Keywords for my project:

Photoshoot Ideas:

• Take some self portraits so I can start exploring what parts of me and my culture I feel comfortable sharing and what I can capture/portray through my images. These photos will be in my room so I can start my project in a comfortable environment before I delve off elsewhere in future photoshoots. I’m mainly going to be experimenting with colour, props and lighting to see what I feel would work best with my theme
• Take some images outside in some locations where I know my parents have taken photos before as I’d like to take images in places that are/have been significant to us. I’m not keen on recreating the images identically as it would be difficult with my parents’ work schedules, however, I may attempt to recreate some of the images with myself instead
• Take some images near/at some Portuguese cafes/shops in order to show some of the day to day life of the community rather than have a bunch of photos of myself. I think this would add some life to the project, making it more interesting
• Taking some environmental/documentary photos both at home and at my mum’s work as it would give me some raw images that would make my project feel more real and intimate, especially as the project wouldn’t be entirely made up of posed images
• Taking some photos of my family’s passports as well due to the fact mine is different due to the fact that mine is British which would show a contrast between us
• Possibly take images in English households and compare the different cultures?
• Blurry, windy, dark images on the beach? More abstract images outside
• Journal entries in Portuguese? Family albums/older images? Possibly compare life in Madeira to life in Jersey
• Maybe start at the airport? then La Plage, red park, etc etc then follow it down to now? Set it up like a map or something similar?
• Maybe some photos of my parent’s hands/arms? Representing how a lot of migrant communities tend to work hard at the jobs natives may not want? Maybe juxtapose this with a quote about ‘stealing jobs’? Either that or a tired face?

Some images that link to my ideas:

Vasantha Yogananthan is a French photographer whose most notable work is a photographic retelling of the Sanskrit Epic, The Ramayana, Yogananthan choosing to publish his work in 7 books corresponding to the 7 books that make up the original tale. With previous experience as a painter, he shoots his images using film (alternating between staged and natural compositions), and then has them hand painted to fit into his chosen colour scheme. Yogananthan shows how visible aspects of The Ramayana is in everyday life in South Asia, and going on trips to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka in order to authentically portray the culture he is depicting.

This is one of Yogananthan’s images from the first chapter of his long-term photobook retelling of The Ramayana, it depicts a man crouching by a misty river where there is no sign of the horizon. The colours are mostly muted, contrasting the yellow of the main figure’s yellow jacket, standing out from the empty grey fog surrounding it. This blank grey sky is a result of Yogananthan’s conscious decision as this image would have been taken on monochrome film and then hand tinted to create the desired mood he was looking for, an air of mystery and potential as this photo is a part of the first chapter of The Ramayana, introducing the audience to the fantastical story. Yogananthan creates visual interest by drawing attention to the texture of the rocks at the bottom of the image, as well as including the figure’s reflection in the water. There is a lot of seemingly empty space at the top of the image, making the figure appear small and insignificant while also making them centred creating a contrasting sense of importance. As there is not much in the image to focus on, the audience begins to question the meaning of the man and the strange environment he is in, allowing Yogananthan to introduce his text of a retelling of The Ramayana. The provides context for the viewer while still leaving aspects up for interpretation.

https://www.a-myth-of-two-souls.com/early-times/

“I am a multidisciplinary artist living on stolen land. My work is driven by personal relations, most often in the photographic practice. My collaborators are often linked by a shared commonality of resistance to capitalist ideals and authority – those who fiercely challenge cultural normative behaviours, practices and expectations through their actions and identities.”

“The spine of British skateboarding magazine ‘Sidewalk Surfer’, Issue 24, March ’98, reads ‘SKATEBOARDING IS FAR BETTER THAN ANYTHING MAGAZINE’. One would be hard pressed to find a skateboarder who would disagree. The words – ‘Skateboarding is better than sex’ – more than once have been uttered to me at a skate park, or dropped in a philosophical discussion of life between skateboarders.”

“Skateboarding is powerful enough to change one’s vision of the world – concrete is no longer simply a building material, a bench is no longer just for sitting, and stairs and accompanying handrails are no longer simply devices to aid one in descending or ascending from one level to another. The urban world is a massive and intricate playground to be explored, full of potential.”

Inspiration

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Locations

Gorey, St Catharine’s, Noirmont

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My aim is to use a tripod and long exposure/ shutter speed to get a calm still image where the sky meets the water over the horizon, Similar to how Shiroshi Sugimoto works. I will be experimenting with different times of day and weather conditions.