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First Photoshoot : Devils hole | Smugglers Inn : Landscapes

After starting some research into the legends I went out to start my first photoshoots. For this first photoshoot of landscapes I went out to Devil’s Hole in St Mary and the Old Smugglers Inn in St Brelade. I went out for this photoshoot at around midday on quite a cloudy and drizzly day. I felt this was a good time to go out to create the landscape photographs as I still had a good natural light source due to the time of day however due to the weather on the day it produced quite a gloomy and eery aura to the photographs which I feel is good and useful as I am trying to reflect something slightly eery and mysterious with the subject of these being legends and stories. The aim of this photoshoot was to go out and create a portrayal of the reminiscence on the landscapes and the island. One of my aims was to capture photographs of the actual Smugglers Inn Pub as well as the statue found on the trail to Devil’s Hole as these are some of the main aspects of the stories as well as the cave itself. Below I have my contact sheets of my photoshoot from the locations as well as the sheets from when I started to narrow down the photographs before I started to edit the photographs. I flagged down the photographs and then I also star rated them to help me decide which photographs I could potentially use in the final outcome of my personal investigation and which I would use to edit.

In order to narrow down my photographs for editing and experimenting with I had to decide and find which would be most relevant for my wants towards the final outcome of the whole investigation. For devils hole, ones with the statue and the caves where my main aim and focus to get as I feel they will help to tell the most story and be the most useful towards the outcomes and narrative of the storytelling. I have also tried to include some minimal photograph close ups of the landscape and the nature surroundings, as the landscape was so diverse. For the Old Smugglers Inn I wanted to try and mainly focus on the actual building of the pub as well as the landscaped hill leading down to it to create a narrative of the area and the surroundings of where the stories happened.

For the editing of my photographs I chose 8 out of the photoshoot to edit and experiment with, although 8 might end up being too many for the final outcome I feel if I have 8 to edit and choose from this gives me a wide range to explore with and hopefully use in the final photo-book of the personal investigation. For the actual editing part of these photographs I have explored editing the contrasts mainly and highlights and the shadows of the photographs. For some of the photographs I also experimented with some of the colour filters for the added extra effect depending on how easy the photograph was to work with in the first place as some were difficult to just adjust the contrasts and exposures deepening on how the light was sitting in that photograph.

Below are showing thew outcomes from the Devil’s Hole portion of my photoshoot. As I came to the cliff path and walk of the hole I came across some difficulties with taking pictures of the statue of the demon in the lake. It was missing it’s hands but also that it was difficult to get an up close photograph of the statue as once you were able to get quite close there was a lot of foliage and branches in the way, I have the idea that when I return to do the tableaux shoots I will retake some photographs of the statue as I will have extra hands that will help to move and keep branches out of the way. Even though the statue has been replaced over time I still feel that it holds significance to the tale and the place as the head was that of the ship that wrecked and helped to create and keep the legend of Devil’s Hole alive. The photograph I did manage to capture is a side view of the statue, with the editing and using contact effects I feel I have been able to develop at least one outcome of the shoot that I feel was successful. I was able to produce two outcomes of the landscape cliffs that are the hole itself as well as the cliffs and sea below, I think that these outcomes were successful. I liked these photographs as I feel it helps to depict thee surroundings of the legend and the stories, these cliff paths have been opened up to the public, as the main part of the legend is set on the cliff path and the cave below I feel it is important to the story to capture as when the water rises into the cave it creates such booming noises which add to the story and legend of Devil’s Hole. For my last two pictures from this shoot I wanted to capture something small and different I feel that the log going into the lake created for an interesting photograph, I enjoy the lines and shapes that are created into it as well as the green algae sitting on top of the water, after the editing I feel this has become one of my favourite photographs from the shoot. The image of the sign I created I wanted to capture something different that showed how the space had been adapted to involve the public into the legend by allowing them into the space which is something important to capture when looking into how these stories and myths have effected and occupied the landscape and the public.

Below show my outcomes from the Old Smugglers Inn from the photoshoot. I found this place harder to capture as I couldn’t take photographs inside the building as it is an indoor public space and I cannot avoid not taking pictures of people inside so was only able to capture the outside of the building and the surroundings of the pub. For my photographs I tool pictures of the actual building and connecting cottages and tried to experiment with some of the angles I was using to create the photographs, for example the one with the writing of the Old Smugglers Inn I tired to shoot it from a lower angel looking up to create a different effect than I had done with the other photographs in this portion of the shoot which is why I chose that photograph to edit and explore. For the photograph of the building and the connecting cottages I walked further down the road towards the beach to capture it looking up the road rather than head on and flat to the building as I felt it created for a more of an interesting photograph to experiment with and I believe helps to give then sense of the surroundings and showing how the legend is somewhere in everyday life of the public and the landscape. I took the photograph towards the beach to include something slightly different and away from actually looking at the legend but instead just the surroundings and the parts connected that are just everyday life, as well I feel it helps to connect the other parts of the legend with the idea of pirates staying and lodging in the Old Smugglers Inn which would have come from the slip paths from the beaches. The last photograph from the shoot I have chosen to edit is one that I again took up the road, I edited this photograph a little differently by putting a filter over the top while editing in Lightroom as I felt it made it more interesting and gave it more character compared to when I just edited with the contact and exposures normally, I feel that the warm tones and the photograph not being completely crisp but still clear create an effect of it being older and more mysterious which is something I wanted to gain out of this photoshoot and editing to produce the idea of it being a mystery, legend and story incorporating its way into our lives which I feel I have been able to start to suggest in the photographs.

essay question

Previous examples:

“How do Larry Sultan and Sam Harris’ photographs of their family represent the concept of Love?

How does the work of Phillip Toledano and Yoshikatsu Fujii show childhood and family breakups?

“How is ‘narrative’ used in Tableaux Photography?”

Possible questions:

How is tableaux photography used to show a narrative?

How does Yoshikatsu Fujii show and present the development and changes of relationships?

How does Cristina de Middel use models and portraiture to represent past events.

Final Question:

How does Cristina de Middel use tableaux photography to represent previous narratives?

Review and Reflect – Post 4 (Specification)

Occupation vs. Liberation:

The words occupation and liberation carry a lot of different meanings and connotations. This title could be taken literally as the occupation and liberation of an island such as Jersey during WWII as we have studied and explored in detail this year. However, occupation and liberation can mean a lot more. The occupation or line of work someone is in, the occupation and liberation of their minds on a much deeper and more personal level or simply the things people do to keep themselves occupied throughout their day.

https://www.dictionary.com/

My response:

For my personal investigation I will explore the relationships between friends. I will show how as people we rely on each other for our own well being. I will attempt to explore how my friends and I use our free time to have a break from the outside world and explore the deeply personal aspects of our relationship. And the emotional connection and unconditional understanding that comes with friendships. This investigation will showcase our common interests and what brings us together as individuals, and explore the relationship between our outside lives and lives behind closed doors as the less visible impacts we have on one another.

In a more literal context my personal investigation will follow the concept that our ‘occupation’ is the our state of mind towards life, ourselves and each other, and that our ‘liberation’ stems from our downtime with people we care about and what we choose to do with them, as our individual ‘therapies’. I will attempt to capture images from a range of photo shoots and real life situations showing versatile locations and activities to capture candid shots of the people I surround myself with, and gain a better understanding of how we spend our time together as well as what it means to be ‘liberated’ by those around us.

This is something I have briefly explored earlier on in the course and would like to focus on in more detail and on a deeper level than before.

Examples of earlier work as reference points:

Review and Reflect – Post 1 (Overview)

Over the course of this project I have been looking at the Occupation and Liberation of Jersey, during WWII. I have researched what life was like during the occupation of the island, gathering information from sources both online and from interviewing people who were alive during the occupation for a true insight into what survivors of the occupation and liberation of Jersey really lived through. On top of this I have looked into what the island itself has gone through, undergoing a transformation from a peaceful island to a large German fortress, with the addition of fortified towers and bunkers, many of which are still around today.

One of the techniques I have used during this topic is portraiture. I worked with Hedley Hinault and Joyce De La Haye, both of them lived through the occupation of the island. I asked them questions about their childhoods and heard their stories about German soldiers and what the people in Jersey got up to and were able to do under German control. The process of interviewing and making conversation with my portraiture subjects, which I had never met before, was a new experience to me. It was challenging but after some talking and question asking from both myself and subjects the process became much smoother as we felt comfortable working together. Being able to first speak to my subjects also made the final outcome of my portraits different as I was able to get a more genuine picture that while being set up didn’t feel stiff or nervous. I worked with a three point light set up to allow detail on the subjects’ faces to become highlighted or shadowed. I worked with all 3 lights in slightly different positions at different points of the photoshoot so that I could explore my subjects and the effects the light had upon their complexions.

Another technique I have used during this topic is landscape photography and my ability to incorporate WWII fortification and bunker architecture. I would head out to different parts of Jersey’s coastline and photograph the remains of German built structures, many of which can be found along the north and south coasts of the island due to Jersey’s proximity to both England above it and France below it. I developed my landscape skills as well as making photo montages, which consist of cutting and sticking images, both with scissors and glue and using editing software. I also made a zine, a small magazine to display my compositions in a new and different way rather than just printing flat images to look at, I had now produced something physical which the viewer could hold and interact with.

Finally we worked with objects. Once again a studio setting allowed me to develop my camera skills using different lighting and objects set ups to produce clear, well lit, close up shots. This process allowed me to experiment with laying out and positioning inanimate objects, manipulating factors such as background colour and my proximity to the subject.

I was most inspired by my work with people and objects. I enjoyed being able to work with the subjects two very different ways; being able to speak to the subjects and interact with them to gain an understanding of the subjects personally as well as being able to communicate my ideas with them and receive feedback and a second opinion. Contrasting with the work I did using objects as subject matter. This process gave me full control over the subjects, allowing me to place it how I wanted, where I wanted for as long as I wanted. I enjoyed taking close up photos during my “Home-sweet-home” project and would like to incorporate this into portraiture for my “Occupation Vs. Liberation” project.

Photography Decoded – Post 1

Bibliography; Bright, S. and Van Erp. H (2019), Photography Decoded. London; Octopus Publishing House

“Nonetheless, we can still ask ourselves in every single instance: under what circumstances are these images to be trusted as real?” – (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019: page 17)

“The daguerreotype had aspirations to both the realistic and theatrical, as well as to the commercial. The ‘mirror’ can serve as a metaphor for reality, whereas the red velvet evokes theater curtains, within which the beautiful drama would unfold” (Bright, S and Van Erp H. 2019: page 17)

“If manipulation is the first thing someone thinks of in connection to photography, what does that say about the value of the photography as a reflection of reality? And what does ‘real photography’ even look like.” (Bright, S and Van Erp H. 2019: page 17)

“Documentary and news imagery may seem the more realistic genres in photography, but their realism means nothing independently…” (Bright, S and Van Erp H. 2019: page 18)

“The process of manipulation starts as soon as we frame a person, a landscape, an object or a scene with out cameras” – (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019: page 18)

“It was taken by a drone… makes it easier to interpret the degree of reality in this image, for the lack of human subjectivity makes it an example of ‘true reality” (Bright, S and Van Erp H. 2019: page 17-18)

“Photography has undergone a transformation, not only technologically but conceptually. Initially described as a means of capturing or freezing ‘real life” (Bright, S and Van Erp H. 2019: page 18)

“The process of manipulation starts as soon as we frame a person, landscape, an object or a scene with out cameras’ (Bright, S and Van Erp H. 2019: page 18)

Academics – Post 1

Bibliography;

  • Author name (year of publication), Book title in italics.
  • Place of publication and publisher

eg.

  • Bate, D. (2015), Art Photography.
  • London; Tate Publishing
  • Author David Bate says ‘Although male photographers tend to dominate the history of early pictorialism, there were also many women photographers, who introduced new subject matter too.’ (Bate, 2015; 48)

Review & Reflect

From working on this project, investigating the German Occupation and Liberation I have learnt new camera skills and have worked with new pieces of equipment. Within this project there were many different styles of photography, the first one starting myself off was portraits. In this section I photographed an individual who was alive during the Occupation and this allowed me to work more on my communication skills with the subject, it allowed me to take control of how I wanted my image to look and what story to tell. Along with taking individual portraits, I took images of the couple that came to talk to us, however photographing the couple was proven more difficult than I thought, I had to communicate with both subjects and try to get them to compliment each other in the image. I also had to think more about my lighting, as the male subject was stood slightly to the side and back of the other subject which cast a shadow over the women, which darkened and hide her features which I didn’t want, this lead to me adjusting the lighting so that the shadows would be cast behind them and their features would be bold enough for viewers to see at the glimpse of the image. After the portiere I then moved on to photographic objects from the Occupation and I learnt about two different set ups I could use to photograph different images.

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Using the different set ups, allowed me to focus and work on camera skills and director skills. As I had to take charge of what objects I wanted in an image and how they would complement each other, along with working with the lighting, making sure shadows were cast in the right direction and space to give off the feeling I wanted it to. With the set up with the camera facing downwards I had to constantly experiment where my image was placed as I could see through the lens, this set up took a lot more patience as I had to change the objects positioning multiple times. The different skills I learnt will be able to help me with my personal study as I have the skill to direct my own images and put across my different ideas.

Throughout this project I have photographed landscapes, people and objects which meant I had to use different techniques in order for my to portray the meaning of occupation and liberation through an image. When photographing the different landscapes, I had to work with the natural lighting I had around me and I couldn’t change the surroundings to how I wanted them I had to photograph them as they were. However, when photographing people and objects, I was able to direct my images, I could place them in certain positions or tell the people to have different facial expressions or body stance. I much preferred photographing people and objects, as I had more control over how I wanted my image to look, as I was able to home in on features and complexions that were visible on my subject. I will continue to work with people and objects for my personal study.

Contextual Studies – Post 4 (Postmodernism)

Post Modernism:

Post Modernism was developed in the mid to late 20th century by Architects as they criticised an international style of modern architecture to explore the way society constructs and imposes a traditional hierarchy of cultural values and meaning.  ​The style goes the against the cultural trends in photography, also known as ‘modernism’. It focuses on the rapid change within society and the prospect of people making their own decisions. ​

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It is to be a language which allows a discourse between the unconscious and conscious to ensure the unconscious plays a role within the world. Postmodernism embraces complex and often contradictory layers of meaning​.

Barbara Kruger:

Barbara Kruger was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1945. After attending Syracuse University, the School of Visual Arts, and studying art and design with Diane Arbus at Parson’s School of Design in New York, Kruger obtained a design job at Condé Nast Publications. Working for Mademoiselle Magazine, she was quickly promoted to head designer. Later, she worked as a graphic designer, art director, and picture editor in the art departments at House and Garden, Aperture, and other publications. This background in design is evident in the work for which she is now internationally renowned. She layers found photographs from existing sources with pithy and aggressive text that involves the viewer in the struggle for power and control that her captions speak to. In their trademark black letters against a slash of red background, some of her instantly recognisable slogans read “I shop therefore I am,” and “Your body is a battleground.”

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Much of her text questions the viewer about feminism, classicism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire, although her black-and-white images are culled from the mainstream magazines that sell the very ideas she is disputing. As well as appearing in museums and galleries worldwide, Kruger’s work has appeared on billboards, bus cards, posters, a public park, a train station platform in Strasbourg, France, and in other public commissions. She has taught at the California Institute of Art, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in New York and Los Angeles.

Image result for barbara kruger