Personally, I liked the images I chose as they all link to a nautical theme however I added heavy grain and filters to give them an older aesthetic due to the history of Jersey Maritime and harbours. I also liked how when I put two images on a double page they contrasted significantly together. The use of some black and white images with coloured images created variation to make every image differentiated. The boarders on some images also created variation so every page would look different, creating the unexpectant. I liked how the second image and the last image have the same subject, but from different angles as I think it closes my zine very significantly and allows to show different angles. I kept those images in colour as the colours are vibrant and different which contrasted each boat and made the images more eye catching to viewers. Each image I chose had historical elements if looked into depth. For example, the last image with the historical factors of rowing as these boats are the old rowing boats that also have an old aesthetic. The water sports boats showed more evolution in society as water sports had grown to be more and more popular throughout generations. The picture of fishermen boots contrasting with the fishermen as historical context as the storage rooms fishermen used started many generations ago. The fishermen contrasts significantly as the occupation of fishermen is permanent as society needs fishermen and what they do. I liked how I emphasized the contrast in these images by one being in black and white, and one in colour as they are very different looking images, but link very significantly. I chose my first image to be my first image as I liked the shadows underneath the main subject; watersports equipment. As well as this, I liked the significance of the background; the harbour contrasting with the foreground. The different range of colours in my first image is eye catching which is why I kept it in colour rather than black and white. Another reason I kept it in colour, is the growth in watersports in society as it is more of a modernized hobby. Therefore, as it is more modernized I kept it in colour as black and white images create the sense of a vintage old aesthetic due to the origin of photography. Lastly, I chose this image as it includes the working element in the background through the harbour, and the more fun and hobby side through the equipment. This shows all factors of historical growth within maritime in Jersey. Therefore, this is why I labelled my zine as ‘ Nautical’ as every element in the first image continued with the rest of my zine, obtains subjects to do with the sea.
On the other hand, I could’ve edited my second image to get rid of the large shadow in the centre of the boats as some of the boats are in the light. I would of liked to get rid of the pole on the left hand side of the image by standing or photographing in a different angle. On the image of the watersports equipment in black and white, I would of lowered my exposure levels on my camera settings so the sky and the clouds were more clear, rather than blurry. On the last image, I like how half of the boats are in the light as it looks much more significant on this image however I would of liked to get rid of the branch in the foreground of the image. From another perspective, the branch in the foreground can be seen as purposeful to create differentiation. Aside from this, I liked how many images were edited to reach all the bleeds to make less gaps and white areas on the zine. However still maintaining some images normal size to create high contrast and comparison. Overall, I liked my end result and how they link within the theme of ‘ Nautical’ in lots of different ways to stop my zine from being dull. Instead, it is thought out in depth with editing techniques to show viewers the importance of contrasting and comparing meanwhile linking.
For the first photoshoot, I visited a few of Jersey’s marinas to discover some pieces of Jersey’s harbour history.
During my journey, I explored parts of the newer St. Helier Marina, the older South Pier, and even older Albert Pier. My focus initially was to take as many photos of anything I found interesting in order to inspire myself in later photoshoots.
This tended to be the various historical monuments placed all around the harbour, large boats that were moored in the marina, or things I couldn’t even name. This became very helpful for gaining an understanding of the harbour and the various elaborate systems that have been created over the harbour’s history. For example, the object in the right photo is a buoy, used to warn sailors of danger. The two hats on the top are actually arrows indicating to sailors that the danger is to the north of the buoy.
During the photoshoot, this image stood out to me, however my camera settings were very wrong and the photo came out very underexposed and the white balance completely out of place. I was able to fix this in Lightroom.
This edit of the image worked very well. By removing the terrible colour of the background and making it black and white, I was able to very easily balance the photo in contrast to the vibrant blue. However, I was very unpleased with how the initial photo came out. In my second photoshoot I returned to the same angle to retake the photo with a clearer sky.
This version of the photo is much better. There is so much more colour present in the photo which adds a genuine tone to the image. The blue crane as a whole is being used as a leading line that guides the viewer through the photo as if it is bleeding the colour of the sky onto the rest of the photo. The main colours of this image are from the blue sky and crane, the distant green trees, and the turquoise water at the bottom which acts as an intersection between the blue and green. Sandwiched between those is the New North Quay, which is used for hauling containers on and off small cargo ships. The subtle yellows and reds scattered along the quay bring the photo further through the colour spectrum. There is also a flat deadpan look to this photo, and in combination with the perfectly symmetrical beams reflecting in the water at the bottom of the photo, this image really stands out to me.
Another photo that stood out to me in my first photoshoot was this.
I liked this photo because of the contrasting vibrant colours and the composition of the objects that form a diagonal line. However, I was unhappy with this version of the photo because there wasn’t enough colour and the image didn’t look as full as it truly could have with the cloudy grey sky. In my second photoshoot I came back to fix this.
In this version of the photo, I took it in landscape to capture a larger photo than before. By doing this I also include more of these colourful buoys in the photo, which I think makes the photo look more full and vibrant. With the addition of the bright blue sky, the colours now work very well with each other, the blue sky acts like a base for the rest of the colours to pop and stand out to the viewer. The juxtaposition of the massive incinerator between the yellow and red buoy also makes the objects looks big and tall. Overall, this is a standout photo from all of the photoshoots that I definitely will want to use in my project.
During the second photoshoot, I noticed this small boat coming into the harbour. I also noticed the contrast between the small boat and the yacht nearby, and the incinerator and a support beam that I could use to create a juxtaposed line by adjusting my position. Once I lined them up, I simply waited for the boat to sit evenly between the two support beams to take the photo.
Once I had the photo, I adjusted the colouring and the contrast. I like this photo somewhat, it has an odd looking composition, the elements of the photo look very contained. However, I feel that the yacht is a bit too long and it drags the photo out to the left a little too much, which creates this empty space above it which slightly skews the photo overall. If the boat was a bit shorter, I could crop the image so that this empty space is out of frame and the elements of the photo look even more contained.
This is another image from the second photoshoot. I was intrigued by these colourful lines on the floor that I could use as perspective lines, and the large ‘Ferryspeed’ logo. As I was lining up the shot through the gaps of a fence, I noticed this yellow ‘terminal tractor’ getting ready to reverse. As it rotated into place, I captured this image when it was perfectly in between these perspective lines. In addition to the blue sky, the yellow and greens in the photo stand out very prominently and helps to section off each area of the photo. The flat blue and grey at the top and bottom make the image appear overall very minimal and basic, while also acting as a canvas for the rest of the elements to sit in the middle of. As a whole, this image is another that I will be keen to use in my project.
While I was at the harbour the second time, I stumbled upon this.
This is the HMS Iron Duke, a 133m Royal Navy battleship launched in 1991, although it hasn’t been involved in many wars, with the exception of 2 artillery missions off the coast of Africa directed at Libya in 2011 during the First Libyan Civil War. Prince William served as Sub-Lieutenant on this ship in 2008 in the Caribbean. During this time, the ship intercepted multiple large shipments of illegal substances headed to Europe. Nowadays, the ship has been refitted and has stayed around the south coast of England between Portsmouth and Plymouth. It just so happened that the ship was in Jersey the day I was at the harbour, and although the sun direction is a little bit late making the ship mostly shaded, I still think I can use this photo in my project. I do wish I had returned the next morning to grab a better photo with more direct lighting, but this photo is honestly good enough.
After the second photoshoot, I knew I had good photos, but not that many of them. However, I was able to get some more photos when I returned to do some maintenance on my family’s boat.
On the boat, it was very hard to line things up correctly because of how much the boat was rocking in the waves. Also, I had complications with the objects constantly moving more and more out of place as I tried to line each photo up correctly. This made it harder to get good photos. However, this didn’t stop me from getting good photos, it just limited me as to how many I got.
Overall, this was my favourite photo out of them all.
However, the white balance in this photo was really wrong and the photo came out really dark and unsaturated. I fixed this in lightroom.
I simply made everything except the sea and the red buoy black and white, and brought up the vibrance and saturation to bring out the remaining colour. Overall, I think this effect creates a contrast between the old Elizabeth castle constructed in the 1500s and the new world around it that has changed so much since.
After I got off the boat and started heading back, I continued to take photos at the harbour. This tended to be various boats in the Old Harbour marina and the old commercial buildings.
I mostly experimented with the very reflective water that the boats sat on. I liked how these photos looked, the reflections helped fill the frame rather than simply acting as blank space. However, I wasn’t totally happy with how the colour of these photos came out, they didn’t match the other photos that I was going to use for the project. Although, this photo stood out to me.
This was a very simple photo I took near the end of the photoshoot. I like the basic geometric shapes that form from the curvature of the objects. This photo does not fit with the rest of the images in my opinion, it has a lot less details and overall just doesn’t fit with the sequence, however I feel that this image will be good to include on the back of my zine just to conclude the project.
