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

• 

• 

• 

• 

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.

During year 12 we explored many different topics and did many different projects. We looked at themes such as Anthropocene , street photography , portraiture abstract and many more. This has allowed me to be able to find out how the themes I enjoy photographing the most as I have been able to try many themes and now in year 13 I know where my strengths are and where I can focus on project on. We also experimented with many different skills in photography for example different lighting techniques and using artificial and natural lighting and creating a film.
Over the photography course I have mainly enjoyed focusing on the portraiture and object based shoots. I enjoyed shoots in the studio where I use artificial lighting and set up the shoot rather than using a more natural setting. I feel my strengths are within portraiture photography as I like being able to control my shoots and set up the lighting rather than having to work around a set up. I like portraiture photography as I like being able to express peoples emotions in a powerful image as I feel this creates a good image and can give the viewers a message and can be open for interpretation.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I particularly liked this shoot as I enjoyed experimenting with different colours whether that’s red , blue or even black & white. I liked being able to create a contrast of colours as this can create a message for the viewers and I feel it creates a strong image. I was very happy with my final outcomes from this shoot and felt I created some good images.

• 

• 

• 

I thoroughly enjoyed the identity shoot and project we did. I took portrait images and then cut out facial features, burned the eyes of the image and ripped or cut the image in order to adapt the image and create a new feel from the image. I enjoyed playing around with the image and being able to change and manipulate the image as I feel it completely changes the meaning of the image and makes it a more interesting image to look at.
For this shoot I looked into the artist “Rosanna Jones” who was London photographer who specialises in a blend experimental blend of art and photography and celebrates the possibilities with an image. She is known for ripping up, painting over and destroying images. Her work is aimed at examining visual identity and notions of embodiment. I wanted to use her as I liked her style of work and her reasoning behind it. I feel like I could do so much and had lots of ideas and felt like this allowed me to be very creative.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

These images were my final images from my Anthropocene project. In this project I used items which are seen as harmful to the environment and cause world wide issues for the global warming. I enjoyed experiment with using objects within my images to help adapt and enhance the portrait image. I was able to use these objects to change the view, visibility and concept behind the images.

Although my main preference within photography was portraiture photography I still explored landscape photography.

• 

• 

• 

These images are from my street photography project where I went out into St Helier and photographed people without their knowledge of me taking the image in order to capture a real time image which is not staged.

I want to explore the idea of identity in the sense of location and upbringing. I want to look at this as I think it is a big part of someone’s identity and shows where they have come from and family heritage, which shapes people to be who they are.

I’m going to develop my ideas from work by Shipla Grupta who looks at family heritage through names and has a project based on this where she presents her images split in half and reassembled to form a misaligned set of images.

Umberto Verdoliva is another artist I would like to start this project with, I specifically like his project where he layers images on top of each other to create a new meaning to both images, adding a narrative. I really like this idea of taking something apart and putting back together and creating a new narrative.

I will do this in my own project by using old family archive images and taking new images. At the end of the project I will produce a photobook with my best outcomes.

Throughout year 12, I have learnt how to use studio lighting, how to alter settings on a camera to achieve different results, and how to use photoshop and lightroom to edit my photographs. A theme I have found interesting this year is the study of Anthropocene. Within this theme I have studied multiple artists, including Darian Mederos and Naomi White, I also enjoyed making more creative edits on photoshop with these images. I found this project interesting because it combines human and nature in our current world. For this project I focused on landscape and abstract photography. I also combined the two in some of my edits to create a juxtaposition. I prefer the theme of identity over the theme of community as I can make a project that is more personal to me and my own identity, as well as my family or friends.

‘To edit these images I will enhance the muted tones in my photographs, in a similar way to the artwork by Mederos, and also darken the tones in order to provide a deeper, menacing message in relation to the theme of Anthropocene.‘

First, I lowered the brightness of my image and increased the contrast in order to create a stronger contrast between the different colours and provide darker tones to the image .I then altered the curves setting of the image to darken the shadows of the image, and to increase the brightness of the highlights within the photo. I increased the hue of the image to a blue-tone to enhance the blue hues of the image. I also increased the saturation and decreased the lightness to make the colours more vibrant and contrasting. To further bring out the blue and red tones of the image, I altered the colour balance to increase cyan-toned colours and magenta-toned colours. This makes both the blues and the reds more vibrant, creating a more juxtaposing contrast.

I also enjoyed making my final project in year 12, where I got to further explore my own identity within my family. I found it interesting to look through old family photo albums and comparing them to current times and showing the clear contrast in time. Because of this I want to make my photobook personal to me and my identity.

CHECKLIST – PERSONAL STUDY

personal study planner

Photobook Design

Film Editing

Use this simplified list to check that you are on task. Every item on the list represents one piece of work = one blog post. It is your responsibility as an A-level student to make sure that you complete and publish appropriate blog posts each week. All tasks and learning resources are in the planner above.

WEEK 10: 15-21 Nov
Island Identity

WEEK 11: 22-28 Nov
1. Review and Reflection
2. Mindmap
3. Moodboard

Week 12: 29 Nov – 5 Dec
1. Statement of Intent
2. Artists References – at least two
3. Planning & Recording: Shoot 1 – response to initial idea
4. Contextual Studies 1: Conversations on Photography – publish by Wed 8 Dec

Week 13: 6 – 12 Dec
1. The origins of photography: write 500 -1000 words + illustrations
2. Planning & Recording: Shoot 2 – response to early photographic processes or your own project

Week 14: 13 Dec – 5 Jan
1. Art movements and isms: write 500 – 1000 words + illustrations
2. Planning & Recording – at least 3 photoshoots in response to your project. what, why, how, when, where? Bring images with you in the New Year.
3. Self-assessment: Review your work using traffic light system and publish on blog by Fri 17 Dec.

XMAS Break:
1. RECORDING: Produce a number of photographic response to your Personal Study and bring images from new photo-shoots to lessons in January.
2. READING: Key texts (interviews, reviews, articles etc.) about your subject, photo-history and chosen artists in preparation of writing your essay in January.

Week 15: 5 – 9 Jan
1. Literary Sources
2. Essay Question
3. Essay Plan

Week 16: 10 – 16 Jan
1. Essay: Introduction
2. Essay: Paragraph 1
3. Practice: Edit photoshoots and evaluate

Week 17: 17 – 23 Jan
1. Essay: Paragraph 2 & 3
2. Practical work: Define Story & Narrative
3a: Photobook: Select book and deconstruct narrative, concept and design
3b: Film: Select film and deconstruct narrative, editing and sound

Week 18 – 19: 24 Jan – 4 Feb
1. Essay: Conclusion, bibliography, proof-read and hand in draft Mon 31 Jan
2a: Photobook: Write a book specification; narrative, concept and design
3b: Photobook: Moodboard and create Blurb account
2b: Film: Storyboarding; narrative, visuals and sound
3b: Film: Moodboard and begin editing

Week 20: 7 – 11 Feb MOCK EXAM
1. Essay: Publish final essay with illustrations and a bibliography
2a: Photobook: Complete design and include essay in Blurb
2b: Film: Complete editing film, export and embed on blog
3. Print: Select a set of 5-6 final prints for mounting
4. Blog: Review and complete all supporting blogposts
5. Statement: write 100-200 words and save in folder

Final outcomes & Deadlines:
Essay (2000 words): 28 Jan 2022
Photobook / Film / Prints: Last day of Mock Exam
GP 13B: Wed 9 Feb
GP 13C: FRI 11 FEB

Week 21: 14 – 18 Feb + H-TERM
1. Photoshoots: Selection, editing, experimentation and evaluation (from each shoot.)
2. Planning & Recording: Evaluate current images made and produce new images/ photoshoots for half-term. 
3. Deconstruct Photobook: Select book and analyse narrative, concept and design (from week 17)
4. Book Specification: define narrative, concept and design for your book + moodboard of design ideas (from mock exam.)
5. Photobook Design: Clear progression of your design process, including prints screens of layout with annotation (ongoing.)

Island Identity
Tue 15 Feb: Complete this Island Identity Survey

The survey has been commissioned to conduct some research to explore the integration of ethnic and minority communities in Jersey to fulfill one of the recommendations that was made in the summary report of the Island Identity Policy Development Board published last year.  A short survey has been designed to gather views on this issue and on the themes of belonging and identity.

This survey is part of the Island Identity project that was commissioned by Deputy Carolyn Labey, Assistant Chief Minister, Minister for International Development and Chair of the Island Identity (IID) Policy Development Board. On Tuesday 15 Feb they have arranged an event Jersey Dialogues – Exploring and Celebrating Our Island Idenity at Radison Blu Hotel with the formal programme running from 1:30 to 5:30 pm includes talk and workshops with high profile speakers.

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.

First Project: Identity and Place.

For our first project we were focusing on Portraiture as well as learning how to use the settings on our camera to create different images without it being edited heavily on photoshop. We experimented with things such as aperture, shutter speed and white balance.

I focused on the photographers Claud Cahun and Edward Honaker throughout this project. Edward Honaker is known for using photography to express his mental health. An example of how he does this is using a slow shutter speed whilst people are moving and I used this as an inspiration for my first shoot of this independent project. In addition to this I wanted to try and morph my models’ faces in another shoot. This meant I had to go into photoshop and gave them a whirlpool like structure on their face. Honaker’s images still inspire me and I would like to use his methods of editing in my personal study.

I believe that the first shoot allowed me to realise I enjoy doing portrait photography and that I would like to do it more often in my spare time as well as the main chunk of my personal study.

• 

• 

• 

• 

These images were used in my project to highlight that life shouldn’t be people obsessing over looks of themselves or others; but instead should be about personalities. I want to convey this message more throughout this project as I believe we can all wear a mask and not show who we truly are. We need to realise that we only have one life and we need to focus on the positives rather than dwelling on things that could happen or things that could be said etc.

Project 2: Pollution

For this second shoot, I wanted to show different types of pollution. I focused on air, water and plastic pollution. I tried to incorporate Portrait photography as much as possible.

The artist who inspired me the most for this project was Jeremy Caroll who created a photoshoot to highlight how deadly plastics are to ocean life, by putting humans in the sea creatures place.

I asked my model to wrap a plastic bag around her neck as well as shoe laces, receipts and a face mask to show that even the pandemic is causing global destruction to wildlife. The model then attempted to pull the rubbish from her neck.

For air pollution I asked my model who vaped to exhale I as was taking the images of her. This then allowed my images to show an exaggerated version of what the world will look like if we carried on emitting the gases that harm our planet.

• 

• 

I would like my images in this personal study to be eye opening like both Honaker and Caroll’s work. I wand people to understand that not everything is as it seems. People can be going through things without you even noticing. Someone could be the most popular person in the world and still feel alone and helpless.

Mindmap and Mood Board

This is a mindmap of ideas for my personal study. It highlights the areas I would like to focus on. My main idea is to highlight the fact that no one is how they seem. I would also like to include a juxtaposition throughout my work. This is why I have depression as well as happiness on my mindmap.

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.

Previously in year 12 , we have studied many different themes, such as ; Anthropocene , portraits , abstract and landscapes as well as still life photos. This allowed us to explore all areas of photography which is helpful when it comes to year 13 as we now know our strong points and what area of photography we enjoy doing the most and are the most skilled at. We have also had a lot of experience with using the studio lights and camera settings in year 12 which all comes to hand now. Personally my favourite part of year 12 was when we did portraits as I loved using the stuido and a plain white backdrop as I view portraits as a very powerful way of presenting photography as you can do so many different things with it and edit them in all sort of different ways. I like when you have a whole camera set up ready to use in the studio instead of just going out in the natural enviornment and taking photos of what you can find. I liked having everythiing set up and pre-planned which made my photoshoots in year 12 a lot better.

I studied a variety of different artists in Year 12 which really helps when creating your own projects as you get inspirated by an artist who photographs similar ideas to what you want to achieve at the end of your shoot. This lets you come up with some more ideas and make sure you have a basic outline of what you want to do and photograph but in your own interpretation. For my personal study I will research artists that photograph similar concepts to what I want to do when I plan my study.

Some examples of my previous year 12 work was when we did head shots and I really enjoyed exploring the idea of double and multi exposure. I really enjoy the editing part as using Photoshop in year 12 has allowed me to learn so many useful skills and tools for editing my images. For my personal study I want to use photo shop when editing my images as I used it throughout year 12 a lot and think it makes my final images very strong and the best quality. An example;

Currently we are looking at the theme of Identity & Community, which we have started to develop ideas on through looking at Jersey’s history and identity. This helps in creating a basic idea of the theme , as we live in Jersey it’s important to understand our history and what factors make Jersey and what attracts people to it. Therefore in this personal project , I want to study the theme of identity through using portraits and studio photos as I think they will link very well together and it was my favourite part of year 12. We also went around Jersey , the town side and photographed different landscapes / sites around Jersey which showed how there’s so many different communities in Jersey, such as French/Portuguese quarters and old houses from the war. An example of my work;

Identity Mindmap

I decided to create a basic mind map on the things that I think help to develop an individuals identity, such as family, appearance and hobbies. I did this to create a basic visual representation of ideas to focus on when looking deeper into my project.

Identity Moodboard

I have also made a mood board to help understand what section of identity I want to focus on for my project. When looking at my mind map and mood board, I decided to focus on family and heritage, as they have influenced other parts of my identity such as beliefs and hobbies.

What makes Jersey special and why does it matter to you?

In my opinion, Jersey is unique because the community is really close due to the small population. The scenery of Jersey has a big impact to the community, especially in summer as there is a variety of beaches and parks. Jersey also has an extensive history, such as the Occupation and the Liberation. Jersey is important to me as I grew up here along with all my family, making it a big part of my identity.

What does it mean to be ‘Jersey’ now and in the future

Those who were born and raised in Jersey would be the only residents considered as ‘Jersey’ in the past, with a lack of diversity in the island at the time. Majority of residents in the past were white, English, French or Jèrriais speakers. The concept of being ‘Jersey’ has changed drastically since then and has become a lot more diverse throughout the years. Despite not being born in Jersey or moving away from Jersey at a young age, many might still consider themselves as ‘Jersey’ in more recent times. However, many people may not consider themselves as ‘Jersey’ despite being born and raised in the island, due to having a multicultural family. This proves that the definition of being ‘Jersey’ has become an almost vague concept.

What can we all do to solidify a cohesive and positive Island identity?

Despite the closeness of the Jersey community, there is still disagreements between citizens, which prevents a cohesive environment for many. For example, protests around Jersey have caused disruption to the positive outlook for the community, such as the concept of low income for teachers, debating Covid restrictions as well as those protesting against the Covid vaccination. In order for Jersey to solidify a cohesive and positive island identity, the community needs to work together to form agreements and compromise to create a fair environment to everyone. Furthermore, helping those in need will assist in solidifying a positive Island identity.

Are there barriers to a positive and inclusive Island identity? (What requires a greater focus and what is being missed?)

Due to the Jersey population consisting of the same nationalities of people for such an extensive time, some have taken a negative outlook onto those who have immigrated to the Island since, especially people of colour and non-English speakers. Despite most not having an issue with a more diverse community, some still have a traditional view on the Island’s identity and will try to preserve that traditional ‘Jersey’ identity. For this reason, I believe that racism is still a big issue within the Island and the increase in diversity to the island is inevitable, meaning racism to minority groups in Jersey require severe punishment in order for the community to live in peace, despite the nationality of the citizens.

Jersey’s identity and photography

Photography has played a huge part of Jersey’s unique identity since the first developed photographic techniques. Due to the extended history of Jersey, many have relied on photography to re-tell these stories. These important photographs are now held in museums for further generations to see both the celebrations and hardships of the history of Jersey in a physical form

Here me and Toni researched the topic of community in our island’s identity, focusing on migrant and ethnic groups. With this we looked into the British, Portuguese, French and Polish communities that can be in Jersey and wrote about their origins and their influence on the island. We believed these many different cultures make Jersey special as they increase diversity and bring in new traditions. I think that this multiculturalism that we posses helps to define today’s Jersey as it is seen as a place of hope, new opportunities and welcoming people. I believe that this will only become more evident in the future, as people become more open minded and accepting of cultures that are not Anglo-centric. To solidify this multicultural identity in Jersey we should aim to provide more hostings of events and fairs that showcase these many cultures and educate people on their traditions and customs, such as the Polish fair that already occurs in Jersey. However, there are some barriers towards maintaining this positive island identity including the sky rocketing price of living on the island, which may potentially deter people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds from moving to Jersey as well as staying here. This could possibly mean a drastic loss of diversity on the island.

This topic could be explored through photography or film by spending time with people from various cultures such as these, and telling their stories of migration as well as their first experiences and impressions of the island. You could also focus on more specific areas of these diverse communities, such as the food or music that acts as a unifier and brings people together. Inspiration for this could also be gained from participating in events and fairs celebrating the communities you wish to gain a wider knowledge of.

Overall I believe that Toni and I created a poster that successfully demonstrated the importance and the origins of communities on the island. Something that I think we could improve on if we were to do this task again, is to research in more detail the events and groups that already exists to help maintain these different cultures.