I was not happy with how this photoshoot turned out. Many of the photos are blurry due to difficulties with my camera, the lighting was not correct and was too one sided for the indoor shoot due to the only light source being a bay window. This would have made some nice images had my camera settings been correct. Additionally, for the outdoor shoot there were high winds which made it very difficult for my female model holly to keep her hair under control as well as it beginning to rain so i had to call it with what i had. Due to the small display on the camera i didn’t realise that the settings were wrong until i uploaded them onto my computer by which point my models had left and were unavailable to come back. In development software I did not succeed at improving the photos and making them usable. Due to having a deadline and a plan to stick too i decided it was best to not spend any more time trying to make the photos work and rather spend more time planning the rest of my photoshoots so that i could ensure that they would not go wrong.

My first photoshoot was conducted at a football match- it was night with only overhead floodlights as lighting which was primarily concentrated on the pitch making my images particularly dark with motion blurs, which was the opposite of what I wanted. Once I figured out the camera settings I needed to decrease motion blurs (quicker shutter speed) my images became more cinematic.

Although my images are dark- I can brighten them in Lightroom which will give them a grainy texture- although this may lead to a decline in the quality of the images I feel as if this will suit the colour scheme in the image and positively add to the atmosphere of the images.

MY BEST IMAGES FROM THIS SHOOT

This image above- although dark- I feel may have potential after editing. The background is blurred however the subject in the right of the image is perfectly in focus, stark artificial overhead lighting creates almost a split lighting effect on the subjects face- with the subjects face turned away from the light, bold defining shadows are created around his eyes and on his shoulder.

I like this image above as it looks very cinematic due to the highlighted subjects which are defined by dramatic shadows and are in focus while there is a blurred background. There is also a slight green tint to the images due to the light which I really like as it can be easily compared to works by Wing Shya- there is also a slight symmetry with the background floodlights which I think adds to the cinematic look.

As seen in the image above I would like to play with the natural yellow/green tinge in the lighting of the images, I plan to make these colours more prominent (subtlety) in the editing. This image is also an example of stark shadows with the subject being the main focus (background blurred)

Overall I believe the images I have taken on this photoshoot provide a good baseline for editing as the lighting captured all I wanted to capture; stark shadows, cinematic style compositions and coloured lighting making this photoshoot a successful one- however possibly a flaw in this photoshoot is the lack of successful images, although taking over 200 images very few of them are “good” images due to the presence of motion blur and darkness.

For this first photoshoot, I would like to mainly aim to capture the setting of Germany, especially the portion that is Berlin. Berlin is known for containing a vast selection of historical architecture and structures that link towards its relationship with wars, especially WWII. The Berlin Wall was a main historical monument that was included within the city itself and played a vital role within the division of areas within Germany.

Contact sheets:

Here I have the entirety of my Berlin photoshoot. I have flagged and rejected all my images so that I can categorise them into ones I would like to use and ones I don’t want to use. I rejected the ones I don’t like by pressing X in lightroom and flagged the ones I would like to use by pressing P in lightroom.

I wanted to make sure I was making a strict choice with which I wanted to use and to reject as I wanted the photographs to fit the theme of “complex” nicely.

Colour coded and star rated:

Here I have a range of flagged photographs which I then categorised into green, yellow and red. Green being ones I wanted to definitely use, yellow being ones I was unsure of using, and red being ones I definitely don’t want to use. After colour coding my images, I then went in by adding a star rating to each out of 5. 5 and 4 being definites, 3 being ones that I might be using and 2-1 being ones I won’t be using for this project.

Green:

Yellow:

Red:

Images before editing

— Editing —

Below I have a few examples of images that I have edited after selecting my best images out of the range I have taken during my photoshoot. I particularly like these images as I feel they express the theme of Germany’s history and the aftermath of massive events that occurred during the time of WWII. I especially like the first edited image which is of the Berlin Wall, I believe this to be a very significant image as it display the very monument that separate Berlin as to keep so-called Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state.

I really like how these images turned out as I believe they fit within the theme of complex. They display momentous structures that are full of complex meanings and also portray a complex exterior to themselves as well.

I thought it would be a good plan for me to enhance the exposure of the above image due to it being difficult to see at first glance. I wanted both the ceiling light and the figure to be the main focal points of the image so I edited it so that both aspects were highlighted more obviously. After enhancing the exposure and other aspects such as contrast, highlights and shadows, I went about changing the colour to black and white to really enhance the brightness of the lighting and make the statue more obvious.

Final Images

Analysis and Critique

I feel as if the images above work well together as they both provide quite complex-looking imagery, with the many tram wires in the first one to the solid and intricate blocks within the second image. The second image displays Jewish victims in the form of an art form which is an almost never ending maze. It was used to impact the public as you walk through the labyrinth alone, just to showcase how many deaths had occurred during these dark times.

I particularly like this image above as well as I feel it displays one of the complex structures within Germany. In colour it showcases that the building itself is incredibly old due to the deterioration in colour. The roof has gone from a copper to a somewhat greenish colour due to the metal oxidising. Even though the colours from the monument are indeed intrancing in itself, I still preferred the aesthetic it gave off whilst in black and white as I feel it highlights the details of the building and creates a looming and ominous sense to it.

I took images for my second photoshoot at a friends house in St. Brelades. The photoshoot was spontaneous and unplanned as I saw sun was setting and I noticed the colours in the lighting that reflected into the house and thought it would be perfect for my project as I want to show a variety of different types of lighting and how it affects a photo – As my last photoshoot relied on artificial lighting to create an atmosphere, this one focused on the natural lighting from the sun and how it was cast. Taking my images spontaneously added to the candid factor I made sure to stick to in my project. This was a smaller photoshoot, as I had limited time to capture images due to the sun setting, so I took around 50-60 photos.

BEST IMAGES

I feel this is the best image created from this photoshoot as it to me has the perfect combination of lighting, colour and shadow that creates multiple viewpoints that provides a fresh and unique perspective on the image. For example one viewer’s eye may be drawn to the warm orange tones reflected onto the faces of the models, however some may look at the silhouettes in the background and the yellow lighting that surrounds them.

Comparison to Vinca Petersen’s work

Much like the red & orange images in my first photoshoot I wanted to generate a response based off the warm colours in this photoshoot – orange & yellow tones typically create a feeling of energy, joy and is symbollic of optimism and connection. I wanted to emphasize on the feeling of connection in particular during this shoot but still keep my images candid – Since the sun was setting I had no control over where the rays would cast so I moved my friends towards an area that had the most vibrant lighting and captured them in conversation with each other. The use of two people in the majority of my photos alludes to my chosen theme of insider vs.outsider as i personally feel these photos establish a sense of connection with the viewer as the relaxed behaviour of the models combined with the warm tones and open space create a welcoming atmosphere. I feel this photoshoot is particularly reflective of Nan Goldin’s work and my influences in photography are clearly shown through the lighting especially in this photoshoot. However i felt this photoshoot didn’t reflect Zielonys influence on my work as these images were all taken with natural lighting, something which Zielony doesn’t often incorporate in his works. My images create a different atmosphere to his, as Zielonys work is taken from an outsider perspective whereas Nan Goldins images are captured in more relaxed environments which create the feeling of insider.

The exam theme simple or complex initially drove me to look towards visually interesting films by directors such as Wes Anderson, Wong Kar-Wai, Quentin Tarantino and Jean-Luc Godard. Through looking into the processes of how these directors created such beautiful, visually striking films I realised the process was more difficult and complex than I had thought- for example Wes Anderson’s scenes run on a metronome with the camera panning/something happening at every beat, many of his scenes (as seen in the screen grabs of “Moonrise Kingdom“ below) have complete symmetry.

I was drawn to Wong Kar-Wai’s “Fallen Angels”, especially to its aesthetic of bright lights, dramatically emotive cinematic frames, unusual perspectives and grainy quality. From researching this film I came across the photographer Wing Shya who had worked with Wong Kar-Wai as a photographer on numerous film sets.

From first reading the theme simple v complex, I wanted to explore cinematic images as I am particularly interested in films and directors which have a specific style- making this project one that matters to me as I have been interested in this style of images since starting the course. When looking at artist references I eventually settled on Wing Shya and Claudia Andujar as while researching them I found out they specialise in documentary style images which look staged and cinematic. I intend to start this project by just taking images- starting at football matches which my friends play in working on making the images look cinematic and getting the settings of the camera correct and then moving on to different types of lighting and settings- possibly experimenting with staged images. For my presentation of images I am planning to put them on foamboard with no boarder- if my images are cinematic style enough then a frame for the images may take away from the image itself- this will add to the “simple” theme of simple v complex. I may also create a CD or DVD case with my images in it: as my images are going to be in a cinematic style then I would like to display them as a professional, formal outcome which is related to the idea of cinema or just media in general- therefore a CD cover may be the best option for this as it is accessible to do as many DVD covers have the design imprinted on them but plain CD covers are accessible to me (and films obviously have soundtracks) so I feel as this may be the best option for me.

I am planning to do at least 4 photoshoots in different settings, each concentrating on different lightings and atmospheres- showcasing different emotions. As my main intent is to capture cinematic images which (like Wing Shya and Claudia Andujar) are documentary style however look staged. I also intent to stage some images in certain lighting/scenes- namely purposely using coloured lighting and staging subjects in monochrome rooms if I can find any.

PHOTOSHOOT #1

For my first photoshoot I plan to take photos at football matches- making use of the bright white flood lights surrounding the pitch. These football matches take place every Monday so I am going to bring my camera and take images every week as it will be particularly difficult to get my camera settings correct on the first try due to the darkness and motion attempted to be captured- I want clear, bright, focused images with no blur. There may be a slight grain to the images due to the darkness of the setting as the floodlights are concentrated on the pitch- not on the side lines.

PHOTOSHOOT #2

For my second photoshoot I plan to take images using cars; emphasising on using windows as frames for the images, concentrating on lights both inside and outside of the car, and playing with unusual perspectives. I want to make use of coloured lights to make the images more interesting instead of them just being pictures in a car- this will also help with me configuring the ISO and shutter speed on the camera as I do not want to use flash however I still would like sharp, clear images.

PHOTOSHOOT #3

For my third photoshoot I plan to find rooms with interesting atmospheres- such as monochromatic rooms and rooms with interesting walls etc. Using monochromatic settings means I would like to place an emphasis on stark lighting including creating distinct, bold shadow while with busy rooms I would like to place an emphasis on a narrative within the subject- similarly to Wing Shya’s on set photography where he captures images which display the breakdown of an actor where they transition from a film character to their authentic self.

PHOTOSHOOT #4

Some of my best images have came from me just bringing my camera around with me and just taking images of whatever catches my eye- I am considering using this strategy as a separate photoshoot as it was have no distinct timeframe however it will still be generating images that I may be able to use and edit in lightroom- as both of my artist references are documentary photographers (with a mix of staged however the style of documentary makes the images look staged) I feel as if this may be a good strategy to create images in the style I want.

Much has been written about Alec Soth’s Sleeping by the Mississippi. First published in 2004, it is a landmark publication in the Magnum photographer’s career, which propelled him to international recognition and notoriety. First editions of the photobook are highly prized items today. At a talk in London in 2017, in conversation with Sean O’Hagan, Soth reflected on the work, almost 15 years on, and how he began to make what would eventually become the tightly-edited tome, Sleeping By the Mississippi.

He began to follow the Mississippi River in his car, driving from place to place, letting himself progress towards locations he had vaguely researched and “using the river as a route to connect with people along the way.” These were the early days of the web and the development of his process ran parallel to the growth of the internet. “It was like web surfing in the real world” he says, “it was like trying to ride a wave.”

I really like this book overall as there is an interesting mix between portraits and landscape images, all of these images throughout the book are filled with more cool toned images, this will be because of the climate that the photographs were taken in, and this helps the reader appreciate the lengths Soth went to to create this book.

Overall, the book is quite short, this may be a reflection of the fact that Soth’s journey across the Mississippi River came with some challenges, this image above is a great way to illustrate the challenges with living in these harsh areas, as the mountainise regain is not perfect for human civilisation, with the gas station being a physical reflection of how living in these areas can be not only physically changeling but lonely as well.

I like the simplicity of this image, and how there is one blank page with an image description, this means that all of the attention is faced onto the second page with the photograph, the fact that an image description is included means that Soth is making his work more readable for everyone, and more importantly making us consider his thought process behind his book more.

I really like that Soth has randomly placed landscape, portraits and still life type images throughout his whole book, this means that he has followed the rule of always having a pattern/ balance throughout his whole book, and this means that some aspects of his book are predictable. Furthermore, this plays into this simple looking book being increasingly complex, as the still life kind of images are of objects/ settings that have been found in different people’s homes along the Mississippi.

This portrait, in my opinion, is one of my favourite one that Soth has placed into this book, I think this is because of the fact that the colour of her hair is the same colour as the background of the last page of the book. I would like to replicate this kind of balance in my own photobook, also the angle of her face is one which suits her jawline and her neck being most straight matches with the black straight fencing poles that are placed in the background.

These are the only pages in the whole photobook that the image is on the left side of the pages, and the writing being on the right side of the pages. This image on the left is my favourite as it has a kind of loneliness to it, and I think one object being in the foreground of the image is the symbolism of his whole book, as there is only one object, and this is like this book, as this book is very different from his other works.

How our photobooks will be similar: we both aim to tell an intricate story throughout our photobooks, this is because like Soth, I have a variety of images, and some random images from areas in my home, such as flowers my mum displays and décor that I place in my bedroom. Both of our works will contain many blank pages and a lot of descriptive areas within our books, as I hope that anyone that looks through my book will understand the story I am attempting to tell, as it is very personal and its vital for me that anyone who wanted to could describe the storyline. Furthermore, I would like to add some coloured pages throughout my book, as I think this adds an aesthetical affect to the book, and the background could really like to the images on the pages.

What do you want to explore?

I would like to explore the concept ‘Simple or Complex’ through looking at my family life and history. In order to do this I will be creating photoshoots in areas that I spend a lot of my childhood in (such as the walk from my mums house in St Saviour to my dads house in St Clement) and also takes portraits of some of my family members in other to boost creativity and risk throughout my project. I will be focusing on the fact that my parents are separated and how this has impacted mine and my brother’s life. In addition to take portraits and incorporating landscapes that are familiar to me, I will be including photographs of my and my brother from when we are younger, and this is in an attempt to represent how much we have changed from our childhood.

This exploration of my family in this project will demonstrate that on the outside my relationship with all of my family members seems to be very simple, but are in fact very complex and makes me question how they became to be so complicated in the first place. In my opinion, this will allow me to demonstrate a different kind of photography that I will be able to carry out.

Why does it matter to you?

This project matters a lot to me because it is the most personal concept I have ever created throughout my whole photography course. I would really like to make this project the best I’ve ever done as it is centred around a very specific time in my life when I was very young. Additionally, this subject is something that is very sensitive for me, and I would like this to be reflected in my work as its so special to me.

How do you wish to develop your project?

I would like to take inspiration from the artists Alec South, Matthew Finn and Roberts Adams. With me creating monochromatic landscape images, full face portraits and focusing mostly on my close relationship with my brother. These artists are some of my most inspiring as the pure quality of their work is just amazing. In addition to this, I would like to create a lot of black and white portraits as they will enhance all of my brothers facial features and show how much we look alike, especially through our eyes and nose.

By the end of this project, I would like to have created another photobook, this will allow me to show again that creatively I find creating layout and books very interesting in comparison to other options such as sequences. This will give me a chance to contrast my older family photographs and the new portraits I will take.

When are where do you intend to begin your study?

I wish to begin my study very soon with my first photoshoot, this will likely be of me walking from my mums house to my dads, I will be doing this because this walk will give me an opportunity to take images of a lot of green/ grass landscapes, along with roads and also beach views. I am looking forward to this photoshoot as it will create a wide variety of images and this will mean that there will be some variation within this photoshoot alone.

Photoshoot 1: Will include taking landscape images whilst I walk from my mums to my dads house, I will do this in the early afternoon to try and get the best lighting and only a school camera will be required to do this.

Photoshoot 2: I will take portraits of myself and my brother, I will most likely do this with the backgrounds at my mums house during the morning to try and get the best lighting. Only a camera will be needed for this photoshoot

From October 2022, I began an internship working at the Société Jersiaise photographic archives, a local charity dedicated to preserving Jersey’s photographic history, assisting in digitising their collection of photographs from a variety of eras and photographers.

They had an extensive collection of autochrome images which show Jersey’s contributions to the photographic world.

While working, I was tasked with helping to digitise a collection of colour film slides, documenting the fauna and flora of the island. These images were taken by Roger and Margaret Long, and blur the lines between science and art, with vivid colours and and interesting subject matters. These had an influence on my work throughout this project, inspiring me to branch out into more abstract and colourful imagery.

Robert Adams was born in Orange, New Jersey, in 1937. His refined black-and-white photographs document scenes of the American West of the past four decades, revealing the impact of human activity on the last vestiges of wilderness and open space. Although often devoid of human subjects, or sparsely populated, Adams’s photographs capture the physical traces of human life: a garbage-strewn roadside, a clear-cut forest, a half-built house. 

An underlying tension in Adams’s body of work is the contradiction between landscapes visibly transformed or scarred by human presence and the inherent beauty of light and land rendered by the camera. Adams’s complex photographs expose the hollowness of the nineteenth-century American doctrine of Manifest Destiny, expressing sombre indignation at the idea (still alive in the twenty-first century) that the West represents an unlimited natural resource for human consumption. 

“I think if you placed me almost anywhere and gave me a camera you could return the next day to find me photographing. It helps me, more than anything I know, to find home.”- Robert Adams

He has received numerous awards, including a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Award (1994); the Spectrum International Prize for Photography (1995); and the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize (2006). Major exhibitions include San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2005); Yale University Art Gallery (2002); Denver Art Museum (1993); Philadelphia Museum of Art (1989); and the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1979). Adams lives and works in north-western Oregon.

What I like about his work: I really like the simplicity yet complexness of this work, this is because the photographic skill is reflected onto the landscape, whilst the landscape provides a different point of view, as it provides Adams’ with a chance to express his love for this American space throughout his photos. I think that the lighting and brightness throughout his work highlights the importance of our nature environment and brings attention to the fact that we need to address our environmental issues sooner rather then later on order to have a future.

• 1975: New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape, International Museum of Photography, George Eastman House, Rochester, New York, January 1975. Curated by William Jenkins. Included work by Adams, Lewis Baltz, Joe Deal, Frank Gohlke, Nicholas Nixon, John Schott, Stephen Shore and Henry Wessel, Jr.
• 1989: The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mid-career retrospective.
• 2005–2006: Turning Back, Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany, 2005; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, 2005; Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, 2006^. Center for Creative Photography, Tucson.

Summer Nights, Walking

In the mid-1970s, Robert Adams began recording nocturnal scenes near his former home in Colorado. Illuminated by moonlight and streetlamp, houses, roads, sidewalks and fields seemed transfigured. 25 years after first publishing a sequence of these photos in 1985 as Summer Nights, he revisited his project, amending its title and completely re-editing its contents to create a more disquieting and more accurate reflection of his experience. Hailed as a new classic, Summer Nights, Walking went out of print soon after it was published in 2009. This sensitively enlarged edition, printed with the same exquisite care as the original, makes this revered body of work available to a new audience.

What I like about this work: I like that the contrast within his projects are very consistent, for example in Adams’ ‘Summer Nights, Walking’ project all of the images have a dark exposure, helping to help create this eerie atmosphere and high contrast. Adams’ has done other projects in places such as Arizona, where the exposure of his images are very high, and more attention is drawn to the landscape rather then any other aspects of the images. Additionally, I like that all of his photography focuses on the landscape, as I find this kind of photography very interesting and it can be created in many different locations with different equipment. Throughout my project I would like to attempt to recreate some of Adams’ lightly exposed work, as I think that this makes images more successful.

Image analysis: I think the blurriness and and complexity yet simpleness of this image is very interesting in itself. In my opinions, this image is very complex as all of the leaves and flowers which are focused in the foreground are not very clear, and this means that it takes more attention to figure out what exactly is going on throughout this image, it makes us consider what the intention behind this image is and also what could possibly be in the background? On the other hand, this image could be be interpreted as increasingly simple as the image is mostly just because of flowers and leaves, the background is confusing meaning that more simplicity is present throughout the foreground and I think thats what I like most about this image.

Robert Adams’ created lots of work throughout his lifetime, producing many books which ended up having enormous amounts of recognition. His work has also been recognised as it addresses concerns regarding the environment and our ever-changing climate we life in. This is because he was a part of the ‘New Topographic’ and this helped increase his name in the photographic world.