Here are the finished photo montage pieces I have created.
The images created were done so by using my own personal images from the trip to Battery Moltke, combined with images from the Jersey Archive of similar, if not the same areas, and other images during the occupation, including images of some of the German soldiers themselves.
Image no. 1:
I chose to combine these images because of the significance of both of the cannons. With the cannon in the background behind the infamous heavy duty cannon still present to this day at Noirmont point, and the cannon in the foreground being the main one at Battery Moltke.
Image no. 2:I chose to add all of the small details into this image just to show the ways in which the Germans were consuming the Jersey culture. The image depicts Germans walking through the streets of town, whilst the add-ons are cut from a newspaper published in Jersey. This shows how all elements of lifestyle no matter how small or significant, were altered or changed by the arrival of the Germans.
Image no. 3: This image shows a German solider positioned on an anti-aircraft gun in St. Ouens Bay. I chose to add In the cut out of the picture of the lady and the German Eagle emblem, to create a visual description of the reason that this solider in the this position he is in, what he’s fighting for and those who may be left behind as a result of this.
Image no. 4:This image shows the creation of another fortified sandpit in St. Ouens Bay which may have been an area later used to house another anti aircraft gun or larger cannon. This is a reason I positioned the cut out of the gun here, because it is likely that not long after this photo was taken, something similar would have been placed in that exact location.
Image no 5:
Here is my final image that I created for the photomontage project. In the background one can see a group of workers/manual labourers being escorted (probably to work) by a German Officer. Then in the foreground, a present day dummy, which has been dressed to recreate the outfit of one of these workers during the occupation. This is effective as it shows how similar the recreation is to the original outfits and it gives people a more detailed impression of how they may have looked in colour, wearing predominantly dark clothes.
Originally from France, Ernest Baudoux (1828-1897) worked in Jersey from 1869. In 1885 he was joined in business by his son, but two years later they sold out to John Stroud, a young photographer from London, who in turn sold his business, including many of Baudoux’s glass-plate negatives, to Albert Smith. Some of these photographs have been attributed incorrectly to Smith and the Photographic Archive of La Societe Jersiase have a project under way to attempt to correctly identify who took each of the 3000-plus images in their collection attributed to Smith.
A Chromotype portrait
There are 1385 photographs by Badoux available online from the Société’s archive. They are mainly portraits, which was the photographer’s speciality. Many of his portraits exist in two versions, one of them retouched to hide facial blemishes and wrinkles. Baudoux also undertook photographic commissions of clients’ houses and, working with his sons, he photographed views of the island.
He was the first significant chronicler of island life in images, a role which was later to be taken up by Albert Smith, which explains why there is doubt over who actually took some of the images attributed to Smith. The gallery below shows the diversity of subjects captured by his lens; from the portraits which were the bread-and-butter of an early professional photographer, to scenes of the island and pictures of major events in the mid-Victorian era.
Matt Porteous
Information:
Matt Porteous is a Jersey born photographer who travels the world capturing images of different cultures, people, objects and landscapes. He showed an unusual interest in photography from an early age, his first yellow underwater Minolta accompanied him everywhere. It was through that simple lens that he learnt to capture the sublime beauty of nature.
“Matt’s love and delight in his surroundings are evident in his work. He captures and reveals the expression and detail that is seldom evident to the naked eye. His images are alive with emotion and movement; he enters the world of that image and allows us a glimpse of his excitement, his humour, his soul. “
His mentors, close friends and travel opportunities have all influenced his approach to his work over the past 25 years. He is passionate about his photography and always has been. The love he has for his work, the people and places that he encounters along the way is apparent in the detail and perspective, in the stories he tells in his photographs.
One of his projects: Galileo G
Galileo G is a different kind of motor yacht: when constructed in 2011, the vessel represented a new design and purpose. Silvio had the boat built in order to navigate the Northwest Passage which links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, through the very north Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In order to complete this voyage, attention to design detail was mandatory: the hull is built of steel, to Ice Class criteria with extra thick plating and the rudders feature ice knives. The extra long waterline and narrow bow maximise hydrodynamic efficiency, with an added wave breaker on the foredeck, as well as all decks being heated to prevent them from freezing in the icy conditions.
There is also a nod to economic and environmental consideration, with the boat being able to run on one engine in ‘get-home mode’, or to reduce its’ fuel consumption – something that isn’t usually possible in motor yachts of this size. As a result of this, one tank of fuel will enable the vessel to travel 8000 nautical miles, which is equivalent to crossing the Atlantic three times.
Matt was welcomed by the beautiful crew, 11 always being his lucky number, and he felt like the luckiest guy alive to be invited to share this time on such an amazing adventure yacht. He was well-looked after and surrounded by a genuinely enthusiastic, caring crew, including Captain Tom who is a true gent, with a huge passion for the ocean, born from his days working as a dive instructor on adventure vessels on the Great Barrier Reef. Chef Pierre was also an all-time legend, creating incredible dishes with ease and finesse.
The crew and owner’s love for the ocean was so clear, as they appreciated their environment and the ocean at every moment. At one point, a pod of around 15 dolphins came to play around the bow, as the hydrodynamic design pushed the water aside with ease. The next day, whilst playing with the sea bobs, the guests were joined by a pod of whales and dolphins, who played together for around an hour. The creatures frolicked around the area, interacting with the movement and excitement of the underwater scooters.
Having looked at this diversely different and more modern approach to photography given by Matt it can be seen that drastic changes have occurred to how photography was used and perceived. Apart from the introduction of broader ranges of colour and texture into photography in the modern day it can be seen that the contextual and conceptual themes behind the photography can be in some ways similar and in some ways drastically different. One of those similarities could be the objective photographers in the past and present day have had to capture wealth and luxury among individuals and to present it and make it desirable, in order to create some sort of imaginative start in the viewers to think outside the box and broaden their ideas of what is and isn’t possible in their day to day lives after having seen the extravagance of others lives. One difference between them could be a slight move away from the sole purpose of catering the materialistic opportunities wealth brings and this introduction of the sub-category of capturing the experiences and emotions wealth gives rather than just the status and objects. This Is shown clearly in Matts work through the paragraph where it talks about the crews love for the ocean who were aboard the super yacht he was onboard in the project above and through the photo of the two people underwater with the sea scooters. I think this idea of showing the experiences wealth presents is a much more inclusive way of documenting this type of photography and believe it therefore brings with it a greater public interest and understanding.
The Jersey Archive is the Island’s national repository holding archival material from public institutions as well as private businesses and individuals.
With collections recognised by UNESCO, the Jersey Archive is the Island’s national repository holding records on all aspects of Jersey’s history. Researchers can use archive resources to trace their family history, the story of their house or street and to find out more about the German Occupation of Jersey during the Second World War.
In 2017 the archive team launched thousands of images from the Jersey Evening Post photographic archive. These can now be viewed online by the public.
The online catalogue includes images of a number of documents including Occupation Registration Cards, will and testaments and transcriptions of early baptism, marriage and burial registers. Documents can be downloaded through an annual subscription or on a pay per view basis.
Information leaflets are available on a variety of subjects as-well which make perfect for students or researchers studying certain topics.
Staff at Jersey Archive can assist with legal and property research enquiries, offer advice about preservation, and give talks, tours and education services.
Jersey Archive also holds the collections of the Channel Islands Family History Society.
To add to their list of impressive services and capabilities, Jersey Archive was also awarded Accredited Archive status in 2014.
Joan is an 85 yer old lady who was 6 when the German forces occupied the Channel Islands during the 2nd world war.
She lived on the North coast in a cottage with her family and had a great view of the North Eastern French coastline. She spoke of how, often, she was able to hear bombing coming from across the water. When describing which she exclaimed, ‘I used to wonder if it was waves crashing against the cliffs nearby. Until they would get closer.’
Some of the notable things Joan spoke about include:
When the Germans arrived on the islands in June of 1940, the population was ordered to hang out white flags to show their compliance and surrender.
The time she sat under bushes in the fields around her house watching the German planes train for things such as dogfights overhead. She told us how she was sitting under the hedges due to tragic stories of people being shot down by some of the planes flying above the avenue and along the waterfront.
How everyone had a ration book and a nightly curfew, which included a blackout every night to disguise the islands (blackout meaning, all windows had to be covered in sheets so the island wasn’t illuminated in case the British were overhead.
That substitutes for foods became the norm. During the occupation, due to food being so rational and scarce people started to come up with substitutes for certain types of food and drink.
That the currency during the occupation were marks and fennings.
A blurred image of Joan. I like the range of colour that spans across the width of the photo as it brings focus onto the lighter part of the image around June. However it also leaves some mystery as to how the image would actually look clear, which can be seen as a way of showing that there is much more to Joan than meets the eye.
Above are three up-close images of Joan. I took them in this manner to highlight the complexities of her skin and features such as freckles and bumps. These are all special to focus in onto as it can give an idea almost of the all the years worth of memories, encounters and potentially injuries that Joan has maybe faced during her lifetime. It gives a person a sense of wisdom and knowledge from experience.
I have edited this portrait of Joan as an experimental piece. With an aim to re-create an image similar to one that would have been taken in the occupation time which could have been present on identification cards etc. The vignette focusses the viewers attention onto Joans face in particular and the black and white gives it the old fashioned sense.Joan.
Still life emerged, particularly during the early 1600s in Dutch and Northern European paintings. Many of the objects depicted in these early works are symbolic of religion and morality reflecting on the increasing urbanization of Dutch and Flemish society, which brought with it an emphasis on the home and personal possessions, commerce and trade.
Paintings depicting burnt candles, human skulls, dying flowers, fruits and vegetables, broken chalices, jewelry, crowns, watches, mirrors, bottles, glasses, vases etc are symbolic of the transience and brevity of human life, power, beauty and wealth, as well as of the insignificance of all material things and achievements.
Below is a link directing to a website that is discussing the way in which modern artists have been able to keep Still Life Painting relevant and how hyperrealistic imagery has overturned the more classic styles of Still Life Art in order to be more useful in the modern day, for example, its uses in branding and selling of household products and accessories.
Therefore with this project as it can be seen, it was set out as an aim to look to capture similar styled Still Life Imagery from pieces we’ve seen and studied and allow us to explore the different areas of conceptual art a still life image can relate to, for example story telling or extracting emotive responses to the work by the viewers.
Here is a selection of my favourite image along with other images I thought were particularly well put together/taken:
This image has been my favourite to capture and study for a couple of reasons. The first reason I think is because of its simplicity and ability to provoke thought and ideas surrounding it with only two very mundane yet significant war objects. One way it can be interpreted, and the way I like to interpret it is by looking at the conceptual idea of the soldiers helmet leaning on the British Red Cross package. This idea of how, although the soldiers were doing all they could to help the civilians they were fighting for, they were still able to rely on the British Red Cross to support those in need which they couldn’t get to or help directly.
The lighting in this photo is quite bright to highlight all of the finer details such as the markings on the package and dents in the helmet to give the objets more of a texture and conceptual background. The focus is as sharp as it can be for the same reason and its been taken fairly close up for the same reason gain. This picture was all about capturing the finer details that provoke thought and understanding through its viewers and about the message of there being “more than meets the eye”.
Intro: Upon visiting Battery Moltke we found that there were a great amount of unique and dynamic photographic opportunities. It was interesting to learn the historical backgrounds behind the different areas whilst also aiming to capture effective images of the era in time we were studying.
We started off by visiting the remains of the larger outside cannons which had been pained to resemble the colours of what they would have been during the occupation. Lower angles suited these areas better when photographing due to the solid single coloured background of the sky which highlights and exaggerates the colour patterns on the cannons.
We then visited what used to be an emergency dorm incase of attack by the British during the occupation, which was situated under many metres of concrete below the surface. It has been renovated to contain similar furniture if not the same as when it was in use, also being fitted with a small cabinet of relics such as newspapers like this one. These came to great use when I later experimented with photomontage.
A reinactment of a likely photo one of the soldiers may have posted near their beds or work station of their partners whilst separated during the occupation .An interesting machine inside of the sleeping quarters in the bunker. Although I cannot remember its exact purpose it still makes for a captivating image highlighting the bizarreness of some machinery during that century.We then travelled through corridors, one of which I found very intriguing which was this one. The reason being that its purpose was being a chamber which, incase of a gas or chemical attack on the germans by the British, would sanitise any soldiers who may have been exposed to the explosion or attack, stopping them from contaminating others.This image I found particularly striking because of its significance in universal recognition. Viewed as a symobol of despair and hatred among most it shows how powerful am emblem can be. It is particularly worthy to note how many, who did not want to, were obliged to represent what this emblem stands for and were expected to sacrifice their homes, their families and their lives for it during those times of despair.“Eintritt Verboten” – A German sign which reads “Entry Forbidden”.A German anti-aircraft machine gun which had been restored too near enough original aesthetics.The most powerful images was able to capture during this project was this. After having wondered around the grounds of the main Battery Moltke bunker tunnels I had come across this dark, lonely and eerie corridor. What makes this image so powerful are the textures and colours portrayed in the image. The texture can be seen through the walls which are all made of poured concrete, which can also be seen to have large stains running down the sides, giving an impression of blood and gore to highlight the evil that was running though these hollow pits. The colours, being predominantly dark oranges, browns and blacks just add to the overall mood, giving the tunnel this almost visual representation of what some would describe as ‘a pathway to hell’. I believe this image is a very good indicator at what life was life to live in these bunkers and how psychologically impacting it must have been to some of the soldiers who actually resided in them.
Above are two final images I found were especially well taken due to the photographic techniques I had used to capture them, with the main one being using the manual focus to highlight areas I wanted the viewers to pay particular attention to, for example the workers facial features and clothing in the left hand picture, and the distant bunker in the right hand image.
Originally from Manchester, in the UK Jonathan now lives and works in the diverse city of Amsterdam for over 20 years. The best way to describe him is a passionate award winning location photographer with many years of experience. He is also able to speak Dutch fluently. His work has incorporated shooting travel features for National Geographic, outdoor stories for adventure magazines or working on his own landscape photography. He shoots corporate and advertising assignments for major international companies as well as for smaller local businesses.
Next to his main assignments Andrew pursues personal projects, travelling to places like the Faroe Islands, Sweden and Scotland to work on landscape photography. He is also currently photographing ruined WW2 defences as part of an on going personal project which Is why he is a very useful photographer to study as, due to the reason this is a personal project for him, it means he holds potentially more of an active interest and therefore more detailed insight into the work. The project has created much interest in the international press and has featured in ‘The Daily Mail’, ‘Wired Magazine’, ‘Creative Review’ and numerous blogs and websites. Andrew was also a guest lecturer at the ‘Willem De Koning Acadamy’ in Rotterdam, teaching landscape photography to 2nd and 3rd year students.
Archives can mean many things to many people. They can give insight into the past; help document the present and aid prediction into the future. They can be public or private and contain different images ranging from family portraits to images of sporting events of national monuments. They can be seen as an incredibly useful tool by modern photographers, who wish to study and potentially recreate past images in the modern day or document change over time to places, people or objects.
One of the defining aspects of achieves is if they are publicly accessible or if they are private. For example, places such as Societe Jersiaise are public archives where anyone with an interest is able to visit the achieve either online or in person and view the images it has to offer. This is useful as it not only allows for the archives studied to become more widely publicised and popular, but it also allows for the local community to gain a broader understanding of the local area and history, potentially engaging more peoples interest and encouraging further investigation which benefits the archive.
However, not all archives are public and private archives encompass the archives of non-public organisations including businesses, charities, religious bodies and private individuals. A vast array of societies and associations also use private archives such as political parties, pressure groups, sport and recreational clubs, and businesses. Private archives can be very useful politically, due to restricting public access to images that could dampen reputations of government officials or to restrict information given to the public about certain events and stories that may be perceived or found to be inaccurate after reviewing the whole picture.
Another talking point relating to the question directly could be posing the question of who’s achieve actually is it? This question could be interpreted as a way of looking into the relationship between public and private archives and discussing as to who really benefits from the archives and why. For example, as mentioned briefly it could be the contrast between public perception of people or events due to images being placed in public or private archives based on what the archive or organisation would like the public to perceive.
Overall archives can be viewed to have many uses to many different groups of people. Ranging from the photographers who captured the images, to the organisations the images benefit or disbenefit, to the people who study and review the images and who also recreate them. Therefore, making it uncertain as to who’s achieve it ever is.
