For this assignment I will be taking environmental and candid portraits within the home.
An environmental portrait is an image taking of someone, where their surrounding is important as it contains information or clues towards someone’s personal story.
A Candid portrait is an image taken of people when they’re unaware. Unlike environmental portraits, the scene is not artificially set which means that this photography style is used to capture natural, raw moments.
Larry Sultan
Larry Sultan (July 13, 1946 – December 13, 2009) was an American photographer from California. He taught at the San Francisco art institute and at the California college of arts.
“I love making pictures, even if most of the results are lousy.”– Source
His book “pictures from home” was published in 1992, and is a collection of images he took of is parents in the 80s.
“The demands of my project and my confusion about its meaning, is the wish to take photography literally. To stop time. I want my parents to live for ever.” – Source
Candid photography photo shoot
Plan:
After looking at Larry Sultan’s work, I decided I also wanted to photograph family. I chose to photograph my dad as he is my closest family member meaning I can get a realistic representation of him. I chose to photograph him as I know that he has multiple varied roles in the house and I thought that it would be interesting to see the contrasts. I do not plan on intentionally creating scenarios, instead I plan on taking images of him doing things naturally that I think I could photograph in an interesting way.
1st selection of images- I flagged the images that I thought were the best from my entire photo shoot.Here you can see all the flagged images.Next, I colour coded my flagged images with green being the best photos, yellow being the ok images, and the red being the ones I didn’t think were very good.
Edits:
To edit these images I used a very similar approach. I increased the contrast slightly in order to make the subject stand out more,and I increased the vibrancy on each image in order to bring more colour to the selection of images.
Technical: I took this image using manual focus so that the hand was very clear, and the background slightly blurred. I used a shutter speed of around 1/250, and flash to brighten the scene, Context: I took this image of my dad while he was in his home office. Visual: It is clear that this image was taken from an unusual perspective as were able to see a side view from behind the subject. The background is filled with books and stacks of paper making it clear that it is an office environment. we can also see a faded tattoo on the subject’s hand. Conceptual: I think that this image is very interesting as we cannot see the subject’s face, however we still see some elements of their personality through the background and through the tattoo.
Daniel Meadows
Daniel meadows was born in Gloucestershire, England on the 28 Jan 1952.
“As a photographer, my principal subject was – and remains – the British people,”– Source
From January 1972 he rented a barber shop in Manchester and invited people in to have their portraits taken for free. He team out of money in two months but had gained good experience. In the 70s he became interested in becoming a teacher and was invited to help teach documentary photography at Newport college of art and design.
“I’m not interested in celebrities, just ordinary folk.”– Source
Environmental portrait shoot
Plan:
After looking at Daniel’s work, I like how he took images of people who weren’t as personal to him. I plan on taking images of one of my friends in their bedroom as I feel it is a personal environment to them and it allows us to see elements of their personality. This shoot with be slightly more staged as I will need to position the subject in order to get successful environmental portraits and the subject will be more aware of my presence.
Here are all the outcomes from the shoot.Here you can see the images I flagged s part as my 1st selectionNext I colour coded the images based on how successful I thought they were
Edits:
To edit this image, I increased the contrast as there are a lot of different colours in the images on the wall, and I wanted them to stand out. I also increased the highlights and decreased the white. All this combined helped the white balance look more appropriate and it also helped add more colour to the photo.Although this does not show the subject, it allows us to learn about them since it shows their interests and what sort of images they like.To achieve the outcome below, I increased the contrast slightly to make the green and black look more prominent amongst all the white. I increased the highlight and white in order to make the overall appearance of the photo appear brighter. Decreasing the shadow helped make the image less dark.I think that this image is successful as it shows the subject’s passion. It is clear from this picture that the subject is a dancer or enjoys dance as we can see a sign referring to the activity and because we can also see a trophy to the left which may have been dance related.to begin, I slightly increased the exposure because I thought my image looked slightly dark. I then increased the contrast in order to make sure the image didn’t look over exposed. I then increased the highlights so that the picture looked brighter, and I decreased the shadow to make sure the overall aesthetic of the photo was bright.To begin with, this image was slightly over exposed due to the excess light coming in from the window. To fix this, I decreased the exposure until I felt the picture looked balanced. I then increased the contrast so that all the colours in the photo didn’t look washed out amongst the white background. To make sure the room looked clear and bright, I increased the whites and the highlights. One aspect of the image I really wanted to capture were the fairy lights. However since it was still very light outside I was not able to capture the slight yellow tint they were emitting. Because of this, I increased the temperature to a point where I felt it looked quite natural and as it it was due to the lights. This was important for me to capture as I felt like it makes the image look more homely and cosy, and less cold and clinical. Technical: This picture was taken using portrait mode, and the exposure time was 1/30. Context: I took this image of a friend in their bedroom. Visual: In this picture we see a subject in bed. The image is very bright and the background appears very white and clean. On the bottom Left hand side of the image we see a photo frame with an image in it, and 2 plants. Behind the subject we can see an image wall which resembles a mood board. Conceptual: The main concept of this picture was to try and capture the subject’s personality. The picture frame on the side does this as it shows the subject’s friends. We can also learn a lot about the person through the images they chose to display on their wall. The fairy lights also add a homely warmth to the image.
The German Register Cards are a set of unique cards which explore the background of people who lived through the occupation. German authorities made it compulsory for everyone on the Island to have one of these cards when they first occupied the island. The register process involved the collection of personal details (Name, Address, Date of Birth, Occupation) and a picture of each islander. The German authorities kept an official set of all the registration which can now all be viewed at Jersey’s Archive. The card’s were only given to those over the age of 14, anyone under this age would have their details placed on the back of their fathers Identity card. The cards were constantly updated, whenever a family moved address, had another child etc. Each card was accompanied by a blue form which had additional information, such as physical peculiarities. Islander’s were forced to carry their cards with them everywhere, so they could easily be identified by German soldiers. Many of the Jersey occupation registration cards have been listed by UNESCO, which means they are registered as they have important cultural or historical significance.These registration cards can now be found within Jersey’ Archive and the War Tunnels, which allows us to explore the past and personal lives of these people. The information will tell us how these people were treated as well as a reflection of their life during the occupation.
Exploring a Story:
Maurice Edwarde Green – Identity Card. – Property Of Jersey Archives
Maurice Edwarde Green was only 12 years of age when the first German planes flew over the island, dropping the two cylinders, with messages declaring the start of the occupation. One of his memories was being commanded to place white flags on all buildings around the Island, in order to ensure that the German’s knew the Island was surrendering, so they would not be bombed. His mother placed many white towels onto bamboo sticks and hung them out of their window. On his German Registration Card it informed me that he was diabetic and has been on insulin from a very young age, during the occupation people where put on rations making it hard for Maurice to get his insulin. He had the Jersey States Department of Health importing and handing him over the hormones to keep his body working. Very soon the insulin supply ran short, making dieting a massive issue for diabetics living in the war. During the insulin shortage he was forced to live in a hospital, because he was diabetic, were Maurice kept leaving as he did not enjoy sitting/lying down all day, the nurses all thought he was mad. Eventually, the Red Cross parcels began to ship in he went and collected more insulin off the ‘Vega’, however he was told he was not allowed on the ship to take the medication. Due to him learning German from a young age he spoke to the solider who refused entry saying his friend who hasn’t seen for ages was onboard, thus allowing him to be granted access onto the rear of the ship. Maurice lived through the pain and horror’s of the war, but some people may consider his story even more horrific due to him not being able to get access to insulin, which is keeping his body a live. The short story gives us insight into what the war was like for medically ill citizens and informs us about the dangers and risks they took in order to survive.
To evaluate my zine design, I believe I have produced a strong outcome which showcases my work following my intended narrative. To begin with my front cover takes inspiration from the bunker green books made by the German’s during the second world war, which showcases my ability to take inspiration and implement said inspiration into my work for an intended affect. The sequencing of my imagery within my photographic zine works well, as it clearly showcases my narrative, the decay of Jersey’s bunker’s and how nature is taking back its land, and each image compliments one another with not having any miss fits within the design. My layouts are well thought out, as I have considered contrast, shape and how the images compliment each other, and work at different sizes. This process was not easy and my experimentation can be seen on previous blog posts, were I explored the layouts of different images. In my final design I decided to include text, which I believed to help convey my narrative, supporting the images in the story. I experimented with different fonts till I was happy with one which fit well with my images and presents an older time frame within my images. To conclude, I am very happy with my final design, as it showcases my strongest outcomes from my work so far, and shows my understanding of what makes a successful zine, which shows how I have acted upon my research.
After concluding the Bunker Archeology project, which ended in the production of a zine containing a range of the different images I captured, I was able to evaluate an critisize my own work, and develop an overall opinion on the project as a whole, from start to finish.
I found the project interesting, and enjoyed the process of researching more into Jersey’s occupation during WW2. I found the process of developing and planning photoshoots to be interesting, and I feel like I was able to create a strong set of final images, developed from a wide range of initial shots, taken during photoshoots both planned in class, and as extra out-of-school work. The process of selecting images that I wanted to continue working on was an interesting experience, as it allowed me to develop and home in on skills such as self reflection, and the ability to make quick decisions when it came to rejecting and selecting my own work. I made use of Adobe Lightroom during this selection process, and my skills using this software developed as I continued to use it through the editing process. I was then able to make a selection of 15 final images, fully edited using both Lightroom and Photoshop, that I could use in my final product (my Zine). The production and planning of my zine was a process, as I drafted range of ideas before concluding on my final design, which was selected based on a range of factors such as; the arrangement of the images I selected into a meaningful sequence, the development of a title and cover pages to draw the eye of the viewer, and the inclusion of extra pages (such as extracts within/attached to the zine) which would be used to provide further information/context on the zine. Overall, I found the process of the project to be enjoyable, and I feel that my final product was a success.
Although I ran into some difficulties along the course of the project, such as having to lear new software, struggling to come up with a sequence for the images within the zine, and at times struggling to keep up with the deadlines for photoshoots, I feel like I was able to produce a meaning final result, and successfully showed my process, in detail, from the beginning to the end of the project through my blog. Although the image quality of my final zine does not perfectly reflect my planned result (the colour saturation within the printers used resulted in the images often printing slightly darker, and the colours were often less bold) I feel like my in depth planning within the editing/planning blog posts helps to paint an accurate picture of what I was intending to produce with my final product.
Overall, I feel that the Bunker Archeology project has been a success, in which I have learned a range of new skills (particularly with new software), and have developed my ability to create a story/sequence using a series of images, in which a range of images can be used to tell a story/present a theme.
For my first design I followed the sequence which I outlined on my previous blog post. Having the start and finish have imagery of landscapes of and around the bunkers, and the middle pages containing images of the bunkers, showcasing their decay. To create this layout I used InDesign, I set up my page to be portrait and the size of A5 paper and in the style of a photo book. In this attempt I looked at different page spreads, what works and what does not look as effective. Within this initial design and experimentation I managed to produce spreads which work well in showcasing my narrative. However, some pages need to be reconsidered and the sequencing of my images could also be reconsidered in order to produce a stronger outcome.
For my front cover, I took inspiration from the archival green books found at Society Jersiase. Below is an example of the green book cover.
Societe Jersiaise – Photo Archive & Lord Coutanche Library.
The ideology behind replicating this, was that the green books were created by the German’s during the war, showcasing the defence systems in the area on the front cover. Due to them being archival material it begins to suggest that the defence systems have changed due to the abandonment, thus it begins to present my narrative of the decay of Jersey Bunkers. For my cover I used a dark green to cover the back and black text. Although the two covers are very different, I wanted it to be a ‘modern’ version of the green book, thus this simplistic design clearly showcases this. The title of the Zine is ‘Bunker-Archäologie’, it translate to Bunker archeology in English. Deciding to have my title in German, reminds us of how the bunker’s were built for German soldiers to prevent people getting into the Island, thus it showcases how the Germans have left their mark on the island and allowing it to decay. The font used for the title is bold and has a rigid structure, which represents what the bunkers once were.
For my second page of the Zine, I used a full page spread of the landscape photograph, looking out from the Noirmont point, a location of one of Jersey’s bunkers. I kept this image in colour to showcase that the image is recent and reinforces the idea of a modern green book. In addition, it showcases the beauty of Jersey, and although the bunker’s are decaying on the top, it is not forcing the rest of the island to decay with them. The full page spread clearly showcases the sea line, and beauty of the nature, which creates a sense of space and a peaceful mood, which holds a ameliorative tone towards the photograph.
For my next page, I wanted to start showcasing the decay of the bunker’s, this layout clearly emphasises this. The juxtaposing colours, showcases the abandonment of the bunkers, which is reinforced by the formal elements of space and texture. The image on the left is a half page spread, filling the screen creating the sense of space. The image on the right is much smaller and located in the centre of the page, producing juxtaposing colours which helps the photographs to compliment one another. I believe that this layout is my strongest page spread, and is unlikely to be changed.
In my next page spread, I used a 3/4 page spread to showcase this macro image of the bottom of the gun. This layout allows the formal elements of texture and shape to clearly be showcased, reinforcing the narrative of the decay of the bunker. This photograph is strong enough to be alone and is busy, allowing viewers to be drawn into the image. In my opinion this page works well within my design.
For my middle page spread I decided to repeat the idea of have a landscape image looking out in colour. I used a full page spread, for the same reasoning as the first page. This artistic design worked well, as it reinforces the idea that the bunker’s are decaying but the island will not decay with the bunker. The image works well as it uses the technique of framing to enclose a bunker type building out at sea, leaving the rest of landscape to be free. Although I like the way in which this page turned out, I do not believe that having a colour image in the centre of the zine is the best idea, as it almost distracts viewers from the actual narrative, decay of the bunkers.
For my next page spread I decided to go with a half page spread for the image, and leave the other half blank. Creating this blank page takes a break from the action, allowing the information and concept of the zine to settle into viewers heads, it can also be used represent the idea that one day the bunkers will be gone, due to them decaying so rapidly. The image is placed on the right side of the page, as the structure is cut off on the right, so the edge of the zine acts as the end of the bunker.
In my next page, I decided to use the 3/4 page spread again, due to me liking the way in which the other 3/4 page spread look. The image used suits being a larger image, due to the texture being presented through the raindrops and decaying of the bunker.
For my final page spread I wanted to use another landscape image, to create a circular plot and allowing it to follow my intended sequence stated in a previous blog post. I used a full page spread, and a colour image. This time the landscape photograph is looking back at the bunker, which nicely brings the zine to an end, as we can see how the bunkers are decaying the but what surrounds is not decaying. Although this image works well on a full page spread, I do not believe that it is the strongest finish to my zine, thus I will look at changing this.
The back page of my zine is simply the same colour green as the front cover, which refers to the archival green books which showcase the layout of the bunkers, made by the German’s.
Design 2:
In my second design I looked at alternative ways in displaying my images, by changing the spreads and adding in text in my zine. I explored a different front cover option as well as different layout options. I intend to use my best page spreads, from this design and my previous design, to create my final sequence and make my final zine design. Doing this further exploration of page layouts has allowed me to develop my skills within InDesign and has allowed me to show development within my work.
In this front cover design, I decided to use my strongest image produced in my photoshoot, It clearly showcases the decay of the bunkers, thus bringing my narrative from the get go. In addition, I used the same title and font as I did in my first design, but set the colouring to white. The placement of the text is in the top left corner, which is a little hidden, but is placed with in a completely black are making it work successfully. Although I like the way in which this front cover looks, I think this image would work better in the spread created in the previous design. Needless to say, it was well worth doing this experimentation as it confirms that I like the way in which my original front cover looks, and the conceptual and contextual factors it holds.
In my next layout I wanted to experiment with adding text into my work, in order to clearly outline the historical factors of the Second World War in Jersey. With this I simply added a title and text which outlines the liberation of the island and how the bunkers have been left to decay. The short text allows my narrative to be presented, and works well with the one page image spread next to it. I really like the way in which this spread looks, thus I am planning on implementing it in my final design. However, I will develop the font and layout of the text, as I do not believe it is having maximum impact within the zine.
My next layout, I looked at placing two landscape images on a page. I selected two images which juxtapose the sense of space. One image is placed at the top and the other at the bottom. For the narrative I am going for I do not believe that this spread is effective, or fits in with the other layouts within my zine. Therefore, I will not be further developing this layout.
I then decided to look at another alternative for a middle page spread as I was not happy with the one created in my initial design. I decided to use this photograph, which was originally a 3/4 page spread, and made the black and white photograph a full page spread in the middle. I much prefer this layout, as it does not disturb viewers from the narrative with a colour photograph in the middle, thus fitting my sequence more appropriately.
Changes:
After developing my two design idea, I still had pages which I liked but still needed developing in order to have maximum impact. Below are the three main changes I made. This shows my further development and me critiquing my work from an artistic perspective.
Font:
As mentioned earlier I was not happy with the font I used to create the page spread which included information about the decay of Jersey’s bunker’s. I decided to change the font to one which is similar to my title, keeping my work consistent. I also decreased the size so my title fitted on one line as well as getting rid of the hyphens within the paragraph. In addition, I moved all my text down to the bottom of the page, which is a typical design layout for a zine when the text does not fill the whole page. I am much happier with this change in design, as it allows the zine to flow more fluidly now and presents my narrative well.
First and Last Page Design:
My next major change was the two images I would use as my first and last page. I still stuck with the idea of looking out on the first page, thus keeping the same image as it had the intended meaning. For the last page I used a different image which looked up at a bunker with nature surrounding it, I believe that this image presents the concept of the bunker decay but nature is not much better than the original image used. Moreover, it fits my intended sequence much better.
Colour Changing:
My last major change was the colouring and positing of the image above. Originally this image was in colour and a full page spread in the centre of my zine. As mentioned, I did not think this was an affective look as disturbed the rhythm within my zine so I created a new centre page. I still wanted to include this image somewhere in my final produce. I decided to turn it black and white and have it as a 3/4 spread, taking the position of where the wheel image was. I believe that this image is better suited in black and white and in this layout, as it showcases the decay more appropriately.
Action Plan:
As an action plan I will now combine my favourite spreads onto one document, creating my final design for my zine. I will then place them in the appropriate sequence and evaluate my final outcome on another blog post, which shows my final design page by page.
From all my edited images in response to the German Occupation in Jersey topic, I narrowed them down to 11 photos to be included in my zine. I created my zine using InDesign in order to produce the final layout.
The title of my zine is “Glimpse of the past” because the images were taken during golden hour, the period just before sunset . The term “Glimpse” means a momentary or partial view which links in well with the time of day the images were taken. A glimpse of the past shows the viewer a brief moment of what life was like during the German Occupation in Jersey through the immense concrete structures and other fortifications around Battery Lothringen.
The theme of my zine is looking at structures and fortifications in a particular lighting during golden hour. I wanted the viewer to see the site in a positive perspective where everything looks magical and calm. I want the viewer to forget about negative connotations that come to mind that are associated with the German Occupation. Instead I want the viewer to think about the calm and serenity portrayed by the lighting of the landscape within the images.
For the front and back cover, I used images from the Battery Moltke photoshoot to show enclosed visuals. Both have been taken inside the German bunkers. The back image shows a staircase with bars which informs the viewer that there is something secretive inside the zine which is suggested by the lock. This sparks the viewer’s interest since they will want to see the images inside the zine. Both the images used for the cover have dull colours to show the interior of the bunker which juxtaposes the warmth of the external images shown within the zine.
The cover page has been inspired from the zine “concrete jungle” which I analysed before I made my own zine. I took inspiration from the layout of the front page which was simple yet effective. I also incorporated full bleed images onto double pages, which was apparent throughout the zine I analysed.
All the other images within my zine were taken from the Battery Lothringen photoshoot. This photoshoot shows a narrative of a journey around this site before sunset. All the images are in order of where I started my journey and where I ended up at. It’s a journey of me wondering around Battery Lothringen looking at the concrete structures and fortifications.
The sequence starts inside portelet tower which displays an entrance. This image is full bleed onto one page to show that this is the beginning of the zine.
On the second double page the left side shows a full bleed image of the view from Portelet tower looking towards Battery Lothringen where an MP3 tower is visible on the headland. The right side has an archive image that has been sent by Société Jersiaise in full resolution. I placed this archival image besides my own photo to show the relationship between the two which displays the same subject but has been captured in different time periods. The left image is zoomed out to show the landscape that surround the tower while the archival image is a close up of the tower.
The other double pages within the zine include either a full bleed image onto two pages or a single image on both pages. I wanted my zine to have a sequence so it could have a clear layout. All the rest of the images display concrete structures or coastal fortifications. As the zine progresses you can see that the lighting changes due to the position of the sun. The last two full bleed images are silhouettes against the sunset sky.
For my final product I was able to produce the 16 page zine surrounding the idea of landscapes and the history of the Jersey Occupation, I am personally happy with my final zine that I have been able to produce.
For my narrative and sequencing I found it quite difficult to establish the idea of having a narrative with the photographs that I produced. Eventually I decided that I would use the photographs that were specifically centred around Noirmont and use this as a narrative of the place itself, taking on what would be suggested as a walking journey of the enviroment. For the sequencing I have used the idea of keeping similar layouts to gernatre a rhythem and flow and use this for a sequence.
Design and Layout:
For my main designs and layout I waned to keep a lot of rhythm within the book and it not be choppy with the way I was laying out my pages. For this reason I decided to keep the rhythm of having a frame photograph then a double page full bleed and so on. I have repeated two of my framed layouts for the rhythm and flow of the zine and chose one to be different to create a break towards the end of the photograph. I also made the decision to have a full bleed double page image spread on the front and back covers as this is something I have enjoyed seeing while looking at other zines.
Image Choices Example:
Image option 1
Image option 2
While deciding and choosing my images to use for the zine I was looking and thinking about how the composition would work and how it was going to look especially if it was a full bleed double page spread. Using the example above it shows two different photographs of the same place that I wanted to incorporate into my zine as a view looking out from the sight. The first image has a slightly wonky horizon line compared to the image on the right, for this reason I chose to use the image on the right in my final zine. This is the process I went through when choosing which specific images I wanted to use in my zine.
Use of Text:
Image and Text
Image and Text
In my zine after looking at some other zines I wanted to incorporate the use of images and text together. For this I decided to start and end on the same layout with text and a photograph placed next to each other. For the words I used, on the first double page I used a phrase taken from the Liberation speech given when the channel islands were liberated, the first page shows the sentence in German and then on the last page is written in English. This was a decision I made to have the separated and to have the reader find out the meaning at the end of the zine.
Colour / Black and White:
Colour
Black and White
Originally in my working I had my middle page as a full bleed photograph and the only one in colour. I did this originally to create a break in the design and add something different compared to all my other images. However I then made the decision to keep the middle page in black and white along with all of my other photographs as I feel it had more of a flow and kept with the ideas of all of the photographs being still and having this silent feel to them.
Archival and Own Photography:
Archival
Own Photographs
When designing my zine I decided that I wanted to incorporate one archival image, originally I had my archival photograph next to one of my own photographs showing the same structure to create a difference and compare them. However towards the end of the development I decided that I would take the archival image to the last page and put it with the translated text as I feel having it at the end was more effective and allowed a break in the middle of the zine where the photograph previously was placed.
The final product for my blog can be seen in the images below, I used InDesign to complete the final layout before printing:
The final layout of my zine is representative of the darkening atmosphere that occurred over the time of the occupation of Jersey. Progressing from lighter to darker images, I have included a range of landscape and portrait images, some of which I have altered the size of in order to leave blank space, which I feel draws more attention to each page.
