Originally I wanted to capture only one or two objects together, as to not over-complicate the image, however the more I played around with the idea of using different objects together to create a scene, the more I got into it. As you can see, my first images only featured a couple of objects, where as the later ones, in my opinion, feel more alive and have more personality that my starting photos, and help create the effect of authentic occupation items.

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In Depth Analysis:

I wanted to create a slightly less cluttered image compared to the previous one, but still wanted to tell a story. In my mind, these objects belong to a British soldier who is delivering a red cross package and food rations to a family, and has rested his helmet next to the parcel after relieving it the family. Obviously creative liberties have been made in order to show off the objects in the best way possible, but represents this story to me personally. I also wanted this image to be slightly less saturated to show a contrast between the happiness that islanders felt after liberation, and all of the hardships that they have been through over the previous years. Alternatively, the helmet can also be used to represent this oppression in contrast to the Red Cross Parcel.

For this image I wanted to make it look as though a bag was dropped, and the contents had spilled onto the ground. For this reason, I wanted to make the contents seem as realistic as possible, for a satchel being carried by an average citizen. Therefore, I included a tin of rations which has been slightly obscured by the bandages in front. This person would also have been carrying a small crystal radio set, which has been thrown out by the bag hitting the ground.

I used the rule of thirds as well as the leading lines of the open satchel to draw the eye to the bandage tin in the left, where the viewer can follow the line of unraveled bandage along to the radio set as well as the other tin further back in the bag. In hindsight it may have been a better idea to move the ration tin further to the right the first bandage tin, and perhaps rested it on the tin that is further in the background, as the view would have an idea of what it looks like due to the one in the foreground.

Concept and Context:

Vanitas paining were especially popular in the 16th/17th century and started in the Netherlands and the term originally came from the opening lines of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible: ‘Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity’. Vanitas paintings would usually feature skulls, glasses, and candles to show the certainty and inevitability of death, and the transience of life.

Visual Analysis:

This painting by Pieter Claesz shows the our own mortality in several different ways, using different objects to reference elements regarding death. Firstly and most obviously is the human skull which is the main subject of this painting. It represents not only death, but how everyone is the same when they die, and it does not matter your beliefs, appearance or actions because underneath that we are all the same. Also notably is the glass resting against the skull. This once again references death, and given that it is next to the skull, it can be used to represent the life of person who died and is now just a skull, as the glass has tipped over, and there is no more liquid left, this shows how the person has run out of life, and judging from how it looks like it has been knocked over, it would be possible to assume that Claesz may have done this to show that the person died a quick death.

Another object commonly featured in Vanitas paintings is an hourglass to show the unchangeable nature of time, and how there is no stopping it. Whilst this painting features no hourglass, it features a cigarette to create the same effect, showing that we all eventually get burnt out into nothing. The use of the quill has a similar effect as well, and because as there is no inkwell, the ink on the quill represents our lives, and how every day it is used up bit by bit until we eventually run out and can no longer function and then die, which is represented by the quill running out of ink.

The Books under the skull also have a very significant meaning. They represent all of the knowledge that this person had learned in their lifetime. This helps us connect with the person, as it gives them a backstory of sorts. Schooling was obviously much harder to come by in the 16th century, and was mainly reserved for the rich and powerful. This therefore means that the skull belonged to a wealthy scholar, perhaps a writer due to the quill, giving the object a double meaning

Environmental Portraits

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Candid Portraits

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Detail Shots

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For my detailed images, I decided to focus on hands and fingers, as I think they can be an interesting way to tell a slightly more subtle story. I wanted a range of different images; contrasting the older hands of my mum with the much smoother and newer hands of my baby cousin. Then to oppose these images, I used the gloves that my dad was wearing to show a more closed off and mysterious look, aided by the smoke.

Interior/Exterior Shots

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For the interior images I wanted to make the house look like it was recently abandoned, which was why I decided to leave a lot of small Mise-En-Scene items out on various surfaces like drinks cans in the kitchen, items on the bedside table and hairdryer on the bed. Originally I thought of clearing all surfaces and having a much cleaner image, and you can see this experimentation in my first images of the lounge. I also began to play with reflections on the interior, and I decided to carry this on to the exterior of the house. For instance, on the image of the shed, I decided to get the reflection of the fence in the window, however I then noticed that the house’s roofline behind the shed matched up quite well with the one in the reflection. For the final shot of the house, I decided to use the reflections in the window to create a cross and giving the image some abstract elements.

Still-life painting emerged as a distinct genre and professional specialization in Western painting by the late 16th century and it’s earliest examples can be found almost 100 years before this in the early 1600s. Still Life as a genre began in the Netherlands and the English term still life derives from the Dutch word Stilleven. The early still life paintings, particularly before 1700, would often contain religious and allegorical symbolism relating to the objects depicted. later Still life would be depicted through different forms of technology including photographs, computer generated images, video and sound. There are several different types of still life paintings that have been recognized over the years, including;

Set 1 (Environmental and Candids)

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Set 2 (Candids)

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Set 3 (Environmental and Candids)

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My goal for creating both environmental and candid portraits is to show the some of the subjects personality using different environments and Mise-en-Scene to add to the backgrounds of the subject. I also found that personally, i think that a home is made by the people who live there, not the rooms or objects that surround them, which is why i decided to take many of my images focusing solely on the subject, using a telephoto lens for many of the images to throw out the background to further emphasize my viewpoint.

Final Images

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Extra Images Edited & Combined with photos from War Tunnels Photoshoot:

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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.

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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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For my final set of images from the Jersey War Tunnels, I have narrowed down my selection to include a wide variety of of styles and images, including elements of Still Life, Abstract and Street Photography. I wanted to use the opportunity of of going to the War tunnels to take unique pictures that I wouldn’t have been able to capture otherwise. Whilst walking through the tunnels, I noticed several chances to capture the atmosphere of the location by taking pictures of the public that were in the tunnels at the time. Using the street photography technique helps bring an extra layer of depth to the images, as it focuses on real people rather than objects. to contrast this, I also captured many images of these objects in a “still life” style, in order to make the images look like something that could have been taken during The Occupation.

For some of my Images, I want to recreate the very antique style used by Ernest Badoux; taking a picture of the subject more or less head on, and making them look powerful/strong. I think this could be interesting to see a contrast between the perception of strength compared to the relative fragility of the body as it ages. Due to the cameras at the time, the type of photos you could take were obviously very limited, and if I use this very formal style, I will try and put my own spin on it, for instance; Using a wide shot showing the whole upper body in the style of Badoux’s pictures, but take more detailed, close up images of certain features (rings, wrinkles, eyes, freckles, etc).

These images by Michelle Sank present the concept of using settings/places to to create an atmosphere and ambiance to the subjects, as well as potentially giving the viewer an insight into their history. This means that they have much more personality in comparison to Badoux’s photos. This is an idea that I will use with certain family members (that were alive during the occupation) around the island. Another way of capturing these kind of images would be to use images of family members that are no longer alive by taking them to certain spots around the island, or Photoshopping them in.

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Martin Parr’s use of capturing events and interactions is another element I want to incorporate into my work. His use of shallow focus is especially notable and helps add another layer to his images. By using his skills of photographic composition like the Rule of Thirds and leading lines, he directs the eye to the out of focus background, as well as the sharp foreground, adding a multiple visual layers to the image. This is a technique that I would like to implement in my work, as it defiantly helps create a unique ambiance to each picture. This may be slightly harder to create when shooting in the studio, but through the use of different people and props, I feel as though I can create a similar atmosphere.

Martin Toft’s use of archaeological images to complement the faces of his subjects show age is an interesting concept of age and aging. The contrast between the rocks which will only change over the course of hundreds or thousands of years, compared to the fairly short lifespan of humans and how quickly they change over a relatively short period of time. His choice of images only adds to the overall impression it gives, with both the rocks and faces having a very similar silhouette to one another. This has a similar base concept to my idea about Badoux’s portrait style in order to show age and fragility. The idea of using an inanimate object to create a comparison between otherwise unrelated images is an idea that I would also like to try and recreate in my own work.