Henri Cartier Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer who is considered to be one of the fathers of photojournalism and masters of candid photography. He sought to capture the ‘everyday’ in his photographs and took great interest in recording human activity.  He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment, which he later wrote a book about. He was influenced by Surrealism and began his career in film working with renowned French director, Jean Renoir as second assistant director. He was born on the 22nd of August, 1908 In Chanteloup-en-Brie, France and passed away on the 3rd of August, 2004 in Céreste, France.

He came from quite a wealthy family and since his parents were providing financial support, Henri pursued photography quite freely. His father assumed that his son would take up the family business, but Henri was strong-willed and also feared the idea.  In 1929, Cartier-Bresson’s air squadron commandant placed him under house arrest for hunting without a licence. Cartier-Bresson met American expatriate Harry Crosby, who persuaded the commandant to release Cartier-Bresson into his custody for a few days. The two men both had an interest in photography, and Crosby presented him with his first camera.

Cartier-Bresson ended up falling into an intense sexual relationship with Caresse Crosby (Harry Crosby’s wife) however, two years after Harry Crosby died by suicide, Cartier-Bresson’s affair with Caresse Crosby ended in 1931. After reading the book, Heart of Darkness, which gave him the idea to try and find adventure in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa. He survived by shooting game and selling it to local villagers. From hunting, he learned methods which he later used in photography.

He acquired the Leica camera with a 50 mm lens in Marseilles that would accompany him for many years. The anonymity that the small camera gave him in a crowd or during an intimate moment was essential in overcoming the formal and unnatural behaviour of those who were aware of being photographed. He enhanced his anonymity by painting all shiny parts of the Leica with black paint. In the beginning, he did not photograph much in his native France. It would be years before he photographed there extensively. Cartier-Bresson’s first photojournalist photos to be published came in 1937 when he covered the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. 

“For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to ‘give a meaning’ to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.”

The Decisive Moment

Size – 27.4 x 37 cm

Pages – 160 + 48 booklet pages

Binding – Clothbound in slipcase

The Decisive Moment is a book by Henri Cartier-Bresson, a French photographer who is credited with pioneering modern photojournalism. The book is a collection of his best-known photographs, accompanied by his thoughts on photography and the creative process. The title refers to the idea that photography captures a single moment in time, and that the photographer’s job is to be in the right place at the right time to capture that moment.

In Henri Cartier-Bresson’s seminal book, in English called “The Decisive Moment” and in French “Images à la Sauvette” (1952), Henri Cartier-Bresson assembled a selection of his photographs of various subjects, in a novel style that was made possible by a small, nimble hand-held camera, in the hands of a master, who had a great eye and a classical background in composition.  The book has come to be, perhaps, the most important book ever published in the field of photography.

Photojournalism/Candid Photography

Photojournalism is a form of visual storytelling and reporting. There is no one right way to tell a story through images: a handful of pictures can complement a text, but a single dramatic image can also furnish stand-alone commentary on an individual, world events or culture. No matter how the story is told, photojournalists seek to enlighten audiences by capturing a crystallizing image. Photojournalism entered a Golden Age and became more important beginning in the 1920s, with the arrival of smaller cameras like the 35 mm Leica, which was invented in Germany in 1925. These cameras were seen as revolutionary by photographers everywhere, as much less equipment was required for them to set up and take their pictures. Candid Photography is a genre of photography that spontaneously captures the organic, genuine, and unposed moments of a subject. Bresson is one of the earliest users of 35mm film and is widely acknowledged as the master of candid photography.  

Image Analysis

Technically – Cartier-Bresson’s use of a small Leica camera allowed him to be discreet and capture candid moments. In this photograph, he employed a slow shutter speed to allow for a sense of motion, resulting in a blurred figure.

Visually – Cartier-Bresson positioned himself opposite station, capturing the reflection of the surrounding buildings and the figure. The presence of the lines and the converging perspective draw our attention towards the central figure, creating a strong focal point.

Contextually – “Gare Saint Lazare” is a significant location in Paris, known for its bustling train station. Cartier-Bresson’s photograph captures the essence of urban life, the movement, and the energy of people rushing to catch their trains. It reflects the rapid pace of the human experience within the urban environment.

Conceptually – The photograph embodies Cartier-Bresson’s philosophy of the decisive moment. The split-second timing of capturing the people and the reflection in perfect harmony creates a sense of chance and captures a fleeting moment that tells a story.

The Decisive Moment in relation to My Ideas

The Decisive Moment in Surf/Sea photography is all about capturing the peak action, the energy, and the fluidity of the waves and surfers. It’s about freezing that split-second when everything comes together in a visually captivating way. To apply this concept, I will need to anticipate the perfect moment when the wave is at its most dynamic, the surfer is in the ideal position, and the composition is just right. A photo series by Matt Porteous has inspired me to produce a similar outcome.

Below the Breaking Wave

”Photographer Matt Porteous of M Studio takes us along to the Maldives, beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean, in his powerful photo series Below the Breaking Wave. Porteous has always held a fascination for water, having grown up along the rugged Jersey coastline of the Channel Islands. It was this close proximity to the water that encouraged surfing, swimming and diving, cementing a special place in his heart for the ocean.

The series features surfers underneath a breaking wave, preparing themselves to swim toward a cloud-like mass of bubbles and froth. What we see and feel during that split second we find ourselves underneath a passing wave, he notes, is symbolic of the world we live in today: beauty, clarity and chaos. Staunchly passionate about the preservation and guardianship of the ocean, Porteous’ photography carries a distinct message: ”We live in an incredible time surrounded by a beautiful world, but we must search further to find, and work harder to protect”

Born in America in 1948, Nancy Honey began her career in England in a male dominated industry. Regardless of this, she manages to achieve success and started to build a name for herself as a photographer. Nancy Honey’s ‘woman to woman’ series was made nearly over 40 years ago, her images are based on her own experiences of being a woman which were driven by curiosity and focuses on topics such as motherhood, sexuality, power, and ageing in which she uses juxtapositions to depict schoolgirls to businesswomen and children to the elderly, and many more. By doing this, Honey creates a consistent flow throughout her work.

Nancy Honey’s work mainly includes the observation of the typical female stereotypes through her own view on femininity. She presents this by trying to capture “what it feels like, to me, to be a woman today”. Her photo-book is laid out in a triptych format which tend to have some abstract image beside portraits which have similar connotations with one another.

Daisy-

Nancy Honey’s Biography On The Project ‘Daisy’

This is a large collection of pictures I made with my daughter, Daisy over many years. I became fascinated with photographing her as I emerged as a photographic artist. She and I did it together and it was something I greatly enjoyed. It started when she was a year old and I was just beginning to then use my little black and white camera to document events, more or less as a diary. I was finally beginning to learn about the technical side of photography, which I’d always loved, but had been intimidated by the science.

I had always been an artist, but mostly used painting and drawing, having initially studied Fine Art in the USA. After having children I was desperate to complete my education and finished with a degree in Visual Communication at Bath Academy of Art in Wiltshire. I learned about photography there as well as typography and printmaking. I continued to make pictures of Daisy over many years and included her in every project I could. My son, Jesse, declared that making pictures together was boring early on and therefore I made far less which included him.

The project, which was never a formal one, just kept evolving. She was very good natured and patient and rarely refused.The Independent on Saturday Magazine, published an article in 2002, which covers these photographs and our time together. When she left home the arrangement, by then mostly for commercial work, had to be more formal. The project more or less finished after Billy, her first child was born and she was very busy and lived out of town. I still photograph her and her children often, but the pictures are not made in the same manner.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

https://nancyhoney.com/major-projects/woman-to-woman/

https://nancyhoney.com/about/#overlay-bio

https://nancyhoney.com/major-projects/daisy/

Originally named Images à la Sauvette and later translated to English, The Decisive Moment is Henri Cartier-Bresson’s most famous publication. It is a collection of his images alongside his exploration of his theory that an image requires a ‘moment’ in order to be interesting to the viewer. This is a key publication in the study of Cartier-Bresson’s work because it clarifies his practices and the way in which he felt photography was important to the world. Robert Capa described it as “a Bible for photographers”, and it has certainly been viewed by many as an important source of both inspiration and teaching.

“Things-As-They-Are offer such an abundance of material that a photographer must guard against the
temptation of trying to do everything… it is essential to cut from the raw material of life – to cut and cut, but to cut with discrimination.”

– Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment, 1952.

This quote demonstrates the key message of the book because it alludes to the significance of making judicious choices when creating images. He states that ‘discrimination’ of work is precisely what makes a collection worth viewing. He is purported to have attended the 1968 Paris student revolt, where, despite the explosive action on show, he would apparently take images at a rate of about four per hour. This exemplifies his theory and shows that he is always careful to take the image that will tell the best story, and not to just photograph ‘everything’.

For my project, I want to explore femininity and mental health, through a mix of portraits and landscapes. Photography has often been an exploration of ones mental health, and many artists have linked the two important aspects of the life resulting in powerful photographs. Many use photography as a coping mechanism, helping them face their everyday issues. Femininity is something every individual explores during their life, sometimes without noticing it. I think femininity and mental health has a big link since women are stereotyped as being weak and vulnerable by society. For instance, hysteria was attributed to women for thousands of years: even being derived from the Greek word ‘hystera’ which means uterus. Even major psychologists such as Freud considered hysteria as an exclusively female disease, despite it already being proven incorrect. It was originally believed that men could not suffer from hysteria because of their lack of uterus. This belief was discarded in the 17th century when discourse identified the brain or mind, and not reproductive organs, as the root cause of hysteria. I think hysteria would be interesting to explore through self- portraits and landscapes (for example of St. Saviour’s hospital; the abandoned Jersey Lunatic Asylum and other abandoned buildings) as it incorporates mental health and femininity well. I think it links in well with the exam theme’s OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE since it will be an exploration of a significant historical aspect of femininity, I could observe how hysteria is portrayed and seek to find out how to portray it myself. I want to challenge the stereotypes of mental illness and femininity, as well as the historical relevance of hysteria, and challenge ‘typical’ feminine photography.

True femininity is about emotions and feelings, not just the appearance of an individual. For me, these themes are an opportunity to discover and research femininity, feminism and mental health, and create my own response to it, questioning different point of views and other artists’ work. Moreover, mental health is a big aspect of every woman’s life, and I think it is important to explore this, whether through photography or another medium. The most significant and important (in my opinion) female photographer who explored femininity and mental health is Francesca Woodman, who captured black and white self portraits, expressing her emotions which she couldn’t put into words. She was very young when she passed, and I believe this makes her work even more powerful and personal. She is my main inspiration for this project, and I find her use of abandoned- looking backdrops, slow shutter speed, uncoloured images very effective in portraying her emotions.

I want this project to end in the creation of a photobook- since I think it would tie my project in well together, creating a sequence of abstract portraits which focus more on emotion and the metaphors of femininity instead of striking feminine photos. After her death in 1981, Woodman’s photos weren’t disclosed to the public for many years after. I think the lack of uniformity in her work adds to the overall theme of mental health, but I believe my work will look most successful as a photobook. I will begin my study by researching hysteria and using Woodman as a inspiration for my photoshoots, looking for places around Jersey that would be suitable for my project. I like how Woodman also uses props (whether it is the space around her or specific objects) in ways that adds a even deeper mood to each photograph, as well as making each image unique.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) was a French photographer whose work is regarded as some of the most influential and revolutionary in history. He was the author of The Decisive Moment, a publication that influenced an abundance of famous photographers across the centuries, including Robert Capa and Steve McCurry.

In 1940, he was taken prisoner by the Germans but escaped in 1943. The next year, he participated in an underground French photography project which sought to photograph the German occupation and retreat. In 1945, he made a film called Le Retour for the US Office of War Information which explored the return of prisoners of war to France.

After forming Magnum, Cartier-Bresson began to focus more and more on reportage photography, travelling to India, China, Indonesia and Egypt across the next three years. He devoted his later years to painting and drawing, as he felt that his medium (still imagery) was ultimately being superseded by television. He ‘abandoned his trademark Leica 35mm rangefinder camera in the 1970s to take up drawing and painting, declaring: “I have no interest in photography.”’ (https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/oct/21/henri-cartier-bresson-photographe-new-edition-french-photographer)

Criticism

I found an article written by someone only naming themselves as ‘Sebastian’ on the Streetbounty website. The article discusses the author’s struggles to ‘understand’ the ‘pedestal’ that Cartier-Bresson’s work is ‘lifted on’. He states that the images ‘lack the emotional value and are very technical’, mentioning the likelihood that many of them are staged – which would, of course, be entirely contradictory to his philosophy of ‘The Decisive Moment’. Through this, the article dissects the existence of so many interpretations of Cartier-Bresson’s work; that it is over-idolised and placed on an unrealistic pedestal, as well as being hypocritical. The author mentions that ‘[Cartier-Bresson’s] Street Photography doesn’t impress [him], but his documentary work and his work ethic surely do.’ This demonstrates that the author is sure to give credit where it is due and his argument throughout is not an unfounded one as he gives many examples.

(https://streetbounty.com/henri-cartier-bresson-overrated/)

TAMARA LICHTENSTEIN

Tamara Lichtenstein is American photographer originally from Bolivia, who now lives in Texas born in October 1989, Lichtenstein only uses 3 cameras two of which are film cameras which she predominantly uses, a Nikon N80 and Contax T2 and Contax T3, her reasonings behind using film is that she feels the ability to replicate the delicate quality, and just sheer beauty of an image that’s produced in film with the click of a shutter, outweighs any sort of instant gratification. Photography has been natural and easy for her. It’s only the ups and downs of her financial situation that is sometimes problematic. She fell in love with the idea that once you capture something on film, it’s with you forever.

At the center of Tamara’s artistic research we can surely find the female universe and its facets: leafing through her shots we meet faces and bodies without filters, wrapped in their natural beauty. 

The grain and style of analog photography combined with the perfect use of light and the effects of double exposure, a recurring technique in Tamara’s shots, give the photographs a cinematographic style. 

I have chose Tamara Lichtenstein because i find her work captivating and intriguing how her images look so effortless but yet so well planned out, her use of film is inspiring and how she experiments with film by the use of double exposure. The way she constructs femininity in her work is beautiful she shows it in a natural way which suggests positivity.

What’s inspires you creatively and personally?
I always feel really antsy to shoot whenever I’m really sad, or really happy. I get a rush of emotions and along with that comes ideas. Also, shooting with someone that has lots of ideas for us to collaborate with is super inspiring too.

Tamara Lichtenstein uses film cameras today as she believes “The light and colors you can achieve with film are incomparable to digital. I hope film is always easily accessible to photographers out there.”

Tamara Lichtenstein is inspired by Philippe Halsman. Philippe Halsman was born in Riga and began to take photographs in Paris in the 1930s. He opened a portrait studio in Montparnasse in 1934, where he photographed André Gide, Marc Chagall, André Malraux, Le Corbusier and other writers and artists, using an innovative twin-lens reflex camera that he had designed himself.

He arrived in the United States in 1940, just after the fall of France, having obtained an emergency visa through the intervention of Albert Einstein.

In the course of his prolific career in America, Halsman produced reportage and covers for most major American magazines, including a staggering 101 covers for Life magazine. His assignments brought him face-to-face with many of the century’s leading personalities. Lichtenstein believes that In her opinion, his work is what started photography and photographers different ideas have bloomed from his work. Whether they know it or not.

Image Analysis

This image is both naturalistic and abstract due to the reflection and ruffling of the sea from the sunlight which suggests is a natural photo and isn’t staged and then it’s abstract due to the overlapping of the female on the water and how her head is opaque giving the photo a unique look. This photo follows the grid method due to the main object being the girl being placed in the center of the grid, also her shoulders and the reflection of the light all being in the middle column, the audience is drawn into the girls face although she isn’t pulling a post but how her face is so fascinating to look at due to the water reflection is seeping through onto her it gives off a sense that she is reconnecting with nature and the elements. I personally find this image captivating due to the techniques Lichtenstein has used by reusing film twice to get a double exposure photograph as is a unique way ph photography which isn’t seen as often.

• What do you want to explore?

I plan to explore Masculinity, Androgyny and Femininity using the male and female gazes.

• Why does it matter to you?

I personally experiment with gender all the time, as I am fluid within my gender and I feel as though it could be fun to represent my thought process within gender through photography whilst using other people.

• How do you wish to develop your project?

As I said, I experiment with gender and would like to represent this using different people dressed in a “masculine” or “feminine” manner. I have a group of friends who would be willing to dress up and wear makeup to be part of this project.

• When and where do you intend to begin your study?

Most of my shoots will be in a studio, as it’s a controlled condition and I want the people to feel comfortable during the shoot no matter what, my main concern in the sense of the people is making sure that they feel like they can express themselves and have fun while doing it.

Throughout the years, many photographers have experimented with gender in their work and in this project I will only be using a couple of them to help me develop my outcomes. Not only will I be delving into Masculinity & Femininity but also going against typical gender stereotypes that have been around for many years, especially if it was acceptable to do certain things in the past that are now unacceptable or frowned upon by a large group of people.

Using the key work OBSERVE, I will use the male and female gazes to view (observe) each gender from each gaze. Gaze has become a familiar term to describe a particular way of looking at, perceiving and understanding the world, in my project, I will be looking into the voyeuristic gaze which describes how men view women and women view men. I think it will be interesting to see how each gender view both the other and their own in the eyes of everyone else.

In reference to SEEK, I will be asking the people to photograph images of the other people in the group to explore and look for (seek) how they view the genders and gender stereotypes. I will enjoy seeing how everyone views how certain genders should present themselves and show the diversity of ideas in young people.

The final word CHALLENGE will be the most experimental, I would like to delve into gender stereotypes and go against (challenge) them, for example, have someone who would be perceived as “feminine” dress in a “masculine” manner and vice versa. This could be a great opportunity to experiment and have fun with this project as experimenting with gender should be fun.

Overall, I would like my project to be a way to experiment and have fun with gender while also using the voyeuristic gaze to present these images. This project while being fun, will reflect my own view on my gender and gender stereotypes, making this something I feel quite passionate about.

William Eggleston is a renowned American photographer known for his pioneering work in colour photography, his unique approach and use of vibrant colours have had a significant impact on the photography world. Eggleston’s work primarily focuses on capturing everyday scenes and objects, transforming them into visually compelling and thought-provoking images.

“I never think of [a photograph] beforehand. When I get there, something happens and in a split second the pictures emerges.”

– William Eggleston

One of Eggleston’s most notable piece of work is his project titled “The Democratic Forest,” which he started in the late 1970s. This project consists of a vast collection of photographs taken across the United States, showcasing a wide range of subjects such as landscapes, interiors, portraits, and still life. Eggleston’s ability to find beauty in the ordinary and mundane is evident in his photographs, which often depict seemingly cliché subjects in a way that highlights their inherent aesthetic qualities.

Eggleston’s use of colour is a defining characteristic of his work. He embraced the then-unconventional medium of colour photography during a time when black and white photography was considered the standard in the art world. Eggleston’s use of colour was not merely for aesthetic purposes but also served to enhance the narrative and emotional impact of his images. He expertly used colour to evoke a sense of mood, atmosphere, and psychological depth in his photographs.

Another notable aspect of Eggleston’s work is his mastery of composition. He had a keen eye for finding intriguing visual arrangements and used composition to create a sense of balance, tension, and harmony within his images. His photographs often feature strong geometric elements, lines, and perspectives that draw the viewer’s attention and guide them through the scene.

In addition to his technical skills, Eggleston’s work is also characterized by his ability to capture moments that convey a sense of ambiguity and mystery. His photographs often leave room for interpretation and invite viewers to reflect on the layers of meaning within the image. This open-endedness contributes to the enduring impact of his work. His innovative use of colour, attention to composition, and ability to find beauty in the everyday have made him a highly influential figure in contemporary art. His work continues to inspire and challenge photographers and viewers alike, cementing his legacy as one of the most important photographers of our time.

Nancy Honey

Born in America in 1948, Nancy Honey moved to England where she became a mother and raised her children this is when she started her photography journey in a male dominated industry.  Honey focuses on topics such as motherhood, sexuality, power, and ageing. But though they’re framed by her biography, her projects look outwards, depicting and recording everyone from schoolgirls to businesswomen, infants to the elderly, models and bus passengers. As such they create a consistent body of work that’s asked a single question from many different angles – what does it mean to be a woman, now, in this particular time and place?

The question that Nancy Honey asks and questions her work on has intrigued me as a female as I think it’s is a question that many females have questioned and thought upon.

Her work questions and challenges the exam boards topic of observe, seek, and challenge as in one of her projects she spend hears observing her own child crating a project on her growing up and how she changes and grows up, the project also challenges female stereotypes as her child had very short hair and some masculine features, in many of the photographs of when shew was younger she wore gender neutral colours which audiences don’t usually see as when children are young there parent’s tend to dress them in stereotypically gender rolled clothes like pink purple and dresses which isn’t shown in the project a lot when she was younger which emphasises that she hasn’t been conformed into gender stereotypes when she was younger even though she did feminine acts when she was little like applying lipstick.

Nancy Honeys project ‘Daisy’ took 40 years to make, it was shot on film and most of the photos are taken at life events like birthdays and ‘first bra’ the photos also symbolise big feminine moments which happens to all females the project also shows the bond a mother and daughter have and how close and comfortable they are with one and other.

Nancy Honey’s Biography On The Project ‘Daisy’

This is a large collection of pictures I made with my daughter, Daisy over many years. I became fascinated with photographing her as I emerged as a photographic artist. She and I did it together and it was something I greatly enjoyed.

It started when she was a year old and I was just beginning to then use my little black and white camera to document events, more or less as a diary. I was finally beginning to learn about the technical side of photography, which I’d always loved, but had been intimidated by the science. I had always been an artist, but mostly used painting and drawing, having initially studied Fine Art in the USA. After having children I was desperate to complete my education and finished with a degree in Visual Communication at Bath Academy of Art in Wiltshire. I learned about photography there as well as typography and printmaking. I continued to make pictures of Daisy over many years and included her in every project I could. My son, Jesse, declared that making pictures together was boring early on and therefore I made far less which included him. The project, which was never a formal one, just kept evolving. She was very good natured and patient and rarely refused.

Exploring many themes such as, intimacy, AIDS/HIV crisis, LGBTQ, and the opioid epidemic, Nancy Goldin is an American activist photographer. Born in 1953, she has created a lot of popular work, including The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1986). Documenting the post0Stonewall, gay subculture, the monograph incorporates her family and friends. This included addicts, hustlers, transgenders and prostitutes. Redefining photography, she explored what it could be and do.

Goldin seems to be an outgoing character, standing out from the normal group of photographers in her time. In an interview with The Guardian, they stated that she had a coyote hung in her house. She enjoys the fact that it startles her visitors, explaining, “It likes the light”. The coyote is possibly a metaphor for the ‘most celebrated and controversial photographers of our time’. Goldin doesn’t follow the rules, and typically decides to live on the edge of society.

Material –

From the age of fifteen, she began using polaroid cameras, provided to her by her teacher. She progressed, and started taking monochrome images of her friends in a transgender community in Boston. She also experimented with Cibachrome prints; prints made using a photographic printing process in which colour dyes embedded in the paper are selectively bleached away (destroyed) to form a full-colour image. Her medium then developed to presenting images on slideshows after she moved to New York. These were partnered with music by punk rock venues.

By experimenting with several mediums for her photography, she is able to present her works emotions and story. I like the idea of polaroids and prints because it adds texture, context and the overall look becomes more interesting than just basic digital images.

Analysis

This image represents how her images are no the typically ‘perfect’ edit. Although this image is full of strategic techniques, mostly using light, she has kept grain, very dark areas/ over exposed areas, and left the image at a slant. This adds to the documentary style of Goldin’s work. The imperfections in the image are what make it distinctive, and different to other photographers such as Alec Soth who perfects his lighting. In the photo she has used the bright beam of light to illuminate the front of the girl, creating a sharp shadow on her hips. She may be looking at body image in this photo, using the light and shadow to represent how the girl wishes to look, whilst facing the mirror. Goldin has left the photo with room for interpretation. The fact there is a large amount of shadow and dark space means that the window and the girls face are the focal point of the image. This photo is a key representation of how light is one of the most important matters in photography, and I will make sure to use it effectively.

My shoot

For my shoot inspired by Nan Goldin, I am going to try and use her distinctive style of vibrant and black and white images. Although I can’t capture as expressive portraits, I will try to remake her style with what I have.

What? I will take documentary images in the style of Goldin of my grandmother

Why? I want to portray her earlier life with my grandfather compare with now. I want to create images that are interesting, rather than plain/basic photos.

How? I will use my DSLR camera to capture most of the images. I will also bring a film camera and polaroid to get different mediums, adding to the nostalgic sense. I might also bring some studio lighting with me. I could experiment with butterfly, Rembrandt and split face shadow lighting to add intensity to some of the images.

When? I am going to do the shoot just after midday because it is when the light beams through her windows. I want to make sure I have a good amount of natural lighting to light up her face and the room, and possibly use as backlighting.

Link to theme? By exploring her and my grandfathers past I am seeking into their lives. I am now observing the change that time has caused, the death of the grandfather, and my grandmothers present life without him.