I started with using images of single objects, in this case cigarette buds:

This was my way of showing what you could find almost anywhere in the world because of the volume of smokers. Not only does this show the litter of cigarette buds, but it also shows the amount of smoke let off into the air compared to everyone who smokes in the world.

I then had an idea of using the cigarettes that I had imaged and to create them into a person into who was smoking from a side view angle, this alone on photoshop took a long time sizing and moving, and even copying from the simple ones I had imaged. I had this idea from Irvin Penn who had taken images of individual cigarette buds, and editing them in a way which suited him and even the topographic world.

I had also had an edited image of the chimney tower down at the dump which would let off smoke when burning plastics. and thought I would do the same thing I did for the “cigarette man” (as I called it). I had used the ideas of Mandy Barker by taking images of single objects and then creating something out of it which linked to the object and what affect it has or does. This allowed me to create this:

SHOOT ONE:

I decided to shoot fishing waste on St Brelade bay to show the impact the fishing industry has on the environment. 20% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is offshore debris oil rigs, pacific cargo ships, and boaters dumping trash into the water. 705,000 tons of this is fishing nets, making up the majority of the waste. I wanted to focus on the pollution in the Jersey waters and on beaches for this shoot.

Contact Sheet

Selecting: I imported the image into LrC and flagged the photos I wanted to edit.

Editing

Final Images

Although this shoot doesn’t connect to Mandy Barker’s images, I think the message behind them is the same. However in my next shoot, I collected plastic and fishing waste on the beach and shot it in the studio to replicate her work.

SHOOT TWO:

Contact Sheet

Selecting

Editing

PHOTOSHOP – I used the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select areas where there was a lot of sand, then deleted them because I found the sand made the images look dirty and it distracted from the main focus. I also went over the white areas with the paint brush in white, with a low opacity (e.g. 20%/30%) to lighten up the areas and shadows.

FINAL IMAGES: BASIC EDITS

Image comparison/analysis

Both images similarly present a busy road at night, shot in shutter priority mode with a long exposure producing an image overloaded with artificial lighting. The foreground of both images show a road masked in light whereas in the background its seen to be deserted almost as if the lighting has taken over the city. Luxemburg’s image was taken alongside a number of photographs in London in 1996, whereas my image was recently taken in Jersey’s town centre above a popular tunnel. The two images consist of a similar composition and structure, although Luxembergs lighting has a more sulphruric orange tint to it affecting the mood of the photograph in comparison. The pair of images have been captured from a vantage point allowing viewers to see a unique angle of the area, the harsh red and white lighting differs to the softer lines of light seen in Luxemberg’s image. The dark surroundings of my image almost act as a frame to the bold lighting in the centre, placing a stress on the unnatural presence of the light. Leading lines can be seen on the roads of both images continuing until visibility is lost. Possibly making viewers question what’s beyond the photograph. The use of the S-curve technique in my image can also aid the viewer’s eye to explore the scene captured by taking them on a visual journey, giving the image a sense of overall rhythm.

This is a virtual gallery I made to display some of my best outcomes.

These are my most successful outcomes from this project:

Thirza Schaap’s ‘plastic ocean’ project combines sculpture with photography and examines our changing relationship with plastics and the increasing and overwhelming presence they have in our lives. 

At a first glance, the debris do not disgust us. On the contrary. Their dainty look almost seems to gloss over the ugliness of all the plastic pollution on our beaches. But only for an instant. Our initial attraction, soon fades.

Thirza Schaap:

This image shows a clash between worlds, offering minimal and aesthetically pleasing compositions which, on closer inspection, in-still a sense of ecological grief.  Plastic Ocean questions consumption, idolatry and what it is we value in our lives today. The effect is a quirky, playful and pop art paradox. 

Plastic Ocean provides a kind of Vanitas for the 21st century. Traditional icons of mortality, ephemerality and wealth have been traded out for bottles, baskets and bowls: single-use items which are used and discarded, now only existing as empty vessels of destruction.

My image:

I liked Thirza Schaap’s style of work, relating to the Anthropocene project, as she took rubbish and plastic debris which is usually seen as disgusting, and made art out of it by creating these images.

I did my own photo shoot, inspired by Schaap’s work. I used plastic bottles, containers and cans. For some contrast i decided to add plastic buttons and sea glass, this added some depth to the image as well as fitting in with the Anthropocene/ plastic pollution theme.

unedited:

editing:

I sharpened the image, added texture. Also, i increased the saturation and contrast but decreased the exposure. This resulted in a simple image, although more defined, clear and colourful than the original.

outcome: