A form of photography has existed since almost the beginning of human existence. It has been theorised that as far back as 500BCE small holes in tents or animal skins created a photographic effect that inspired Palaeolithic cave paintings. Written records of a ‘pinhole camera’ first appeared in 4BCE in the Chinese text ‘Mozi’ edsciribing a ‘Treasure House’ inverted by a pinhole to collect light and produce an image. In 1502, in his book ‘Codex Anticulous’ Leonardo da Vinci gave the clearest and most concise description of a camera since it’s initial conception as an idea, writing “If the façade of a building, or a place, or a landscape is illuminated by the sun and a small hole is drilled in the wall of a room in a building facing this, which is not directly lighted by the sun, then all objects illuminated by the sun will send their images through this aperture and will appear, upside down, on the wall facing the hole. You will catch these pictures on a piece of white paper, which placed vertically in the room not far from that opening, and you will see all the above-mentioned objects on this paper in their natural shapes or colours, but they will appear smaller and upside down, on account of crossing of the rays at that aperture. If these pictures originate from a place which is illuminated by the sun, they will appear coloured on the paper exactly as they are. The paper should be very thin and must be viewed from the back.” It wasn’t until 1604 that the name Camera Obscura was used in conjunction with this invention, appearing in Johannes Kepler’s book Ad Vitellionem Paralipomena. The camera was initially used to study eclipses without exposing the eyes to the suns harsh and damaging rays but progressed to use as a drawing aid, producing incredibly accurate depiction which could easily achieve graphical perspective. Obviously all of these images were fleeting and were not fixed to material. It would take thousands of years from the conception of the cameras theory for the ability for photographers to fix the shadows.

Thomas Wedgwood is credited as being the ‘First Photographer’ being the first person known to have thought of creating permanent pictures by capturing camera images on material coated with a light-sensitive chemical. He was not successful in making permanent pictures but was able to produce shadowed photograms that was a scientific breakthrough and paved the way for his successors Daguerre and Talbert.

Photography as we know it was invented in 1939 by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre who created the daguerreotype, a method of fixing an image to a mirror like sliver plated copper. It was the first publicly available photographic process and was widely used in the 1840s/50s. As an academically trained painter Daguerre was particularly interested in creating a spectacle of entertainment which led to the dramatic creation of Daguerreotypes to create an experience rather than just a picture. dram The daguerreotype produced rich and lifelike photographs that were very beautiful however incredibly expensive to create and also were unable to be replicated due to the nature of the materials used. This caused a decline in popularity in the method and led photographers to explore other methods such as Talbert’s.

At the same time as Daguerre, Henry Fox Talbert, an MP, writer and botanist was developing his own method to ‘fix the shadows’. As an artist he was a terrible drawer so was very interested in the theory of photography to allow him to replicate surroundings accurately. His method was a salted paper technique in which paper was made wet with a solution of salt and then, after drying, was brushed on one side with silver nitrate. When exposed to light the paper would darken to produce an image and would then be stabilised by more strong salt. This method was the most effective way of producing photographs and quickly overshadowed Daguerre as the most popular photography process.

Introduced in 1900, the Eastman-Kodak brownie revolutionised photography. The camera sold for a dollar each and quickly brought photography into the home, making photography readily available for amateur photographers and families to document their lives. Initially manufactured for children, the brownie was a major success with all sorts of people, particularly soldiers who took the camera’s into the heart of battle in the first world war, composing historically significant images that are still emotive today. Kodaks marketing campaign “You Press the Button, We Do the Rest” was a great success which encouraged people to take more casual, relaxed photos which brought about happier expressions and smiles, more akin to photography today.

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As a relatively unknown artist it is hard to find much to any information on photographer Magda Adamczak. At time of writing she currently has 2,232 followers on Instagram where she posts her photography multiple times a day. her work often features her family, specifically her young children and consists of candid photos. The photos are very raw and look barely editied and offer an insight into Adamczak’s idyllic family life. In 2019 her work was featured in a spread by National Geographic, focusing on the topic “Explore authentic food cultures around the world” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/your-shot-photos-food-culture-around-world The piece, submitted through National Geographic’s amateur photographers program YOUR SHOT, featured her children eating together at a dinner table. The image description reads “A simple lunch brings generations together. Adamczak writes that she stayed in this vacation house as a child; now her own children visit to eat apples collected from the trees outside.”

The photo, taken from National Geographic magazine features Adamczak and her young children eating dinner at the table. Some of the children look up at the camera in feels very natural and candid despite the children looking into the camera inquisitively while others carry on with their meals in peace. The photo has an almost dirty feeling due to the rawness of the photo, lack of editing and nostalgically evocative setting. The placing of the crockery on the very rectangular table works to create sharp lines that direct to each character in the photo.

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Quotes from interview with David Campany

The new neo-liberal narrative for the “creative class” omits the conditions of the working class and refuses the perspective and creativity of a subject like myself

Yet, despite their harsh criticism they also felt that photography could liberate a new way of seeing and a radical consciousness. ‘The Notion of Family’ responds to that call to suspend the passive aestheticism that turns abject poverty into an object of enjoyment

It’s imperative we tell our own stories, controlling the framework, context and narrative

Select one image from the photographer and analyse in depth following this method: TECHNICAL, VISUAL, CONTEXTUAL, CONCEPTUAL – focus on the last two aspects of analysis to achieve highest marks

Frazier, who is very close to her grandmother and namesake Ruby often incorporates imagery of her grandmother in her subversion of traditional white social documentary photography she criticises the way white artists ostracise emergent working class photographers, she says, “The new neo-liberal narrative for the “creative class” omits the conditions of the working class and refuses the perspective and creativity of a subject like myself” This image, taken from La Toya Ruby Frazier’s photobook ‘The Notion of Family’ shows a young girl having her hair done by her grandmother who’s face is out of frame leaving to an anonymity of her identity. The photo is in black and white which gives off a dramatic, gritty ambiance elevated by the young girl looking directly into the camera, unsmiling. This could possibly be Frazier’s response to the medias interpretation of black women as aggressive and stripping black people of their identity’s as she explains in her interview with David Campany, “It’s imperative we tell our own stories, controlling the framework, context and narrative” This quote highlights the importance of storytelling in art through your ow perspective rather than what other want you to do. Frazier employs the use of leading lines of the old woman’s hands to place more emphasis on the young girl and make her gaze more powerful. This gaze is an inversion on society as customarily black people are the ones constantly scrutinised not the other way round. Frazier manages to make the photo beautiful despite it’s dark messaging. This could be purposefully done to represent how blackness is aestheticised by the media as she writes “Yet, despite their harsh criticism they also felt that photography could liberate a new way of seeing and a radical consciousness. ‘The Notion of Family’ responds to that call to suspend the passive aestheticism that turns abject poverty into an object of enjoyment” The photo resonates with many other pieces of Frazier’s work as it is heavily connected to the idea of family, specifically her grandmother.

At this moment in time I aim to create a film in lieu of a photography book because, as a amateur film maker and considering film is what I want to study at university, it is the most obvious outcome for me to make. I plan to focus on the topic of Island Identity and zoom in on the subtopic of Community with a focus on cultural food. This is a subject I have explored in a past project but not with the detail I plan to have in this one. I intend to accomplish this in a documentary style, reminiscent of media channels such as insider, BuzzFeed and As/Is who often create similar content to educate people on what food looks like around the world. To stay within the brief of Island Identity I intend to only film people who live in Jersey. I plan to feature at least five different nationalities including Mexican, Polish and Portuguese to show the range of people from different cultures who now reside in Jersey. To ensure differing opinions and responses I endeavour to use different age groups when filming and ultimately plan to have a range between those in their teenage years to much older people, some being in their 70s and 80s. Instead of focusing completely on the end result of food I want to interview different people about how this particular dish has effected them personally and the importance of it to them. I think food is very significant in regards to socio-economic factors and can tell a lot about ones upbringing and social life, working as a bridge to preserve knowledge and connect older and younger generations.

While mind mapping ideas for my personal project I focused on the seven aspects of the Island Identity project to give me a clear focus and not get distracted from the main idea. I used some points taken from our class posters such as the Siam cup and jersey as a tax haven however the idea I want to further study is the diverse food in migrant communities. I briefly touched upon this topic hen creating a zine however I only explored traditionally jersey food such as les pais au fou (Jersey bean crock) In this project I want to explore this more in depth, celebrating the culture of our many migrant communities and educating myself along the way.

To create my mood board I found many photos online of cultural food and people eating it. Most of the images I found were predominantly Asian whilst the demographic for my project will be mainly Europeans since that is he highest demographic in Jersey. Whilst searching for images I came across the work of MAGDA ADAMCZAK whose photos really resonated with me and my idea for what I want to do for my own project.

From your Personal Investigation based on IDENTITY & COMMUNITY write an overview of what you learned so far (both as Yr 12 and Yr 13 student) and how you intend to develop your Personal Study.

1. Describe which themes, medium (photography, film), approaches (documentary, tableaux, conceptual), artists (incl contextual references to art history, movements and isms) and photographic skills, processes, techniques and methods (incl learning new software) inspired you the most and why.

themes of family and culture were the most important to me , we have explored this a lot through our subtopic of identity an community. I prefer to use the medium of film as its what I am most comfortable with making and also allows me to express my work more clearly by using music and visual effects. I really like the work of Vin and Omi who I studied when doing my most recent mock exam. As fashion designers they are not who I would usually gain inspiration for artist reference from however the clothes they make really resonated with my ideas of fast fashion. I loved how brightly coloured this project was as it really stood out from previously black and white or low mood photography which I felt allowed me to have much more creative control and more experimentation. Throughout my A level course my photography skills have progressed as I came onto the course with no skills in photography and could barely take a picture. Although I have massively improved I am still cautious with trying new photography techniques and rely heavily on automated settings on my camera. I hope to use this personal project as an excuse to learn more about my camera and move to a more advanced level of photography.

2. Include examples of both previous and current experiments and imagery to illustrate your thinking

The first big independent study of photography I had was my photography mock focusing on the theme, ‘identity and place’. Before this project I would not take many photo’s when out on a shoot which left my contact sheets lacking in images which resulted in me having limited choice in editing which in turn made my projects not so good. This was the first time I took lots of photos so I had plenty to choose from, allowing me to make my best final project at the time. This taught me the importance of taking an abundance of photos as well as showing me the difference it can make when there is lots of choice. The project also allowed me to obtain more skills in photoshop which I was, at the time, struggling with.

After this project as completed I was interested in editing my images further outside of the brief. I used lightroom to create a multicoloured montage that I used to try and emulated both Andy Warhol and the 2000s pop movement

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Out of this small mini-project this was my favourite final image. It may in fact be my favourite image I have created throughout my entire photography course. I love how the bright yellow has created a synthetic almost latex effect reminiscent of Britney Spears outfit from the music video of ‘Oops I did it again’

Doing creative projects like this has reaffirmed my love of brightly coloured photography which I continue in other subjects such as Media and Film Studies as well as having a firm link into pop culture which I also love.

Inspired by the island identity project we paired off in groups to create seven posters exploring the seven key aspects of the project. We were randomly assigned to topic economy which, as an island with a booming financial industry, was pretty easy to do.

Jersey is a wealthy island with a GDP of £4.89 billion. Traditionally our main industry has been farming with our exports of Jersey royal potatoes and creamy jersey milk being famed for their delicious taste and decadence. In the 20th century Jersey saw a boom in tourism, cashing in by building expansive holiday camps like Plemont resort, however the 1980s saw a decline in Jerseys’ popularity as a holiday destination due to the new availability of much more tropical holiday retreats further from home such as Benidorm. Since then, the finance industry has dominated Jersey’s industry as 21.7% of Jersey residence work in the sector. Many students are pushed into the industry straight after A-levels while others go to university to get an unrelated degree and the return to the island to pursue a career in finance.

Jersey is recognised as a large offshore finance centre and controls an estimated £1 trillion in assets. Due to the islands 0% corporation tax,, many wealthy individuals either settle in the island or shift their wealth here in order to avoid heavy taxation they would receive elsewhere, leading to jersey gaining the infamous reputation as a tax haven. Many well known celebrities including footballer Cristiano Ronaldo have taken advantage of this. In 2021 a new minimum tax rate if 15% was set to prevent this abuse of the economy.

During this project I became much more educated on the wealth gap in jersey and how despite it’s image of an affluent island perpetuated by reality television shows such as the real housewives of jersey there are increasing levels of poverty that are ignored by the media as one in ten households are in severe material deprivation.

The link on stream for our NFT film can be accessed here.

https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/f3639853-dd9f-4944-81b2-4142795fe623

Looking back at the progress we have made and the end product we have achieved I am really proud of myself and my group for the effort we have put in and end skills we have acquired. We ended up with a really great film that I genuinely think is a good film and have learnt a lot about NFTs although I am still unsure about their whole concept and the validity of the work as a monetary value. As a team we have worked well together, all contributing work towards our final piece, and I would happily work with this group again. The piece works well within is prompt to create an NFT based on the idea of jersey in the metaverse as we have explored the past to show us why the present looks the way it does as well as its potential to change in the future. If we were to make any changes to our film I would say that it could have been made more interesting if we had played around more with animation and special effects however, considering our limited skill set in that particular area, we could not have done anything else to improve it.