Since my project covers the theme of homosexuality I will attempt to use same sex models, preferably both males since the project is about my past dating life.
Since the project is about my past dating life, I will attempt to shoot in similar or the same places that these dates occurred in order to relate it back to my life.
Feeling
With my pictures I want to convey the feeling of intimacy and romance as well as confusion and revelation to some extent. For example, some images will portray the same sex models being quite intimate with each other and then some will have archival imagery that relates to a Bible quote that kept popping up in my head while in dates with the other guy.
Lighting
Inside: since some photographs will be shot inside a studio, I will make use of the lights of the room to create a more natural look to my images as they’re not meant to seem too artificial.
Locations
Since this project is based upon my personal experiences I will attempt to go back to the locations of where these “dates” occurred like a car (driving around), interior setting and more
Camera setting
I will set my camera to automatic mode so that it can automatically adjust settings like ISO.
What is the relationship between photography and memory?
One way in which photography and memory are linked is through the thought that photographs are a way of storing memories. For example, if you take a photograph of a special event like your wedding, you are essentially holding that as a memory and when later you look back through the photos, you will recall various events that happened that day. This may serve as a reason as to why people tend to commission professional photographs on such special days; to have a physical memory of the best day of your life, forever.
Science is on our side on this. A study conducted by Microsoft on individuals with a damaged hippocampus (autobiographical memory deficit) showed that, “photos of life events helps bypass the hippocampus and undergo processing in a different brain region or regions.” (Joshua) This suggests how photographs help enhance recall of events which is a very personal experience for the individual. Being able to recall moments in life is a divine experience since they are a tangible way to connect us to the past, feelings and stories which, again, is a very private and sometimes emotional experience. Since photographs help us connect us to the past, it’s interesting to also mention how photography is important for history. This links in with memory since historical photographs are instrumental in recording what happened in the past to people and how we got here. For example:
1918: Spanish flu. National Museum of Health / AP
This photograph powerfully depicts the state in which humanity was at in terms of medical advancements. This photograph was taken during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and successfully portrays a quarantine centre with hundreds of patients showing to the viewer how deadly that pandemic was. Not only that but as Stacker states, “Not only have these photographs captured our attention visually, but they’ve prompted action at times—even occasionally changing the course of history. During the 1960s, for example, images of Black children being sprayed with fire hoses brought attention to the civil rights movement.” (Cavanaugh, R. and E. Ciano 27 Aug 2020)
Black children being sprayed with fire hoses – 1960s
Photographs are typically kept either in a frame, album or archive. All alike in history but different for each individual. ? For this essay I’ll be focusing more on archival images and artists who have portrayed memories in different ways like Broomberg and Chanarin (archives) and Carole Benitah (personal memories.) For this Identity project I would like to explore my own identity. Unlike my mock project where I talked about the confusion one may have finding their sexual identity, I would like to talk about my past life before finding hope in God. To achieve this I will follow a similar approach to Broomberg and Chanarin and select biblical quotes which I keep in mind and “illustrate, contradict or subvert the text of the Bible”, (Bright and Van Erp 2019: 100).
History of Photography
In my opinion, the Shroud of Turin is the first recorded image. This is because the shroud is a long linen cloth containing a negative image of a man believed by the Catholic Church to be Jesus Christ, and in my opinion is one of the first images that did not fade quickly. How it was produced however is a mystery. Some believe the Shroud is a perfect example of Camera Obscura since some theorise that in the 13th Century men would pose in the camera obscura, have linen cloth at the back of the wall and if you waited long enough, sun rays would burn the image into the linen, i.e. The wave of the hypothetical UV radiation would have been of varying phase at the surface of the skin, yet the negative image demands the image is a minimum at the skin surface. Therefore, this links with memory because, since people believe the Shroud is the real image of Christ, believers who look at it will remember of the sacrifice Jesus made for not just them but us all. In turn, serving as a reminder that Jesus did exist and was the Son Of God.
Shroud of Turin, unknown artist and date
Contrastingly, George Eastman started a company in 1880 called Kodak. Eastman created a roll of film that did not require constantly changing the solid plates, such as, the dry plates (dry gelatine plates that were equal to wet plates, had a decrease in exposure times and meant the plates could be stored rather than made). Eastman therefore created a self-contained box camera that held 100 film exposures, the camera had a small single lens with no focusing adjustment. With Kodak, the consumer would take pictures and send the camera back to the factory where the film would be developed, printed and have a new roll of film fitted. All this while being affordable by average people costing around $1 per camera, allowing people to have a physical picture of a time they will cherish. As we can see, photography is a way for people to recall the past events they cherish (memory) and even find religious hope. In a similar fashion, Broomberg and Chanarin have found links between photography and religion.
Kodak ‘Brownie’ box camera, 1900
Broomberg and Chanarin
Graduates in sociology, history, and theologyseeks to interpret and validate contemporary literal events. Adam Broomberg (South Africa, 1976) and Oliver Chanarin (UK, 1971) are two London photographers who combine archival imagery and fine art documentary photography with the visual trades. Broomberg and Chanarin travelled to Afghanistan to shoot the British Army and lived in small communities in Tanzania, where they shared in photographic peregrinations. From then, they created a series of projects. For example, Broomberg and Chanarin created a project involving the King James Bible, taking the viewer on a different kind of pilgrimage through the Bible. In it, they relate biblical quotes to images from the archive of modern conflict. The idea started with the quote from Israeli philosopher Adi Ophir, “Right from the start, almost every appearance he (God) made was catastrophic… Catastrophe is his means of operation, and his central instrument of governance.” This quote suggests that, “the idea when God reveals himself, it is often to catastrophic effect for the world and humankind.” (Bright and Van Erp 2019: 100). This relates to memory since Broomberg and Chanarin are using images from the archive which, as mentioned above, is a way to tap into the past.
Broomberg and Chanarin, Holy Bible, year
Due to the time the photographer existed; we can assume that this image was originally in a digital format since it is printed in high resolution. The image of the bible seems to be taken in a studio since it is professionally digitalised with a white background. The images in the bible however are recorded extensively within The Archive of Modern Conflict, the largest photographic collection of its kind in the world, and considering the images are quite old, we can assume that a mix between film and digital cameras were used to record the images in the archive. Broomberg and Chanarin did this for personal work. This is evident because in a review on the online platform Lenscultre it says, “Broomberg and Chanarin mined this archive with philosopher Adi Ophir’s central tenet in mind: that God reveals himself predominantly through catastrophe and that power structures within the Bible correlate with those within modern systems of governance…it must be viewed in multifaceted contexts: violence, catastrophe, global and regional politics, religion, power, corruption, greed, propaganda, consumer advertising, human conflict, nature, sex, life, death…and photography as a powerful visual language that can used and abused for multiple purposes.” (Casper)
The main focal point of this image is obviously the catastrophic images of a kid acting as police pretending to hit a man with a small batting stick, and of a child holding a snake. The other main focus of the image is the Bible, which is opened in Ecclesiastes chapters 3-8 with the following quotes underlined in red: “on the side of their oppressors [there was] power, but they had no comforter”, “better is the ending of a thing than the beginning” and “for who can make [that] straight.” This quote from the Bible may suggest that it is best when something ends because, that’s it, there is no turning back, it’s ended. However, at the beginning of things, you have to go through a lot of stressful life events, hence why the author for Ecclesiastes stated that.
Author? has powerfully used the rule of thirds to compose this image as the archival images and the bible are positioned in the centre. The main colours of this image are black and white tones. They purposely used the black and white technique to create this image to create a sense of light vs dark and may also have used it to show Divine (light) vs Violence (dark).
The light in this image seems to be coming from the top and from the sides as every aspect of the image is lit perfectly. Evidently, the light seems to be quite artificial as everything is well lit, there is a white background allowing for a better exposure of colours. In the image of a child holding a snake and the child pretending to be a policeman however, the images are quite underexposed as it seems the camera is facing away from the sun. I know this because the camera was able to focus on the subject, otherwise, the image would be pure white. The artists may have purposely naturally underexposed the image to keep it in focus and so it isn’t too bright or too dark just natural. The camera is still as this is a portrait and all the details are in focus suggesting that the camera was stationary; a tripod was likely used.
The way this image makes me feel is quite uneasy because the Bible is a book of hope and light but when you present the viewer with a set of unpleasant images like this one. The Guardian states, “there is a pornographic portrait of a naked young man with an erection and others of couples having sex, as well as photographs of suicide victims, Nazis in uniform, deformities and disfigurements” (O’Hagan). This serves as a way to help the viewer think that life is not a sea of roses, there’s more we can do to make the world a better place to live in, and Thomas Hirschhorn agrees with me on this since he says, “images of destroyed bodies need to be looked at. It is our duty to look at them.” This clearly shows that these images need to be looked at for people to be enlightened and realise the wickedness of the world.
It may be argued that actually, Broomberg and Chanarin’s project, The Holy Bible, may serve as a visual way for the viewer to see things from God’s point of view. God has stated many times in the Bible that the world is wicked, the human heart is born wicked and we take pleasure in doing evil. Once we start seeing it from God’s point of view, we’ll begin to understand his behaviours in certain parts of the Bible like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. So to an extent, this project by Broomberg and Chanarin could be seen as raising awareness to the evil events of this world and to enable the user to see the world from God’s point of view.
However, linking back to my key theme, memory, we can powerfully see how archival imagery are a collection of “memories” in a sense since they are visual stimuli to trigger memories. Therefore, by using archival imagery in their project they are allowing people to recall information of the event which is being portrayed and trigger other memories.
Finally, I will follow a similar approach in my project using bible quotes that impacted me along with images I find relate to the text as well as who I am and gone through and an explanation on a separate page illustrating what the images and quotes mean to me and how they have influenced me, especially in my past romantic dates.
Carole Benitah
Carolle Bénitah, a French Moroccan photographer who was a fashion designer for ten years until 2001 where she found her love for photography. When she found photography, she started getting involved with the themes of memory, family and the passage of time. She did this through embroidery on old family photographs in an attempt to reinterpret her history as, not only a daughter but also a wife and mother. She reflects on memory by creating embroidery using images from old family albums. Bénitah states, “there is nothing subversive about embroidering, but I corrupt it through my intentions…I use its falsely decorative artifices to reinterpret my history and to denounce its failings.” She continues, “each photograph lifts the veil from the past. It is a story of revelation. It is work related to emotions.” (Bénitah) Through this deeply personal re-examination of family ties and childhood memory, which according to the artist can be likened to archaeological work of the soul, Bénitah seeks to discover more of her identity and uncover a history of family secrets.” (Bénitah)
artist, title, year
The main focal point of the image is the family posing for the picture. The photographer has clearly composed the image using the rule of thirds in order to keep the family at the centre of the image. The one thing that is singled out and catches my eye, personally, is the red outline and filling on the shadows. Considering Benitah has stated before that she wanted to portray how she felt as a daughter, wife and mother, the viewer can powerfully interpret that she feels connected to her siblings and father. I think this is because she outlines them in red, leaving everyone behind which may also be suggested that she prioritises family over anyone.
The main colours the photographer has used are black and white but this may be due to the common film used at the time since the image is part of the family album. Apart from that, red is the main colour of the image. Red represents love (pain, hurt?) and health (and family bond/ blood). Knowing this we can assume that she wishes her family nothing but goodness and health, but also that she loves her family. Another perspective which links to the key theme of memory in this essay is that red may signify her nostalgia. I believe this because she specifically outlined her family in red in this image. Anyhow, this successfully links back to the key theme of memory since these are family photos and Benitah has used embroidery to show how she misses old times and how much she loves her family.
However, in her photo-book, Photos-souvenirs, she states that her “needlework, which suggests conflict, drama and pain, evokes the dark matter of family history that is precisely absent from photographs…” (Benitah) This suggests that the threads may not be about her having nostalgia over her family but rather serves as a coping mechanism for Carole since she also mentions that the “precise and slow process is a metaphor for the shaping of one’s identity and for the passage of time.” This completely contradicts my claim. This being said, the viewer may interpret that maybe her family has mistreated Carole since she’s highlighted them in thread, or maybe she felt left out; like she did not fit in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that there is a correlation between photography and memory. Not only is it a way for people to recall moments in their life and “relive” in a way and have that feeling of nostalgia but also serves as a way to recall past events in history as a way to explain what we see in the present and helps give hope to believers. Through Broomberg and Chanarin we could powerfully see the usage of archival imagery (recall of events from the past which links to memory) and the bible as a duo to show why God sometimes acted in ways which make no sense to us because we have never been assigned the position of “god”. Through the project we could see through God’s eyes in a way, seeing the wickedness of this world. You may however argue that if “God so loved the world that he gave his only and begotten son” (John 3:16) for us then evil would not exist. On the other hand, God gave us free will so most of the evil that happens are because of human greed and power. So, you can see how Broomberg and Chanarin’s project, The Bible, can be seen as “seeing through God’s eyes”.
Similarly, as mentioned above, Carole Benitah “…reflects on memory by creating embroidery using images from old family albums. Bénitah states, “there is nothing subversive about embroidering, but I corrupt it through my intentions…I use its falsely decorative artifices to reinterpret my history and to denounce its failings.” She continues, “each photograph lifts the veil from the past. It is a story of revelation. It is work related to emotions.” (Bénitah) Through this deeply personal re-examination of family ties and childhood memory, which according to the artist can be likened to archaeological work of the soul, Bénitah seeks to discover more of her identity and uncover a history of family secrets.” (Bénitah)”
As a response, I will attempt to recreate some memories from my past love experiences using biblical quotes that have helped and influenced my decisions in these experiences and use archival images to reflect these quotes. This links to Broomberg and Chanarin since I am using archival images and I am talking about my own, personal experiences which links to Bénitah.
What is the relationship between photography and memory?
Barthes, R (1982) Camera Lucida, London: Jonathan Cape https://monoskop.org/images/c/c5/Barthes_Roland_Camera_Lucida_Reflections_on_Photography.pdf
Overview of Barthes book Camera Lucida in Photo Pedagogy The first half of this article talks about Barthes theory of a studium and punctum. The latter part about a photograph of his dead mother which allows him to think about memory. Commentary on Barthes book https://www.photopedagogy.com/roland-barthes.html
Rereading: Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes Article by Brian Dillon in the Guardian, 26 March 2011 Grieving for his mother, Roland Barthes looked for her in old photos – and wrote a curious, moving book that became one of the most influential studies of photography https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/mar/26/roland-barthes-camera-lucida-rereading
DEATH IN THE PHOTOGRAPH – critical article in response to Roland Barthes seminal book ‘Camera Lucida’ reflecting on photography. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/books/death-in-the-photograph.html?pagewanted=all
Other key texts for you to read around family and memory
What do I remember? https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo20al/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/11/What-do-I-remember.pdf
How can you tell a story? https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo20al/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/11/How-can-you-tell-a-story.pdf
Kuhn, A. Remembrance: The Child I Never Was in Wells, L. (ed) (2003) The Photography Reader. London: Routledge https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo21al/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2021/01/Annette-Kuhn_Remembrance_the-child-I-never-was.pdf
Colberg, J (May 28, 2012) Photography and Memory blogger on Conscientious http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/extended/archives/photography_and_memory/
Format, size and orientation: Portraiture with 315 pages
Binding: hard cover: image wrap with PUR binding
Cover: graphic – outline of a woman’s head with a red background and a black and white image of a man – the woman’s head appears to be the main focal point of this book since it is quite a big outline compared to the rest of the images. This suggests how this book might be talking about how when women are raised by men it feels as though they’re being raised by wolves since they’re quite more violent than women.
Title: Raised by wolves – enforces the idea of youthful sin
Narrative: The Narrative appears to be about a series of mistreated children telling their testimonies / story of how they’re parents treated them. For example, the most impactful image to me in the book was of this woman’s torso with a healed gunshot wound and, the writing next to it says, “My mom was a 15 ye old junkie s**t who i ain’t never seen – My old man is a biker from hell – the f****ed up a**hole shot me in the gut when i was 10 yrs old – aint gone home since or had one.” This powerfully shows how this woman did not have a pleasant father which clearly enforces the theme of the title, “Raised by Wolves.” This being said, the purpose of the book seems to make sure that people are not alone, to give hope to people who are going through similar events.
The artists has successfully done this by making the book a sort of anecdote. It begins with childhood pictures, and a bit of narrative text suggesting that parents were arguing and/or that the child didn’t feel like she had a family. This is because, when in the book she recalls a journey where she climbed a tree and her parents were spectating, she says that “that was the only time I can remember us being a real family.” Having done this, the artist is sharing their story causing the reader and viewer to feel sympathy because we are seeing the artists in a different way and feeling sorry for the artist and if the story sounds familiar to some, it will make the viewer feel hopeful because the artist has gone through stressful, upsetting events but managed to get past them.
The book then moves on to show, what looks like the same or similar girl grownup, but the images make the viewer feel protective this time. For example, one image is of an old man behind a gate, just staring at us causing fear since we are thinking, “What’s going to happen?” and then it moves to a picture of a man neck kissing a blonde girl who looks quite uncomfortable. These images being portrayed in the way they are, one after the other, may produce the idea that women are being taken advantage of by creepy men at times and the artists has produced this book to raise awareness.
Design and layout: images vary as there are a few polaroids
Editing and sequencing: he juxtaposes raw black-and-white images of diurnal life in harbours, on the thoroughfares, in conventions, and in sleazy hospices with rosy filmland from their nonwage, filmland that frequently disguise the brutality numerous of these teens endured at home. Goldberg portrays with shocking candour the varied aspects of the runaways’ actuality IV medicine use, teen gestation, battle scars ( similar as rotting teeth, lesions, the disfiguring scar that covers Dave’s stomach, or another boy’s vacant eye socket), and death. Eventually, there seems to be little stopgap for these kids, although Goldberg does them a great service then by fastening on their plight and giving them voice.
My area of study is going to be how the bible and how it can be expressed through photography.
The artists I will be studying is going to be Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin. This is because they have used bible quotes and incorporated an image corresponding to that quote. In a similar way I will do the same; choose a bible quote that I relate to and make an image corresponding to it.
I will also look into David LaChapelle because he has made interesting photographs that successfully relate to the bible
Pg 1.
surreal photography
what is it
when did it occur
biblical renaissance paintings
Pg 2.
Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin
who are they
what do they do
a famous project that relates to the bible and photography
image analysis
Pg 3.
David LaChappela
biography
Jesus My homeboy project
image analysis
Conclusion
similarities and differences between the artists
how their projects relate to each other
different ism both explored
how successful I find that the bible has been portrayed through photography – is it blasphemous is it simply a way to visualise the bible, etc.
I predict that, for example, personality and identity will be expressed in the portrait because I will be able to show emotions through facial expressions and makeup-up to link to my theme of sexuality.
Essay questions ideas:
Can personality and identity be expressed in a portrait?
How does fashion shape social identities?
How is religion – specifically Christianity – linked to fairy tales?
In what way does Carole Benitah explore childhood memories through her work as a method of understanding identity and self-expression?
In what way has Broomberg & Chanarin explored / used/ interpreted religious texts in their book Holy Bible
How has B & C explored archives and biblical scripture in their photobook Holy Bible
I have chosen these questions because I think they link in with my project which is touching upon the theme of homosexuality and Christianity. For example, “Can personality and identity be expressed in a portrait?” links to my theme of Christianity + homosexuality since it touches upon identity and portraiture and for my project, I’m going to have a few portrait photos I assumed this question would link perfectly. Similarly for the other questions like, “How is religion – specifically Christianity – linked to fairy tales?” This touches upon the theme of religion especially because the question specifically asks how is religion linked to another theme like fairy tales?
Essay question:
How has the Bible been portrayed through art / photography?
Essay Plan
Q: Opening quote Intro Pg 1: Theory around photography and memory – Barthes Pg 2: Bromberg & Chanarin – memory and death Pg 3: Benitah: memory + childhood – Kuhn, Conclusion Bibliography
Pictorial artists take photography as an art form and reshape it into an art form putting beauty tone and composition above the creation of an accurate visual record. Through their creation this movement tried to elevate photography to the same status as canvas and was considered similar y galleries and other art institutions. Photography was created in the late 1830s and was initially considered a way of producing purely scientific and representative images. This situation began to change in the 1850s when a lawyer similar to the British painter William John Newton suggested that photography can also e artistic. Although can e traced ack to these early ideas the pictorial movement was most active from 1885 to 1915. In its heyday its influence spread internationally with centres in the United Kingdom France and the United States. Followers used a variety of darkroom methods to create images that would allow them to express their creativity train it to tell stories recreate mythical or biblical scenes and create dreamlike landscapes. There is no simple description of the cliché of image journalists but it usually means that an image has been manipulated in some way to increase its artistic impact. Common themes in this style are the use of soft focus tints and rendering operations similar to emulsions or adding brushstrokes.
Realism
Photorealism also known as Metaliterary was an American art movement that began in the 1960s that took photography to its end. Editorial realists created most illusions that were not natural but reconstructed. Artists such as Richard Estes Ralph Goings Audrey Flack Robert Bechtel and Chuck Close have attempted to recreate what a camera can record. Several sculptors including Americans Duane Hanson and John De Andrea were also associated with the movement. Like painters who rely on prints sculptors rely on living models and thus arrive at a simulated reality.
Publishing agency was born from the Pop and Minimalism movements that preceded it. Like pop artists the Pulishingists were interested in breaking down the scale of applicable subjects y including everyday scenes from the merchants life – cars shops. and signs for illustration. Like them publishers have tapped into marketable advertising and images. The practice y advertisers of using artificial fashion or machinery similar to photography as the foundation of their work to create detached and non-personalized effects is also linked to both ethnocentrism. Mass and minimalism. However countless aphorisms proclaimed the resurgence of representational illusionism as a challenge to clean minimalism and countless people saw the movement as an attack on the interests of clean minimalism. Significant benefits have been realized y the modern abstract we. Realistic publishers often project a hacked image onto canvas and also use airbrush to reproduce the effect of a print published on glossy paper. Estes stated that the idea of this painting was mainly about something quick and that the drawing was just a fad to complete it. He chose to disguise the character in his New York street scenes with the look of his photography. Goings and Bechtel also sought to capture a crisp plank using gas mixing in their numerous images of popular us culture in America. Flack projects opulent still-life slides onto canvases rationalizing the 17th-century theme of vanity and reminding viewers of the transitory nature of material possessions. Almost completely converting his friends prints into a giant film before that first in lack and white and also in morning colour in 1970. He first put a grid of light pencils for evaluation. footage and also sketch images with airbrush; He completed the picture by drawing in detail.
Modernism
The birth of Ultramodern Photography heralded a significant aesthetic change in photographic affair as well as a shift in the way in which photography was produced, employed and appreciated. Ultramodern Photography encompassed trends in the medium from the early 1900s through to the 1960s. The move from early photography to Ultramodern Photography is distinguished by a departure from the language and constraints of traditional art, similar as oil, and this change in station was imaged by changes in practice. Shutterbugs started using the camera as a direct tool rather than manipulating images to conform to traditional sundries of cultural beauty (a custom particularly associated with Pictorialism). In introducing this move, ultra modernist shutterbugs ultimately disintegrated the wider conventions of the art world by expanding both what was considered art and what was supposed an respectable subject matter for it. Although Ultramodern Photography doesn’t start until the morning of the 20th century, before photographic inventions give a technological and contextual frame for after developments and are important in understanding the stylistic changes of the period. Some of the crucial approaches of Ultramodern Photography are unique to the medium whilst others align with wider art movements similar as Dada and Surrealism. In discrepancy to earlier connections between photography and cultural groups, which tended to be imitative, Ultramodern Photography came completely bedded in these movements and handed a new and important medium for trial and expression.
Photography started off around 200 years ago; around 1021 the camera obscura was invented. The camera obscura is a device that projects images to another surface. It was a tent with a tiny hole that when light shunned, it would display a tiny, upside down image to the far wall of the inside of the box. Since at this type you could not make the image a permanent image, you could trace around it to create accurate drawings of landscapes, buildings, portraits, vehicles and more.
It was not until the 17th century that the camera obscura became a small portable device with lenses to focus the light inside the small box.
However, it is argued that the first photograph was made by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1830. He did this by exposing a pewter plate coated with bitumen to light, and this created the first recorded image that did not fade quickly. Contrastingly, in my opinion, the Shroud of Turin is the first recorded image. This is because the shroud is a long linen cloth containing a negative image of a man believed by the Catholic Church to be Jesus Christ, and in my opinion is one of the first images that did not fade quickly. How it was produced however is a mystery. Some believe the Shroud is a perfect example of Camera Obscura since some theorise that in the 13th Century men would pose in the camera obscura, have linen cloth at the back of the wall and if you waited long enough, sun rays would burn the image into the linen, i.e. The wave of the hypothetical UV radiation would have been of varying phase at the surface of the skin, yet the negative image demands the image is a minimum at the skin surface.
On the other hand, it is indisputable that Joseph’s success to create a lasting image on a pewter plate did lead to experiments being done which led to the creation of Daguerreotypes, emulsion plates and wet plates in the mid – to late – 1800s.
The most popular first photographic film however was the daguerreotype. It was basically a copper plate coated with silver and exposed to iodine vapor before it was exposed to any light. In order to create an image, you had to expose the plate to light for up to 15 minutes. One drawback for daguerreotypes was the fact they were way too expensive for people of the working class to even think of buying it. Hence the creation of emulsion plates.
Emulsion plates, way cheaper than daguerreotypes and more efficient. These wet plates used a process called COllodion process. However, it meant photographers had to carry chemicals and dark rooms in order to develop these images.
Afterwards, by 1880, George Eastman started a company called Kodak. Eastman created a roll of film that did not require constantly changing the solid plates, such as, the dry plates (dry gelatine plates that were equal to wet plates, had a decrease in exposure times and meant the plates could be stored rather than made). Eastman therefore created a self-contained box camera that held 100 film exposures, the camera had a small single lens with no focusing adjustment.
With Kodak, the consumer would take pictures and send the camera back to the factory where the film would be developed, printed and have a new roll of film fitted. All this while being affordable by average people costing around $1 per camera.
Then we had the Polaroid that used a secret chemical process to develop film inside the camera in less than a minute.
Finally, In the 1950s, Asahi (which later became Pentax) introduced the Asahiflex and Nikon introduced its Nikon F camera. These were both SLR-type cameras and the Nikon F allowed for interchangeable lenses and other accessories.
For the next 30 years, SLR-style cameras remained the camera of choice. Many improvements were introduced to both the cameras and the film itself.
Therefore, we can successfully see how photography has changed through time, from daguerreotypes to SLR cameras that we see nowadays.
4. Write a Statement of Intent that clearly contextualise; What you want to explore? Why it matters to you? How you wish to develop your project? When and where you intend to begin your study? Make sure you describe your chosen theme (IDENTITY & COMMUNITY), subject-matter (topic, issue), artists (inspirations, references) and final outcome (photobook, film).
What I want to explore:
For this project, I want to explore my own sexuality, the LGBTQ+ community, and personal experiences that I have gone through as a member of the community
The project will introduce the reader to a same-sex couple having dates, and having intimate moments while at the same time conveying the idea that those moments soon become nothing but memories (this is achieved through blurry images to give the sense of imagination).
The project will also include messages that I have been sent, some involving death threats, stories of cheating, being taken advantage of, and some messages which involve Grindr messages of guys who want nothing but use you.
Why it matters to me:
This project matters to me because it is a way of putting everything that I have been through into something tangible and for others to see; a way of letting others know that they are not alone, that others have and are going through the same experience.
It also serves as a way for me to let go of some events and put an end to it all and start a new chapter.
How I wish to develop my project:
Magazine – the magazine will serve as a physical way for the appreciators of art to see my project. The magazine will include all the final images and messages in a layout that will show a story of someone getting intimate with someone of the same sex as well as comments and messages that person gets sent. It serves as a way to enlighten others to the reality of the LGBTQ+ community since not everything is a sea of roses.
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.
2. Include examples of both previous and current experiments and imagery to illustrate your thinking.
3. Produce a new mind-map and mood-board based around how you interpret one/ or both theme(s) of IDENTITY & COMMUNITY using new artists inspirations and visual references etc. Reflect on the Island Identity project and also consider themes more broadly (see below)
4. Write a Statement of Intent that clearly contextualise; What you want to explore? Why it matters to you? How you wish to develop your project? When and where you intend to begin your study? Make sure you describe your chosen theme (IDENTITY & COMMUNITY), subject-matter (topic, issue), artists (inspirations, references) and final outcome (photobook, film).
5. Plan your first photo-shoot as a response to initial ideas. Must be published on the blog by Wed 2 Dec.
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.
2. Include examples of both previous and current experiments and imagery to illustrate your thinking.
Themes
The theme that has inspired me the most in my Photography A-level course has been the Identity project for the mock last year. The theme allowed me to, “successfully talk… about past experiences in my life and… turn it into art.”
Medium
The medium (photography film) has influenced a lot of my future ideas for this new project on Identity and community. This is because the film my class colleagues and I produced touching on the theme of religion and the LGBTQ+ community, has allowed greater knowledge to flourish into how important it is to have a narrative and sequence in the film you are producing. I know this because the group and I struggled to find the right way to share my story through a film; how can we make a film that isn’t for or against homosexuality or homophobia but still raise awareness in both the communities and their duties. For example, if you’ve got same sex attraction and are Christian, instead of worrying if it is wrong to be in a same sex relationship or not, you should, “…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” And if you are simply religious and don’t particularly agree with LGBTQ+ lifestyle, instead of spreading hate comments and come across homophobic you should still love these people for Jesus said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. ” He said this because, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you, “Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”” This powerfully shows that instead of accusing people of their sin, Christians should be directing people to God instead of away.
Shwod took the name Claude Cahun in 1917 and have since explored self-portraits, exploring themes such as sex and gender identity in their work. However, their work was largely opposed because homosexuality was seen as shameful and disgraceful in the 20th century and beyond, but their portrayals were powerful, with some people liking it. We can see that in the image above, due to Claude’s reflection in the mirror, we can clearly see that they have seen themselves as a guy/lesbian and are looking at the camera with pride but charm, showing that they know who they are.
Claude Cahun has influenced my ideas for this project as I will be talking about identity and mention sides of homosexuality so Claude Cahun serves as comfort as I know I won’t be the only one talking about this.
Approaches
Documentary Photography has been probably my most liked photography approach as it allowed me to share people my story. Through this I was able to bring into light what struggles I face quite on a daily, the sort of comments one can get. This is really useful because it provides hope to ones going through a similar event and they can look and see that I’m still here showing them that if I can do it so can they. This is professionally shown through my Identity project:
During my NFT project, I have experimented with Adobe Premier; software that allows creation and editing of videos. During it I learned how to properly format a narrative, how different fading animations may portray a thought to the viewer. For example, if we are slowly fading from a portrait scene to a different scene, the viewer may see that as the character’s thoughts and aspirations.
This successful technique can be clearly seen throughout the final film titled ‘Love Thy Neighbour’:
The embroidery also influenced a lot of my ideas for this new Identity & community personal investigation as it allowed me to create a narrative through a variety of images. This can be seen in the following blogpost:
As we can see, the embroidery workshop has allowed me to use “my own struggles and life experiences and implementing them in to a physical art work. For example:
“The words “Je t’ai aim” suggests that an event happened in a love story and all you want to say is “I loved you” but you can’t get yourself to finish the phrase because there are lots of people around, a lot of opinions, thoughts and worries.” This is evidently shown in this embroidery because the word “aim” isn’t grammatically correct in French, it should be “aime”.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that my past projects are useful for this project. This is because it has helped me to create new ideas for the Identity project. For example, learning about Premier will be made useful for this project as it allowed me to present and narrate a story using videos, images and music. I will therefore use this knowledge to figure a way of talking about my identity through a combination of videos, images and music.
3. Produce a new mind-map and mood-board based around how you interpret one/ or both theme(s) of IDENTITY & COMMUNITY using new artists inspirations and visual references etc. Reflect on the Island Identity project and also consider themes more broadly (see below)
