I devised a plan for a shorter and slightly less developed photo-shoot based on following the journey of advertisement for a brand. I came to notice a range of stickers placed around the centre of town, and decided to document the stickers, as they all came from the same source (the same brand). I found that in doing so, I was able to record a story of the town, following the journey around town by following the stickers. As a 4th, admittedly less developed photo-shoot, I decided to include these images in order to act as a mini-project, as it links to the “Journeys & Pathways” brief by showing the pathway marked out across town by these stickers, which led me myself on a journey around town. In this way, this photo-shoot had a more personal touch to it, and due to the fact it was taken in a natural, uncontrolled environment, the variety of these images is broad:
After deciding which images I would be using in the final edit (I had to decide on 12 in order to make the 4×3 final montage), I used photo-shop to edit together the images, and finalize the piece:
In order to make the final image, I adjusted the hue and saturation of each of the images in order to make the colors extremely bold. I did this as a way to show continuity through each of the images presented (as they now all have the same colour scheme and style) and also used it as a way to draw maximum attention to the image, and allowing each individual image to stand out on its own, due to its individual overall hue. The final image is seen below:
This is how I’m planning to display my final images when my prints are ready. I will position the images of the Subject walking so in the first image she is taking the step and the second one is her having taken the step.
I will place the photo of the hands in the centre of the the two images of my other subject to break them up. i will have them in a line so it looks like an old film strip to resemble Bill Volias ‘birth life death’ film, which inspired that shoot.
these images match my chosen artists very well as well as incorporating my own ideas. the black and whites really bring out the line and shadows and are the most effective out of all my photos taken as the portray the emotion i want and match well with journeys and pathways.
I decided that I wanted to narrow down my 23 images that came from the contact sheet down as I didn’t want more than 10 images from this shoot.
The way that I decided which images to keep was if there was more than one image showing the same scene but either with small changes or a different focal point i would choose from them. I would also see some that might not fit the style of romanticism, this means some that are a bit dark and gloomy from the marshlands would be out.
Here are the images that I chose:
1
2
3
4 [portrait]
5
6
7
8 [portrait]
9
10
I selected image one because it was the best exposed image from the few that were taken in the mountain and partly because it has the large lens flares in the top section.
This image just has a nice composition and shows the beach and the sun without having too much going on within it so it doesn’t distract the viewer from the main focus of the image.
I used this image because it has the fallen tree on the top and another below it to create a kind of frame that draws the viewers attention to the center of the photo, the problem that I have is that is was quite dark and I had to use a wide aperture meaning that it doesn’t reflect Adams work amazingly but i still feel that it follows the theme of Romanticism.
This image is inspired by the work that Adams did with close ups of small things like flowers and pine cones, once again I have contrasted Adams work by having a relatively blown out background because it was dark and and I didn’t have space to use a tripod.
This image was taken with the intent of showing the reflection of the trees on the pond that was below it.
This image is the reverse of image 3 (looking through the same hole but the other way) it also has a different style of ‘frame’ as the ivy is drooping down into the center of the image. It also has a shallow depth of field so the background it not perfectly in view.
This image is taken to show the Romanticism in the sea and the coastline, I have achieved this by framing the rock in the front of the frame and having the rough sea and the waves crashing against the rock in the left of the frame. There is also a small development fault in the middle of the frame that can only be seen properly in print.
This image shows the drama in the sea and then there is a lot of detail in the plants in the bottom left of the frame there is also also of groups of rocks in the sea and there are some small development in the empty sea on the right of the image. At the top of the image there is a large area of light leakage which also follows onto the next frame.
In this photo there is a lot going on but the things that are happening are simple and nothing too over dramatic so there is a lot of subtle detail for the viewer to explore. Some of the aspects of the image are: two curved light leaks on the left, rough-ish sea, waves hitting the rocks, small development fault below the light leakage on the left and finally there is a small lens flare in the top middle section of it.
Once again this image shows the waves the rocks and some plant s but what sets this one apart is there is a large scratch in the middle right of the image it helps draw attention to the rocks and the waves. This was also taken with a high aperture so the rock in the front is in focus and sharp and so are the rocks in the distance where the waves are crashing.
Below shows all of my outcomes that I have produced for this series I will be displaying my photographs on black mount board and on separate boards and have them as a collection series. This shows them edited and next to their outcomes and a suggested idea of the individual displays.
GAP 1994
This is one of my two outcomes for the 1990’s, I chose to do two for this era and then choose this specific ad as I feel it represents something different that was happening with the use of more diverse advertising slowly starting to come into play around this time especially for women. I feel this ad has a different tone to the other 90’s one it seems to be aimed at a different age of girls and I feel is showing something to do with the way advertising was developing for women and shows part of the journey that it was on.
I feel that my outcome was successful in that it looks like the original ad. At some points the image seemed to be turning too dull or too dark while editing howver I feel I found a good place and that the writing helps to enforce the ideas I have been trying to show of having a familiar face in an ad give you a different perspective maybe.
My Recreation
GAP 1994
Guess 1993
This was the second ad I chose from the 1990’s and I did this as it was the one era I found had one of the most drastic different types of ads and this was a good ad to represent that, the way that the original subject is lying it’s main representation is sexualising women with what minimal clothes she’s wearing and her position. This is a large difference compared to the GAP advert where the clothes are covering and it is more innocent compared to this which is why I chose those two as I feel it shows a large development and difference that was occurring only 2 years apart.
I feel my recreation is more successful with the full edits in place of the writing, before I think it was an okay image and recreations however it wasn’t perfect due to having the outfit difficulties of trousers and no heels however I feel this in a way does help to enforce that thought of real people, familiar faces in these ad’s and that can create a different reaction, this is what I feel makes this outcome successful.
My Recreation
Guess 1993
Rosie the Riveter 1943
I chose to do this recreation as it is one of the most famous ad’s or posters that I feel exists from this time even though it wasn’t at the time of it’s release I feel it has become a big symbol of strong females and feminism and this is why I chose it, the ad was produced only around the time when men weren’t there to do the work in the early 40’s and then wasn’t seen till feminism movements began and I feel that is important in how to think about how women are portrayed and at what times they are portrayed in certain ways.
I feel that this image was one of my better recreations and one of my most successful images with how it turned out in the camera originally and after editing, I feel it fits well with what I am trying to produce and show and the image works well. If to do it again I would have my subject more towards me however I do feel that it was one of my more successful photographs.
My Recreation
Rosie Riveter 1943
Balenciaga 1983
This ad I chose as I feel it is quite explicit in the era it is representing as the 80’s has quite distinct looks, for me this ad was saying and representing two things which is why I chose it: One that this was the starting decade of the working business women which is empowering but two, it also still has the tight pencil skirts the fitted waist and pouted lipstick covered lips which to me speaks that although moving forward had not moved away from this almost sexual representation which is why I chose this ad.
I feel that my outcome for this was good as it shows similar attributes to the original, I feel if done again I could turn my subject more towards me face on however I feel the tilt in her stand still makes the photograph work well.
My Recreation
Balenciaga 1983
Vogue 1939
This ad I chose as it was quite difficult to find something do-able around this era for me but as well out of those I found I felt this one stood out to me from the year that it was taken and how it looked, the ad was produced n 1939 the begining of the war and women were still being portrayed as having to make themselves up with makeup and I feel it shows a contrast how just 4 years on women were being pushed into overalls to work in factories which is why I felt this should be the ad from this era I recreate.
I feel my outcome worked well in the end with being a good depiction, although I don’t feel it is my strongest image I feel it still works well and has the elements it needs, I had struggles with props and the heights of chairs however I still feel that my image works well as a recreation and in showing the development.
My Recreation
Vogue 1939
Louis Vuitton Modern
This is my final outcome for my modern day recreations, I chose to incorporate this and this specific outcome as I feel it symbolizes something about how women are still portrayed and the role they have. Marilyn Monroe is not just a missed pop culture icon, she is a symbol of what once was seen as the ideal female and continues to be shown as sexual in the modern day by her facial expression and position in the ad. This is why I chose this ad as it shows how even though the journey of feminism has come far, older faces are still used in subtle ways in maybe not the way wanted.
I feel my outcome was successful and worked well with what I had and I am happy to include it into my final series with the last editing I feel it brings it together. I slightly enjoy how the bag and box I have used do not look similar to the ad as I feel it creates a statement as it doesn’t look as expensive and done up which is what is usually portrayed and I feel has turned a difficulty into a slight positive.
My Recreation
Louis Vuitton 2016
Mock Up Displays:
Below shows the mock ups of how I plan to individually present my outcomes as a collection and in a simple manner as I feel they look good and work well almost showing as display posters with just a frame.
My favourite images which I will edit and from there decide which ones i want to display to be my final image/images. The direction I think I will probably go is my idea of mental health photography because those are the images I’m most happy about.
For my second photoshoot in response to The New Topographics, I decided to take pictures in the old town of Mojacar. This location has a maze of narrow streets, white houses and trailing bougainvillaea. The old town clings to a rocky hillside. This was another great location to take pictures because it is an unusual urban development built by the Moors. The viewer can clearly see how man has altered this land through the architecture upon the landscape.
After the photoshoot, I put all the images onto a contact sheet to make a selection of the best images in response to The New Topographics. The selected images have then been edited on VSCO so I could make the images appear like film by adding filters and grain. Most of the final outcomes have remained in colour while one image has been turned black and white.
Contact Sheet
Final Outcomes
Evaluation
This photoshoot was successful as I managed to capture 50 images of urban development whilst I was in the old town of Mojacar. This meant that I had several photos to select from. I captured various pictures of different architecture to show the control and power human beings have over nature. I think my pictures reflect the style of the photographers involved in The New Topographic since my final outcomes have a banal aesthetic of the urban landscape.
At the beginning of this project I had many ideas on different approaches I could take to showcase Journey’s and Pathway’s, after lots of thoughts and inspiration I decided to set my project to the Journey of Jersey through the Second World War. This title is very broad which allowed me to explore different aspects of Jersey’s war, such as Bunkers, Liberation Day, Sea Wall and Propaganda. It also provided me the opportunity to explore and research different aspects of the second world war and how it impacted Jersey, this was exciting for me as learning about the past is naturally something that interests me. I started off by exploring Gina Socrates work who captured Jersey Sea Wall, which was built not only to stop the tide hitting the island but to keep other armies from invading Jersey. A while back I viewed Socrates work at the CCA gallery where she explained her methodology of using the double exposure and explained why she conducted the photo shoot, her passion for her work and outcomes interested and excited me which allowed a successful first photo shoot. My first photo shoot was inspired by Socrates, where I explored capturing the subject of the sea wall at different viewpoints and with different shutter speeds. The exploration allowed me to showcase my ability of landscape photography and ability to adjust my camera settings and the use of natural lighting. When creating the edits of these images I wanted to replicate Socrates double exposure, which created a successful outcomes which showcased an aspect of Journey’s Jersey through the second world war. Although this shoot and edits where successful, I did not see any opportunity for further exploration. My next aspect of Jersey World War was Jersey’s bunkers and how they where used for the German army to help prevent other armies entering the island. For this shoot I looked at two artists who captured the same subject which was Jonathon Andrew and Paul Virilio, both artists produced high quality imagery of bunkers which helped inspired the way I captured the bunkers. Within this photo shoot I produced many successful outcomes which reinforced my competence of capturing landscape images, with different depth of field. When editing I struggled for inspiration in how to manipulate the images, as I wanted to keep the images socially acceptable and still showcase the same meaning as the artists researched. This is when I found and analysed the work of Idris Khan who distorted his subject by creating multiple layers, turning down the opacity of the layers and then slightly moving them. I liked the effect it had on his imagery and so tried in on my photograph, which lead to one of my strongest outcomes, it also inspired other editing ideas which shows further development towards the project. Due to the high success of this photo shoot and edits I decided to conduct another photo shoot using some of the imagery created, this lead to further exploration and my ability to think creatively. In this photo shoot I printed some of my work on acetate and held up to the camera lens to distort the bunkers in the background. I also printed out my most successful image into 8 A3 fragments which made up the whole picture, the idea behind this was to showcase how big the bunkers actually are and metaphorically how they had a massive impact during Jersey’s Journey through the Second World War. I managed to get some successful outcomes, but the images where not as good as the original photo shoot. The edits showcased my ability to use Photoshop and the different tools within the software to manipulate the images. I felt that I had explored bunkers a lot so I decided to move onto my next idea which was propaganda. I wanted to showcase how war propaganda was used to manipulate men to join into the wars army. I researched Barbara Kruger who created imagery like propaganda but addressed issues in 1945 society, as well as war propaganda and tableaux photography to understand what makes a successful propaganda. In the photo shoot I conducted it in a studio to showcase my ability to use artificial lighting and different types of lighting. It also allowed me to showcase my ability to explore and do tableaux photography. During the editing process I looked at using videography, I looked at using gifs of my model getting into the famous position. I also recreated Kruger’s work, then using war photography and Krugers work I created my own propaganda. Although I created successful outcomes, they where not as strong as my bunkers work but still showcase development and exploration towards the project. Due to a lack of time I was not able to conduct anymore photo shoots, I decided to do two more artists research to produce more edits. I research Knez and Talmor who looked at providing a way of reflecting on the past, but in different tones and ways. Then using successful images from my bunker shoot I decided to create edits in the same style. Doing this I produced many strong outcomes which I am now using as final pieces due to the success and meaning it holds. I believe that this project is successful as I have been able to produce many high quality photographs due to my competence in adjusting camera settings for effect. Moreover, I showed my competence of using Photoshop and hand crafts to manipulate my images. I have been able to explore multiple aspects of Jersey’s war in order to showcase the Islands Journey through the Second World War. If I had the opportunity to expand the project I would look at liberation day, and how the islanders celebrated when the Germans left the island, which would have linked with Martin Parr. To conclude, I believe that this project has been highly successful and I am proud with the final imagery produced.
Set 1 is focusing on the idea of being ‘frozen in time’, freezing a living thing in time so we can observe its current state for longer.
Set 2
Set 2 focuses on again preserving something so that it can last longer and be admired for longer.
Set 3
Set 3 focuses on the innocent deaths of rodents who can’t be preserved due to nature being its process at the moment of death, Hence why i wanted to capture them in their frozen moments so that the documentation of the death can be observed.
Set 4
Set 4 shows how both ideas are linked, and both reflect different stages of the life cycle.
Set 5
Set 5 reflects the disturbance of man and nature and how natures life cycle has been broken by man due to fly-tipping and miss-disposed rubbish.
Set 6
Set 6 again shows how humans have disrupted and abandoned a once cared for environment and left it to rot.
