There was a range of objects which were found at Hamptonne, such as horse riding objects, shoes, clothes etc and it was really interesting seeing how well most of them have been kept. For these edits I also experimented with using Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom to see which photos I preferred.

Photoshop –

Adobe Lightroom –

Due to the time of day when we were taking photos of Hamptonne, the sunlight was quite bright which meant that a lot of my photos which were taken outside were over exposed due to the brightness of the sun, meaning the exteriors of the houses would be lost within the photos. Below, I have chosen 2 photos to edit on Adobe Lightroom which I think are quite cleverly taken as they show Hamptonnes exterior and historical figures who were there.

While at Hamptonne, there were various interiors which I took photos of which included various objects, giving it a level of uniqueness and individuality. Below, I have chosen two photos which I think were my most successful to edit and compare filters with. One edit I did on photoshop, whereas the other was done on Adobe Lightroom to experiment with which one I liked more.

Photoshop –

Adobe Lightroom –

When I visited Hamptonne, we experimented with taking photos with the help of a Jersey Photographer called Tom Kennedy. He helped and taught us about how to use the natural and forced lighting and how it can change a photo to look like a painting. I enjoyed working with Tom Kennedy and the skills which I have used from him I will consider and transfer into my other work as some of the techniques and tips were quite helpful.

My photos

In Hamptonne, I began by taking a few photos of the women outside Hamptonne who were spinning wool on a wheel and looking quite casual which would look like an activity they would have done in the farm to help their families make money and create clothes fir them as well. Then I focussed on photographing this woman who acted as a housewife and with the help and influence of Tom Kennedy who began by showing us how to create a perfect photo that looks like a painting and how the lighting can change due to being in various places in the house holding different objects and carrying out a range of poses.

Best shots –

Then I went onto Adobe Lightroom and use “Z” to pick out my photos from the “Portraits” subfolder of “Hamptonne” that I created which I thought were my most successful ones where I could experiment editing the lighting/tones/contrasts/etc and then changing them into black and white and comparing which versions I like more.

Experimenting and comparisons

Photo 1 –

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For this edit, I really liked how it turned out because of the model who was caught naturally with a genuine smile on her face because it looks as if she is just carrying out a task from her everyday life with watching over the fire, which I created that homely maybe even over used feeling of the fire, that she made which can be used later on to make food for herself or her family.

I began by bringing down the exposure so that the overexposed part of the photo, which was created due to the sunlight became quite controlled and darker, then I used the contrast to make it darker as well. Then I used the highlights and whites which helped to bring back the sunlight which was lost due to this as I liked how it fell on her and created a nice glow on the surroundings too. I wanted to create the feeling as if the fireplace has burnt the surroundings of the ceiling and background, like it has been used a lot to create a homely feeling, so I used the shadows and blacks to create this coal-burnt effect on the ceiling and in the background behind it. If I were to try again with this edit I think that I could have tried to control the sunlight a little but more because it is still quite more over exposed then I would’ve liked it to be as it creates a glare on the photo which I don’t like.

I wanted to experiment with putting this picture into black and white because I wanted to create quite a dramatic atmosphere to be created from the effect of it. I think that this has been done but to improve I think that I could have experimented a little more with the contrasts and made the duller, grey/black tones darker to create a heavy contrast from the white tones, because I really like the effect it creates when editing a picture in that way. In my next edit of another photo, I will remember this and try to enhance my work so that this effect can be portrayed better.

Photo 2 –

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For this edit, which I created on Lightroom I think that the lighting and glare from the sunlight became controlled through the editing as beforehand it made the space next to the model look really empty and plain and then through editing it I really liked how it turned out because the details and creamy colours of the wall came through which I achieved through editing it. If I were to improve the edit, before turning it into back and white, I think that I could have centred it through cropping made sure that the editing didn’t make the lighting/colour of the wall to fall to a grey colour so that it would highlight the model behind her instead so that she would stand out well as she fades in to the wall instead.

In Adobe Lightroom I began by bringing the exposure and contrast down which made the lighting/tones of the photo darker because I wanted to create a gloomy effect instead of the warm, sunny one from the sunlight. I developed this editing further by using the shadows and blacks to create this darker border around her which you can see as it guides your focus towards her as the main subject in the photo. To control the sunlight which was creating this overexposed look on her outfit I used the whites and highlights, and by bringing them down it made it appear more defined and the finer details from the creases, became clearer to see which I really liked. If I were to improve this edit further again, like I previously said I would adjust the filters so that the wall doesn’t fall to a grey colour and I would crop it a small bit so that she appears more centred in the photo and I would get rid of the window ledge so that it makes the edit look more balanced and equal on each side.

To develop this portrait further, in Adobe Lightroom I changed the photo into black and white. I did this through using the “monochrome” option which transforms the photo, I then adjusted the options further so that it made the edit look quite balanced and to emphasize the black outline around her, which I really liked, I used the “Vignette” effect which added this darker hue around the portrait almost as if it is in a frame, which makes it look old and vintage. I really liked changing this photo into black and white as I like how I created a high contrast between the darker and lighter tones as it creates points of the photo which attract your attention well as they stand out.

Here are the photos from my Hamptonne trip which show various objects, wildlife, people and places which I photographed. For the portraits we had help from the local Jersey photographer Tom Kennedy, whose a lot of work is taken at Hamptonne.

On Adobe Lightroom I used Z to choose which ones I thought were successful which is seen below.

For most of my photos, the lighting was quite bright as it was around morning/midday. For my photos, I wanted to edit them so they would appear much darker, but still have a level of softness and contrast with the warmer wood/sunlight tones against the shadows or objects.

Camera Obscura

The camera obscura helped artists to develop compositions during the 17th century., it was a lens which attached to an aperture on the side of a dark box or tent. This meant that light would be reflected from the chosen person/object outside of the tent/box, passing through the lens which projected it on to a surface where it came out much smaller area where it could be traced.

Nicephore Niepce

Nicephore Niepce was born on March 7th 1765 in France, he became a French inventor who was able to create the first permanent photographic process in 1825 from a photoengraved place, which is now known as heliography. Then in 1826/27 he experimented with a primitive camera which captured the first real world scene.

Louis Daguerre and Daguerreotypes

Louis Daguerre was a french artist and photographer, he created the Daguerreotype process of photography.

Daguerrotype processing photography included creating a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper which is plated with a sheet of silver, without using a negative.

It is then exposed to the light and then developed over hot mercury, until an image would appear.

Henry Fox Talbot

Henry Fox Talbot was an english scientist, inventor and photographer who invented two photographic techniques within photography, this included the salted paper and calotype processing techniques.

Richard Maddox

Richard Maddox was an English photographer and physician who in 1871, invented lightweight gelatin negative plates for photography which meant that photographers didn’t need to use a mobile lightroom anymore when photos needed to be developed.

George Eastman

George Eastman is from New York, America who became an entrepreneur in the photographic world as the founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, he brought in the use of photographic film.

Kodak (Brownie)

The Kodak Brownie was a series of cameras which were introduced in the 1900s as a way to snapshot things, it consisted of a cardboard box with a simple meniscus lens which took 2 square photos on a 117 roll film.

Film/Print Photography

Film photography – Transparent film which is coated on one side with gelatin emulsion containing small silver crystals, which vary in characteristics, which help to develop the photos in the light once taken in various ways with sensitivity, contrast and resoulution.

Print Photography – Using chemically sensitised paper which is exposed to a photographic negative, a positive transparency or a digital image file from a printer which creates a final image on paper for viewing.

Digital Photography

Digital photography is the most common way that photos are produced today, it consists of using a camera lens to create images which are taken througyh different settings, exposures, etc on a camera. The images are then stored on a SD card which can be transferred on to a pen drive or computer file, where they are stored, so that they can be used when they are ready to be printed, edited, electronically published, etc.

Examples of photographic processing types

Calotype – Invented by Henry Fox Talbot, where objects could be placed on to a piece of paper coated with silver iodine and processed in light where their outlines/finer details are left on the paper.

Salt paper prints – Using sensitive paper coated and blotted in a weak solution of table salt, then brushing one side with silver nitrate. The paper processed in places where it was exposed to light and created images.

Colour transparencies – A transparent film which is produced on a transparent film or glass in black or white or can be hand-tinted and viewed by transmitted light and projected.

Photographers

Francis Foot – Born in 1885, had a glass and china shop but did practice photography and some photos of his were used in postcards, consisting of his family.

William Collie – Born in Scotland in 1810, and moved to Jersey around 1841. He was known to be one of the first people to have used Henry Fox Talbots Calotyoe way to process photography.

Cyanotypes as a science

Cyanotypes were one of the earliest ways in which photographic processes were created. It was invented in 1842 by Sir John Herschel.

How are the images created?

Scientifically, it involves a paper which relies on the processing of two iron compounds where items can be placed on top of, which is then exposed to UV light for around 3-7 minutes. This then creates a monochromatic blue image which has to be left in water to stop it from processing any further once it has developed as well as you would like it to.

Cyanotypes as an art form

Cyanotypes were introduced to scientists who used it to create diagrams of plants, peoples bodies, etc. This then led to engineers/ architects who used it as a cost-effective and simple way to produce copies/drawings, which were used as we know them as “blueprints” therefore, in this case for various things such as buildings or machines.

Here is an example of which the prints would have looked like for scientists or engineers.

Photographers who have experienced with Cyanotypes

Anna Atkins–

Anna Atkins was an English botanical artist, collector and photographer during the 19th Century. Her cyanotypes consisted of botanical plants, which were highly detailed, this led to later help of illustrating the first book which included these images she created.

Christian Marclay –

Christian Marclay is a contemporary artist who explores visual arts, film and music culture. He created an exhibition of cyanotype photograms between September 8th to October 29th in 2011.

He created these through old cassette tapes which he disassembled. Here are some examples of him creating them and the final cyanotype:

My Cyanotype

Here is my attempt at a cyanotype which I created during our visit to Hamptonne.

To create it I gathered twigs, leaves, flowers, feathers, etc and put them on to the blue paper and left it in the sun for it to process. I then left them in water for 2-3 minutes which stops the sun from processing them anymore then let it dry in the sun.

Photography’s functions

Photography has many different functions, this can range from; recording history/memories, creating art, changing the way the human eye perceives images, creating companies advertisements and making us experience emotions that move us and make us think/see things differently.

Photography as an art form

Photography being used as an art form grew from technological developments where images where now able to be manipulated by photographers into ways that fit their artistic expressions.

Using photoshop, etc photographers are able to completely change the way an image can be perceived by their audience and how they want people to interpret it by experimenting with different lenses, cameras, films and how they frame or time a shot.

Photography as a science

Photography is an art and science but scientifically, the camera which creates the art also helps us to capture and teach us understandings which may or may not be visible to the human eye as they are too small or far away.

This can include:

– The action for the light sensitivity which is needed to produce pictures.

– How the images may be fixated through the camera, object or person.

– The process of how light helps to create the picture.

The difference between the study and practice of photography

Studying photography means to gain basic knowledge about photographic elements and techniques. It is where you will learn about photo composition, camera use/maintenance, how to use a darkroom and digitally editing and processing. 

To practice photography means is creating art through application and creating images by recording light well. This is done either electronically by a camera or on a phones camera, chemically by using light sensitive materials like photographic films. Practicing photography helps us to document memories/history throughout life, recreating events, change how people see things, etc. 

Hamptonnes background

Hamptonne is a country life museum which shows Jerseys history which carried back as late as the 15th century. There are many different houses and a farm, with various animals, which make up Hamptonne, along with the Cider Barn where a festival is held around the middle of October every year, where fresh cider is made from the horses crushing the fresh apples from the Orchard.

Things that you are able to do at Hamptonne

– Explore the Orchard and see the various farm life around the site.

– Meet characters in their houses/places and hear stories or history about them.

Hamptonnes History

The name ‘Hamptonne’ came from Laurens Hamptonne who purchased the site in 1633 but the site may also be known as ‘La Patente’ named after the road it is on.

Royal patents were awarded letters to those who had provided a particular service to the reigning monarch (King Charles II at this time) or a close relative. For Hamptonne this came from the owner Richard Langlois loyalty to the Royalist cause during the English Civil war, when he was the executive officer (Vicomte) of Jerseys Royal Court.

Hamptonne had gained a lot of support from King Charles II which they received several grants: To preserve the integrity of the property, meaning it couldn’t be broken into parts/split amongst family members and only inherited by the eldest child, permission to rebuild the ruined Colombier which originally was granted to Richard Langlois but located outside the museums boundaries, etc.

The Houses and Country yards

Hamptonnes shape is square which includes all different types of buildings which were made during different time periods and found over 2 country yards. The farm has mainly medieval origins, but improvements to the living conditions have been made over the years. The main buildings are named after the Langlois, Hamptonne and Syvret families who lived there during the 15th to 19th centuries.

After you exit the gift shop, you enter a north courtyard where a row of 19th century farm buildings were made to meet the requirements for the workforces vehicles and horses. It also includes a labourers cottages, coach house, bake and laundry house and stables. Opposite it a glass barn is found which holds various farming devices and to the east there is a walled vegetable/herb garden with a playground and orchard further on.

To the south you find Langlois House, which holds stabling and a under croft on the ground floor with a parlour and bedroom on the first, and a house for pigs and a pond. Then at the south-west corner you’ll find a stone arched gateway which leads to the road.

To the west of the site is Cider House (pressoir) with a granite apple crusher and press. then to the far south end of the row is Syvret house which has a kitchen, parlour, 2 bedrooms and a small cabinet. This house is shown to be what one would have looked like of a tenant farmer around 1948.

The Cider Apple Orchard

To the far east of the farm is where you’ll find the Cider Apple Orchard where many trees are found and hold apples of sweet, bitter and sharp range of flavours which taste when when mixed together for cider. A small footpath at the end can lead you into a small woodland, which use to be an important source for wood, fuel and building materials with a great range of plants and wildlife with a National Jersey trust toads trail which carries on the footpath.

https://www.jerseyheritage.org/whats-on/hamptonne-country-life-museum-living-history

Tom Kennedy

Tom Kennedy is a photographer and film maker who’s pictures are inspired by ‘Painting with light’ through inspiration of Dutch Masters paintings in the 17th Century such as Rembrandt and Vermeer.

https://littleriverpictures.com/photography

Here are some examples of his work:

Contextual –

Robert Frank Trolley travelled around America, taking photos for his book. This photo shows its a group of different people travelling somewhere on a bus in 1955, post war when racism was still quite big and coloured people were still made to sit at the back. The bus signifies how old the photo is and when this picture was taken as it is very old fashioned.

Conceptual –

It could show how unfair the treatment of coloured people was back in 1955 as they were made to sit at the back of the bus and their facial expressions could signify how unfair they think that it is.

Visual –

The light and dark tones, created through the natural light, contrasts against each other, which catches your eye and makes the reflection in the windows above quite clear which draws your attention to it make you wonder where in New Orleans this was taken and what the surroundings were like. The bars in between each people can show how it may look like they are imprisoned and sectioned off.

Technical –

The lighting in this picture is quite natural, which is created by the daylight, while also being under exposed due to the time in which it was taken and the cameras which would have been available, this creates quite a cold feel for the atmosphere the photo creates. The lens which creates the way the picture was taken is at quite a wide angle but is very focussed on the subjects within it, so that it catches your attention well.