See: 21. Reviewing and Reflecting:

Statement of Intent:

For my personal study I want to focus on mental health, specifically, what its like to experience a mental illness such as, anxiety and depression. For this reason my study to focus more on the ‘Occupation’ side of the theme. I hope to use my images to give people a better understanding of what mental illness is like for a student.

Artist references:

• Francesca Woodman
• Mary Ellen Mark (Ward 81)
• Maren Klemp

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I intent to do at least one shoot for each artist, repeating shoots for the artist that I think will best fit my ideas.

In order to get a first interpretation of what Occupation and Liberation are, I researched about them and made mind maps on aspects which would be included in the subjects. Following this took place in an independent study where I looked at previous students work in order to grasp knowledge of the different types of photo books as well as give me inspirations to my own.

Looking at the aspects above have allowed me to focus on the ‘Occupation’ aspect of the course. This will be done through expressing fashion and dance in the same photo shoot. I feel as if doing this subject is a good idea for me as dance is personal to me and adding an element of fashion into it would allow me to explore both dance, portrait, fashion and still life photographers. When looking at these subjects I feel as if i would like to separate each shoot I create in order to show a narrative throughout the book. However, to do this I will combine all the different shoots together (ie, not separate each shoot to a certain section of the book) which will allow for each shoot to be linked and create smaller stories within my whole photo book. I will do this throughout three different shoots which will all be taken in a different style to another to create the intended narrative of me sharing my dance journey growing up and photographing the different elements such as accessories/ medals/ etc to include sentimental elements which have been important in my process. The first shoot I plan to take images in the photographing studio of ‘Archival Images’ both from when I was younger and at my age now as I feel as if this will allow me to show important aspects which would have been photographed such as my first ballet exam, my first dance competition, my best award etc. these imaged will be taken from a bird eye view and I feel as if this shoot will create a strong basis to work from in my project as I would like to combine this with my second photoshoot which will be a still-life object set up. Carrying on with this, during my second shoot I plan to take images from a straight on angle in the photography studio where I will showcase the important objects that have encouraged me to carrying on dancing all these years. These objects will include elements such as certificates, medals, trophies, magazines, newspaper articles, exam notes, CDs, ballet shoes etc. Following this, I intend to use my camera ability to photograph images of old costumes when I was younger as well as ones which are being used at the moment in order to include an element of fashion into this narrative as the audience will be able to see that costuming has grown over the last ten years, while still relating to the overall narrative. As previously mentioned, I will combine all these shoots during my photo book as I would like for there to be a relation between archival images, objects and costuming to show a time period of my life throughout different occupations.

I overall feel as if this will be a strong idea for my project as it is very personal to me, therefore meaning that I will be able to create relevant analysis and images.

Small Plan of Each Shoot

First Shoot- For my first shoot towards my photo book, I intended to have an introductory page which will be the first written page of the book. This will explain a little about the images on following pages in order to have both a text explanation as well as a photo evidence of the time period. The actual shoot its self will be taken on a birds eye view to allow for the printed images to be seen clearly with a white background to add simplicity to the images as I don’t want there to be distractions to the relevant images. I will use this shoot to allow me to show dance performances when I was younger, as well as to show the audience the style of costumes I wore in those days etc.

To go along with this idea, I found a female photographer named Diana Markosian who I will use as an artist reference towards my project so that I know more about archival imagery.

Second Shoot- For my second shoot, I plan to use the same location of the photography studio however will be using a straight on angle in order to allow for the objects I will be taking to be seen. During this shoot I will take fully focused images of different objects which are important to me growing up as a dancer. These objects will be items such as certificates, medals, trophies, magazines, newspaper articles, exam notes, CDs, ballet shoes etc and will be in important part in the photo book. I feel as if this is a good idea as I can match my archival images to items in this shoot (example, if I have a archival image of me wearing a blue costume with a blue hair piece, I can photograph the hair piece In this shoot as a representation of that initial time, as well as the certificate which I received for that dance.) I feel as this will allow me to make an aesthetically pleasing selection of images.

To go along with this idea, I will be researching on still life photography as a whole in order to gain an idea of what still life is, how it was originally photographed and now it is these days, as well as the best type of angles to use for these type of images.

Third Shoot- To carry on sentimental values in photography, I intend to use self portraiture as a way of showing myself in my recent costumes which would have been previously seen in archival images to be able to section these shoots together more and create a set of images. I think that showing costuming is a good way to showcasing development of fashion which will be my main subject in this particular shoot as the different costumes can be seen as a documentation as to how style has changed. As for the smaller costumes I won’t be able to fit into anymore, I will photographer them in front of a white canvas in the photography studio to allow for them to be seen, as well as creating detailed images from these.

In order to support the idea of Fashion, artist Hasson Hajjaj who explores fashion in her photography will be my inspiration for this last shoot.

My personal study is based on divorce and separation. I will be exploring how a split between two people can affect a whole family. My idea links to the occupation vs liberation theme, the occupation connects to before the divorce and how my parents felt uneased in each others company. The liberation relates to how the split was for the best for my parents but it also created a lot of changed and instability for me. Via my personal experience I am going to create images that display feelings of lack of identity and belonging. Divorce is such a common action these days that it gets overlooked, I want to highlight that although its not an abnormal family situation, it is still life changing. I’m going to take a documentary approach by taking picture of old house I have lived in, old toys and old photos that remind of the times where I missed either my mum or dad. After I am going to explore surrealism and post-modernism approaches to represent my inner conflict during the divorce. I am going to hold interviews with my parent about their experience as well as some of my friends with divorced parents and some with parents still together. These interviews will help to give me a more accurate representation of divorce as everyone takes it differently also it will provide me with different viewpoints by also interviewing my parents.

My first shoot will inspired be by surrealist photographer Chris McKenney. His ‘Self-Ghost’s’ project is a representation of the supernatural and horror genre, which is what I want to use as it lacks identity even though his images are portraits. I am going to take my brother to a forest or nature filled backdrop similar to McKenney and place a sheet on his head to hid this face. A box is going to present in those images as it represents how I have to pack up my belongings everytime I go to my mums or dads and to express how many times I have moved house. Hopefully, I will highlight the idea that you can pack your whole life into cardboard boxes and each time it gets harder because as soon as you have settled another box appears. .I am then going to stray away from McKenney’s supernatural approach and take pictures of my brothers hands on trees, then up against the semi-see through windows in the bathroom.

FRONTCOVER:

To gain inspiration for a from cover I used a previous idea from my bunkers zine. The front cover consists of a base image and a square which has been inverses in order to contrast the original image. Then on top of this I have written the word occupation in order to symbol the theme of the newspaper. I think this s a very effective layout in general as the contrast between the inverse and normal image is symbolic of the topic at hand, opposing sides, which fight against each other with opposing ideas. The image came from a photo shoot I did of the bunkers located ear Coronation park, which now sit dormant on the edge of the sea wall.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD 1:

Coming from the same photo shoot as the image from the front cover, I employed a similar concept, using inverse imagery to represent the fight of two opposing powers. Instead of using black and white imagery, here I used the inverse of the original image. This spread is slightly different as I used two images which have been slightly spread out over the page in order to give some varying features to my newspaper spreads, this was an effective method of doing so without losing the value of the images.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD 2:

The second double page spread of my newspaper uses the images which I took during the making of the still life series. These were a good fit overall for the spread as they use items and objects specific to the time period of WW2, perfectly fitting with the theme of occupation vs liberation. I also retained the writing on the top left hand side of the image, just like in my zine, as I thought this added one interesting aspects to the image which otherwise would have not been there, adding a point of contrast and a second focal point. The bright red backdrop and tins of bandages in a way merge together in terms of there colour palette so therefore it was essential for the writing to act as a point of interest. The second page of my spread is also not full bleed as again it adds difference and variation to the overall design of the spreads.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD 3:

For my final layout, I employed the use of my previously made photo montage. I felt as though this was a suitable image to use for my spreads as it again fits with the theme of occupation vs liberation era well. The base image came from the photo shoot using war memorabilia to create still life images. I then went onto the editing process of the images, using another archival image of the soldier leaning on the side of the bike light and creating the geometric square laying on top. This is a nice contrast to the other spreads as it is in many ways both archival in nature but also modern with the inclusion of the geometric square, having a contemporary take on the topic as a whole.

1. From your Personal Investigation based on OCCUPATION vs LIBERATION write an overview of what you learned and how you intend to develop your Personal Study.
   
2. Describe which themes, approaches (LANDSCAPE, PEOPLE, OBJECTS), artists, skills and photographic processes/ techniques inspired you the most and why.
   
3. Include examples of current experiments to illustrate your thinking.
   
4. Produce a new mind-map and mood-board based around how you interpret the theme of OCCUPATION vs LIBERATION now.

Overview:

In June, we began our personal investigation based on ‘Occupation Vs Liberation.’ To begin with, due to the nice weather, we focused on the bunker fortifications left behind by the Nazi occupying forces. This would be the focus of our first zine. This was followed by looking at the people involved in the Occupation, including those who are still alive today, and how objects and still life could be used to tell the Occupation story. This would be our second zine. Where as I had looked at still life and portraiture during AS, landscape was an area of photography I had yet to explore in detail or try out for myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the project as a whole, I found myself continuously lost in the landscape shoots while also discovering a new interest for portraits. This is what I hope to use in my personal study to show a new take of the idea of ‘Occupation Vs Liberation.’

New skills and inspiration learnt:

From day one, I had already been introduced to a way to improve and research my photography in a way I had never considered before. This was the use of archive images. We are incredibly lucky in Jersey to have access to our very own photo archive at the Societe Jersiaise. It was incredibly interesting to see some of the old photos from 1940-45 because I realized that maybe I didn’t know as much as I thought I did about the Occupation. However, the use of these images never really crossed my mind after that until much later. If I’m being completely honest, I had no intention of ever incorporating archive images with my own, at least not during the landscape part of the project. With archive out of my mind, we began our first shoot for landscapes. A permanent reminder of Nazi occupation are the remains of the concrete bunkers they built to fortify the Island. This was of course the perfect thing to photograph for this project. While visiting Battery Lothringen at Noirmont, we were given the opportunity to go inside one of the bunkers and take photos of the displays inside. This meant that we had to adjust the settings on our cameras to accommodate for the lack of light. I was reluctant to rise the ISO above 1600 as I didn’t want my image being grainy. To compensate for this I had to use a low aperture to allow for as much light as possible to enter the camera lens. I then went on to use this when taking photos at Jersey War Tunnels.

A second major skill that I was introduced to was zine making. I had never used InDesign before, but quickly caught on with how to layout my images in a way that created a narrative that told showed the relationship between Islanders and their occupiers.

Examples of current experimentation:

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Occupation Vs. Liberation:

Interpretation of Occupation

Interpretation of Liberation

Exploring for Personal Study

In order to begin researching for my personal study I looked at last years photo books for inspiration as it was the easiest source of examples. I gathered three photo-books from the previous A-Level students and went through the book in detail while picking out elements i liked from the photo book/ parts which inspired me. I also looked at the composition of the books, all of white included a mixture of full bleed images, double page spreads as well as a range of sized images.

“Jersey Was The Land Of Fairies”- Jade Dingle

The first book i looked at was ‘Jersey Was The Land Of Fairies’ by Jade Dingle. I found that this book had an unusual concept to it as it is seen to be about four different fairies, all of which she has dressed up the same girl in different costumes and created a story for the ‘fairy’. The book purely contains her own images with a page of her own writing which is about the subject of the following images. I liked how she included text in the book as it isn’t overpowering however it does also allow the audience to gain a sense as to what the photographer was trying to portray. For example, as seen below there is a page for a specific fairy called ‘William And The Water Sprite’ this title followed by the text allows us to understand why the model is in water, why she has blue face paint on etc..

“All My Love”- Jude Luce

This second photo- book i looked into had a theme of family ad relationships with parents and friends. When looking through this book I found that there were a few images which didn’t necessarily link to the theme of the book which I felt as if didn’t need to be there. However there were also aspects I liked such as the physical photos which have been stuck in, comparison in old and new images, including sentimental elements ie tattoos and archival images from there parents.

“Inside Out”- Anna

When looking through this photo book, i quickly gained a personal concept in my head. The book includes a lot of images with the model wearing barely any clothing and also being placed in different locations such as the beach, studio, in the bath etc. I feel as if this adds a purity to the book and the lack of clothing showing her femininity, these elements work well together as they both help to empower a women which i feel as if this book is trying to do. When being able to see the models face we can see a straight face suggesting shes effected by this subject and is showing her own body to people who don’t feel conformable in their own, to empower them. This can be seen in the image below.

“Those Who Dream Only By Night”- Cole Courval

In this photo book I can see that there is a mixture of images included, most of which don’t add up to create a narrative. However, there are sectioned images which all represent a typical subject which I feel is a good aspect to this book. There is also a theme of black in the book which creates an aesthetic. Different locations are shown in the book, ie. town, beach, skate park etc. all suggesting that the overall theme could be teens.

Evaluation:

I found that looking at previous students work has been very inspirational and given me an insight as to the standards some photo books are as well as help to allow me to understand different compositions which people used for certain effects. This has allowed for me to create a few subjects which I would like to explore in my own photo-book.

I will also research well known photographers and look into their work in order to look at more technical elements to a photo book and photographic techniques used to create effect.

Notes taken from his memories of the Occupation:

• At the start of the occupation – Leo Harris and his brother Francis was walking to school, and was stopped by a German officer, who then spoke English to the boys to a show off to the other soldiers. The German asks the boys to put there hands out, which they were very reluctant to do, however they did and the German gave them some sweets, Leo and Francis got told top eat them straight away, they did but walked on and spat them down a drain.
• Opposite the hotel where Leo Harris was staying, on the promenade, the tide was up , load of Germans were sitting on a raised platform, where a Alsatian dog jumped over the promenade walk and went on the platform and sniffed the Germans, and this dog ended up piddling on a German spine.
• There was also street fight between the Germans, they would throw Grenades ‘Potato Mashers’ as the Jersey people referenced them. These Grenades were made up of either a wooden handle and a brass bullet with wooden, tip, these would splinter if they hit a object, this was quite dangerous activity.
• If a German officer wasn’t standing to attention as the Sargent wanted, they would be made to, some sergeant would make the Germans fall flat, and they were made to do it over and over if not done properly.
• As a lot of Germans couldn’t swim, they taught them by having a rod with some rope and they would hold them up on the water, to teach them, some officer would take advantage and try to lower the rope so the Germans would go fully under.
• There was also a Jersey version of a gestapo.
• Leo, Francis, and a couple of there friends stole 3 German rifles and lots of anumition, The gestapo visited the hotel Where the Harris family lived, they had kept the rifles in a window pane, Leos dad also kept his English rifle at this place.
• His dad ordered Francis to hide the rifles in there store in the town, they did this by strapping the rifles to his bike and hiding them with tape and the anumition in a green bag on the handlebars.
• The German Officers ‘Wolf’, ‘Eric’, ‘Carl’, ‘Bernard’ – these officers visited the hotel in order to find the rifles, these also dressed up a civilians, for example Carl dressed up in Austrian clothes, which was Austrian hunting gear, which was the colour green, whereas the others were in waistcoats and medallion to show they were part of the gestapo.
• At this time, Leo was aged 14,
• Francis was then questioned about making crystal radio sets, this was done by Carl.
• However the Germans didn’t realize that underneath the kitchen was a little cellar, where there was stolen German bicycles.
• One of the Germans when searching found a khaki green bag, this was stolen from a German bunker this contained cigarettes, Chocolate, tins of meat.
• In the kitchen on the stove there was one of the tins of meat that was stolen, as the family wasn’t allowed to do anything, this got burnt, the mothered ended up putting on the kitchen taps and pouring it down the sink.
• The Gestapo ended up Taking Leo’s dad and his brother Francis to the German prison, 5 days later they accused his father of being the leader of a French resistance. However with Francis they let him out of prison for a day to go and collect the rifle however on the way back to the prison he stopped at the rifle barrack at green street, he opened and looked at the positioning of guns. then he goes back to prison.
• Hitler ordered that any english born citizen which was born in Jersey to be deported, however this never happened.
• Liberation:
• There was lots of cheering at various squares around the island.
• The public demanded that liberation was actually the 8th of May, instead the government said it was the 9th of May.
• Leo Harris’s family liberation was very different to others, firstly they went to a garage where they had a car, they drove to the Gestapo court, his dad got out and a German called Spurnard, who lived Kings cliff Queens Rd, here he got back his wireless and two automatic pistols. After they went home.
• In the morning after, his father had not got back his son Francis, as the war was over, he went to the prison, where he demanded to have his son, they accepted.

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