Photoshoot Ideas –

Idea 1 – My idea for a photoshoot is to recreate the positioning of these second world war photographs in modern time, by positioning the camera in the same place this show the anthropogenic change brought to Jerseys locations from a different time, our relatives may have lived through. Throughout the shoot I will recreate these following images and their locations due to their historical significance to Jersey.

Using images taken by German officials, soldiers with cameras, locals and etc I will show how much the areas have changed since the occupation.

styles of showing then and now:

Corbiere + St Quens

Elizabeth Castle + Town

Idea 2 – Another idea for a photoshoot is a timeline of images on how homes have changed throughout century’s. Based on their architecture, you can see the styles and influences of the time and how they compare to now and how they mix.

Places good for this would be areas like Jersey heritage sights such as the castles or Hamptonne who other different housing variants throughout history, other places like town can show a good range of housing throughout the century’s.

Artist Study 1:

Local Jersey Photographer – Albert Smith

Photographing areas of Jersey, such as Town, Havre de Pas, and other coastal areas, Albert Smiths work is known for his portrait and landscape work of Jersey in the past. Capturing much of Jerseys iconic landscapes I will take inspiration from his photos with my work. Although not doing it intentionally. through his casual photography, Albert Smith captured much of Jerseys past historical topography.

Smiths topographic images:

Connection to Anthropocene –

With a vast collection of images of Jersey Landscapes, this provides a well documented topography that we can use to compare to those same locations in the modern day. Such as in the images above, we can see how much the coastal areas have changed, With Havre Des Pas for example, we can see that since his time period the development of La Collette behind it hadn’t occurred. With the images of recognisable areas such as the harbour and Gorey, Smiths photography shows what would local landmarks would have appeared in his time, and for future viewers of his work, how much they have altered to what we recognise them as today. His work can really show the human impact we have had to this Island with its numerous mass developments and changes to recognisable scenery through urbanisation and societal influences such as architecture.

Why I chose his work –

The reason why I chose Albert Smiths work was I thought it was a very interesting documentation of Jersey through a historical lens. Taken almost purposely to conceptually make a stamp of the areas old appearance, we as an audience to his collections from many years after his lifetime in the 19th-20th century can see how the effects of Anthropocene are thought about when viewing his photography. Comparison pictures of now to the locations are unneeded due to their recognisability but the uncanny nature of how much the environment within the pictures have changed, for me, really help make his work stand out as apart of the Anthropocene genre.

How I will apply it to my work –

For my photoshoots, I have created plans that will feature in the next blog post that will incorporate Alberts Smiths style of documentative purpose, with also his style of photographing the shifts in topography of Jersey’s well known locations.

Image Analysis –

Artist Study 2:

Pioneering Photographer – Thomas Sutton

Thomas Sutton, known locally for his importance to bringing photography to Jersey but also his wider significance to the history of photography. Owning a photography studio from 1848 to 1854 in St Brelades he also worked at a printing establishment in Jersey for the famous photography Frenchman L.D. Blanquart-Evrard in the 1850s which was advertised as being patronised by, H R H Prince Albert who was keen to photography and had a collection himself.

Suttons work has recognition for his early experiments with the patenting of a panoramic lens as well as being the photographer for James Clerk Maxwell’s pioneering 1891 demonstration of colour photography.

Suttons local recognitions can be seen with him being the first to produce a photographic publication of the Island named – “Souvenir de Jersey” in 1854.

Suttons topographic Images:

Connection to Anthropocene –

As seen in the images above, Suttons photography was primarily landscapes. like Smith his work focused heavily on capturing well-known areas such as Gorey pier, however this is not the only connection to Anthropocene that can be made when looking at his work. With many Images of the coastal and rock formations of Jerseys surrounding coastline, it can be said to capture the effects of geology under the theme of Anthropocene. With rocks in the past for example being mined for silver in the parish of Grouville and granite rocks being mined in areas to create the Martello towers for example we can see how areas over time become altered through human input to them such as with these coastal areas. With his invention of a panoramic lens, this could be said that this came out of wanting to explore further with landscape photography, capturing more within a frame and therefore the documentation of landscapes that could be used in a later time to show the effects of Anthropocene.

Why I chose his work –

Due to his notability within the History of Photography, and in recognition of his work done locally within the barriers of what can be applied to the theme of Anthropocene, I chose Sutton, as my overall idea for this project is to recreate positioned photographs of past historical photography of our Island to show how much has changed over time between century’s.

How I will apply it to my work –

With his conceptual basis in mind, I will capture areas that will most likely face or already have been subjected to a change over time from how they originally appeared in photographs of the past.

Image Analysis –

Avant Grande –

For editing the historical images onto their modern counterparts, I can take inspiration from Avant-Grande, specifically the soviet aesthetic choice that originated from propaganda posters. With their rustic, cut-out design I will edit in this way.

Used to entice the soviet people with their flashy and modern look, the moved away from classical forms of art to emerge to a new wave of art, very much on theme with the origins and values of the USSR who moved away from an old classical form of ruling a country (Monarchy) and modernised into becoming something far from its origins, One-party state that didn’t rely on parliament but controlled everything within the country.

Inspiration pictures –

War collages –

Used, abstractly, to show the cruelties of war, colleges can show a collect summary to the opposition of war and its effects on not just the soldiers who fight in them but who gets caught in the crossfire, the damage to environment, the neglectful responsibility of those in charge and much more.

It can be said that these images, put together are a good way of showing the ridiculousness of war in its purposes to create ‘peace’.

Artists such as Martha Rosler show the effects of war on the home life of people effected in a different way. With the ‘Truth lying behind a curtain’ the effects of war at home can be shown as a visual metaphor for what actually goes behind the ideas of war that is often left out when teaching about conflicts.

With this in mind, I can use this both visually and conceptually to show the effects of war on the channel islands and specifically the areas occupied in the past to show the overall effect it has had on the islands Anthropocene.

For my first photoshoot, I went around the harbour when the water was out taking multiple different photos of boats and how they have been affected by the ocean, corrosion and oxidisation. Didn’t get as many photos as the second photoshoot, but still got some good worthy photos I will be using from it.

For my second photoshoot, I explored the dump/recycling area near Havre Des Pas to take photos of all the different recycling sections from glass, metal, plastic and the burned materials turned into dirt. With also seeing a lot of abandoned vehicles just left to rot.

I started with this photo which I really liked with the bricks all placed down in a straight line, directing the attention towards the broken down/abandoned fire truck. But, I wanted to create more with the photo and focus on the straight line. So, I started by adding some AI rubbish on the left and right on the floor to create more of a dump/abandoned theme to match the whole photo. Then masked out the entire background apart from the bricks and the fire truck, and did (Filter – Blur – Motion blur – 30) which created a blurry/non-focus look to the photo but when you look closely and realise the bricks and fire truck are focused that’s what draws the viewers attention. Then, after that, the photo looked good but I didn’t quite like the sky and top half of the photo, so I told AI to add a sky, which gave me two boring/bad generates, but the third matched the theme with the power cables connection across the screen as you can see and so I kept that one. But then, asked AI to create a sunset as well, which came out exactly perfect as I imagined it, giving us the final result.

For this photoshoot, I took inspiration from Bernd and Hilla Becher’s work, as well as Robert Adams, I tried to interpret the ways that they format their images. My focus for this theme was light and sewage pollution, I wanted to convey this message by taking photographs of manhole covers and street lamps as I believe people don’t acknowledge the impact that these simple everyday objects can have on climate change.

I also wanted to explore the theme of industrialisation as it links quite well with the theme of New Topographics. I believe this is because of the massive impact this has on our planet and ecosystems.

Born in New Jersey in 1937 and raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, Robert Adams is an American photographer who documents the changing landscape of the American West. He says that his work is an attempt to “reconcile” his disappointment with the destructive behaviour of people towards nature through his love and respect for the unique landscape of the American West.

He photographed places such as Denver, Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City that had caused damage to their environments through suburbanization.

His black and white style of work was first recognised in the mid-1970s through his book The New West. He was also recognised for his participation in the exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape in 1975.

His work shows a large variety of tonal range and textures, even with a long depth of field he still manages to capture the details. His images showcase an intimidating presence through the detailed and darkened sky, as well as the intense dark shadows and prominent textures.

Examples of his work and style:

Image Analysis

This photograph has captured a quiet rural landscape featuring a ranch in Keota, Colorado in the background. The image conveys a sense of quiet and solitude which reflects the impact of human presence on the environment.

Adams has used natural lighting to emphasize the details and textures of the landscape. He uses a straightforward composition which focuses on the vast expanse of the rural setting with minimal distraction or elements.

This piece of work is a part of Adams’ project that explores the changing American landscape and the effects of human activity on nature.

The Land and Us

I went to visit ArtHouse Jersey for an exhibition named “The Land and Us”. This is an exhibition which was created as a way to reconnect and prioritise Jersey’s ecosystem, whilst exploring the past, present and future habitation of the Island. This exhibition included the work of various photographers such as Alexander Mourant, Hannah Fletcher, Remi Graves, Alice Burnhope and Sam Carvosso and many of the pieces have been created in collaboration with groups such as Youthful Minds, Highlands College, Dementia Jersey, Cheval Roc care home and Hautlieu School. These are some of my favourite pieces which I saw at this exhibition:

This is a recreation of dolmens from when our ancestors were building them 6000 years ago. This structure was created by Alice Burnhope with the use of naturally dyed waste textiles, community embroideries, reclaimed zips, threads, scrim foam and hay. I personally really admire this piece as I think it is amazing how much detail there is when you look closely and the amount of thought that would have had to go into it to ensure that each piece will hold.

This is a piece of sweet chestnut wood which has been engraved by Alexander Mourant, in collaboration with EYECAN. The carving in this wood represents St Martins Village Green and is a sensory piece in which they advise people to feel and imagine they are walking through a landscape.

As you can see here, there were paths which were created around the art gallery in the shape of the Island. These paths were made by Sam Carvosso with materials such as wood, sand, gravel, soil and hoggin. It is said that he chose these materials based on how long it took to walk each section. As you can also see below, he created an elevated area to represent the steep inclines of the North Coast. I really liked this feature of the art gallery as I think that it was a good representation of the nature of the island.

This is a piece which was created by Hannah Fletcher in collaboration with Hautlieu School and it is a chemigram which was made using silver gelatine paper and craic based photographic developer. I personally really like the abstract appearance of this piece and believe it looks like oil spillage, with links with Anthropocene.

These are various species of seaweed which had been pressed and selected by Hannah Fletcher. I really like the look of this piece and was quite surprised as I never knew how many different types of seaweed there were.

At first glance I thought that these were real rocks, however, they have been made by Sam Carvosso and Highlands Art School in Greve de Lecq woods using plaster. In the art gallery, they displayed a film showing how they made these on the trees and then collected moss to decorate them. I really admire the hard work they put into making these and how real they look.

Overall, there was a lot of impressive artwork displayed at this exhibition, my personal favourite definitely being the dolmans as I liked how vibrant and large-scale they were. I also liked how they used recycled materials for many of these pieces and collaborated with local communities/groups.

Burtynsky was a Canadian Photographer, who was famously known for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes. He has multiple locations all over the globe that represent the increasing development of industrialization and the impacts it has on nature and humans existence.

Burtynsky’s photographic style is characterized by the sublime nature of the scale of his photographs. He takes photos very far away from buildings, objects and environments with a large-format view camera, which shows humanity’s scarring on the landscapes which he makes his subject by always focusing on the consequences of global consumerism.

Some techniques Burtynsky uses is that he will get a variety of technology to achieve different perspectives, including traditional helicopters, fixed-wing planes, remote controlled drones, lifts and a fifty-foot pneumatic pole. He uses these methods in his photography to help with the Anthropocene look, with the plastic/metal and other materials affecting the environment and earth.

Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky was born in 1955 in Ontario after his parents migrated in 1951 to Canada. He is a famous, Canadian artist who is known for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes. Burtynsky is known as one of Canada’s most respected photographers. He conveys the unsettling reality of parts of the world that has surreal qualities of human-altered landscapes, and locations that represent the increasing development of industrialization and its impacts on nature and the human existence. His photographs are included in the collections of over sixty major museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Modern Art- New York, and the Tate Modern- London.

Influence on photography

When Burtynsky was 11, his father purchased a darkroom, including cameras and instruction manuals, from a widow whose late husband practiced amateur photography. This gave him a starting point of starting photography as a hobby. In the early 1970s, Burtynsky found work in printing and he started night classes in photography. From the mid-1970s to early 1980s, Burtynsky formally studied graphic arts and photography. He obtained a diploma in graphic arts in Ontario, 1976, and a BAA in Photographic Arts in Toronto, Ontario, in 1982. Burtynsky’s early influences include Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Eadweard Muybridge, and Carleton Watkins, whose prints he saw at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the early 1980s.

Examples of his work:

Burtynsky’s photos are unique, and are purposely a vivid reminders of humanity’s impact on the planet in haunting aerial photographs. His Anthropocene photos can be seen as beautiful, but also scary and daunting. They are different to other photographer’s images as he captures the truth around the world from an above angle- an aerial view. His large-format view depicts humanity’s scarring on the landscapes. He creates the subject, with “astonishing colour and relentless detail”, always focusing on the consequences of global consumerism.

Anthropocene is the time which humans are having a substantial impact on our planet -basically the influence human activity is currently having on the planet.

The causes of Anthropocene are: agriculture, urbanisation, deforestation and pollution.

How and why are photographers exploring Anthropocene?

Photographers are exploring Anthropocene by documenting the impact humans are having on the planet. They are doing it to spread awareness and educate people on the damage we are causing to the earth. This is because Anthropocene causes Global warming, habitat loss, destruction of natural habitats and extinction.

The Anthropocene Project

Edward Burtynsky, a Canadian photographer, helped create the Anthropocene project, with Nicholas de Pencier and Jennifer Baichwal. The project aimed to investigate the human influence and the future of the planet. They did this by responding with photography, film and augmented reality.

Mood board of photos from the Project

Mind map

I want to focus my photoshoots on the themes of pollution and overcrowding since they are the most prominent issues for the island ( Jersey ) .

Mood board 1 ( pollution ) –

My idea for the photoshoots surrounding pollution definitely include the use of portrait photography to include the idea of how pollution effects the human population and animal habitat, and I think that will be the best way to show this.

As of 2019, there had been 6.67 million deaths due to air pollution in the world which is almost 14 times the amount of deaths due too drug use. Air pollution has also been a leading factor of deaths due to disease killing almost 214 million people as of 2019.

Hopefully, with the use of making art to spread awareness of the issue more people will start to understand the issue and maybe it would make more of impact with the issue brought to light.

Mood board 2 ( overcrowding ) –

For this idea, I want to focus my photoshoots on the centre of St Helier mainly King Street especially on busy weekends because that is when the streets are mostly overcrowded. The photos that I could get would show the idea of overcrowding very well if I’m successful.

In the 19th century ( the 1800’s ) the worldwide population was 1 billion, the population was at 8 billion which shows a dramatic rise over a small period of time and by the end of this century the population is estimated to peak higher then ever before, hitting 11.2 billion by 2100, as of 2022 statistics.

Impacts –

With my work, I want it to really impact people and spread awareness on these causes. I want to show people the issues our world are facing and although I know that not one person can do something individually to solve these problems I thought by spreading awareness it educates and explains these issues through art instead of people having to read articles and watch news articles on the issue to be educated, which not everyone wants to do.

Another contradicting impact I want my work to have on people is that I want them to be scared. I know that my photoshoots and final photos will not be directly ‘scary’ however, when people see my work, I want them to feel uneasy or even scared. I want anyone who views them to feel guilty, this is because people seem to react better to fear the being ‘told what to do’. If I am even able to make someone feel uneasy that is the way to get people to make a difference.