For our final project of the whole photography A – level all students put together a newspaper based on the theme of ‘Identity and community’. There was a mixture of old and new images from every project.
When creating and designing the newspaper I made multiple My aim was to experiment with different sizes, styles and themes. The task was to create different pages with various different layouts.
Process
To insert my images I had to create a box using the rectangle frame tool, I made the box the size I wanted my image to be.
Then I began editing my images to suit the themes and colours I was aiming for. I adjusted the brightness, contrast and exposure of all the images and cropped and rotated them when I needed to.
Using the quick selection tool to get the white boarders off the images.
Changing the angle of the images to fit the angle of the wall.
Adding a drop shadow to make them look more realistic.
Gallery view
I decided to have a gallery where it is split into two rooms because of the different images. In the first room there are landscape images which are more about the environment and includes images from the landscape and Anthropocene project. In the second room the images are more focused on the topic of people and these are from the identity project where I focused on the theme of family.
I chose these two versions of the same image to print. My idea for this is to possibly experiment with tearing pieces and overlapping them over each other.
For this image, I plan to mount this image within a window mount along with the coloured/black and white photo of the same back. I have decided to print these off in different sizes to create a contrast in the photos.
A4 images
The first image is to be displayed in a window mount alone with a large amount of negative space around it to create more of an impact that the image has.
The images seen on the pages of this newspaper supplement are extracted from a variety of projects and final outcomes produced over a two-year academic programme of study by a group of A-Level photography students at Hautlieu School. In their final year the themes of Identity and Community offered a specific focus and through a series of creative challenges students developed a body of work that were inspired, partly from visiting heritage institutions to learn about aspects of Jersey’s unique history of immigration and exploring migrant communities and neighbourhoods in St Helier in a series of photo-walks. In the classroom additional inspiration was provided from workshops on NFTs (non-fungible token) and digital art, embroidery and textile art, animation and film-making, zine and photobook design led by professional artists, designers and teachers.
As part of the research and contextual studies students were asked to engage with some of the key questions raised by the Government of Jersey’s Island Identity project and explore through their own photographic studies how they interpret and identify distinctive qualities of island life. What can we learn from looking at a set of photographs produced by young islanders? At first sight they show us a seemingly random set of images of places, people and objects – some familiar, others surprising. On closer inspection each image is a visual sign and also a conundrum. For example, a fish stuffed in a plastic bottle may ask us to consider more closely our marine environment, commercial fishing or food consumption. As a combined sequence of images they represent different views that in many ways comment on a wider discussion on some of the primary objectives explored in the Island Identity project, such as ‘how we see ourselves’ and ‘how others see us.’
The newspaper was kindly sponsored by Deputy Carolyn Labey, Minister for International Development and Assistant Chief Minister who in her foreword shares her personal thoughts on what makes Jersey special to her in context of the Island Identity project led by her department. She says, ‘identity involves searching our soul, engaging with difficult issues, and asking not only who we are, but how others see us and what a vision for the future might look like. The perspective of students and young people in this debate is critical. Identity is a broad and far-reaching concept, one unique to all of us. This collection of images recognises both our differences and our commonalties. These times may be uncertain, but in my view the topic – ‘what Jersey means to you’ – is a fundamentally optimistic and forward-looking one.’
The Identity and Community newspaper is the fourth supplement produced in collaboration between Hautlieu School Photography Department and Jersey Evening Post. In 2018 the first issue was The Future of St Helier and last year the themes of Love & Rebellion explored experiences of isolation and lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Photographer and teacher Martin Toft, comments: ‘The question of ‘what makes Jersey special’ matters a great deal to every islander and as visual signs, the images printed on these pages are an attempt – not so much to provide answers – but rather asking questions about the essence of this island we call home, and how it actively will overcome current challenges in shaping a prosperous future for all.’
Various workshops and school trips for inspirations, recording and experimenting with new images and ideas of making
Here is the spread that features one of my images of my grandad preparing shellfish for a family dinner. The photo is juxtaposed by an image of a fish in a plastic bottle stuffed with plastic straws to create a message showing the devastating effects of pollution on sea life. The sterile plastic filled fish makes the seafood look unappetising and creates a guilty lens view that uses audience positioning to make readers reconsider the correlation between their consumption of seafood and the impact on life below the sea. Having my work displayed in a newspaper was a really interesting experience and it was nice to see my photos in a public place which was a good conclusion to my photography course.
I enjoyed making a newspaper as a group working on the identity & community project and found it an interesting experience, seeing everyone’s different ideas of the theme and the outcomes they had from this was fascinating to see.
My image on the right.
For the newspaper I focused on island identity and how this could change due to external influences such as Anthropocene. The image in the newspaper shows this by changing the natural landscape to man made ‘rubbish’ often found in the sea or stuck on natural landscapes.
Identity & Community Newspaper
The images seen on the pages of this newspaper supplement are extracted from a variety of projects and final outcomes produced over a two-year academic programme of study by a group of A-Level photography students at Hautlieu School. In their final year the themes of Identity and Community offered a specific focus and through a series of creative challenges students developed a body of work that were inspired, partly from visiting heritage institutions to learn about aspects of Jersey’s unique history of immigration and exploring migrant communities and neighbourhoods in St Helier in a series of photo-walks. In the classroom additional inspiration was provided from workshops on NFTs (non-fungible token) and digital art, embroidery and textile art, animation and film-making, zine and photobook design led by professional artists, designers and teachers.
As part of the research and contextual studies students were asked to engage with some of the key questions raised by the Government of Jersey’s Island Identity project and explore through their own photographic studies how they interpret and identify distinctive qualities of island life. What can we learn from looking at a set of photographs produced by young islanders? At first sight they show us a seemingly random set of images of places, people and objects – some familiar, others surprising. On closer inspection each image is a visual sign and also a conundrum. For example, a fish stuffed in a plastic bottle may ask us to consider more closely our marine environment, commercial fishing or food consumption. As a combined sequence of images they represent different views that in many ways comment on a wider discussion on some of the primary objectives explored in the Island Identity project, such as ‘how we see ourselves’ and ‘how others see us.’
The newspaper was kindly sponsored by Deputy Carolyn Labey, Minister for International Development and Assistant Chief Minister who in her foreword shares her personal thoughts on what makes Jersey special to her in context of the Island Identity project led by her department. She says, ‘identity involves searching our soul, engaging with difficult issues, and asking not only who we are, but how others see us and what a vision for the future might look like. The perspective of students and young people in this debate is critical. Identity is a broad and far-reaching concept, one unique to all of us. This collection of images recognises both our differences and our commonalties. These times may be uncertain, but in my view the topic – ‘what Jersey means to you’ – is a fundamentally optimistic and forward-looking one.’
The Identity and Community newspaper is the fourth supplement produced in collaboration between Hautlieu School Photography Department and Jersey Evening Post. In 2018 the first issue was The Future of St Helier and last year the themes of Love & Rebellion explored experiences of isolation and lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Photographer and teacher Martin Toft, comments: ‘The question of ‘what makes Jersey special’ matters a great deal to every islander and as visual signs, the images printed on these pages are an attempt – not so much to provide answers – but rather asking questions about the essence of this island we call home, and how it actively will overcome current challenges in shaping a prosperous future for all.’
Various workshops and school trips for inspirations, recording and experimenting with new images and ideas of making.
