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Independent, Reading

Personal Investigation – Final Photobook

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Online Link: Here is an online link to my final photobook – ‘Escaping Wonderland’.

Book Specification:

Narrative: What is your story?
Describe in:

3 words

Escaping, Comfort, Reality.

A sentence

In a ‘Wonderland’ reality where everything is dreamlike and calm, often reality hits and anxiety creeps through again.

A paragraph

Within my photobook I want to convey themes of comfort, security and warmth – an ethereal display of locations where I feel at ease within nature and/or areas at home. My narrative will tell the story of my imagination, a dreamlike collection of images in a Pictorialist style that get disrupted by waves of anxiety being represented by darker colder images. My narrative will consist of juxtapositions, comparing the feeling of unease to instant comfort – the photobook will be a journey through ‘Wonderland’ (representing a world where anxiety is calmed but reality isn’t quite real, certain comforts may feel a little too perfect). With landscape images being broken up by still-lives of flowers and objects, it is as if this perfect world of calm and tranquillity is breaking down to reality; escapism can only be a comfort for so long before reality hits.

Design: Consider the following

How you want your book to look and feel?

  • Paper and ink – Premium Lustre
  • Format, size and orientation – Standard Portraits
  • Binding and cover – Hardcover Image Wrap
  • Title – Escaping Wonderland
  • Design and layout – Clean & Rustic
  • Editing and sequencing – Use of Juxtapositions, Contrasting Colours
  • Images and text – Use of Alice in Wonderland quotes & Own Writing

‘Evaluation’

Front Cover:

I wanted to create a title that summarised the key themes within my photobook; escapism, anxiety and imagination. Alice in Wonderland was always a film I loved watching, the fantasy world of giant flowers and talking rabbits was one I would find myself wanting to escape into when the world seemed scary or stressful, hence my title ‘Escaping Wonderland’ – bringing together ideas of running away to a world that is almost-too-perfect, at times unnerving. The whole concept of escaping is usually chaotic, similar to the events and inhabitants of Wonderland – therefore I wanted to juxtapose this fanciful expectation with a very simple and plain front and back cover. I had the idea to use the same soft pink colour, that was a motif throughout the images in my book, to be the block background colour. When deciding where to place my title, I wanted it to be visible, but not too imposing and bold so it kept the same soft theme. I decided to write in dark grey and use the font Times New Roman for my title as I believe it looks clean, but also quite whimsical as the letters flick at the ends.

Page Layouts:

I wanted to follow quite a classic photobook layout when I first started creating my book, placing one image on the right hand side of a double spread and leaving the left side blank. I liked how this created quite a clean and neat look, it helped with creating a calm atmosphere that I could disrupt easily with a ‘nightmare-style’ image or juxtaposition spread. Firstly, I planned on creating a display of my images that was free, without a set sequence or narrative, just a demonstration of locations where I feel safe and have positive childhood memories – I wanted the darker blue images to break up this soft display by being placed randomly on pages throughout the book. Nevertheless, after experimenting with how I could sequence my images to create a narrative, and having the idea to bring text into my book also, I found a natural storyline of exploration that I could have beginning at ‘childhood’. I knew I wanted my book to begin with an image I captured at Reg’s Garden, the public garden space I would visit with my grandparents full of fairy tales and nature, which showed a sign saying ‘please enter visitors welcome’ which I coupled with the phrase ‘a comforting invitation’ on the left hand side. I wanted the inclusion of text to be natural, but also haunting, as if the book was sometimes warning the reader of anxiety creeping in on the next page with sentences such as ‘the water is clear, safe…wait’. The next display of images in my book hints towards child-like imagination, as if I were entering this magical world through a doorway – the images after this one are all inside this fantasy world without anxiety. The layout of juxtapositions range from cold vs warm to natural vs unnatural to reality vs fantasy – I wanted these reminders of the ‘real world’ to pop up during the photobook, it was important for me to show truth in how I have dealt with anxiety, and how sometimes running off into a world of my own (my it be by overthinking or escapism) is not always the best option. I wanted to create a contrast in colours between blue and peach through the book, with phrases next to them such as ‘but it creeps in time after time’ hinting towards anxious thoughts etc. Altogether, my photobook has an ambiguous layout, there is a narrative to follow, but the reader doesn’t have to follow it if they don’t want to – there is always another story within that they may connect with more, maybe the Sudek-inspired images are more sad than optimistic for them for example, it is for the reader to decide what to take from the book.

Strongest Double Spreads:

Throughout my photobook I wanted to create both strong and subtle juxtapositions, may it be through colour contrast, atmosphere or subject – I wanted the images to oppose each other. One of my favourite examples of juxtapositions in my book is the first double page spread below, showing two images with branches creeping into the frame – one light, and one dark. There is a clear contrast in colour with these images, but also in atmosphere; the left image holds lots of highlights and bright horizons giving it a welcoming and positive mood, however the right side image holds darker connotations with its deep blue hue and silhouette-like shadows. Additionally, this juxtaposition gives the impression of ‘anxiety creeping in’, as the branches in both images are twisted and reflect ideologies around horror films/nightmares. There is a subtle overlapping of theme which I also love between these images, the hint of orange that covers the right image’s branches could be seen as a reflection of reality in this darker world – I want the images to seem like different versions of each other at different times, one optimistic and one nightmarish. Furthermore, I wanted to create a spread in the book which represented how much I’d grown in confidence over the years, trying to stop letting anxiety get to me so much. The second spread I have included is how I conveyed that idea, using two of my dream-like images of flowers next to each other, one in its natural environment and one adapting to a new space. The soft focus and pastel colours of the images creates a warm and cosy environment, however sometimes growth is not easy, which is a reminder I wanted to give. With my idea of using text throughout the book, I decided to use the phrase ‘Growth, wait’ to go along side this spread and convey the idea of ‘fear of change’ – sometimes growing too much too quickly is overwhelming, which is what I wanted to show. My final juxtaposition holds similar connotations to the first, of nightmares creeping in when anxiety seems to have disappeared. I really liked the similarity of composition between these images, there seems to be a circular space in the middle of both almost as if it leads to another world, or another escape route. The composition of these images also reflects the idea of this scene being the same, but happening in another reality of either calmness or terror, I wanted to create a contrast that was still recognisable and questioned the idea of ‘fantasy vs reality’. I am extremely happy with the outcome of this photobook, the links to my childhood and memories allowed me to explore how I could represent them through manipulation, or just capturing them as I see them in truth.

My use of Quotes:

I wanted to highlight the idea of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ throughout my book, while some images where clear reflections of Wonderland themes (such as distorted clocks and mirrors) I still wanted to use text to further these themes. I researched quotes from Alice in Wonderland and wrote down ones I thought could relate to certain images/locations I had captured. For example, the first spread below shows two strange objects which could be mistaken for different things if not looked at closely, this spread reminded me of the quote ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ as the observer may question what these images are actually capturing. Also, the soft focus and dim light makes the images seem mysterious and unrealistic, there is curiosity in their meaning. The second use of Alice in Wonderland quotes falls next to a singular image that I captured of the branches over the pond at Reg’s Garden. I really enjoy how this image is so ambiguous, it is abstract in its composition and use of aperture to focus behind the front branches which I wanted to seem mystical and creepy. This blur also allows the observer to look beyond the main subject of the branches to see the water and landscape behind, I really liked how strange this composition was and how much of an abstract texture it created. Next to this image I wanted to use the quote ‘if I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense’ as it reminded me of the weirdness that had been captured, the blurred focus and disjointed composition reflected this phrase entirely.

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my photoBook

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Photobook

My book is a standard portrait size, which is soft cover and the paper type is premium gloss. I wanted my cover to have a Mexican graphic, so I searched for a Mexican pattern on the internet and after a few selections, I chose this image. On the first page you can see in the middle my Title “Not so cholo”.Cholo is a young man who belongs to a gang, with characteristics in the way he dresses and expresses himself; They usually live in northern Mexico or on the border with the United States. It translates as “not so cholo” what I want to interpret with this title is that it is not because we are from a place that we are officially the stereotypes that are presented from that country “I am not as cholo as you think I am”. It is also a play on words in Spanish with the saying “No tan solo” which means not very lonely. The next page is an image of me dressed as a Mexican gang member, my inspiration was of course how we present them in the media. I put my landscape portraits on a full page because obviously the proportions would be better. The sixth image is me diffracted into a drunk Mexican and I juxtaposed it with a drawing of the Mexican lottery called El Borracho, a game that is played a lot in Mexico.Some of my images are juxtaposed with just the same background for an aesthetic detail. My final image is an image of me and my mom because I want to thank you for making me a part and showing me this culture. I want to honor it and show that those ridiculous stereotypes are just offensive and don’t really represent us.

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Photo book layout final design

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Below are the images that I will be using for my photobook. All of my images were taken in Drum and Bass events that were upheld in Jersey and the UK. Some of these images where highly edited in the way that the photo has been fully manipulated. Whereas the others are pictures which have not been edited at all.

Write a book specification and describe in detail what your book will be about in terms of narrative, concept and design with reference to the same elements of bookmaking as above.

Narrative: What is your story?

Describe in 3 words?

Drum and Bass

A sentence

Showing outsiders the drum and bass culture from an insider’s perspective.

A paragraph

As an individual who is in the culture of the drum and bass scene. I want to be able to portray the drum and bass culture to outsiders, who don’t understand the drum and bass culture. Furthermore, giving a deeper understanding on drum and bass on what it is and how this culture is even relevant.

Design: consider the following

How you want your book to feel

I want a softcover on the outside and for the book to be glossy so it looks similar to a magazine.

Paper and Ink

I want the ink and paper to be glossy so that the bright colours in my images really stand for people to view.

Format, Size and orientation

My book is going to be a small square with the dimensions of: 7 x 7 in (18cm x 18cm).

Binding and cover

I am going to want the cover to have an image of a crowd of people. This is because I want people to get an understanding on what type of book they are looking at.

Title

My title is going to be called “The Sesh”. This is because some people will understand the slang term and some won’t. For those who don’t understand it, hopefully after looking at the book they will know what it means.

Design and layout

Single full bleed images

Single images non full bleed black border

three images on one page

Editing and sequencing

I want to sequence my images how people usually end up going through a night out, from the start to the end of a night out.

Images and Text

Above is the front and back cover of my photobook. To make it, I put the title “The Sesh” in the middle bottom of the book and included my name and title on the spine. The front and back cover on my book have a full bleed spread of an image of a crowd at one of the drum and bass events. I had to zoom the image out abit in order for it to sit perfectly across the front and back cover.

Above is the finalised layout of my photo book with images of the photo shoot i had taken, with finalised images selected across a sequence. During the creation of this photo book, I have experimented with different page layouts. For example, instead of having one photo on a page, I put three images laid out with two small ones on top and a bigger picture going across the bottom of the same page. In my opinion, this final photo book layout is the best due to the way the pictures are put together on each individual page.

Above is one of the first images that was edited/ manipulated in order to make the image look hallucinogenic. This appears to be an effective edit because I was able to manipulate the picture, in a way which people would believe that’s what it would look like to consume drugs at a drum and bass event. Moreover, this image would give outsiders an idea on the atmosphere to expect at these events being; loud, bright and wavy etc…

The next edited/ manipulated image was only changed from its original colour to black and white. This image is a golden gem to me because the picture was taken in a way where the flash stayed on with the persons face with the camera having a wide aperture. Therefore, the image looks edited however it isn’t and that is amazing because even if I wanted to recreate the image I couldn’t, making it a 1 of 1. Furthermore, the image once again could give off the impression of distortion/ hallucination. Giving people a further understanding on what the experience could be like at these drum and bass events.

Finally, this is an image captured at one of the drum and bass events attended to get images. This image is strong I believe because it wasn’t edited, making the picture fall under the subclass of realism. Moreover, the image is engaging as I was able to capture the coloured smoke in the background of the image. This was effective as it made it engagging to viewers. Finally, the image being realistic is great for outsiders looking in because they are able to see an authentic image of what happens in these drum and bass events. From the atmosphere, emotions, facial expressions, clothing etc…

Above is an image that demonstrates the different types of options you can select in order to layout your pictures. This was great as I was able to move my layouts around to whatever I preferred.

The Outcome

The outcome from the photobook project is a book which reflects the culture of the drum and bass community. It shows what the potential experience of a night out to a drum and bass event could be like, from the start, to the end of the night. Moreover, the book is also meant to show “outsiders” who aren’t involved with the drum and bass community, showing what the community is about, cancelling out any stereotypes that people might assume within the drum and bass culture. For example, because of the what the music sounds like, people assume that people are aggressive at these events, causing fights between the crowd. However, as an insider to this culture, I can say that the people in the crowd are very in tuned with the music. Meaning that everyone is happy and not bothered by any pushing or shoving in the crowd. This is because, people accept that they are in a tight space which is the reason as to why pushing and shoving occurs occasionally on accident. Moreover, everyone in the crows is there for the same purpose which brings the community together as people share similar interests in music and clothing. Furthermore, the occuring themes of garments are sunglasses, bucket hats, costumes/ coordinated outfits and bumbags. Some of these garments such as sunglasses and bumbags, are mainly used so that people can carry drugs with and not have people look into there eyes for suspicion. Drugs are heavily influenced in this culture due to that fact that the audience are mainly young adults. Also, because people want to enhance their experience for a better time, memories and having moments of euphoria.

https://www.blurb.co.uk/bookstore/invited/9557142/c16ebd0fbd857f5b16ed60642793160214f86f16

Image Evaluation

Technical

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photobook process

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SHOOT 1

For my first photoshoot in my photobook project, I took photographs of old baby and childhood images of myself from my family albums. I also took photographs of some childhood objects, including my hospital and Christening bracelets, and my first stuffed animal. Additionally, I chose some objects from later on in my life, such as an 18th birthday card I received from a friend, and an 18th birthday badge. I decided to include these images and objects as a way to show my transition from baby, to child, to adult, and to add another interesting layer to my photobook by combining old images with new ones, which I think will be more engaging for the reader.

PROCESS

To start my shoot, I set up a tripod attached with two lights on either side on a table so that the lighting would be clear and even. I then placed a plain piece of white paper underneath where the camera would sit so that the background of my images would be clean and bright. I then attached my camera to the tripod with the lens facing downwards, and placed each of my physical photographs onto the paper and captured them accordingly. I made sure that the photographs were positioned as straight as possible to save myself further editing later in the process. I also took care to ensure that the two lights on either side of my camera did not reflect on the glossy surface of the photographs, as this would ruin the effect. Additionally, I also tried to eliminate any shadows that the photographs made on the paper. I then imported all my images onto my computer and into Lightroom, where I began to edit and adjust them as needed.

After I had imported all of my new images into Lightroom, I made a new collection called ‘Photobook’, with another collection set inside which I called ‘Shoot 1’, which I imported all of my images into. Usually after this I would go through a selection process, however since I only had a few images and I was happy with them all, I decided to keep them all.

When editing my photographs, I mainly adjusted the exposure and contrast in order to make my images appear older than they actually are, as a way to further emphasise my transition through the different stages of life. By increasing the contrast, I could also add more colour and life to the more worn images, so that the detail within them could still be seen. Additionally, the old look of these photographs would juxtapose the new images, which would be bright and full of bold colours, adding another interesting visual layer to my photobook

SHOOT 2

For my second photoshoot in my photobook, I aimed to capture as many candid and staged photographs of me and my friends when we were all together. I found that the best times to do this was on special occasions, such as friend’s birthdays or parties, or when we were all on nights out together. I tried to incorporate as much colour and life as possible, which would later juxtapose the old, much more muted feel of my baby pictures. I also aimed to keep the images as unfiltered as possible, as a way of allowing my audience to gain a real and raw insight into our lives.

I imported all of my images into Lightroom into a folder I titled ‘Photobook’. I then began the selection process, whereby I filtered out any repetitive images, images of poor quality, or images which I thought didn’t fit in with the rest. By the end of the selection process, I was left with around 60 of my best photographs.

When editing my photographs, I aimed to emphasise all the bright colours already present, so as to make the images full of fun and life, in order to reflect how we were feeling. Additionally, I wanted to create a contrast to my baby photos, which I edited to appear older and more worn out. To do this, I mainly adjusted the vibrance, saturation, and contrast. For the most part I left the contrast the same way it was, as the images were already bright to begin with. I continued to adjust the different settings and features until I had a result that I was happy with for all of my images.

PHOTOBOOK

In order to begin the process of creating my photobook, the first thing I had to do was to decide to do either a portrait book or a landscape one. I decided to work with a standard portrait orientation, as most of the images I chose to include were portraits, and with the landscape photographs I could easily place them in the centre of the page without the book looking too messy or too disorganised.

I then experimented with different types of layouts for my photobook, such as full bleed pages and double page spreads. I wanted to incorporate a range of different photograph sizes and layouts in order to keep my photobook interesting and engaging for the reader.

For the cover of my photobook, I decided to use two juxtaposing images; one of me when I was younger on the front cover, and then another of me when I was older for the back cover. I then had to decide on a title for my photobook. I wanted to use a title that would tell the readers what the book is about, but at the same time without being too explicit. I eventually settled on ‘growing pains‘. I chose to keep the title in all lower case letters as I think that it looks more aesthetically pleasing and it also references the younger versions of myself present in the book. In addition, most people my age now prefer to type this way on their phones and laptops, which again references another version of me in the book. I experimented with different text sizes and fonts until I found one that I was happy with; I chose to use the font ‘Javanese Text‘ throughout my photobook.

Towards the end of my design process, I also decided to add small captions underneath each of my images in order to help the reader understand more clearly what is happening in each photograph. I think that it adds another interesting layer to my photobook, making it appear more like a personal album rather than a photobook.

FINAL LAYOUT

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Creating A PHOTO-BOOK In Lightroom And Blurb

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I took all the photos that I wanted to use and, that I have already edited from the photoshoots in Photoshop, then I created a new collection set in Lightroom Classic to import the photos into.

The editing process is shown on the photoshoots blog posts.

After importing the photos into the photo-book collection I used the “pick” and “reject” method using the “P” and “X” keys.

Next, I used the different colours to visualise what type of photo each image was, e.g. aerial (yellow), underwater (blue), hillclimb (green), etc.

These are all of the images that I plan to use in the final book design.

My Book Specifications

Before I design the book I need to decide the specifications and think about the design.

This is information about how I will make the book and about the materials and requirements it needs.

How you want your book to look and feel.

Ideally, a hardback book would be nicer as it has a more genuine feel to it, and it lasts longer. However, it is more expensive compared to a regular, softback book.

Paper and ink

The premium paper will make the images better and isn’t to different to the standard paper, price wise.

Format, size and orientation

I will use a normal A4 book. (8×10 in)

Binding and cover

I will use a hardcover with an image wrap, with Mohawk proPhoto Pearl 140#.

Title 

Bouley Bay

Design and layout

  • Single image full bleed
  • Single page image with white borders
  • Double page full bleed
  • Double page spread
  • Double page single image.

Editing and sequencing

I will try and create a zoom effect with the images and use certain objects to carry to flow of the book.

Images and text

There won’t be any text except for the essay at the back of the book.

2. Produce a mood-board of design ideas for inspiration. Look at BLURB online book making website, photo books from photographers or see previous books produced by Hautlieu students on the table in class.

This is a mood board of books that have inspired my design process. I found them Blurb’s bookshop page on their website.

https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/11080504-empty-spaces
https://www.blurb.co.uk/books/11080310-katy-stone-force-field
https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/11080001-i-dream-of
https://www.blurb.co.uk/books/11078338-dudley-after-dark

I mostly chose these pages from these books as the display the images in a unique way that engages with the user.

I reorganised the order which I the photos would be in, in the photo-book. Then I clicked the book button where I chose to use the “Standard Portrait” book, then put the images in the order that looked the best.

I made use of the page setups to arrange the images to create an interesting composition. I mainly had two images on the double page spread and, they either linked with each other or were opposites.

To create a narrative I tried to create a zoom effect. I started by getting images that where of a general overview of the bay, then I focused on the pier, the water coming on to the pier, then I focused on the long exposure shots of the water on the rocks, which transitions to underwater photos. Once there is a brief introduction to the bay there it focuses on the hill climb which brings in the areas “character”. After I introduce the bay again by using the greens hill and the green around the waterfall in the bay, which shifts the focus back to the bays features like the L’Islet, and the heritage site. I often compared close ups of objects and match colours to create an interesting concept and presentation.

My favourite images are these below, I chose them as they are unique and interesting, and showcase great camera skills.

I achieved my goal, which was to accurately recorded a physical location through images. These images above are the strongest images I have taken which help showcase the environment that is Bouley Bay.

Unfortunately, I deleted all of my work, which meant the pervious book design disappeared. Therefore, I had to redesign the book, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing a I had too many images. This helped me reduce the size of the book and add more contrast, as the pervious version was more illustrative.

This result is more balanced as there is a greater mix of content and I feel that I have used a wide range of different page layouts to shift the viewers focus whilst looking a different images. My favourite pages are, 8-9, 14-15, 16-17, and 32-33.

I decided to add 2 more images. One would be a 2 page spread using full bleed and, then second would be a single image, which would probably be on a double page however, it would only use up one page. I plan to do this to a few more images earlier on in the book and eliminate some of my weaker images.

Creating the book cover

I decided to use an image that had a wide view of the bay which clearly shows where and what the book is about. I am using the image from the extra photoshoot I made with my drone. For the back of the book I wanted to have an abstract image where it is hard to work out where it was taken. Doing this makes lets the front cover have all of the attention. These are the two images I’m using for the book cover:

Left: Front Cover, Right: Back Cover

I needed to create a design for the spine, I thought I would blend the edges of the two images above to create a fade between them. After, I would add text to the front cover, and the spine.

I used layer masks to create a gradient fade on the edges that meet with the opposite image. Then used motion blur to smoothen the transition between the images. This will look better when I add the text to the image.

This is what it looks like without the text on the cover. As you can see it looks good, even without the text.

I have created a mood-board to gather inspiration on books about places to decide how to design a title. These are the designs that inspired me:

Using Photoshop I have made 3 different front cover designs, and just needed to chose with one I wanted to use. I used clipping and laying masks to help me design and layout my process throughout creating the cover.

I decided to use the design on the right as it is more ascetically pleasing than the others as, it is on one line and incorporates a more complex design whilst keeping it simple.

The design on the right I used blending option on the text such as, stroke and inner shadow, with a clipping mask of the image to let the image show through.

For the two similar covers, I used a layer mask to remove parts of the text to show the island, to give the simple look and complex effect.

I changed a few small details, such as moving the text up a bit. Then I added and replaced the image on the front of my book and on the spine to see what it looked like completed.

I added the text to the 2 files (spine image and front cover image) that I had open in Photoshop to my the final cover images.

I quickly made an inside cover page with just text on, which is the same as on the front cover.

Final design and layout

These are the rest of the pages in my photo book:

After some last small adjustments, I’ve come to my final presentation of the photo book. I removed the panorama of the bay, the image on page 54 (underwater image), and I change the bleed on some of the images to removed some of the borders, you can see the before (above) and after (below) of the changes that I’ve done.

I feel that this is the best design and layout, as it includes multiple double page spreads, 2 image layouts with borders, full bleed pages and single page spreads. I decide not to add my essay into the back of the book as I feel that it would ruin the “professional” look.

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Photoshoot 1 – Studio + Editing

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My first photoshoot focuses on the headshot portraits and half-body shot portraits. I used studio lighting to make the images more dramatic, and to easily light up the face.

Once putting the images into Lightroom, I used the flag method to see which images I prefer over the others at first glance, and which of those I did not want to use. I rejected the images where the lighting is too dark as well as the images with poses or facial expressions I didn’t think represented my ideas for the photoshoot as well.

I then used the star rating method and the colour rating method to decide which, out of my favourite images were the ones I wanted to further develop in the editing processes. I decided on 9 photographs which were both taken in landscape and portrait.

Once choosing my most successful images, I used a repeated editing process for the images to look uniform in black and white, with a slight yellow hue to them to create a vintage and weathered look to the images.

Some of my best images

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Deconstructing photobook

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Sam Harris was born in London. As a teenager he taught himself photography, turning his bedroom into a darkroom. During the 90’s Sam has photographed portraits and done illustrations for a range of British artists. He has also collaborated as a photographer for magazines such as The Sunday Times Magazine, The Telegraph Magazine and Dazed & Confused. Today, Sam Harris creates covers for artists’ books, directs and shoots films, leads workshops in Australia and of course continues to take photographs. The book I have chosen from this artist is called The middle of somewhere. The middle of somewhere is an A4 book portrait. The book is about 100 pages including a travelogue, the images are all in colour. The cover it’s an beautiful green with some and an yellow fun draw pattern , it creates texture it. It’s an hard, perfect binding cover. There also a long white tape which the title is written on. At first view it seems like a diary or an album photo which symbolise that the book is personal. While doing my research on the book I realized that the cover had a lot of meaning and sense since the photographer Sam Harris explains his pictures is like his family diary. The book revolves around his two daughters,  Uma and Yali growing up. After Sam Harris left his my photographic career behind in London in 2002, Sam Harris and his family passed several nomadic years before settling down in Australia where his series began. His work is a celebration of childhood, family life, love and their simplistic lifestyle surrounding their environment. As he witness his daughters’ transformation he urge to preserve something of their time living together. We also sometimes find dates and a travelogue to follow their story. In his album we can see fights between sisters, arguments between parents, laughs… We also find daily objects like little notes from his children, everyday brushes, creams, to do lists which reinforces the idea of a diary. Sam Harris has exhibited over several countries like Spain, Greece, Argentina , Portugal and France. His photobook ‘The Middle of Somewhere’ won a Lucie Award in 2015.

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Photobook Essay

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What role does photography play in celebrity culture? 

‘Society beauty, spy and mistress of Napoleon III, was so concerned about her image that she constructed it with her personal photographer’1.  

NPG x12166; Lillie Langtry - Portrait - National Portrait Gallery
Post card of Lillie Langtry (1880’s)

For my personal photobook project, I wanted to find a topic that I find fascinating and can also be linked to my own identity. Because of this, I decided to investigate how photography affected the lives of celebrities from the past, and how that compares to the role of photography in relation to celebrity culture in modern times. For this essay I will be looking into historical figures such as The Countess De Castiglione and Lillie Langtry. I will compare these figures to a more modern and controversial personality, Kim Kardashian. Celebrity culture and fame can be seen as a very contentious topic for most, especially today, with the newly found trend that is ‘cancel culture’, which can ruin the reputation of celebrities within a day. Photography plays a huge part in the film and social media industry, but whether this is a positive thing can be heavily disputed. For example, some may argue that with the development of technology, capturing important moments in our lives have been made much more accessible and easier than ever before. Sharing images to friends and family online has also had a huge positive impact for people worldwide, especially during the height of Covid. On the other hand, the evolution of photography has become a threat to the careers and lives of many others. Celebrities and those heavily involved in social media are largely at risk with the access of photography to all, as a simple controversial photograph can turn fans against them and even end careers. Contemporary photography can capture anyone at any time with the invention of mobile phones, which can be extremely damaging to those in the public eye. I have looked at the positive and negative effects of the development of photography within the celebrity world, and the issues of photography as a career rather than a hobby. Photography can be seen as an issue when it comes to a way of making money, as some may focus on creating their content as a need to make a living rather than a pastime, meaning they will go to extreme lengths to get their photos, to the extent of ruining a celebrity’s career or even their own life.  

[Countess de Castiglione], Pierre-Louis Pierson (French, 1822–1913), Albumen silver print from glass negative
‘The Countess De Castiglione’ – Pierre-Louis Pierson (1895)

The Countess of Castiglione (1837-1899), was an Italian aristocrat, who is considered to be an important figure in portrait photography. La Castiglione was brought into disrepute as a mistress of Emperor Napoleon III of France, and became known as an significant icon for portrait photography, she was also widely considered as the most beautiful woman of her day. The Countess had an obsession with her own appearance, she was so obsessed to the point that in her later life she decorated her entire house in the colour black with the blinds drawn and banned mirrors and would only leave her house at night, so she would not have to confront her deteriorating beauty through old age. During her peak of youth, she was photographed over 400 times by Pierre-Louis Pierson and others, causing her to eventually go into debt. These images were taken between 1861 and 1896, with Pierson also taking around 110 images of her son and 5 others of her dogs 2. The Countess used photography to her advantage and had full power over the picture that was made of her and how she was going to be perceived, and were considered as ‘one of the first postmodern portraits’3. La Castiglione controlled nearly the whole process of her modelling, including the title of the image and the camera angle, therefore being in control of her whole image that was to be portrayed into the media. Although the media had little power then compared to now, La Castiglione used it as a form of self-advertisement and self-expression, and stated as someone who ‘was bold enough to appropriate the male gaze for herself’4. She became a popular socialite because of this and attended masked balls and soirées and recreated her looks again within her portraits. She would often ‘flirt with the camera like a fan dancer’5, to achieve a playful yet promiscuous reputation. Following her death, her legacy of a woman of beauty and mystery continued, and a substantial portion of her photographs are kept at the Metropolitan Museum, as well as numerous biographies detailing her life and even a film to further explain her experiences and obsession with beauty. For this reason, she is labelled as an important figure in photographic history, and represents the brighter side of photography and media within the lives of celebrities. 

Lillie Langtry is in character as the adventuress Lena Despard from the play "As in a Looking-Glass." In this full-length portrait, she is seated, facing right, holding a lizard-shaped cigarette lighter and smoking a cigarette in front of a painted backdrop.
‘Mrs Langtry in “As in a Looking-glass”‘ – Falk, B.J (1887)
Lillie Langtry albumen portrait, Pears' Soap advertising: I prefer Pears' Soap to any other | Lillie Langtry
Lillie Langtry in ‘Pears Soap’ advertisement (1882)

Another historical figure to feature in the public eye is Lillie Langtry. Lillie Langtry’s story inspired my essay as she is a distant relative to my family from my grandfather’s side, with her birth name being ‘Le Breton’, therefore linking my essay to my own identity. Born in Jersey as Emilie Charlotte Le Breton in the October of 1853, Langtry married and moved to London with her husband, Edward Langtry, in 1876. Langtry became well known in London through her acquaintances and mutual friends, and had multiple painted portraits made of her which became popular on postcards. Through this publicity, Lillie was able to further her career as an actress and featured in plays such as ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ and ‘As You Like It’6. Langtry was also photographed by photographer Rupert Potter whilst she was visiting Scotland. Langtry can be considered as an early example of celebrity endorsement, as she used her huge public profile to endorse products such as cosmetics and soaps, proving her to be a kind of historic ‘influencer’. Soon enough, word of Lillie’s fame reached the Royal Family which led to her era of bad publicity through the media. Langtry was invited to a dinner party with the royals, in which she was sat next to The Prince of Wales, Albert Edward. Edward (who was also married) became infatuated with Langtry, which led to them engaging in an affair of three years. Langtry also had a brief affair with the Earl of Shrewsbury, however this ended due to Langtry’s secret relationships being revealed all over the media in newspapers. Lillie was admired for her astonishing beauty, which lead her to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for a young girl during her time and this was further celebrated in the media, however, the media started to turn against Langtry once finding out about her affairs with the royals. This led her to be responsible for divorces through those she cared about, and damaging relationships between her and her loved ones. Langtry was left to find her own way in the world and support herself financially, which led her to become an actress, at the suggestion of her good friend, Oscar Wilde. Langtry’s stage career was a success and further projected her to fame, she decided to continue her career in Jersey and even officially opened the current Opera House7 . Lillie Langtry’s story is proof that the history of media, through the use of newspapers, that controversies were quickly forgiven for those they think deserve it. This suggests that photography for the most part still had a positive impact on the lives of celebrities during this century, as ‘pretty privilege’ is most definitely a factor during controversial times. This means that the public do not hold the same standards for all celebrities, and the more attractive are most likely to be forgiven than those who are not. 

Kim Kardashian photoshoot for ELLE UK
‘Kim Kardashian’ – Photoshoot for ELLE Magazine (2016)
Kim Kardashian calls out tabloid for Photoshopping the color of her clothes - New York Daily News
Kim Kardashian featured in ‘OK! Magazine’

Contemporary photography is considerably more dangerous to the livelihoods of celebrities today. As mentioned before, the invention of mobile phones has become both an advantage and disadvantage to the celebrity world. Theorist Clay Shirky states that the audience now have power to become media producers and to share the content they make8. On a positive note, celebrities can take advantage of this and use the audience as a form of self-promotion. This can be seen when the public post images or videos of interactions with celebrities, and positive interactions being shared online can increase the fan base of the celebrity. However, negative interactions can cause the opposite affect and can lead to the public creating negative connotations with the celebrity, reducing their fanbase. Linking this to the theory of ‘cancel culture’, celebrities are more at risk than ever. ‘Cancel culture’ has become a recent trend in the last few years, and is considered a modern-day form of ostracism in order to hold celebrities accountable to their mistakes. Oftentimes, celebrities are ‘cancelled’ due to the use of racial or homophobic slurs, or being exposed for how they have treated others, and to ‘to suggest that those with fame are only human’. Another addition to the threat of celebrities in terms of photography, Is the role of paparazzi. The job of paparazzi is to pursue celebrities in order to get photographs of them. This means that people working as paparazzi will go to extreme lengths to get these images, and since controversial images sell the most successfully, they are the most desirable due to ‘cancel culture’ articles selling the more than most other stories. ‘Trendy’ celebrities are most at risk as the media surrounds them, celebrities like Kim Kardashian. Although the Kardashian family have been seen in the public eye for years now, they are still very relevant in current times. Kim is seen as an idol for fashion, makeup and for her luxurious lifestyle in general, however the origins of her fame are controversial. Kim was associated with many other celebrities before her own fame; however, she was boosted to fame thanks to her explicit photos and videos that had been leaked through the media. This scenario can prove how dangerous photography can be in the celebrity world and how invasive it can become, however for the Kardashian family it started a domino effect of fame for them, as each member became more famous than the one before. The whole success from the Kardashian family has risen through the use of photography and social media, with promotional photoshoots for their modelling and brands, movie features and their reality show ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’. Although the family have had success with the progression of photography, it also carried a lot of negativities in their lives. The stress of constantly being stalked by paparazzi and having their privacy invaded sparks the debate of whether the lives of celebrities are as idyllic as we depict them to be. This debate also shows the negative impact that photography has over the lives of celebrities, and that the role of photography in the celebrity world is equally negative and positive. 

When comparing the role of photography throughout history to present times, there is clear similarities and differences. Some of the roles of photography will always stay the same, like using photographs as a form of self-expression and self-advertisement. In the past, photography was a revolutionary form of art, and those who were able to get their photograph taken were considered more important and superior, and their photographs certified this. In modern times, anyone can take a photograph or be photographed, meaning the superiority complex of those who are photographed has been lost; you do not have to be rich or famous to have an image taken of you. However, because of the wide accessibility to photography amongst the public, those who are rich or famous can have their image taken at any time, including in their times of struggle, or perhaps committing actions that could be considered morally wrong. Celebrities must act as though they are always being watched in public to defend and preserve their reputation, which becomes more difficult overtime as technology and cameras develop. The role of photography in modern times within celebrity culture is to catch the good and bad sides of celebrities to sell stories rather than to prove their importance, which was considered it’s role in previous centuries. My images relating to this theme focus more on the role of photography in the past, and to show the model as glamorous and successful. This will be shown through excessive clothing and settings as well as props and professional lighting. 

1 G.Badger (2007) ‘Face to Face’ in The Genius of Photography. United Kingdom: Quadrille Publishing Ltd. 
2 Wikipedia – Countess of Castiglione 
3  G.Badger (2007) ‘Face to Face’ in The Genius of Photography. United Kingdom: Quadrille Publishing Ltd. 
4 G.Badger (2007) ‘Face to Face’ in The Genius of Photography. United Kingdom: Quadrille Publishing Ltd. 
5 G.Badger (2007) ‘Face to Face’ in The Genius of Photography. United Kingdom: Quadrille Publishing Ltd. 
6 Wikipedia – Lillie Langtry 
7  Jersey Journey Boutique – Lillie Langtry 
8  Clay Shirky – End of Audience Theory