Contact Sheets

Sorting and Selection

Editing in Photoshop

I wanted my images to resemble my artist references as much as possible, none of which used monochrome photos. It was because of this that I chose not to use any of the filters or layers that Lightroom has to offer. Instead I imported my photos into Photoshop and edited them to extreme detail one-by-one. Here are some of the changes that I made to test my skills:

Between these two, the differences are moderate. I wanted all of my images to look smoother and feel tidy. To achieve this I removed the fence on the right and the car on the slipway. Other minimal changes were just removing the sun glare and patching up spots where necessary.

The same goes here. Changes were subtle and kept to a minimum. I only removed a bale trailer from one of the fields and patched up the shadows. Other minimal changes included touching up patches in the fields and very small objects in the background (e.g. spire on the tower and people on the beach).

Some of my images required a bit more thinking. I find it hard to believe that these are the same image, just three hours apart from one-another. I was initially was put off by the glare from the light as it was going to be very tricky to remove, but I stuck with it and was given this result. I removed all lights reflecting off of the car’s paintwork to give it a matte finish, as well as re-coloured the number plate to make it stand out. I am very happy with this final result, as it is exactly what I was aiming to produce. This was not only due to what my artist references had produced, but personal interest too. I believe that this is my single favourite image from the project

Virtual Gallery

This was my first time using the Artsteps online software. It allows you to create your own Art/Photo Gallery for completely free. I didn’t spend ages perfecting each image on the wall, just exported 14 of my best images from Lightroom into the software, made them the same size and placed them on the walls around my gallery. This was the result:

Printing and Mounting

As previously stated, I wanted to place my images in window mounts for display. From previous experience, I have found the 3×3 A5 window mount display to look great and intend to make one with these images. I used an A1 size piece of black mount board, a pencil, a metal rule and a bevel cutter to produce my windows. This board is very nice to use as the bevels leave a small white border which makes the images stand out more. For my other display prints, I chose two of my favourite images to print out in A3 and mount individually using the same technique. I also printed out these same two images again on glossy paper which I intend to get framed and give to a friend as a thanks for letting me use his car for this project. Overall, all prints and mounts were successful and I am very pleased. Please ignore odd light patterns in these images, the prints look perfect in person.

Critique, Evaluation and Link to Topic

What Went Well

After completing my project, I feel I am able to write about how I feel it has gone. I only had 250 images to work with, which may not seem like much. This was more than enough however, as I was very careful with the composure of each angle and image, as I had used a tripod for every photo. My editing process was the main course of my exam, being the most time-consuming part. I was eager, but also cautious to try some new techniques with the tool selection available in Photoshop and feel that the results prove this. The prints were exactly as I wanted them and look great in the mounts I have placed them in. From the start of this ‘Simple and Complex’ project, I have felt that the subjects of car and landscape photography fall into both aspects well. Cars are such complex machines, yet allow a person to complete a simple task, whereas a landscape can seem simple, but is the result of millions of years of change and erosion.

Where Could I Improve

Personally, I feel that one of my artist references was left out slightly; Kyler Zeleny. I feel this is because of how his style of photography isn’t specifically revolving around cars, his images just feature them as an object. I could have benefited differently by either considering his style more when conducting my shoots, or chosen somebody different entirely. Looking back, I would have just been more considerate when taking my photos.

Photoshoots

My photoshoots will be very similar to each-other. I will compose a different car in the varied locations around Jersey. These locations will mostly include my own car in numerous spots along the north coast, five mile road, St Brelade’s bay and the avenue. I can also photograph Mx-5s that I see outside of people’s houses whilst driving to a new spot. I will aim to represent each of my artist references in all photoshoots. This will vary from the landscape photography of Skodvin, to the moody and mysterious night-time style of Chang.

Image selection

I will adopt the same image selection process that I used for my previous project. This will be conducted by rating my images in Adobe Lightroom by colour (green/yellow/red) and by stars (1-5). This will provide me with an easy-to-use visual representation of which images I feel that I can use and which ones I would prefer to leave out. I can easily filter through my images once this process is complete. After this I can begin my editing process with the images that I have selected.

Editing Processes

For this style of photography, editing my images in Photoshop will prove much more effective than Lightroom. I have learned my way around Lightroom’s features well enough to try something new, and am willing to learn how the varying tools in Photoshop can be used to enhance my outcomes further. For this, I plan to patch up my images on a microscopic level. This will include removing people in the distant background, or removing small stones and gum from the road to give a sense of tidiness. To do this, my primary tool selection will consist of the clone stamp tool, the smudge tool and the spot healing brush tool. These tools have a similar effect, but each has a better look when used in different scenarios. This will hopefully smoothen up the rough areas of my images and have a positive effect overall.

Post-editing and Printing

After this excruciating editing process, I plan to have my photos printed by a professional company. This is because of how I wish to display them as final outcomes. I am going to produce a 3×3 window mount of A5 images on an A1 piece of black mountboard, as well as two large A3 prints mounted on A2 pieces of Previously being a DT student, I understand the importance of measure twice, cut once. So far, my window mounts from past projects have received praise not only from other students, but also teachers outside the subject.

Helge Skodvin

Helge Skodvin lives in Bergen, Norway. He is trained as a carpenter, but since he laid down his hammer and took a BA in Photography at London College of Printing he has been working freelance for major newspapers, magazines and publishing houses. He is a member of Moment Agency and he is represented by Institute Artist. He is also working on large photographic projects, mainly featuring landscapes

In 2015, Skodvin produced the book 240 Landscapes. The book features 77 colour images of the Scandinavian landscape, with a classic Volvo 240 carefully positioned within the landscape and composed in the image. “The Volvo 240 became a symbol of Scandinavian and Nordic values. The safe, the sound, the commonplace. Square and homely, yet solid and reliable. Function over form. No frills. Taking you from A to Z. A car. An ambassador for the Scandinavian social democracy. Helge Skodvin has spotted Volvo 240s still chugging around the roads of Norway.”

Kyler Zeleny

Zeleny is a Canadian photographer, educator and author of Out West (2014), Found Polaroids (2017), and Crown Ditch & The Prairie Castle (2020). He holds bachelors in Political Science from the University of Alberta, a masters from Goldsmiths College, in Photography and Urban Cultures and a PhD from the joint Communication & Culture program at Ryerson and York University. His work has been exhibited internationally in twelve countries and has been featured in numerous publications including The Globe & Mail, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Vice, and The Independent. He occupies his time by exploring photography on the Canadian prairies.

Zeleny’s 2014 publication Out West depicts small, rural communities (1000 inhabitants or less) in the Canadian West. Each double-page spread contains a square image on the right, with a supplementary population count of where the image was taken on the left. Like Skodvin, his composure of each image is carefully monitored. The result is a series of relatable, yet individual images that portray a very different part of the world.

Easton Chang

When you think of car photography and what it represents, people often are led to the idea of a superar in a moody and dark car park at night. This is exactly what I wanted to achieve. The work of Easton Chang perfectly fits this ideology. Based in Sydney, Chang developed his work and style shooting all things on four wheels using modern, cutting edge methods and creativity. With his strong past experience in the Australian editorial industry. Easton now works with the best production, retouching and CGI teams to produce world-class stills and motion images to the automotive industry.

Chang’s images portray what people imagine car photography to be so well that it would be silly to not try and replicate it. Though I don’t have access to cars like what Chang does, I still feel that I can create something unique using his style.

Mindmap

Write a Statement of Intent that clearly contextualises;

• What you want to explore?
• Why it matters to you?
• How you wish to develop your project?
• When and where you intend to begin your study?

Make sure you describe your how you interpret the exam theme SIMPLE or COMPLEX, subject-matter, topic or issue you wish to explore, artists references/ inspirations and final outcome – zine, photobook, film, prints etc.

For my Personal Investigation project, I wanted to create something using an artist reference and a personal interest. From a young age, I have developed a strong and true passion for cars. This is a result of my Dad training and working as a mechanic for almost 40 years. As a child, I was consistently taken on track days all around Europe 3-4 times a year as my parents couldn’t leave me at home alone at a young age, but I also loved the experience. Being older has allowed me to take these experiences to the next level, as I can now drive on the tracks myself and experience the real thrill first-hand.

“It’s what non-car people don’t get. They see all cars as just a ton and a half, two tons of wires, glass, metal, and rubber, and that’s all they see. People like you or I know we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities… You can develop a relationship with a car and that’s what non-car people don’t get… When something has foibles and won’t handle properly, that gives it a particularly human quality because it makes mistakes, and that’s how you can build a relationship with a car that other people won’t get.”

Jeremy Clarkson

When conducting research for individuals to study, I came across a Norwegian photographer called Helge Skodvin. In 2015, he produced a project called 240 Landscapes, in which were 77 colour images depicting the Scandinavian weather, landscape and architecture. Each image also features a carefully positioned Volvo 240, an iconic and robust car which a majority of people owned in Norway when Skodvin was growing up. Even today, many can still be found in barns, garages or even still driving. I am hoping to recreate something similar in Jersey, as the island has a distinct coastline, as well as a flourishing car community.

My car of choice for this project will be a Mazda Mx-5, as it is also an iconic car for its time, and I have easy access to a range of these cars due to being a member of a group. The Mk1 (NA) Mx-5 (1988-1997) revolutionised the way modern sports cars were built. With it’s reinforced scaffolding chassis and iconic pop-up headlights, the small Japanese sports car became an almost instant success with various car cultures around the world. The MK2/2.5 (NB) Mx-5 (1998-2005) was as successful as its predecessor. The car was almost identical, however being much better built, as well as a few body parts being changed. The pop-up headlights were removed and a majority of body panels were redesigned. Despite these changes, the car is fundamentally the same.

This concept of car photography worked extremely well for Skodvin, so why can’t I do the same? I believe that I have strong starting point and something from which I can produce a successful project. With the topic being simple and complex, I feel that this topic relates to both. Landscapes can be either simple or complex to capture, with the same being said for cars. The outcome could be a complex landscape with a simply-placed car, or vice-versa.