WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EXPLORE?

For my personal study, I intend to explore youth culture in Jersey to show life on an Island as a young adult and how it impacts people differently – I want to document the hedonistic tendencies of teenage life through a set of images depicting youth at their highs and lows whether it be a group of people at a houseparty, or just one person in their room, i want to explore the feeling of euphoria and isolation that comes with growing up and capture it in my images. I am inspired by photographers of youth culture through the years, especially artists like Tobias Zielony or Gioia De Bruijin, who I wrote about in my previous blogpost, as their candid style images depict a very accurate, in-your-face idea of youth identity, which has inspired me to recreate within my own work.

WHY DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?

My chosen theme matters to me as i feel it is important to have representation of youth, especially on an Island like Jersey, and i want to give a raw and unfiltered document on teenage life through the eyes of myself and my friends. I feel the best way to tell a story and get the point across is by sticking to what you know best, and therefore I want to give an account of exactly what goes on around me.

HOW DO YOU WISH TO DEVELOP YOUR PROJECT?

I plan to develop on my project by interviewing my friends and getting their perspective on day-to-day life as a teenager in Jersey. I plan to lay out my images according to mood – lighting will play a key feature in my project, as growing up you feel a lot of emotion, and i want to depict that through the element of colour in my images. To further develop my project, once i have taken all my images i will create a layout inspired by photographers such as Nick Waplington or Dennis Olanzo, featuring grids and double-page spreads.

WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU INTEND TO BEGIN YOUR STUDY?

I intend to begin my study by visiting friends’ houses or attending houseparties and documenting the activity that goes on there. I will photograph according to setting and lighting, as i feel both play a vital part in creating narrative within an image – my first ‘photoshoot’ is completed, i started my study whilst on a car drive, taking candid images of my friends to document the journey we went on. I have planned my project in different stages depending on location – i will dedicate certain photoshoots to groups of people to depict the feeling of euphoria you get in places such as houseparties, and on the opposite end i will show feelings of isolation by photographing my friends in more desolate locations such as car parks or in their rooms.

WHAT MAKES JERSEY SPECIAL TO YOU?

Jersey is special to me as living on an Island, i feel there is both a heightened sense of togetherness and isolation – when around friends in busier places of Jersey e.g town, there is a chaotic and rushed atmosphere, however in quieter places e.g lanes forests or fields there is an overwhelming sense of peace, which is why i appreciate living on an Island, as in a big city you can never escape from the busy landscape, but in Jersey you can.