How I edited my images

Firstly, I converted the original colour image into black and white to add a uniformed monochromatic theme to the images.

I then adjusted exposure, brightness etc in order to achieve a higher contrast between the black and white tones, and to also give the images a similar tone overall, and making sure none were too dark or too bright.

I decided to make these images black and white as I believe this uniformed theme adds a sense of unity between the communities of Jersey, but also adds a sense of ambiguity to the identities of the people in the images.

For my first photoshoot I walked the route above (from Royal Sq walk towards St Thomas Church via Broad St, Pitt St, Dumaresq St, Hue St, Le Geyt St, Devonshire Pl, Great Union Road + side streets with character, such as Journeaux St, Aquila Rd, Poonah Rd, Albert St, Columbus St, Dorset St, Clairvale Rd towards Rouge Boullion) and took photographs of anything which caught my eye or sparked my interest. I did my best to ensure that my images were as interesting and as eye catching as possible.

EDITING IN LIGHTROOM

To start with I imported all of my images into Lightroom into a collection called ‘Identity and Community‘ and then into a subfolder entitled ‘Photoshoot 1‘.

I then went through all of my images with the flag tool, and rejected the ones that I didn’t feel were my best work until I was left with a set I was happy with.

I then decided to give my remaining images a star rating out of 5 until I had my final images from my first photoshoot.

For my second photoshoot, I followed the same route (from Royal Sq walk towards St Thomas Church via Broad St, Pitt St, Dumaresq St, Hue St, Le Geyt St, Devonshire Pl, Great Union Road + side streets with character, such as Journeaux St, Aquila Rd, Poonah Rd, Albert St, Columbus St, Dorset St, Clairvale Rd towards Rouge Boullion). This time, however, I attempted to take photographs of different things that perhaps I hadn’t seen last time, or didn’t think were interesting enough. Again, I tried to keep my images as eye catching as possible. I also used the same methods of editing in Lightroom.

FINAL IMAGES

EVALUATION

Overall, I think that my images from both of my photoshoots around St Helier produced some good quality images. However, one thing which I could improve upon would be the positioning of the camera when I capture the images. This is because I had to reject some good photographs as they were wonky or blurry. For my next photoshoot my aim is to think more carefully about where I am positioning the camera as well as myself in order to produce an abundance of quality work.

‘Every Jersey resident has an immigration story – whether their family came here 500 years or five years ago. This exhibition explores some of these stories and the ways in which immigration has shaped and influenced the Island we know today.’

Jersey’s first permanent settlers arrived around 7,000 years ago. They were driven by a changing climate to seek a new and sheltered place where they could plant their crops and raise their families. Since that time, waves of immigrants have arrived in Jersey. Some were fleeing religious or political persecution and they found refuge in this Island. Others were economic migrants seeking a better way of life for themselves and their families, from retired English army officers in the 19th century to Breton farm workers in the early 20th century.

The French Wars of Religion took place during the 16th century between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants). Consequently, many Huguenots fled to Jersey in order to escape being persecuted for their beliefs. In fact, so many Huguenots came to the island that an additional market day had to be introduced to cope with the crowds. Large numbers of Protestants left France after 1685, when the Edict of Nantes was revoked, which took away their right to practice their religion. This therefore led to an influx of Protestant immigrants who established many small businesses on the island. The shipping industry was created on the back of the Atlantic cod trade.  The first large scale commercial shipyard was built in Jersey in 1815.  The industry benefited from the Island’s tax-free status, being able to import timber more cheaply than competing British shipyards.  Much of the labour in the shipbuilding industry was migrant labour from other parts of the British Isles.  The shipbuilding and shipping industries began to decline in the 1860s as a result of a depression in world trade and the switch from sail to steam.

From 1820 the Jersey economy was boosted by the first real inflow of wealthy immigrants, largely retired military offers, half pay officers and senior officials from the colonies.  These individuals came mainly from the UK or British Colonies and were attracted by the tax regime, mild climate, improved travel and the Island way of life. It was estimated that there were 5,000 English residents in Jersey in the early 1840s three-quarters of these were half-pay officer s and their families.  Their local spending power would have created local jobs and contributed to the growth of St Helier during this period.  High Value Residents continue to come to Jersey for many of the same reasons.

https://www.jerseyheritage.org/family-history/jersey-immigration

The part of the exhibition which I found the most interesting was the ‘Alien Registration Cards’, which were introduced as a result of the Aliens Restriction Act passed in February 1920. Under this new law, all aliens over the age of 16 living in Jersey were forced to register with an Immigration Officer, no matter how old they were or how long they’d been living on the island. The Alien cards were issued up until the 1960s and, initially, any woman who married a foreign national was also required to register for a card, as well as anyone of foreign parentage. 

https://www.jerseyheritage.org/news/alien-registration-cards-added-to-jersey-heritage-s-online-catalogue