My photobook project was largely based on archival imagery accumulated over the past year both on my phone and camera, with many also being taken specifically for the project. All the images with the objects on a plain white background were also taken as part of a couple photo-shoots specifically for the project in order to compliment the portrait photos you will see. These have a significant meaning behind them and are up for interpretation by anyone who reads my book.
The photo above was taken on a night out camping. The photo was taken on a DSLR camera for memory in the future when we look back at the photos. This exact photo is one of only a handful or archival imagery but suited the job perfectly. The exposure from the onset was very low, especially considering that it was taken during sunset. For my photo book, I wanted black and white as a strong and reoccurring theme, so I used Photoshop CC, adjusting the integrated ‘levels’ and ‘black and white’ feature, with a bit of contrast and grain increased to give it that vintage, Mapplethorpe and Weinberger style. The exposure and highlights were tweaked more heavily in order to alter the darkness of the original photo, and allow it to “pop” more in the final prints.
The photo below is one of the many left hand-side pages where I took photos of objects with significant relevance to the portrait photo adjacent on the right hand-side page. It was taken well so I didn’t need to crop it, rotate or re-scale it at all. Again, as previously mentioned, all this photo needed was to be edited on Photoshop CC to be made black and white using the ‘levels’ and ‘black and white’ feature, with a bit of contrast increased, as well as grain and exposure increased but only minimally to give it that vintage, Mapplethorpe and Weinberger style.
As one can observe in the photo taken below, some photos needed cropping as the items/objects were too large to fit in the normal aspect ratio, so needed to be cropped into a square later on in Photoshop CC.
Book Layout
For the photobook project, I decided it would be best to use Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and its integrated “book” feature that collects all your edited images at once and presents them in the form of a book, where it enabled me to edit and move photos further in order to have the book to my liking, in chronological order and laid out in a way that makes sense.
As you can see, the book follows a similar theme throughout. Every first page on a double page spread has a unique white background with an item positioned in the centre of the photograph. Normally, but not always, the photo has either some relevance to the photo adjacent, however not always, which keeps the reader/observer guessing the meaning behind each photo and the book/story as a whole, which makes for a more interesting book.
Sometimes, such as the screenshot above with the cigarette, the photos of the object on the left-hand page include an item that was included in the photo first-hand. Other times however, the object is someone’s dear possession, an item they cherish or wear, be it in the photo or not.
Occasionally, for example with the screwdrivers and tools, the items have no relevance to the photo, (although this may be up for interpretation), except for the fact that the items have been positioned to resemble the people or subject in the photo. As you can see, I you look closely, the tools are made to resemble each one of my mates. Some may also suggest that I’m referring to my mates as ‘tools’… you wouldn’t be wrong.
These photos were taken simply on white A2 paper, with camera flash enabled as well as including lights from all angles except from above, in order to highlight all the minute details but also no light beaming down from above to avoid ugly shadows. The light from the sides had to cover every angle/perimeter of the photo in order to enable complete light coverage and the minimization of shadows. This allows for a great contrast and makes for striking photos, that contrast well with the following photos that are normally darker toned environmental portraits, not staged objects in studio lighting, which allows for a great disparity between the two. This makes the book less repetitive and thus ore interesting for the reader/observer.
Furthermore, you may observe the occasional grey page as shown in the screenshot above, initially where photos had ran out but also a “happy accident” I guess, as they allow pages act as a sort of division in the book, signifying a new chapter per se, but also a breaking up the book and preventing repetition, as these pages occur around every 12-16 pages.
Lastly, the front and back of the book also had much thought considered during their creation. The photo included on the front cover was easily chosen as it just made the perfect cover. I love how the photo not only is archival, but taken by accident, with both me and my mate sharing a strong happiness that many people unfortunately struggle to find nowadays. This happy and colourful vibe contrasted with the dark tones of the summer night, makes for an interesting photo, where the happiness beams back at the observer as it stands out from the darkness of the background, suggesting it’s a cheerful, jokey, typically teenage book of stupid and cocky adolescents.
To me, it made sense to repeat the photo on the backside of the book too, as this means there is no border between the photos as the dark colours mean the book’s front and back page blend seamlessly with its dark colours and therefore allow for a smoother looking, well put together book. The back page also has a small, goofy quote written in order to segregate the two pages but also add a bit more interest. The quirky quote is often heard from both my mates simultaneously and is a mention to the fact that both my best mates share the exact same forename, hence every time I say their name to one of them, neither of them knows which I’m speaking to. The quote can be regarded as funny, and a little bit odd, and without context, seems to fit in perfectly with the books theme as a whole. As a result, I’ve finally resorted to referring to them by their surnames to avoid confusion.
Evaluation
Overall, the book went exactly the way I envisioned. My ideas and thought processes all came to reality, and the book turned out exactly how I wanted it. My only criticism would be that the picture quality in most of the pictures could do with being a higher resolution which mainly boils down to the original camera’s resolution being sub par. This was mostly fixed in Photoshop CC where I increased the size and resolution of the images and exported them at the highest quality possible. Despite this however, I’m happy with the way the majority of the photos turned out, especially the ones with the white background which I was surprised to how well they turned out in the book especially.
In what way have Jim Goldberg and Ryan McGinley represented youth in their work?
‘Youth’ is described as the period of life in which one is young. It often describes the time between childhood and adulthood where individuals are maturing, filled with vigour, spirit and a sense of freshness. More specifically, ‘youth culture’ refers to how children, adolescents and young adults conduct their lives. It calls attention to the way they express their own identities and demonstrate their sense of belonging to a particular group. The concept behind youth culture states that teenagers are part of a subculture in which the values, rituals, behaviours and norms they share differ from the widely accepted culture of older generations within society. Jim Goldberg and Ryan McGinley explore youth culture towards the end of the 20th century and investigate how modern youth are stereotypically viewed. Goldberg focuses on the lives of derelict children and, specifically, how their behaviour is a result of neglect from their own families and of a failing institutional society. In contrast, McGinley focuses on the reckless experimentation adolescents carry out, not as a result of external influences but rather as a decision to rebel against the governing law. Both photographers, however, explore ways to gain insight into the practices of these individuals in order to dissolve society’s judgement of the youth subculture. In response to McGinley and Goldberg, I have produced a photo-book incorporating the themes of youth and rebellion. The project is a social commentary, showing a rejection of the governing law and of societal standards as a whole. The product explores the freedom of youth and, more specifically, the culture that surrounds myself and one particular social circle.
In her seminal essay Inside/Outside, postmodernist critic Abigail Solomon-Godeau dissects and explores the two different positions that a photographer can take on when photographing their subjects. Firstly, Solomon-Godeau describes Susan Sontag’s view on these roles, where she argued ‘the insider’ as implying a position of ‘…engagement, participation, and privileged knowledge…’ whereas the position of ‘the outsider’ produces an ‘…alienated and voyeuristic relationship…’ between photographer and subject, in turn emphasising the differences between them. Solomon-Godeau refers to Susan Sontag’s criticism of Diane Arbus in her book, On Photography in which she states that the work of Arbus was exploitative and complicit with processes of objectification. Sontag’s criticism raises questions about the morality of the person behind the images, arguing that Arbus is a ‘voyeuristic and deeply morbid connoisseur of the horrible’. However, Solomon-Godeau questions this strict binary established by Sontag and argues how a photographer’s involvement with their subjects might be more complicated. She does so by investigating the relationship between photography and truth.
A concern of Solomon-Godeau is how an insider position- in which the photographer lives with and has emotional connection to the subjects- can determine the reception of the images or, still, the nature of the images itself. In regards to Arbus’ photographs, Solomon-Godeau believes it may not have been Arbus’ intent to manifest distate towards marginalized people she’s represented; that- contrary to her intention- Arbus’ subjects became that of objects and spectacles due to the ways of society at the time.
For Solomon-Godeau, Nan Goldin in particular represented the ‘confessional mode’ of privileged knowledge and experience in which the photographer has an inside position and a personal relationship with the subjects presented. Goldin’s work is compared to Diane Arbus as its characters are drawn from the outskirts of society. Often appearing in the images herself, it is clear that Goldin is devoted to and invested in her subjects. However, despite this deeply personal relationship, it’s pondered whether this can alleviate the phobia and contempt manifested towards her subjects by a hetero-normative society. Solomon-Godeau questions whether photographic representation, however sympathetic it may be, can change the views of society towards those considered outside society’s normal standards.
In regards to Raised by Wolves, Sontag may argue that Goldberg takes an outsider’s approach to the subjects within his project. Yet, arguably, Goldberg’s approach differs from Sontag’s assumption in Solomon-Godeau’s eyes. In this case, the assumption that taking an outsider perspective leads to an unsympathetic, objectifying and voyeuristic attitude to those being photographed can be easily rejected. Though he is not pictured, Goldberg’s presence is evident throughout his project and, particularly, in the conversations that take place between himself and his various subjects. The book opens with a double page spreads of what appears to be a grey suburban home, obscured by trees and shaped as though the house is being viewed through binoculars. Almost immediately, an interview between Goldberg and staple character ‘Echo’ is written in text about her backstory and what led her to living in the streets. This instantaneously shows Goldberg’s involvement with the subjects. Similar interviews and anecdotes told by the subjects are present throughout Raised by Wolves. This, in turn, indicates that there isn’t as strict of a binary as mentioned by Sontag referencing a photographer’s position. Despite being an outsider, Goldberg approaches his subjects with sensitivity and empathy, repeatedly allowing for their input throughout. Goldberg gave back to his collaborators (his subjects) by returning photographs to comment on and personalise. The images are sometimes scrawled with text signifying the different identities, challenges, and resilience of the adolescents, and other times capturing a bleak and quiet reality of street life.
Raised by Wolves reveals itself to be a political piece of post-modernistic work. It discloses itself as photographic documentation, social intervention and piece of artwork, additionally incorporating the multitude of approaches made by postmodernist artists such as eclecticism and collaboration. In her book, On Photography, Susan Sontag states that the photographer who photographs a subject cannot intervene in the event occurring, while the photographer who intervenes cannot take the photographs. This pattern within traditional documentary photography states plainly that the photographer should be entirely separated from their subjects’ lives. Goldberg breaks this paradigm in Raised by Wolves by placing himself directly within the narrative. Some argue that the lack of pictures of Goldberg is merely a case of the photographer avoiding interfering with the occurring event, though a stronger argument is that Goldberg’s intervention in the lives of his subject creates a more intimate and sincere reflection of his subjects compared to a photographer who explicitly photographs from outer bounds.
Goldberg presents his subjects, a subculture of neglected and out-casted adolescents, with great delicacy. The narrative focuses on dysfunctional family life in America, about the way teenagers have been led astray, how each one of their rituals is driven by drugs, violence and lack of affection. However, it also highlights love and friendship as a key theme. The compassion Goldberg approached his subjects with revealed and reflected the kindness they showed each other, which is often overlooked and blocked out in the average person’s encounter with the destitute. The narrative is gripping, encouraging the reader to question, rather than to judge the lives of these homeless teens. His in-depth focus on this group of youth has a huge emotional impact on the reader and the political aspect behind Goldberg’s images is present throughout the book. He challenges the generalisations often made about homeless groups in America, in turn posing the reader with questions about the survival of these teenagers, and what their motivation is for survival, considering the bleak reality of their lives. His project aims to question the faults within America’s institutional society that resulted in the troubled lifestyles of these adolescents. As a result, his work presents itself as a highly successful social campaign, attempting to alter the views on vagrant communities and encouraging the current society to approach these groups with sensitivity and to address the failures apparent in society they live in.
Goldberg and Mcginley both take a post-modernist approach to their work. Postmodernism emerged as a response to modernism and a reaction to the age of enlightenment in the late 19th century. Modernism had been based on idealism and an idyllic vision of human life and society. It made the assumption that specific universal truths such as those formed by religion or science could and should be used to understand the nature of our reality. Postmodernism, however, has been built on scepticism and suspicion. It aimed to challenge the idea that there are universal certainties or truths; embracing the complicated and contradictory meanings of images. Postmodernism is focused on the context of its art by making references to things outside of the art work itself such as political, psychological or cultural issues. It focuses on the reception of the artist’s work by their audience.
Regardless of his focus on adolescent lifestyle in America, the work of Ryan McGinley majorly differs from that of Goldberg. In his self-documentary book, The Kids Were Alright, Mcginley captures the outrageous antics and activities of himself, his peers and collaborators, such as street artist Dash Snow, within lower Manhattan through the late 1990s. Taking an insider’s approach, his photographs are that of present and intimate moments, such as those with first boyfriend, as well as moments of exhilaration and introspection. Despite the often mundane setting, McGinley’s images of his youth demonstrate an extensive range of emotions.
McGinley’s approach to his work is similar to Goldberg in the sense that it is mixed with assorted objects and ephemera, such as a set of cameras that he repeatedly threw up upon. In an interview with Autra, McGinley states ‘I would do this project where I would drink Ipecac syrup, the stuff that you give babies if they eat poison berries or something, and it makes them throw up’. This is a clear example of the reckless and absurd behaviour typically associated with youth subcultures. A number of people McGinley drew himself to were considered compulsive and obsessive, many of which died young from AIDS, suicide and drug overdoses. Additionally, McGinley also approached his subjects with a great deal of respect. Having surrounded himself with graffiti writers, McGinley learnt about and presented the paranoia that these artists had. Creating graffiti and vandalising properties was a risky pass-time due to the ‘Grafitti Squad’: a commission established to stop graffiti in New York City. McGinley gained the trust of and photographed the entirety of the IRAK graffiti crew, which had been prioritised by the Graffiti Squad as a group to dismember. He respected these individuals by avoiding their faces and tags whilst they were producing their art. McGinley describes their paranoia as ‘healthy’ and states that he was fascinated by the similarly obsessive and compulsive nature of graffiti, two themes which are present throughout his work.
His post-modernistic approach is present through the collaboration with Dash Snow, an American artist multi-media artist, well-known for his work that embodied a rebellious, drug-fueled lifestyle; one which ultimately led to his demise. In reference to McGinley’s work, Snow stated that “People fall in love with McGinleyʼs work because it tells a story about liberation and hedonism: Where Goldin and Larry Clark were saying something painful and anxiety-producing about kids and what happens when they take drugs and have sex in an ungoverned urban underworld, McGinley started out announcing that ‘The Kids Are Alright,’ fantastic, really, and suggested that a gleeful, unfettered subculture was just around the corner—’still’—if only you knew where to look.”. Similarly to Goldberg, his images show the theme of love and friendship; the intense connection he had with his group at the time. The lifestyle of this particular group of youth separates them from that of a typically normal society, claiming that they slept all day and took advantage of the night, therefore becoming the only people in each others lives.
The work of Ryan McGinley is not in the same political sphere as Jim Goldberg. Whilst Goldberg focuses on how society fails to protect and support children in America and, furthermore, represents the teens that use drugs and carry out illicit activities as a way to escape their past, McGinley presents the thrill-seeking and hedonistic approach him and his friends had during their youth, shooting heroin and carrying out all manners of debauchery in the pursuit of pleasurable experiences. These differences are clear in the nature of their photographs, McGinley’s images are expressive and unrestrained showing the self-indulgence and deviance present in their lives, whereas Goldberg presents the desperation and troubled nature of his subjects. Both, however, are strong examples of post-modernism- giving insight into the varying youth subcultures in America.
In response to Jim Goldberg and Ryan McGinley, the photo-book Passing Youth deals with similar themes of adolescence, hedonism and rebellion. Taking an insider’s approach to the project, the images are an internal reflection upon myself and the people I have surrounded myself with as of late. Incorporating different types of medium, the book is a multifaceted piece of self-documentary. Ephemera within the book include parking notices, polaroids and debit cards, some of which represent the irresponsible and absent-minded nature of modern youth. Passing Youth is similar to that of McGinley’s work as it focuses on my personal life, rather than a whole generation. The images of people within the book have a great deal of significance to me, as well as the locations and personal items throughout the book. My project has a clear personal input, involving myself directly into the narrative through my presence in the images and, additionally, through the use of personally handwritten captions to add context to the images. This aspect allows my project to directly correspond with the work of Jim Goldberg as his collaboration with his subjects produces a similar outcome to my own work.
Using photoshop, I began my initial design by layering a monochrome image on top of a red background. The vertical line splitting the image is parallel to that of the frame of the photo as well as the frame of the book and so provides a strong format. The image I chose depicts the shadow of my subject and thepresence of their phone. I felt that positioning the image so you cannot see the subject is successful in drawing the reader in, as the identity of the subject is ambiguous.
I broke up the format of the image by superimposing my subject’s eyes on the top layer. I selectively chose to keep the red pupils and keep the remainder of the image black and white so the red colour in the background can be present throughout the design without looking random.
I felt as though the cover wasn’t as contrasted as I had initally hoped. To improve the cover, I inverted the colours of the second layer and placed the original image on to the back cover (left-hand side). I chose one of my images from my shoot which had a lot of objects within the composition to place behind the second and third layer. The composition of this particular image allowed me to incorporate a lot of noise into the cover. By layering the images and choosing ones with a busy composition I could successfully show the fast-paced, confusing and messy nature of youth.
To create my title, I wrote ‘Passing Youth’ in my own hand-writing. Using a marker pen allowed me to get the width that I desired. I photographed this using a copy stand and imported the image into photoshop. I then selected the text and placed it onto a new layer, deleting the original background. This allowed me to place the text directly on to the front cover without any white background. I created another copy from this and inverted the colours to make the text appear white.
I used the black title as a base for the white text and placed it just above the eyes. Placing the white text on top of this created a title that stood out amongst the background. The fact it was handwritten adds to the personal-scrapbook feel I had intended my book to have. I then reused the white text and placed it where the spine of the book would be so you can see the title when the book is stored upright.
Super-imposing images
Having designed the cover, I aimed to incorporate a similar layering style throughout my book. To carry this out, I planned to have hand-written elements acting as captions to provide context as well as adding personal mementos from my own life to give the reader context as well as a deeper insight into my life and adding depth to my character. I wrote on post-it notes, white paper and used the copy stand to re-photograph these as well as scanning in polaroid pictures and other ephemera.
Using photoshop, I carried out a similar process to that of my title; selecting the desired object or text and removing the background so it can be seamlessly placed on top of another image.
For the image pictured on the left, I imposed an image of myself I had taken on a polaroid. The lack of depth in the polaroid compared to the background image creates the illusion of a physical scrapbook in which you stick images or artefacts on top of other images or pages.
Pictured on the right, I used photoshop to cut out my handwritten note ‘dizzee rascal’ and place on top of the polaroid I scanned in. The text provides context to the image as the reader can now create their own narrative about the subjects getting ready and attending a music concert.
Editing images:
In order for my images to fit accordingly with the eggshell paper and front cover of my book, I felt that adding a grain to my images made them feel more authentic and amplified the rough-edged nature of the book.
For the majority of my images, I wanted to amplify the authenticity of my book
Architecture
For the layout of my book, I finally decided on the sequence pictured above. For each section of the book, most open with an image of a location juxtaposed against an abstract image of myself. It then transitions into an image of ephemera and a quiet image or portrait. This leads into another quiet image either establishing a location or decision/action which develops the reader’s insight into the characters. The sequence is broken by an establishing shot (mostly in bold colours) and then repeated.
Juxtaposition:
I juxtaposed an abstract image of a staircase alongside an image of my back. The images are both monochrome, allowing focus on the structure on form of the photos. The regularity and structured nature of the stairwell mirrors that of the bone structure and anatomy of the human body.
Additionally, without showing my face, it creates a sense of intimacy between the reader and the subject pictured as they attempt to create links between the two images.
In this set of images, the form of the window, particularly the borders, mirror the body language of the subject photographed. The fact the window is covered up creates an idea of secrecy and privacy, amplified by the lack of facial identification in the portrait.
The depiction of skin in the portrait paired with the secrecy portrayed by the window frame creates ambiguity, which can be interpreted subjectively by each reader- presenting a place of comfort, for example, or creating a narrative in which the character presented feels the need to be recluse and hide the nature of their life.
Once again, the structure of the location mirrors the body language of the portrait. The sloping of the shoulders mimics the sloping face in the location photographed. Additionally, the curvature of the path mimics the curvature of the spine and shoulder blades. In contrast, the softness in the texture of the foliage mirrors that of the subject’s hair.
The location pictured depicts a mixture of natural structures and man-made structures. The foliage and nature within the image paired with the large amount of skin shown creates themes of liberation and a sense of rebellion against socially accepted norms (usage of clothing to cover skin). This is contrasted against the man-made structures which present a theme of limitation, due to human intervention, which again reiterates the governing laws in which the subject’s in my book are working agaisnt.
Though it differs from the structure of the other juxtapositions, the location on the right shows a lack of self-care due to the mess, in turn presenting a disregard for expectations of cleanliness and in turn order as placed by society.
Juxtaposed against a slow-exposed image, the movement presents a fact-paced lifestyle in which order and “self-care” has no place in. It may also represent the turbulent mindset and head space of the individual
The texture of the hair mirrors the texture of the foliage, again reiterating the connotations mentioned earlier. Additionally the curvature of the muscles and where they overlap imitates that of the staircase.
Sequencing
First Pages:
The first page has the title written out in formal writing, so as to reiterate the connotations associated with it. The same font is carried on to the next page, which begins the narrative which is, contrastingly, written in lowercase. The uppercase lettering of the title ‘Passing Youth’ shows the order established by society, amplifying the presumptions held by the reader about youth cultures.
The next page has the quote:
“hedonism is a rational response to a difficult life”
This immediately presents the idea that the characters inside each have a set of issues that they cope with by becoming reliant on different outlets- drugs, alcohol, body modification etc.
The lowercase letters present the quote with delicacy and fragility, encouraging the reader to approach the characters with sensitivity.
In an effort to further develop my photo-book, Passing Youth, I decided I want to create a photo-shoot in response to the deadpan approach. With my initial narrative focusing on a group of young adults, I aim to photograph each of these individuals using the same format. I am going to place my subjects in front of a black background, having them face to camera directly with a neutral face.
Images:
Selection Process:
In deciding the most successful images, I picked the images with the best clarity. To do this I used the X|Y tool in Lightroom to compare, in greater detail, the quality of the images.
However, after placing these images alongside the remainder of the content for Passing Youth, I decided that I wanted the book’ narrative to become more revolved around myself. I response to this change, I carried out multiple photo-shoots of myself, capturing different angles, lighting and different body parts. My aim with these images are to give an insight into my character and by juxtaposing these with different contextual images, it gives the reader an understanding of the circumstances and different properties I’m surrounded by that have shaped my life.
I reduced all the original ideas for my photo-book to:
Location +Abstract portraits
Ephemera + portraits
Quiet images
Full-Bleed establishing shots
Focusing on the ‘Location’ aspect of my project, I focused on form and shape, and capturing images to use as quiet photos. I aimed to create images that would juxtapose with an abstract portrait of mine when designing the book.
I created a final selection (pictured below) to which I transferred to my ‘Book’ collection to be experimented with in the design process
I converted each of the images into black and white to keep the focus on the form and structure of the locations.
For this particular set of images, I mainly focused on the driving aspect of youth culture. A driver’s license typically marks the ‘coming of age’ for adolescents; the transition from the dependent nature of childhood to the responsibility and freedom that’s accompanied with adulthood. I aimed to capture the pleasures and frustrations of repairing or customising a car. Additionally, I aimed to photograph the abuse of freedom that’s common in youth. I am to carry out a shoot including the boot of a car, overloaded with alcoholic cans and bottles. This represents the careless driving aspect of my project, which I will accompany with a collected parking notice earlier on in the photobook.
Some other images I plan to capture, are candid portraits, images of injuries and finally of landscapes to add a sense of location to the project.
Selection process
Considering the large amount of images I started out with, I went through each photo and flagged the best quality ones. I rejected images that I felt had no relevance to the project, that were bad quality, blurred or had a bad composition. Having flagged all the images above, I went through each image colouring it either red, yellow or green: a traffic light system to sort which images I disliked, which images I was undecided on and which images I was 100% certain on.
Finally, I rated each of the images either 4 stars or 5 stars. Rating the images with 5 stars indicated to me that these were the images I was certain on using for the project and 4 stars indicated images that I still thought were good but am less likely to use. Rating the images with 4 stars allows me to return to the images should the 5 star photos not work in my photo-book.
Selection Process
For another shoot, I had 161 photos to filter through. Using the same process as before, I narrowed my photo-shoot set down to
Incorporating the idea of experimentation, I wanted to show the items that the adolescents may use, but avoiding documentation of them using it. Some things I’m aiming to photograph are:
Alcoholicbottles and cans, which will show the obvious experimentation youth do with alcohol.
Drug paraphernalia and Pills. Adolescents can often be seen trying to achieve altered mind states as they are not aware of the full risks or have a sense of immortality. They often feel that the risks behind illegal drug use apply to everyone else but not to themselves. Rolled currency notes have connotations of being used for drug use and so I may incorporate this into the shoot.
Tobacco, Skins and Filters. Much of today’s youth are renowned for smoking and so I’ve considered showcasing the use of tobacco in my project. Additionally photographing smoking skins and filters will further develop this.
Vape devices. Vaping is a fairly new and inventive way to consume nicotine, first emerging in 2003 and becoming popularised around 2014. Because of this, the devices are highly applicable to the youth today. The development of nicotine-salts created new addictions in both smoking and non-smoking teens. Especially after the invention of flavoured Juuls. Vapes are no longer seen or used to cure nicotine addiction, but as a ‘healthier’ way to create new ones.
Where am I photographing this?
I plan to carry out this photo-shoot at home. In order to achieve the effect I want, I’m aiming to create a home-made studio.
By using black card to create an infinity curve, I will be able to achieve an ‘invisible background’, resulting in my props becoming the only visible part of the image, and therefore the main focus.
How am I photographing this?
Having set up the personal studio, I plan to use natural light to highlight the props. I planed to use the infinity curve I created below to photograph my objects. However, a lot of my objects are dark, so I am experimenting with white and coloured paper to see the different outcomes
Setting up the infinity curve beside a large window where natural light can flood through.
using foil to reflect the light on the other side of the object.
Images:
Shoot: Black infinity curve
Edited images:
To edit these images, I used the editing software in both Lightroom and Photoshop. I started by editing the images in my catalog, decreasing the exposure where necessary and increasing the saturation of black in the photos. This allowed for an even black background, so that the objects would become isolated. For the images that still needed further work to reach this stage, I transferred them into photoshop and used both the pipette and the brush tool to get the desired background
in what way is identity and autobiography expressed in the work of cindy sherman and jen davis?
“I am trying to make other people recognize something of themselves rather than me.”
Both this essay and my creative project is all about documenting, whether it be how I feel about myself and how my chosen photographers, Jen Davis and Cindy Sherman, reflect on their own personal experiences, both emotional and physical. The essay is going to delve into how both the photographers explore their identity and autobiography in their photographic work. My creative project will include self-portraits, landscapes, portraits and objects, to hopefully portray things about myself and my life. Jen Davis work shows a journey of self-discovery and portrays her feelings toward her looks. Our subject matters don’t align specifically, but there are some similarities, such as we both have taken self-portraits that show how we feel about ourselves. Cindy Sherman’s work is mainly role play, challenging gender stereotypes ; she dresses up as different types of people and poses for the camera, with a nod to cinematic scene portrayal. This is a kind of tableau, with carefully chosen locations, backdrops and props. However in an article she does explain that she does sometimes see herself in her images.
The photographers that I am studying in detail, Jen Davis and Cindy Sherman, both explore identity and autobiography in their work, however they both use different genres of photography to do this. Cindy Sherman’s work relates to the post-modernism genre, as she doesn’t hide where she gets her inspiration for her work from but instead, she genuinely mocks it. All of her images have a ridiculing element to them, whether it maybe through her makeup, clothing or ridiculous props that are featured in her images. Her images literally poke fun at what society expects women to look like. The post-modernism genre was first seen in the 20th century, when architects criticised the style of the modernist architecture for being too formal, austere and functional. Post-modernist photographers, including Barbara Kruger, Corrine Day and Hannah Starkey, use their work to build on the themes and conceptual ideas that began during the modernist period.
Hannah Starkey
Corrine Day
Barbara Kruger
A quote I found (Susan Bright (2010) Autofocus) aligns directly with what Sherman wanted to do with her photography, “postmodern thinking led to a radical shift in the way that the body was presented and understood”, in the sense that her work has changed how viewers look at the female body. Jen Davis work relates to realism, even though her images are reconstructed, she hopes to document her own issues with her body and relationships and intimate fantasies with men. Realism came about in the 1940’s and aimed to provide an accurate representation of the real world, real problems, real life. The images, relating to realism were made to look more like photographs than art and were a reaction to pictorialism. Artists that are known in the realism genre, are Paul Strand, Dorothea Lange and Jacob Riis. I found a quote (Susan Bright (2010) Autofocus)that relates to Jen Davis photography work, “photographers have produced large bodies of work consisting of frank and intimate portraits and self-portraits that explore the gritty, bohemian lives of those around them and act as important documentation of the times they capture”, in the sense that the images that Jen Davis took over the span of 11 years investigated many aspects of her life, that wouldn’t have probably been explored without this project.
Jen Davis investigates identity and autobiography in her photographic project, Eleven Years, where she produced a large amount of beautiful self-portraits, using natural light and strong compositions, over the span of 11 years. In the project Davis images portray the ideas beauty, sense of identity and her struggles with her body image. In an article on (clampart (2014) https://clampart.com/2014/04/eleven-years/#thumbnails)Jen Davis describes the idea of ‘Eleven Years’ was to ” invite the viewer into the past eleven years of my private life, exploring the vulnerabilities… body, feelings of isolation, the battle to recognise beauty, a quest for intimacy, and sense of acceptance through the camera’s eye”. To me ‘Eleven Years’ does just that, it does allow the viewer to understand who Jen Davis really is, what she internally struggles with, and tells a story of her journey of change. As you flick through the photo book that she produced, her story starts to unravel before your eyes and it is clear that the person in the photo in the first image is not the same in the last image, but a different, more established version of Jen Davis. Davis cleverly describes how she personally feels about beauty and what she has captured within her images, “I couldn’t necessarily identify with the idea of someone seeing me as ‘beautiful,’ but I could accept that the pictures that I created and inhabited were.” clampart (2014) https://clampart.com/2014/04/eleven-years/#thumbnails) Essentially what Davis feels is that she cannot be beautiful but the images that she took were, is that because she could carefully compose them and enhance things that real life shows? Or was it because she felt she could truly be herself in front of camera? Why didn’t she feel beautiful?
Jen Davis – Untitled
This image is may relate to the way Davis feels about herself and lack of self-confidence. The light in this image is natural, which seeps through a gap and allows some light to shine on the face, illuminating the features. This aspect is truly beautiful and idyllic. Jen Davis employs compositional and lighting techniques that are reminiscent of The Dutch Masters. The Dutch Masters used and painted light in a very clever way, by featuring windows in their paintings. By adding these elements they illuminated the main element of the image. Jen Davis has done this multiple times throughout her book, projecting light onto herself. Did she do this to illuminate other things? To illuminate how the way she feels about herself contrasts with the way society views her.
Johannes Vermeer – The Milkmaid
A question that is created by this image is one of, what is she thinking about? What is running through her mind during this image was being taken? Is she thinking about how she feels about herself? Is she reflecting on how she felt during a part of her life? This aspect is unknown to the viewer but is what makes the image so powerful. This aspect is under the interpretation of the viewer and the viewer only. During my creative process I have taken many self-portraits and struggled to look back at them. It’s an interesting and weird feeling seeing yourself as if you were one of your friends looking at you. The criticism I felt towards myself was shocking. In an article (Diana Spechler (2012) https://www.oprah.com/health/jen-davis-self-portraits-weight-loss-and-photography/all), Jen Davis describes how she felt during her creative process, “It was like I was taking self-portraits,” she says, “except I wasn’t in them.”, it’s fascinating to think how Davis and myself feel so detached from the portraits of our own self, even though it is clearly us, as we know what we look like. Maybe it’s because we have our own perspective of ourselves and so does everyone else, but the self-portraits show us how we are seen in the world, reality. This quote from Davis creates the interesting question of does she lack identity? Or does she just lack the confidence to see herself within an image she took. Jen Davis work relates clearly to autobiography, not just because she tells her own story but because she investigates real and unconventional struggles of the life she lives.
Cindy Sherman cleverly investigates identity and autobiography in her work, which consists of hundreds of self-portraits where she dresses up in different outfits, puts strange make up and wears extravagant wigs, to alter her person to become a different one to portray different characters and story lines. These portrays explore identity and gender, and were made to intentionally mock how society expects women to dress, act and be. In the project, Complete Untitled Film Stills, where she created film-like stills by dressing up as different characters from mid-20th-century B movies and photographed herself in various locations. These images quickly became very popular and were used to spark up conversations on feminism, postmodernism and representation. In an article, Sherman described how she felt during her childhood. She was the youngest child and felt, in order to gain the attention of her family she would have to be different, and she achieved this by dressing up and changing her appearance. She made a clever statement in the article which I feel explains her intentions of all of her projects, “if you don’t like me this way, how do you like me this way?”. On the surface her images may not seem like they are about herself, but maybe if you look deeper, they are, maybe she enjoys changing her appearance, identity, herself entirely, even it is just for a photograph, for a split second. Is dressing up a part of an act of escapism for Sherman, but the question is what, what is she escaping?
Cindy Sherman – Untitled
The colours that are incorporated in this image are garish and bright, and don’t really complement each other, but clash. The background is almost over powering of the face within the image, was this the purpose? It brings about the question of what relevance does it have to the face that Sherman has portrayed. The lines within the background lead the viewers eye towards the face in the image. Overall, this image has a high level of composition. Who is Cindy Sherman trying to be here? Someone who likes to look pretty and glamorous? However, she seems to be mocking them, as the makeup is over the top and excessive. So, does she pretend to be different people to almost try and gain attention from people to make up for the lack of recognition from her family. During her childhood Sherman was obsessed with her appearance, and enjoyed to wear makeup, so does this image relate to her past self, and maybe she is mocking who she was? Her film stills were left untitled, and a critique to her work stated (Simon Hattenstone (2011), me, myself and i, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jan/15/cindy-sherman-interview), “All the photos are untitled – another way of distancing herself from the images.” But why did she want to do this? Was it because secretly the images were about herself and did depict who she really was? In another article, Sherman describes how she feels now about her own photographs, “I am a little more comfortable now in letting parts of myself show through.”, does this now mean that she is part of the photographs and they are intentionally about her, or still does she still have a detachment from them and herself within them. A quote from an article describes exactly how I feel about Shermans work, “through the use of their bodies, artists constantly question what it means to be human”.
Although this project is solely inspired by Jen Davis and Cindy Sherman, I have explored some differences during the progression of my project. All of our work is based on identity ;who we are and who we are not, who we strive to be and our internal monologue/autobiography. However, my work has become very abstract and some of the images are centred around things I love. The work I have produced have abstract meanings and when some people look at what I done may not understand what I am trying to portray and to be honest some of the things don’t even really make sense to myself. Like what is life, what is love, what is rebellion? Where does love come from? Why do we rebel? How have I rebelled, or have even I rebelled at all? My work itself is an act of rebellion. By taking pictures of things of I shouldn’t and when I shouldn’t, I have essentially rebelled. My work is also an act of love. By taking pictures in order to learn more about myself, and to document things, places, feelings and people I love. The similarities between mine and Cindy Shermans work is that by taking self-portraits we have explored who we are, and use make up to explore ourselves. After an in-depth study of Cindy Shermans work it is apparent that her images are made to show different characters and not herself. The differences between mine and Cindy Shermans work is that she intends to change her identity by dressing up and looking different. Does she dress up as people she wants to be and regrets not being? Her whole project is solely self-portraits that portray and mock societies views on women and how they should look, act and what they should become. We have seen this in the earlier work of Claude Cahun too ; body image, gender roles and stereotypes are pushed and pulled around. The viewer is left to make concious decisions about what it is they are seeing. The similarities between mine and Jen Davis work is that by taking self-portraits we have explored the idea of beauty, both within ourselves and others, and learnt things about ourselves. The differences between mine and Jen Davis work is the solely took self-portraits and looked in detail into her fantasies and how she yearns for intimacy. Over the span of 11 years Davis explored the relationships she had had and included many of them in her work. Overall, the photographers that I have studied have inspired my creative processes but have also allowed myself to explore different ideas too.
I created this photobook in an attempt to demonstrate the experiences and struggles that a teenage boy faces when passing through to adulthood. This is the final layout for my photobook. I have began and ended the book with black and white images as a way of showing that the experiences and thoughts of many teenage boys are trapped within them selves. Other than these two images, the rest of the book is very vivid and bright creating an almost psychedelic colour scheme. My original plan was to create the book in black and white to amplify the deep emotion I have attempted to portray. However, upon inspection of my first photoshoot I decided that the images would be a lot more powerful in heavily saturated colour. This creates frantic images with a lot to look at and emphasises the bestrewed mind of the teenage boy. The use of the multi-protagonist effect in my ages definitely proved to be the biggest obstacle. I believe if I had known how challenging this process would be, I could have planned more photoshoots and allowed my self more time for editing, so that my book could have consisted of more images. The sequence its self is split into three distinct portions. The first three images are highly saturated pictures all consisting of their own metaphorical meaning in relation to the teenage mind. The subsequent six images come in pairs, I have compared the three photos of Charlie with the objects ‘hidden in plain sight’ within the photos. I emphasised the Alcohol, cigarettes and poker to show these ‘taboo’ objects and how they are so simply and easily introduced into the life of a young teenager. I chose to show the closeups of the images before the photo they are compared with as an attempt to foreshadow what was to come. I believe this was the main meaning of my photobook followed by the effect this has on an individuals mind and their love towards themselves. This is seen in my final three images where I present Charlies reflection in a mirror not representing him properly. I did this to heighten the idea that he is disconnected from himself and not only does he not recognise the person he sees in the mirror but they are two completely different people. Overall I am happy with the outcome of my photobook, although it did not go exactly to plan, I believe that I still managed to convey meaning and a narrative in the way that I wanted to.
