Plan: In my 5 hour exam I plan to create a selection of edits based on my response to the photographer Zed Nelson.
Selecting images:
I selected the images which I would like to edit by giving them a red colour label. I will experiment with adding blurry backgrounds and removing certain colours from the photos via photoshop.
Editing:
First edit:
For this edit I wanted to make the snake black and white and the environment around it colourful. To do this I first made some adjustments to the original image by increasing the contrast to make everything stand out more as well as slightly increasing the brightness. Then I selected the snake using the quick selection tool and the I inverted the selection so that I had the background selected, I then pressed ‘Layer Via Copy’. Once I had copied the layer I moved onto adjusting the saturation of the first layer so that the snake would be black and white.
Finished product:
Next I wanted to experiment by making the subject vibrant and the background black and white.
Edit 1:
I like the way this image has turned out as the bright blue colour of the frog makes the image stand out. I did this by reducing the saturation of all the colours on the HSL/Colour option, except blue, and next I used the Adjustment brush to remove any remaining colour which may have been in the photo.
Edit 2:
Next I edited this one using the same method on Lightroom, except this time I didn’t remove the green tones.
I believe these images stand out more compared to the ones where the animal/subject is grey as these reptiles are often brightly coloured and it makes the photo stand out when there is one bright colour present contrasting with black and white.
Photoshop:
I also used this technique however I used photoshop, I found it much easier using Lightroom as selecting the animal in photoshop was quite challenging. I also feel like the edges of the animal in this one are not smooth unlike in Lightroom where the animals all have sharp defined edges.
Blurry backgrounds:
To create a blurred background I did the same steps to select the background however after copying the layer I instead selected motion blur so that the background was blurred. I like how it has turned out as the blurred black and white background makes the animal stand out and it creates an interesting image. It almost looks as if the animal is stuck there with everything else around it constantly moving which is how animals in zoos may feel with constantly having things change around them however they are always there.
Presenting final edits:
I chose these as my final images as I think they worked out the best and each photo stands out. I chose to put one of the frog photos on each side and to place the snake photo in the middle. I did this because the snake photo is a vertical image whereas the others are both horizontal. I added a drop shadow to each photo to make it look realistic I also used the perspective tool.
Definition of AI – Artificial intelligence is the science of making machines that can think like humans. AI uses algorithms to create images from textual descriptions or prompts. These generators analyse the input text and generate corresponding visual representations, ranging from realistic photographs to abstract artwork’s.
To create this montage of plastic rubbish I found on the because I used many different images and layered them up to create this colourful creation of plastic. The meaning behind this is to show how much plastic there is in the oceans and that we need to be aware of just how much is ending up their. The brighter the colours of the plastic the more birds and fish will want to eat it.
St Saviour’s Hospital, formerly called the Jersey Lunatic Asylum, opened in July 1868. The States Assembly were extremely reluctant to spend money on a purpose-built lunatic asylum, and Sir Robert Percy Douglas Lieutenant Governor of Jersey was forced to intervene. The architect was Thomas Gallichan. Its name was changed to the Jersey Mental Hospital in 1952 and then again to St Saviour’s Hospital in 1963. The Criminal Justice (Insane Persons) (Jersey) Law of 1964 specifically authorises detention in St. Saviour’s Hospital. A new mental health clinic for older people was opened on the site in 2014, with two wards with a total of 28 acute assessment and treatment beds. There have been several proposals to sell the site, which is said to be worth as much as £15 million.
During this period of time mental health and disabilities was stigmatised and stereotyped into being clinically insane. Within this asylum, levels of care differed in copious amounts. For example, the less ‘severe’ patients would receive the relatively highest amount of care that could be offered in this undeveloped medical period whilst those who suffered with greater mental health issues were ‘treated like animals’, kept in outhouses on the perimeter in appalling and inhumane conditions. Those who did not reside on the premises were sent to asylums off island in France or England, however others were kept within the General Hospital of which practiced as a poor house and hospital at the time.
Edits
These images are in response to John Divola, because they are images of abandoned buildings, which is also what John Divola also took images of. I visited Bouley Bay, as well as St Saviour hospital to take my images of abandoned buildings.
I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this so the building would look darker and more eerie.
I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so the signs and the greenery growing on this building would stand out more.
I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so the greenery growing on this building would stand out more. I wanted to get the greenery in on these two images, so that I could present how this abandoned building is on a natural landscape, which inhabits lots of animals.
I edited these images of the front of the abandoned building, by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so the greenery in them would stand out more, so I could strongly present the animals that may live here. I also wanted the graffiti on the first image to stand out more, so that the negative effects of these abandoned buildings are shown, such as trespassing and vandalism.
I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so the boarded up windows would be more visible and stand out more.
I edited these photos by by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. However, on the first one I increased the exposure. I did this, so that the over grown greenery is more vibrant. This is the perfect place to inhabit animals, because of how overgrown it is and because its abandoned, so no humans are around. This is bad for the animals, because there are many things left damaged or just left at these places, which could harm these animals, especially if they eat anything.
I edited these photos by by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so the images would be more vibrant, especially the danger signs, so I can display how much of a hazard these buildings truly are. The lose wires are also a massive hazard, especially if any animals chew on these wires. These images all show the negative items/ things that are left behind at these abandoned buildings, which are harming the environment and the animals that live in this habitat.
I edited these photos by by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so the photo has better lighting and the boarded up windows are the main view point.
I edited these photos by by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks.
I edited these photos by by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks.
I edited these photos by by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks.
I edited these photos by by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks.
These last few images are to really represent how many other smaller buildings there are here as well of the massive hospital. This is to show how large of a scale this abandoned site is and must be so many abandoned materials and hazards.
How do these Images relate to the theme of Anthropocene?
Abandoned buildings relate to the theme of Anthropocene, because they can cause things, such as pollution, wastage of resources, which are left for animals to find and could cause hazards to them. Not only do abandoned buildings cause problems for the environment and animals living there it also causes health problems for humans, as well as the animals, due to things like asbestos. Abandoned buildings also cause crime, development control problems, dangerous reptiles, accidents, and vagrancy.
Top 9 Final Images
Bouley Bay Abandoned Hotel
The abandoned hotel in Bouley Bay, was the former Water’s Edge Hotel. This hotel catered for many tourists, until it went bankrupt and they were forced to sell the property. It was bought for £6.4 million by a family who will demolish it and build a stepped luxury home.
The redevelopment of the hotel was approved by the Planning Committee last October and now, six months later, the unnamed family behind it has acquired the property. The family who will live in the three-storey home said that planning approval ‘heralds an exciting new era’ for Bouley Bay when their plans were passed. Plans to convert the Water’s Edge into a home with guest accommodation, a pool, tennis courts and extensive landscaped gardens were first put forward in June 2021. They include building a new dive centre, in the same place where it is now, and a new café/restaurant, which is intended as a replacement for the Black Dog pub. Past Environment Minister John Young referred the application to a public inquiry, but this was overturned by the Royal Court, which said it failed to meet the required legal test. In parallel to the main application, the company behind the scheme also applied to build a temporary dive centre for the two to three years that the demolition and rebuild is expected to take. Its first attempt – to use the parking spaces by the bay’s bus stop was rejected by the Planning Committee, a group of politicians who decide on more controversial applications, but a second attempt building it on the German bunker which is now a viewing platform was approved in February. As part of a legally binding agreement with Planning, the owners of the site have pledged that the redevelopment won’t affect any hill climb events and the cliff path to and from White Rock will remain open. The owners have also agreed to limit movements of construction traffic during the summer months.
These images are in response to John Divola, because they are images of abandoned buildings, which is also what John Divola also took images of. I visited Bouley Bay, as well as St Saviour hospital to take my images of abandoned buildings.
Edits
I edited these images by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I have done this, so that the image would be brighter, as it had started to get dark as me and Katie were taking these photos. These images were taken at Bouley Bay, the old hotel. These images are in response to John Divola, as he also took photos of abandoned buildings. He mainly took photos of abandoned buildings by beaches, or on beaches, so that he could really stress the impact it would have on the wildlife. I purposely went to Bouley Bay, as it is also near a beach, similarly to John Divola.
I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights, whites and blacks. I did this so the sign on the front of the hotel, that is very worn down is more visible, so I can show the state these abandoned buildings are really in. I wanted to show this, so I could present how much rubble and damage there is, that is harming the habitat and wildlife around it, or within it.
I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so the image would be brighter and more vibrant, so not only the building could be seen better, but also the beach in the background. This image shows how the abandoned buildings is just above from Bouley Bay beach, like John Divola’s photos. This causes it to have a larger effect on the viewer, because it is close to a natural habitat that inhabits lots of wildlife, that the rubble may negatively impact.
I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so the already existing graffiti that was on this abandoned building and Katie would be more visible and have greater contrast between them.
I took inspiration from John Divola’s photo, but in my own way, with what was available to me. In his image he had a black man figure behind him, but I had found a spray painted dog, which I thought would work nicely.
I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights, whites and blacks. I did this so the images would be brighter, as it had started to get very dark at this time. These images show the abandoned building as a whole and show the state this building is in. This building is a very large one, as it was a hotel and this photo presents how much rubble and resources were abandoned here, right next to a large animal habitat (the beach).
This image was edited by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the building would be a bit brighter and the greenery around it more vibrant. I wanted to make the greenery more vibrant and visible, so the viewer would recognise it and realise that this is a habitat for animals, with an abandoned building effecting it. This image is of a small abandoned building near St John.
The theme Anthropocene was a really enjoyable series of photoshoots to take part in. Anthropocene consists of many different types of variations of things such as; light pollution, litter polluting the seas and land, noise pollution, deforestation etc. It is a mixture of all different ways that us humans effect the earth and leave our mark in the worst ways possible.
THE PHOTOSHOOTS –
For the theme of Anthropocene I did an overall of four different photoshoots all varied within different sections of what the theme of Anthropocene covers. I enjoyed this as it meant I was able to be very creative within the aspects of choosing where I wanted to go and what I was hoping my outcomes would be for each shoot I did.
Photoshoot 1 –
For my very first Anthropocene photoshoot we had been set the task to take photos of the aftermath of storm Ciaran. I found this photoshoot both very interesting to still see the damage of the storm months after it had passed while also feeling the devastation of what a mess the island had become. For this photoshoot I decided to go to Noirmor woods as this is a place I went often before the storm had hit therefore I felt a stronger connection to this location which had given me more room to be creative as I not only knew my way around but could really see how big of an impact the storm had left as I knew what it had looked like before hand. This shoot was lots of fun and I really enjoyed capturing all of what remains within that woods and painting a picture of just how bad the damage truly was.
Here are a few images from that shoot:
StormCiaran2024
Photoshoot 2 –
For my second Anthropocene photoshoot we had decided to do this based on The new topographic, this is where photographers would study areas of land where it involved both modern buildings and environment whilst also being surrounded by nature within the same areas. Its main goal is to capture the image of the impact us humans being brought to earth and populations growing fast showing the increase in modernised buildings and the decrease in the nature. The photographers who study this try to capture the beauty of nature and the world we live in today where both nature and modern buildings share the same environment. For this photoshoot, as a school group we all headed down to Harve des par to conduct a photoshoot about the natural environment and modern landscapes we have over here on island.
Here are a few images from that shoot:
Photoshoot 3 –
For my third Anthropocene photoshoot I took some photos in my own time relating to Ansel Adams. I really like Ansel Adams work as he really tends to capture the full detail and beauty of nature and the landscapes that surround us. For this shoot I decided to go to Plemont beach as this is not only my favourite beach in Jersey but its also in my opinion the one with the most beauty and detail to it as it is full of caves, and many different types of cool areas to explore on that beach compared to any other beaches on the island.
Here are some images from this shoot:
Photoshoot 4 –
For my fourth and final Anthropocene photoshoot we were set the task of studying a variety of photographers and choosing one which we liked best to study in detail and create our own photoshoot relating to this photographer. For my photoshoot I decided to look into Mandy Barker and her work involving Anthropocene. Mandy Barkers main focus was within pollution of the streets and oceans, she created a variety of photoshoots with all the waste she would find along beaches and in the streets of many countries and would then edit them creating some amazing edited images which all created a story behind them if you were to examine her images further. For my shoot I took Mandy Barkers inspiration and went to St Ouens beach to collect as much rubbish from the beach as I could and took them home, set up a studio and took photos of each individual object while also creating some setups with various objects. My main goal was to capture these objects in detail and create a story following within each of my images just like Mandy Barker does.
To get my images, I went on a walk and I took these landscape pictures around school campus. I wanted to get buildings in my pictures as much as possible to show the real urban/industrial setting and show the real change in time and years. All these buildings have been built through the economic growth.
These are a chunk of the images I took on a walk around the school of urban/industrial views. I edited these final images on Lightroom to make sure they are clear and in focus. On Lightroom, I colour coded them and gave them a star rating as to what I think of my images.
Final Images
These are the best photos showing urban/industrial sights in my opinion.
I like how this photo shows a building as well as a car. This shows the economic growth through the years as you can see how much more developed cars have become.
I like how this photo shows a building as well as a worker. I like how the worker can represent the working industry.
This is one of my favourite as it shows the view of town and all the crowded streets.
I also love this image as the contrast of having lots of buildings in the back with a tree in the front. I like how I’m showing that pollution is killing our world and I tried showing that through the use of a tree with no leaf’s.
Artificial intelligence is the science of making machines that can think like humans. It can do things that are considered “smart.” AI technology can process large amounts of data in ways, unlike humans. The goal for AI is to be able to do things such as recognize patterns, make decisions, and judge like humans. AI is a machine’s ability to perform the cognitive functions we associate with human minds, such as perceiving, reasoning, learning, interacting with the environment, problem-solving, and even exercising creativity.
At its simplest form, artificial intelligence is a field, which combines computer science and robust datasets, to enable problem-solving. It also encompasses sub-fields of machine learning and deep learning, which are frequently mentioned in conjunction with artificial intelligence. These disciplines are comprised of AI algorithms which seek to create expert systems which make predictions or classifications based on input data.
Over the years, artificial intelligence has gone through many cycles of hype, but even to skeptics, the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT seems to mark a turning point. The last time generative AI loomed this large, the breakthroughs were in computer vision, but now the leap forward is in natural language processing. And it’s not just language: Generative models can also learn the grammar of software code, molecules, natural images, and a variety of other data types.
AI in photoshop
I have chosen these images for Anthropocene to represent the appealing aesthetic of the world as it is something humans should put more care into, therefore I will be using AI to represent past, present and future and portray the difference humans can potentially impact the world and convey what it could be in years time due to humans affecting it. I used Photoshop to create depictions of the past, the present and the future of the Anthropocene.
These are the 6 different petrol stations I visited. I chose to photograph 6 different petrol stations around the island because my plan is to put them into a typology. I feel that this will be successful as typologies display a range of different images that link to the same topic. I selected my best photo of each station so I can compare the similarities and differences, as well as being able to make my final pieces in the project interesting for the viewer, as they display a strong contrast.
I chose to compare these photos as they are both similar animals with similar colours within them. Both animals in the photos sort of look lost and isolated. They both display Anthropocene as they are both of animals who are kept in habitats rather than their natural environments due to humans putting them in there for entertainment which zoos provide people.
Testing layouts:
To create the background for my layouts I selected A4 and changed the background contents to black.
To then place each of the images onto the background I dragged that layer onto the background and adjusted it to fill one quarter of the image.
I prefer the second layout as I like the way the wood matches up with the other branch in the photo next to it on the bottom row as it makes the images flow more.
