– How does Jim Goldberg explore childhood through his work
Childhood is seen as being the stages between birth and puberty. Innocent, care-free, happiness and imagination are common words used when describing childhood. There are many stages of childhood, the early stages of a child’s life are when they are learning through observing and communicating with others, usually supported by an adult figure, this forms the beginning of a child’s autonomy. Children start nursery which initiates their social lives and further enhances their communication skills. As a child matures through the different childhood stages they grow into adolescent children and develop massively socially and mentally. They start to make new friends and gain new skills which enables them to become more independent and magnify their own personality and individuality. The onset of adolescence creates various physical, psychological, and behavioural changes. The way a child is brought up and their environment through these stages sets them out for their life. Homelessness exposes children to environments that can cause danger to their physical and mental wellbeing. Homeless families often have limited access to health care, vaccinations and basic hygiene practises. Children growing up suffering with homelessness are challenged with stressful and traumatic situations which often they are too young to understand which leads to severe emotional distress and can accumulate over time, creating problems in adulthood. These stressful changes often create a higher result of mental disorders, which become exhibited in homeless children’s behaviour. Jim Goldberg explores childhood in the late 19th Century. Goldberg began creating the ideas behind and photographing ‘Raised by Wolves’ in 1985 and later started assembling the book in 1991. Between the years of 1985 and 1991 Goldberg bore witness to chaotic reality of street life in a culture of urban poverty. Goldberg shows childhood in an ‘unusual’ manner and from a perspective that is not usually related to childhood. My inspiration for my personal photobook stemmed from Goldbergs ‘Raised by Wolves’ project as I liked his use of a mix of not only images but text and annotations to support his intentions. For my personal study I will be collating my baby photos and objects that have significance to me and photographing them. To create the final outcome of my book I will be using old images, old drawings and diaries and significant objects from my childhood.
Raised by wolves explores street kids as they endeavour their lives full of addiction, abuse, and violence. Goldberg goes out into the streets of Los Angelos and San Francisco and follows these kids around whilst taking an outsider perspective to his project. Goldberg used half-truths and falsehoods in the children’s stories to reflect what people want or need to believe and leave the book open to peoples own interpretations. Raised by wolves transformed the role that photography played as it highlighted the differences between documentary and narrative and revealing the compromises between myth, history, and identity. As an outsider it was difficult to capture the true emotions and create a sympathetic feel for these kids when he hasn’t experienced their lifestyle. Goldberg used a mixture of images and written text to present the children’s personality, thoughts, and feelings. In an interview Goldberg said “I had always been interested in dialectical arguments, or positions… And when I thought of youth, I thought of my own teenage hood and childhood, and other people I knew who were often scapegoated, not appreciated, or not given a chance. The end result was trouble for them. I wanted to look at those people who were outsiders, like I was..” (Goldberg: 2018). Goldberg experienced a childhood of middle class and wanted to give these children a chance to be heard where they would normally be socially rejected.
Solomon-Godeau produced an essay discussing and exploring the concept of inside/out. Solomon-Godeau talks about the aspects of being an insider vs an outsider and the affects it can have on the outcome of an image. Within the essay she dissects the different positions, describing being an insider as “trusting, engaged and empathetic” whereas on the contrary she describes being an outsider as “unsympathetic, voyeuristic and distant.” Solomon-Godeau presents an insider as someone who has lived or is living through what they are trying to capture, thus creating an emotional and intimate image. She sees an outsider as someone who is trying to capture something they have not experienced themselves and the images being emotionless.
Jim Goldberg
Mike Brodie
These two images from Goldberg and Brodie show the differences being an insider vs being an outsider creates. In Brodies image it shows a more intimate side of the subject, showing where she may sleep or socialise. The subject is looking directly into the camera, looking relaxed and comfortable. Brodies image is raw and intense with emotion. The image is clean with sharp lighting which aids the deep emotions expressed within the image. Goldberg images looks like a snapshot taken without much thought or composition. Goldberg’s image has little intimacy as he is capturing a teen walking through the street instead of Brodie who captures his subject within their personal space. Being an insider can thoroughly change and adapt the meaning and emotions presented in an image. As an insider a photography is able to build relationships with the subject and allow them to feel comfortable and relate to the photographer. With Brodie his subjects were able to show their real personalities and their environment as he was one of them and understood what they were experiencing. This can enhance an image as the viewers as seeing the subject’s true self’s and make the viewers feel sympathetic towards the subject’s situation rather than judging them for it. Whereas, with an outsider’s perspective the subject may be putting on some form of an act as this is a new person. They may act and show emotions differently to how they really feel day to day. The subject may not feel comfortable with the photographer and therefore may be reserved and help back which would not properly present the true emotions and meaning behind the images. From a photographer’s perspective they may not fully be able to capture their ideas fully as they have not experienced that themselves, so they are just photographing based off society’s stereotypes and views on that matter. In regard to, Jim Goldberg, he uses text to let his subjects describe their own experiences with their own words to try and gain an insider perspective.
Goldberg found a specific interest in the lives of two boys named Dave and Echo, he was intrigued by their likeable personalities and their crowds of friends. He began to form a close relationship with these two teens and became immersed in their lives. Dave and Echo were two fascinating but extremely troubled runaways. Dave described his highly Christian parents as a junkie slut and a biker from hell, although untrue the representation seemed fitting for a couple who then went on to turn their back on their dying son. Goldberg uses narratives to give more of a close formed relationship between the subject and the viewer. The narrative makes the viewer feel empathy for the subject rather than judging them. Goldberg challenges the norm and the stigma behind homeless, troubled youths and creates a different image for the viewers. Dave and Echo have a special part within the book as they talk more deeply about their childhood and their upbringings which Goldberg presents in an interview manor. Goldberg uses a collection of photographs, pieces of conversations, handwritten notes, drawings, snapshots, and the routine of daily life to show these children’s childhood and how their lives and routines is completely different to most teens their age. He presents their personalities, histories, and dreams to give these teens equal attention, and allowed them to present themselves in their own words allowing them to properly express their feelings when they may have not normally had the opportunity. Although Goldberg does not present a typical childhood, he is capturing the childhood and day to day lives of teens with an unusual life.
In conclusion, Goldberg’s photobook ‘Raised by wolves’ presents childhood in an unusual way and presents children and youths who would typically not been given a chance. Goldberg uses a combination of images, text and diary entries to represent the youth’s thoughts, views and emotions. Goldberg takes an outsider’s approach to Raised by Wolves as he has never experienced that type of lifestyle which is a hard approach to take when trying to present a group of ‘socially rejected’ people which is why he supports his images with text so the subjects themselves so he can also gain an insider’s view. Goldberg’s book is similar to Mike Brodies photobook “‘A period of Juvenile Prosperity” in the fact they both went out exploring and capturing runaway homeless teens. However, Brodie takes an insider’s approach as he was one of the homeless teens and therefore he just captured the people he was surrounded by and the environments which they stayed in. The difference between and outsiders’ perspective can entirely change the way a viewer interprets the book and the emotions presented from the subjects. Solomon-Godeau discusses this concept within her essay ‘Inside/out,’ discussing the different concepts and how this can affect one’s images and final outcome.
Bibliography
Solomon-Godeau, A. (1994), Public Information Desire, Disaster, Document. San Francisco: SFMOMA.
Jim Goldberg (2018), Magnum Photos, A Completely True Work of Fiction.
Jim Goldberg (2021), Magnum Photos, Fingerprint: Tracing the Roots of Jim Goldberg’s Raised by Wolves.
Miss Rosen (2021) Blind magazine, Tracing the Roots of Jim Goldberg’s “Raised by Wolves”.
How can photography capture and explore an environment, and accurately record it’s atmosphere to a viewer?
Introduction
“I am interested in the influence of place, and the shape of it around us, as we follow in the footsteps of those who came before.” (anna-Katrina Jędrosz, Isle, 2019).
Environmental documentary photographer Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz said this is how she experienced and encountered a place. She is an influential photographer to my project as I’m studying the environment surrounding Bouley Bay in Jersey. I plan to investigate different features, like Fort Leicester, the Islet, and boats, and other elements of the bay through different methods of photography, such as long exposure, aerial photography, and minimalistic close ups in a studio. This location is especially important to me as I grew up in that area, and regularly went to the beach in the summer. There are many memories that brings cheerfulness, for-instance meeting my friends at the pontoon in the bay, and many barbeques in the hot summer evening. I know this area extremely well and is relishing the opportunity to explore it from different perspectives and viewpoints. Using a selection of photos I have produced, I plan to prove that using photography you can accu depict an environment in detail. I plan to look at photographers Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz and Robert Adams as they document landscape environments well in in a clear way that captures the area in detail. I am using historical context of the bay from the Societe Jersiaise, because they have images and in-depth information on the history of the bay, which I can use in my project to juxtapose time. There are a few links to my pervious projects, such as the Anthropocene project, and how I linked it to water pollution by capturing images around Bouley Bay, which I used to create a photo manipulation from in Photoshop. I have also taken photos at Bouley Bay in other projects, for example, long exposure of the mini waterfall, and a slow shutter speed of waves crashing on the rocks near the L’Islet. For my current project I would like to develop long exposure photography of the bay, and it’s smaller features, also aerial photography to capture unique angles that showcases the bay that aren’t accessible to the average beachgoer. It would be displayed via a photobook that consists of images of the bay, the history of the bay and, images relating to the bay. All of the images that I will use in the photobook I will edit them in Photoshop, mainly using the camera-raw filter as it works extremely will since I only shot in RAW which, produces a .CR2 image. This helps me bring back shadows, highlights, and colour in post production as there is greater dynamic range. Compared to a JPEG file which uses compressed data as there is less information in the image file, so recovering and editing the images is more challenging. The processes I use the most in Photoshop are gradual and radial filters, spot healing brushes, and the clone stamp tool.
Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography, visual and popular culture
There are four main art movements and isms in photography and, they are, Pictorialism, Realism/Straight Photography , Modernism, and Post-Modernism. I plan to look at modernism, creating images inspired by Robert Adams and, Ansel Adams.
Pictorialism
Firstly, pictorialism was most popular in the time period 1880-1920, and the goal of it was to make photographs look like art, and to make them look handmade. There were many methods of creating this effect. The main two ways were to rub Vaseline on the camera lens to blur parts of the picture. Scratch the negative, and use chemicals to create an interesting print, information from The Genius of Photography. (Archive, 2007). Alfred Stieglitz was later dubbed Hill “the father of pictorial photography” and featured his and Adamson’s photographs in his publications and at the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession in 1906. (TheArtStory, 2018).
Realism and Straight Photography
Realism and Straight photography was effective approximately around the time period 1915, and its purpose was to use the photographic medium and it’s ability to provide accurate and descriptive records of the visual world, information from The Genius of Photography. (Archive, 2007). Gustave Courbet was the first artist to self-consciously proclaim and practice the realist aesthetic. After his huge canvas The Studio (1854–55) was rejected by the Exposition Universelle of 1855. (Britannica, 2020).
Modernism
Modernism is what relates to my project the most, and I what Robert Adams fits into, as he is most know for taking photos of the American West, which is the same objective that Ansel Adams had, who is considered the most important landscape photographer of the 20th century. (Britannica, 2020). Ansel Adams and Robert Adams are both environmentalists and use photography as a tool to highlight areas of the natural world that they care about. However, Ansel focuses his lens on the beauty of nature and he produces romanticised images, compared to Robert, who photographs the man-made world in the American West.
Modernism is characterised intellectually by a belief that science could save the world and that, through reason, a foundation of universal truths could be established. The common trend was to seek answers to fundamental questions about the nature of art and human experience. (The Genius of Photography, 2007). To get answers to their questions they would have to view the situation from a different angle, the quote sums it up nicely. “Our vision will be changed because we can see the world from unfamiliar viewpoints, for instance, thought a microscope, from the top of high buildings, from under the sea.” (Photography: A Critical Introduction, 1988: 19) This implies that by viewing the situation differently, there is a whole new way of thinking that introduces new ideas and new concepts, as it was a whole new notion, “modernism aimed to produce a new kind of world and new kinds of human beings to people it. The old world would be put under the spotlight of modern technology and the old evasions and concealments revealed.” (Photography: A Critical Introduction, 1988: 19). This is explains the changes in art movements and, how people are focusing on the future by putting the old movements behind them, however not completely forgetting them, which would help embrace the future and, what it holds.
Postmodernism
Finally, Postmodernism is the newest art movement and ism, and it has been in place since the second half of the 20th century. “Writers on postmodernism postulated the idea that modernity had run its course”. (Photography: A Critical Introduction, 1988: 21). Meaning that there was a new way of work, which allows new artist to take lead and express themselves.
Postmodernism is relativism, and it is the belief that no society or culture is more important than any other. It explores power and the way economic and social forces exert that power by shaping the identities of individuals and entire cultures. (The Genius of Photography, 2007). It gives everyone a fair chance as, “no longer governed by, so called, ‘grand’ or ‘master’ narratives.” ((Photography: A Critical Introduction, 1988: 21), which allows people to embrace the full chance of freedom, so they can create what they ideal.
There are many examples of post-modernistic art, however the most recognised founder of the Postmodernism movement is Jacques Lacan, who was a prominent French psychoanalyst and theorist. His ideas had a huge impact on critical theory in the twentieth century and were particularly influential on post-structuralist philosophy and the development of postmodernism. (Tate, 2017). A good example of Postmodern work would be “The Destroyed Room” that was created by Canadian artist, Jeff Wall in 1978.
This image shows exciting and vibrant colours that contrasts the abandoned, destroyed room. It aims to explore themes of violence and eroticism inspired by Eugène Delacroix’s monumental painting The Death of Sardanapalus. (Gagosian, 2018). The emotion that Wall is trying to express within his artwork is the anger and hatred after a breakup from a relationship. This explains why the main colours in the image is red, because red represents violence and blood. However, red is also the main colours that dominates Delacroix’s painting, along with the skin tones of the women in the painting. Therefore, I believe that Wall has created a modern version of Delacroix’s painting by taking inspiration form it, however instead of focusing on people and their emotions, he has focused on objects and belongings to visualise a heartbreak .
Robert Adams
The first photographer I have decided to study is Robert Adams, as he is a historical photographer who has documented the extent and the limits of our damage to the American West, recording it in over fifty books of pictures, both reasons to despair and to hope. (Fraenkel Gallery, 2012) His work is very well known and he fits into the modernism art movement, as his photos embrace its social, political and aesthetic potential, experimenting with light, perspective and developing?, as well as new subjects and abstraction. (Tate, 2016). Adams study on the American West link to my project in the same way that Jędrosz’s work does. This is through the study of an environment within an area. After reading a small section in Robert Adams book, “Beauty in Photography”, Adams describes how an image is meaningful even if it isnt the best image in the world. “For a picture to be beautiful it does not have to be shocking, but it must in some significant respect be unlike what has preceded it (this is why an artist cannot afford to be ignorant of the tradition within his medium). This is quote is from Adams influential book Beauty in Photography (which provides a theory on his approach to landscape photography), and it means Adams feels that for an image to be good it must be different and unique compared to what other people have captured.
When analysing one of Adams many books, “Beauty in Photography” he started the essay off with the quote, “The beautiful places to which we journey for inspiration surprise us by the melancholy they can induce.” (Adams, 1996: 13). A reviewer said, “I found this to be an interesting statement and one I can agree with. I am not really a landscape photographer myself, I can appreciate a good image but I often feel uninspired in my own attempts.” (35mmc, 2020) This really shows how Adams produces exceptional photographs which have the ability to inspire other people, which is why he is considered one of the most important and influential photographers to capture the American West. By Gilman (the reviewer) being inspired to practice photography herself, means that Adams has had a strong influence on her, however when Gilman realises that she is not a master at photography, it makes her more appreciative of Adams work. Many people may agree to the statement, “I often feel uninspired in my own attempts.” (35mmc, 2020). And the main reason is because they are not decided to photography in the same way that Robert Adams is, therefore the work they have produced seems bad and less important when being compared against Adams work.
When Adam’s was asked in an interview, “How do you go about finding the photograph you want to take?”, he spoke about how Ansel Adams pre-visulises all the details and specially plans the photoshoot, however Robert Adams doesn’t take the same approach and he said, “You do try to get as much as you can right there on the spot when you make the exposure, but there are a lot of surprises in photography. If you’re not interested in surprises, you shouldn’t be a photographer. It’s one of the great enlivening blessings of the medium.” (Art21, 2017). This shows how Robert Adams has a natural eye for photography and is very good at improvising according to his surroundings. It also shows how Adams had patience as he would have ended taking more photos than he planned and each exposure would have taken a long time. Finally Adams is also saying how unique and different each shoot can be, by using the word, “surprising”, this is the way to get the best photographs, which Adams described as the, “blessings of the medium.”
These are two of his photographs that I picked from a wide range of Adams work in Western America.
These two images where both taken by Robert Adams. The image on the left shows temporary caravan housing which contrasts with the mountain in the background, as the rectangular lines on the caravans clash with the smooth nature lines from the mountains on the horizon. The bottom half of the image being congested creates a busy, active, loud atmosphere that creates a conflict in emotion with the tranquil, clam, peaceful mountains and clear sky. Despite the cameras not being as advanced, this image is very clear and contains lots of details.
The image on the right is a more zoomed in shot to create a deeper personal connection. This effect is achieved by focusing in on the drive way of the house. The image is slightly under exposed, which makes the highlights more noticeable, therefore making the car a focus point. Adams commonly makes the 50/50 split in the image rather than using the rule of thirds, but in both of these image it works out well.
Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz.
The second photographer I’ve decided to study is Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz. She is a contemporary photographer who does documentary work with places, people and the environment in focus. In 2017 she did a photo series on the Rummu quarry. It stands as a remnant of the cold war. She highlighted the recent trials of refurbishing the area into something more beneficial to the nearby society. (Academy, 2021). This links with my study on a geographical point, such as Bouley Bay. I can study how Jędrosz has captured the quarry in a way which makes the viewer see the historical value of the site, before it is destroyed. Jędrosz uses several photographs from different vantage points to represent the location. Doing so she creates unique and interesting angles that reflects the areas age and emotion. The shots consist of a variety of close ups of walls with iron rods in them, barbed wire fences vanishing into the horizon and, a low squatted building on a frozen lake. All of the images have been shot during winter, and what seems to be a single photoshoot. This gives the collection of images a general look, which is a cold atmosphere, however it would have been nice to see the location in different seasonal states, as it would have give the quarry a whole different look. Although, after research, this aproach of showing the area in different lighting, seasons and, moods goes against Jędrosz’s way of work as this question in an interview was asked, “What influenced your photography?”, and she replied, “The people and places I photograph have the biggest influence on my photography. I try not to impose too much, and to respond to what’s happening in front of me in a genuine way, to make photographs that are a documentation of an encounter.” (Academy, 2021). This is evidence that Jędrosz likes to capture the initial, untouched environment, and how she doesn’t want to manipulate the location, as it wouldn’t produce an authentic image. This would take some of the meaning away from the final image.
Jędrosz fits into the contemporary documentary photographer category, which is a style of photography that provides a straightforward and accurate representation of people, places, objects and events. (Tate, 2017) These are my two favourite images from the Rummu Quarry photo collection, and they are an accurate representation of place, as she has used the quarry landscape to set the scene. Photos captured for contemporary documentary purposes, like Jędrosz’s images, are often used in reports such as, in the newspaper and on the news. Jędrosz’s images of the quarry were useful as the Rummu Quarry was being assessed for redevelopment, therefore she documented the quarry before it was repurposed or destroyed.
The image on the left is my favourite image. It shows the area in a wider perspective, and Jędrosz has made an extremely powerful composition by including small hints of the side of the cliff, which creates depth to draw the eye into the middle of the image, where the building is located. The spacing between the building and the land is mostly consistent, which adds to create a visually appealing composition. The building having the same colours as the rocky cliffs around it means that the blue, frozen ice emphasis the focus on the building. The blue ice constructs a balance between the light blue, hazed sky, which makes the viewer notice the brown areas more, this is because blue and brown are the main two colours in this image. Overall, the vantage point Jędrosz has taken this image from and inspired me to use high pinot to take images from to get the aerial photo type look.
The photo on the right is extremely different to the other image. It doesn’t show the general area that is surrounded by miles of trees, instead it show the security measures in place and provides a more realistic representation of what it would of been like to work at the quarry when it was open during the rein of the Soviet Union. The meaning changes when you look into the historical context of the quarry. “The workers were drawn from the near by Rummu Prison” (Hanna-Katrina, 2010?). Knowing that prisoners use to work at the quarry creates links to the barbed wire fences, and the graffiti, which could have been done by the released prisoners or street artists.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Jędrosz and Adams capture an environment in detail and, they accurately recreate the atmosphere as if the viewer was there. The main similarities between both photographers, is that they both include a wide variety of shots from the same location to provide more infomation about the place. For example, a wide angle view of the location, and a close up shot of objects in the environment. On the other hand the main difference is that Adams shoots in black and white, where as Jędrosz shoots in colour.
For Adams only being able to shoot in a monochromatic format, the image he produces often contains a more moody atmosphere which creates stronger emotions, as there is a greater contrast between certain elements in the image. Plus, shooting in black and white can removed some visual distractions by removing distracting colours to simplify the final image. Without colour, it is sometimes easier to make out the photographic camera techniques used in an image such as, framing, form, positioning and, surface texture. Robert Adams once claimed, “Black and white are the colours of photography,” (NYTimes, 2012) meaning that Adams feels that he doesn’t need colour to create the perfect image. On the other hand, colour is an important variable in landscape photography. It creates a visually appealing image which draws the viewer into the image where they can notice smaller details, which might have been missed if the image was in black and white, as colour in landscape photography can help differentiate depth and detail in an image. Colour can be used to convey emotion such as, cold and warm, it can also show emotion using the lighting conditions and the weather.
Another difference is that Adams composition in his images seem more precise, compared to Jędrosz. The main reason I think this happened is because Adams uses a large-format camera which is much slower to operate and can only make one exposure at a time, whereas Jędrosz uses a digital camera, so she can quickly and efficacy capture images. The large format camera was the best camera at the time for taking landscape images, as it had incredible detail and focus, a shallow depth of field and, interchangeable lenses. Both photographers capture different environments in their own style, and affectively showcase a whole geological location with a selection of images.
MT: You need to redo the way you reference sources as it doesn’t make sense. Use Harvard system of referencing
To show the effects of mental health through the use of photography.
A paragraph
The story of my photobook is to show the viewers how emotions cannot just be read from the face but can be from the body. I want to show these mental health disorders through my photography in a dramatic way, discarding the colour and having the white dress as the focus as a sense of purity and cleanness yet juxtaposes how the mind is. The self portraits would consist of photos in different locations such as a forest, an abandoned building and the inside of my own home.
Design: Consider the following
Paper and ink
Smooth, semi-matte finish with up to 440 photos.
Format, size and orientation
Sizing of the book to be 8×10 in, 20×25 cm.
Binding and cover
Printed on the front cover, back cover, and spine. Gloss finish with no cover flaps.
Title
The White Dress
Design and layout
With the photobook I will have a selection of double page spread images, juxtaposition and a few sequences on a page spread.
Editing and sequencing
There will be a sequence of black and white self portraits in different places starting with trees, to an abandoned building to then inside showing the journey of mental health.
Images and text
With the new selection of images I will add some text which would consist of maybe a quote or some understanding of my story.
With my first photo shoot I put them into a folder in light room under a name such as Fran ~ Tree so I know that the photographer is Francesca Woodman and the Photos are of me in the tree.
Next with the images I go through them all to either reject or flag them. Usually I go through all the photos rejecting all the ones that are blurry to then go through again to see if I have missed any.
I then put the photos into 2 groups Red and Yellow. All the photos with the Red label are all the photos that I do not want for many reasons such as my jacket was showing, the photo isn’t in full focus or maybe the camera was too close.
With the selected 33 photos I went through them again to find the photos I liked the most and changed the label colour from yellow to green. Selecting similar images and comparing to find the better image and then keep that as the green labelled one.
I then selected one of the green labelled images which I changed to be in black and white, adjusting it to make the white dress stand out while the trees are still dark. This would create an equal balance between black and white which creates the dress as the main focus of the image.
With this new edit on the photos I synced this to all the other green labelled photographs. This would make the process easier to edit all images to make them black and white. To the same balance of black and white in all images.
As I have changed all the green labelled photos to being in black and white I went through individually and adjusted each image to have the right level of a bright white dress and a dark tree within the photo.
shoot 2
With my second shoot I start the process again with flagging and rejecting the images. Deciding which images are too blurry or ones with my eyes shut.
Then I sorted the photos in labelled groups of red and yellow to discard the photos I feel isn’t right for the image I am looking for. From the green images I then went through to find the one image was good enough to use and photoshop.
With my chosen image I change the background of the image to white to see whether the image would suit a white background or with a coloured one. This was a challenge as I had to try to delete the shadow behind as I wanted the image to be animation like so having no background would make it more cartoon like.
I put the photo onto photoshop to clean up around the portrait so the image would be a more fixed imaged. This way it will be easier to add the coloured background.
I decided to add a light blue background similar to the sad side of the face. With the blue coloured background I flattened the image then cropped it to make it more focused on the face.
shoot 3
With shoot 3 I did the same as the previous shoots by flagging the photos that weren’t right then with the flagged photos I put them into 2 labelled groups of red and yellow.
Then I went through the yellow labelled ones and changed the labels of the best images to green. Narrowing down the the few I find would show the best representation of what I am trying to show in my photographs.
With one of the green images I edited it to make the black silhouette stronger and the white sheet brighter. In attempt on keeping the silhouette solid in colour by with a softer blend to the light.
As I edited one image, I then synced it up with the other 3 green labelled images. Which some didn’t come out the way I expected it to as it may have been too dark of a silhouette that it makes the sheet behind become too dark.
Opening quote (either Lillie Langtry or The Countess of Castiglione)
Paragraph 1
Introduction
– Basing my book/essay on a mixture of my personal identity and things I am interested in.
– Looking into how photography plays a part in celebrity culture in good and bad ways e.g self promotion and paparazzi.
– Comparing historical and contemporary figures ; Lillie Langtry (historical),Countess of Castiglione (historical), Kim Kardashian (historical)
Paragraph 2 – Historical
The Countess of Castiglione(Positive)
– 1837 until 1899, Italian aristocrat
– Mistress of Napoleon III of France, obsessed with her own appearance, would not look at herself in old age when she lost her attractive looks.
– Photographed over 400 times with photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson, and also images of her son and her dogs.
– Controlled the whole photographic process (lighting, pose, setting) to allow herself to create her own self-perception to the public.
– Portraits kept in Metropolitan Museum, biographies and movies made about her life.
Paragraph 3 – Historical
Lillie Langtry (Positive and negative)
– 1953 until 1929, Jersey-born socialite
– Original name : Emilie Charlotte Le Breton (relation to my family on grandfathers side – personal identity)
– Actress, socialite, mistress of Prince Albert of Wales, early example of celebrity endorsement.
– Scandal between her and Prince in newspapers, scandal forgotten, became actress with help of Oscar Wilde and opened Jersey Opera House
Paragraph 4 – Contemporary
Kim Kardashian (Negative)
– Social media and reality star
– Positive and negative ideas on the public having access to photography through phones and sharing experiences and photographs of celebrities. Photography making career easier to boost (modelling and brand deals)
– ‘Cancel Culture’ holding celebrities accountable for mistakes, threatening careers and sometimes safety of the celebrity.
– Paparazzi also threatening safety and careers of celebrities for their appearance, where they are, what they are doing. Threaten the lives of their families and friends.
– Origin of fame for Kardashian family being controversial (leaked explicit videos and photos)
Paragraph 5
Conclusion
– Comparing photography in celebrity lives throughout history (positive and negative effects)
– Photography as art vs photography as a career
– How photography being made accessible to everyone has effected the lives of celebrities
