By now you should have a student login, which gives you access to The Hautlieu Creative Blog too.
TASK 1 : UPLOAD YOUR SUMMER TASK TO THE BLOG
You will be shown how to navigate the blog and of course design and publish your own blog posts. Remember…your blog posts are the equivalent of submitted work that is ready for assessment and feedback by your teacher(s).
Each blog post should be considered, critical, creative and carefully constructed. Normally, you will be expected to complete blog posts that reflect your knowledge and understanding of the topics / skills that have been covered day by day / week by week.
It is YOUR responsibility to keep up with the workload, and pace your productivity in step with what is being taught each step of the way. You will receive feedback either directly in response to the blog posts you publish, or as a response to a set of tasks in the form of a TRACKING SHEET.
The TRACKING SHEET will include a list of tasks / skills / blog posts that you must produce…as well as deadlines, extension tasks and the marking criteria.
The photographer I chose to edit my images in the style of is Ansel Adams, who was recognised for his monochromatic landscape photos. He tended to use a full tonal range in his photographs, creating striking images such as the ones below.
Adams was an environmentalist, meaning he was passionate
about protecting the wildlife and natural environment supporting it. He aimed to
encourage the conservation of nature and the wilderness through the use of his
camera and the photographs he produced with it, allowing people to see the true
beauty of nature.
I like the idea of producing black and white images as it
adds a timeless quality to the product. I felt it would be appropriate for this
project as the occupation is a huge part of Jersey’s heritage and adds a
powerful aspect to the final result.
Editing process
I didn’t change much apart from the colouring of the bunker so as to make the ivy more clear and the gate more defined.
Whilst editing this image of a WWII tunnel I made the cracks and deterioration more defined. I also darkened the tunnel to give the image an eerier vibe.
I cropped the image so as to keep the focus on the concrete pillars and the mill behind it, which had been previously used as a cooling matrix for the German generators. I also increased the clarity and colour of the image and decreased the light intensity as it defines the structures more.
I rotated the image to straighten the coastline, making it centred and showing an accurate view of where the people behind the gun would be aiming.
I cropped some of the foreground out and spot blemished parts of the grass that’s at the front of the shot. I then increased the clarity and decreased light intensity to keep the tower in focus.
I cropped and rotated the image for aesthetic purposes, except I kept the top half of the machine gun port and the wires to show the German propaganda on a bunker wall, which had been common ground for the massacre of enemies.
I decreased the light intensity and slightly rotated the photo to make the text straight and clear, which translates to “We drive against England”
I increased the contrast of the image and the ting slightly to get more definition on the concrete pillars that were used to stop tanks from driving up during the occupation.
I increased the clarity of the image and decreased the light intensity in order to define the middle of the image, displaying the barrel of the gun.
I increased the clarity and the warmth of the image to highlight the erosion present in the bunker door, showing how its been completely neglected after the occupation, due to the emotional attachment to it, which had been pejorative.
Final editing process
Here’s the final development of my images, in the style of Ansel Adams:
Project Evaluation:
This project on the occupation has allowed me to explore the
symbolic power photography is capable of. Initially, I mostly began looking at
the architectural aspects of bunkers from WWII; However, as I spent more time
on the first shoot, I started to notice how something as simple as overgrown
plants, rust and cobwebs could be representative of the grief and trauma caused
by the occupation in the later years of the war, as it shows how derelict
everything from that era (that had been constructed by the Germans) had become.
This abandonment really resonated with me and gave me insight into the feelings
of the islanders who fell victim to the tyrannical reign of their beloved
island.
During the project, I experimented with levels, the depth of
my images and took both landscape and portrait photos. I looked at how
foreground affects the focus of a photo and began to consider how to change the
perspective of an image.
Looking back at the photos I’d taken, if I was to do the project
again, I would’ve taken a lot more photos as I hesitated at many of the shoots.
I would evaluate my images before moving destination and I would take more time
to get everything into focus. I would experiment more with natural light and
artificial light to see how that could have changed the mood regarding each
image.
I could’ve improved my collection of images by photographing
old items and remains from that era or people who lived during that time or monuments
with immense sentimental and emotional value as a way to humble the viewer of
the image, reminding them of the ultimate torture society went through for
those years.
Overall, I’m quite happy with how my project has developed leading to the final image I’ve edited and selected below.
Personally, I feel as though this was the most successful
image as it captures Jersey’s beautiful coast behind a mass structure built
exclusively for malicious intent. Generally, I believe it allegorically
represents how Jersey was occupied and the black and white editing of the image
helps to date the gun emplacement back to the era in which the war took place,
due to its “timeless quality” I had explored earlier in my research.
I think the way the barrel of the gun is directly in the
middle of the image is a key reason why the photo works so well; It allows the
viewer to gain the same perspective that a German soldier would have had. It
also makes the viewer feel subordinate as the structure the feel like they’re
standing behind had the power to carry out hundreds of massacres on Jersey and
British allies, which can arouse feelings of grief, despite not actively being
there to witness it. The symmetry of the metal bars on either side personally
represents the islanders, who were regimented and controlled by Germany as they
almost line up like bars of a cage.
The serenity of the sea in the background allows the viewer
to see that the photo was not taken during the occupation but creates imagery,
as they can picture the vessels that would have been out there, almost creating
a sense of nostalgia.
Lighting – The majority of this lighting is very shaded in this photo with some natural lighting coming from the windows at the top of the building. Some of the photo is under exposed e.g. the foreground but towards the background the photo becomes more exposed.
ISO – The light sensitivity is low in this image, hence why it’s sharp.
White Balance – This image has mostly warm tones and the colour of it looks accurate.
Visual
Visual Elements – The tones in this photo are very dark making it look more intense and gloomy and the colours look like they’ve been washed out slightly making the most eye catching thing the white lights coming from the windows in the ceiling. You can see a lot of the textures on the man in the foreground e.g. his hair, wrinkles and freckles. The symmetry of the pillars either side of the man frames the photo better making the man the main focus of the photo. The space above the man makes the building look like it’s towering over the man, although the man already looks quite evil and powerful due to his posture and the way he’s looking straight into the lens of the camera as if he was looking into the eyes of another person which would be considered intimidating, the building being greater in size gives the whole photo an intimidating feeling.
Composition – The photo looks like its been cropped as the photo looks longer that a normal length photo, as well as this the space at each sided of the man looks like their the same size meaning it’s likely it’s been cropped or it’s been arranged that way. The eye is automatically lead towards the man in the photo because the light is hitting certain points of his skin therefore highlighting him as well as him being in the centre of the photo. The light from the top third of the photo contrasts with the bottom third of the photograph as well.
Contextual/Conceptual
The photographer, Arnold Newman, was an American Jew, giving the photo a string meaning because the main focus in the photo is Afried Krupp who was a German who was accused of slave labour (manufacturing trains) in the Nazi regime. The inspiration for the photo most likely came from this and the reason as to why he made the man in the image look so evil and why he made the photo look so ominous. The negative image Newman gave Krupp was to show Newmans hatred towards him and the Nazis overall.
During your first lesson or two you will be expected to submit and display your summer task. As a group we will discuss the merits and limitations of the mini-projects, and your work will be assessed soon and you will receive feedback too. Your Summer Task will then form the start of your coursework (Component 1 / 50% of overall mark).
(If you have not completed a Summer Task as a new recruit…then you have until Friday 13th September to complete the task appropriately.)
We will also discuss your thoughts and feelings / knowledge and understanding of…
Photography’s function(s)
Photography as an art-form
Photography as a science
The difference between the study of photography and the practice of photography
Henri Cartier-Bresson once said…”Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst”
What do you think Cartier-Bresson meant by this…? Discuss
Other…
Blog Overview
Sharepoint Overview
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Lightroom
Demonstrating a critical and contextual understanding of photography can be tricky, especially if the subject is relatively new to you in Year 12. The following activities have been designed to encourage you to reflect on what you know already about photography. Hopefully, some of the prompts will encourage you to further develop your understanding of photography through additional pondering and research.
In small groups, discuss the following questions and create a poster / brainstorm with your findings and answers…
Why do people take/make photographs?
Why is photography important?
What skills do you need to be a good photographer?
How many different kinds of photography can you think of?
How does photography help us see the world?
Can photographic images be trusted?
What are the similarities and differences between photography and other types of visual art?
When would it not be OK to take a photograph?
How do you know when you’ve made a good photograph?
Are photographers also artists?
Where is the best place to see photographs?
What kind of photography interests you most?
What confuses or frustrates you about photography?
Watch this short film in which the photographer William Klein discusses his contact sheets. Make some brief notes. What does he help us to understand about photography?
Evaluation: I believe that my work was successful in that it followed the style of the reference photographer, Virilio, but also I made time for some of my own personal ideas. My overall idea for the three shoots was inspiration taken from how I interpreted Virilio’s work, so the contrast between nature and the man made archaeology of the bunkers. I believe I was most successful in simulating Virilio’s style in the first shoot, and the last image of the 3rd shoot, as they are highly contrasted, in black and white, and use line to draw the eye to the image. I believe I was most successful in imitating Virilio’s use of contrast because I was able to use the sky and the natural lighting to my advantage and bring definition to the shadows and the highlights in each of the black and white images. I think that as I kept some of the images in colour, this reflects how I am able to use adapt own style and take my own ideas into the work of photography, even if the artist’s style is somewhat different. I also think that another area I was successful in was being able to frame the photographs in such a way that provided a background without completely overrunning the image with white, which was not how Virilio did it, and would have potentially ruined the images.
When I went out and actually took the pictures, I was attempting to think about how Virilio viewed war, how he had a personal experience of it, and how he viewed photography as a way of slowing down the rapid human thinking process and giving humanity more freedom through a simple series of still images. This led to a few of the final images being very similar to his style, and even the shoot by the bunker tower, which he had taken pictures of a tower exactly like it. I was trying to communicate the idea that over time, the bunkers had become part of the landscape and do not reflect the tragedy of recent history, as they would have done when Virilio did his series of bunker photographs, but that they show further back in history, and how the past can shape the landscape of the future. Additionally, I was trying to show how nature was taking over in some of the shoots, especially the final one, where the grass had almost completely obscured the bunker wall from view, from certain angles leaving only a few chimneys.
To improve the project I could have taken more shoots and attempted a wider variety of angles or styles of bunker to shoot in, which would have more effectively followed Virilio’s style. I see one reason to my success as the range of different bunker structures I visited: the tower, the square roofless bunker, the wall embedded into nature. This created more interest in my images as they are not all identical, and it also reflects the history of bunker archaeology, another area that the reference photographer was keen in and wrote about extensively.
To take the project to a higher level I could have done more research into how Virilio actually carried out his photographs, his mindset and his editing techniques, and applied them to my own work for a more authentic and accurate representation of his style. This would have involved reading more of his actual work and conducting more extensive research into his life and his work in photography.
I chose this image as my best one because I believe that all of the elements tie together and show not only my own style and idea for these shoots, but also the style of the reference photographer, Virilio. The dual black and white background adds dimension and interest to the image, as most of my other images do not show the sea at all and it was a very important aspect of the Occupation and the bunkers (and the Nazis) actually being here on the island. The black and white is flipped in the right of the image, with the black shadow on the tower being on the top and the grey-white of the cliffs being on the bottom. This makes the image good to look at and provides contrast for the smaller shadows from in between the rectangular slots of the tower itself. This angle and editing was planned, but I did not plan for the person standing next to the tower, which is another reason why this is my best and favourite image, as I see the person as an addition to the idea of humanity and nature and also this adds a sense of reality, as this image could look rather dystopian to someone who was not familiar with the Occupation and how it affected everyone on the island. It also shows the size of the tower and therefore the vastness of the ocean behind it. I believe that my editing was also successful in this image as it follows Virilio’s style of a high contrast, black and white image, with dark shadows and bright white highlights. To improve this image I think that I could try without the person, as that would suit Virilio’s style better, but I do actually believe that it compliments my own style as well as his own, and makes this image my best.
This induction task is designed for students who wish to study AS Photography. The aim of this task is to ensure that the students who have chosen this option both understand the requirements of the course and start as early as possible in their journey towards completing it to a high level. The work you produce in this Induction Task will be used to stimulate a group discussion during the first session as well as form the beginning of Component 1 (coursework).
Stimulus : “Occupation and Liberation”
Occupation ID Card – JerseyLiberation Square – Jersey
This task should be an ongoing investigation over the summer so expect to spend at least 2-3 hours a week over a four week period in order to develop your idea…
Aim to respond creatively to the stimulus… “Occupation and Liberation.”
Show how you can observe, interpret, define and most importantly photograph signs of occupation / liberation. You may want to explore visual aspects, or subtle and nuanced ways of photography various forms of occupation / liberation that have an emotional or personal edge. There are many possibilities…some more obvious than others.
You should / could start by photographing some of the following suggestions…
German bunkers / fortifications / sea defences
walls, barriers, fences
local slave labour camps
artefacts and other evidence
survivors / islanders who were here during the occupation itself
memorials
And aim to produce a set of photographic responses based on your own research of photographers from this selection…
Self-portrait (with Nazi badge between her teeth) by Claude Cahun, 1945
What is
required:
Research your own chosen photographer, who is he/she, what type of photography, what does it say to you?
Analyse his/her work, style, technique, meaning – show knowledge and understanding
Respond – at least 3 different shoots that show development of your ideas and style as well as your understanding of abstract photography
Edit – make a first selection and cut down the three shoots to the best ten images, and justify your selection in annotation.
Experiment – work on cropping, adjustments of brightness/ contrast/ colour correction and show further Photoshop / editing techniques.
Evaluate – describe process of experimentation and reflect on learning etc.
Present – put all work together in a digital format such as Powerpoint / Word
Select your favourite outcome, print out as an A4 image and explain why you have chosen it in your final evaluation (at least 200-300 words.)
How to proceed:
Research an artist reference,
the background and life of the artist and explain why you have chosen that
particular photographer. What do his / her photographs say to you? Look at
composition and its visual elements e.g. line,
form, shape, colour, tone, contrast, texture, depth, balance, space,
perspective, viewpoint, foreground/ mid-ground/ background, rule of third. Look
at the use of lighting e.g. natural lighting; sunlight, overcast, soft, harsh,
directional, contrast and artificial lighting: studio, flash, spotlight, side-light,
backlight, reflected light, shadows, chiaroscuro (light / darkness).
Use photographic language as above in your annotation and consider the artistic merits :
Technical
, Visual , Conceptual and Contextual elements
Write a short introduction about the work of your chosen photographer and the nature of their work
Issues to consider:
His / her attitude to photography and the advantages / disadvantages of the camera as a way of “seeing”
Are we looking at fact or fiction (or a hybrid of both?)
The ways in which your chosen photographer explored the formal elements in his / her work e.g. form, light, rhythm, line, texture, repetition etc.
Planning: Once you have spent
time evaluating the work of your chosen photographer, plan a shoot using the
same techniques and mindset.
You must: Produce a mind map
showing your thought process and with breadth of thinking, and a mood board
(collage of images) to illustrate the look and feel of your project.
You should: Start to write annotations of your thoughts,
how are you going to proceed with the project? What are your inspirations? Your
doubts? Your worries? How will you start? Consider as many experiments as you
can.
You Could: Add in photographic responses as you write the blog, showing how your ideas are developing. Show variations and experimentation of different shoots, different ideas.
Recording: After planning your
idea, gather together what you need. When you take pictures try and think about
everything that you see in the frame – what’s in the foreground, mid-ground, background. To achieve this you must think about composing your picture (use your
zoom lens and/or distancing yourself from subject/object), focussing (sharp,
soft focus), use creative exposure tools on camera like fast/slow shutter speed
to either freeze or blur a sense of movement, different aperture settings to
control the area of focus and sharpness in your picture. E.g. a high aperture setting like f5.6 will make the background soft and
out of focus whereas an aperture of f16
will make everything in the picture sharp from foreground to background. Also
by zooming in or using a telephoto lens you can throw the background out of
focus, or conversely if using a wide-angle everything in the frame will be in
focus. Crop
your images carefully.
You must:
Produce
the contact prints from at least three shoots, each dated with your selections
highlighted.
You
should:
Ensure the three shoots are as varied as possible, showing your ability to be
creative and that you can learn from the shooting process. Include the experience into your blog.
You could: Increase the number of shoots and once you
have highlighted your selection, give reasons for choice linking with the work
of the photographer.
Editing: Editing is one of the most important aspects of photographic practice so be critical and selective when you choose your final selection of 5 images and then your best photograph. Think about sequence and relation between images – does your series of images convey a sense of narrative (story) or are they repetitious? Sometimes less is more!
You Must: Gather your images and
select your final selection approx 10 images, describe each of the images,
artistically and share your thoughts on what why you took and then selected the
image.
You
should:
Show your ability to correct the images using image manipulation software, such
as Photoshop, consider the cropping, adjust levels, contrast, colour
correction, B/W and balance of the image.
You could: Use Photoshop to enhance your creativity and expand on the possibilities that photography gives you, include screen grabs to illustrate the techniques you have used.
Presentation: Think about how you
present your work in terms of layout, scale, colour and perspective. A Powerpoint presentation is ideal
The
presentation of your photographs is just as important as your photographic
images themselves. Consistency of layout throughout is paramount and try to
make your work personal.
You must: Gather all of your
work and present it in a logical manner
A grid format could work well for this exercise
You should: Produce an individual and comprehensive response
to both your chosen artist and the inspirations that the artist has given you.
You could: Design within Adobe Photoshop or similar package, a theme to enhance the
imagery and clarify the message of your response.
Evaluation: Reflect, contrast and compare the images and ideas that you have taken and write 500-1000 word account of how you made the photos, development of idea and what you were trying to achieve and communicate. This can be done throughout your layout as annotation or at the end as part of your final evaluation. Finally, choose your favourite image and present this separately from your series of images. Accompany this with a brief written analysis (250-500 words) explaining in some detail what it is that you think works well about this image.
You must: Evaluate your work, compare it with the work of
your chosen artist reference and consider the areas that were most successful
and why.
You
should:
Discuss the changes you could make to improve the project and analyze the
reasons of your success and how you would add
value.
You
could:
Show how you would take the project to a higher
level and give examples of the methods and inspiration that you could
employ to achieve this.
Make sure you bring
with you:
all of your work (that covers points 1-8 in your chosen digital format)
including your best A4 printed image for your first photography lesson on Wednesday 4th September 2019.
