William Collie was a very influential photographer in Jersey in the mid 1800s. His work is portraiture based with shots that look like candid’s but are most likely set up. These images were taken at the jersey marketplace probably of French women in French lane, a place which still exists now but has since been renamed to Hilgove Street. Due to the time period the photos are in black and white and are quite grainy however they are very good quality with a reasonably high resolution
This photo was taken by Collie in 1847 showing three French women sitting at the market place having a conversation after buying their wares. The three of them sat together create leading lines that form a triangle which would give the central woman the most power however she and the woman on the left are looking to the woman one the right who in turn is looking directly at the camera giving her the most power. The photo looks as if he is instructing them how to pose as they do not look natural enough to be candid’s and as it was taken in the 1840’s the photo would have taken a long time to be taken so it would not be possible to take a candid.
My photo seems to be a tableau however is a candid depicting a family meal. I had the option to put it in black and white like Collie would have but instead kept it in colour as it makes the food, which is an important part of our family culture, stand out. Similarly to collies work, arms are used to create leading lines directing to the food.
NARRATIVE is essentially the way a story is told. For example you can tell different narratives of the same story. It is a very subjective process and there is no right or wrong. Whether or not your photographic story is any good is another matter. Narrative is constructed when you begin to create relationships between images (and/or text) and present more than two images together. Your selection of images (editing) and the order of how these images appear on the pages (sequencing) contributes significantly to the construction of the narrative. So too, does the structure and design of the photo-zine. However, it is essential that you identity what your story is first before considering how you wish to tell it.
Once you have considered the points made between the differences in narrative and story, write the following:
The difference between narrative and a story is the sequence in which it’s told. A story can be completely changed through its narrative
STORY: What is your migrant community story? Describe in:
3 words
Family, Homesickness, Jersey
A sentence
We moved to Jersey to be with family.
A paragraph
I moved to Jersey as a baby. My mum was born here but had moved to the England for school where she met my dad, settled down, and had me. When I was one my parents decided to move back to Jersey so my mum could be with her family and raise their own family there as it was a good place to grow up.
NARRATIVE: How will you tell your story?
Images > new photographic responses, photo-shoots
Archives > images from SJ photo-archive, family album, mobile
Texts > letters, documents, poems, text messages
AUDIENCE: Who is it for?
Reflect and comment on this in your specification (age group, demographic, social/ cultural background etc.
Think about visual relationship between images and their juxtaposition e.g colour, shapes, subject, repetition, landscape, portrait, objects, details etc.
Here is an example of how narrative is used. We were giving as selection of photos which we sequenced to create a narrative story on the theme of war
On Monday the 7th of June we visited the jersey museum on its last day hosting its exhibition ‘people make jersey’, a exhibit exploring the culture of our island and hoe immigration has shaped it. Being a decedent of potato farmers from Brittany and Normandy I was especially interested in the immigration patterns of French immigrants who were economic migrants looking to find work in Jerseys world famous potato industry. This display has inspired me to delve deeper into my heritage. After questioning my granny I found out that my great-great grandparents had moved from Normandy from her mum’s side and Brittany from her dads side, to Jersey the early 20th century to look for work potato farming. They would have had identity cards similar to the ones on display in the museum due to the timings of them coming to the island and would have been thought of as ‘Aliens’
Some items on display at the People Make Jersey exhibit
We were later taken on a walk around town by Shannon. to take photos of whatever we felt fit with the idea of Jersey culture. I took lots of photos of Jersey building, especially of interesting looking doors and intricate decorative pieces on corners of buildings. Shannon took us out of our comfort zones and got us to go up to random people on the street and ask to take their portrait. This was really nerve-wracking but I’m glad we did it as the photos i got from it are amazing and really well expose the theme of culture mixed in the immigration. With my newfound confidence from these photos I attempted some street photography, a topic we have already done in photography which I felt really uncomfortable with at the time.
In editing
I took over 450 photos on this shoot which made my selection process really difficult as I had so many to go through. Because of this however I had much more choice so was able to get better quality photos. I did my selection process on light room and was able to compare my similar images side by side to choose the best one, which made the selection process much easier.
Side by side photo comparison
A large part of my own culture and identity is based around food. To my family it is very important to meet regularly to eat drink and talk so I decided to capture that and photograph one of our family meals. This meal was inherently jersey. As an island we are blessed with beautiful fresh seafood at a decent price so the meal we had featured jersey crab and oysters as well as other shellfish and jersey royal potato’s.
I am really pleased with these photos, I love the insight they provide on my family but I feel like I could have improved the photos of my grandad preparing the food to include more of his face and make it more portrait based. I did 2 selections to find my favourite images and then edited them as I saw fit. Some of the photos I put different black and white filters on to create a more dramatic looking image whilst others I used matte filters to make them look more aesthetically pleasing
I returned to my grandparents house for another photoshoot, this time of my granny making bean crock. Bean crock, or ‘les pais au fou’ is a traditional jersey dish similar to a Norman cassolette. The ingredients are varied per household but my granny’s recipe uses pork (as well as the traditional pork trotter) jersey beans, and onion cooked overnight in the traditional jersey crock pot. The dish may look a little unappetising but its really delicious and is an important part of jersey culture. I had to take the photos on two consecutive days as the bean crock has to cook overnight.
I decided to edit my photos into black and white because bean crock is such an old dish and the black and white connotes that old feeling. After completing my photoshoot I told her more about the project and how we had seen immigrants alien cards at the museum on our trip. On hearing this she went upstairs and found her grandmother’s own alien registration card as well as other documentation and old photos
According to National Geographic, The Anthropocene Epoch is an unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems.
Anthropocene focuses on the idea of mans impact on the planet, specifically post industrial evolution. In light of the global climate crisis, this topic is becoming increasingly popular to explore by photographers who aim to bring to crisis to attention. One such organisation is the ‘Union for Concerned Photographers’ or UCP who dedicate time to creating images based on the idea of Anthropocene to highlight key issues of climate change to potentially make a difference. The issues of Anthropocene are various, they range from the melting of the polar ice caps to the over abundance of plastic. These issues effect everyone which makes it even more important.
Mind Map of Ideas
I decided to base my project on fast fashion because I feel that as a topic it is much more relevant to me as I myself am guilty of using fast fashion to get cheap clothes and therefore am part of the problem. I hope that this project will help me better understand my contribution to climate change and potentially make my carbon footprint better.
I was inspired by artist and photographer Benjamin-Von-Wong, whose stunning and creative photographs illustrate the immorality of the fast fashion industry.
Work by Benjamin Von-Wong
KEYWORDS
SWEATSHOP, WAREHOUSE, STORMY,DIRTY, COLD, STORMY
FORM
The photo is a scene in a bare and grimy warehouse. From the ceiling leading to the floor is a tornado fashioned out of clothes presumably from the fast fashion industry. A woman dressed in red stands at its base. As a tornado is a type of natural disaster its reflects how the fashion industry does immense damage. This is impactful on the environment through climate change, the labourers who are payed the bare minimum and are forced to working terrible and unhealthy conditions, and the consumers who wear cheap materials that can do damage to the skin. The light seems to be natural, coming from seemingly a crack in the ceiling suggesting that the building is abandoned and creating a dystopian narrative. It leads directly to the woman indicating that she is important as well as the leading lines from the end of the ‘tornado’ leading to her. The room used is very spacious with not much in the room except the tornado and model leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness. There is very little colour except from the red of the model clothes again showing her importance to the photo.
CONTENT
The photo is reminiscent of the Dhaka garment factory collapse in 2013 that killed 1,134 people and injured many more. The vast majority of the injured and the fatalities were low payed clothes makers for companies such as Gucci, Moncler and Versace, going against the misconceptions that fast fashion is only an issue connected with budget fashion chains such as Shien or Misguided, making fast fashions impact on the environment a problem most people in the western world contribute to. The red clothing of the model connotes the dystopian novel the handmaids tail, perhaps reflecting how the lives of the workers in these factories are intensely controlled by consumerist culture in a way that seems dystopian.
PROCESS
The most challenging part of this photo seems to be prop placement of the clothes tornado. It was made from recycled clothing from the warehouse which had gone bankrupt, giving the clothes a new lease of life. It was shot on a 16-35mm f4 lens
I was also inspired by the work of fashion designers Vin and Omi who created a line of sustainable fashion from recycled materials and handmade eco fabric made from cow parsley.
Work by Vin and Omi
KEY WORDS
SUSTAINABLE, ECLECTIC, MAXIMALIST, VIBRANT
FORM
The photo is of one of the models walking for Vin and Omi’s collection at London fashion week. They are wearing a very a very garish ensemble that looks like they have had scrunchies superglued to their clothes. The look is very gender fluid which adds to the idea that the effect of fast fashion involves everyone. The lighting is very artificial, as is normal for fashion shows and completely covers the model. The model takes up the majority of the shot leaving little space for background space and subsequently making the model important. The repetition of the ruffles is very expressive and adds a variety of colour to the shot. It is in the eclectic, maximalist style which makes it interesting, if a little overwhelming, to look at.
CONTENT
The poodle symbol on the poodles head links to the shows subtitle ‘poodles and pentagrams’ which they say links to their form of eco religion ” growing out of the need to save the planet.” which links to the idea that they are not a brand but an ideology. The white undershirt beneath the ruffles could represent the purity of their intentions regarding their brand as well as the hope that they can aid in ending the fast fashion industry and in turn make the world a better place.
PROCESS
The process for creating this outfit comes from the eco material flaxley. To make this material, cow parsley and flax are women together. The models hair also links to this as it looks like poodle fur. There is a possibility that it actually is poodle fur as the pair also have an initiative called the no kill coat where they collect fur from pets and spin it into wool to use in their clothes.
Comparing my inspirations
The most obvious difference between my two case studies is that one is a photographer whilst the other is a pair of designers and therefore created very different outcomes. Von-Wong’s work is very gloomy and depressing and focuses on the effects on the people who make the clothes while Vin and Omi work to demonstrate how to fix the solution whilst also making it look beauty. Von-Wong uses his work to push a narrative but Vin and Omi offer a solution and use their work as a display of optimism that we can solve the problem of fast fashion.
Sketching ideas
My main idea is based on Barbie dress birthday cakes that I had when I was little. The concept is that my model will be wearing a corset style top and her legs will be covered by a pile of fast fashion garments, fashioned to look like a skirt. It is a portrait project but I may take some of the photos in landscape.
Shoot Plan
Who
Zuzanna
What
Wearing skirt from old clothes
When
14/05/21
Where
Home- in front of kitchen wall
Notes
collect old clothes and move furniture to create DIY studio
CONTACT SHEET
From this shoot I selected my favourite photos and highlighted them in green. A lot of the photos have background furniture such as plug sockets and artwork peaking through but I am not worried about this as they can easily be cropped out. Additionally there are quite a few distracting quite scratches in the wall being but it shouldn’t take too long to edit that out either. I had my model wear an Oh Polly dress as the bodice of the dress as it is a common example of fast fashion aimed at girls to wear once on a night out and then throw away.
Here is a selection of my best photos, shown as they were taken
Here are the same photos but with distracting background pieces cropped out and slight imperfections removed with the spot healing tool on photoshop
Using the spot healing tool to slightly smooth out the skin
I used the software Lightroom to further edit my photos. The idea was to use vibrant and unnatural colours to reflect the harsh chemical dyes that employees in clothing and fabric factories have to work with. These dyes are often damaging to the skin and cause the workers to sustain painful injuries as well as develop potentially more harmful medical conditions due to constant exposure. I used tools on Lightroom such as contrast and clarity to create a more synthetic, plasticky look resembling cheap manufactured clothes.
Collection 1
Collection 2
Collection 3
Out of all the collections, number 3 is my favourite. It emulates the pop art movement, specifically Andy Warhol, who, like me, used art to condemn over-consumption, greed and capitalism
New Idea
Another idea I have is reflective of the Dhaka garment factory collapse, in which 1,134 workers died. To do this I want to use the clothes against the model. With poses such as being crushed or strangled by the clothes. Using the same concept as my first shoot I will be using old clothes that would otherwise be thrown away. The photos will be taken in the school studio with a proper white backdrop compared to the kitchen wall I used for my first shoot when there wasn’t a studio available. Hopefully this means there will be less flaws to edit out as there were previously. Instead of full body shots, I plan for these to use the face or neck as a focal point.
SHOOT 2 PLAN
Who
Carmen,
What
Strangled by fast fashion
When
25/05/21 morning
Where
Studio
Notes
Bring clothes able to wrap around
Second Shoot Contact Sheet
From this shoot I selected 4 that I felt worked best in conjunction with my ideas. I ran into a few problems whilst shooting this. The 2 models I had arranged to shoot with were unable to come so I had to find another at extremely short notice. Another problem was with the camera, I found it really difficult to take any of the photos without them coming out extremely blurry. At first this was really annoying however when I took the time to properly look at the photos I really liked the effect the blurring had on them so decided to keep them as they are. I also think that it strengthens the narrative that the people who make the clothes for big companies like ASOS and Shein have their identities blurred.
Similar to my other shoot I experimented with colour to make my photos more interesting but this time made the colours much more subtle and understated as the photo is obvious enough with the material strangling the model. These photos have a much darker more melancholy feel to them much more reflective of Von-Wong’s work than my other photos.
Collection 4
DISPLAYING
On photoshop I moved my photos in their collections onto empty gallery space or on a white background.
Collection 1
As colour is an important aspect of this project, I decided to display this set of photos in the style of the colour spectrum, ordered as such. The photos mimics vibrant fashion campaigns, adding an ironic twist to my shoot.
Collection 2
Collection 3
Collection 4
Like with my other collections I ordered these photos using the colour spectrum and whilst I like how it turned out it seems to look like the Microsoft windows logo which ideally it wouldn’t.
Conclusion
Although the individual photos from Collection 3 were my favourite, as a collective, displayed using the colour spectrum, I think that collection 3 is the most put together and therefore my best. It effectively conveys my message on fast fashion but still manages to look like art you would display at home.
Comparison with case studies
Similarities and differences to Von-Wong
Creating something out of obsolete materials, creating a narrative based on the fast fashion industry from the centre- the place it’s made. Von-Wong’s work is a lot more gloomy and depressing than my final outcomes. He displays realism while mine is more abstract. His is much more prop based in part due to a larger budget and team helping him. His is landscape and focuses more on the scene itself rather than just the model as I did. His background is a derelict building where mine is just a DIY backdrop. His photo works as a scene to tell a story where mine uses repetition.
Similarities and differences to Vin and Omi
Both very fashion based. Use of bright and vibrant colours to show hopefulness. Mine is more pop art inspired and heavily edited whereas, because its taken directly from a catwalk it is pretty bare. Neither is monochrome, we both use a variety of colours to keep the photo interesting. The items of clothing are both similar, made up of mismatched material however, instead of recycled materials they create their own eco material
REFLECTION
Through my research into this project I have learnt a lot about the fast fashion industry and it’s deadly effect on the environment as well as the lives of the people who produce the clothing. The project has shown me how I myself as an avid consumer of fast fashion contribute to the problem and will be trying to buy more sustainable clothes from now one as well as avoiding companies that employ labourers from sweatshops in order to help combat the problems associated with them e.g the mistreatment of low level/ low pay workers and it’s contribution to climate change. If I was to do anything differently I would have done my second shoot well before the deadline so that even if things went wrong I would have more time to fix it and redo it. I would also take more photos to allow more for selection to end with a better photo. I think my photos have ended up looking really good and I’m happy the way they all turned out. I have really enjoyed this project and am confident about the photos I have submitted and feel that they fit very well with the idea of ‘Anthropocene’
The new topography relates to an exhibition by William Jenkins of stripped back landscape photos relating to the urban expansion of the 70s
Stephan Shore is a urban photographer known for his vivid, bright and colourful photography. His book, Uncommon Places documents his journey around America and gives energy to the most mundane objects such as gas stations and signs. This almost technicolour style is what I want to emulate in my own work.
West 9th Avenue, Amarillo, Texas, October 2, 1974
KEYWORDS
Retro, Old Hollywood, American, Desert, Warm, Grime
FORM
This photo is of a large sign in Amarillo, Texas. It appears to have been left in disarray and is a reminder of the Golden Age with the retro 50s font and light pastel colours that are once again popular. It seems like the sign is for a shop or attraction, evident by the wording, ‘OPEN FRI SAT SUN’. The vintage qualities of this image are further emphasised through the warm yellows of the landscape which instantly age it, connoting photos and other objects yellowed with age.
CONTENT
The photo was taken in the aftermath of the Watergate crisis, just 2 months after the resignation of president Richard Nixon. The dated and worn sign could be used as a metaphor for aging political practises and opinions. just like how old Hollywood and the golden era for film was ending. It was also taken at the time of the Chipko movement, peacefully protesting for conservation of trees. It could be argued that the contrast between the grimy sign in a desert wasteland contrasted with the minimal amount of greenery is reflective of this.
PROCESS
The photo book this image is from was taken on a road trip around america showcasing a variety of landscapes. Because of this a small portable camera with limited photography equipment was probably used to take it. Due to the brightness of the sun it is easy to hazard a guess that the photo was taken with an aperture of around f/22 with an ISO around 100-200
Urban landscape photography is the practise of taking images in urban areas e.g industrial buildings. I was inspired by the work of Stephan shore who’s nostalgic photographs of signage around America in the 70s really resonated with me. On this shoot I walked around the school campus finding areas of industrial build-up and also coming across graffiti from the video game Mario which I felt reflected Shores work.
For my photo shoot, I walked around the grounds of highland college as well as oak-field sport center and took photos of urban images that caught my eye. I saw a lot of colorful signs around the area and, on walking to Highlands college I found a lot of Mario graffiti that I feel added more character to my images. Based on this, and my study on Stephan Shore, I decided to focus on these signs and drawings for my project.
I used adobe Lightroom to create a more pastel toned colour palette which more closely resembled the work of Stephan Shore, the photographer my work is focusing on. This colour palette also created a feeling of reminiscence with its faded look.
I chose to display my photos in this grid format as it replicates the uniformity of industrial areas. I purposely centred the sign of the community centre as it is the central idea. The Mario graffiti is positioned surrounding the sign and complimenting each other with the directions moving.
On reflection I am pleased with this outcome but would make it sharper by doing more cropping to make the photos look more uniform
In response to the work of Fay Godwin I drove to the sand dunes in St Ouen just before sunset in order to get photos with the backdrop of the golden hour. Like Godwin I positioned myself at the top of one of the sand dunes
PLAN
Who
What
When
Where
Why
N/A
Sandunes + Sunset
Wednesday at sunset
Top of the Sandunes
To get the colour of golden hour and replicate the work of Fay Godwin
SHOOT
EDITING
For this project I used lightroom for the first time. I experimented a lot with settings such as highlights, shadows and black and whites as well as some preset features such as filters e.g matte, or, high contrast.
Out of all my images, these two are my favourite.
I like how through lightroom I have been able to completely change the feel of these photos as they were all taken in daylight but due to editing look as if it was night. They are not as in your face and gaudy as my sunset images and instead have a more subtle, blue toned look.
A montage is; the technique of selecting, editing, and piecing together separate sections of film to form a continuous whole.
John Stezaker is a British photographer known for his innovative and interesting photographical montages. These montages are very simple, made by splicing two different photos together.
For my own montage I have decided to do a more contemporary graffiti style photo. To do this I am using a photo previously taken for a multi exposure project and printing another black and white to cut out facial features and stick onto the original image. After this I am planning to draw doodles and speech over the image.
Here is the original image that i’m using as a canvas for my work
Here is a photo of my image, photographed on a white backdrop.
Using Photoshop I cropped this image to remove the wonky white backdrop and also upped the vibrancy and saturation slightly.
I really like the way this image has turned out as it fits the punk vibe I was going for however I think it would’ve been better if I had done the writing in a darker pen or taken the photo with better lighting in order to make it more visable.
Fay Godwin (1931-2005) was a German-British photographer known for her natural landscape photography.
Photo Analysis
The Remains of Elmet. Fay Godwin. 1979
KEYWORDS
Dark, Whimsical, Cold, Troubling
FORM
This photo is a landscape of sand dunes. The dunes themselves are very dark and imposing which is conflicting with my own experiences with sand dunes where dunes are though of as sunny and used by children to sled down. As far as the eye can see, this photo is surrounded by nature. Even as the dunes end they are enveloped by rolling fields emphasising a need for nature.The weather beaten and worn plank track insinuates that the dunes are well loved and visited regularly which gives the photo a whimsical and nostalgic aspect that contrasts with the dark and intimidating landscape. The sky is very foreboding and looks ready to thunder and rain any second. The photo seems to reflect ideas on the strength of nature.
CONTENT
The photo was released in conjunction with ‘The Remains of Elmet’ a collection of poems by author Ted Hugh’s. Elmet was the name of the British kingdom that is now part of Yorkshire. Godwin’s photos were taken in the historic region of Elmet in this area of barren dunes. At the time of the collections release Margaret Thatcher rose to power as British prime minister, beginning a series of strikes in response to Thatchers harsh approach to public workers. Those living up North such as Yorkshire were most drastically affected in the ‘Winter of Discontent’ The photo could reflect this feeling of hatred for the government and instead wanted to escape into nature.
PROCESS
As part of a poem collection, this photo was likely made in a dark room and then replicated for the anthology it was part of. To capture so much of the countryside Godwin probably stood on one of the highest dunes to get this photo. I believe that the photo was taken with just the natural light. I suspect that the photo was taken on a camera with a lens of 28mm-35mm as is typical for landscape photos.
For the sequence project I was inspired by the pop art work of artist Andy Warhol.
To save time I used photos already taken from my portrait mock. I debated using the same image repeated for my sequence however I decided that it would look more unique if I was to use a few different but similar photos. By using Lightroom I was able to put my own spin on Warhol’s iconic Marilyn Monroe sequence. To do this I played around with colour features and made extreme changes to components such as highlight and shadows
My favourite photo in my sequence is the yellow as the colours are much more vibrant and solid compared to the others which are slightly patchy. If i was to do this again I would make the colours more solid and also use different colours for different features to make to end product closer to Warhol’s pop up
