Zine Composition – It is important to have some type of link between the images in a zine in order to form a coherent piece of work, this can be done even by putting similar images on each 2 page spread or by keeping some form of link be it thematic or in the style of photography across the entire zine. This not only helps the images to belong to the zine, it also allows the images to flow throughout the zine.
Juxtaposition can also be put to good use as this can also create a link through the images. This is most commonly done using color however can also be done by simply changing the feel of the images (such as using a smaller aperture next to a large aperture image in order to contrast the amount of depth of field) however juxtaposing the themes of the images can also be done to great effect.
The title and cover of the zine is arguably one of the most important elements of the zine and allows for a great degree of freedom in order to attract a viewer.
Other techniques such as typography and graphics can be used in a zine for a visual effect or for the sake of pacing.
To further my research I will now be analyzing Lynda Laird’s photographs who captures bunker archaeology in color. Her work shows similarity with the two artists researched above but also is very different and unique which presents the bunker’s in new and interesting way.
Lynda Laird:
Mood Board Showcasing Laird’s photography
Lynda Laird is a British based photographer who usually works on longitudinal projects focusing on capturing landscapes, and enjoys working with the idea that the subject holds a memory at that specific moment in time, trying to bring history back to life. Laird studied documentary photography and photo journalism at university, which lead her to also using archival images within her work. In addition, her photographic work has won many awards such as Planche (s) contact Festival, Deauville, selected artist residency, 2017 and has also exhibited her work on many occasions.
Laird’s Photography
The image above is apart of Laird’s photographic series ‘Dans Le Noir’, which in English is translated to ‘In The Dark’. The photographic series captures coastal surveillance bunkers which are apart of the Atlantic wall located along the coast of Normandy. Contextually, the photographs were inspired by an air-raid which took place in Normandy during the second world war. This story is outlined on Laird’s website https://lynda-qbha.format.com/dans-le-noir . In addition to this, another contextual factor she also showcased was the use of infrared film, created by the military during world war 2 in order to detect camouflage and expose visual spectrum which is invisible to the naked eye, using this to capture her subject allows a beauty to be presented to the bunkers. As mentioned before the subject of the image above is a bunker used during the second world war. The image presents the formal elements of texture, line, shape and pattern which is shown through the bunker and the nature around it. The image also clearly presents a clear tonal contrast due to the shadows and lighting on the bunker. The main focus point of the image is the bunker itself, which is reinforced by a narrow depth of field and the light coming from directly on top of the bunker. The background of this photograph is plain and simplistic, it showcases the sky and some of the nature surrounding the bunker, allowing our attention to begin on the bunker and then take in the background. Technically, the lighting used is natural due to the subject being a structure located outdoors. It seems to be a bright sunlight, taken at just past midday as the shadow of the bunker is being reflected on the left hand side of the frame. The aperture used is likely to be low as a lot of light is being presented in the photograph, which also allows the depth of field to be narrow. The shutter speed is quick and the ISO is low as there is no intended blur being presented within the imagery. Moreover, the white balance used creates warm atmosphere. As mentioned before these camera settings almost present the beauty of the bunkers even though the contextual factors behind the series is negative, creating a clear juxtaposition making it interesting to view. Conceptually, Laird is trying to showcase the horrible historical factors of the bunkers and their uses during the war, but also showcasing how they have been neglected and the beauty and nature is almost claiming back the land.
Action Plan:
As an action plan I want to conduct photo shoots where I will capture Jersey’s bunker’s which were used during the occupation of Jersey. I will look at capturing images in the style of Laird, looking at how the bunkers hold memories, and Virilio and Andrew’s. When it comes to editing the photographs I will look at the use of color and black and white edits in order to produce imagery which is clearly inspired by the two artists, as well as exploring with different elements on light room.
Showing the contrast between the people of Jersey and the Nazi bunkers.
A paragraph:
To show a contrast between the people of Jersey and the new bunker structures. I want to show how Nazi bunkers quickly became a common site along the Jersey coastline and how the Occupying forces integrated with what was already there.
Sequencing:
I wanted my zine to made up of montage images. These images would be a combination of my own bunker photographs and photos from the archive. I wanted to show that life under German rule gradually got harder for the Islanders as time progressed and I thought that best way to show this was to have my images n my zine to gradually get more and more violent. I couldn’t really violence in my own images as they only show the now, no longer weaponized remains of German fortifications, so I had to do this in the archive images I combined them with.
The design and layout of a zine is important. Its layout should show off the images as well as possible, some layouts having metaphorical or intentional meaning in relation to the images within. The design should reflect the photographers’ style and ideas while highlighting and strengthening concepts. The design and layout should pull the entire zine together.
Narrative and Visual Concept:
A narrative is a story or message being told by an artist. In photography the narrative is usually supported with string images, representing a visual concept that the photographer has tried to portray.
Title and Cover:
The title and cover of a zine are two very important factors. The title should relate to the content or subject without giving too much away and leaving room for curiosity. The cover similarly needs to be appealing and display the type of photography showcased in the zine but should not distract or differ too much from the content, unless done intentionally as a concept.
Images and Text:
Images and text are useful as the image can be explained by the photographer themselves. Giving context to the composition and explaining aspects of the image that possibly couldn’t be portrayed within the image itself.
After taking inspiration from the photo-montage style of photography/art, I was able to develop a series of photo-montage pieces. The following are examples of experimental, trial photo-montages that I created using Photoshop, using archival images that I found online:
The above image I developed in Photoshop. It involved cutting out the outlines of 4 German soldiers in the background image, and replacing them with the identification photographs of various concentration camp victims. I did this to show a contrast between the dignity with which the German officers held themselves in the original image, and the reality of how their actions caused unforgivable suffering to millions of people who were left without a voice. The above image used the same process as the first image, yet this time, I replaced the bandages and wounds of the soldiers with images of 1900’s wallpaper patterns. In doing this, I used this photo-montage to represent that the thought of home encouraged many soldiers to continue fighting, and gave many demoralized individuals something to look forward to after the war.
The above process is the one I used in Photoshop to create the above image. From top left to bottom right:
Left: I researched a range of 1900’s wallpapers that I would use as the background for my image,
The above photo-montage was created in an attempt to display the sacrifices made for victory during the war.
Above is a gallery showing the process I used to create the final image (seen above). From top left to bottom right:
Left: I lowered the opacity of the eraser tool to 50% in order to fade the background of a war scene that I would be replacing the face and hands with. I did this in order to make sure the definition between the foreground (Churchill) and the background (the war scene) was obvious, and also to emphasize that the sacrifice of millions of lives was merely an afterthought to the victory of political leaders during the war.
Middle and right: I outlines the hands and face of Churchill in order to show contrast between the background and foreground. I also feel that by creating an outline, my work mimics the style of many very well known photo-montage artists, who used physical cutting and sticking to create their work.
Bottom row: The bottom row shows the process of creating the text that I placed over the top of the image to act as a centre piece/ main focal point. I took a real quote from Churchill, and decided to emphasize certain words/letters using white text to show contrast between the quote and the reality of war. To create this text, I copied the image of highlighted text and pasted it back onto the image (to give the contrasting background effect) and then placed a second layer of white text over the original black text to show contrast between the words.
