Photography plays an important part in everyone’s day to day life, it lets us see the world from an entirely different perspective. By capturing the present we are able to look at the past, the places, the people and tell stories that would otherwise be forgotten. So what is photography? It’s the craft of creating images by capturing light using a camera.

Functions of photography vary from artist to artist and what they are trying to accomplish. For example a wedding photographer may aim to capture fun and important moments from the event in order for friends and family to enjoy and remember it for years to come. A wildlife photographer on the other hand, could aspire to inspire people to protect endangered species and make a real change.

There are multiple genres of photography all of which are important to understand as a photographer since they could influence your style and technique. The three primary genres include: Nature Photography, People Photography and Manmade Objects. The next part will focus on explaining the most common photography styles everyone should know.

Landscape – Involves capturing the presence of nature and natural scenes. This doesn’t always mean huge maintain ranges and meadows, landscape photography can be microscopic.

Abstract – Uses colour, light, shadow, texture and shape in order to produce a feeling, sensation or impression without presenting the object or scene that’s actually being photographed.

Portrait – Capturing a person or group of people in the way where everything, from the backdrop to the lighting, conveys the personality of the model in one shot.

Sports – Self explanatory, sports photography captures all kinds of sports. Its main application is usually for editorial purposes such as sports magazines.

Travel – Documents places and their historical, cultural and touristic aspects.

Macro – Photographs close-ups of mostly very small subjects such as plants and insects. Not to be confused with micro photography which uses actual microscopes.

Fashion – Capturing models in clothing and other fashion accessories for editorial or advertising purposes.

Documentary – Provides records of events, people and places, adding to a particular storyline, often important historically.

Street – Capturing a scene in a public place. Those photographs are usually candid; unstaged and spontaneous.

Still life – Consists of arranging inanimate objects in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Usually shot for personal, commercial or editorial purposes.

Architectural – Capturing aesthetically pleasing shots of a building’s interior or exterior.

From the moment the first photograph was taken, many have debated whether the practise of photography is an art form or a just a way of using science to capture reality. Before we start answering this question ourselves it’s important to understand what art really means. Art is by definition is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects. The most common argument against photography being an art is that photography captures reality but doesn’t create a subjective reality. However, aesthetic photographs often blur the line of objective reality.

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” – Mark Twain

That being said, it would be unreasonable to consider every photograph ever taken art. One can argue that only images that evoke an emotional response should be considered art. Since the photographer consciously makes creative choices about the lighting, framing, subjects, technical settings and editing as well as the overall symbolism and meaning of the photograph, we should be able to call a photographer an artist and therefore, photography an art form.

Now that we have accepted photography as an art form we should talk about photography as a science.

Photography originated from a collaboration of scientists trying to discover a way to permanently capture light on a flat surface. The first photograph was taken in 1826 by a french physicist and inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. This wouldn’t be possible without the use of chemistry and physics. Since then the study of photography came a long way, today photography gives back to science, helping us record and document significant findings.

“Photography, born of and shaped by science, transformed the nature of observation and stretched the parameters of knowledge and humanity’s sense of itself”
— Marvin Heiferman

This photograph is known as the ‘Migrant Mother’ and it is one of the most iconic photographs in American History. It was taken in 1936 by the American photographer Dorothea Lange, and it symbolises the hunger, poverty and hopelessness endured by many Americans during the Great Depression.

In this picture, we can see an elderly woman that is deep in thought and observing something in front of her while having her one hand lifted to her mouth. She has two children leaning against each of her shoulders, both facing away from the mother and appearing to be dressed in rags like the woman herself. There also appears to be a baby bundled up in a blanket on top of the woman’s lap.

The photographer took this picture from the waist up, with the mother being in the centre and two of her children on either shoulder, then turned it black and white. The lack of colour is  making it feel old and like the mother has lost all hope and is probably going through depression. There’s a lot of detail in this picture; for example, the woman’s wrinkles are very visible on her skin, which could symbolise all the stress she has gone through and all the anxiety. You can also see that there is dirt on their skins and clothing, showing that they have been struggling and going through this for a long time. This makes the viewer feel sympathy towards the mother and her children.

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.

The close angle that Newman used makes Krupp, an industrialist whose factories manufactured weapons for the Nazis throughout WW2, look intimidating along with Krupp’s pose as it adds to the aggressive tone of the image – his clasped hands give him a look of authority.

The dim, yet warm toned, lighting creates a murky atmosphere that draws attention to Krupp’s face and his almost sinister expression. This was due to the photographer, who was Jewish, wanting revenge against one of many that caused the death of so many of their people. Newman successfully captured a ominous atmosphere especially with the use of one of Krupp’s own factories in the background of the photo which further adds to the hostile tone of the image.

The clarity of the image allows the viewer to fully examine the factory that Newman purposefully left in frame behind Krupp, making sure it was centred. Due to this, the image is balanced which makes it visually appealing to the eye.

One point lighting is when light is only shining on one side of the person being photographed.

It creates a natural look. Often the side not lit shows a shadow

This is also reffered to as chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro, is an Italian term that refers to the intense contrast of light (chiar) and dark (oscuro) in art, famously used in the paintings of Rembrandt or Caravaggio to create a strong and dramatic mood.

Kevin Carter’s controversial image

Kevin Carter’s photograph above is described as “iconic” as this picture of this starving Sudanese girl and the vulture was published in the New York Times in 1993. The stillness of the bird and the collapsed girl in this image made for a very cold and somewhat sad image, as some think it’s a matter of time before the girl is eaten by the vulture as she is so fragile. In my opinion this image can be seen as haunting and shows the real struggles that people in third world countries experiences. Carter could have aimed to spread awareness for starvation across the world when this image was published, having a good intention behind the image. On the other hand, this image looks a lot more controversial then it actually is, as this is just a snapshot in time, only showing half a story, the parents and food bank were in the background ready to help the little girl.

There was a sad truth about Carter shocked many as his controversial image was linked to his death, which was unfortunately a suicide as he was largely blamed for not helping this child as the public was not aware of the the surroundings as the fact that this child was completely fine despite collapsing. This story highlights the real effects photography sadly has on peoples lives as unfortunately Kevin’s family and friends now have to live with the consequences of this photograph being published too.

I based my final piece off of the work done by John Stezaker, a British artist who mostly focused on photomontages. His work often explored the concept of time, which was something I thought about incorporating in my own work. I also found it interesting how he often distorted or covered faces in his work, making it seem somewhat eerie.

For my subject, I talked to a family friend who was born and raised in Jersey, and he agreed to let me photograph him as well as showing me an important item, his wedding ring, and showing me to an important location, which is a place where you can see the boats coming in at the harbour. They each mean different things to him, as the harbour has been a safe place he could visit for years despite the many changes it has undergone, and his wedding ring reminds him of the unending love of his partner.

For my final piece I decided to make a photomontage, hopefully reminiscent of the style of Stezaker. If I were to do this task again I probably would have experimented more with the layout and edited the pictures a bit more.

Hamptonne Living History

ABOUT HAMPTONNE COUNTRY LIFE MUSEUM

Hamptonne Country Life Museum gives the visitor a unique insight into the rural life carried on in Jersey for centuries. Dating back to the 15th Century the house and farm are perfect for discovering the rural history of Jersey.  Explore the different houses which make up Hamptonne, find out more about Jersey’s history of cider making in the cider barn and wander through the cider apple orchard and meet the Hamptonne calves, lambs, chickens and piglets in the traditional farmstead. 

Discover Syvret House, a decorated and furnished farmhouse gives a unique window into 1940s rural life, including; agricultural traditions, day-to-day family life, language, religion and the experience of the German Occupation.

THINGS TO DO AT HAMPTONNE COUNTRY LIFE MUSEUM

1) Explore the cider apple orchard and the beautiful countryside location

2) Meet characters from the past and hear about ancient crafts and stories

THE HAMPTONNE NAME AND ROYAL CONNECTIONS

The Hamptonne farm complex takes its name from Laurens Hamptonne, who purchased it in 1633. The property is also known as ‘La Patente’, as is the name of one of the roads that passes it, after the Grants by Letters Patent received by its owner Richard Langlois in 1445, and by King Charles II to Laurens Hamptonne in 1649.

Royal Patents were awarded to those who had provided a particular service to the monarch or close relative. In Hamptonne’s case, this resulted from his loyalty to the Royalist cause during the English Civil War, when he was Vicomte or executive officer of Jersey’s Royal Court. It was in that role that Hamptonne issued the famous Proclamation in St Helier’s Royal Square on 17 February 1649, declaring Charles II as King after news reached the Island of the execution of Charles I.

Hamptonne’s support of the penniless exiled King Charles II resulted in several grants. One preserved the integrity of the property in perpetuity – it could not be broken up into parts (partages) and split among family members, but would be inherited by the eldest child. Another permitted Hamptonne to rebuild the ruined Colombier (dovecote) originally granted to Richard Langlois. In normal circumstances, such buildings could only be built by Jersey Seigneurs (Lords or holders of a fief.). The Colombier is located to the south-east, slightly beyond the current boundaries of the Museum. This may not have been a source of local popularity for Hamptonne.

THE HOUSES AND COURTYARDS

Overall the site is square in shape. It includes ranges of buildings built in different periods, arranged around two courtyards. While the farm has medieval origins, consecutive owners have made marked improvements to the living accommodation. The main buildings are therefore named after the Langlois, Hamptonne and Syvret families, who lived here between 15th and 19th centuries.

When you exit the shop, you enter the North Courtyard along the side of which runs the Northern Range – a row of 19th century farm buildings constructed to meet the requirements of the agriculture workforce, its vehicles and horses. It include a Labourers Cottage, Coach House, Bake House & Laundry, and Stables. Facing the Stables is a glazed barn in which important farming devices and implements are displayed. There is a walled vegetable and herb garden to the east, beyond which is the Hamptonne Playground and Cider Apple Orchard.

To the south is Langlois House, which comprises stabling and an undercroft on the ground floor, and a parlour and bedroom on the first floor. At the south-west corner is a twin-arched stone gateway providing access to the roadway. To the south of Langlois House are the pigsties and a spring-fed pond.

To the west is the Cider House or pressoir with its granite apple crusher and press; to the southern end of this row is Syvret House which consists of a kitchen, parlour, two bedrooms and a small cabinet. The House is presented as the home of a tenant farmer around 1948.

CIDER APPLE ORCHARD

To the east of the farm complex is the Cider Apple Orchard, which consists of apple trees chosen for their sweet, bitter and sharp flavours to provide a good balance for cider making when mixed together. The footpath through the orchard takes you into a small area of woodland. Wooded areas at the back of farms provided an important source of wood for fuel and building materials, while also supporting a rich variety of plants and wildlife. Follow the footpath down to the grazing Meadow and, if you wish, continue on the public footpath that joins the National Trust for Jersey’s Toad Trail.

VISUAL STORY TO HAMPTONNE

Download our Visual Story for Hamptonne Country Life Museum.  This is a helpful guide to what to expect on a visit and has been produced in consultation with Autism Jersey. .

HAMPTONNE COUNTRY LIFE MUSEUM LIVING HISTORY ->

Come and meet the characters at Hamptonne. Living History takes place on selected days throughout the week from 22 March to end of October.

Divide into small work groups – carousel-15 mins in each area – focus on surrounding and buildings (to continue after Living History Worskhop)

1. North Courtyard along the side of which runs the Northern Range – a row of 19th century farm buildings constructed to meet the requirements of the agriculture workforce, its vehicles and horses.
2. Labourers Cottage, Coach House,
3. Bake House & Laundry
4. Stables
5. Glazed barn in which important farming devices and implements are displayed.
6. Walled vegetable and herb garden to the east,
7. Cider Apple Orchard.
8. Langlois House, which comprises stabling and an undercroft on the ground floor, and a parlour and bedroom on the first floor.
9. At the south-west corner is a twin-arched stone gateway providing access to the roadway.
10. To the south of Langlois House are the pigsties and a spring-fed pond.
11. To the west is the Cider House or pressoir with its granite apple crusher and press
12. Syvret House which consists of a kitchen, parlour, two bedrooms and a small cabinet.

Task

Create a blog post that helps you to introduce our site visit to Hamptonne…

Include key info as above , and relevant images of the location, maps, diagrams, plans etc too.

Remember to add info and examples regarding…

The history

The characters (Living History)

The life / lifestyle

Methods of recording eg Tom Kennedy and natural lighting