Queens Valley Reservoir is owned by Jersey Water, being completed in November 1991 makes it Jerseys newest and largest reservoir as it can hold up to 1,193 megalitres of untreated water. It is split into two sections, the bottom being the largest and can provide Jersey with water for up to 48 days. In the middle of the reservoir there is a large tower, where water can draw off of three different pipes of varying depths throughout the water which transports it to different treatment works, it also acts as a overflow in case the water level gets too high. This reservoir is opened to the public where you can go for a walk, run, etc as it has several routes around the reservoir and the main circuit being 1.9 metres where you can see an array of nature and wildlife.
Examples of my least successful shots –
Why I think that this is one of my least successful shots is because the lighting caused by the sunlight makes the photo appear really dark in half of it and the part which isn’t affected appears to be really bright, which I do not like. Therefore this makes the intricate details of the tree trunks/water ripples in the lake/colours of the leaves become lost within the photo, which I do not want to happen as in my photos I want to show how unique and beautiful the natural landscape can be. If I were to take this photo again, I would make sure that I am using the correct settings on my camera where the shutter speed is increased so that the image is brighter as more light is being let in to the photo.
Although I do believe that the reflection of the landscape within the puddle makes the photo look quite unique and different, as if the puddle wants to show off its surroundings to others. I think that this is one of my least successful shots is because of how the camera is positioned as it is slightly wonky, which I do not like. I also think that the sunlight overexposes the composition of the photo, especially on the water which resembles a blob of light, and the photo is also slightly blurry. If I were to take this photo again I would make sure I would experiment more with the different shutter speeds which allow a certain amount of light in to the photo and for this photo I would make sure that the shutter speed is decreased which would make the image brighter.
Why I think that this photo is one of my least successful photos from my photoshoot in Queens Valley is because the photo is blurry, the colour is drained from the photo due to the overexposure of the sunlight and the positioning of the camera frames the picture to be wonky. This is because I was experimenting with different camera settings and positioning of my camera while taking this photo, so if I were to take this photo again I would make sure that the framing is straight and not blurry to make it crisp and clear and that I am using the correct shutter speed for the photo due to it being a day where it is sunnier as it can impact the outcome of a photo.
Contact sheets of my best shots in Lightroom –
Once I had brought all of my images into Lightroom, I began by choosing the images which I thought were the best ones in which I could use. I did this through an elimination process where I used ‘P’ to select the images which I liked the most and ‘Z’ to remove the images which I didn’t like. This made it easier for me as I was now able to make the amount of images I had smaller, this is so that I can end up having about 10-12 images which I can edit further so that they can be used in my photobook. Here are some examples of images which I have selected so far:
Sorting system –
To make this decision easier, I created a sorting system within Lightroom to make the organisation of my photos easier during my selection process. This involved going through my images again and putting the images I was still unsure of at 4 stars and the images I felt confident and happy to use with at 5 stars.
Colour sorting –
Once I had decided on the photos which were 4 or 5 stars, I began a final elimination process of using the colours on Lightroom. I used green for the most successful ones and yellow for the images which I was unsure on upon further analysis. This process allowed me to get around 10 final images which I could use for my photobook that I thought matched the theme of weather and natural landscapes well for my work.
Best shots to use in my photobook –
Finally, these are the 11 images which I have decided to use within my photobook. This is because I think that they are images which I believe work well to represent the weather and natural landscapes as they include people/animals and images of the surroundings (such as leaves, trees, tree stumps, etc) that I found when I was out in Queens Valley. I was very pleased with the outcome of this photoshoot, this is because I think that there was a good balance between the people who I photographed as well as the surroundings/further zooming into textures or different objects which I had found on the floor to create a deeper story of where I am. I also think that the weather made the outcome of the photos more successful within my work, this is because there was not a massive amount of sunlight to overexpose the images although some came out darker than I had intended because of this. In images where the sky may be a a bit too bright, I will use the ‘Adjustment brush’ tool in Lightroom which will help to transform the image and make the sky have some definition of clouds within it.
For my first shoot I decided to look through my mum’s photo album and scan some the images in order to use them for my project. I chose a mixture of pictures from the 90s and 2000s in order to show her growing up through out the years. I started by scanning pictures of her at a very young age in primary school, then in secondary school with her and her group friend, few images of her in her late teens after meeting my dad, and finally some photographs of her in her early 20s with her kids. Some of the images had writing at the back of then and I decided to scan them as well and use them in my photobook. I believe they were written years later by my mother, in which she explains how she felt. I enjoyed doing this as it gave me a wider understand of what it is like being a teenager in Romania.
history of photography, method of recording the image of an object through the action of light, or related radiation, on a light-sensitive material. The forerunner of the camera was the camera obscura, a dark chamber or room with a hole (later a lens) in one wall, through which images of objects outside the room were projected on the opposite wall. The principle was probably known to the Chinese and to ancient Greeks such as Aristotle more than 2,000 years ago.
BIBLOGRAPHY
Raymond, M (2018) Half-story half-life
Meeks, R. (2018), Halfstory Halflife. Marseille; Chose Commune
“If you could just say I feel lost here and I am going home. For where on earth would you buy that ticket. Who would meet you when you got there. By what sign would they know you”
ESSAY QUESTIONS:
Photographs can provide glimpses into lives past, long-ago events, and forgotten places. They can help shape our understanding of culture, history, and the identity of the people who appear in them.
Theme: Then / now photography
Artist reference:
How does Photography document changes through time / architecture.
The impact of humans being documented through photography
St. Catherine’s woods is a circular woodland path found on the east of the island. Once you enter the woods, there is a reservoir on your right which was built during the German occupation, which people can fish in as it is full of carp, and many of the trees here are known to be some of the oldest in the island. It is also home to many different wildlife from animals such as great spotted woodpeckers, short-toed tree creepers, blackcaps, etc. It is also home to different flowers such as bluebells, foxgloves, celandine, etc.
Examples of least successful shots –
Why I think that this photo is one of my least successful shots from the St. Catherine’s Woods photoshoot is because I do not think that the framing of the photo is very well and I have taken it at a tilted angle and the water creates a blurry effect, similar to the previous photoshoot, and I do not like how it looks. If I were to redo this photo I would use a tripod which may help with capturing the effect of the water and also provide a better position for the camera angle so that it is not tilted.
Why I think that this photo is one of my least successful shots from the St. Catherine’s Woods photoshoot is because the lighting within the photograph is too dark due to where the sun was positioned as it was quite low in the sky which meant that the areas where the sunlight can’t reach would appear to be quite dark. If I were to redo this photo I would go back at a different time of day where it is brighter as I think that it would make the details of the tree trunk easier to see and focus on the specific framing of the tree instead to make the photo appear to be more focussed.
Why I think that this photo is one of my least successful shots from the St. Catherine’s Woods photoshoot is because the photo is quite blurry due to the object (dog) which is moving wihtin the photograph. If I were to redo this photo I would use a tripod to make sure that the photo is straight and I would experiment with different shutter speeds to create a whimsical effect with the animals movements and it would help the photo to appear less blurry.
Contact sheets of my best shots in Lightroom –
Once I had brought all of my images into Lightroom, I began by choosing the images which I thought were the best ones in which I could use. I did this through an elimination process where I used ‘P’ to select the images which I liked the most and ‘Z’ to remove the images which I didn’t like. This made it easier for me as I was now able to make the amount of images I had smaller, this is so that I can end up having about 10-12 images which I can edit further so that they can be used in my photobook. Here are some examples of images which I have selected to use:
Sorting system –
For this photoshoot in St. Catherine’s woods, I began to use a sorting system to determine the photos that I wanted to use within my photobook. I sorted these images out through a system where I began by putting the photos that were successful to an extent but had limitations due to their composition, framing, etc to have 4 stars, whereas the photos that I felt confident enough with had 5 stars. These photos that had the 5 star ratings were the ones that I will move further with in my work to with further experimentation and being used in my photobook.
Colour sorting –
How I colour sorted my photos so that I had a strong and successful set images which I could use, was through the further analysis of the photos in Lightroom where I went through them once more. This is where I coloured the photos yellow if I felt as if they would not work well with the other photos and had slight mishaps within them which I was not keen on, whereas the photos which were coloured green represented the images which I thought were the most strong and successful
Best shots to use in my Photobook –
These are the final set of images which I have chosen as my best shots to use within my photobook. This is because I like how they create a range of photos from landscapes to close ups of leaves/other surroundings or images of people/animals. This photoshoot was fun and enjoyable to do and I liked many of the photos which I produced form it because it showed how the weather can impact an area and its surroundings and transform how it is viewed as many of the photos show the area of St. Catherine’s woods to be quite muddy and wet. If I were to do this photoshoot again I would make sure that I focussed on different textures within the landscape as I did not do much experimentation with it in this photoshoot unlike my 3rd photoshoot for Fern Valley as there was a variety of different textures which I did not capture.
PRACTICAL WORK: This term you have 5 weeks to complete all coursework, including essay and photobook or film. This include all relevant blog posts demonstrating your knowledge and understanding of: RESEARCH > ANALYSIS > PLANNING > RECORDING, EXPERIMENTATION > PRESENTATION > EVALUATION.
DEADLINE: MUST complete final photo-shoots/ moving image recordings by 5 February 2023
ESSAY: We will continue to spend at least 1 lesson a week on CONTEXTUAL STUDIES where you will be learning about critical theory, photo history and contemporary practice as well as developing academic study skills to help you writing your essay. However, it is essential that you are organising your time effectively and setting aside time outside of lessons to read, study and write.
DEADLINE: Essay MUST be handed in Mon 30 Jan 2023
PHOTOBOOK / FILM: Returning after Christmas we will be spending the whole month of January developing, designing and printing the photobook which will include your essay and somewhere between 40-60 images sequenced to tell a story. For those making a film you will spend January editing moving images and sound in Premiere.
MOCK EXAM: 6 – 8 Feb 2023 3 days controlled test (15 hours) Groups: 13D & 13C: MON 6 – WED 8 FEB
DEADLINE: Completion of photobook or film LAST DAY OF YOUR MOCK EXAM.
Week 17: 9 – 15 Jan Essay: Introduction and Paragraph 1 Photobook: Editing photoshoots
ESSAY:Lessons Mon -Thurs Complete the following:
MON: Academic Sources
Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages
Write down page number, author, year, title, publisher, place of publication so you can list source in a bibliography
Bibliography
List all the sources that you have identified above as literary sources. Where there are two or more works by one author in the same year distinguish them as 1988a, 1988b etc. Arrange literature in alphabetical order by author, or where no author is named, by the name of the museum or other organisation which produced the text. Apart from listing literature you must also list all other sources in alphabetical order e.g. websites/online sources, Youtube/ DVD/TV.
Quotation and Referencing:
Why should you reference?
To add academic support for your work
To support or disprove your argument
To show evidence of reading
To help readers locate your sources
To show respect for other people’s work
To avoid plagiarism
To achieve higher marks
What should you reference?
Anything that is based on a piece of information or idea that is not entirely your own.
That includes, direct quotes, paraphrasing or summarising of an idea, theory or concept, definitions, images, tables, graphs, maps or anything else obtained from a source
How should you reference?
Use Harvard System of Referencing…see Powerpoint: harvard system of referencing for further details on how to use it.
https://vimeo.com/223710862
Here is an full guide on how to use Harvard System of Referencing including online sources, such as websites etc.
TUE: Essay Question
Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.
Tue: Essay Plan Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure
Essay question:
Opening quote
Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian.
Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
Bibliography: List all relevant sources used
Wed: EssayIntroduction In this lesson you will write a 45 mins draft essay introduction following these steps:
Open a new Word document > SAVE AS: Essay draft
Copy essay question into Essay title: Hypothesis > if you don’t have one yet, make one!
Copy your Statement of Intent from previous blogpost.
Identify 2 quotes from your literary sources using Harvard System of Referencing.
Use one quote as an opening quote:Choose a quote from either one of your photographers or critics. It has to be something that relates to your investigation.
Begin to write a paragraph (250-500 words) answering the following questions below.
You got 45 mins to write and upload to the blog!
Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can use an opening quote that sets the scene. Or think more philosophically about the nature of photography and and feeble relationship with reality.
You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study, e.g.
What are you going to investigate?
How does this area/ work interest you?
What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument?
Whose work (artists/photographers) are you analysing and why?
What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within?
What links are there with your previous studies?
What have you explored or experimented with so far in your photography project?
How will your work develop.
What camera skills, techniques or digital processes have you used, or going to experiment with?
Thurs: EssayParagraph 1 In this lesson you will write a 45 mins draft essay paragraph following these steps:
Use information gathered in blog post you produced before Christmas in relation to Art Movement and Isms as a basis for this paragraph
Select at least two quotes from your literary sources that you can incorporate into your paragraph.
Your paragraph must include visual examples of artists work within that art movement that is relevant to your Personal Study.
Consider content and instructions below
Complete Paragraph 1 and upload to the blog at the end of lesson
Paragraph 1 Structure (500 words): Use subheading. This paragraph covers the first thing you said in your introduction that you would address.The first sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. Other sentences develop the subject of the paragraph.
Content: you could look at the following…exemplify your hypothesis within a historical and theoretical context. Write about how your area of study and own work is linked to a specific art movement/ ism. Research and read key text and articles from critics, historians and artists associated with the movement/ism. Use quotes from sources to make a point, back it up with evidence or an example (a photograph), explain how the image supports the point made or how your interpretation of the work may disapprove. How does the photograph compare or contrast with others made by the same photographer, or to other images made in the same period or of the same genre by other artists. How does the photograph relate to visual representation in general, and in particularly to the history and theory of photography, arts and culture.
Include relevant examples, illustrations, details, quotations, and references showing evidence of reading, knowledge and understanding of history, theory and context!
PHOTOBOOK: Lesson Fri Bring images from new photo-shoots to lessons and follow these instructions
EDITING:
Save shoots in folder and import into Lightroom
Organisation: Create a new Collection from each new shoot inside Collection Set: PHOTOBOOK
Editing: select 8-12 images from each shoot.
Experimenting: Adjust images in Develop, both as Colour and B&W images appropriate to your intentions
Export images as JPGS (1000 pixels) and save in a folder: BLOG
Create a Blogpost with edited images and an evaluation; explaining what you focused on in each shoot and how you intend to develop your next photoshoot.
Make references to artists references, previous work, experiments, inspiration etc.
Prep for photobook design: Make a rough selection of your 40-50 best pictures from all shoots. Make sure you have adjusted and standardised all the pictures in terms of exposure, colour balance.
EXPERIMENTING:
Export same set of images from Lightroom as TIFF (4000 pixels)
Experimentation: demonstrate further creativity using Photoshop to make composite/ montage/ typology/ grids/ diptych/triptych, text/ typology etc appropriate to your intentions
Design: Begin to explore different layout options using InDesign and make some page spreads for our newspaper (format: 280.5 (h) x 420 mm (w)
Alternatively design a photo-zine. Set up new document as A5 page sizes. This is trying out ideas before you begin designing photobook.
Make sure you annotate process and techniques used and evaluate each experiment
EVALUATING: Upon completion of photoshoot and experimentation, make sure you evaluate and reflect on your next step of development. Comment on the following:
How successful was your photoshoot and experimentation?
What references did you make to artists references? – comment on technical, visual, contextual, conceptual?
How are you going to develop your project from here? – comment on research, planning, recording, experimenting.
What are you going to do next? – what, why, how, when, where?
FILM:Lesson time Fri Bring footage from video/ audio recordings to lessons:
EDITING: • Save media in folder on local V:Data Drive • Organisation: Create a new project in Premiere • Editing: begin editing video/ audio clips on the timeline • Adjusting: recordings in Colour / B&W appropriate to your intentions.
EXPERIMENTING: • Video: experimenting with sequencing using relevant transitions and effects • Sound: consider how audio can add depth to your film, such as ambient sound, sound fx, voice-over, interview, musical score etc. • Title and credits: Consider typography/ graphics/ styles etc. For more creative possibilities make title page in Photoshop (format: 1280 x 720 pixels) and import as a Psd file into your project folder on the V-Data drive.
EVALUATING: Write an evaluation on the blog that reflects on your artistic intentions, film-editing process and collaboration. Include screen-prints from Premiere and a few ‘behind the scenes’ images of the shooting/ production for further annotation. Comment on the following:
How successful was your photoshoot and experimentation?
What references did you make to artists references? – comment on technical, visual, contextual, conceptual?
How are you going to develop your project from here? – comment on research, planning, recording, experimenting.
What are you going to do next? – what, why, how, when, where?
PHOTOBOOK: Lessons Mon-Thurs Produce a number of blogposts that show evidence of the following:
1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.
2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:
Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?
Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.
Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.
Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others. Use of captions (if any.)
UNDERSTANDING PHOTOBOOKS: NARRATIVE, EDITING, SEQUENCING, DESIGN, FORM, FUNCTION
Earlier in the academic year we looked at narrative in photography. Let’s refresh our memory and revisit some of the theories around visual storytelling.
Narrative is essentially the way a story is told. For example you can tell different narratives of the same story. It is a very subjective process and there is no right or wrong. Whether or not your photographic story is any good is another matter.
Narrative is constructed when you begin to create relationships between images (and/or text) and present more than two images together. Your selection of images (editing) and the order of how these images appear on the pages (sequencing) contributes significantly to the construction of the narrative. So too, does the structure and design of the photo-zine or photobook.
However, it is essential that you identity what your story is first before considering how you wish to tell it. Planning and research are also essential to understanding your subject and there are steps you can take in order to make it successful. Once you have considered the points made between the differences in narrative and story complete the following:
CASE-STUDIES: Let’s explore some examples of images used in photo-essays and photobooks and see if we can identify the story as well as examine how narrative is constructed through careful editing, sequencing and design.
PHOTO-ESSAY: The life of a country doctor in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains
“A photo is a small voice, at best, but sometimes – just sometimes – one photograph or a group of them can lure our senses into awareness. Much depends upon the viewer; in some, photographs can summon enough emotion to be a catalyst to thought”W. Eugne Smith
W. Eugene Smith compared his mode of working to that of a playwright; the powerful narrative structures of his photo essays set a new benchmark for the genre. His series, The Country Doctor, shot on assignment for Life Magazine in 1948, documents the everyday life of Dr Ernest Guy Ceriani, a GP tasked with providing 24-hour medical care to over 2,000 people in the small town of Kremmling, in the Rocky Mountains. The story was important at the time for drawing attention to the national shortage of country doctors and the impact of this on remote communities. Today the photoessay is widely regarded as representing a definitive moment in the history of photojournalism.
Here is a Powerpoint with more information about how to construct a Traditional Picture Story that includes individual images such as:
Person at Work
Relationship Shot
Establishing Shot
Detail shot
Environmental Portrait
Formal Portrait
Observed Portrait
Here is a link to an entry for Percival Dunham considered Jersey first photojournalist for a very brief period in 1913 and 1914, when he worked for Jersey Illustrated Weekly and then the Morning News, the main competitor for many years for the Evening Post (now the Jersey Evening Post and the island’s only daily newspaper for over half a century). Try and identity individual images as above from a selection of prints from the Societe Jersiaise Photographic Archive that holds over 1000 images by Percival Dunham in their collection.
Select somewhere between 12-15 images from the set and edit and sequence them to construct a specific narrative.
Record an image of your sequence and produce a blogpost where you describe the above process.
PHOTOBOOKS: In October of 1958, French publisher Robert Delpire released Les Américains in Paris. The following year Grove Press published The Americans in New York with an introduction by American writer, Jack Kerouac (the book was released in January 1960).
Like Frank’s earlier books, the sequence of 83 pictures in The Americans is non-narrative and nonlinear; instead it uses thematic, formal, conceptual and linguistic devices to link the photographs. The Americans displays a deliberate structure, an emphatic narrator, and what Frank called a ‘distinct and intense order’ that amplified and tempered the individual pictures.
Although not immediately evident, The Americans is constructed in four sections. Each begins with a picture of an American flag and proceeds with a rhythm based on the interplay between motion and stasis, the presence and absence of people, observers and those being observed. The book as a whole explores the American people—black and white, military and civilian, urban and rural, poor and middle class—as they gather in drugstores and diners, meet on city streets, mourn at funerals, and congregate in and around cars. With piercing vision, poetic insight, and distinct photographic style, Frank reveals the politics, alienation, power, and injustice at play just beneath the surface of his adopted country.
Since its original publication, The Americans has appeared in numerous editions and has been translated into several languages. The cropping of images has varied slightly over the years, but their order has remained intact, as have the titles and Kerouac’s introductory text. The book, fiercely debated in the first years following its release, has made an indelible mark on American culture and changed the course of 20th-century photography. Read article by Sean O’Hagan in The Guardian
MORE PHOTOBOOKS: A few photobooks dealing with memory, loss and love
I went back to Russia to visit the places containing scattered vestiges of my father’s memory.
On a mission to photograph the invisible, with Deleted Scene photographer Yury Toroptsov takes us to Eastern Siberia in a unique story of pursuit along intermingling lines that form a complex labyrinth. His introspective journey in search of a father gone too soon crosses that of Akira Kurosawa who, in 1974, came to visit and film that same place where lived the hunter Dersu Uzala.
Yury Toroptsov is not indifferent to the parallels between hunting and photography, which the common vocabulary makes clear. Archival documents, old photographs, views of the timeless taiga or of contemporary Siberia, fragments or deleted scenes are arranged here as elements of a narrative. They come as clues or pebbles dropped on the edge of an invisible path where the viewer is invited to lose himself and the hunter is encouraged to continue his relentless pursuit.
Dealing with the grief that the photographer suffered following the death of her mother, Where Mimosa Bloom by Rita Puig Serra Costatakes the form of an extended farewell letter; with photography skillfully used to present a visual eulogy or panegyric. This grief memoir about the loss of her mother is part meditative photo essay, part family biography and part personal message to her mother. These elements combine to form a fascinating and intriguing discourse on love, loss and sorrow.
“Where Mimosa Bloom” is the result of over two years work spent collecting and curating materials and taking photographs of places, objects and people that played a significant role in her relationship to her mother. Rita Puig Serra Costa skillfully avoids the dangerous lure of grief’s self-pity, isolationism, world-scorn and vanity. The resonance of “Where Mimosa Bloom” comes from all it doesn’t say, as well as all that it does; from the depth of love we infer from the desert of grief. Despite E.M.Forster’s words – “One death may explain itself, but it throws no light upon another” – Rita Puig Serra Costa proves that some aspects of grief are universal, or can be made so through the honesty and precision with which they are articulated.
I received a text message. “Today, our divorce was finalized.” The message from my mother was written simply, even though she usually sends me messages with many pictures and symbols. I remember that I didn’t feel any particular emotion, except that the time had come. Because my parents continued to live apart in the same house for a long time, their relationship gently came to an end over the years. It was no wonder that a draft blowing between the two could completely break the family at any time.
In Japan, legend has it that a man and woman who are predestined to meet have been tied at the little finger by an invisible red string since the time they were born. Unfortunately, the red string tying my parents undone, broke, or perhaps was never even tied to begin with. But if the two had never met, I would never have been born into this world. If anything, you might say that there is an unbreakable red string of fate between parent and child.
Before long, I found myself thinking about the relationship between my parents and . How many days could I see my parents living far away? What if I couldn’t see them anymore? Since I couldn’t help feeling extremely anxious about it, I was driven to visit my parents’ house many times. Every day I engage in awkward conversation with my parents, as if in a scene in their daily lives. I adapt myself to them, and they shift their attitude toward me. We do not give way entirely to the other side, but rather meet halfway. Indeed family problems remain unresolved, although sometimes we tell allegorical stories and share feelings. It means a lot to us that our perspectives have changed with communication.
My family will probably never be all together again. But I feel without a doubt that there is proof inside of each of us that we once lived together. To ensure that the red string that ties my family together does not come undone, I want to reel it in and tie it tight.
‘The Epilogue’ is the book about the story of the Robinson family – and the aftermath suffered in losing their 26 year old daughter to bulimia. Working closely with the family Laia Abril reconstructs Cammy’s life telling her story through flashbacks – memories, testimonies, objects, letters, places and images. The Epilogue gives voice to the suffering of the family, the indirect victims of ‘eating disorders’, the unwilling eyewitnesses of a very painful degeneration. Laia Abril shows us the dilemmas and struggles confronted by many young girls; the problems families face in dealing with guilt and the grieving process; the frustration of close friends and the dark ghosts of this deadliest of illnesses; all blended together in the bittersweet act of remembering a loved one. Read more here on Laia Abril’s website
Week: 19-20-21: 23 Jan – 8 Feb Complete Essay and Photobook MOCK EXAM: 3 days (15 hrs) Mon 6 – Wed 8 Feb
In the next three week focus on beginning to edit and collect all your images, archival material and texts, including finishing writing your essay needed to complete your photobook.
ESSAY:Lesson Fri Complete conclusion, bibliography, proof read and hand in draft essay no later than Mon 30 Jan.
You want to aim for a draft layout and hand in draft version of your essay before your Mock Exam day, then use that day to fine tune design and complete essay.
1. 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
A sentence
A paragraph
Design: Consider the following
How you want your book to look and feel
Paper and ink
Format, size and orientation
Binding and cover
Title
Structure and architecture
Design and layout
Editing and sequencing
Images and text
2. Produce a mood-board of design ideas for inspiration. Look atBLURB online book making website, photo books from photographers or see previous books produced by Hautlieu students on the table in class.
3. Create a BLURB account using your school email address. With Blurb you have different options on how you design your book:
a) Using Lightroom to design your book which is integrated with BLURB. Only for use on school computers, unless you have LR at home on your own laptop.
b) Download Bookwright via Blurb onto your own laptop and work offline at home and you can work indecently of school. Here you have full control of layout/ design features. Once completed, you upload photo book design to Blurb
c) Choose online option if you want to work directly online. Very limited layout/design options (not recommended!)
For those who wish to make their own hand-made photobook using Indesign follow the same steps as below in terms of documenting and annotating your design process. or if you want to customize your Blurb book see me for more details on how to do it.
4. Using Lightroom make a rough selection of your 40-50 best pictures from all shoots. Make sure you have adjusted and standardised all the pictures in terms of exposure, colour balance/ B&W, contrast/brightness etc. Produce blogpost from each shoot with selection of edited images following instructions below.
EDITING:
Save shoots in folder and import into Lightroom
Organisation: Create a new Collection from each new shoot inside Collection Set: PHOTOBOOK
Editing: select 8-12 images from each shoot.
Experimenting: Adjust images in Develop, both as Colour and B&W images appropriate to your intentions
Export images as JPGS (1000 pixels) and save in a folder: BLOG
Create a Blogpost with edited images and an evaluation; explaining what you focused on in each shoot and how you intend to develop your next photoshoot.
Make references to artists references, previous work, experiments, inspiration etc.
EXPERIMENTING:
Export same set of images from Lightroom as TIFF (4000 pixels)
Experimentation: demonstrate further creativity using Photoshop to make composite/ montage/ typology/ grids/ diptych/triptych, text/ typology etc appropriate to your intentions
Make sure you annotate process and techniques used and evaluate each experiment
EVALUATING: Upon completion of photoshoot and experimentation, make sure you evaluate and reflect on your next step of development. Comment on the following:
How successful was your photoshoot and experimentation?
Did you realise your intentions?
What references did you make to artists references? comment on technical, visual, contextual, conceptual?
How are you going to develop your project from here? – comment on new photoshoot, editing, experimenting.
What are you going to do next? – what, why, how, when, where?
5. Print a set of small work prints (4 to one A4 page) on the Laserjet, cut them up in guillotine and lay them out on the big white table for editing.
6. Decide on format (landscape, portrait) size and style of your photo-book. Begin to design your photo book, considering carefully, narrative, editing, sequencing, page spreads, juxtaposition, image size, text pages, empty pages, use of archival material etc.
7. Add your illustrated essay at the end of your photo book, including title, any captions (if needed), bibliography, illustrations of artists work (incl data) and images of your own responses. Think carefully about font type, size and weighting.
8. Produce screen prints of layout ideas as you progress and add to Blog for further annotation, commenting on page layout/ narrative/ sequencing/ juxtaposition of pictures.
9. Make sure all blog posts are finished including, research, analysis, experimentation, annotation and an evaluation of final outcomes.
9. Final prints: Select a set of 5-6 photographs as final outcomes and evaluate – explaining in some detail how well you realised your intentions and reflect on what you have learned in LOVE & REBELLION project.
10. Save final prints in our shared PRINT folder (no later than 15:00 end of your Mock exam day) in a high-resolution (4000 pixels on the long edge.) Save each images in your name i.e. first name_surname_title_1, and 2, 3 and so on.
M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\PRINTING\A2 Coursework Prints Spring 2021
11. NEWSPAPER SPREADS: In anticipation of the possibility of producing a newspaper based on the themes of LOVE & REBELLION design 3-4 versions of a newspaper spreads based on images from your photobook.
You must design the following spreads:
SEQUENCE: Select a series of movie stills (between 5 – 12) and produce a sequence from your film either as a grid, story-board, contact-sheet or typology.
MONTAGE: Select an appropriate set of movie stills and create a montage of layered images. You may to choose to work in Photoshop for more creativity and import into InDesign as one image (new document in Photoshop 420mm(h) x 280.5mm(w) in 300 dpi)
JUXTAPOSITION: Select 2 movie stills and juxtapose images opposite eahc others or layer them to create new meaning.
FULL-BLEED: Select one movie still as a full-bleed spread.
Follow these instructions:
Create new document in InDesign with these dimensions: 420mm(h) x 280.5mm(w), 10 pages, Orientation: Portrait, 2 columns, Column gutter 5mm, Margins: 10mm, Bleed: 3mm
Only use in high-res TIFF/JPEG files (4000 pixels)
Use design ideas and layouts from your zine/ newspaper research as well as taking inspiration from artists listed here as a starting points for your spreads.
Incorporate texts and typography where appropriate.
Once you have completed pagespreads, double check:
All images are high-res file
Check links in InDesign (if Red Question mark appears re-point to image in your folder)
Package your layout and save in your name into this shared folder: M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\LOVE & REBELLION\Newspaper
PRINTING: From Indesign export spreads as JPEGs into shared folder above and choose size A3.
Hannah Altman is a Jewish-American artist from New Jersey. She holds an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her photographs portray lineage, folklore, memory, and narrative. She has recently exhibited with the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Blue Sky Gallery, Filter Photo, and Athens Photo Festival. Her work has been featured in publications including Vanity Fair, Artforum, Huffington Post, and British Journal of Photography. She received the Lensculture Critics’ Choice Award 2021 and the Portraits Hellerau Photography Award 1st Prize 2022. Her photobook Kavana (2020), published by Kris Graves Projects, is in the permanent collections of the MoMa Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Thomas J Watson Library. She is the Yale University 2022-23 Blanksteen Artist in Residence at the Slifka Center.
A recording of Hannah Altman’s conversation with Filter Photo.
Indoor Voices
By engaging with imagery over the last five years, Altman and her mother have been building Indoor Voices around intergenerational womanhood, matrilineal responsibility, and the symbolism in quiet intimacy. The work is a collaborative discourse of familial and female oriented complexities that makes a testimony to our lineage and experiences as Jewish women. The images explore the process of making by women responsible for their own modes of storytelling. As the project continues, they have constructed more narratives to the mundane and to their lives.
The images are made with consideration to Jewish folklore narrative structures and matrilineal gender performance. As with such stories, they exist uneasily between the realm of truth and the sentimental. As with femininity, aspects of the work are carefully choreographed and orchestrated. This intricate dynamic between the portrayed and the portrayal are central interests for the project. Within every image, and in the relationships between images, there are structures and collapses, strengths and ruins, transformation and stagnancy.
“I think that the certitude of the relationship between my mother and me exists in this overlapping, intangible space, and with this constant assembling and revising, our memory builds in front of us as we photograph it.”
Hannah Altman on “Indoor Voices”
Kavana
The conceptual coupling of photography and memory reaches far back into the medium’s history and how critics, especially Susan Sontag, have thought about photography. Hannah Altman’s book, Kavana, visualizes and affixes the ordinary yet fleeting human phenomena of memory. Focusing specifically on the Jewish understanding of cultural and shared memory, Altman photographed family, traditions, and others as they practiced and participated in Judaism. In Altman’s photographs we see a personalized understanding of memory showcased in her self portraits. The tangible or physical implications of memory can harkened, like the memory of a cut foot being washed in the water.
Portraiture is a critical component in this book, and Altman photographed generations of people. In her artist statement she writes “…when my hand is wounded, I remember other hands. I trace ache back to other aches.” The power of generational memory, such as this, is how it goes deeper than one individual’s life and experience. Altman’s family is here today because of her great grandfather and grandmother’s flight from ethnic cleansing in Poland during the 1930’s. Those in the family who stayed in Poland were murdered in Nazi concentration camps. When Altman photographs personal, familial, or generational memory it moves memory out of the fuzziness associated with the past and into the tangible and consequential reality of the real world. The physical implications of memory loom large in Kavana. Generational memory means that people pass their memories onward and carry them on their skin, in the bones, and within stories.
Symbols and metaphors are a through-line in Kavana. When asked about her work, Altman cites an appreciation for the “misleading simplicity” used to teach complex Jewish ideas in children’s storybooks. The photographs clearly depict actions as they happen before the camera. The photographs do not coldly illustrate a process from a distance. They are thoughtfully lit, composed, and photographed to place the viewer in the room, at the baptismal, and in the doorway with the subjects. Altman’s photographs show objects and gestures, but leave the viewer with questions.
Altman writes, “To approach an image in this way is not only to ask what it looks like but asks: what does it remember like?” Photographing cultural and generational memory, along with its religious ties presents opportunities for metaphor and symbolism.
Hannah Altman on “Kavana”
Symbols and metaphors are a through-line in Kavana. When asked about her work, Altman cites an appreciation for the “misleading simplicity” used to teach complex Jewish ideas in children’s storybooks. The photographs clearly depict actions as they happen before the camera. The photographs do not coldly illustrate a process from a distance. They are thoughtfully lit, composed, and photographed to place the viewer in the room, at the baptismal, and in the doorway with the subjects. Dipping hands in honey, spitting on an insect, melting candles onto hands, are all scenes clearly rendered by the photographer, though they’re still shrouded in mystery. Why are these actions being undertaken? What do they mean, if anything? Altman’s photographs show objects and gestures, but leave the viewer with questions. The tension between a photograph’s precision and ambiguity was succinctly described decades ago by photography curator and critic John Szarkowski, who wrote, “a photograph describes everything but explains nothing.” This is a major attribute of photography, and it’s the central tension that draws many artists to the medium, including Hannah Altman.
This image is from Hannah Altman’s “Indoor Voices” collection. The tones in this image are warm, with deep orange and brown tones coming from the wall, forming into lighter orange and white tones with the light streaming in from the window slightly to the left. The image clearly uses the rule of thirds – the left third of the image pretty clearly separates the window, creating a blank area of the image to the right. This blank space, to me, was constructed by Altman, and could signify a missing part to their relationship or in their home, and also suggests a particular atmosphere of tranquility or stillness. The middle third features the main focal point, slightly off centre: the two subjects: Hannah Altman herself, and her mother. The fact that the focal point of this image is off centre could connote an unique relationship between the pair, or an unconventional part – this can also be seen by the way the two subjects are posed: Altman, the daughter, stands above her mother in a stereotypical ‘matriarchal’ position, brushing her hair. Her mother sits below, in the place of what would be the child. This reversal of stereotypical ‘mother daughter’ activities creates a unique context in this image, in that of the portrayal of women historically, and the male gaze – historically, the mother is seen to be the caretaker of the child, and has been portrayed in the media for centuries. The way that Hannah Altman creates a reversal of these traditional in these rules creates a unique and important photograph, which speaks to the ‘female gaze’, rather than the historically sexist and male focused portrayal of a traditional family and mother daughter relationship.
This photograph and Hannah Altman’s works are central to my project due to her unconventional portrayal and representation of family relationships between women. This relates closely to my subjects and own life – the context of Altman’s work aligns to what I’m trying to achieve in my project – the identity between generations of women, from their own perspectives.
To respond to one of my previous blog posts regarding the main ‘isms’ of photography, I created some edits of photographs taken during the rise of photography’s ‘Modernism’ phase. I chose to edit the images using a (experimental) duotone technique in photoshop (photoshop does not, as of writing this, have a duotone function), which gives the otherwise black and white images more colour. I did this because I have always liked the look of the duotone effect, and I think applying it to older modernistic photography would give them a more modern, colourful twist. I would also like to develop my technique to perhaps use in a later project.
This is a portrait with a duotone effect placed on it. Notice how the highlights are one colour, while the darker shades are a purple/blue.
To create this effect, I used my understanding of photoshop to divide the image into its lighter shades and darker shades using the ‘Colour Range’ select tool
In the menu, I set the ‘Fuzziness’ slider to 125 to select a greater amount. I then used the cursor to select the brighter parts of the image and pressed ‘OK’, this gave me a selection of only the light parts of the image, which I then copy and pasted onto a new layer.
I then used Hue/Saturation on the new layer and selected ‘Colourize’ which applies one colour to a layer, creating a monotone effect. I would then repeat this process on the darker colours and selected a different colour to create the duotone effect.
1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.
This photobook shows the story of working-class African American families in the Ex – steel mining town of Braddock. This is mainly shown through images of the photographer herself and her family, as well as images of the town itself. Frazier presents the story of her family, through herself, her mother, and her Grandmother as well as other family members. This work also documents the decline of the town’s only hospital, reinforcing the idea that the history of a place is frequently written on the body as well as the landscape. Frazier knowingly acknowledges and expands upon the traditions of classic black-and-white documentary photography, enlisting the participation of her family. This photo book explores “the legacy of racism and economic decline in small towns.” and creates a personal and insightful project that draws both on social context and family history.
2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)
Latoya Ruby Frazier was born in 1982 in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Her artistic practice spans a range of media, including photography, video, performance, installation and books, and centres on the nexus of social justice, cultural change, and commentary on the American experience. Her work is held in numerous public collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Centre George Pompidou, Paris, and the Library of Congress, Washington DC. Frazier is the recipient of many honours and awards including an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Edinboro University, and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute, and a fellowship from the TED fellows, among others.
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:
Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
The book feels rough and heavy.
Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
Images in this book are B and W, all printed on the same paper.
Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
The cover is linen, with a pattern embossed into the cover. The title is also embossed, in silver lettering.
Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
The title “The Notion of Family” is quite poetic to me as it hints at the subject matter, but does not give it away fully. It suggests that the book discusses the nature of family and its’ meaning, making it also intriguing.
Narrative: what is the story/subject matter. How is it told?
This photobook shows the story of working-class African American families in the Ex – steel mining town of Braddock. This is mainly shown through images of the photographer herself and her family, as well as images of the town itself. Frazier presents the story of her family, through herself, her mother, and her Grandmother as well as other family members. This work also documents the decline of the town’s only hospital, reinforcing the idea that the history of a place is frequently written on the body as well as the landscape. All photos are black and white – taken using a film camera. There are landscape images of the town, in between mostly portraits of Frazier and her family members, with some object images also. This book and its’ story is presented by a female – this is important as it shows a perspective in photography that is often silenced or underrepresented. Through this book, Frazier is creating social change.
Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
The inclusion of both portraits and images of the town in a varying sequence is important to the narrative. It helps to highlight the subjects’ connectivity to the town and creates a context for the images: this town has influenced the subjects’ lives through the closure of nearby steel mines: and the loss of their livelihood. Using sequencing in this way helps the two parts of the book to link coherently.
Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold-outs/ inserts.
Editing and sequencing: selecting images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.
Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others. Use of captions (if any.)
For this photoshoot I want to take images similar to some of Lawrence’s images that make use of artificial lighting to illuminate a subject (such as the one below). I think this would be good to photoshoot as it will give me more experience in creating images using this method, in addition, it will create images that are wildly different than what I will be otherwise creating for this project.
What?
For this photoshoot I will try to mimic Lawrence’s images that involve night photography in nature using artificial lighting. I will take pictures of plants and trees under an artificial light, which will give the plant/tree a surreal tone. I will be using coloured gels to give the light source a colour, which will help make my images ‘pop’ more.
Where?
I will do this photoshoot in an area with a lot of vegetation, mainly trees and other tall plants such as a woodland.
When?
I will do this photoshoot in the evening/at night to try and mimic the images by Lawrence. Night time will be good for the lighting as it will create a bold contrast between the lightest parts illuminated and the black parts of sky and shadow.
Why?
I think this will be a good type of photoshoot for this project as it links nicely into the theme of nature vs man-made as the subject matter will be of nature (trees, grass, etc…) while the artificial lights (as the name suggests) will give the image a sense of artificiality.
How?
I will use a camera set up on a tripod and set it on a low shutter speed to allow the camera to take the pictures at night without the image turning out blurry. I will likely have the camera set up facing slightly upwards in order to get a mix of the higher branches and the night’s sky.
Photoshoot 2
For my second photoshoot I will be taking images inspired by this image by Dávid Biró, on his ‘Front End’ project. I think this image is fitting for this project as it gives plants and nature a feeling of artificiality, and an almost ‘tampered with’ feel, which matches my idea of the relationship between man and nature, and, as an extent of that, the affects of man on nature. I also think this will give the project more variety as it (object/still life photography) is a genre of photography that I am not as experienced at compared to landscapes.
Image by Dávid Biró, Project – Front End
What?
I will be taking pictures of artificial plants (leaves, flowers, etc…) and similar objects that are poking through white foam board, similar to Biró’s image. I will be taking these images with a still-life-like aesthetic.
Where?
I will do this photoshoot at the school’s studio, as the artificial lighting will give my images an intensity which will give the images more contrast.
Why?
I think the way this image was taken, with the natural plant being obscured (as well as surrounded by) an artificial object and setting, which creates a contrast thematically that links into my project.
How?
Unlike Biró’s image, I will aim to make my images darker and more contrasting at the bright and dark parts, in an almost vanitas tone, which gives the image a less ‘playful’ and ‘energetic’ tone which Biró’s image has.
Photoshoot 3
For this photoshoot I aim to take photographs in an urban setting to create a contrast with the other images I have taken, which will give my photobook a larger variety of images. My main focus will be on scaffolding as their form is similar to trees, I would like to capture this similarity within my photobook (However I may also include some images of other scenes found in an urban setting). For the scaffolding images, I will be using Keld Helmer-Petersen’s images as a form of inspiration (Blogpost on him).
Keld Helmer-Petersen, Black Light.
What?
I will take images in an urban setting with a focus on subjects such as scaffolding and wires. I will edit some of those images in the style of Helmer-Petersen, which will give the images greater contrast to the other images in my photobook.
Where?
In an urban setting such as St. Helier, there are several building sites and other urban scenes which will be useful to photograph and contrast with the more natural scenes I have already photographed.
When?
I will take the images when it is overcast, which will provide me with the correct sky to create the bright white that is seen in Helmer-Petersen’s images.
Why?
To me, the lines and patterns created by scaffolding mirror those created by tree branches in the winter seasons. I think this contrast between the two subjects links nicely with my theme of organic and synthetic.
How?
I will look for scaffolding and use a low viewpoint which will separate the higher parts scaffolding from the building they surround, giving it a clear background of the sky.
