A Mirror reflects a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world.

In the summer of 1835 William Henry Fox Talbot experimented with various chemicals to develop paper coatings suitable for use in a camera. He placed small wooden cameras that his wife called “mousetraps” all over his estate. The earliest surviving paper negative dates from August 1835, a small recording of the bay window of Lacock Abbey (left). In 1978, the German photographer Floris Neusüss visited Lacock Abbey to make photograms of the same window. He returned again in 2010 for the Shadow Catchers exhibition at the V&A to create a life-sized version of Talbot’s window.

The idea of photographs functioning like windows makes total sense. Like the camera viewfinder, windows frame our view of the world. We see through them and light enters the window so that we can see beyond. Photographs present us with a view of something.
However, it might also be possible to think of photographs as mirrors, reflecting our particular view of the world, one we have shaped with our personalities, our subconscious motivations, so that it represents how our minds work as well as our eyes. The photograph’s glossy surface reflects as much as it frames. Of course, some photographs might be both mirrors and windows.

“The two creative motives that have been contrasted here are not discrete. Ultimately each of the pictures in this book is part of a single, complex, plastic tradition. Since the early days of that tradition, an interior debate has contested issues parallel to those illustrated here. The prejudices and inclinations expressed by the pictures in this book suggest positions that are familiar from older disputes. In terms of the best photography of a half-century ago, one might say that Alfred Stieglitz is the patron of the first half of this book and Eugène Atget of the second. In either case, what artist could want a more distinguished sponsor? The distance between them is to be measured not in terms of the relative force or originality of their work, but in terms of their conceptions of what a photograph is: 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.

Edit 1: Colour splash

For this edit, I decided to do a colour splash with this image. I chose this image because to had many vibrant colours to choose from. the yellow boat stood out to me as it was slightly out of the group of boats and also the most noticeable colour. I first went to saturation of individual colours and turned all saturation down to 0 for each colour apart from yellow. This then left me with the image on the second screen grab above where I had the yellow boat visible but also many other yellow parts in the image were also visible and not in black and white. I then clicked the brush tool, circled in the top right, and turned the saturation down for the brush. I simply needed to brush over the rest of the image around the yellow boat so that the image was all black and white apart from the yellow boat.

Final Edits:

Edit 2: Marquee tool experimentation

For this edit I chose a photo and decided to make it more interesting but adding a section in the centre that stood out. I used the Elliptical Marquee Tool to create the circle and clicked shift to make it a perfect circle so all I needed to do was adjust the six and the position of it. I put it in the centre of the image and then right clicked the circle and clicked layer via copy. I experimented with the shadowing and position of the circle by adding a drop shadow to create the effect that it does below. I made this shadow the whole way around the circle. I then went down to the layers on the right and made the middle section black and white and kept the background in colour to create the second image below.

High saturation edits-

For this edit I simply had to change the saturation dial on Lightroom and make it the highest possible one. As well as doing that I also went on each individual colour and upped the saturation on each to make sure I had the highest amount. This made the image look more vibrant and less dull and grey looking.

The photoshoot of the harbour included many different areas which meant I was able to get a large range of images. This included the new harbour and the old harbour. personally I prefer the old harbour photos and I also put some of them in black and white to match the more older theme to the photo.

I merged all photoshoots into one as some of these were taken over 3 different times.

I think to improve this shoot I should go down on a different day when the weather is brighter as a large number of the photos have cloudy skies which make them much darker. However, this also worked well with some photos as the black and white effect matches well with darker/ cloudy skies.

Black & White Images

For this photoshoot we went to Jersey’s Maritime museum where we listened to a talk about the history and then had our own time to look around and gather photographs of the museum. There were may different parts to the museum such as the occupation section which focussed on the world war.

I liked this photoshoot however I don’t think I will use it in my final zine as i would struggle to find many things that linked together. The images that are larger above were my favourite images from the photoshoot

I began to experiment with the front cover, I knew I wanted a simple but engaging front page that would immediately catch your eye, making you want to fick through.

I played around with the layouts having an more zoomed in angle of the photo, while also having the title just off the centre, that aligns with the bouys in the water. The small detail draws you in, as it leads your eyes into the photo as its in a sequencing order.

I then started to experiment with different versions of the same photograph that would be displayed on a double page spread, with one being in black and white- showing an interesting contrast, while the other being in colour – bringing out the interesting colours and highlights. I thought each gave a unique photo, however the colour version really stood out to me because I found the colour schemes went nicely alongside the the first photo – the fishermans boots, as it related more, showing a sequencing story.

Originally I wanted to

Final:

I wanted the portrait of Captain Brian Nibbs, to be the very last photo inside the zine, giving the impression he he was overall incharge of the fishing,

what are the differences between photograph that are mirrors or windows?

Photos that are mirrors are a romantic expression of photographers sensibility as it projects itself on the things and sights of this world, when a window is through the exterior world is explored in all presence and reality.

Key Words associated with;

Mirrors:-

• tableaux
• subjective
• romanticism
• fiction
• staged
• personal
• reflective
• manipulated

Windows:-

• documentary
• objective
• realism
• candid
• public
• straight
• optical
• views

This photo was given to me yesterday in class and i had to decide whether it was a mirror or window photo then evaluate why.

This photo is done by Gregory Crouton, he was inspired by Millais Ophelia. This image is a Mirror, as it is subjective not objective, it does not show and explore actual reality, and everyone could understand something different from this image. Gregory Crouton stages all his images like a film set, behind this image is actually a set of this room with a built pool underneath, which is created into this magnificent piece. Mirror images are staged like how this one is. Although this image is fiction and manipulated it is personal as everyone who looks at it can see something new or different and could find a way it relates to them in a personal way.

I actually did not evaluate this photo yesterday, but decided to evaluate it now. to show my understanding of a window image.

This image is a window, this is because it isn’t staged or manipulated, as it was done by Henri Cartier-Bresson who focused on the decisive moment and street photography, he captured this moment as it was actually happening, yes you can still subjectively look at it but most of Cartier-Bresson work is quite objective in a sense as you can see what is happening quite clearly. He also documents his work well to show clearly what happens in todays world, and in this photo amongst kids. This photo is also very realistic and public.

Mirrors and Windows was an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in July 1978. The curator of this exhibition was John Szarkowski, an American photographer who attempted to categorise the work of various photographers into two components; Mirrors or Windows.

What are the differences between photographs that are MIRRORS and WINDOWS?

Mirrors

Mirrors are metaphors for photos that reflect the beliefs and interests of the artist who took it or its subject. These images are often staged in order to portray a message. An example of a mirror image could be an environmental portrait.

Words associated with Mirrors:

• Romanticism
• Fiction
• Staged
• Subjective
• Reflective
• Personal

Windows

Windows are metaphors for images which are a documentation of reality. These images are truthful and have clear objectives. Examples of window images are newspaper images used to display events which are taking place to raise awareness.

Words associated with Windows:

• Documentary
• Realism
• Public
• Candid
• Objective
• Truthful

Examples

‘Mirror’ Image

This is an image of Cindy Sherman attempting to oppose patriarchy by posing as female stereotypes. This would be a mirror image as it is personal and reflective of her beliefs that women are not less superior than men. Another reason as to why this would be a mirror image is because it is staged, rather than showcasing real events.

Other Mirror Images:

‘Window’ Image

This is an image by Henri Cartier Bresson, a photographer know for capturing the Decisive Moment in his work, as previously researched on an earlier blog of mine. This is an example of a window image as it is a candid photograph of a cyclist who was passing Henri at the time.

Other Window Images:

John Szarkowshi’s expedition ‘windows and mirrors’, held in New York, since the 1960s, categorised the work that reflected a portrait of the artist who made it (mirror) and work that largely sough to see outside themselves (window).

Szarkowski is fond of creating categories. In the anthology The Photographer’s Eye, published in 1966, he described five “characteristics and problems that have seemed inherent in the medium.” Now, in Mirrors and Windows, he presents a binary theory of photography as art: an evolution from public to private concerns and at the same time a potential toward either self-expression or exploration in the unique sensibility of each photographer

Mirrors

As already explained, a mirror is basically a staged or personal image that matches the photographers vision. words that associate with mirrors include: tableaux, subjective, romanticism, fiction, staged, personal, reflective, internal, manipulated, biased.

The photo I got given to analyse was, as I decided, a mirror photo:

I think this is a mirror photo as it seems incredibly unlikely to happen naturally, from the boy using the flash in the day, to the good composition in the photo. It also just gives off a ‘staged’ feel. Here are some other examples of mirror photography:

Windows

Think of a window photo as the polar opposite of mirrors, with words like documentary, objective, realism, candid, public, external, truthful, straight, optical, unbiased to describe photos in that category. its basically an image that was not modified by the photographer. This is very uncommon so most images are usually a mix between the two categories, but still leaning towards one side. Its also uncommon to see an image that perfectly matches the photographers vision, making it slightly more window like. Here are some examples of window photography:

A quote about mirrors and windows in photography:

“The two creative motives that have been contrasted here are not discrete. Ultimately each of the pictures in this book is part of a single, complex, plastic tradition. Since the early days of that tradition, an interior debate has contested issues parallel to those illustrated here. The prejudices and inclinations expressed by the pictures in this book suggest positions that are familiar from older disputes. In terms of the best photography of a half-century ago, one might say that Alfred Stieglitz is the patron of the first half of this book and Eugène Atget of the second. In either case, what artist could want a more distinguished sponsor? The distance between them is to be measured not in terms of the relative force or originality of their work, but in terms of their conceptions of what a photograph is: 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

Here Szarkowski considers Alfred Stieglitz as a leading figure in the “photography as a mirror” function, and
Eugène Atget as a leading figure in the “photography as a window” function:

Through the theoretical separation that the mirror/window bipolarity produces, and the questions that arise regarding the ways in which a work can be a mirror of the photographer, a problem emerges concerning the relationship of the self with the mirror: how to conceive of the relationship between what is seen of the self and what the self is in its totality, as well as between the “Ego” and the “I take a photograph”. This major question can be tackled through some related ones, such as those concerning the concepts of the “truth of the photographer” (to what extent does the person who photographs enters some synchronous -to their personality- qualities, beliefs and preferences in the image) and of the “truth of photography” (what constitutes a photographic image?).

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

Window photography depicts the outside world. Showing the world outside of the artists life. While mirror photography depicts either the artists life or includes the artist in some creative way, weather its self portrait or showing their life through a photoshoot.

Key words –

MIRRORS: subjectivism ,romanticism, staged, fiction, personal, reflective, internal, manipulated.

WINDOWS: documentary, objective, realism, candid, public, external, truthful, optical.

Evaluation of my assigned photo –

This photograph is a great example of window photography, that I know, it doesn’t have any connotations surrounding the artist ( Diane Arbus ) and this photo is called “the child with the toy hand grenade in central park”

Diane Arbus photographed the out of the ordinary; strippers, nudists, carnival performers, and more. Her intimate black and white photos is what she is most known for.

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

Mirror photographs are romantic expressions of the photographers sensibility and shows a reflection of the photographer. Mirror documentation in photography provides an insight into our inner world, projecting our own subjective interpretation or attempting to reveal our inner world to an outside audience.

Window photographs show the exterior world in all its presence and reality. They document the world around us and provides the viewer with a window on that world.

Key words:

MIRRORS: tableaux, subjective, romanticism, fiction, staged, personal, reflective, internal, manipulated, personal

WINDOWS: documentary, objective, realism, candid, public, external, truthful, straight, optical, views, aesthetic, external

The difference between these two images is that the first one clearly looks staged, and it is reflecting the artist as if it is a mirror. Whereas, the second one looks more natural and it is an example of viewing the exterior world in all it’s reality, through a metaphorical window.

John Szarkowski

John Szarkowski was an American photographer, curator, historian, and critic; best known for his role as the director of the Museum of Modern Art’s Department, from 1962 through 1991.

We went to Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive and St Helier Harbour to take pictures.

For this edit I wanted to try and leave it black and white but also add some colour to it to see how it turned out. I edited it by decreasing all the colours on HSL saturation and luminance expect orange. I also decreased the contrast, highlights and the shadows.

For this image I decided I wanted to make it have a high contrast and shadows and decrease the white and black in the image which I think turned out really nice. The black and white in this image makes it looks more interesting and detailed with all the mix shadows and shaded of black and white. I would say it’s my favourite image.

Since I really liked the black and white version of this image I wanted to try out giving it a bit of colour by using HSL which was quite interesting. I was hoping that all of the top part of the mountain would turn green but only most of it did but didn’t turn out as bad as i thought because it lightens up at the top and blends in well with the whit and black.

These are the best edited images I have. I edited all of the best images to black and white because I love the way it looks and how there is so many different shades of black and grey. The black and white photos makes the imagine looks more dramatic and with black and white images it’s never has over-expose highlights, makes the image more exiting in a way because of the dramatic dark colours in random places in the photos. Coloured images are beautiful most of the time but so is black and white images, and in black-and white it expresses reality better.