For my second shoot I will be taking portrait style images inspired by one of my case studies, Daniel Meadows. I will be taking these images in order to show my dad’s family now. Since Meadows took his images in the subject’s homes, I have decided to also use my father’s family home as the location for this shoot. I will most likely be using the lounge/livingroom as a location, as it symbolizes family as its where we spend most of our time together. I plan on organizing my family members in a distinct way as you can see in the mood board on the left, in order to make the portraits look more clean and put together. I will most likely be using a tripod in order to make sure my images are in focus, the shutter speed will not be too high as it will most likely be late towards the night when I do this shoot and this will help make sure my images aren’t too dark. The ISO will have to be quite high, and I will need to make sure my white balance Matches well with the lighting around the house.
Picking my best images using Lightroom:
Below you can see the process of how I chose my best images through screenshots. I began by flagging my best images, in order to get rid of the bad photos then I color coded them using red, yellow and green.
Editing:
original
edited
Although I didn’t intend to take images like the one above, This is my favorite outcome as one of my archival images with my parents looks very similar, and I think this could be interesting in showing how my family has changed.To edit i reduced the brightness and increased the contrast. I wanted the faded tattoos on my dad’s hand to be more visible so it is obvious to the audience it is him, although the majority has been laser removed.
Reflecting on the photo shoot:
My intention for this shoot was to capture what my father’s side of the family, now that he has a new partner, no longer together. I wanted to make the portraits similar to the ones above in the mood board, however I feel that during the photo shoot process the images turned out more candid that I originally wanted, as I also ended up capturing some detail shots also which I had not planned on doing. On one hand I believe this lets some personality shine through the images, but on the other hand I would have preferred to also capture something more professional looking because I feel that will make the photo book have a more polished look. I think I may redo this shoot, in order to achieve my original intention, then compare and see which images look best. If I do decide to retake, I would prefer to use a different setting as I think the background of these images are far too distracting to facilitate successful portraits leading to a minimal amount of successful images from this shoot. I also felt as if these images made my narrative less personal since the foundation of my project is based on my biological parents and my brother.
Where mimosa bloom is a photo book by Rita Puig-Serra Costa which is the result of 2 years work, collecting and photographing things and different areas. The narrative is very emotional as it was an outlet for Costa to deal with the grief she felt after loosing her mother. The subject matter of the book is diverse, as there are archival images, portraits of people who played an important role in her relationship with her mother, and also landscapes of places.
2. Who is the photographer?
The photo book is described as being “an extended farewell” to her mother in the form of images, meaning it was made as an homage to her mother. I think this photo book effectively shows love, loss and pain. Because this piece of work is very emotional, it is likely that only positive sentiments of her family unit will be shown, which can be limiting as we may not get a full insight to her family.
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book such as:
Book in hand: When holding the book, it is clear it is a hardcover and that there is some sort of texture to the front and back cover. The binding appears to be regular as it is all joined together on the left side.
Paper and ink: The paper and ink used appears to be standard and there is a clear use of bright and pastel colors instead of darker ones. The book has a Hot foil embossed textured hardcover and 5 die cut pages. 54 color plates are used.
“Die cut” pages displayed above
Format, size and orientation: The size of the book is 16 x 22.5 cm and the orientation is Portrait.It is A5 size with 96 pages.
Title: The title is rather poetic, and relevant as mimosa are soft and delicate and this could reflect that this plant was important in her relationship with her mother. Since it is quite poetic it is very intriguing as it invited the reader in in order to be able understand it’s metaphorical meaning.
Narrative: The story is about her’s and her mother’s life and the subject matter at hand is her family and important relationships within her personal family structure. It is told at the beginning through a family tree style approach as with every die cut page we turn someone else from her family is revealed. We then go onto see archive materials in the form of images and objects along with portraits in order to further understand the individuals shown.
Structure and architecture: One repeating motif seen throughout the book is how there is a repeated structure of placing an image of an object, next to a family member’s portrait. I think this aids the narrative since it develops the concept of her attempting to reconnect with her mother through people and objects, and having this repeated also helps the audience to feel as if they are a part of her journey of discovery.
image of an object displayed against a portrait.
Design and layout: The photographer uses a wide variety of techniques when displaying her images. Some images are portrayed landscape, while others such as portraits are displayed portrait. Some images are displayed using a double spread, whereas some archive images are displayed altogether on a page in groups of 3. The book contains no inserts or fold outs, which I feel is good otherwise the book could become too confusing and the viewer would not focus on the concept as the way the images are displayed is already quite varied.
full bleed, double page spread.
Editing and sequencing: There are 5 die cut pages at the beginning, where a different picture is revealed from cut out paper as you turn a page. This sequence reinforces how the book revolves around family, and it introduces her relatives to us in a simple way, which doesn’t overwhelm you with knowledge. The photographer also chooses to display certain objects on one side of a page next to a portrait, which could convey the feeling that the object is of significant importance to the person shown in the portrait. This also creates an obvious juxtaposition because a portrait and an object contrast very clearly.
Images and text: Towards the end there is a page which lists all the objects displayed in the book and all the people who’s portraits are in the book. It also shows what each object is and who it belongs too which is very effective because it allows the audience more likely to understand her story. There is also a sentimental letter towards the end which she has written, and addressed to her late mother. It is first printed in Catalan, which is the one of the official languages of the Spanish region of Catalan, which helps show the emotional connection between her and her mother since it is written is their native language. It is then printed again in English. She speaks about her she still feels her mother’s presence when surrounded by family, of when she looks at herself. She explains how although she is very upset that she’s no longer here, she finds comfort in the fact that she has so many ways of remembering her.
Essay question: How do Diana Markosian and Rita Puig-Serra Costa express the notion of family history and relationships in their work?
Opening quote
"If manipulation is the first thing someone thinks of in connection to photography, what that does that say about the value of the photograph as a reflection of reality?" (Bright and Van Erp 2019:17)
Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analyzing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
My area of study will be focused on my family's history; more specifically the story of both my parents and important events in their life which lead to me being where I am today. I have chosen to analyze Diana Markosian because her project "Inventing My Father" contrasts directly with Rita Puig-serra Costa's study "Where Mimosa Bloom" which I will also be referring to throughout this essay. I like the way Diana explores the absence of her father in her life in such a personal and raw way, as I think it makes people able to empathize with her. In her project she explores the absence of her father, which eventually leads to a reunion which she captures in images. The images along with the context she provides into her life, makes this project very interesting. Equally, I think the way Costa explores her family through the use of archival images and objects was very effective as it really conveyed a sense of love and importance of family.I specifically loved how her entire project was an homage to her mother as it further shows how fond she is of her family when paired with carefully photographed objects, a thoughtfully taken portraits. I decided to really focus on these two photographers throughout my personal study because I could personally relate to the different ways both artists portrayed their family, as I think on one hand I have a close bond with certain members of my family, and due to my Portuguese heritage, family has always been of great value to me. However on the other hand, due to my parents separating there is also an element of a lack of a parental figure in the narrative I intend to tell. In this essay I will be discussing the notion of family and relationships, loss and hope in the works of both these artists.
Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian.
Realism is the concept of capturing things in their natural element. This genre of photography is most useful when trying to capture something such as family history, as documentary photography allows us to be able to see someone's real life situation through a photograph. Photographers such as Dorothea Lange and Paul Strand focused on documenting the effects of urbanization and industrialization on working class Americans. This was something very prominent at the time of this movement, as the great depression in 1929 left a lot of people struggling. We now see this type of photography as realism. I feel as if this movement fits in well with my personal study as it recognizes the importance of capturing raw, documentary style images which I think is important when exploring something as personal as a family’s history, especially when it involves immigration and the struggle surrounding that journey. Images of this sort are characterized by having a wide depth of field and having sharp focus which contradicts the pictorialist style. The movement away from creating a painterly aesthetic ultimately opened the door to a more forensic approach…but one that is open to distortion, manipulation and the notion of narrative. This will ultimately depend on the agenda of the artist, their integrity and skill in delivering a message, story or sequence of events.
Good flow of language showing a good understanding of documentary photography. However, what are some of the issues of photography’s relationship with reality? Photography is only a representation of reality and what;s in front of the camera can be altered, re-framed, re-contextualised to suit a particular point of view. You mention Dorothea Lange, who famous image ‘Migrant Worker’ from 1936 embodies photograpy’ ambigious relationship with realism. Use this image as a case-study to write about this problematic. See me tomorrow for something to read!
Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
In my opinion, Diana Markosian uses an non-traditional method when exploring the family concept in her projects. Instead of focusing on positiveness, and happiness, she focuses on the negative aspect, which is the fact that she grew up without her father figure ;whereas normally happier moments and aspects are explored in relation to family and the concept of a family photograph. I think this makes her work stand out among other photographers who explore the concept of family relationships, as it's more truthful and goes against the dominating stereotype that every family is perfect, making it more contemporary and relatable to modern day people. This view is put across to the audience through her work as she uses a lot of black and white images which present a sense of emptiness or despair and make her images feel cold and slightly unemotional. She also uses archival images, which would otherwise portray a sense of happiness, alongside the black and white images which instead give the audience an indication that there's a slight sense of resentment, especially the archival image that her father is cut out of. I believe Diana Markosian represents a modern wave of photography where the beauty of imperfectness can be appreciated.
In my opinion the image above is one of Markosian's best as it is technically appealing a rich in context. After a 15 year separation from her father, her father told her he'd also been looking for her and showed her this suitcase of undelivered letters, a shirt he was saving for her brother's weddings, newspaper clippings and images. This image is in black and white making it more emotionally detached yet since the objects are sentimental it creates an interesting juxtaposition, as it shows the photographer is conflicted over her feelings over the objects.
Choose a specific example now and analyse
Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses
Rita Puig-Serra Puig takes the completely opposite approach when compared to Diana Markosian. Throughout Rita's body of work, "where mimosa bloom" it is clear that the project, which is an homage to her mother, is very thoughtful, and shows a clear overpowering sense of love for her family. This can be seen through many aspects of her work, including the light color scheme throughout her images as she effectively conveys a sense of delicacy through a pastel colours and also the metaphorical link to mimosa, a brightly colored type of plant which is very graceful and lively. I think that Rita's work is a more traditional way of portraying family as she utilises portraiture and archival objects in a positive way.I think Rita Puig-Serra's work represents positive sentiments towards relationships giving a romantic representation of a typical family unit.
This book exudes closeness and sentimentality, a kind of poetic bond between women
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
To conclude, both Markosian and Costa have created very emotional pieces of work based on their own personal family stories and journeys. Although we do get a sense of love from Markosian's work, I believe this sentiment is often fighting against a feeling of hatred and resentment towards her father, whereas we purely get the feeling of love and closeness from Costa's photo book. Costa's photo book contains a very unique color palette containing light, delicate, pastel colors which is expected as her images are delicately framed and excrete fondness towards her family. On the other hand, Markosian's body of work contains a lot of black and white images which shows that there is a lot of distance between her and the subject, yet all the things she photographs are of rich sentimental meaning to her. Both photographers also make use of archival images and objects, Costa utilises this to show a deep connection to her mother whereas due to the nature of Markosian's work, her archival objects are used to show her father as being someone she is detached from.
Invisible hands is a very intriguing exhibition by Alicja Rogalska in association with The Morning Boat, and also migrant workers. It is on show at the Jersey Arts Centre and it aims to show Jersey through the perspective of the migrant workers in Jersey. I think this is very important as the seasonal work undertaken by these migrant workers has always been vital to Jersey’s economy, however it is an area that is not very well documented or known about.
As you can see from some of the images on the mood board, technically, the images are not of high quality. This is due to the fact that the migrant workers actually took the images themselves. Because of this the images give us an interesting first hand insight that a photographer would not be able to achieve. So, although they may not be of high technical quality, they are conceptually and contextually rich.
During the exhibition a video was played, which showcased the migrant workers, but not their actual faces in order to allow them to be more honest about what they face. In this video we saw all the migrant workers creating clay potatoes as this is a symbol of what they do. As they were making the potatoes they spoke about important criteria they felt was important to meet in order for an employer to be awarded the Agri-care prize.
The Agri-care prize is an award for the best employer in the agricultural sector, which was created with the help of migrant workers. Through conversations with Polish manual laborers, the criteria for this prize was created. During these discussions, they made clay potatoes as I mentioned above, and the best one was selected to be cast in bronze and used as the physical award. During the exhibition I learned that some of the criteria that the workers felt were important to meet, could only be achieved through legislative changes and industrial action in order to created a fair working environment where workers are not exploited.
I thought that this exhibition was very important. Highlighting this aspect of Jersey’s agricultural sector is super important as there is not much known about it, meaning that there are many people living and working in conditions that most people would be appalled by. This exhibition highlights the importance of being socially aware, through first hand testimony and images which triggers emotion within the viewers, which in my opinion, makes it a very effective exhibition and project. I really like how the photographer decided to let the migrant workers capture the images, as it allowed the concept to shine through more clearly compared to if she had decided to photograph it herself. I also think that having a video conveyed more emotion and context as images are limited to only appealing to an audience visually, where as being able to hear from the actual people who are suffering makes it more personal. The exhibition name “invisible hands” is emphasized by the fact that no one face is seen in the video, and it also has a metaphorical meaning as these are the people that our society, sadly, doesn’t notice.
I especially like this exhibition, as it partially fits into the beginning of my personal study since both my parents were economic migrants before they decided to settle in Jersey.
Bright, S. and Van Erp, H.(2019), Photography Decoded. London: octopus Publishing House
"If manipulation is the first thing someone thinks of in connection to photography, what that does that say about the value of the photograph as a reflection of reality?" (Bright and Van Erp 2019:17)
"The Daguerreotype had aspirations to both the realistic and theatrical, as well as to the commercial" (Bright and Van Erp 2019:17)
"The process of manipulation starts as soon as we frame a person, a landscape, an object or a scene with our cameras" (Bright and Van Erp 2019:18)
"Documentary and news imagery may seem the most realistic genres in photography, but their realism means nothing independently of how news media apply their ethical codes" (Bright and Van Erp 2019:18)
Essay question: How do Diana Markosian and Rita Puig-Serra Costa, express the notion of family history and relationships in their work?
Opening quote
"If manipulation is the first thing someone thinks of in connection to photography, what that does that say about the value of the photograph as a reflection of reality?" (Bright and Van Erp 2019:17)
Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analyzing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
My area of study Will be focused on my family's history, more specifically the story of both my parents and important events in their life which lead to me being where I am today. I have chosen to analyze Diana Markosian because her project "inventing my father" contrasts directly with Rita Puig-serra Costa's study "where mimosa bloom" which I will also be referring to throughout this essay. I like the way Diana explores the absence of her father in her life in such a personal and raw way, as I think it makes people able to empathize with her. Equally, I think the way Rita explored her family through the use of archival images and objects was very effective as it really conveyed a sense of love and importance of family. I decided to really focus on these two photographers throughout my personal study because I could personally relate to the different ways both artists portrayed their family, as I think on one hand I have a close bond with certain members of my family, and due to my Portuguese heritage, family has always been of great value to me. However on the other hand, due to my parents divorcing I have also experience the lack of a parent in my life.
Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian.
Realism is the concept of capturing things in their natural element. This style of photography is most useful when trying to capture something such as family history, as documentary style photography allows us to be able to see someone's real life situation through a photograph. Photographers such as Dorothea Langue and Paul Strand focused on documenting the effects of urbanization and industrialization on working class Americans. This was something very prominent at the time of this movement, as the great depression in 1929 left a lot of people struggling. We now see this type of photography as Photojournalism. I feel as if this movement fits in well with my personal study as it recognizes the importance of capturing raw, documentary style images which I think is important when exploring something as personal as a family’s history, especially when it involves immigration and the struggle surrounding that journey. Images of this sort are characterized by having a wide depth of field and having sharp focus which contradicts the pictorialist style.
Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
In my opinion, Diana Markosian uses an untraditional method when exploring the family concept in her projects. Instead of focusing on positiveness, and happiness, she focuses on the negative aspect, which is the fact that she grew up without her father figure. I think this makes her work stand out amongst other photographers who explore the notion of family relationships, as it's more truthful and goes against the dominating stereotype that every family is perfect. This view is put across to the audience through her work as she uses a lot of black and white images which present a sense of emptiness or despair and make her images feel cold. She also uses archival images, which would otherwise portray a sense of happiness, alongside the black and white images which instead give the audience a slight sense of resentment.
Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
Rita Puig-Serra takes a completely opposite approach when compared to Diana Markosian. Throughout Rita's body of work, "where mimosa bloom" it is clear that the project, which is an homage to her mother, is very thoughtful, and shows a clear overpowering sense on love for her family. This can be seen through many aspects of her work, including the light colour scheme throughout her images as she effectively conveys a sense of delicacy through a pastel colours and also the metaphorical link to mimosa, a brightly coloured type of plant which is very graceful and lively.
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
Differences:
.Sense of hatred vs sense of love
.Black & white/cold composition vs. delicate/thoughtful composition
Similarities:
.Archival images/objects (however one portrays them as positive, and other photographer portrays it as negative)
In this blog post I will be researching Laia Abril’s project, “The Epilogue”.
Laia Abril is a photographer and storyteller who’s work mostly relates to femininity and the struggles that come along with it such as abortion and eating disorders. This project is based on the Robinson family, more specifically their story after they lost their daughter, Cammy, to bulimia at the age of 26. Laia worked really closely with the family telling their story through the use of archival images, interviews/testimonies and photographing important locations. The book is a sort of outlet which allows the family to voice their guilt and grief while also remembering the life of the family member they tragically lost.
“Laia Abril shows us the dilemmas and struggles confronted by many young girls” –Source
I have decided to use Laia as a case study as after looking through her book. I saw how she effectively told a family’s history, in which she was not personally involved in, so successfully through the use of first hand testimony and through photographing locations and by using archival family images. From looking a Laia’s work I have decided to incorporate 2 of her techniques into my own work which is the use of testimony and also through photographing important location with memories and meaning behind them, which you can see some examples of in the mood board.
“Part of the reason why ‘The Epilogue’ works so well is because it acknowledges the restrictions of the two media it intermixes – pictures and words. It has them work with each other, having them support each other” –Source
You can see on the left, how the photographer cleverly incorporated text alongside imagery without compromising the aesthetic of the book, which is something I may also take away from this body of work. I think this is successful as the text doesn’t draw the attention away from the imagery as its hidden, yet the viewer is still able to find vital contextual information.
Analysis:
Visually, it’s clear to see that the object in the image is a deflated balloon. Although some of the text is not visible, from the context above it is clear it is most likely a “get well soon” balloon.
Technically, the composition of the page is interesting. The image itself is very clear and sharp, and the page can be opened up to reveal a document, which you can see in the image below.
Contextually, the document shows us that this particular object may have been given to Cammy while she was in hospital, as the document shown in the fold is a report saying she was admitted into hospital.
Conceptually, the photographer may have used the object to reflect Cammy’s state at the time. The balloon in the image in clearly deflated, yet on the outside it shows a bright, happy pattern with little cartoons on it. This could reflect the fact that when Cammy began to get bulimic tendencies her mental state was deteriorating, however she still put up a brave façade and insisted to her family that she was fine, and everything was ok. However, the meaning may not be that symbolic and it may have purely been incorporated as it is an object which holds significant memory of this period of time.
Daniel Meadows, born in 1952, is a British photographer. He is from Gloucestershire. In this post I will be researching his photographic project, “June street”.
June street is essentially a series of family portraits Meadows has taken of British families in a documentary style. The aim of all these images was to capture the essence of every day, ordinary people. It’s clear from all these images that these are everyday working class families, as there’s nothing very extravagant or luxurious in the pictures. All these images were taken in the 1970s.
What attracted Meadows to photographing these people were the fact that all the houses on this street were awaiting demolition, and also the fact that it had been the street used to film the British soap, Coronation street.
“As a photographer, my principal subject was – and remains – the British people” – Source
I decided to use Meadows as one of my chosen case studies as I like how his portraits portray the family unit in their environment, as I feel it can give the viewer a sense of knowledge surrounding the people in the images, as their environment can reveal a lot about them. I will use his work as inspiration when taking my own environmental portraits of my family to show both my mum’s and dad’s new families, which will represent their new relationships and lives since splitting up. I think this will be a successful way to depict this chapter of their lives as it will show viewers new relationships, and other things of significance in their life.
“I’m not interested in celebrities, just ordinary folk.”– Source
In the video below, Meadows analyses his own work and also explains additional context regarding a selection of the image he took.
Technically, the composition of this image is very pleasing to the eye as the photographer has used the rule of thirds by placing the subjects on the right side of the frame. I think this balances the environment and the family perfectly in the image.
Visually, We can see what appears to be a mother, her 2 children and a cat in their home environment. Behind her we can see what appears to be a painting or image, likely of someone of importance, as it is hanging centrally on the wall. We can also see objects hanging on the wall which adds more personality to the image.
We know contextually, that Meadows photographed different families, all working class, and their individual structures on “June street” in Salford, where 20 houses were awaiting demolition.
I think that conceptually, this image may show the bond of a single parent family as we see the mother in very close proximity to her children, and her expression shows she is very happy. Although, contextually I know at this time being single and working class would come with very difficult struggles and hardships, the strong sense of community on this street would have probably made life a little bit easier.
