Photos consist of visual and formal elements much the same as any art, however photos their own specific ‘grammar’ focusing on more technical photography exclusive elements- flatness, frame, focus, time, ect. Often when technical “mistakes’ are made in photography they are seen as art and then utilized. “formalism” focuses on the design, light and form over subject matter.

As seen is this photo by Aaron Haines it is not about the subject matter being the stairs, it is about how it is taken making it visually interesting. The stairs act as a repeating pattern down towards the stair well and framing it, making it the focal point of the image. Whilst the photo is monochrome, tonally the ground at the bottom the stairs is the darkest whilst the stairs are lighter creating contrast and further framing the stair well, it also helps create a sense of depth as we expect darker things to be further away.

The elements of formalism:

In these annotations we were picking out visual and formal elements. Based on this table focusing on visual:

Still Life describes works of art that depict inanimate objects often fruit and glass. The word still life is derived from the Dutch word ‘stilleven’ meaning still and motionless. It was used to describe the painting style popular in the 17th century – objects in different compositions and lights. Gradually the paintings got more complex through their compositions and and the objects within them often had allegorical meanings.

Still Life’s subjects were not free of societal influence however, when in the 17th century it became some what of a trend for Northern European painters to paint half peeled citrus fruits to display their abilities. That also meant there were popular themes for still life’s such as the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. These were known as vanitas. The term Vanitas is originally coined from the Bible, ‘Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’, telling us that everything we do is vanity, empty and short lived.

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‘Memento Mori’ is a Latin phrase directly translating to ‘remember death’. Memento Mori is closely linked with vanitas and was the idea of remembering life and that we will all eventually die. In still life this was connotated into paintings of skulls and extinguished candles, skulls are a very literal depiction of death, whilst candles are used to symbolise life eventually burning out. However vanitas depict many other objects such as wine and exquisite foods to further remind the viewer that pleasures are short lived and worthless. Purses, jewellery, and gold objects were used to display power and wealth. Sometimes even eternal life as shown by sprigs of ivy or other evergreens.

Still Life photography is used to depict inanimate objects similar to still life painting but in a different medium.

Matt Collishaw’s Last meal on death row series parallels the 17th century subjects and the dark and gloomy styles of painting but in a less metaphorical sense. The food implying the slow decay and certainty of death is switched to someone’s very last meal before being put to death.

Richard Kuiper’s photo depicts the same objects of symbolism used in typical vanitas paintings but adds a whole new modern context. The objects Photographed are all made out of plastic even the smoke from the candle. The excessive use of plastic highlights how much of it is in our daily lives and that in good old ‘memento mori’ fashion we will die because of it.

Photography is the process of recording an image with a camera, originally by using light sensitive film but now more often digital electronic memory. The word photography is derived from the Greek words ‘phōtós’ meaning “light” and ‘graphé’ meaning “representation by means of lines” together meaning “drawing with light”. Photography is usually thought of as a means of documenting a moment in time and in a way it is. A photo can be of any subject and still it captures a moment in time however the art of photography is about how the subject of that image is interpreted. A photographer can have their own implications and a context behind an image when they take it but often someone else will look at the exact same image and interpret something completely different. Photography is subjective and can change meaning to each individual that views it. Over time photos can gain new meaning or loose meaning as events happen throughout the world, many things become less relevant, and opinions and people change.

I think Campany is referring to how a photo never has one set meaning and can change and be different for everyone explaining the contradictory phrases. “confuse as much as fascinate” I think this alludes to how photography is diverse and often we don’t understand as they are documents and arts of things that many of us have not experienced. Hence how each image can be regarded in a different light by each person as all have separate life experiences.

A very famous photo from the anti war pentagon march in 1967 is the “flower girl”. I think it is an incredibly powerful photo documenting the views of protesters that day and what they were standing up against – from an art standpoint the composition was obviously no accident and creates a stark contrast between the subjects. On one side a young girl holding a flower and on the other soldiers with sheathed bayonets. I think this is a good example of how photos meant to document events are still an art form. “conceal as much as reveal” this image at one end reveals a lot of the protesters standpoints from the day but does not fully explain the circumstances, it hides the atrocities of the protest and how the protesters were then treated behind one moment frozen in time. Photographs never give full context, but then again there is nothing that can give full context, in history we rarely see all sides of the story. It is up to a persons opinion of what has happened and what they think and the same goes for photography.

“Distract as much as compel” I think this refers to how photographs can be used a a form of escapism as they freeze a moment in time and can bring a sense of nostalgia or simply remind you of a far away place. I think photos are needed and helpful to help remember events whether it is monumental changes in history or small snippets of someones daily life. In my opinion photography can be both an art form, a way of documentation, and more often than not both.

Klein’s work the “Saut Dans le vide” meaning “leap into the void” perfectly illustrates many of Campany’s contradictions. As it depicts a man throwing himself of a building it begs the question of why is he doing it? what lead to this? what happened after? As every photograph it documents a moment in time, but as an art form it can mean many things. He is wearing a suit it could be a social narrative on working conditions and economy in the 1960s. He is throwing himself into an open space as he calls it the “void” this could allude to jumping into the unknown the 60s were turbulent years filled with social and economical change. Or it could simply be an eye catching advertisement for Yves Klein’s upcoming exhibition and a means of getting into the public eyes. It is all about your interpretation of of what you are seeing from own lived experience someone in the 60s living that decade would take something entirely different from this photo than someone living now. The actual image is made from two separate photos removing a group of people holding a tarp to catch him as he fell further suggesting that images can “conceal” and are often made to be confusing as it creates interest and a narrative.

Aperture means to open the lens of the camera to let more light into the lens. Aperture is expressed in numbers, the average camera aperture goes from f/1.4 to f/22. The bigger the number the smaller the hole in the lens letting in less light. The smaller the number the larger the hole in the lens letting in more light.

How Aperture effects Exposure

As aperture controls the the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor therefore effecting the exposure of an photo. meaning that a wide aperture can lead to over exposure as there is too much light and a high aperture can lead to under exposure as there is too little light.

How Aperture effects Depth of Field

Depth of field is directly effected by Aperture the higher the aperture, for example f/22 the more background that’s in focus. For wider apertures it lets in more light meaning less of the background is in focus.

The person I chose for this task is my dad. Together with my mum we have lived on the island for just under a month. Having moved from the Scottish Borders we do not have deep roots in Jersey, so I decided to focus this task on my dads new found life on the island following his job.

My dad Alan Gamble was born in Northern Ireland on 14th January 1973. Farming has always been an interest and a job that he he has followed having worked and managed on many farms. The opportunity to move to Jersey following my dads work was one that he nor us could pass up.

Ideas

My main ideas going into this project were to capture my dads daily life in an entirely new place. Straight of the bat I knew I wanted photos of him working as people aren’t normally used to seeing cows in this setting- how milking actually works or the insides of this line of work.

I had a fair few concerns going into this project as photography isn’t something I’ve done before at the end of the day this project allowed me to pick up some new skills that can be expanded on.

Research

Laura Letinsky is an artist born in 1962 in Canada. Her photography work focuses on challenging the norms of domesticity, gender and unsustainable consumption.

“We live in a world where photographs demand more photographs. They generate a need for desire. My understanding of desire is from a psychoanalytical point of view. Desire involves something being just out of reach—close enough that we know it is there, but not close enough, that we can have it.” Lentinsky talks about the constant demand for photos that people can live through and the expectation from Capitalism the photographer should constantly produce “perfection” that they can consume and then get bored of and demand more. Many of her 2010 Photography projects such as ” albeit” and ” ill form and void full” are an attempt to find a new way to view photography without the burden of capitalism and desire and to illustrate how it is often seen by consumers. Laura Letinskys photography focuses on breaking the social norms of photography and much outside of it.

She uses Light backgrounds and overexposure adding a whimsical and calm feeling to her work. She uses soft pastel palettes in backgrounds and subject. She tends to avoid harsh light. Though when severer lights and colours are used in her photography she uses them to create a striking contrast between them and her usual pastel subjects.

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What I find interesting in her work is her use of subject matter. I have decided to focus on her 2006 series “Hardly More than Ever” which depicts half eaten and mashed fruits with cutlery and other dinning items seemingly abandoned at tables. I think the photos make you think as you question what has happened to leave the items in this state.

Stephen Shore is an American photographer born in 1947. He is known for his use of colour in art photography. During the 1970s Shore set of on a trip round America capturing the mundane in a colourful new way and forcing people to look at what they walk past everyday closer and see the beauty in it “discovering America”.

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His work uses saturated colours and everyday subjects expressing parts of boring life in great colour. I particularly like his work “uncommon places” as it captures small snippets of landscape and life in a happy colourful way which is what I am hoping to achieve with my photographs for place.

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Luke fowler born in 1978 is Artist and film maker based in Glasgow. His photography is know for his use of juxtaposition having used old film cameras for his work.

However I am interested in his portrait work as it captures people being people which is my goal for the portrait shoot. I think Luke fowler work is interesting as it expresses many of his subjects just doing their job, or at a party or even just walking and creates an insight into their everyday life.

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I am also fond of Fowler’s heavier use of exposure creating a darker more under exposed photo.

The Object

Planning

inspired by Letinskys “Hardly more than ever” my idea for the object photo shoot I chose a pair of my dads boots as our time in jersey has been about travel and discovery and shoes although not often brought to mind come with us everywhere. They are what we take our steps in through change and the mundane of everyday life.

I wanted to emulate the plain and light backgrounds of laura Letinskys work to focus purely on the boots and their story of travel. The first photos I wanted to use an infinity curve to get the completely plain back ground so I figured my bath tub would work well. The second shoot I took them to the beach to get a plain light background but not completely bare to try and replicate Letinskys simple but effective backgrounds and the beach has been a frequented spot by me and my dad recently as it was a rarity to visit in Scotland.

Raw Photos

I took a total of 80 photos of the boots. I started by taking pictures of them first in my bath tub in an attempted to create an infinity curve so all focus would be on the boots. I used the natural light of the bathroom window and my phone torch to try and light it. A few photos I attempted to emulate having a gel by wrapping my phone torch in a blue plastic bag and waiting for a less harsh natural light from the window to get the effect of the under statured blue light often used by Letinsky. The effects of this I was rather pleased with this and can be seen in the last 3 of the first cut.

First cut- Unedited

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Object – Final Photos

I started by cropping the images to center and align the composition better. I then went on to adjust the exposure to wash out and achieve the more over exposed look of my inspiration that was Letinskys work.

The Place

I could not chose one place when Jersey to my dad is still being discovered so instead I took photos of things he would walk past and see every day that have a sense of familiarity in this new place. My goal was to document things as my dad would see then as he went to and from work.

Planning

Inspired by shore’s trip around America I decided to do a much less epic trip and walk to the farm on the route my dad takes every morning and capture things on my way and at the farm. I tired to take bright saturated pictures to emulate Stephen Shores work. Of course a big part of the place was cows and in my dads line of work it would be criminal for me not to include them.

Raw Photos

Blanc Pignon Farm

First Cut

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Place – Final Photos

I cropped the photos to cut unwanted parts then focused on the contrast and exposure to make the photos brighter and more colourful.

The Portrait

For my dads portrait I did multiple shoots, one like passport photos and focusing on his face and another focusing on him working.

Planning-first shoot

The first shoot I focused less on candid photos and more on my dads face and getting a “passport photo” I then went on to experiment with using a shallow depth of field outside in the garden to attempted to get only his face in focus to frame it.

Raw Photos

Shoot 1 – First cut

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Portrait shoot 2

I went with my dad to work on two different occasions to take photos of him working. getting him to focus on what he was doing and not paying attention to the camera. This is what I was hoping this project would lead up to- taking pictures of my dad in his new job the thing that brought us to jersey in the first place.

First cut

Many of the photographs taken in the shed and parlor are grainy as a result of the light I made the decision to not use flash as to keep the depth and to not spook the cows.

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Portrait-Final photos

Experimentation

I started looking at photo stacking to see if it would suit my photos. I specifically looked at the work of John Stazaker and tried to emulate the way he would stack objects over the face of his portraits obscuring their face.

Photo Stacking

I thought this one was effective as it uses darker tones and the unequally size of the squares is pleasing to look at.

Merging

Juxtapositions

Looking again at the work of Luke Fowler and his use of juxtaposition the create contrast between images i attemped to create my own.

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Collage

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I started looking at the work of Pariwat Anantachina and his used of photo mashing and merging to create collage like photos which I really liked however I decided to use lower opacity images to achieve less jarring lines between images.

I liked this photo so far but I decided that it lacked colour and contrast so I took more yellow from the photo of the bracelets and added them in.

I really liked the more crowded look of this photo and I think the primary colours scattered throughout due to the other images lead your eye round the photo well.

Final Images

Thoughts

I am over all pleased with what I’ve produced as photography is entirely new to me, however there are many things I would now do different and have learned from. I think for the future I will try and take more interestingly angled photos as I feel many of mine were very linear and lacked compositional interest. I have also learned a lot about camera handling and how to achieve what I want especially when balancing aperture and shutter speed. I ran into a lot of issues with photoshop on my laptop when editing the photos so I had to use other ways to edit them how I wanted which I wasn’t pleased with as I was hoping this project would allow me to explore photoshop more. I have spent a lot of time on this and whilst there is much room for improvement I’m am proud of what I’ve done.