Petrol Heads

The story of this photo book was about which cars he has and what types of modifications he is going to do on them and why. He explains how he enjoys driving around and talks about the operation canvas that happened over here on the Island. Operation Canvas was launched in July 2020 amid growing concerns at the manner of some people’s driving. The genre is something of non-fiction, focusing on car culture, an automotive-enthusiast. His approach to image taking was a documentary style, with some close up shots telling the story of what modifications he has made to the cars.

The photographer is called Jeremy Rodger, who made this book as a hautlieu student. I think his intentions were to reflect operation canvas and portray that this wouldn’t alter the way he lives his life and that it was overall pointless. He says ‘but what else are we meant to do’ which implies his negative feeling towards the police operation. I think that audience was for car enthusiasts along with DIY enjoyers.

The book was a paperback, with a few images that are wide spread, these images mainly being the car as a whole and then some zoomed close ups of the modifications he has personally done showing his proudness of the car. The title is relevant and intriguing leaving you to want to read into why he likes car so much. The narrative is told in a way of how much he enjoys racing around and why and implies that the police are not going to stop him.

We can apply Rowland Barthes theory of proairetic and hermeneutic codes. With the proairetic code, being the action/ movement which would be his text about operation canvas. The hermeneutic code which is his reflection and dialogue about how this makes him feel, which is his images of modifications to go against the police. The enigma code which is the way in which to intrigue and gain the audience, being the fact he is so reckless, calling the police scared of him.

theGETAWAY

This book was a story about a guy and his girlfriend, which explained how the only time they were alone was in the car. He portrays his love for the car and how it is there safe space. This book was made by another hautlieu student,m who had clear intentions of making it a romantic genre, one that show the teenage struggle of constantly watching each other. Portraying how we are so focused on ourselves and other people looking at us that we don’t realise they are also too focused on themselves to notice what’s even happening around them. He shows how him and his girlfriend go to party’s together, and socialised with their friends, but they show that they also need their personal alone time. I like how narrative driven this book is portraying the deepsense of the story. The book is a paper back with an intriguing title. With incorrect grammar to portray the informalness of the story.

The book has a tactile and emotional quailtiy mirroring the initamte and personal story it tells. Holding it envokes a sense of nostalgia, and even slight melancholy. The mix of matt and gloss paper symoblizes the contrasts between private moments of relection (matte) and vivid intimate moements with his girlfriend (gloss). With the book being primarly black and white igives a raw timeless feel. Useing some slught dim colours like darker green it highlights emotinal sognificatny moments. Like tyhe glow of the light when his girlfriend is doing her makeup in the car mirror. The small shape of the book rembles something perosnal, like a intimate nature, for example a doary or journal. With around 40 pages its enpugh to tell the story without overstaying its welcome. The binding allows the book t lay flat. With a wide image on the cover it gives it an approachanble feeling whereas a smaller image om the cover wouldvtr given ir a more tactile feel. The muted moodty images of the car, with dusk and raindrops on the windhsielf may rekate to the dark atmosphere of the title. The title has relevance, inviting interpretation. The book explores the car as safe and intimate, acting as an escape for connection. It is told through a mix of photos, the interior and close up of mirrors. There is repeated motifs like the use of eye contact, and a clear concept development through the cars progression from a sanctuary and intimate place to reflect solo imagery to paired moments. The images have been selected to have a chronological flow, the escape of the girlfriend. With empty car parks to create an intimate emotional push and pull. This approach ensures that every element of the book ties into its narrative, creating a deeply engaging and tactile experience for the reader.