrences between time.
For my final piece/pieces I am inspired by both recreating/replicating old childhood photos and the work of Carole Benitah. By combining both of these ideas/concepts I believe I will be able to create my final pieces.
What I truly love about Carolle Benitah's images is how she reworks into them. For example, the image above named à la plage, features two cut out bodies, and a body sewn with red thread. Upon research of Carolle's work, I know that the red thread features throughout her childhood photos, and an educated guess would probably mean that Carolle is the child under the red thread. However, what I also love about this image is how she composes the cut out bodies. The fact that she hasn't covered up or masked the holes left by the cut outs of the figures leaves an eerie sense of loss and leaves the viewer with a sense that the figures either aren't in Benitah's life, or they're not significant in her life anymore.
What I also like about the composition of this image is how she still manages to incorporate the cut out figures at the bottom of her image, both lying down, one with their face scribbled out in purple and the other headless.
The original image of myself, my grandma and my sister.My printed off and manipulated image of when I cut out the figure of my grandma.The cut out o my grandma.
What I did to create this mock up image is I printed off this childhood image of my grandma, sister and I. I then used a knife to carefully cut around the outline of my grandma, and then removed her from the image. The reason why I removed her was because she has passed away. The negative space left can represent that her passing has left a hole in our lives, and can also represent my slow fading memory of her. Although I do remember her, her silly habits and strong Scottish accent, the image of her face is slowly fading from my memory even though I don't want it to. I believe that is why I think photographs can be so precious, because it enables and aids people to cling onto precious memories, and remember those who we have lost.
I used adobe lightroom to then manipulate my images. I altered the saturation, vibrancy, contrast, highlights, shadows and clarity. Although this is just a mock up, it has given me an insight into what I want to do for my final pieces and what I can do to improve. Firstly I need to use high quality paper and a sharp knife to ensure there aren't any tags and rips. I may also want to layer the image on top of a piece of paper and work into the negative space. For instance I could cover the paper in glitter and when I place the image on top of the paper, then only the space of the cut out of my grandma will be filled with glitter. I could also maybe sew into my image and add extra minute details, such as a border around the cutout of my grandma.
Overall I do like the concept behind both Carole's à la plage and my rework of my image. However, after this experimentation I do want to further expand my reworking of my image by working with the negative space and adding more minute but significant details such as sewing into the image.
Carolle's work is described as "a subjective interpretation of childhood memories and a refashioning of image and identity".
Carolle often describes her feeling of isolation and alienation when she looks through family photos of her from when she was a child. Benitah began her career as a fashion designer and set out to amend and rework her childhood photos with methods such as cutting, sticking, sewing, collaging. Her extreme minute details that she incorporates displays an almost re-connection and de-connection the the photographic archive to her childhood. Carolle embellishes and embroids her work with thread that is either red, black or gold; also adding beads.
Benitah describes that "The precise and slow process is a metaphor for remaking myself and for the passage of time". She further on explains that "The red thread is a connecting thread, leading me through the maze of my past". Benitah uses the red through her childhood photos. "It's the colour of violent emotions, of blood, and of sexuality." Benitah uses the black thread for the photos of her in her adolescence. "Adolescence is represented by black for the anguish associated with this period of my life. The colour gold is used for the photographs of herself during her adulthood. She describes how the colour gold is "the colour of affective ties, of fidelity and of dis-incarnation".
Benitah describes her work as an exorcism, as she explores how the memories of her childhood aids her in understanding the woman she has become. She also believes that the past is never permanent but its constantly being evolved and constructed by the present.
Chris Porsz compares and contrasts old photos that he had previously taken of individuals and retakes the images years later of the same individuals. My plan of action is to find old photos of my family and friends that were taken in my childhood, and recreate those photos to then be able to contrast them as well. My concept is to display how the journey of life shapes each individuals pathways and how each individuals experiences shapes who they have currently become. Although it can be viewed as a dark subject, some of the individuals have passed away so therefore my work will show how their journey of life has come to an end and how the individuals have learnt to deal with the loss. Also how some of the individuals (such as dogs or old friends) have been replaced in their place and how their journey of life has just begun.
HERE ARE MY OLD PHOTOS THAT HAVE BEEN MANIPULATED:
This image is of my Mum and our old dog Millie.
This image is of my mum and her friend in Australia.
This image is of my younger sister Poppy.
This image features my family friend Georgie and my Grandma.
This image is of (from left to right) myself, my sister Poppy, my twin sisters Scarlett and Phoebe and our neighbor Satanter which was taken when we lived in Ireland.
In this image, both myself and my sister Poppy were getting ready for our first horse riding lesson in Ireland.
This image was taken in the hospital when myself and my sister Poppy went to the hospital to visit our mum and meet our twin sisters for the first time (Scarlett was the twin in the photo).
My Dad is the individual in this image, who was holding a koala in Australia.
This image is of myself, my Grandma and my sister Poppy, which at the time we had stolen my Grandma’s glasses.
My Mum in this image was travelling in Australia and was in an outback bar.
This image is of my cousin and Dad on one of their holidays.
This is another photo of my Mum which was taken in Australia.
This is a passport photo taken of my Dad.
Here is an image of myself and my younger sister Phoebe when we lived in Ireland.
THE JOURNEY OF LIFE:
The idea that I have for my project is to find old photos of my family and friends and recreate those photos. I think that this will link to the exam title 'Journeys and Pathways' because it shows how their journey through life have changed them, through natural causes such as growth and age, and also experience as they will be reliving their experiences. I will also be recreating photos of myself through self portraiture to show how I have developed and grown and how my own pathway has changed me.
CHRIS PORSZ:
https://www.boredpanda.com/photographer-recreates-images-40-years-later-chris-porsz-reunions/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
Chris Porsz is a photographer who captured hundreds of images in the city of Peterborough in Cambridge in the 1970's, 80's and 90's. He is a street photographer, however, years later he tracked down the subjects of his photographs and recreated the photos in the same places with the same people.
IMAGE ANALYSIS:
This image is called 'Sisters'. The first image was taken in 1980 and the second image was taken in 2013.
In both of the images natural lighting is used, however, in both of the images there is also a reflection of the buildings opposite. The focal point of the images are the three sisters, however you could also argue that the dramatic change of both the girls and buildings is also a focal point of the photographs. Although the white balance of the first image incorporates the cool tone of the purple, it can be arguable that the main tone of the image is a warm tone due to the intensity of the sisters vibrant red jumpers and the warmth of the bricks of the building. However, the second image can be seen to have a more muted and controlled white balance. The first image has a clear contrast to the second image with its intense saturation compared to the second image with its casual almost under-saturation. The second image is a lot crisper than the first image with it focused and un-grainy quality. The first image is a lot more grainy and unfocused than the first.
The contrast of the intensity and vibrancy of colour of both images can show multiple aspects such as the quality of the cameras, the concept of the images at the time and could also show how time has affected the girls approach to colour by the way they present themselves. The textures in both images are also contrasting, the first image is a lot more rough looking with the bricks and rough paintwork of the window, however the second image seems more smooth with the smooth wall and cleanly installed window. Line runs through both images from the lines in the windows, to the lines of the bricks, to the lines from the curtains in the first image.There are also lines from the building that are being reflected in the windows.
The windows could represent the separation the girls have from the outside world. Also, in the second image the women have a more somber expression on their faces which could represent how aging and growing up can be viewed as a negative aspect, and how childhood lures the girls into a sense of security and happiness. It could also display the girls innocence and how adulthood transform them into women, and how their experiences have influenced their outlook on life. Their clothes in the second image can be viewed as "toned down". This could represent how society has shaped them and manipulated them into believing what is acceptable to wear and what is not as their clothes in the first image is a lot more colourful as children aren't as pressurized to wear certain things and dress a certain way. In the second image, the woman on the far left is wearing a hijab. She wasn't weaing a hijab in the first image and this could represent how as she has grown up, her religion has forced her to look a certain way, or it could represent how she has become more dedicated towards her religion.
Left to right, Shehnaz Begum, her twin sister Rukhsana and their older sister Itrat were spotted sitting in the window of their house on Cromwell Road. 'We often used to perch in the window and watch what was going on in the road,' said Shehnaz. 'My twin sister and I were about seven and Itrat was nine. We loved riding our bikes with the other children in the street and were good friends with another set of twins. Mum said we were quite a handful'. The three sisters still live in Peterborough and see each other regularly. Shehnaz, who is divorced, has a daughter and looks after elderly and disabled people, together with her twin, who is re-married and has five children. Itrat works for the post office and is married with six children.
https://www.boredpanda.com/photographer-recreates-images-40-years-later-chris-porsz-reunions/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
HOW THIS MAY INFLUENCE MY WORK:
I am going to use Chris's concept of comparing images taken in the past with the current and recreating the scenes in the photographs. I am going to look through my family's photo albums and find images that I will recreate with my family members.
I will then place them next to each other to display how they have developed and changed over time and how they've had to adapt to their experiences and environment.
IMAGE ANALYSIS:
This image is called 'Sisters'. The first image was taken in 1980 and the second image was taken in 2013.
In both of the images natural lighting is used, however, in both of the images there is also a reflection of the buildings opposite. The focal point of the images are the three sisters, however you could also argue that the dramatic change of both the girls and buildings is also a focal point of the photographs. Although the white balance of the first image incorporates the cool tone of the purple, it can be arguable that the main tone of the image is a warm tone due to the intensity of the sisters vibrant red jumpers and the warmth of the bricks of the building. However, the second image can be seen to have a more muted and controlled white balance. The first image has a clear contrast to the second image with its intense saturation compared to the second image with its casual almost under-saturation. The second image is a lot crisper than the first image with it focused and un-grainy quality. The first image is a lot more grainy and unfocused than the first.
The contrast of the intensity and vibrancy of colour of both images can show multiple aspects such as the quality of the cameras, the concept of the images at the time and could also show how time has affected the girls approach to colour by the way they present themselves. The textures in both images are also contrasting, the first image is a lot more rough looking with the bricks and rough paintwork of the window, however the second image seems more smooth with the smooth wall and cleanly installed window. Line runs through both images from the lines in the windows, to the lines of the bricks, to the lines from the curtains in the first image.There are also lines from the building that are being reflected in the windows.
The windows could represent the separation the girls have from the outside world. Also, in the second image the women have a more somber expression on their faces which could represent how aging and growing up can be viewed as a negative aspect, and how childhood lures the girls into a sense of security and happiness. It could also display the girls innocence and how adulthood transform them into women, and how their experiences have influenced their outlook on life. Their clothes in the second image can be viewed as "toned down". This could represent how society has shaped them and manipulated them into believing what is acceptable to wear and what is not as their clothes in the first image is a lot more colourful as children aren't as pressurized to wear certain things and dress a certain way. In the second image, the woman on the far left is wearing a hijab. She wasn't weaing a hijab in the first image and this could represent how as she has grown up, her religion has forced her to look a certain way, or it could represent how she has become more dedicated towards her religion.
Left to right, Shehnaz Begum, her twin sister Rukhsana and their older sister Itrat were spotted sitting in the window of their house on Cromwell Road. 'We often used to perch in the window and watch what was going on in the road,' said Shehnaz. 'My twin sister and I were about seven and Itrat was nine. We loved riding our bikes with the other children in the street and were good friends with another set of twins. Mum said we were quite a handful'. The three sisters still live in Peterborough and see each other regularly. Shehnaz, who is divorced, has a daughter and looks after elderly and disabled people, together with her twin, who is re-married and has five children. Itrat works for the post office and is married with six children.