This was my first photoshoot down at the harbour in which I planned to try and get some images similar to those of Stratos and Michael Marten- however I timed my visit wrong as it was actually low tide, and the ferry which I wanted to shoot wasn’t in port.
I did however successfully capture the first part of a piece I’m planning on doing inspired by Marten, in which I want to show the dramatic change in the tide by capturing images before and after the tide has come in.
My images
Michael Marten’s Work
I will be returning to capture the after image when the tide is right and the weather is similar to the original image in order to achieve similar lighting.
We did this photoshoot inspired by early 17th-century styles of photography. Still-life “art” can be a celebration of the material joys of life, or conversely a memento mori, expressing the temporality of human life and material pleasures. The wonderful thing about still-life art is that depending on the objects and the cultural contexts they draw from, each still-life art form will take on a unique meaning. Still-life art has existed from the 17th century until the modern-day, but in the 19th century, artists adopted photography as a new medium for still-life art, to express their concepts in a novel format, and thus the still-life photo was born.
We used the photography studio to take a variety of still-life images of objects relating to the ‘My Rock’ project such as rocks, shells, seaweed, etc we could combine with previous photoshoots later on. We used two different types of lighting (flashed lighting and still lighting) alongside varying backgrounds in order to experiment with the intensity of the lights and accentuate the quality of each image along with pairing each object composition with a backdrop that would allow the details the emerge within the image- essentially giving the subjects a stage.
A sentence: I will explore the sense of family and migration through my own culture and my mother’s life.
A paragraph: In my photobook I will explore the sense of family and migration through my own mother by showing what it was living in Romania in the early 90s compared to my life in the UK in the 2020s. I will be using a series of portraits of me and/or my mother, as well as images from her photographic archive (photo albums). I’m going to also interview her and find out what it was like moving away from her own country and settling to Jersey, then I’ll add the text to some of the images to tie everything together.
Design your photobook:
I’d like my book to have a hardback cover and either be black & white, or have a neutral/muted colour because I don’t want it to be too distracting. I really liked Laia Abril’s front cover in the book ‘Epilogue’, and I might try do something similar with my mother. It will be in an A4 size and portrait, as it is easier to hold and store that way. The title is going to be formed of only 2 or 3 words, or a short sentence, that will capture the viewer’s eye. I want to write my title on a piece of cloth then stick it on the front cover, just like in Sam Harris’ book ‘The Middle of Somewhere’, in order to give the book more personality and texture.
I want the opening page of the book to have a map of Europe which I will edit and show our journey of migration from Romania to Europe, just like Dragana Jurisic’s ‘YU: The Lost Country’. The layout inside the book will be quite simple with mostly some double spreads and occasional juxta positions of the past and present. I’d also like to add some text on some pages in which I’ll either translate some Romanian writing found on the images, or my mother’s own words.
I really liked the use of inserts from Sam Harris’ book ‘The Middle of Somewhere’ and I think I might do something similar with some journal pages I have found relating to migration and wanting to go back “home”.
Mood-board
Where Mimosa Bloom by Rita Puig-Serra CostaThe Middle of Somewhere by Sam HarrisYU: The Lost Country by Dragana JurišićWhere Mimosa Bloom by Rita Puig-Serra CostaThe Epilogue by Laia Abril
1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.
I have chosen Photo Souvenirs by Carolle Benitah as I feel the story behind the book is well portrayed. For the first few pages all the photos are in black and white which I feel is showing her when she was a baby who grew into a toddler, there are pops of the colour red in most of the photos which she has done by either using embroidery techniques, needle and thread or bead work. I find the colour choice interesting as it has many different meanings, some being positive but others are negative. I think that Benitah is trying to portray courage and strength through her images as she was raised in a strict household where she was taught that only girls who come from a “good family” would learn to embroider and she wanted to go against this through her photos, rewriting her past.
2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)
Photo Souvenirs is a book made by Carolle Benitah who focuses on archival photos of her family as well as using different techniques to manipulate each photo. Her main intention with the book is to show how using these photos she has got a deeper knowledge of her identity through looking a photos when she was younger which she might not remember. Through the way she edits each photo she tells a more in-depth story as well as portraying her feelings to each individual person. Benitah says that every hole she made with her needle it was like killing one of her demons from her past, I think that she used it as a way to relive those memories but transform/ manipulate them into something she wants.
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:
Benitah’s book has a hard cover displaying one of her manipulations which is wrapped around the front and back. It is a portrait designed book which is slightly small then A4, it has a matt finish leaving it smooth to the touch. For the title, she has called it Photo Souvenirs which is linked throughout the book by her using archival photos from her childhood and past. She chose a simple but bold font which stands out on the front of her book, it has been pressed into the cover of the photobook as well as being made with a shiny gold colour. Throughout the book she has used the same type of paper which is thick and good quality. Benitah starts by using only black and white photos which I believe has its own meaning behind it, but slowly transitions into all coloured photos as well as using different colours of string in her manipulation of each photo. Carolle Benitah alternates between many ways of presenting her photos on each page of her photobook, some might be across both pages and some might only cover half of a page leaving the other blank. I think that Benitah has created a clever sequence of photos throughout the book, from the beginning to the end the viewer is seeing a chronological story of her life which she has tried to turn into something she wants to remember and enjoy instead of what she actually remembers.
My aim for this photoshoot was to try and get some images similar to those of Shiroshi Sugimoto in his series “Seascapes in which he creates abstract images solely using photos of the horizon, where the sea and sky meet. Mentions in the description of this project how he uses minimal editing, mainly just making it monochrome. I was actually aiming to create a similar style of images but with a bit more going on in the photos, including things like sunsets, cloud formations, rock formations, boats, buoys, piers, etc as I want to link this series of images more closely to island life in Jersey- but still keeping the simple calming nature.
Shiroshi Sugimoto
Edits
Original
Into Monochrome
Cropped Final Image
Image 2
Original
Monochrome
Crop
Seeing as I set my tripod up on an angled wall, for this edit I also had to adjust the angle.
Final Image
I have noticed that in this second image, along with some others from this shoot that the water has become almost the same colour as the sky, and so in future, I will need to adjust my camera settings, as well as the angle I’m shooting at + the editing technique I’m using in order to create more of a separation- similar to Hiroshimo’s work.
Conclusion
Overall I am happy with these images as a starting point, but I do feel like I want to create more images in a similar way to create a larger collection in order to convey the desired effect. This means I will be conducting more photoshoots, in order to construct a larger group of images to add to my photobook as I feel like this style of photos works best in a group with complimentary images, and/or contrasting images such as those I am planning on creating showing more “brutalist” images giving a more depressing angle on island living. I feel that having the two different styles of contrasting images potentially even sharing page spreads it will give my book some extra depth.
1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.– visualisation of her family culture, the way the images have been altered could suggest her relationship with her family.
2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)- carolle benitah,
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:
Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.- like a childrens book , no text only pictures.
Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.- use of both and textured to the eye.
Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.- all different shapes and sizes.
Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello- hard back cover
Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?
Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.- each image is a different size on each page
Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.– each page has either one or two juxtapositions.
Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others. Use of captions (if any.)
UNDERSTANDING PHOTOBOOKS: NARRATIVE, EDITING, SEQUENCING, DESIGN, FORM, FUNCTION
Earlier in the academic year we looked at narrative in photography. Let’s refresh our memory and revisit some of the theories around visual storytelling.
1. Write a book specification and describe in detail what your book will be about in terms of narrative, concept and design with reference to the same elements of bookmaking as above.
Narrative
3 words
Friends, Family, Identity
A sentence
A visual transition through time starting from my parents when they first came to the island and ending with myself as well as my friends, picturing friendship on the island.
A paragraph
A photographic journey of island life which will begin with showing my parents when they first came to the island in the 1990s, how they developed friendships which turned into family. This will lead to my life of being brought up around friends and creating my own friendship through island life.
Design
I Just Wanna Surf by Gabriella Angotti-JonesScarti di Tempo by Sandra Cattaneo Adorno.American Polychronic by Roe Ethridge
Paper and ink
For that paper that will be in my photobook, I think the most fitting colour would be black as I plan to include still life images into the surrounding spaces of some of the photos that I include. Have the paper black will make the editing a lot easier and I feel that it will also give a more neat and tidy look to the final product. I also think that black will make my images stand out more as there is a contrast between the colour in each image and what will be the background colour.
Format, size and orientation, binding and cover
I want my photobook to be landscape as I feel that it will be most fitting for the photos I want to have in my book, I will have a hard cover with no dust cover as I feel that it will take away from the photos I would like to display at the front and back of my book. For the front and back cover I think that I will experiment with different collages, I have some ideas on what images will be featured on the cover of my photobook, mainly of my mum and dad, I am also deciding if I should include some of my own photos which have been taken for this project.
Title
For my photo book I have decided to name it Inisfáil, which is an Irish word meaning‘Island of destiny’. I believe that this name is fitting for my book as it is about the development of family and relationships on a small island like Jersey.
Editing and sequencing
For my editing I am taking inspiration from Carolle Benitah as well as Borthe Piontek, they both used manipulation techniques to help tell deeper story to their images. They both did this by hand, using physical objects to help make adaptations but I will be using photoshop. There will variation between each image but will all be linked by colour or the way I have edited the photographs.
Images and text
Throughout my photobook there will be a mix of archival images as well as photographs which I have taken myself for this specific collection. Some of my photographs will be editing in different styles which I will try to include features to make sure that they are all link and make a cohesive sequence. My plan is to make the images show a story through time and how living on an island like Jersey can disconnect you from family but also help you make a new one through friends that you meet along the way. In my photobook I hope to add some text on empty pages, I am going to try and get quotes or special massages that parts of my family say often or really like. I feel that this will help make a more structured and supported narrative behind my photos.
Photosculptures are three-dimensional art sculptures are works of art that present the dimensions of height, width, and depth. They occupy physical space and can be perceived from all sides and angles. Traditional types of three-dimensional media, like sculptures and reliefs, are some of the oldest examples of 3D artwork.
History of Photo-Sculptures
The process was invented and patented by French artist (painter, sculptor, and photographer) François Willème in 1860. He took a series of photographs from around a subject and used them to carve a likeness of the figure. Contemporary photo sculptures are obtained through a process of 3D scanning and 3D printing.
Photosculpture Mood Board
Artist Reference: Robert Heinecken
Robert Heinecken was an American artist who referred to himself as a “paraphotographer” because he so often made photographic images without a camera. Heinecken was known for appropriating and re-processing images from magazines, product packaging, or television. In the late 1960s, he also began cutting up popular magazines such as Time and Vogue and inserting sexual or pornographic images into them.
He would place his collage publications back on newsstands in Los Angeles to be sold to unsuspecting buyers. In the 1980s, he created several series on American news television that involved photographing images on the television or exposing the light of a television set directly to paper to create what he called “videograms.”
Inspiration
My main point of inspiration from Robert is the way in which he cops and rearranges his images before placing them onto 3D-shaped “canvases” such as the one shown below. I plan to print out an image of the coast taken from my photoshoot at Le’Tacq and fuse it onto a piece of foam board, which I will then cut u into smaller pieces to rearrange. This will create a puzzle-like piece similar to the one shown below.
Photography zines are a tool that photographers can use to tell a visual story, inform an audience about a specific topic or issue, showcase and advertise a new idea or just create a preview of an ongoing project. Zines were originally called fanzines, alluding to the fans who made them but not to be confused with magazines as photo-zines don’t include nearly as much text- if any). Zines often have specific yet simple layouts in order to take the viewer on a journey or portray a story through the photos within. Images will be thoughtfully and specifically laid out in order to anticipate and or guide the path your vision takes when you first view the page.
Example – Time Only Moves In One Direction, By Chris Black
This specific zine was published by Village bookshop and Gallery (a small independent Leeds-based organisation) which source self-published and small-press zines from artists around the world. This is an example of how zines are an example of a sort of rebellion from smaller artists against big publishing/ printing companies as zines require significantly fewer resources to make – giving the power back to smaller artists.
Photo-Zine Moodboard
Gosha Rubchinskiy — Crimea/KidsGosha Rubchinskiy — Crimea/KidsGosha Rubchinskiy — Crimea/Kidschloe sevigny – no time for lovechloe sevigny – no time for lovechloe sevigny – no time for loveUK Rave 1991UK Rave 1991UK Rave 1991
My Zine
Based on the zines I have viewed through my research, I am planning to keep the main precipice of my zine simple- featuring mainly bold landscape shots. However, I will be altering the images slightly to create a more abstract theme throughout as personally I found a lot of the zines I came across to be slightly boring upon first look. I will be using techniques such as warping, color splash, and duplication along with adding borders/frames to certain images.
Over the Winter holidays I plan to conduct at least two photoshoots, more if weather permits.
PHOTOSHOOT #1
Sam Harris; “The Middle of Somewhere”
Sun and nature orientated- images during “golden hour” and good weather (focus on warm tones). People in nature, mainly focusing on Sam Harris’ images as inspiration for this photoshoot: concentrating on colours. Photographing flowers and leaves plus staged images of people in nature unless situations permit candid images. Collect objects/leaves/flowers to press in scrapbook. Possible experimentation with fisheye lens (if not possible will experiment on photoshop with fisheye-style editing)
PHOTOSHOOT #2
Sam Harris; “The Middle of Somewhere”
Night orientated- beach at night, drives, mainly focus on blue/cold tones- Olivia Bee will be main source of inspiration for this. Experimentation with underwater/around the water images, might be a bit cold in the sea so for this photoshoot may have to find an alternative. Collect objects/leaves/flowers to press in scrapbook.
PHOTOSHOOT #3
Olivia Bee; “Kids in Love”
In my room, candid images of people hanging out (on drives, at mates houses, in curi, everyday activities) Collect objects/leaves/flowers to press in scrapbook. I would also like to experiment with producing images differently, including ripping images and also using chemical processes
