For my first photoshoot, I went to St Malo where I was able to take my street photography. Henri Carter Bresson was my inspiration for this photoshoot so I tried to imitate his style so I focused on getting natural photos of people.

Henri Cartier Bresson inspired

People

Architecture

Although I was focusing on Henri Carter Bresson I also did want to take some photos where I focus on the architecture in St Malo.

I really liked this image above I found this interesting wall down one of the lanes where it had been heavily graffitied but on the side of it was a drain which worked well in my favor. When looking down from this angle the drain acts like a divide almost as if it is two images stuck together.

For this photo tried to use the pillars within the architecture to frame the picture as it was a beautiful building however the greenery within the middle open part really brightened up the image. The building itself is quite monitored with just the natural beiges of the brick which was used however having all the plants in the middle I found it added a lot more dimension to te image and it also made it more unique as it’s not something done very often or not to this degree.

Artist Case Study 1:

Jim Goldberg

Jim Goldberg is an influential American photographer and visual storyteller best known for his intimate and socially conscious work that explores the lives of marginalized individuals. His most renowned project is Raised by Wolves (1985), which captures the lives of homeless teenagers living in the streets of San Francisco during the 1980s. This project, which blends documentary photography with personal narratives, provides a raw and empathetic look at the struggles of these youth as they navigate survival, identity, and hardship.

Jim Goldberg was born in 1953 in New York City. He grew up in a family that fostered his creative interests, particularly in the realm of visual art. Goldberg attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where he began developing his photographic style. His education there helped shape his approach to photography as a tool for social commentary and personal storytelling.

The Raised by Wolves project, which Goldberg began in the early 1980s, is perhaps his most defining work. The title refers to the metaphorical idea of teenagers being abandoned or left to fend for themselves, with little or no support from family or society. Goldberg documented the lives of homeless teenagers living in the streets of San Francisco, focusing on their struggles and resilience.

What makes Raised by Wolves unique is Goldberg’s method of combining his photographs with the teenagers’ handwritten notes, journal entries, and letters. This combination of imagery and text gives a voice to the often overlooked and voiceless subjects in his work. It also allows the viewer to connect with the teenagers on a deeper level, revealing their personal experiences, dreams, fears, and moments of vulnerability.

The project provides a window into the social issues surrounding youth homelessness, but it also humanizes these teenagers in ways that challenge stereotypical portrayals. The images show them in a range of contexts: from moments of hardship to moments of defiance and joy. The handwritten text in the margins of the photographs often reads like personal diaries, bringing an emotional depth to the narrative.

Goldberg’s work is characterized by its unflinching realism and sensitivity. He often spends extended periods with his subjects, allowing him to develop trust and access to more intimate moments. His ability to capture the humanity of his subjects, particularly those living on the margins of society, is central to his approach. The combination of photography and text creates a dialogue between the image and the narrative, emphasizing the power of storytelling.

While Raised by Wolves is Goldberg’s most famous project, his body of work spans many years and addresses various social issues, including poverty, identity, and the human condition. Throughout his career, Goldberg has used his photography to challenge the viewer’s understanding of these issues and to highlight the resilience of individuals who are often ignored or stigmatized.

Artist Case Study 2:

Jo spence

Jo Spence (1934–1992) was a pioneering British photographer and activist, renowned for her deeply personal and socially engaged photographic work. Throughout her career, Spence used photography as a tool for self-exploration, political critique, and social change, tackling issues related to class, health, gender, and identity. Her work is known for its raw, unflinching portrayal of the human condition, particularly focusing on the realities of working-class life, illness, and the body’s transformation.

Jo Spence was born on June 6, 1934, in London, England, and grew up in a working-class family. After leaving school at the age of 15, she worked in a variety of jobs, including as a secretary and in the civil service. Her early life experiences in the working-class community shaped much of her later work, particularly her interest in class-based inequalities and the way they intersected with broader social issues.

In her early career, Spence worked primarily as a commercial photographer. She was a freelance photographer for several years and gained success for her work in the fashion and portraiture genres. However, she grew disillusioned with the commercial side of photography and began to focus on personal, experimental projects that questioned the nature of photographic representation.

Jo Spence’s photographic practice was deeply tied to her personal and political beliefs. Several key themes run through her work:

1. Class and Identity: Spence’s working-class background heavily influenced her work, and much of her photography addresses issues of class, social inequality, and identity. She used her own experiences to highlight the ways in which working-class individuals are often marginalized or erased in mainstream narratives.
2. Feminism and the Body: As a feminist, Spence critiqued traditional representations of women in the media and sought to reclaim control over the representation of her own body. In projects like The Picture of Health and her later series The Body Work (1987), Spence explored the intersections of gender, health, and the medical gaze, using photography to confront the societal expectations placed on women’s bodies.
3. Autobiography and Self-Representation: Spence’s work is also highly autobiographical. She used her own body and experiences as the subject of much of her work, allowing her to explore issues of identity, health, and personal transformation. Her photography often served as a means of empowerment and resistance to the societal forces that sought to control or define her.
4. Collaborative Approach: Spence was also committed to collaborative photography. She worked with others, including marginalized communities, to create photographs that were informed by the subjects’ perspectives rather than being imposed by the photographer’s gaze. She believed that photography could be a participatory, communal experience rather than one that objectified the subject.

Artist Study 3:

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman was born on January 19, 1954, in Glens Falls, New York, United States. She was raised in a middle-class family and developed an early interest in art. Sherman attended Buffalo State College in Buffalo, New York, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1976. It was during her time at college that she began to explore photography as a medium and began to shift her artistic focus towards conceptual photography. She was influenced by the work of photographers like Diane Arbus, whose focus on identity and unconventional portraiture was a precursor to Sherman’s own exploration of self and representation.

Sherman’s artistic breakthrough came in the late 1970s when she began creating a series of self-portraits in which she dressed up and assumed various roles, frequently using costumes, makeup, and props to create different characters. Unlike traditional portrait photography, where subjects are captured as they are, Sherman’s work questioned and deconstructed the concept of identity, with the artist becoming both the creator and the subject of her work.

In 1977, Sherman moved to New York City, where she started her career by working for magazines such as New York Magazine. She also began making experimental photography, blending traditional portraiture with art-making. Her early work is often considered a reaction against the glamorized, idealized images of women commonly portrayed in popular culture and advertising.

Cindy Sherman’s work has had a profound influence on contemporary photography and visual culture. Her focus on self-representation and the performance of identity has been pivotal in discussions of gender, identity politics, and the role of women in art. By challenging the viewer’s expectations of the female form and the role of the artist, Sherman has redefined the boundaries of portraiture.

Artist study 4:

Lorna Simpson

Lorna Simpson was born on August 28, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York, United States. She grew up in a working-class family, and her early experiences in New York City influenced her later artistic career. Simpson developed an interest in art at an early age and went on to study at The School of Visual Arts in New York City. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1983.

Afterward, Simpson attended the University of California, San Diego, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1985. It was during her time in San Diego that Simpson began to develop her distinctive visual style, which combined photography with text, and began exploring issues of identity and race in her work.

Simpson’s work spans various mediums, including photography, video, and installations. However, she is perhaps best known for her photography and multimedia works that frequently incorporate text, which plays a significant role in shaping the meaning of her images.

In the “Wigs” series, Simpson photographed women wearing various types of wigs, each wig becoming a visual metaphor for the different ways in which Black women negotiate their identities in a society that often marginalizes them. The wigs become symbols of societal pressures to conform to specific standards of beauty and appearance, while also questioning the idea of identity as something fluid and constructed.

• What you want to explore?
• Why it matters to you?
• How you wish to develop your project?
• When and where you intend to begin your study?
• Which form you wish to present your study (photobook, film, prints etc)

In my photography project, I am going to delve into the complex and painful relationship people have with their identity, particularly the pressures that lead individuals to hide their true selves. I’ve decided to focus my project on young person as I’ve observed first hand how my peers often feel compelled to mask their identities in order to fit in with societal expectations/ friend groups, for example: adjusting behaviour, altering appearances (by using makeup etc), or hiding emotions. I feel like people fear of being judged, ridiculed, or rejected if their true self is revealed. This sense of concealment and the desire to conform is something that I want to explore in my project. In this project, I’m going to start by photographing the idea of disguise in identity. I will do this by taking photographs of different peers in the studio and then using the work of different artists to emphasise the idea of a fragmented identity. For example, I will be looking at the artists: Aneta Ivanova, Manny Robertson and Brno Del Zou/ David Hockney. Aneta Ivanova’s work links to the theme of disguise in identity as she often uses complex visual compositions and costumes to blur the line between reality and fantasy, creating characters that reflect the performative aspects of identity. Her use of masks highlights how identity can be distorted, challenging the viewer to question what is hidden beneath the surface. Additionally, Manny Robertson’s work also fits the theme as his portraits capture the tension between the external façade and the internal self. His work reflects the emotional and psychological layers of disguise and how individuals navigate the multiple versions of themselves that exist. Finally, Brno Del Zou uses digital manipulation to reconstruct facial features. This reflects the concept of identity as its constantly shifting and sometimes fragmented, representing people not being whole as they often hide their true selves.

As my project develops, I want to shift the focus towards exploring the beauty and strength in embracing one’s true identity, despite the risks of vulnerability or rejection. By the end of the project, I hope to portray a journey of self-acceptance, showing how people can learn to take off their masks and be unapologetically themselves. Through this progression, I aim to demonstrate that the courage to embrace one’s true self is both empowering and liberating, and ultimately leads to a deeper sense of fulfilment and connection with others. To depict this, I will be taking inspiration from Marcelo Monreal. I feel his work covers the theme of embracing identity as he incorporates flowers and natural elements which evokes the idea that identity is a process of continuous growth and transformation. Flowers, which bloom, wither, and regenerate, mirror the way human identity can change over time, influenced by experiences, emotions, and external factors.

I am planning to present my project in a photobook format followed by a series of prints. I am going to use Photoshop to create photomontages and use AI technology to show how easy it is for people hide who they truly are online now days due to the easy access people have to these tools which are able to blur the lines between reality and imagination. I hope my images will be able to represent the internal struggles people face when embracing who they really are and to encourage them to not hide their true selves just to fit into society and individuality is what makes everyone unique and special.

I am going to be taking mainly tableaux images as I will carefully construct pieces that are able to tell a story of the journey of identity. I want to reassure the people who look at my work that discovering who you are isn’t necessarily a straight path and that its okay to want to hide sometimes but ultimately, I hope my project will inspire people to embrace themselves for who they are and to be unapologetically themselves.

For this photoshoot I am going to focus on colour, looking at how colour can create interesting contrast between two different subjects. Unique forms and compositions will be created from this highlighting bold shapes and patterns overall producing very visual and attracting images. Inspired by Saul Leiter I want to explore this concept of colour, perfect compositional elements like lines, peoples silhouettes, to shadows, which all come together to produce this very visual and attractive image. I want to create interesting and unusual contrasting elements between the subject and background with that being railings, coloured wall, shop windows (reflections and shadows), signs and posters to wording. Through this I will capture unique formations of patterns and lines that will be emphasised against the subject. I want to create a narrative between this having the subject relate to these features displayed in the background. I feel this will create depth and meaning, as the viewer will question why the subject is positioned the way they are in front of this, what they are thinking, is it revealing something about the subject. Capturing the subject in front of signage to prints and letters, I want the subject to pose in such ways that communicate a response of this that clearly shows a relation.

I want to stage aspects of this photoshoot, like posing the subject: leaning against the wall, in front of windows – so the reflection is visible, wearing contrasting outfits between the subject and background. I am going to make this photoshoot about my sister, in a way that still follows the genre of street photography and capturing unstaged moments. However I feel like having control over aspects of this, shown through the clothes worn, expressions, and poses, will create a visually appealing series of images, which all link together to create this interesting narrative and meaning which will draw the viewer in. I am going to photograph her in a series of locations throughout the streets of st helier, during late afternoon to evening. At this time very strong compositions will be visible, with interesting shadows and tones coming out through this. I feel at this time of day and it being winter will create an interesting atmosphere as it already creates a dimmed and sharp tone. So by having the subject dressed in bold colours and styles of clothes, photographed against a contrasting background, will emphasise this concept. Then using adobe lightroom to further develop this, to bring out these tonal colours and shadows inspired by Saul Leiter.

Capturing different features I find along the streets and come across including signs, bold prints, arches, contrasting background (walls, doors, windows, railings) will come together creating these contrasting features, mixing with the diverse colours and shapes which never fails to attract the viewer.

What I am going to look for:

Mirrors, window reflections, puddles (where reflections are shown), contrasting features (architecture, trees, people, bold colours, lines, shapes, colours and patterns.)

Saul Leiter Inspiration:

Lee Friedlander inspiration:

Developing photoshoot:

Using lightroom, I am going to make adjustments where colours, texture, lines, contrasting tones and brought out through interesting architectural buildings (as background) and silhouettes. I like how leiter uses things like windows, doors, sides of walls as a frame, creating this focus around the subject itself. I love this effect as this interesting form leads you into the silhouette of a person that blurred.

Josef Sudek was best know for his photos of the streets of Prague and dubbed the poet of Prague for this very reason, However, He started out his life as a bookbinder and getting his certificate at the age of seventeen. Sudek began to experiment with a box camera and became fond of self portraits. Taking his camera with him during the acts of world war two he produced three albums, however he lost his right arm while serving. After the war Sudek turned to photography.

Heavily influenced by Impressionism, Pictorialism, and Czech Poeticism, there is a romantic flow to Sudek’s images where the glass and roses meld into one to transform what once may have been mundane, to have a grace in which would have gone unseen before. In every image the light has been carefully used to add a glow to the subjects.

“Everything around us, dead or alive, in the eyes of a crazy photographer mysteriously takes on many variations, so that a seemingly dead object comes to life through light or by its surroundings….to capture some of this – I suppose that’s lyricism.”

Josef Sudek

Sudek used objects such as flowers, egg shell and glasses of water to carry meaning through his photographs. He would often work with material in his studio, sometimes on commission but in later years as photographic exercise and investigation. His still lives were undoubtedly inspired by his large collection of paintings, books and by his relationships with painters in Prague.

These are the edits of my first and second photoshoot:

Snapseed edits –

Using the app Snapseed on my phone, I was able to use their filters to create both a realistic depiction and more time-period based aesthetic of some of my images.

Lightroom & Photoshop –

Gun Crew:

Before:

Using the Image without me as a base Image the aim was to recreate the original photograph by layering the different positions of myself to replicate the look of the gun crew. By syncing the images to the same editing settings I aimed to create the old Yellowish texture and hue photographs from the past contain.

With this image as my reference, I tried to recreate it to the best I could.

Editing:

Using the following settings I was able to create the desired aesthetic that makes use of its low tones to contrast brightly against the limited but bright light.

Outcome:

Now edited I was able to merge these images to replicate the original image using photoshops object selection tool to layer the images of myself into one.

After:

Overall I am happy with the outcome of this Image. With the overall composition creating an interesting story, I find my inspiration from both the the original reference Image and the artist inspiration from Paul M Smith are faithfully recreated in my own piece of work.

Ammo Inspection:

Before:

Like the previous Image, the aim for this image was to create a scenario that would occur within the life of the fortress. With the Bunker being remade to look how it did 80 years ago, this helped create the immersive aesthetic which I believe added to to its overall mise-en-scene through the additional use of props and costumes.

Editing:

Using the following settings I was able to create an contrasted tone of stone grey’s and almost a sand-like white, to me this was creative in its own appearance, whilst still paying homage to the older appearance of photographs of that time.

Outcome:

From this I was then able to repeat the process of using photoshops object selection tool to create ‘clonified’ versions of myself.

After:

I Like this outcome as it recreates a plausible scenario which would occur within the bunker, with difference In headwear and accessories I feel that this image helps to separate the 2 ‘Me’s’ and creates an detailed level of immersion.

Crew Room:

Before:

With the more serious areas of the bunker being covered I thought I’d try to cover the more relaxed types of images you’d see in a bunker such as communal living and sharing the limited utilities offered.

Editing:

Using these settings I tried to create an Image with some colour, with the warmth of the photographs already with its brown and orange wood panelling as a backdrop, this acted as a stepping stone to achieve this, through the following edit settings

Outcome:

After:

With this intended candid style, I feel it creates an interesting atmosphere and aesthetic to the image, with the me on the right having a partially obscured face, like some of the other images I have made, to me, it creates a level of realism to the peculiar concept of Paul M. Smiths work I have chosen to base my images off.

Spent cases room:

Before:

With these Images here I wanted to try and continue this intended candid style, with some minor influence from Henri Cartier Bretton with use of motion blur. With the centre image, this was inspired by this photograph in particular.

‘Behind the St. Lazare’, 1932 – Henri Cartier-Bresson

Editing:

Using the settings shown I created the basis of tone, shadow, high lights and etc. This was to create that ‘Stoney’ colour like within Cartier-Bressons photograph.

Outcome:

Now edited I could now merge them into an image to create another ‘scenario’ photo.

After:

With the use of different props, poses and uniform diversity I feel as if this shows a creative mise-en-scene into the idea of my project and how I aim to show the lives of Jerseys occupiers in World War 2.

Command Phone:

Before:

Straying away from some of the multi-crew photographs I’d thought I would try some individual shots as sort of filler photographs between the main edits.

Editing:

Using both a gradient filter an exposure brush, I touched up on some details I thought were lacking towards the left side of the photograph.

After:

With a section of my influence based on the work of Michiel Peters, I aimed to recreate his images that feature a low-saturation to create a sense of drama and grittiness.

Field training:

Before:

With this image being a large one to recreate, I tried my best to copy out the poses and appearances of the individuals of each man within the original photograph of the training exercise.

Editing:

Using a blank image of my location as a basis, I edited it to my liking and then applied these settings to the set of images I wanted to implement into into it.

From this, I then used photoshop to merge them into one by cutting out myself into layers and piecing them together.

Adjusting them slightly to fill the gaps I then flattened the image to make it whole.

After:

As a result, this is what turned out:

Overall, I am very happy with this image, as editing the multiple ‘Me’s’ proved to be quite difficult. There is still some minor faults such as repetitiveness with the headdress and of course myself however this came at the expense of uniform accessories such as other hats or caps they would have worn. Cropping of the feet to was also hard, as wind direction and changes made from moving about made the lower parts seem less in quality compared to the upper, however if decide to crop by the calves this can be avoided.

Combat Exercise:

Before:

With these Images, I aimed to show my inspiration from Paul M. Smith and his series ‘Artist Rifles’. With his photograph of multiple clones of himself making an assault charge, I found that replicating this would be perfect within the types of battle trainings the Germans had on the island.

Editing:

Editing these images, like the ones previously, I applied them to my selected photographs.

Outcome:

After:

Placing the various me’s, I find it has resembled the photographs of Paul M Smith and his similar creative choices regarding his series ‘Artist Rifles’ very well.

‘Artist Rifles’, 1997 – Paul M. Smith.

Interlude Photographs:

With the edits making up a lot of the book, I will add some filler ‘interlude photographs between the scenario images I made. These images don’t include to much of the clone process.

Before:

Editing:

Using these settings, I tried to replicate the colour and tone of the ammunition room photograph.

After:

Overall I am happy with the outcome of this photograph as I find that it acts a good example of the more ‘regular’ experiences they got up to which, now we can still relate to such as shaving.

Statement of intent

I will be focusing on binary opposites for my personal study, these will be ‘old and new’. For my personal study I intend to recreate various old photos of my family members to show how people change overtime. To do this I will look at old photo albums to find photos which I can recreate. I will edit this new photos and compare them to old ones, I may also try combining these photos. I might also explore landscape photography through using older photos and holding them up in the landscapes where they were originally taken, this will not only show how people change but also how the landscape around them has changed overtime.

Photographers

Irena Werning

Taylor Jones

Intention

My intention with this photoshoot is to explore the female identity and my own identity through this photoshoot as well, just how Justine Kurland found her own identity through her work. I am going to explore the female identity and present all different female identities through my work. I want to present that the female identity isn’t just what is stereotyped, but it can be whatever you want it to be. In ‘Girl Pictures,’ Justine Kurland states that, ‘Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it…’ She is stating that the girls in her book were all these things. She has done this, so that she can present to the viewers that they too can be whatever identity they wish to be, no matter how different or not socially acceptable it may be. I also want to present this in my work, so that I can portray to my viewers that identity is just what you make it, instead of it being what makes you.

Through this work I also want to investigate into different stereotypes and present images that oppose these stereotypical ‘norms.’ Justine Kurland presented these girls ‘in the dominion of boys’ and ‘they were trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was boy.’ She did this, so that she could combat against female stereotypes, so that she could present to the viewers that these stereotypical ‘norms’ aren’t just what we should be allowed to be and do, but instead girls should also be able to do anything a boy can do and act in a way that a boy would. I think this is a really important message and I want to display this message well in my work, by presenting the young girls in a more rambunctious, ‘boy like’ manor, combating these stereotypical ‘norms.’

However, I want to make a twist on Justine Kurland’s work, for my own work, and I intend on doing this, by showing a larger spectrum of stereotypes, and showing stereotypes, that are not being combated. For example, I want to display these young girls following these female stereotypical norms, because I want to display to the viewers, and to all other young girls that may see these images, that your identity can be anything you make it, and you don’t have to feel like you have to oppose these stereotypical ‘norms’, if that is who you truly are and what your identity truly is.

I also want to explore youth through my work, just like Justine Kurland did in her ‘Girl Pictures.’ As I said I also wanted to explore my identity through this project, so to explore these two things I am going to be looking back into my youth, or my ‘Girlhood’ and replicating some of the activities I used to do in my teenage years. This will help me explore youth, especially my youth and it will help me explore my identity, to see what stereotypical ‘norms’ I followed, or didn’t when I was younger. This will also help me compare my identity back then, to it now. I think youth is also a really important aspect to explore, because Justine Kurland’s whole book was based off this idea of youth and ‘girlhood,’ so to also put a twist on her work, I am making my work more internal to me, by making it relative to my youth, ‘girlhood’ and my life. I also think that youth is a very important development stage, which helps to build your identity, so I also think it would be interesting to compare my youth, to the youth shown in Justine Kurland’s book, ‘Girl Pictures.’

I also want to explore and experiment with different compositions during this topic, because both Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall borrowed compositions, ideas and concepts from famous painting, such as Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, which they both took inspiration from. I also would like to take inspiration from this painting, so I can create similar images to both Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall, but with my own spin on it. I also want to borrow compositions, ideas and concepts from both Justine Kurland’s and Jeff Wall’s images, as well as other famous historical paintings. The reason I would like to do this, is so I can pull ideas from other great pieces of art, so that I can improve my work. I also want to focus on improving my compositions on my photos and I feel this will really help me do that, as I will be able to grasp a better understanding of composition, and the features that make a good composition.

Ideas

During my review and reflect of all my previous blog posts and topics, I discovered that I much preferred taking pictures of people rather than landscapes, whether that was portraits, tableaux images, or street photography. However, I think portraiture is my biggest strength and what I enjoy the most.

I also found the topic femininity and masculinity a really interesting topic that I found I could write a lot about. I find researching and creating different stereotypes in my photographs the most interesting part, and I really enjoyed making my images fight against these different gender stereotypes. I really enjoyed this topic, because as a women stereotypes is something I hear and see a lot of and I feel like I could do a lot for this topic and write a lot about it, because it is so internal to me and my identity. I also enjoyed how in this topic Claude Cahun for example explored her identity, by becoming a more masculine version of herself and I feel like if I were to do something related to this topic I would also be able to explore my identity.

Artist Research Thoughts

I enjoy how Justine Kurland’s images are of young girls, because I am myself a young girl, so this is something I really relate to and is internal to me, so I feel like it would be easier for me to gather my friends to create similar images. I also feel like I could produce better images, as the topic of ‘girlhood’ is so much more internal to me, as I am experiencing my girlhood right now. I also like how she also fights against stereotypes, b getting the girls to ‘try on boy,’ which I feel like I would be able to do and create up to standard images. I am also going to explore female stereotypes, as well as opposing female stereotypes, because this is how I am going to put a twist on my photos, compared to Justine Kurland’s.

I am also going to be using the same photographic technique as Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall, which is producing tableaux images, that look like candid images. I am going to create these tableaux images in scenic outdoor environments and capture normal social interactions, that I would do in my youth. I am also going to pull ideas from the activities and the settings used in Justine Kurland’s ‘Girl Pictures.’

For my photoshoot, I am going to use Justine Kurland for my main inspiration, but I am also going to pull ideas, concepts and compositions from Jeff Wall and other Historical paintings. I am doing this, because both Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland pulled compositions, ideas and concepts from famous paintings.

I am going to pull composition ideas, such as the fore ground, middle ground and background, as well as using the rule of thirds and other compositional ideas, because Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland have used these compositional ideas, and I think they have worked very well. I am also going to use similar visual elements, such as tone, shape, patterns etc. that they have both used.

Photoshoot Plan

Justine Kurland- Girl Pictures

Examples of my youth:

During my teenage years, I went out with my friends a lot. Some of the outdoor places we would go, would include:

• Harve Des Pas Beach
• FB Fields
• Fort Regent
• St Brelades Bay
• Frigate
• People’s Park
• St Ouens Beach
• La Marrais
• Town
• In my car
• Georgia’s shed
• Campfire

The reason I am only choosing places which are outdoors, is because during my youth, I had more fun and did more things, while I was outdoors, instead of inside. I also wanted to keep the setting of my images still quite similar to Justine Kurland, because I think the images will relate to ‘Girl Pictures’ more, and will come out of a better standard visually.

During my youth I did many different activities including:

• Jumping off the Lido at Harve Des Pas
• Swimming in the sea
• Wave surfing at St Ouens
• Playing hide and seek at La Marrais
• Camping at St Ouens
• Have BBQ at the beach, or in gardens
• Picnic
• Get a snack/ meal
• Tan/ chill with a book
• Make a campfire

Other place ideas:

I also wanted to include settings that were used in ‘Girl Pictures,’ because I think they are visually pleasing settings, and they really help display the combat against stereotypical norms, because a dirty woods is not usually associated with femininity. Some places I have decided to include are:

• Street
• Public Bathroom
• Field
• Woods
• Barn/ shed
• Lakes/ rivers/ pond
• Mountains/ cliffs
• Walkway path
• Sandunes
• Roadside
• Under a Bridge
• Reservoir
• Rocky coast

Similar Places in Jersey:

• Cycling path along the avenue
• Snow hill, St Ounes etc.
• Field- nans garden
• St Catherines woods
• Georgia’s shed
• Sandunes
• Underground bit at harbour
• Resoviour
• Cliff paths St Brelade
• Beach
• Fort Regent park
• St Brelades campfire

Stereotype Ideas:

Female Stereotypes-

• Use of makeup in my images
• Doing hair
• Emotional shots eg. crying
• Using colours such as pink

Male Stereotypes-

• Strong eg. use of weights
• colours such as blue
• Emotional shots eg. anger and violence
• Messing around

To fight against these stereotypes, I will have girls do these male stereotypes, so that I can present girls acting like boys, as well as girls presenting as more feminine, because these were some activities I did in my youth and they just happen to be more feminine.

Narrative of different Image Ideas:

• Playing on swings in a park
• Running down the street
• Getting ready/ washing in a public bathroom
• camping
• smoking
• eating ice cream/ other snacks
• Making fires
• Shooting glass bottles
• swimming
• playing catch
• Fighting/ boxing
• Hula hooping
• Playing an instrument eg. Guitar
• Blowing bubbles
• Catching sweets in mouth
• Reading books
• Walking a dog
• Climbing trees
• Washing feet in a river
• Picking flowers
• Fixing a car
• Roadtrip
• Sand castles/ lying at the beach
• Roasting marshemellows
• Climbing fences
• Sledging down the sandunes

Tools/ props needed:

• Make up
• Perfume
• Hair brush
• Soap
• Cigerettes
• Snacks
• BBQ
• Glass bottle
• Toy gun
• Balls
• Hula Hoop
• Instrument
• Bubbles
• Books
• Car
• Bucket and spade
• Marshmellows
• Sledges

Composition

Different compositions that Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall used included compositions from famous paintings, so I am also going to pull ideas from famous historical paintings to create some of my photos. I am also going to pull ideas, concepts and compositions from Justine Kurland’s work and Jeff Wall’s work.

Some example of historical paintings that I am going to pull ideas, concepts and compositions from are below:

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s world 1948.

I want to take inspiration from these paintings, not only because they have a good composition, but because they also tell a story, which I could tell through my photographs, but make it applicable to modern times, and to the subject of identity and youth, because that is what I’m exploring.

Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret, The Burial of Manon Lescaut.

For this historical painting, I am going to take a picture of the same composition and actions. I am going to have one of my friends lying down being buried, like the women in this image, and have another friend burring her, but the concept behind my photograph is going to be different to the concept of the painting. In the painting the man is burring the women after she has died, but in my photograph I am going to make a modern version of this painting, and I am going to relate this photograph to my theme of youth. I am going to do this, by having the concept of my image being too young girls playing at the beach instead, because this is something I used to do when I was younger.

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s world 1948.

For this historical painting I am going to use the same composition and setting as this historical painting and I am going to position my model in the same way. However, I am going to try and find a daisy field, so that she could be picking daisies in my photograph, instead of the concept of the painting. In the painting, she is looking into the distance at a faraway farmstead and a cluster of structures, and she is portrays the artist’s neighbor, who was unable to walk due to polio, so she would drag herself around.

For another photograph, I am going to take inspiration from Edouard Manet’s painting above, as well as the photographs Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland have made by pulling concepts, ideas, and compositions from Edouard Manet. I am going to do this, by creating a similar setting and composition as they all have. I am going to do this, by going to a scenic outdoor area that is similar to the settings they have used, such as a woods, and I am going to use the same compositional method that they have all used, with a person in the foreground, middle ground and background.

To take inspiration from these images in the best and easiest way, I am going to print off these historical paintings and my chosen artists photos, so that I can visualise what I am trying to create while I am out on my photoshoot, and so I can see them side by side.

I am also going to be focusing on my composition quite a lot throughout all my photoshoots, as I am taking inspiration from Jeff Wall, Justine Kurland and famous historical paintings. Some examples of compositional tools I use are the foreground, middle ground, background, rule of thirds etc..

I am also going to be focusing on the visual elements that I can present in my photographs, and the visual elements that are being used in the historical painting, as well as Jeff Wall’s work and Justine Kurland’s work.

List of Visual Elements:

• Colour
• Tone (light & dark)
• Texture (surface)
• Shape (2D, flat)
• Form (3D)
• Pattern (repetition)
• Line
• Space (3D concept)