Time period: 1880s- 1920s Key characteristics/ conventions: Was to try and make photography an art style rather than a scientific convention. Pictorialism reacted against mechanization and industrialisation. They abhorred the snapshot and were also dismayed at the increasing industrial exploitation of photography and practices that pandered to a commercial and professional establishment.
JMW Turner
Alfred Nyborn
Clarence H. White
Influences: Allegory is a figurative mode of representation conveying meaning other than the literal. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. Allegorical painting was dominant in Italian Renaissance art in 16th and continued to be a popular up until the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the mid 19th century.
Artists associated: Paul Strand, Julia Margaret Cameron, influenced by Peter Henry Emerson. there was a movement called the Vienna Camera Club, included artists such as Hugo, Henneberg, Heinrich Kurn, Hans Watcek. F Holland Day, Frank Eugene, Sally Mann and Clarence H White are also some examples. Key works include Paolo Vernese (1556), John Everett
Methods/ techniques/ processes: Put Vaseline on camera and used new chemicals, would scratch negatives after they were created, this was to create texture and more depth to the images.
Julia Margaret Cameron
Hugo Henneberg
Heinrich Kuhn
H P Robinson
Frank Eugene
Alvin Langdon Coburn
Sally Mann
Edward Steichen
Realism/ Straight Photography
Time period: 1920s Key characteristics/ conventions: Straight Photography were photographers who believed in the intrinsic qualities of the photographic medium and its ability to provide accurate and descriptive records of the visual world. These photographers strove to make pictures that were ‘photographic’ rather than ‘painterly’, they didn’t want to treat photography as a kind of painting. Realism photography grew up with claims of having a special relationship to reality, and its premise, that the camera’s ability to record the actual world as it appears in front of the lens was unquestioned.
Paul Strand
Artists associated: Walker Evans: Often considered to the leading American documentary photographer of the 20th century. He rejected Pictorialism and wanted to establish a new photographic art based on a detached and disinterested look. He most celebrated work is his pictures of three Sharecropper families in the American South during the 1930s Depression. Alfred Steiglitz: In 1907 Stieglitz took this picture inside the boat, The Steerage and thereby rejected Pictorialism’s aesthetics and became in favour of what Paul Strand called ‘absolute unqualified objectivity’ and ‘straight photographic means’. Stieglitz and Strand was also influenced by European avant-garde art movements such as Cubism and Fauvism and some of their pictures emphasised underlying abstract geometric forms and structure of their subjects.
Alfred Steiglitz
Walker Evans
Social Reform Photography: The rural poor or the urban environment were not subjects for Pictorial photographers. But when A Danish immigrant , Jacob Riis published his book, How the Other Half Lives’ about the slums of Manhattan a new kind of realism was born with a socialist dimension. A number of photographer’s such as Lewis W Hine and Dorothea Lange began to document the effects of industrialization and urbanization on working-class Americans. Their work brought the need for housing and labour reform to the attention of legislators and the public and became the origins of what we now call photojournalism.
Lewis W Hine
Dorothea Lange
Jacob Riis
Modernism:
Time period: Early 1900s through to the 1960s Key characteristics/ conventions: The move from early photography to Modern Photography is distinguished by a departure from the language and constraints of traditional art, such as painting, and this change in attitude was mirrored by changes in practice. Artists associated: Edward Steichen, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Gertrude Käsebier and Clarence H. The most well-known discourse of photographic modernism now is the one initiated in the USA by Alfred Stieglitz. Developed around his New York based journal Camera Work between 1903 and 1917, this version is characterized by the “straight” photograph.
Gertrude Käsebier
Alvin Langdon Coburn
Clarence H
Edward Steichen
Key works: Edward Steichen A Bee on a Sunflower c.1920 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection, Edward Weston Nude 1936 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection, Tina Modotti Bandelier Margaret de Patta Ice Cube Tray with Marbles and Rice 1939, André Kertész Underwater Swimmer 1917 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection and André Kertész Underwater Swimmer 1917 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection.
Steichen
Elton John
Modotti
Methods/ techniques/ processes: Modernist photography celebrated the camera as an essentially mechanical tool. Critic Sadakichi Hartmann’s 1904 ‘Plea for a Straight Photography’ heralded this new approach, rejecting the soft focus and painterly quality of pictorialism and encouraging straightforward images of modern life.
Post- Modernism
Time period: Late 20th century Key characteristics/ conventions: In Western philosophy, a late 20th-century movement characterized by broad skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism; a general suspicion of reason; and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power. The main focus of modernism as a philosophy, postmodernism rejects concepts of rationality, objectivity, and universal truth. Instead, it emphasizes the diversity of human experience and multiplicity of perspectives.
Artists associated: Andy Warhol, Carolee Schneemann, Maria Abramovic, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, and Damien Hirst, Ansel Adams Key works: Marilyn Diptych (1962) Shuttlecocks (1994) Rhythm 0 / Seven Easy Pieces (1974) Untitled Film Still #21 (1978) The AT&T Building, New York (1984) Untitled (I shop therefore I am) (1987) Apples Trees (1987) Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988). To create images that would be considered part of the post-modernist you would have to take a lot of street photography type of images.
Richard Misrach is one of the most influential photographers of his generation. In the 1970s, he helped pioneer the renaissance of color photography and large-scale presentation that are in widespread practice today. Best known for his ongoing series, Desert Cantos, a multi-faceted approach to the study of place and man’s complex relationship to it, he has worked in the landscape for over 40 years.
MisrachHis work
“I’ve come to believe that beauty can be a very powerful conveyor of difficult ideas.”
A recent chapter of the series, Border Cantos, made in collaboration with the experimental composer Guillermo Galindo, explores the unseen realities of the US-Mexico borderlands. This work was exhibited at the museums such as the Amon Carter Museum of Art. In the most recent chapters, Premonitions and The Writing on the Wall, Misrach documents graffiti on abandoned buildings throughout the Southwest and Southern California, finding an angry and ominous response to the political climate before and after the 2016 election. Both series premiered at Fraenkel Gallery.
Having hoped that Telegraph 3 AM would help improve life on the streets, Misrach was frustrated by the book’s minimal impact and retreated to the deserts of Southern California, Arizona, and Baja California, where he took photographs devoid of human figures entirely. Working at night with a strobe that illuminated the landscape around him, he experimented with unusual printing techniques in the university darkroom and created richly hued, split-toned silver prints. A resulting 1979 book was published without a title or a single word of accompanying text besides nominal identifying information on the book’s spine.
“To me, the work I do is a means of interpreting unsettling truths, of bearing witness, and of sounding an alarm.”
Favourite Image
Misrach’s book Desert Cantos received the 1988 Infinity Award from the International Center for Photography, and his Bravo 20: The Bombing of the American West, co-authored with Myriam Weisang Misrach, was awarded the 1991 PEN Center West Award for a nonfiction book. His Katrina monograph Destroy This Memory won Best Photobook of the Year 2011 at Photo Espana. He has received four National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an International Center of Photography Infinity Award for a Publication.
Petrochemical America
Petrochemical America represents a unique collaboration between photographer Richard Misrach and landscape architect Kate Orff. Presented in two parts, the first features Misrach’s photographs of the Mississippi River industrial corridor, stretching from Baton Rouge to New Orleans—one of America’s most industrialized places, and a region that first garnered public attention as “Cancer Alley” because of the unusual occurrences of cancer in the area.
The second part of the book integrates these photographs into a series of visual narratives created by Kate Orff and her office, SCAPE, and unpacks the complex cultural, physical, and economic issues of the region. A Glossary of Terms and Solutions for a Post–Petrochemical Culture brings together case studies, tools, and practices that offer models for change.
Link to my project: my favourite part of this project is the types of images that Misrach takes, some are from very far away and others are location very close to what he would like to photograph. I think that this is what I would like to recreate when taking my own images, as locations such as La Collete provide good opportunities to take images such as these. For example, an image could be taken with a very large lens of the incinerator, and then close up images could be taken of inside this building, as high-quality images could illustrate all of the intricate wires and cables.
Exxon Refinery, from State Capitol Building, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1998
This image is of my favourites from Richard Misrach’s ‘Petrochemical America’ collection. I think that this image is one that is very eye-catching and identifiable. The composition of this image along with the wide depth of field means that lots of the Louisiana’s landscape can be illustrated in this image alone. The tone of this image being a warmer may be an indication that Misrach feels strongly about the county, this is supported by the fact that so much of his work is focused in this location. Being one of the most populated and photographed places in America, this is important as Misrach having many images from this location means that he has many examples of Anthropocene, and this image being a great visual example of this work.
Lewis Baltz was a visual artist and photographer who became an important figure in the New Topographic movement of the late 1970s. His work has been published in a number of books, presented in numerous exhibitions, and appeared in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art. Born in Newport Beach, California, Baltz graduated with a BFA in Fine Arts from San Francisco Art Institute in 1969 and held a Master of Fine Arts degree from Claremont Graduate School. He received several scholarships and awards including a scholarship from the National Endowment For the Arts.
Baltz
His work
His books and exhibitions, his “topographic work”, such as The New Industrial Parks, Nevada, San Quentin Point, Candlestick Point (84 photographs documenting a public space near Candlestick Park, ruined by natural detritus and human intervention), expose the crisis of technology and define both objectivity and the role of the artist in photographs.
“I never had any profound loyalty to the idea of photography as a medium but simply as the most efficient way of making or recording an image.”
His work is focused on searching for beauty in desolation and destruction. Baltz’s images describe the architecture of the human landscape: offices, factories and parking lots. His pictures are the reflection of control, power, and influenced by and over human beings. His minimalistic photographs in the trilogy Ronde de Nuit, Docile Bodies, and Politics of Bacteria, picture the void of the other.
Favourite Piece of Work
His work, like that of others associated with the New Topographics, challenges the nineteenth century tradition of western landscape photography represented by Timothy O’Sullivan, Carleton Watkins, and William Henry Jackson by presenting a less innocent view of the landscape. Baltz’s perception of the landscape necessarily reveals the effects of twentieth-century culture and suburban development on the nation’s topography.
He published several books of his work including Geschichten von Verlangen und Macht, with Slavica Perkovic. Other photographic series, including Sites of Technology (1989–92), depict the clinical, pristine interiors of hi-tech industries and government research centres, principally in France and Japan. In 1995, the story Deaths in Newport was produced as a book, Baltz also produced a number of video works.
Example of his work I would like to recreate
Baltz was shooting in colour and, long before it became accepted practice in the conceptual photography world, was making large-scale prints. He was interested, he said, in representing “the generic European city”. Out of this grew a fascination with digital technology and its uses, not least in surveillance and control. In 1992, he created the monumental Ronde de Nuit installation at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, a series of images printed on Cibachrome panels that together measured 2.1m (7ft) high and 11.9m (39ft) across.
Link to my project
His work
My work
Why his work has has influenced me: The message behind his work is very important and I would like this to be reflected in my future personal study as it think that our urban environment is one which should be preserved in its current form, as future industrialisation because of Jersey’s increasing population means that there is a threat that our natural island will look significantly different in the future, with not as much of out natural landscapes left. I think the fact that Baltz that was about to visually communicate a problem that was occuring throughtout the world is quite inspirational, and the fact that these issues are still going on today means that these images are easy to create.
What I like about his work: I think that the simplicity of his work makes him more memorable and along with the monochromatic photography, this makes more unique pieces. I also like that for this time this type of photography was to demonstrate the affects of mankind on the natural environment and his work demonstrates this well as the builders are the main focal point of the images. I think that Lewis Baltz work is some of my favourite as it links in with the theme of Anthropocene, which is linked to my most successful project in photography so far. He mainly focuses on urban landscapes which was has been amongst my favourite photoshoots I have done so far. I think that’s important to note that some of my work will be taking a lot of inspiration from Baltz and the other parts will be using heavily editing to make these structures look they are not manmade at all.
Image Analysis
I have selected this image to analyse as I think the overall composition of the image is one of its main strengths, as it means that the silhouette of the mountain is the background of the image and that the main houses in the front create a focal point for the image. Furthermore, I think the lighting of this image brings and all of its features and makes it more cohesive as the lighting from under the roof trim of the house means that strong shadows are created, as the brightness of the lighting in the sky creates contrast between it and the outline of the mountains. Additionally, I think that the clarity of the image makes it stand out more as the details in the brickwork of the building and even the blinds in the windows creates contrast. This is shown as theres lots of details within the foreground of the photograph and this lack in the background, however this is not a negative as it demonstrates the rule of thirds, as the pavement, housing and mountains/ skyline and very clearly separated in this piece. It’s also important to note how important the different shapes and lines are within this image, as the vertical lines contradicts with the horizon created but the mountain, and the squares and rectangles contrast with the smooth natural landscape. This is a good example of The New Topographic’s work as their is a manmade contrast created with the lighting in this image, as a somewhat natural contrast between the housing and landscape further away in the image.
Theory of binaries. According to French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, meaning is often defined in terms of binary oppositions, where “one of the two terms governs the other.”. An example would be the white/ black binary opposition in the United States, the African American is defined as a devalued other. An example of a binary opposition is the male-female dichotomy, where male is the dominant gender and women are subservient (patriarchy).
Examples
InsideOutsideFemale Male RuralUrbanMonochromaticPolychromatic
Patriarchy: a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it, both within family, workplace and government.
Patriarchy is obligated to protect and care for the woman’s mental, physical, spiritual and financial wellbeing, That is failing to do so will lead to genuine prolonged harm in mind and body of the female. So patriarchy is simply an evolutionary protective social role and social construct.
Photoshoot and Contact Sheets
Below I have included some contact sheets with all of my images that I took through my two shoots for this project. Overall, I think that my photoshoots were only somewhat successful, as the images didn’t turn out as successful as I would have hoped as certain aspects contributing to the quality of the photographs, such as the exposure and shutter speed of the camera were not correct throughout these photoshoots. However, looking through my photos on first glance it seems like I will still have some good outcomes.
Least Successful Images
I have created a gallery with some of my least successful images in it, this is to demonstrate that not all photographs that come from shoots are good. These images mostly ended up being unsuccessful as they are too bright and fuzzy to be of good enough quality to be edited into final pieces. I will not be editing any of these images as I feel like they will not make aesthetic pieces of work. Furthermore, this could have been fixed it I had made sure the camera was on the right settings, so in my future photoshoots I can make sure I do this.
Editing Best Images
Below I have included a range of examples of editing some of my better images, making some of them monochromatic in Lightroom, and only adjusting the saturation, contrast and exposure of others. This was in an attempt to make these images more interesting and adequate to become final images.
Overall, I do think that my editing is mostly successful, with the black and white images being the most successful as it emphasises the different shades in the metal, this type of editing is colour that has the ability to simplify a scene by helping to diminish visual distractions. Again, a familiar thought processes used when processing black and white photography. Absence of colour becomes a great way to highlight other compositional elements in the frame, such as texture, shape and form.
Rural vs Urban-Final Images
How my images link to binary opposites: I have been on two separate photoshoots to illustrate the ‘rural vs urban’ theme within the concept of binary opposites. This is important as it gave me an opportunity to demonstrate that my practical work can reflect different themes that have been presented as ideas that can be visually displyed.
I have placed these two images together as final pieces as I think that they oppose each other very well. with the landscape not having many naturally straight lines and sharp edges, and the metal lining contrasting this. Additionally, the first image is filled with some colour and texture, along with some darker lighting. Whereas, the image on the right is very bright, along with sharp edges and smooth textures, this means that the blues in the first image and the greys on the right mean that they can also match each other. They link to the theme of binary opposites as there is concepts of both rural-ism and industrialism, which is clear in both pieces.
I have selected these as some of my final images as they look very good together, I have tried to make it so that they have been edited the same as each other, this is so that they match up better together, as they could be displayed as a pair instead of individually. Furthermore, I think that the monochromatic editing means that the lack of texture within the surfaces is seen, in my opinion this makes the images stronger rather than weaker. These images are similar to images created by the photographer Ansel Adams, this is important as it shows that I have considered and have been influenced by other artists, and when it comes to writing my personal study I will need to write about such photographers throughout my essay.
I have selected this as my fifth and last final image from these shoots as I think that is the most aesthetically pleasing of all of the images, this is because of the composition of it. The fact that there is both natural life in the form of trees, and metal framework, means that this image alone represents the theme of binary opposites. Additionally, I think that the different areas of sky which are very light grey, contrasts with the darker grey in the structural work and industrialism. In my opinion, this is the most successful of my final images mostly because of the overall quality of the image and how smooth all of the work looks.
Rut Blees Luxemburg, born in 1967, is a German-born British photographer. Her technique is to take photographs at night, mostly exploring the urban landscape. She is a Tutor at the Royal College of Art. In 2020, Luxemburg was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society, Bristol. The most comprehensive monograph on her work, Commonsensual, was published by Black Dog in 2009 and includes a critical essay by Regis Durand.
“The camera allows what you called a transformation. Something other than what you see during your mundane, everyday experience of the city to emerge. Something which is there, but can be sensed better than it can be seen. A camera allows this to be unveiled or show.”
This quote implies that photography is a better way to view the world, with the camera being referred to as providing a different point of view for people, making life a lot more interesting and showing individuals how much more exciting photography can make our world appear. This quote stands out to me as quite inspirational as it means that the whole concept of photography and image making is one that can alter someone’s perception of the world, making them more optimistic about the life they live.
“The poem seems like one soul speaking to another but within a public place… It is writing of the body. So I came and photographed it. It seems private. I’m attracted to the Heimlichkeit of a space in public. A space that allows for a moment a repose.
This illustrates that the interviewer has very much read between the lines of the meaning of the book and the point of the view in within it has been written it. The interviewer’s opinions regarding how the book has been constructed is then supported when Rut Blees Luxemburg states “I’m attracted to the Heimlichkeit” which translates to ‘secrecy’ in Germany. This provides evidence that Luxemburg likes to explore how private matters can appear so public, and alternatively the opposite too. With public matters seeming so hidden at time of need.
“The idea of Liebeslied suggests that intimacy of communication. An attention to another experience of the public. Not the great, grand declamation but the small theatrical spaces and gestures.”
In this section, its being suggested that communication is something which is subjective and something very person to individuals. I think that this is very important to note as the photographer has really considered how their images will impact other as the theme of intimacy is one which could be considered one that is challenging to photograph.
“To dare to have this encounter, which might be an encounter with the self, or with what goes beyond the experience or appearances. It looks deeper to levels of experience beneath.”
This is a complicated quote which is filled with highly sophisticated speech throughout this part of the interview. However, this explains that learning about your full truth through photography is not just withing the images you create, it can be about how you take your images, your moral standpoint when it comes to creating images, or even the ideas and concepts that you have when creating images. Image making can also be a reflection of your life experiences and how you have challenged and went through them.
“Water at night is a very powerful image…It suggests an immersion. In my past work I was very interested in vertiginous sensations. In this one I am much more interested in the sensation of immersion. Of course the river reflects, so it has this curios relation to photography.”
This provides evidence that the water is a vital party of Luxemburg’s work, and it has a lot of emotional towards in as it is a moving aspect of the images, that can tell natural and unnatural stories. Additionally, the photographer is invested in the senses that can be created and implied through photography, as images can convey and create image even though they are just visual.
“It’s not so much so much a fascination with photography, but a fascination with the possibilities of the large format camera and the long exposure which allows me to let chance enter the work. The long exposure leaves space for unexpected things while the shutter is open. So contingency is a big part of my way of taking images, of letting in that which is outside of my control.”
The use of the camera and its settings is very important as it can make images look very aesthetic or destroy the quality and potential of work. Especially considering that some books that Rut Blees Luxemburg all only filled with low light and high-resolution images, it means that this is specifically very important to her, this is another vital aspect component throughout her work.
“I edit before I shoot, which means I take a very deliberate number of photographs. The consideration and the chance come before taking the photographs. The consideration and the chance come before taking the image and during the image and not afterwards.”
Luxemburg really considers how the process she goes through before going out on photoshoots and this is very important, and it means that she thinks about the good and bad consequences of throughout planning her photographs. This could mean that her work lacks some abstract pieces, but Luxemburg may not value this kind of photography or aim to produce it.
Image Analysis
Towering Inferno
This is one of my favourite pieces of Rut Blees Luxemburg’s work, this is a very legible image that could stand out anywhere it was placed. The vibrancy of this image almost makes it look fake and very much edited. I think that this is important to note as the impact of human life on the environment is one that is very much edited and significant, as this could be shown through the editing of this image. I think what’s significant about this image as it links to Luxemburg’s Liebeslied project which is the idea of public and private intimacy. This links to this image as it is of a block of flats, and each window will probably contain and capture different people’s lives. Meaning that collectively this image contains a very private place, someone’s home, but in a very private and intimate way, as this is suggested through the lighting and composition of the image. The building being in the centre of the photograph could suggest that the concept of privacy was the main focus of the idea being this image.
I would like to explore to theme of Anthropocene, looking at how the growing population has affected our natural environment and taken up our natural landscapes to build housing and support the islands economies, such as the finance centre and tourism. I would like to explore the work of artists such as Ansel Adams, as he creates some of the first Romanticism work, using dramatic and contrasting editing on images of landscapes. I would like to take inspiration from his work as I would like to take photographs that are similar to his, and then manipulate them a lot in photoshop, merging 2 or more images together, one being of a natural feature and one of an unnatural one. I will still be taking inspiration from his work, but I will be making it more specific to my project. I would also like to explore the works of Franke Gohlke and Edward Burtynsky.
Anthropocene
My Rock
Why it matters to you?
It matters to my project as I want to explain how human life has affected the island, as I think that exploring how the island used to be more eco-friendly as it had a decreased population would be a good concept to explore. It matters to me as soon the planet is going to run out of raw/ unsustainable materials as creating photographic projects to reflect this may help people consider their impact on our future island, as the economy may suffer as sources of income such as finance and trade will be affected.
How you wish to develop your project?
I would like to create a theme of ‘Past vs Present’, these images will not be monochromatic sequences, I would like to edit images so that they will reflect this theme throughout, such as a greenhouse structure will the windowpanes cut out, with an image of an industrial structure in the background.
Burtynsky
Baltz
Research
Adams
Burtynsky
When and where you intend to begin your study?
I would like to start taking images for my personal study before the Christmas holidays and also during the break, as it’s a good opportunity to create high quality images. The first photoshoot I would like to do will be located at La Collete, as this industrial area will provide with the images that will link in very well with my project. The contrast to these images will come from my second photoshoot, which will be located throughout the greenhouses ranging from St Saviours and St Martin, I will drive along the roads and attempt to get the best photographs of these structures and the farmland surrounding them.
Make sure you describe your how you interpret the theme of ‘islandness’, subject-matter, topic or issue you wish to explore, artists references/ inspirations and final outcome – photobook or film.
What makes Jersey special to you?
Jersey is a special island to me as it has been the only place I have known my whole life, despite many people travelling away from this Island for long periods of time and going on holidays, this Island will always have been the unique place me, my friends and family have always permanently been. This is special as we have been able to enjoy parts of the Island such as the unique beaches and the good weather in summer. This has helped us create many memories together, that will be forever trapped here.
Industry
Leisure
Activities
Beaches
What are the distinct qualities of island life?
Island life is very special to some of the people that live in Jersey, having everything close together, everyone knowing everyone, having limited homelessness, many jobs available, booming economy, surrounded my seaside’s and everything being readily available. Living on this Island may be expensive but it’s a positively unique experience that you could not recreate anywhere else in the world.
Explore the notion of the ‘Jersey way’ or ‘Jersey-ness’.
I would like to explore the ‘Jersey way’ as me focusing on the environment means that I am looking at the way in which our island has adapted, for example our whole Island has always been about tourism and helping to make the new people that our settling in our Island satisfied. The ‘Jersey way’ could be explored through the concept of how much our place of living is reliant on other people visiting here and buying our local produce, as tourism levels have dramatically reduced over the last 50 years.
The Crown Dependencies are three island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Bailiwick of Jersey, and the Isle of Man. They are not part of the United Kingdom nor are they British Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies aren’t part of the UK but are self-governing dependencies of the Crown. This means they have their own elected legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems and their own courts of law. The Crown Dependencies are not represented in the UK Parliament.
Jersey is a British Crown Dependency and is defended and internationally represented by the UK government. Today, the Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey is the personal representative of The Majesty the King here in the Island. “The Crown” is defined differently in each Crown Dependency. In Jersey, statements in the 21st century of the constitutional position by the Law Officers of the Crown define it as the “Crown in right of Jersey”, with all Crown land in the Bailiwick of Jersey belonging to the Crown in right of Jersey and not to the Crown Estate of the United Kingdom.
Each Bailiwick is a Crown dependency and each is headed by a Bailiff, with a Lieutenant Governor representing the Crown in each Bailiwick. Each Bailiwick has its own legal and healthcare systems and its own separate immigration policies, with “local status” in one Bailiwick having no jurisdiction in the other. The two Bailiwicks exercise bilateral double taxation treaties. Since 1961, the Bailiwicks have had separate courts of appeal, but generally, the Bailiff of each Bailiwick has been appointed to serve on the panel of appellate judges for the other Bailiwick.
Why is Jersey a Crown Dependency?
Constitutionally, Jersey is classified as a Crown Dependency, since the Island’s relationship stems from the sovereignty of the British Crown, as opposed to the UK Parliament or HM Government. In practice, this gives the Island constitutional rights of self-government and judicial independence.
Jersey is not part of the UK and is not represented in the UK Parliament. By charter and convention, the UK Parliament does not legislate for the Island without consent. However, the UK Government, on behalf of the Crown, does retain formal responsibility for the Island’s defence and, to some extent, its foreign affairs. The United Kingdom Government is responsible for the defence and international relations of the Islands and the Crown is ultimately responsible for good governance. In fulfilling its responsibilities to the Islands, the Crown acts through the Privy Council. The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor is the Privy Counsellor and the minister responsible for the affairs of the Channel Islands.
In the Channel Islands the Queen is known as The Duke of Normandy. At official functions, islanders raise the loyal toast to ‘The Duke of Normandy, our Queen’. This is important to research for my project as I think that understanding the history of the island before going out of photoshoots and creating additional blog posts makes for better final outcomes. I think that this concept of Jersey becoming a Crown Dependency is quite interesting as before making this blog post I have no previous knowledge on the history of the Island’s government.
How did Jersey become a Crown Dependency?
The Channel Islands were part of the Duchy of Normandy when Duke William, following his conquest of England in 1066, became William I. In 1106, William’s youngest son Henry I seized the Duchy of Normandy from his brother Robert; since that time, the English and subsequently British Sovereign has held the title Duke of Normandy.
By 1205, England had lost most of its French lands, including Normandy. However, the Channel Islands, part of the lost Duchy, remained a self-governing possession of the English Crown. While the islands today retain autonomy in government, they owe allegiance to The Queen in her role as Duke of Normandy. The ability for Jersey to determine its own laws, raise taxation, and hold elections is based on long-standing constitutional precedent, dating from 1204 when King John lost the Battle of Rouen, signalling the loss of continental Normandy, which had been united with The Crown since the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066.
As a consequence, the Channel Islands, part of the Duchy of Normandy for more than a hundred years at that point, were persuaded to side with King John, and in return King John confirmed the Islands could continue to be governed by their own laws with a separate administration, whilst a “warden” (later to become Governor) was appointed by the King to organise the defence of the Island. The right to be governed by their own laws with a separate administration was thereafter enshrined in convention by a series of Royal Charters, all of which embedded the separateness of the Channel Islands from England.
Below I have included my first set of ideas for this ‘Islandness’ personal study, this is a good visual representation of what topics come to mind when analysing the meaning of the word Islandness. Researching for the images meant that I began to think about what photographing all of these different topics would look like and helps me decide the topics I would like to explore in my personal study throughout my future project.
Mood Board
I have additionally created a mood board to illustrate some more images which relate to my mind map above, as these are some examples of different images which demonstrate the themes above. Furthermore, this is good as it shows how the different images look grouped together and helps me analyse which themes could even be merged together and linked up so that I can develop these ideas and make them unique to my personal study.
Future Project
Below I have created an additional mind map to illustrate my ideas for not only the theme of ‘Islandness’ but for my personal study, this is to help me think in depth about the ideas that will be the most manageable for my future studies. These are just my first ideas for my personal study so I may not even develop these ideas, this is just from looking at the mind map above and considering what ideas were my strongest work and the projects were the most enjoyable when creating my ‘Review and Reflect’ blog post.
I like that this mind map is simple and easy to follow, I have used images from my past projects to illustrate that I will take inspiration from my past projects and these will be heavily influential for my personal study. I think this is because I work better from adapting my older ideas and making them more detailed and complex. I like that I can use these images and recreate them, as having so many different types (final images and zines) and styles of visual inspiration means that I can just take out the parts of these topics/ projects that I am not interested in and maybe even combine them all together to attempt to create the most successful final project I can.
Below I have included a variety of examples of my weakest work since the start of year 12, this helped me as I got to look through all of my work since the start of year 12 and do a self assessment to discover which of my work I would not like to take inspiration from for my personal study which I will be starting soon.
Heritage Project
I would consider my heritage project to be my weakest class trip photoshoot. I think this was mostly because it was my first time using a camera outside of the class, along with being unfamiliar with the settings and how to change the settings of the camera, this photoshoot was mostly unsuccessful, with me only producing 4 final outcomes, and three of those being the same image edited in three different ways.
Despite enjoying this photoshoot, I don’t think I will be including the Island’s history in my personal study, as I think because I’m not as interested in this idea that my images would not be good enough to be put into my future photobook. This is important for to recognise as even if I’m not sure on what my final study will be about, I am aware of what I enjoy in photography and the fact that historical sights don’t interest me as much as developing sights, such as the incinerator. This project was by far not my worst but most of the images that turned out successful were all down to luck.
Romanticism- Rural Landscapes
This was a project in which we had to explore the theme of Romanticism, inspired by Ansel Adams. I thought that this project was actually quite interesting to learn about inside and outside of class. Despite me enjoying this project my final outcomes weren’t as successful as I would have liked as I didn’t take enough time to do the photoshoot in the first place, and a lot of my original images came out too under- exposed or blurry.
For example this image above is one of my better pieces of work, it is one of my only good outcomes from this whole project, this image ending up being a lot more successful than I would have thought as I didn’t even end up editing it to make it look better. The quality of this image is still very high as I like that the vibrancy of the colours is all natural and not manipulated into the image.
From this project I learned that I liked learning about and photographing landscapes, this was because I got to explore the areas of Jersey, some of which I had never been to before. I would like to include landscapes in my project as I think that my images come out a lot better than the ones I take of people.
Joiners
These joiners did not turn out successful at all and this was because I didn’t like the experimentation, editing and formatting that came along with creating Joiners. In addition to this, when creating my Joiners, I came across the problem of me not having enough images to make the best Joiners I could, despite all of this I still didn’t end up liking any of my Joiners, this may have been because of the images I have taken.
Furthermore, the research behind creating the Joiners and the artist references included did not have any interest to me and I think this is one of the reasons why I did not put as much effort as I could into these pieces of work. Additionally, I thought that the images I used to create my Joiners weren’t that good, as you can see above it could be argued that this joiner was created with images that are all too over-exposed, as during this class trip I still wasn’t as used to the camera settings as I am now, I think that getting used to the camera and understanding how the settings work has played a key role in how much better my work has gotten.
Strongest Work
Below I have included a variety of examples of my strongest work since the start of year 12, this has helped me as I got to rediscover the work where I created the best outcomes that I had forgotten about. Throughout my final ‘Islandness’ project I will be taking a lot of inspiration from some of my old projects, as they were the most enjoyable for me to photograph and ended up being part of my strongest pieces of work.
Anthropocene Project
I am going to take a lot of my inspiration for my personal study from my Anthropocene project, this is because I think that this was the area of work where I created the most successful final outcomes, along with this being my favourite exam and topic we have done so far. By the end of the exam, I had only created 5 final outcomes, 4 images and one typology, the aspect I enjoyed most about this work was the practical process. Photographing the incinerator was a fun experience as I got to go into the sight and get images that no one else would have. Additionally, I think that the editing process was so fun for me as I got to use some experimenting skills for the first time, such as using the ‘invert’ tool in photoshop which meant that I had a new style of editing.
I have included some of my best outcomes from this mock exam, I think these are the strongest pieces of work I have ever produced, despite being made in year 12 and me having more experience now, I think that it was mostly because the quality of my original images was so good that went I put the photographs through such drastic editing, they still looked good. Its very important for me to take inspiration off this concept and even the editing style as images, as this was by far my favourite project I have done.
Additionally, this project gave me my first opportunity to create a typology for an exam piece, I didn’t plan on creating this piece but thought it was a good chance to show that I can arrange images so that they look aesthetic once they are put together. This made this project a lot more fun for me as it meant that I had an aim when going out on my photoshoots, as it was a good way to showcase all of images together and was good to show the overall pieces from my project. This was successful as it linked to my favourite theme so far in my photography course and it meant that I put a lot more time and effort into this piece.
Portraiture
My portraiture project took place at the start of year 12, after the Heritage project was over, we had a visit from Oliver Doran where the topic of studio work and lighting was first introduced to us. Before taking these images, we were taught how to control the flash and one point lighting and manage the camera settings.
Along with not finding this task very exciting, I didn’t really know how to work Lightroom or Photoshop as well as I do now, this meant that some of these images turned out to be too over-exposed and too under-exposed. My final outcomes for this project were not as successful as I would have liked, I think this is because I don’t enjoy studio work as much as I enjoy work outside of class and creative/ practical tasks we have done in the past.
This project made me not as much effort into it as I should have and this is definitely reflected in my final prints as the lighting and techniques are just not as good as they should have been. However, some of these images turned out to be successful, this is because of the good camera settings that were put there for us before taking the images. I really liked that some of these images turned out to be a lot better than I thought, even as I thought this was boring I think that this project turned out to be good considering that it was one of our first opportunities in the studio.
Islandness
Islandness was one of our most recent projects, as we went out on two school trips and got the opportunity to explore the northwest coast of the island. I thought the concept of this project would not be as good as the outcomes came out to be. As learning about Islandness meant learning about the history of the island and how much the landscaped has been naturally altered throughout time.
Despite only taking images of the seaside (all beach and rocks) I really enjoyed editing and arranging all of final images. I had a wide variety of images to select to place into the print folder and then arrange of foamboard for mounting and display. I would like to include this in my future project as it means that I will have a link to the island history than will be more linked to geography rather then features such as war fortifications such as bunkers.
This last photograph at the bottom was my favourite from my whole project as I think that it illustrated Islandness really well, taking good quality images for these mini projects makes me excited to include them in my final project, this is because printing images and arranging them when they have a high resolution means that they look a lot more aesthetic they have been arranged.
New Topographic- Urban Landscapes
The concept of the New Topographic was introduced along with the photographer Ansel Adams, the ideas of the Urban Landscapes came before the Rural Landscapes project, these photoshoots were a lot more fun compared to the rural landscapes as I got to take better images of man-made structures.
In my opinion, these are some of the best images that I have ever introduced, and I really think that they will be featured, or some images/ ideas that are similar to them, in my final personal study. Additionally, I think that these images look really clean and a lot more professional in black and white. I would like to include this in my final study as I think that it makes my images look like they are better quality then they actually are.
Additionally, I like that when photographing man-made buildings there is always structure and symmetry within the images, this makes the final outcomes more aesthetic than images of natural objects, and this is why I would like to include structures just like these in my personal study. Doing a style of photography that will reflect all of my old work I enjoyed doing will be important as it will make sure that I put more effort into my project.
Technologies/ EditingTechniques
I think that there has been a lot of developments throughout my work from the start of year 12 to now, the middle of year 13. This is especially clear through my Anthropocene project as it means that I got to use some new editing skills in Photoshop.
Here I have included an example of me using some colour editing skills in order to make some of this picture look almost like it is animated. I would like to include this type of editing in my final project as I think it provides my work with a lot of variety and links with the theme of natural vs unnatural landscapes. Furthermore, learning how to create
This type of editing, inspired by Keld Helmer-Petersen was something we learnt a long time ago as a new and intresting editing process; After selecting images to open up on Photoshop, I changed the images to black and white at first, then clicked on the Threshold setting where a gage appeared that allowed this setting to e changed up and down, to get the perfect final product there needed to be a good balance between having a plain background and detail in objects and textures in the foreground.
I am included this example of a simple photo montage, only using two images, to demonstrate that I used to create very simple photo montages and that I know I can create more detailed and successful combinations of photographs now. I don’t really like the photographs that I had chosen to put into this photo montage. However, I think that the clarity of the middle images saves the whole piece.
Another editing technique which is one of my favourites is multi-exposures, I like them because they are so varied and can be made with any two images that you want to put together, additionally, you can control the opacity so that one image can be more or less visible them the other one. These pieces are very eye-catching final outcomes as the colours are very present, and the multi-exposures I created came out the best if the two or more images I used had similar colour tones.
Here I have included a different examples of editing, as I have combined images and drastically changed one side and left the other, this was in an attempt to give the images more texture and depth, and this would inevitably make them more eye-catching. This would be good to put into my future project as images of waves crashing against rocks may come out very successful using this type of editing as the different textures of the rocks would stand out.
Future Project
Relation to my future ‘Islandness’ personal study: I have been looking back at my previous blog posts in order to help me choose which of my older work was the most successful and enjoyable. This is important and it means that if i have enjoyed the themes and liked the outcomes of my previous projects enjoy, I can build on this work and research for my future personal study. This means that my work may be easier as I am using my developed camera skills along with ideas that have already been constructed on my blog. The idea that I will not have to start from scratch again is one that interests me a lot as it means that I know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to going on photoshoots, editing images and compiling my final pieces. I have decided that I am going to stick with the theme of Islandness instead of changing to the idea of ‘My Jersey’ which is more like creating a whole new concept for my final study.
Most Influential Work
Here I have created a gallery of my best and most influential, with all of the projects and also along with my environmental portraits project and aspects of my zine, I think that this is important as it means that I can visualise all of my best work and helps me think about which sub-topics/ projects that I could maybe put together in order to make the most successful personal study I can. As this is my last attempt to show my favourite areas of photography to explore.
Link to Kevin’s work– Below I have showed evidence of analysing and marking a previous students work, with answering questions about their work to help me evaluate and assess the quality of their work. This was important and it helped me learn about what a good and not so good personal study essay looks like. In the future when it comes to writing my essay I will know how much to write, that I need to add images and also need to write around 4000 words.
Does the essay address its hypothesis?
Yes, this essay is filled with details about how COVID-19 affected Kevin Freire’s family, social life and the world itself, I think it clearly introduces the concept of the virus and the essay links really well with the images selected in this photobook. The essay is nicely visual and the that means that the writing links well with the photographs next to it.
Does it provide new knowledge and understanding?
It provides the viewer with an insight into how the pandemic affected Kevin’s life, but not so much contextual information about life was before corona virus or how the world has been affected. Kevin has mentioned the number of cases at each time of COVID-19 and this shows that lots of research and understanding has been put into this personal study. Despite this just being about the affects of mostly Kevin’s life, he has explained his experience in a reassuring way that makes everyone feel like they weren’t alone, despite how they were feeling during lockdown.
Is the essay well-structured with a sense of an introduction, paragraphs and a conclusion?
The introduction is very good as it catches the reader’s attention, the main body provides information about the way in which the photoshoots were constructed and inspiration from certain photographs. There is a solid conclusion which is helpful in summarising the whole concept of the book.
Use and flow of language, prose, punctuation, spelling.
The whole essay is very well and clearly constructed, there is a lack of complex language, but this isn’t necessarily a downfall as it means that more people are likely to take time to read through all of this essay, which definitely been put a lot of time into. Despite this, the essay lacks some punctuation such as commas, I think that this essay could have been a lot better if Kevin used a wider variety of punctuation and better grammar.
Use of specialist vocabulary relating to art and photography.
There has been a lot of research and development put into this essay, but this has been through the lives of people and not through the relation to art and photographer. Of course, the photographs visually relate to Kevin’s selected photographers (Sarah Peart and Joanna Fursman) but there is no other relation to the artist world.
Analysis of artist’s oeuvre (body of work) and key word(s).
Throughout the essay the inspirations of Sarah Peart and Joanna Fursman have been mentioned not a lot in the main body of the work but there has not been much correlation between Kevin and the artists. His body of work is large and really filled with a lot of information, he has a whole white page filled with entirely black writing and I think that this part of his body of work could have made to look a lot more aesthetic and eye-catching for the reader.
Evidence of wider reading with reference to art history/ theory, political discourse and/or socio-economical context.
There is a reference to The Mass Organisation Archive during 1937 to the early 1950s and also Mass Observation Project which has been running since 1981. This links up with diary’s people have created important world events and this book is a visual diary in which corona virus affected one person’s life, the same way in which it happened in the past. This is important to note as it means that there is historical context put into the study and research behind this essay.
Use of direct quotes, summary or commentary from others to make an informed and critical argument.
Kevin argues that corona virus has heavily impacted the world along with his personal life and this is most of his argument through his work, he has strong evidence that this is true as he mentions that at one point, we had around 1,000 cases of covid throughout the Island. Along with this there is lots of real-life examples such as Ballarat international Foto biennale which is an international photography festival in Ireland which was created to showcase corona virus itself. This is proof that he has a well-formed argument as he has real life example to back up his opinion.
Use of referencing system (eg. Harvard) and a bibliography.
There is no bibliography within the front or back of the photobook, and I also couldn’t find out throughout Kevin’s blog, this puts his work at a disadvantage as it means that he has no referencing system throughout his work and the credibility of his facts could be challenged.
Use of illustrations with captions listing name of artist, title of work and year of production.
The title and message of the work is clear straight away when looking at and opening the book, there is no date so I didn’t know what year this piece of work was produced, this means that without the link at the top of this blogpost, not as many people would take their time to look through Kevin’s work and appreciate the time, he has put into it.
Overall Analysis and Mark
I would mark ‘Locked In’ 12/18 marks, meaning that Kevin would achieve a C grade in his essay. I think that the strengthens of his work are apparent, as the overall quality of the book and his images are very good, however, I think that the essay wasn’t as good as the rest of his photobook. I really liked that Kevin explained his own experiences yet also made a photobook that everyone around the world could understand if they looked through this final piece. The fact that COVID-19 has affected all of us means that his book if filled with a concept that is easy to grasp. Therefore, I think that his paragraphing and sentence structures are very legible, despite having some punctuation issues I think that everyone would enjoy reading Kevin’s final essay as it’s filled with both factual and contextual information, as he thoroughly explains how he has been inspired by Sarah Peart and Joanna Fursman and this proves that his work has been related off someone else, like the rest of photography. Unfortunately, the weaknesses in Kevin’s work are just as obvious as his strengths, with some punctuation and grammar issues, he also has a chunks of lack paragraphs/ bodies of work with very long sentences. This means that readers may not be as enticed to read his essay, I think that it could be improved if he were to add more images into his essay, as he has consistently shown in the rest of his photobook that he can produce great outcomes.
