Photoshoots 3 & 4- St Clement Housing and La Marais (Lewis Baltz)

Photoshoot Plans: For these photoshoots I am planning to go to La Marais flats in St Clement, and them take some images of the surrounding estates. This is so that I can show how not all people that have impacted the planet live the same lives or have the same possessions, and that some individuals have had a lesser impact on our environment. Like the other photoshoots, I will be using the school camera and I hope that I can create the best outcomes possible from walking through these areas. These photoshoots will attempt to recreate the work of Lewis Baltz, as I have done of research in his life and work and now have become inspired by his work.

Contact Sheets

Photoshoot Overview: These photos are mostly successful, some of the images from walking around St Clement housing are fuzzy but I still think that if I wanted use them they could be altered in photoshop. Overall, I think that my images of La Marais are a lot better and can be related to my project more thoroughly.

Image Selection

In order to begin my image selection process, I went through all of my images and rated them with stars, this ensures that I can later filter out of my unsuccessful and only focus on the ones I have rated 5 stars. The next step to this process is using a colour coding scheme which helps me determine which images out of my strongest images have the most relevance to my project and are of the best quality. I have also used a star rating system followed by a colour coding system to show my better photographs.

  • Purple- images with most potential
  • Blue- images that could be used
  • Pink- images with least potential

Best Images Before Editing

Below I have created a gallery to illustrate my images with the most potential, as I believe that these images do not need a lot of editing and are high quality without adapting the ‘clarity’ and ‘dehaze’ settings in Lightroom Classic. I would like to use these images in my photobook as they highly reflect the work of Lewis Baltz, as this infrastructure is some similar the buildings present in his work. I think that I have done well in taking accurate inspiration from his work and then being able to create photographs like his with Jersey’s structures.

Editing

I have created a gallery to demonstrate the different ways in which I have edited my images, this also shows that not every photo needs a lot of adjustments/ changes to them. I found that the case with so many of my images from this photoshoot as the images had good levels of clarity and exposure so not much needed to be adjusted, the next step is to make sure that this level of clarity is maintained when I now convert my images to black and white.

I have chosen to edit all of these images in black and white and in my opinion this makes my photographs more successful, this is because this editing seems to increase the clarity of the images, despite this not being true I think that my photographs occur to be more like Lewis Baltz’s work when they have been edited and this is vital when it comes to creating marks for this project.

Final Images and Evaluation/ Critique

This section will include all of my final images from this photoshoot, this demonstrates that exploring around La Marais was successful when in regards to creating new images for my photobook. The most important aspect of this photoshoot is the fact that I am responding to Lewis Baltz very accurately and now create strong comparisons to his work and how they have influenced my thinking throughout my photoshoots.

I have selected this as my last final image as I think this is the photograph that best reflects Lewis Baltz’s work, this is because the angle of the image is much like some of his work. Additionally, I think that the editing of this image is much like that of his images, and the clarity of this image demonstrates that I have really considered the outcome of this image before it was taken, I believe that this has great potential throughout my project, as it could be arranged in a group of photos only inspired by Baltz. The composition of this images is very important as it creates contrast within the image, there is lots of area for shadows, areas with large blank areas of white, and then the thin amount of concrete in the foreground means that there is a lot of areas of black. This contrast with the stark white above and means that the photograph becomes more successful as they more appealing to look at. I could be analysed that some areas of this piece are distracting, with the peak/ corner of the building not being in the centre of the image, meaning that it could be less aesthetic. Also with the singular window in the top right corner not really matching with the rest of the photograph.

This photograph is one of my favourite shots from my La Marais shoot, this is why I have chosen it to be featured in my final images collection. In my opinion, this image is one which is very striking, with the composition of this image being its strongest feature. The fact that the windows are so close to the lens of the camera means that they can be in good focus, creating this high quality images. I really like the fact that a reflection can be seen on all the windows on the left hand side as you can see the clarity of the sky in this reflection. All of the parallel lines in the windows, as the high contrast was created by increasing the ‘blacks’ and ‘whites’ settings that are found when editing in Lightroom, means that the photograph has been made more successful. However, I could be interpreted that not a lot of consideration was put into the composition of this image, as the overall concept of this shoot was simple and the layout of this image was last minute and the influence of Lewis Baltz wasn’t really put into consideration when taking this image, and I think this is obvious as it can’t closely be related to his work.

This photograph was taken at the base of one of La Marais’ flats, with all of these objects being carelessly dumbed at the bottom of this block of flats. The composition of this image is mostly minimal, with their being lots of blank space of white wall in the background and the tipped objects in the foreground. This image best demonstrates Anthropocene as it shows the carelessness that people have when it comes to discarding rubbish in an unsustainable way, as the furniture could of been resold and therefore could of been used again instead of adding to Jersey’s waste. I think that the lack of objects to look at throughout this image means that people have to pay attention to parts of our environments that are not so beautiful, and makes humans realise that not everything we are surrounded by is as good as it may seem.

I have selected this as my last final image, as I think despite it not being my most successful out of my whole photoshoot, it best reflects the more accurate in between of recreating Baltz’s work, and my photoshoots reacting to the theme of Anthropocene. So in that respect this could be said to be my most successful image. However, overall I think that this photograph is not that interesting, as the components and composition isn’t very eyecathing at all. There aren’t aesthetic aspects to analyse in this piece, or any that would catch people’s attention. If I were to go back and retake this image I would get a high or low angle in an attempt to create a piece that is more visually interesting and could be used to other parts of my project such as my vital gallery. I think that the plants in the pot get lost as the black fence is behind the, as everything is the same tones it means its hard for a background and foreground to be determined throughout the middle section of the photograph.

MOCK EXAM GUIDANCE

Mon 6 – Wed 8 Feb: Class 13C + 13D
15 hours controlled test
Photography classroom + Photography studio

DEADLINE: LAST DAY OF YOUR MOCK EXAM
ESSAY > PHOTOBOOKS / FILM > BLOG POSTS

IN PREPARATION FOR MOCK EXAM MAKE SURE THE FOLLOWING IS READY BY THE END OF THIS WEEK:

  1. Complete and proof read essay draft this week (so there is enough time to make final corrections and incorporate it into book design in Mock exam.) 
  2. Upload new photoshoots and edit in Lightroom – make sure to produce blog posts showing selection process and experimentation of images.
  3. A draft layout of your photobook/ rough cut of film edit before your Mock Exam begin (that time is used to fine tune design with teacher’s approval)
  4. Review Checklist on blog for overview of work that must be completed.
  5. Go through Go4School Tracking Sheet (sent in email on 23 Jan) and improve, complete and publish missing blogposts.

Structure your 3 day Mock Exam as follows:

DAY 1:
Essay: Complete essay, incl illustrations, referencing and bibliography + publish on blog (essay also needs to be added and presented at the end of your photobook)

DAY 2:
Photoshoots/ recordings: Begin editing images or recordings for your photobook / film + produce blog posts showing selection process and experimentation of images. Use a combination of print screens + annotation. Write an evaluation about what went well and what you need to do next to develop your shoots and project.

DAY 3
Photobook/ film: Begin photobook design/ edit film + produce blogpost showing design process and evaluate. Produce a blog post showing layout and design process using a combination of print screens + annotation.

Prints: Begin to consider final prints and produce blog post showing presentation ideas and create mock-up in Photoshop and virtual gallery. Make sure you save final images in print folder here by end of the day:

M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\YR 13 ISLANDNESS

Blogposts: Finish and publish any missing blog posts as per Checklist and your Go4School Tracking sheet.

ESSAY
Publish final essay as a separate blog post with illustrations of key works by artists and your own images analysed in your text, as well as a bibliography listing all literary sources used. Also incorporate essay in the back of your book using layout in text columns and include illustrations and bibliography.

Marking Criteria

PHOTOBOOK
Make sure you have a made a blog post that charts your design decisions, including prints screens of layout with annotation and write an ongoing evaluation. If you complete it; final book design must be checked and signed off by teacher.

For more help and guidance editing, process and evaluation go to blog post below.

SPRING PLANNER: personal study | 2023 Photography Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

BLURB – ORDER BOOK
Inside Lightroom upload book design to BLURB, log onto your account on their website, pay and order the book.

Consider spending a few extra pounds on choosing better paper, such as Premium Lustre in check-out, change colour on end paper or choose different cloth/ linen if needed.

FILM
Make sure you have a made a blog post that charts your editing process, including prints screens with annotation and write an evaluation. If you complete it; final film must be checked and signed off by teacher.

For more help and guidance on editing, process and evaluation go to blog post below.

Film Editing

Export final film as mp4 file and upload to Youtube / Microsoft Streams and embed on Blog. Follow these steps:

  1. In Premier: Click on Sequence > Render IN/OUT
  2. File > Export > Media
  3. Export Settings: Format H.264
  4. Output Name: use title of your film and save to V:Data drive
  5. Click Export at bottom
  6. Using Microsoft Stream: Open up Office 365
  7. Go to All Apps and select Stream
  8. Create > Upload Video
  9. Browse to upload your exported film from V:Data drive
  10. Write a short description, choose thumbnail and publish
  11. My Content > Videos > embed film into Blog post with evaluation.
  12. In Youtube: Set up an account at home (www.youtube.com)
  13. Click Create (top right corner) > Upload video
  14. Select file > your exported film from V:Data drive
  15. Write a short description and choose thumbnail
  16. Once uploaded, embed film into Blog post with evaluation.

BLOGPOSTS
All blog posts in relation to the above must be published, including any other supporting posts missing from previous work modules since the beginning of Yr 13 academic year, including zines which must be printed & bound, Hockney ‘joiners’, 3D photo-sculpture and final prints.

See previous student, Stanley Lucas as a guide on blogposts that needs to be done and published before you the end of your Mock Exam.

https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo19al/author/slucas08

FINAL PRINTS
Select your final prints (5-7) from photobook/ film and make a blog post showing ideas about how to present them.

In photoshop produce a mock display (create new document size A1: 594 x 841mm) using different image sizes, for example: A3 x 2, A4 x 2, A5 x 3

PREPARE AND SAVE IMAGES FOR PRINTING:

  • Add your images to the print folder here…M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\Printing Yr 13 ISLANDNESS
  • Complete any unfinished work from last term if you have time, For example: select images for print form Zine and My ROCK project.

File Handling and printing...

  • Remember when EXPORTING from Lightroom you must adjust the file size to 1000 pixels on the Short edge for “blog-friendly” images (JPEGS)
  • BUT…for editing and printing when EXPORTING from Lightroom you must adjust the file size to Short edge for “high resolution” images (JPEGS) like this…
  • A5 Short Edge = 14.8 cm
  • A4 Short Edge = 21.0 cm
  • A3 Short Edge =29.7 cm

This will ensure you have the correct ASPECT RATIO

Ensure you label and save your file in you M :Drive and then copy across to the PRINT FOLDER / IMAGE TRANSFER

For a combination of images, or square format images you use the ADOBE PHOTOSHOP NEW DOCUMENT + PRINT PRESETS on to help arrange images on the correct size page (A3, A4, A5)

You can do this using Photoshop, Set up the page sizes as templates and import images into each template, then you can see for themselves how well they fit… but remember to add an extra 6mm for bleed (3mm on each side of the page) to the original templates. i.e. A4 = 297mm x 210 but the template size for this would be 303mm x 216mm.

Making a Virtual Gallery in Photoshop

Download an empty gallery file…then insert your images and palce them on the walls. Adjust the persepctive, size and shape using CTRL T (free transform) You can also add things like a drop shadow to make the image look more realistic…

The Photographers' Gallery - Gallery - visitlondon.com

…or using online software

How I did it:

Step 1: Go to www.artsteps.com

Step 2: Sign in / up.

Step 3: Create.

Step 4: Create your own location or choose a template.

Step 5: Upload your images, put them in your exhibition, name it and give it a description.

Step 6: Present / view your Exhibition.