For my personal study project I have chosen to explore the theme of faith and religion through documentary photography. As I had grown up in a completely atheist household finding my way in faith is very special to me and has been an incredible journey as it’s one I’ve had to navigate by myself. Within this project I aim to present my journey with faith and how it has changed my life but to also represent how much things can change and the emotions surrounding these changes before and during my walk of faith. I intend to create a series of both landscape and portrait images of both myself and anything to do with the events in which I attend as a Christian.

I will experiment with different positions, angles, lighting, weather conditions and other factors and will use post-production editing skills to capture both the outside picture but also the deeper emotions that come with each individual image. I am particularly interested in looking at symbols through drawings I will do during the editing overlapping the images to represent the emotions. The main centre theme of my study is religion and faith both which hold very different meanings yet also very similarly bond together.

For my project, I want to focus on capturing emotions through natural light and also added drawings in post-production and exploring how it can completely change the mood of an image. My goal is to experiment with different times of day and weather conditions to see how they affect the atmosphere and feel of my photos. I also want to push myself to get better at presenting a story through my images. Perhaps by using dramatic shadows, soft lighting or even artificial lighting to create contrast. Overall I want my work to make people feel something through my photos whether that be a moment of connection to my work or even just a second of curiosity.

I am really inspired by the work of Henri-Cartier Bresson and the way he uses documentary photography to tell a story and represent certain emotions and situations. I have also been looking at Arnold Newman and I love how he uses Environmental portraiture to again represent a personal story behind every individual he photographs. For my project, I want to take all of these ideas and experiment with them in my own way. Ill research more about their techniques and figure out how I can apply them to my theme of work whilst also making sure my work feels personal and unique to me.

For my personal study I am going to be using my Canon camera because it gives me the flexibility to experiment with different settings and lenses, especially when playing around with the depth of field and lighting. I will also be using editing software such as Lightroom to enhance the mood and the colours in my images. I also really want to experiment with using natural light like doing shoots during sunset and also whenever the weather is foggy and gloomy.

With my shoots, I am planning to focus on a mixture of portrait and landscape images depending on the type of images I need for the specific shoot. I will end up with a variety of different formats and sizes with my images. Ill probably shoot in a few different locations for example, my local church, my actual church, the forests, nature walk areas, beaches, my own house and possibly even more to get a variety of different settings and moods. I want to experiment with different compositions; some wide shots to capture the context and some close ups to get every little detail.

By the end of my personal study project I hope to have multiple sets of images that not only show how much I’ve improved with all the technical side of photography but also to tell my story and create meaningful feelings through the photoshoots. I would like to be able to look back on this project and see that I have done it to my full potential and pushed myself to try out new techniques and ideas, even if some of them don’t work out perfectly. This personal study project gives me an opportunity to step out of what I am comfortable with doing in photography and explore something I’m genuinely passionate about and I am very excited to see it all come together within the final photobook.

Photoshoot Plan

My plan for this photoshoot was to walk around the Havre des Pas area and capture the detail of the buildings as they have a unique and old style. I am particularly interested by these buildings as it fascinated me how much detail they each have. Furthermore, I also wanted to capture some images of railings as they are very distinctive and I find it interesting how many of them are inspired by nature. I am going to create a typology of these images.

This was my route:

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For my third personal study photoshoot, I chose 3 of my friends to be my main subjects to represent the runaways in Kurland’s series that I have taken inspiration from. We went to some woods in St Clement to recreate some of the intimate scenes between the teenage girls, which I think went successfully. The location of this shoot was an essential factor, allowing my outcomes to resemble Kurland’s, especially the images of my subjects in contact with one another, showing that they are building relationships in nature. This shoot differs from the first photoshoot I did inspired by Justine Kurland, as we went to the woods at dusk, rather than when it was dark. This was an advantage to me because it meant that the images came out better due to the camera settings being easier to use, and I could see my subjects clearer as well as the background. However, a drawback of this photoshoot would be that we went to the woods instead of a field or abandoned area that would represent Kurland’s outcomes better. This meant that all of my shoots inspired by Kurland have been taken in similar locations, limiting my ability to approach the shoots uniquely to one another.

On Lightroom, I imported all 223 of my images to work with. I think 233 images is an effective amount as it is enough to vary my final images yet it is not too many in order to make the editing easier for me. I placed these images in a new collection, named “Personal study photoshoot 3”, so I can access these images easily. I then flicked through all of the photos and deleted any that had no potential to be edited or in my final photo book, narrowing down my final options. Next, I flagged the images I knew I definitely want to use in my photo book so I can edit these ones efficiently and only focus on my best outcomes. I did not colour code these images, as I wanted to use all of my time effectively, and by flagging them I was already able to determine which images I liked and which ones I wasn’t going to use.

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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 quality mirroring the intimate and personal story it tells. Holding it evokes a sense of nostalgia, and even slight melancholy. The mix of matt and gloss paper symbolizes the contrasts between private moments of reflection (matte) and vivid intimate moments with his girlfriend (gloss). With the book being primarily black and white give’s a raw timeless feel. Using some slight dim colours like darker green it highlights emotional significant moments. Like the glow of the light when his girlfriend is doing her makeup in the car mirror. The small shape of the book resembles something personal, like a intimate nature, for example a diary or journal. With around 40 pages it’s enough to tell the story without overstaying its welcome. The binding allows the book to lay flat. With a wide image on the cover it gives it an approachable feeling whereas a smaller image on the cover would’ve given it a more tactile feel. The muted moody images of the car, with dusk and raindrops on the windshield may relate 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.

Cropping

I decided to crop many of the images such as the ones below because there was a lot of empty space in many images. This usually worked quite well to have a large amount of space however in some images I decided to crop them to further focus on the main subject of the image rather then having background aspects interfering.

Editing of backgrounds

In many images, the background had unnecessary objects which ruined the main photo. When in the carpark, there were cars that got into the photos which couldn’t be helped during the shoot since there were everywhere. I decided to export the images from Lightroom onto photoshoot and used the AI generator tool to get rid of the things I didn’t want. I did this by selecting the part of the image I didn’t want and typing in what I wanted to be gone. I made sure to specify what I wanted gone as if I had just put delete it may have edited more than just the cars. For example below I put ‘ delete car’ and for the white van I put ‘delete white van’.

• 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?

Make sure you describe how you interpret the exam themes; OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE, subject-matter, topic or issue you wish to explore, artists references/ inspirations and final outcome – zine, photobook, film, prints etc.

For my project I want to explore family: Doing this theme matters to me because it get to show different cultures and look at how different but interesting they are. Showing what they do in there everyday lives, what they get up to when on holiday, and also what it is like to be part of a large family on special occasions like Christmas when we all meet together. Freedom/ adventures: Specific key locations in Jersey, travels around famous land marks in Madeira, and these will all be taken with friends and family to represent the freedom we have to explore the earth. As well as the cultural differences between Madeira, where my parents were born and Jersey, where I was born. By making this photoshoots happen i decided to explore Théo Gosselin, Emilie Ristevski, Ashley Kaplan and Jimmy Nelson. Theo Gosselin is a French photographer who explores the themes of life, love, his generation, his adventures, and wide-open areas; He says pictures are a true admiration to freedom, captured like a snapshot. Theo Gosselin photography is very simple no set, no staging, just allowing the moment to happen. He shows how teenage life is most of the time because in your teenage life that’s when you get to life your life and start new adventures with the people you love, his work “portfolio” is a good example of living life. In addition, Emilie Ristevski is an Australian photographer visual storyteller and author. She describes her photography style as “storytelling, Escapism, Dreamscapes”. Her work is about finding the beauty in our world and always tries to capture things that often goes unseen sharing meaningful content. Emilie Ristevski book called “Forever Wandering” is a labour of love of many years full of countless wanderings around the globe, she poured so much of herself into creating this book and never been so exited to offer a home for her photographs to be held in a tangible form. Another photographer, Ashley Kaplan is a photographer who loves to take photoshoots of people to boost their confidence and families. She tried to take as many photoshoots to show people’s story. Finally, Jimmy Nelson is a British photographer known for taking portraits of indigenous people and documentation of different cultures and traditions. Jimmy loves what he does, I know this because he said “Through the lens of my camera, I am able to share the extraordinary beauty of our world’s vanishing cultures and inspire others to celebrate and preserve their unique heritage.” Jimmy book “Jimmy Nelson Homage to Humanity” shows an immersive journey through the lives of people with different cultures around the globe. This book provides an intimate and respectful look at their traditional, customs, and environment, showing Nelsons ability to use the camera. This book also offers insight into understanding and exploring cultures.

1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating  with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.

The photobook I’ve chosen is called ‘FEMALE’. This photobook is made with individual portraits. Each photograph being completely different, a different person, place and style. If I were to assume that the topic of the photobook was ‘females’ then the artist has produced that perfectly. All models included in this project were women, and seem completely different, woman of all walks of life were included in this project.

2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)

The photographer is a woman called Jitka Hanzlova. A German based Czech artist. Jitka wanted her work to bring a sense of home to her viewers, she moved from Czech to Germany young, with her environments being uncertain, new people place language and surroundings. She didn’t feel like she had a place, so her work helps give herself and others a form of security and home.

3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:

For this Photobook, there doesn’t seem to be a story, but pages and pages of individual stories. Each and every separate woman included in this piece has their own individual story, and I believe that is more powerful then a singular story. It brings variety and experience from loads of different perspectives.

• Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.

The book is a hard cover book, thick paper with a papery smell. Thick paper for ease of printing the photo, and hardcover used for formality.

• Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.

The paper type stays the same throughout the whole book, I don’t know if that is because of the theme of neutrality throughout the photobook but it is very impactful. The first and last page is in sugar paper/cardboard too.

• Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.

Each photo is printed onto the A4 in landscape. The photos were taken with the technique of portraiture, almost mug shots. Simple quick photos of women. There are 128 pages (not including first and last page) in this photobook, which may be significant to Jitka Hanzlova in some sentimental way but from what I can see, there is no straight up reason for it.

• Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello

This photo is a hard cover book, with a plastically film surrounding it. Probably for ‘wear and tear’ reasons. To keep it safe.

• Cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping.

The front page has a large printed photo on the cover. The photo from page 39. This photo must have some significance to Jitka for it to be used twice.

• Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.

The title ‘FEMALE’ is very intriguing, it leaves a lot open for interpretation. It is also very relevant for this specific photobook too, since every person photographed is a female/woman.

• Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?

From what I can gather, each page has its own story, each specific person on each page has a life and a story of their own. Their stories are told through not just facial expressions but body language too. The poise and structure of their stance, illuminates it all.

• Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.

The repeating technique of portraiture, shows a distinct similarity between each photograph, a woman in her own world, with no bothers in the moment the photo was taken.

• Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.

Each individual photo has its own 2 pages, while only sitting on one, is the photo. There is no fold outs or double spreads but only a couple pages with writing.

• Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.

The editing of these photos are difficult to point out, they seem like raw, untouched candid portraits. However the portraits show juxtaposition through the repetitiveness of the photographing style.

• Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others.  Use of captions (if any.)

This photobook contained an essay, however it was in Czech, so was not understandable.

“The only way to truly understand another culture is to immerse yourself in it, to live it, and to breathe it.”

https://aboutphotography.blog/photographer/jimmy-nelson#:~:text=Jimmy%20Nelson%20is%20an%20acclaimed,are%20often%20overlooked%20or%20marginalized.

Jimmy Nelson was born in the United Kingdom in 1967, and because his father was a geologist, he travelled extensively during his early years. Nelson’s interest in photography was ignited by this exposure to many cultures and environments, which ultimately prompted him to seek a career in photojournalism. He trekked across Tibet with a large-format camera on his first photographic excursion in 1987, when he documented the breath taking scenery and distinctive culture of the Tibetan people. When Nelson began working for magazines and advertising clients in the early 1990s, his professional photography career took off. He travelled all over the world for his projects, recording various cultures and surroundings from Africa to Asia and the Americas. But it was his love of discovering and conserving.

Jimmy Nelson is a British photographer known for taking portraits of indigenous people and documentation of different cultures and traditions. His visually stunning images have fascinated audiences worldwide, highlighting the different cultures that are often overlooked. Nelson’s work has been exhibited globally and has featured in loads of publication, showing his ability to capture he essence f human connection ad cultural pride. The most well-known work by Jimmy Nelson is his extensive, intricate portraits of Native Americans. Vibrant colours, complex compositions, and a feeling of closeness to his subjects are characteristics of his photographic approach. To fully immerse himself in the customs and way of life of the people he pictures, he frequently stays with them for weeks or even months. His ability to connect deeply with his subjects using this method is demonstrated by the depth of emotion in his photographs.

Jimmy Nelson is known for using large-format cameras to capture the intricate details and vivid colours of his subjects. Some of the gear he has used throughout his career includes:

• Linhof Technorama 617S III: A panoramic large-format camera that allows for high-resolution, wide-angle images.
• Hasselblad H6D-100c: A medium-format digital camera known for its exceptional image quality and colour rendition.
• Leica S (Typ 007): Another medium-format digital camera, renowned for its sharpness and dynamic range.

The book “Jimmy Nelson Homage to Humanity” immerses readers in the cultures and customs of indigenous peoples worldwide. This book offers a close-up and respectful look at their environs, traditions, and practices, demonstrating Nelson’s talent for establishing a rapport with his subjects and producing visually arresting photographs. This book serves as a resource for working photographers, encouraging them to discover and capture the world’s diversity and beauty while also providing insights into the value of developing trust and comprehending cultural quirks.

• Opening quote
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

Essay Question:

In what way are family photographs extensions of our memories as well as our identities?

Family photographs are special to many people because they help us remember important moments and even show who we are. They can capture every little special moment that might not feel like it is special but when looking back you realize it is, special moments like birthday parties, holidays, playing in the park, sitting together for dinner, everyday moments. People don’t realize how special a Family photographs can be its not just a random photo from the past but also a reminder of how good the moments were. In this essay. I’m going to explore in what way families photographs extensions of our memories as well as our identities with Sally Mann and Nan Goldin as my references. When looking at family images, we often have a feeling of warmth and sentimentality and remind us of happy moments with the people we love. Every little moment counts, for example, a photo of a family trip to the beach might make us remember the fun we had building sandcastles and chasing the waves. Taking photos from these little moments fills you up with great joy when looking back at them with your parents. Family images help us remember the small details we might have forgotten.

Sally Mann, a American photographer, known for taking lovely emotional photos of her own family. She made a book called “immediate family” showing images of her children growing up both in their playful, bright times and even serious, thoughtful times. When looking back at childhood pictures from your family is like reconnecting with the feelings and memories of those times. Just like Sally Mann photos reminds her of who she was and what herself and her family have experiences. Family images also represent our identities. They show where we come from and who we are connected with but also who were influences by such as our parents, siblings ad grandparents which tells us a story of our family’s history. Looking at photographs of family reunions with generations of family members can make you feel proud of our family’s traditions ad how everything has been passed down, which also might make you understand where you fit in the bigger picture of all generations. Looking back at baby pictures makes you realize how much you have grown and changed over time but still have that special family connection.

Family photographs don’t only capture certain moments but also emotions, when you look at old photos you often remember how you felt at that time. Even though as you get older you don’t feel as exited to take images as when you were younger you always look back at them not regretting anything at all and just thinking about the fun you had while take them which then might make you start to appreciate the importance of these moments. Another American photographer, Nan Goldin, who took images of her own relationships in a personal way, showing strong emotions with her friends and family, capturing happy and difficult moments. She once said “I want to show people who they are, and I want to show them how they relate to other people, how they relate to their families, how they relate to their friends, how they relate to themselves.” (Reference using Harvard system of referencing) Our family pictures carry important lessons and emotion that help shape who we are and how we remember life.

Sally Mann and Nan Goldin both explore themes of identity, and the human condition, often drawing from their personal lives and relationship. While Mann’s work often centres on her children and family life, capturing memory’s, decay and Goldin’s focus is on adult relationships, sexuality and trauma. Regardless the differences, Both photographers explore sexuality and relationships. In conclusion, photographs are an important aspect of family and our identity that capture special meaningful moments, just like Sally Mann and Nan Goldin photography.

Pg 1: Historical/ theoretical

Historical: Origin, history and development of family albums
developed alongside new technology such as the Kodak Box Brownie
Theoretical: Photography’s relationship with memory

Pg 2: Sally Mann – explore how she made an album/ book about her family. Find an interview her where she talks about the book/ work
also find criticism of her images of her children (naked)

Pg 3: Nan Goldin

Bibliography: Key texts to add to your bibliography about family, memory and childhood. Read them and references them using direct quotes that yo can comment on ie. agree/ disagree and formulate a critical argument

Family in photography:
Bull, S. (2009), ‘Phototherapy: The Family Album and Beyond‘ in Photography. London: Routledge.

There is a set of excellent texts on the photography and family, but there are all too large files to be uploaded on the blog – find text here:

M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\YR 13 OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE 2024-2025\Essay tools\READING

Howarth, S. (2016) ‘Is My Family Normal?’ in Family Photography Now. London: Thames & Hudson.

McLaren, S. (2016), ‘Thanks for Sharing!’, in Family Photography Now. London: Thames & Hudson

Memory and Photography:
Kuhn, A. (2003). ‘Remembrance: The Child I Never Was’ in Wells L. (ed) The Photography Reader. London: Routledge

Here are a few online articles and photobooks on Photography and its relationship with memory. You should read them and references them in your essay.

Colberg, J (May 28, 2012) Photography and Memory
blogger on Conscientious

For these photos I took pictures of different parties that I went to previously and selected some that I could use in my final photobook. All of these images are snapshots and were taken quickly with me not thinking about taking the photo and what the final result would be. I have edited these images in a way where the colour is bright and vibrant with lots of contrast.

This photo I am planning to use as the front page of my photobook. This is because it is a subtle picture without any strong character or thing catching your eye, everything in the image is blue so there is nothing standing out and catching your eye so it is a subtle way to start off the book.

These images I have paired together because they were taken at the same party and the lighting is originally very similar as they both have a yellowish tint and red and green disco lights in the background. I edited these so that there was a darker tint and increased contrast with the people and the background

These images were also taken in the same night. I have chosen to put these two together because the lighting is dark with strong colours in both images. I have increased both the vibrance, saturation and clarity of both these images so that they are really stand out a lot and show a lot of exposure within the image.

These images are taken of my friends at a party. The main focus in these images is my friend in the pink dress. She is in all three photos and they all show the different people she has been talking and dancing with, showing the very social aspect of a party. I haven’t edited these images much apart from the blurring with the strong blur effect on Lightroom and I made the images look darker but with more contrast and a warmer tone with the tint and also a filter on the first photo. For one of these images I used AI on Lightroom to remove a water bottle and replaced it with a metal cup which looks much better than the water bottle which I feel ruined the photo.

These images are at two different parties but I think they go well together because of the similarities of both images, like the fact they are both laughing and the type of photo is just very similar in general. Originally the image on the right was green but I edited it to pink as the green was not a nice tone and I prefer the pink, because it’s as if the photos were taken at the same time and place. They also look better as a pair this way.

These images of me and my friends were taken on two different types of cameras. The top two photos were at a Halloween party where we were all dressed up, these were taken on a small digital camera. I like the way these came out because I like the exposure on them and the neutral colours. The other 4 images were taken on a photobooth camera at another party I went to with my friends. These images are colourful in themselves so I didn’t add any fake lighting colours to them. I turned the exposure up for all of them to make it brighter and look clearer so all the colours stood out without adding any unnatural ones.