Daily Archives: September 16, 2019

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Environmental Photography – Home Sweet Home – Photographs

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Within the photoshoot I took my subjects into the environments which they can be found in the most, as well as placing them in locations to which they are comfortable and found the most. In this photoshoot I tried to keep the atmosphere relaxed, doing this allowed a more naturalistic representation of my subjects in their natural environment, giving an accurate representation of their personality. In addition, I also used artificial lighting found around the house, which would naturally be on when the subject is in that room, however I did set up some lighting to ensure the face of the subject was fully lit, and created a home and welcoming atmosphere.

Edits:

First Edit – Flagged
Second Edit – Star Rated
Third Edit – Colour Rated

Colour Edits:

For my colour edits I chose photographs, in which the artificial lighting was manipulated for effect. To start off I began by adjusting the photographs by correcting the white balance, adjusting the white, blacks, contrast and structure. Then using the radial filter, which allowed my subjects face to be the main focal point of the image. It allowed me to adjust the background of the composition, allowing my subject to be illuminated and centre of attention

Black and White Edits:

For my black and white edits I chose photographs, in which the artificial lighting was naturally darker and was the natural lighting within that environment in the house. To start off I began by adjusting the photographs by correcting the white balance, adjusting the white, blacks, contrast and structure. Then using the radial filter, which allowed my subjects face to be the main focal point of the image. It allowed me to adjust the background of the composition, allowing my subject to be illuminated and centre of attention

Above, I believe is my top outcome from the photoshoot, due to the technical and visual elements the photograph holds. Conceptually, I was showcasing my brother in his room, where he spends a lot of time alone. To me it was important to not only capture him but also the background behind him (taking inspiration from Michelle Sank) as it helps to develop our understanding of his personality. Visually, the composition of the frame is kept simplistic. I wanted to create a sense a space, through the position of my subject within the frame, clear use of the technique rule of thirds. In addition to the formal element of space, I also wanted to showcase form, and shape, which is clearly presented to the layout of the frame and the background. In this photograph, the subject is located in the foreground, and the background is the layout of his room, which allows a slight narrow depth of field to present within the work, suggesting a slightly raised aperture. Technically, the shutter speed is kept quick due to no intended blur and the subject being still. For this photograph I slightly raised the ISO, for an artistic purpose, in order to create a slight bit of noise, helping to emphases a homely atmosphere. Having this ISO works in cohesion with the warm, soft artificial lighting which was used, as well as the sunlight ISO which helped to emphasise the warmth, which creates the homely and welcoming environment.

Evaluation:

To evaluate I believe I have been able to successfully explore environmental portraits within my home environment. I researched and gained a connection with my subjects allowing an accurate representation of my subject’s personality and how their natural environment describes them. I produced some successful photographs, which showcase my ability to use different camera settings (ie adjusting the ISO to gain noise for effect), as well as further experimenting and using the different tools within Lightroom, to develop my photograph for effect. To conclude, I am happy with the general aesthetic of my work and the final outcomes produced. It also shows further exploration into this form of documentary photography, from my previous work where I looked at gender stereotypes in the early 20th century.

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Environmental Photography – Home Sweet Home – Planning

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Environmental Photography:

Environmental photography is a form of portraiture, which illuminates the environment and settings of the subject and presents their identity. It is common for a photograph to spend time with the subject in order to form a connection with the subject, in order for an accurate portrayal of the person. Within the time spent, the photographer will ask about hobbies and interests as well as getting a clear understanding of their home life, and favourite aspects and elements of their course. Within this style of portrait photography the aim is to tell the story of the subject within that one photograph, which is achieved by having the subject have rapport with the camera lens

In previous work I explored environmental portrait photography, in the style of Arnold Newman, were I looked at gender norms in the in the early 20th century. I explored this using my grandparents as my subjects and used different elements of their home life to showcase these gender norms. The photoshoot and edits were successful, thus making it an area to reflect back on and use as inspiration for another photoshoot.

Environmental Portrait – Arnold Newman

Planning:

This time around I will be conduction another photo shoot, using the methodology of environmental portrait, but exploring my personal home life. I have taken inspiration from Alex Soth to produce my imagery. My artistic aim is to capture my home life in the most naturalistic way, showcasing the natural environment of my family, as well as the day to day tasks they complete. To do this I will be using my DSLR camera alongside a tripod, to get stable landscape photographs. My camera settings will differ based on the lighting and task conducted by my family.

Mood Board Showcasing Soth’s Photography:

Understanding My Subjects:

  • Philippa Healey – Mother
    • 49 Years old, Female, wedded to Martin Healey
    • Philippa works full time at JCG Prep as the manager of Little Leopards, the after school day care/holiday club. She has worked with children for a long period of time, and works from 9am-5:30pm.
    • At home Philippa enjoys reading, playing games on her phone, as well as spending time with her children, husband and two cats. Not only this her and her husband, do house chores within an evening to ensure the house is always at a good clean standard.
    • Philippa’s favourite room in the house is the conservatory, which overlooks her garden. The room attracts a lot of light, and you can often see her spending her weekend on the sofa in the room, absorbing the nature and her book. Philippa is a calm, active and kind hearted person.
  • Martin Healey – Father
    • 52 Years old, Male, wedded to Philippa Healey
    • Martin works full time as a pension manager, and has been within the finance industry for most of his life. He works 9-5 Monday to Friday, but can often be seen doing a lot of over time, due to his position within the company.
    • At home, Martin enjoys spending an evening on the computer, reading the news, on facebook, playing games and watching youtube. He also enjoys spending time with his children in the lounge in the evening, were they watch different programs.
    • Martin enjoys cleanliness within his home and makes his home appealing to all sense, importantly smell. He enjoys buying new smellies and placing them round the house, to give the building a set smell and atmosphere. Martin is an intellectual, funny and strong minded person.
  • Sam Healey – Brother
    • 22 Years old, Male, In a Relationship
    • Sam has recently completed his degree in social sciences were he obtained 2:1 giving him a BA(Hons) qualification. He has now successfully managed to obtain employment, which he has been in for the past 2 years.
    • At home Sam enjoys, singing, flying planes and causing chaos in the household. Sam’s favourite room would be the study or kitchen, as he can be found spending the most time within these rooms. Sam is a bubbly, lively human being who is fun and adventurous to be around.

Having lived with my subjects for the past 17 years of my life, I can say that I fully understand their personality and the love towards certain environments within their home. All three family members love to be around one another and embrace all aspects of family life, as well as having some independence in their life.

Action Plan:

After exploring the traits of my family and understanding their personality, on top of observing their favourite environments within the house. I am going to conduct a photoshoot were I capture family life within the Healey household, in the documentary style of photography, environmental photography. I will capture each person’s individual personality in their natural environment, as well as capturing the three personalities at once, showcasing a change in the individual self to meet the needs of the people they are with.


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Bob Le Sueur

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Robert Winter Le Sueur, MBE is a Jersey resident who was awarded an MBE for his efforts in assisting escaped Russian prisoners, in Jersey, during the Nazi Occupation of the Channel Islands. During the Occupation, Le Sueur was able to move about due to his work as an insurance agent. He acted as relay in a network of people sheltering escapees: from 1942 he handled eight or nine escapees.

Bob Le Sueur visited our photography room and recounted stories from the Occupation which I have recorded and have posted below. He also allowed us to take photos of him in our photography studio.

I Was There. Bob Le Sueur – Jersey Heritage

‘Bob shares photos from his personal collection as well as personal recollections about living on a highly militarized island cut off from Britain.’ –
Channel Islands Occupation Society (Jersey)

My Photos of Bob Le Sueur

Contact Sheet

Sources:
https://www.cios.org.je/news/2018/occupation-conversations-no.-1/
https://www.revolvy.com/page/Bob-Le-Sueur

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Jersey War Tunnels

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The Jersey War Tunnels are a reminder of the occupation of the island during World War 2. The War Tunnels are one of many fortifications that the Germans built on Jersey. The tunnels were blasted out with gunpowder and handtools, and then covered with concrete. The hospital was dug into a slope, so that it would drain naturally. Its location within the hill also ensured that the temperature remained constant throughout the year. The tunnels were originally constructed as an ammunition store and artillery barracks but the Germans converted them to a casualty clearing station as D-Day drew nearer. Today The Jersey War Tunnels are an exhibition dedicated to how the occupation affected the islanders and the island. Areas have been restored to show how the hospital looked during the occupation.

Final Outcomes
Food shortages on Jersey were relieved by the arrival of the Red Cross ship SS Vega, bringing food parcels to Jersey. Before then, substitutes had been used to replace everyday foods for instance seawater had to be replaced with salt.
Everyone in Britain was given a gas mask to protect them from gas bombs, which could have been dropped during air raids.
During World War 2, you had two choices when writing a letter: handwritten or typewriter.
In order to build the Jersey War Tunnels, a huge workforce was needed and this was supplied by the Organisation Toft. More than 5,000 slave labourers were brought over to Jersey. The men were treated harshly and known to have died from disease, malnutrition, accidents and exhaustion.
Under the occupying forces, one of the greatest hardships was the lack of news from the mainland after the Germans had outlawed the use of radio sets. A number of individuals risked imprisonment by making their own sets and spreading news.
At 3:00pm Winston Churchill gave the most famous speech of his career. The Prime Minister announced the end of the war in Europe and the “unconditional surrender of all German land, sea and air forces in Europe”. While the islanders cheered, he uttered the words, “our dear Channel Islands are also to be freed today”. Flags and decorations sprang up.
Evaluation

This series of images show a narrative of the typical objects that could have been found in a household during World War 2. Most of the images are still life because of the inanimate subject matter depicted. The sequence of the images tell a story of what it must have been like to be a citizen in Jersey from the beginning of World War 2 until Liberation Day.

The first five images are in the filter B&W punch to represent the German Occupation in Jersey. The images have high contrast between black and white making the photo very sharp. The B&W filter represents life in Jersey during the German Occupation where the people were oppressed and suffering without sufficient resources. I decided to edit the majority of my images in black and white to emphasise the historical yet cold atmosphere during the Occupation. The filter also helps to showcase the negative impact war had on the citizens of Jersey.

For my colour edits I produced two final outcomes. The last two images are in colour to represent Liberation Day in Jersey which took place on the 9th of May. The UK flag is depicted in both images to represent the freedom of the Jersey citizens.

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Bob Le Sueur – Story of Occupation

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Bob Le Sueur 19 when the Germans arrived and 24 when the Germans left 

Image result for bob le sueur
This is an Portrait of Bob Le Sueur when he was 24. This was drawn by the Russian slave worker who was looked after by Feodor Burriy

Incident German Arrived 1940: 

Morning July 1st – air on the 28th June – lot of damage people killed, lived west of St helier, woken up by German planes- German bomber planes, Two parachutes with cylinders (contained messages for the commander of chief- saying that the island would be demilitarised as they are not of military value). 

The messages were sent to the bailiff – they had a day to surrender or overwise they would carpet bomb the island- people in England said they cant defend the island however they said to stay by their post and try to defend as possible for the population. 

Germans didn’t invade French borders, but Hitler did decide to invade without warning into Dutch borders and into Luxemburg, people were woken up at 6am. 

100, 000 population totalled the 2 islands at the time of German occupation. 

The atmosphere in jersey at the beginning of the German occupation was that it was very tense, but it was broken by captain bennay was in command, pigeon went over head and was sick over him and his pork pie hat – people started to laugh and giggle. The captain was angry and stormed off.   

When this was all over there was going to make an official announced by the bailiffs. 

Story two: 

Number 7 – two floors up apartments – family homes 

2 young men shared a flat – they sheltered an escaped Russian prisoner, Hitler intended to not occupy the whole of British Isles if   Germans did win as could do so. 

Jersey was more fortified than anywhere else that the Nazis were occupied. 

Spanish abled men were sent to jersey by the Nazis to build the fortifications, but they were many forced workers sent here, theses weren’t paid except the Spanish men. 

2 15-year-old boys were sent to jersey after being stopped by the Germans when walking home (Ukrainian). 

A Russian was housed by two people who shared their rations with the Russian got an illegal registration card. 

September 1944 – gas supply was stopped meaning that people had to cook on an open fire, meaning that the young people put on party.  Russian got hold of the calvados before the party and was bellowing out a song and dancing, German soldiers walking below singing, however they didn’t do anything. 

Liberation Day: 

April 20th Berlin fell 

January 1945 – electricity supply cut off – at this point people were starving. 

Jersey Evening post was still going only on sheet of paper one side was local news, and the other side was the German news 

The armistice was being negotiated and was announced on May 9th 

Pictures Taken:


Bob Le Sueur

Bob Le Sueur

Bob Le Sueur
Bob Le Sueur
Bob Le Sueur

Edited Versions of Photos:

First Step in Lightroom Selected Photos
Second Step In lightroom, selected photos again for the ones im going to edit
3rd step: Selected Photo- I have cropped to how I want it to look like.
4th step: I have converted the image into black and white and changed the shadows and highlights in the image.

Final Image – Bob Le Sueur

Second Edit:

I have decided to compare the images in black and white/Colour to help me decide whether or not to convert the image.
I decided to go with black and white I have edited the tone in the image and the effects in the image for examples I have changed the highlight amount to +19 whereas it was set at zero, changing this has created a slight oval shape to the image around the edges.
Final Image 2 – Bob Le Sueur

Third Edit:

1st Step: I have decided to crop the image so you can only see his head and shoulders.
2nd Step: I have put a gradual light effect on which spreads the highlights across his face.
3rd Step: Converted the image to black and white.

I have Put an overlay on the image.

I have dissolved the frame more, I like this on the image as it has created the image to be darker and the edges of the image are much lighter than before.
I have decided to go with this frame colour as it goes with image without changing the actual image.
Final Image – Bob Le Sueur

Fourth Edit:

1st step: I have cropped the image, creating less space around the person.
2nd step: I have edited the highlights and shadows by increasing or decreasing what I needed.
Final Image – Bob Le Sueur.
I have decided not to edit this image any further as I dont want to over edit therefore making the image look not real.

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Jersey Archive Visit

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The Jersey Archive was made to store documents on the island has records dating back to 1378. It stores records from the government, personal and business records, letters and police records, as well as family trees and private documents, and much more. The archive holds over 300,000 documents and images. The Archive also stores occupation cards that all islanders were required to have. It also stores letters between the island and the UK, of which the sender was only allowed to write a total of 25 words.

One of the records that stood out to me personally was the occupation card of Maurice Green; The only diabetic in the channel islands to survive the occupation. His story was particularly interesting to me being a diabetic as well, and hearing about the way so many people died from something that most people don’t think about. The shipment of insulin that was supposed to arrive in Jersey was stolen in France, as their supplies were also critically low. This meant that all of the Type 1 diabetics on the island could not control their blood sugar and soon died after slipping into a coma. Maurice was the only diabetic to survive, and after the war, traveled to America to help scientists study type 1 diabetes.

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War tunnels – Anonymous soldier images

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This is a series of edited images I have produced as part of the war tunnels visit. They are all images of soldier mannequins with their heads out of frame in order to create mysterious feel.

I have applied a variety of black and white filters (Red, Green, and Yellow) in order to achieve a noisy and slightly distorted effect. This helps make the images more eerie and adds to the mystery of not being able to see their faces. The filters also help make the images look more worn out and give an effect of the camera equipment which was used at the time.

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Jersey War Tunnel’s Visit

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Information:

The Jersey War Tunnels was built during the Second World War to withstand air-raids, but soon turned into an Emergency underground hospital. Created through forced labour and over 5,000 slaves, the tunnels is over 1,000 meters long and 50 meters deep, creating a large area to protect the German Soldiers and those injured during the war time. The War Tunnels is now a tourist attraction, allowing guests to explore the underground network, as well as personal stories and different events which occurred during the war. The theming of the attraction is cleverly done in order to transport guests back to the war time, and give them a first hand experience as to what life was like down there. Another mentionable aspect of the War Tunnels, is that they were never completed, leaving whats called ‘the unfinished tunnels’ these tunnels are still on display and creates an atmospheric and immersive experience to guests.

Mood Board Showcasing Stock Images of The War Tunnels, outlining expectation and inspiration for what to capture.

On my trip to the War Tunnels, I explored the different rooms, showcasing the different stories and events, allowing me to gain a more personal understanding of the war. Using my camera I tried to capture these stories and environment in order to present a visual and creative representation of the tunnels.

Planning:

The War Tunnels are a set of tunnels, which informed me that the lighting was going to be dark, this lead to me raising my ISO to high setting, and have my shutter speed adjusted to let enough light in dependent of the room and the lighting in that room. I used a manual focus which allowed me to explore with my depth of fields and aperture. In some photographs I experimented with flash photography, however these outcomes where less successful. I intend to capture photographs at all different angles allowing a different perspective on the objects to be showcased within my image, creating an ascetic towards my images.

Editing:

First Edit – Flagged
Second Edit – Star Rating
Third Edit – Coloured

Black and White Edits:

For my black and white final outcomes I decided to use a wide variety of photographs, which I believed clearly showcased the true nature of what life was like living in the tunnels, and during the second world war. For these images I started off by turning them into black and white, which then followed on to me adjusting the shadows, lights darks, structure etc, in order to create a historical and cold atmosphere within the imagery. I believe that my four black and white outcomes work well together, complimenting one another, using the formal elements and composition of each frame to create a negative viewpoint, reflecting the negative impact the war had on people’s lives, as well as the negative impact of the war tunnels. In addition, all four images showcasing different camera techniques which showcase my competence to experiment with a camera and create successful outcomes.

Colour Edits:

With regards to my colour edits I produced two outcomes, one which is more successful then the other, needless to say the show further exploration with my material I produced. The top image uses a technique called ‘colour splash’ which allows the whole photograph to be in black and white except one are you chose. In this case I kept the flag in colour as I believed it showcased the theme of freedom and liberation, emphasising the impact the liberation of Jersey had. The photograph uses rule of thirds, and clearly showcases different formal elements as well as clear camera techniques, such as wide depth of field. On the other hand, the image below, type righter, is not as successful, due to lack of focal point it has, as well as I feel that the lighting has a sense of warmth, which ruins the cold and negative ascetic previously created in my work.

Evaluation:

To evaluate, I believe I have produced successful outcomes which showcase my competence with using a camera and the different settings, as well as being able to creatively edit my photographs in order to produce successful outcomes, with an ascetic with is on going within my outcomes. I have been able to further explore Jersey’s history, and produce imagery which clearly showcases the environment of the war tunnels as well as personal stories, creating clear contextual and conceptual references within my work.

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The War Tunnels:

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I decided on my final images, and the below images are the final images after editing in Photoshop:


In Photo-shop, I was able to use the following techniques to produce the final images:

In the above 2 images, I was experimenting with the width of the boarder around the gas mask, and to do so, I used the brush tool to draw outlines of different widths. I also experimented with the softness of the outline, originally working with a hard line, and then moving towards a softer outline version. In this image, I was attempting to make a distinction between the background and the gas mask. The concept of this image was to show how, during the war, conflict and violence became a common part of life, and to do this, I made a distinction between the gas mask, and the teacups and kitchenware placed directly next to it. By arranging the gas mask and familiar kitchen ware together, it can be established that fear of an enemy gas attack lay around every corner, and nowhere (not even the safety of home) was safe from the threat of violence. This image merges the two opposites together (fear and safety), and in editing an outline around the gas mask, it draws more attention directly to the mask itself, and also disconnects the mask from the rest of the image. In doing so I am able to make some distinction between the kitchen ware and gas mask, hopefully drawing more attention to the fact that these 2 things should not be seen as normal together, and yet also presenting the fact that in reality, they were.

The 2 images above are examples of the colour editing I worked on in the below image. I used two different layers when it came to editing this image, the first image including the background, and the second layer including the soldier in the foreground. I reduced the saturation of the background in order to give it a more somber tone, reflective of the reality of conflict and war, and in order to contrast this, used the layer on which the soldier sat to heighten the saturation, showing contrast between the background and the individual soldier in the foreground. As a concept, I did this because I was attempting to reflect the reality that all soldiers during the occupation were individual people too, with hopes and fears, many of which did not want to leave their families in Europe to come and occupy Jersey. I chose a single soldier and made him easily distinguishable from the rest, regardless of his own insignificance in terms of the whole image, because I wanted to convey the idea that all individuals, German and Jersey, were people that were individually affected by the impact of the war/occupation, and should not all be grouped together as “enemy” or “friend”.