“Explore the dichotomies of the characteristics between the day and the night.” 

‘Photographs are perhaps the most mysterious of all the objects that make up, and thicken, the environment we recognize as modern. ‘(Sontag 1977:4) 

During the day, the natural sunlight brings energy, clearness of the landscapes around and life to the world around us, however, at night the same landscapes/spaces give a sense of mysteriousness, loneliness and emptiness. These changes not only alter the location/setting itself but the emotional impact it has on those who experience it. The contrast between the day and night creates a powerful effect, one where the light and shadow shape the way we perceive the environment as well as the way we engage with it emotionally.  My personal study focuses on the polarity between day and night, specifically how the shift from day to night creates different judgement of areas, time and emotion. To explore this theme, I have chosen to analyse the work of William Eggleston and Todd Hido, these two photographers approach the use of light, colour and the setting in unique ways. Eggleston`s photography captures the ordinary in extraordinary ways, differently Hido`s style of photography highlights isolation and mystery. In addition, I will include Pierre Putman, whose work compliments both artists by offering a different perspective on the play between light and shadow. Putman’s cinematic photographs focus on solitary dark urban settings, where artificial lighting and glowing lampposts create a dreamlike, interesting scenery, turning empty streets into powerful, emotional stories. I will respond to their work by featuring both daytime and night-time images, influenced by the work of these three artists, in my final photobook.  

To what extend have Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall explored narrative in their work?

Introduction:

I am exploring different narratives through my work, by pulling inspiration from Justine Kurland’s themes of youth and identity, and Jeff Wall’s compositional elements, so that I am able to not only create different narratives, but also to make my photographs visually pleasing to the viewers eye. A narrative is a story that you can tell, or present and the narrative for my work is my own personal youth and identity, as well as presenting a range of other identities that range from more feminine to more masculine. I am using experiences from my youth and my girlhood to create different narratives in all my photographs, by taking images of activities I used to, or still do. However, I am also exploring similar activities to the ones Justine Kurland used in her ‘Girl Pictures’ book, so that I can not only explore and present my identity by using different narratives, but so I can also display a range of other identities as well.

‘If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it.’

Paragraph 1:

Tableaux photography is a staged photograph in which characters are arranged for picturesque or dramatic effect in a constructed environment, but the photographs appear to be candid photographs, as the characters appear absorbed and completely unaware of the viewer. This conveys a pictorial narrative through a single image. Tableaux photography originated from Pictorialism, which was a union of photographers that fought to separate photography as an art form from photography used towards various scientific and documentary purposes, as they focused on the beauty of subject matter and the perfection of composition rather than the documentation of the world as it is. Photography was viewed as a Scientific experiment by many, because photography originated from Scientists, such as Louis Daguerre and Nicéphore Niépce. The Daguerreotype was created in 1839 from many Scientific experiments made from these two Scientists and it created photographs on silver-plated copper sheets using light and chemicals, such as mercury vapour to create these photographs. From the 1800’s and onwards photographers strived for photography to be art by trying to make images that resembled paintings, especially Allegorical paintings. Allegorical paintings communicate deeper moral, social, religious, political or spiritual meanings, such as life, death, love, virtue, justice, charity, greed, envy and more. Allegorical paintings tend to communicate these messages by using symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation, such as angels, or wings. In order to create images that resembled paintings they had to manipulate images in the darkroom, scratching and marking their prints to imitate the texture of a canvas, using soft focus, blurred and fuzzy imagery based on allegorical and spiritual subject matter, including religious scenes.

Julia Margaret Cameron was a photographer in the Victorian era, who supported the Pictorialism movement and was considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She was born on 11th June 1815 and died on 26th January 1879. She is known for her soft-focus close-ups of famous Victorians and for illustrative images depicting characters from mythology, Christianity and literature. She mainly used siblings as her models, including her own sisters, and her daughters, so that they would all look very similar in her photographs. She created allegorical images inspired by tableaux vivants, theatre, 15th-century Italian painters and contemporary artists. In the allegorical works in particular, her artistic influence was clearly Pre-Raphaelite, with far-away looks and limp poses and soft lighting. Pre-Raphaelite would urge artists to “go to nature,” as they believed in an art of serious subjects treated with maximum realism. Their principal themes were initially religious, but they also used subjects from literature and poetry, particularly those dealing with love and death, very similarly to Cameron’s work. Cameron was contentious in her own time and her photographs were unconventional in their intimacy and their particular visual habit of created blur through both long exposures, where the subject moved and by leaving the lens intentionally out of focus.

Paragraph 2:

‘At least my narratives were honest about what they were: fantasies of attachment and belonging that sharply diverged from the hardships experienced by so many actual teenage runaways.’

‘They were trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was “boy”.’

‘If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it.’

‘They were Pre-Raphaelite…’

Final Images

In comparison to Justine Kurland

For this photoshoot, I borrowed different ideas, concepts and compositions from Justine Kurland’s book ‘Girl Pictures.’ As seen below:

I took inspiration from the activity in this image, because I also used to climb trees with my friends during my youth. However, I had less models in my image and didn’t want to copy her image exactly, so I changed the layout in the image, by standing on the opposite side of the tree and arranging my models differently.

This is not an activity that I usually do, but I wanted to include this activity, as I feel like it is a more masculine activity. I included this, so I could use it to present a range of identities ranging from more masculine to feminine.

I took inspiration from this image, because I have done this quite often, especially in Photography in the past, so it was an easier photo to take and showed a more feminine identity.

I took inspiration from the activity in this image, because I also used to play at the park and play on the swings with my friends during my youth. However, I had less models in my image and the I chose to use the swings at St Ounes on the trees, because I thought it fit the setting of the urban woodslike areas. However, the lighting of this image wasn’t the best, as it was more of a sunny day, instead of a cloudy one.

I took inspiration from this image, as I also had two models run down a long road. However, my setting is more of a modern road, compared to the dirt road.

I took inspiration from this image, because I also used to climb trees in my youth, so these images display my identity.

I took inspiration from this image, because the setting suited the theme well and was a very similar setting to the setting Justine Kurland uses in her book ‘Girl Picture’ and the setting I want to achieve for my images.

How does this relate to my theme of youth and identity?

These images relate to the theme of youth and identity, in particular, my youth and identity. I have explored my youth in these images, because I had my models do the activities I used to do when I was younger, such as playing on the 100ft hill at the sandunes, playing on the swings at St Ounes and climbing trees. I used to do all these activities during my youth, so I wanted to explore that and present it through my work. In doing this, I also explored my identity during my youth, by reminiscing on what I enjoyed doing, what I didn’t enjoy doing and who I did these activities with. I was also then able to compare my identity now to my identity during my youth, because I was able to see if I still enjoyed doing these activities, and see if I still had these hobbies to this day, or not.

I also took inspiration from Justine Kurland’s work and borrowed ideas, concepts and compositions from her to create a wider range of activities to show case. These images relate to the theme if youth, because I have borrowed other activities that Justine Kurland presents as youth to her. I have also used my friends as models in these images, and they are still in their youth, so they present this theme of youth. These images also explore identity, because they portray more feminine and more masculine activities, so this presents to the viewer that they can be whatever they wish to be, no matter if it doesn’t follow social norms. I also presented a range of activities, so that I could present a range of different identities, even though I have used the same models. I have also only used female models in these photos, similarly to Justine Kurland, so that I could explore this concepts of girlhood just how she has in her book, because I relate to this theme of girlhood, because I am living my girlhood right now so I want to present this through my work.

Photoshoot Conclusion

I think this photoshoot went quite well, as I was able to explore my youth by presenting different activities I used to do, or still do. I also explored a range of other activities, some similar to the ones Justine Kurland presented in ‘Girl Pictures.’ I was also able to explore the theme of identity, while doing this, because I was able to present my identity during this work, as I displayed the activities I enjoy and what makes me myself.

However, it was the wrong time of day when these photos were taken as it was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, so the lighting was not how I wanted it to be. Next time, I will aim the take photos at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon instead, so that I can attain a less exposed lighting where the sun is not shining so bright. I want to achieve this lighting, because I think it will best suit my images, but also because this is the lighting Justine Kurland used in her ‘Girl Pictures,’ and it worked extremely well.

I would also like to display more masculine activities in my next photoshoot, so that I can strongly portray that female stereotypes aren’t the only identity choice and that during girlhood my models are ‘trying on boy,’ like in Justine Kurland’s work where she explores a range of different identities. However, I would also like to display more feminine activities just as much, so that I can present a range of identities through my work, so that I can spread the message to the viewers that they can chose whatever identity they wish.

I also experimented with my composition during this photoshoot, by using things such as being in the centre or to the side, or being in the foreground, middle ground and background. However, I do think I could improve my composition for my next photoshoot, by taking inspiration from other photographers and artists, as well as using other compositional tools, such as the rule of thirds, or just using the same compositional tools but better. I also want to experiment more with visual elements, such as texture, colour, tone, light, shape, form, line, pattern and space.