This is my femininity virtual gallery with the final images I picked.

this is my still life virtual gallery with the best images I took.

What is a Zine?

A zine (short for “magazine” or “fanzine”) is a self-published, often small-circulation work that typically focuses on a specific topic, theme, or subculture. Zines are usually created by individuals or small groups and can take many forms, including pamphlets, booklets, or digital formats.

What will my zine be?

Theme:

Tradition and Heritage

• Focus on the historical significance of fishing in St. Helier, showcasing the practices and lifestyles of local fishermen. Highlight the importance of preserving these traditions in a changing world.

2. Connection to Nature

• Explore the relationship between fishermen and the sea. Consider themes of sustainability, environmental impact, and the beauty of the natural landscape surrounding the harbour.

Labour and Craftsmanship

• Emphasize the hard work and skill involved in fishing. Document the tools, techniques, and daily routines that define the life of fishermen, celebrating their craftsmanship.

Tone and Style

Zines have a distinct tone and style for several reasons, zines are often created by individuals or small groups, allowing for a unique voice. The tone reflects the creator’s personality, beliefs, and experiences, making the content feel more intimate and relatable, The tone and style are often tailored to resonate with a specific audience. Whether it’s humorous, serious, or experimental, the approach helps to engage readers who share similar interests or values, and Many zines address social or political issues, and the tone can be used to critique or challenge mainstream narratives. A bold, confrontational style might be employed to provoke thought, while a more reflective tone might invite empathy.

What would be the tone and style of my zine?

• Nostalgia – Evoke a sense of history and connection to the past, celebrating the traditions of fishing and the stories of local fishermen.

• Warm and Inviting – Create a friendly, approachable atmosphere that draws readers in, making them feel a part of the fishing community.

• Visual collage – Incorporate a mix of photographs, hand-drawn elements, and text to create a dynamic layout. This can reflect the eclectic nature of life in the harbour.

• Minimal text – Use concise, poignant captions or snippets of narrative alongside images, allowing the visuals to speak for themselves while providing context.

MoodBoard

I took 392 photos around jersey St Helier Harbour.

i started editing the 43 photos i selected.

Harbour Photoshoot 1 edited

This is my first photoshoot from around st Helier harbour, I edited them on Lightroom, never did too much mainly changed exposure and lighting or cropped the images, next to most of them you can see how I edited them, the last few are main ones I was very pleased about and was fairly certain I was going to use for my final product.

Harbour photoshoot 2

We went around the harbour again for a second time to take even more photos.

we started in the maritime museum to have a talk and look around to take photos.

In this photoshoot I took around 351 photos, very similar to last time, I then went through and selected which ones I liked the best, and also to limit down on ones I had to edit.

I was left with 34 images.

I then went through and begun to edit them.

Final edited image

What are the differences between photographs that are mirrors or windows?

According to John Szarkowski, Photography falls into 2 categories of either being Mirrors or Windows. As Szarkowski states “The distance between in terms of their conceptions of what a photograph is: it is a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?”. To explain it simply, when creating a photograph, does it capture/represent you as an artist, either abstractly or normal (Mirror). Or does it show the exterior world, with all its natural elements (Window).

Other words that can be used to describe Mirror photography include:

• Subjective
• Reflective
• Interpretation
• Personal
• Characteristic
• Individual
• Unique
• Staged
• Non-Candid
• Aesthetic
• Tableaux
• Romantacism
• Fiction
• Manipulated

Other words that can be used to describe Window photography include:

• Documentative
• Non-fiction
• Realism
• Candid
• Aesthetic
• Naturalisltic
• Unaltered
• Genuine
• Objective
• Straight
• Optical
• Views

Artists that include Mirrors and Windows:

Henri Cartier Bresson –

Henri Cartier-Bresson, previously studied for his use of the decisive moment when taking photographs, can be said to be create windows within his work. With many of his images taken on the street, with candid shots of the everyday passer-by, Cartier-Bresson can be said to show the world around us within his work, with no images of himself within his projects, this shows his aim is not to explore his own identity as an artist but the others around him. His photobook ‘Europeans’ is a good example as this collection documents aesthetically people all other Europe in the years from 1930 -1980.

Nan Goldin –

Representative of her own life, Goldin first displayed her work within Bars and nightclubs in the 80’s and 90’s to audiences, for her photos her subjects consisted of “entirely of the people in the slide show, my lovers and friends.” as Goldin states. Through photographing these people close to her this contributes to the mirror aspects of Szarkowski’s photography concept.

What are the differences between photographs that are windows and mirrors?

As stated by John Szarkowski, in 1974, in an essay he wrote that accompanied the exhibition, “is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?.”

Key words associated with:

Mirrors: tableaux, subjective, romanticism, fiction, personal, warped, reflective, manipulated.

Windows: documentary, depictive, objective, realism, public, candid, straight, external.

Identifying windows and mirrors.

The below image is a window, it allows the viewer of the image to see the world around the boy and the influences that affected him. This photo was taken by Diane Arbus and is titled The boy with the toy hand grenade. It was taken in central park in 1962. The boy in the photo is Colin wood, according to a 2005 article by the Washington Post, written by David seal, Colin has no recollection of having his picture being taken. Colin told Segal that he wouldn’t of posed like this unless he where asked and he recons he was imitating what he saw in war movies. It is likely that Colin was out with his nanny when Arbus came a cross him and grabbed a few shots, due to this it is very much like a documentary image and can be seen as an image reminiscent of the decisive moment.

Mirrors and windows was a photography exhibition consisting of 127 photos at the museum of modern art in New York 1978, created by John Szarkowski. The exhibition was created because Szarkowski wanted to categorise photos into two categories.

Mirrors: are photos which mirror the photographer’s feelings/what they are trying to portray.

• Words which associate with mirrors are: personal, expressive, subjective.

• Some photographic examples include: Self Portraiture and Tableaux photography.

Windows: are photos which act a window for the viewer so they can view an image which is documented as what the photo actually is in reality.

• Words which associate with windows are: real, documentative and objective.

• Some photographic examples include: Candid, Documentary photography and Natural landscape.

Szarkowski described the exhibition as “a fundamental dichotomy in contemporary photography between those who think of photography as a means of self-expression and those who think of it as a method of exploration.“

Example of mirror photos

This photo could be seen as a mirror because it is staged and the photo is taken in the view of the photographer, Nan Goldin, and is of people he knows.

Example of window photos

This photo is an example of a window as it is just a photo of a landscape by Ansel Adams the photo documents the landscape and it is what it is shown. As it is all subjective it could be a bit of a mirror image as Ansel Adams had a passion for Yosemite national park and he could be trying to portray his passion for the landscape and scenery of the park by taking this photo to show his view of the park.

What are the differences between photographs that are Mirrors and Windows?

Mirrors and Windows, an exhibition of American photography since 1960, is John Szarkowski’s attempt to categorise the work of photographers which largely seek to explore outside of themselves. Whether an image is a mirror or a window is dependent on the photographer’s own sensibility, and whether or not it is a reflection of self.

“Is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?” – John Szarkowski, 1978

Mirrors

Images that are mirrors in photography are a romantic expression and a personal reflection of the photographer’s sensibility, as it projects itself onto things and sights of this world. Mirrors explore a personal perception of the photographer’s self and the world around them.

(key words) tableaux, subjective, romanticism, fiction, staged, personal, reflective, manipulated

Windows

Images that are windows in photography act as a window for the viewer to see something primarily factual and external to the photographer’s own sensibility, where the exterior world is explored in all its presence and reality. Windows are factual and documentary-based, and capture a moment in time which is usually not staged.

(key words) documentary, objective, realism, candid, public, straight, optical, views

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I believe that this photograph by Nan Goldin is a mirror image. Although the image appears to be staged, it could depict a moment which factually took place in their relationship, exploring the reality of the situation, making the photo a personal reflection of Goldin’s self.

Task 1: What are the differences between photographs that are windows and mirrors?

…is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?” 

John Szarkowski

Windows: These types of images are strictly based on facts and reality(objective), they aren’t staged and usually taken in the decisive moment.

They were… pure and unadulterated photographs, and sometimes they hinted at the existence of visual truths that had escaped all other systems of detection.

John Szarkowski

Mirrors: These types of images are open to interpretation, they aren’t fixed onto a fact(subjective) and are usually staged and personal.

…the camera deals with recording factual things and events that form the subject of the photograph, it only produces a perceived reality that is remembered after the thing or event has passed.

 If a photographer cannot easily record a concept such as the “social class” or “economic condition” of a family or community or region, he can record a partial view that will allow viewers to select details that will help illustrate the truths or lies he is intending to convey.

John Szarkowski

Task 2: Words associated with them:

Windows:

• Closed
• Fixed
• Fact
• Objective
• Realism
• Candid
• Public
• Documentary
• External
• Optical
• Truth

Mirrors:

• Open
• Synthetic
• Fiction
• Personal
• Reflective
• Subjective
• Internal
• Manipulated
• Tableaux
• Psychological

Task 3: Image Analysis

Without context I first thought this image was a “window” because it looked like we were looking into the private personal life or reality of a man; possibly in distress. However, after knowing this image was staged; and the actual room we see the man in was created in a studio, we can say that this image is actually a “mirror” because it has been manipulated and isn’t showing raw reality in the moment.

I personally believe this photograph is both a “window” and “mirror”. This is because although the image is staged and the man wasn’t intentionally laying on the floor, this image acts like a window which shows the reality of some people who suffer from severe insomnia. It is a fact that some people with insomnia try everything they can to get sleep, we can see that this man is being used as a “window” to show this reality.

Contact Sheet:

Final: