Walker Evans

Walker Evans was an American photographer who was best known for one of his portfolios ‘The Beauty of the Common House Tool’ where he photographed a variety of household objects using framing and lighting in order to create a visually appealing set of photos.

His work was consistent – each object being monochromatic, centred and taken from a birds eye view throughout the whole portfolio, accentuating the symmetry, or in some cases lack thereof, of each tool. In order to eliminate the objects’ shadows, he’d lift the object off the backdrop by using small balls of tape, helping the object stand out against the background despite the image being black and white.

Darren Harvey-Regan

Darren Harvey-Regan is a British photographer who was heavily inspired by Evans’ portfolio, so much so that he created montages of some of Evans’ work before sourcing similar tools and split/cut these photos in half in order to match similar looking images together, creating a new photo for his portfolio ‘Beauty of the Common House Tool, Rephrased‘.

For example:

In Harvey-Regan’s work, it’s clear that he’s been inspired by Evans, making sure to take care with the lighting in order to eliminate the shadows whilst keeping he objects centred therefore emphasizing what each tool looks like. Unlike Evans, he chose to use a plain white background, most likely to make splicing the images together easier and make the final result more coherent.

Creating still life compositions can be done in many different ways due to the diverse combinations of lights, backdrops and camera height, and camera settings that join together in order to create an interesting set of photos, even when using the same prop throughout the photoshoot.

For example:

Smaller Set Up:

This set up allowed the lighting to be 100% controllable as the lights allowed the temperature to be changed along with the brightness through the use of nobs on the back of them which could give the photos a yellow or blue tone whilst saturating the colourful background. Along with that, the lights had ‘barn doors’ which could subtly change the direction of the light without moving the whole light itself, making it easier to eliminate shadows.

Some examples of our photos:

Bigger Set Up:

This set up used flash head lights that only flashed when the shutter button on the camera was pressed which created harsher lighting and increased the exposure of the photo, especially as the product table was white as it helped brighten the image further. The product table was had an infinity curve which eliminated the shadows from the images and gave the photos a professional look.

Some examples of our photos:

Birds-Eye Set Up:

This set up was difficult to use as we had to stand on a stool in order to see what we were photographing which led to a lot of trial and error as we couldn’t tell if the photos were in focus until after they were taken. We changed the light set up and used flash head lights which took some time as the lights didn’t want to connect to the camera but it created better lighting for our images.

Some examples of our photos:

Photoshoot Process

In total, I had 3 photoshoots: First at a youth club, second by some foliage, third in the market.

In each photoshoot I tried to use a variety of angles and distances in order to get an assortment of shots that looked different from one another whilst still keeping both the model and background in the shot. I found this quite difficult, especially when the model was moving around, as the photos would end up quite blurry/out of focus even when I changed the shutter speed and f-stop. However, despite these challenges, I think I was still able to get some decent environmental portraits.

Editing My Portraits

When editing this image I wanted to make the background stand out just as much as the foreground in order to highlight one aspect of the surrounding environment whilst still keeping everything else in focus. This led me to increasing the highlights and shadows a lot whilst keeping the exposure down in order to make sure each object in the image was in focus and distinguishable from one another. I finished off the edit by decreasing the saturation on everything except the blues which gives the viewers eye something to focus on.

My Final Edits

Whilst editing these objects I tried to enhance the colours that were already on screen in order to create a set of peaceful yet old images.

Editing One of My Photos

I decided to edit this image as I thought the framing and angle that the image was taken at looked interesting especially with the natural light falling upon part of the chest, enhancing the shadows and the details carved into the wood. I think I could enhance this image further by giving the light a warmer look [which’ll make the image look softer] then tint the shadows red so they don’t look clash against the light.

I started the edit by increasing the temperature of the photo, giving it a warm look before increasing the sharpness of the image, making it so the details of the chest and objects on the chest were visible. Next, I tinted the highlights so they were orange and made the highlights a subtle magenta which complimented the image nicely. I finished off the edit by adding a soft vignette, making it white as the image was already quite dark, which created a small light leak at the bottom of the image.

My Final Edits

Whilst editing my photos of buildings, I tried to keep the lighting warm and bright in order to make Hamptonne look peaceful, inviting and almost nostalgic for the viewer.

Editing One of My Photos

I chose to edit this image as I liked the lighting in the photo along with the framing. I felt as though I managed to capture a lot of the scenery around the building whilst still keeping the building the main focus of the photo. I thought I could improve the photo as it was slightly overexposed which made it difficult to see some of the details in the courtyard and the colours were also muted due to this.

I started off the edit by decreasing the exposure slightly in order for the details in the bricks and trees to be clearer then increased the temperature of the photo in order to get a warm and inviting look. Next, I saturated most of the colours in the image so it would look brighter and more vibrant, making sure to keep down some of the yellow tones so it wouldn’t overpower the rest of the colours in the image. I finished off the edit by sharpening the image and increasing the contrast slightly so each object would be separated from each other and not one blob of colour.

My Final Edits

Whilst editing the portraits, I tried to make each photo seem different by using different contrast strengths and different colour schemes for each image, making some more saturated then others in order to experiment with what I like best.

Editing One of My Portraits

I chose to edit this image as I liked how the model was slightly off centre and out of frame as I thought it could tell an interesting story. Along with that I also liked how she was posed with the apple and basket. I felt like I had decent lighting and could improve upon this image further by adjusting the colours and exposure especially since I got the window in the background which could further add to the story.

I started by sharpening the image so the details could be clearly seen before changing the temperature of the photo in order to give it a colder look. I then went onto changing the lighting by increasing the highlights and decreasing the shadows and contrast and vibrance in order to give the image a soft and dreamy look. Next, I desaturated most of the yellows in the image so it wasn’t overpowering everything else in the image, especially as I wanted the apple to be the brightest thing in frame.

Finally, I finished off the edit by increasing the temperature [as the yellows were no longer as bright] and added a subtle white vignette which gave an almost vintage look to the image and added to the dreaminess of the photo.

My Final Portraits:

Environmental Portraits: A portrait that depicts someone in their usual working environment or environments they’re associated with such as their work or bedroom and portrays their life and surroundings. These portraits can be either posed or taken as the model is moving/doing their job.

For example:

Environmental portraits are often used in order to show how different people’s lives are from one another and how no-one spends their days in the same way whether it be due to a job, a hobby or more. Each portrait explores the nature of the subject and depicts the models day-to-day life, creating a story with by using their natural environment.

A photographer that successfully creates environmental portraits is Mary Ellen Mark who created a project called ‘Ward 81’ where she spent 36 days photographing and interviewing women in a mental intuition who were considered a danger to others and themselves.

Mark made the choice to keep the photos un-posed throughout most of the photoshoot which kept a sense of realism which is also contrasted by the black and white images. The lack of colours takes away some of the models’ humanity which allows the viewer to empathise with the women photographed as they’re treated like wild animals – locked away from society and have no control over what will happen in their lives. Mark’s photos successfully show how these women live and how their surroundings affect them in their everyday life therefore making them admirable environmental portraits.

Plan:

1st Photoshoot [Outside]: I’ll find a jazz band that usually plays in town and photograph them as they play together [if they allow me to]. I’d have a lot of natural lighting which would allow me to use a variety of angles as there would be light around the whole subject. I’d have to check the shutter speed or else I could end up with very blurry photos as I will most likely photograph them as they’re playing and I’d need to be careful about getting close as I don’t want to disrupt their performance.

2nd Photoshoot [Inside]: I’ll ask a friend if I’m able to take photos of them in their room and I’ll mostly use full body shots of them lounging around their room as they would do naturally. I’m mostly going to switch between low and high angles in order to get a more casual look instead of a professional looking portrait as it’ll match the mood of the images, making them look more natural. I’ll potentially get them to do something they enjoy, such as watching a film or playing a video game, in order to get a variety of different shots and use any devices to try get their reflection in the image.

or

I’ll go into a charity shop, and possibly a tattoo parlour, and photograph people working from the waist up, with their consent, and make sure to get their shop/work in the shots. I’ll use a variety of different angles in order to get professional looking images with different parts of their workplace in each shot along with a variety of images that I can look through and edit later on. I think there could be a lot of different objects in the shop that could make an interesting photo.

3rd Photoshoot [2 or more people]: I’ll go to a youth club and set up a day where I’m able to photograph some of the workers as they help out the people there. I’ll need to check who I’m allowed to photograph as some people may not want to be involved in the project and I’ll need to be wary that it may be busy which could make it difficult to take natural looking images. This means I may have to take some posed images – potentially after hours – as there would be less distractions. I’m mostly going to use mid-shots as I think they’ll focus on the people who want to be involved in the project along with a mixture of angles in order to control the exposure as I won’t be able to manipulate the lighting throughout the photoshoot.

At Hamptonne I took many photos which I later edited using Adobe Lightroom Classic. I started off by uploading my photos and organised them by using the ‘p’ and ‘x’ keys in order to choose the photos I liked and ignore those I didn’t.

I then begun briefly editing some of my favourite photos and highlighted them in yellow so they’d be easier to spot in the mix of photos before going back through and rating my brief edits with the number keys so I’d know which one’s to properly edit later on.

The Jersey Corn Riots are now a public holiday in order to celebrate our modern-day democracy that began due to the corn riots back in 1769. At the time, workers in Jersey mainly grew wheat and corn, often using wheat to make bread and sometimes using it as currency, some of which would get exported off island. However, the more that the crops were exported, the less food their would be for the islanders which also caused the prices of the crops to increase. This caused the poor to struggle as they could no longer afford to eat.

Angered by this, 500 islanders made the decision to storm the Royal Court on 28th September 1769 with 13 demands in order to alleviate their struggles. These demands included:

• Lowering the price of wheat
• Ejecting foreigners off the island
• Sales tax should have a limit
• The Customs’ House officers be ejected

No-one died throughout the riot although many went armed with clubs and sticks and an usher was thrown over the court railing at some point during the riot.

Overall, the riot was successful and led to Code 1771 where the Royal Court had their legislative powers removed meaning only the States assembly could create laws from 1771 onwards which helped Jersey get on the road to a fairer society.

Photography, as we know it today, can be done at any type due to the invention of mobile phones but before technology, taking photographs was a lot more work and took a lot more time…

17th Century – Camera Obscura

It first started with the Camera Obscura, which consisted of a dark box, 3 lenses and held a mirror at a 45° angle. It would capture light from the scene and reflect these light rays through a large tube that contained 3 lenses, then using the mirror, would project an upside-down version of the image onto the wooden table.

It’s not clear who invented the camera obscura as there’s evidence that goes back to 400BC where a man, Mo-tzu, discovered how light can project and invert an image, however, the term camera obscura was created by Johannes Kepler in 1604 who used a portable version of the device for astronomy purposes. [The camera obscura was mainly used by artists to compose their paintings which made the device quite popular as it would save them a lot of time painting and was much more efficient.]

19th Century – Nicephore Niepce

Nicephore Niepce was a French inventor who was the first person to ever make a permanent image when he experimented with various light-sensitive substances to create what he called sun drawings. It took many attempts but he didn’t succeed until 1922 when he created a photographic copy of a glass engraving by using bitumen of Judea that hardens when exposed to light then in the year 1827 created the first lasting record of his work that took roughly 8 hours to expose. This led to Niepce teaming up with Louis Daguerre for 4 years, before unfortunately passing away, who improved upon his work and eventually made the Daguerreotype.

19th Century – Louis Daguerre + Daguerreotypes

Louis Daguerre was a French painter and physicist that created the first practical process of photography called the daguerreotype after improving upon Niepce’s work after he passed.

He discovered exposing an idolized silver plate in a camera would create a permanent image if the latent image was developed through exposure to fumes of mercury then fixed by a solution of salt. Daguerre’s process lowered the exposure time from 8 hours to roughly 30 minutes! However, daguerreotypes were expensive as they were highly detailed, heavy and very fragile due to their mirror-like surface which meant only the wealthy could afford them.

Despite their pricing, daguerreotypes were very popular and used for still life, natural phenomena, documentary subjects and most commonly portraits.

19th Century – Henry Fox Talbot

Henry Talbot was an English scientist that created the salt paper and calotype processes which are known as an improved daguerreotype.

The salt paper process involved placing paper into a salt solution that would later be dried before one side of the paper got coated in a solution of silver nitrate, creating a light-sensitive silver nitrate that would darken when exposed to light. Objects would be placed on the paper or the image from a camera obscura would be used in order for the photo to be made.

The Calotype process used a paper negative to make a softer version of the daguerreotype which makes it possible to make multiple copies as a negative is produced.

19th Century – Richard Maddox

Richard Maddox was an English photographer and physician who created lightweight gelatin negative plates in 1871 which meant photographers didn’t have to make their own emulsions in a dark room but could instead use commercial dry plates off the shelf which meant negatives didn’t have to be created immediately. This also meant cameras were now small enough to be handheld which made photography more convenient than ever before.

19th-20th Century – George Eastman + Kodak + Brownie

George Eastman was an American entrepreneur and inventor who managed to perfect the making of dry plates and introduced the Kodak camera and the Brownie to the world along with the use of film.

The Kodak was the first camera that could be used to create amateur photography as it was a small handheld box that was sold with film sealed inside so that it could be mailed back to the Rochester in order for the film to be processed, printed and reloaded free of charge which created the company’s slogan ‘you press the button, we do the rest’.

After 8 years, Eastman released a cheaper version of the Kodak called the Brownie which was aimed towards children and sold for 1 dollar. The main difference between the Kodak and Brownie was that the film could be removed in the brownie which meant it didn’t have to be sent back in order for their photos to be processed.