I experimented with my photos between landscape and portrait layouts and found that the portrait layout worked much better for my project. When I had the landscape I also didn’t explore the uses of templates throughout my book which made it look too busy on the pages as there was no black spaces making the book crowded and confusing.
After changing to portrait, I found it easier to use templates like two page spread as it meant my images weren’t stretched out to fill a landscape layout. I managed to create variations of layout on each page such as having two at different positions and sizes, followed by a two page spread. I also did a few pages with 3 images.
On some images I needed to use the zoom tool which zooms into the photo and fills the page. this cancelled out a lot of empty space in the image and resulted with making sure the main focus was the subjects face. One problem with this page was the composition of colour. The image on the left is a lot warmer than the right due to the left image being directly in front of the light from the sunset creating an orange tint on the skin. In comparison, the right image is a lot cooler as the subject is in a shaded area not being directly hit by the sun.
To fix this, I went back to the develop page where I edited the exposure, contrast and temperature of the image to match it more closely with the tone of the image on the left. This was the result.
Another change I made was transforming the images that aspects of the image such as the horizon was straight and not at an angle. to do this I selected the image I needed to edit (the right image) and the went back onto the develop page where I scrolled to transform and then clicked auto. This straightened out the image by automatically zooming in slightly and tilting the image so that the horizon went across the image straight and not diagonal. though is was a very minimal and slight change, it made a difference.
When working on double page spreads such as the one below, I needed to make sure that I wasn’t putting the main subject of the image in the centre as this would be stuck in the fold of the book. With this image, it nicely splits in the middle where the left shows two girls and the right shows another girl. this meant the split in the middle of the book did not interfere with any important features of the image and the main subjects are still very visible which being across two pages.
I started with resizing images to create uniformity throughout the photobook and allow for breathing room between images. I then removed any images I felt were not adding to my books overall aesthetic and narrative and/or were repeat images or too similar in nature. I then introduced a anonymous figure, using faceless and dynamic photos to create more an atmosphere mystery and inquiry.
Juxtaposing Images
These particular images were chosen in order to combine two opposing elements in the same page spread, highlighting the interesting contrast between the height, contrast, colour and form of the images, this creates an eye-catching and thought-provoking collection of images to break up any potential monotony throughout the photo book that may have occurred.
Ambiguous Characters
In my essay I looked into famously incredible photographic storytellers anna gaskell and duane michals and found a common lik throughout their compositions is the central character is often less anonymous and up to interpretation. not all my images are faceless, however all of them are somewhat obscured by either, shadow, hands, hair or intentionally unfocused images , this creates a sense of mystery and allows the viewer to speculate. this fills in any gaps they may be left when trying to portray and pictorial and wordless narrative.
In the case of witches rock some of the images I selected were chose to create a sense of panic, witches were persecuted and feared, i wanted to portray the felling of being hunted and shunned by society. i attempted this with tense images and false bindings, this is indented to create a feeling of anxiety within the viewer and worry for the witches in question, however in contrast with this the images i selected for the crooked fairy were to create an entirely different felling of fear and quierie, will this unknow creature harm our protagonist? this is even more impactful because of the anonymity of the individual in the photos as viewers are encouraged to insert themselves into the character.
Witches Seats
In order to create a juncture between the two stories I travelled around jersey photographing historical witches seats, when arranging these images i used a double page spread and aligned the houses so they carry on from each other, this is done to create a sense of community within the juncture and to illustrate just how prevalent these superstitions become in light of the folk tales and urban legends spreading across the channel islands, these beliefs created a community within the fearful so much in fact they had inbuilt infrastructure to prevent cursing and hexing from the local ‘witches’ on their journey to Sabbeth
Personal study folder. Select all using ctrl A. Go back into top collections, create collection inside of personal study, seperate folder. Click book, create. Drag in new images and create save book. Blurb book- choose size- square- orientation and format. Hard cover wrap images. Premium paper. Name and title page? Maybe a short paragraph. Images are at the bottom can drop and drag them in, use zoom button and favorite different templates. Use right click too add pages.
Using Lightroom
Make a rough selection of your 30-50 best pictures from all shoots.
Grading
I have added stars to my images to make it easier to decide which images I want in my book and which images I dont. By doing this I can then just select my images by colour grading them.
Book Making
I then added all these images into the book option on lightroom and started playing around with the order of the photos to make the book that I want.
Experimentation
Final
EVALUATION:
Comment on the following:
How successful was your final outcomes (book, film, prints etc)?
I think that my final outcome was very successful, my book has created a real meaning.
Did you realise your intentions?
Not really, I knew that I wanted to photograph teenage life and comment on the experience but I didn’t realise how well it would turn out.
What references did you make to artists references?
I have used images very similar to Jim Goldbergs like my cover of the skateboard, and some like Diane Arbus with my use of eye contact.
Sontag, S. (1977) ‘In Plato’s cave’ in On Photography. London: Penguin Books.
Solomon-Godeau, A. (1994), ‘Inside/ Out’in Photography At The Dock: Essays on Photographic History, Institutions, and Practices. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press.
My book will be about what life is like ot be a teenager in this current generation. My main focus is on male teenage life rather than female because I didn’t want my personal bias to be portrayed, I wanted to be an outsider I terms of Solomon-Godeu’s theory of insiders and outsiders. The concept will consist of an obsessions with cars and landscape images to contrast this, how there is so much beauty around us yet we focus on the things that destroy this. Creating a binary opposition in terms of Levi-Strauss’s theory. My design will be a normal photobook, with some multiple page spreads, and some smaller images to focus on the small print. I will also add text to my book so that I can really reiterate my narrative.
My story in 3 words, a sentence and a paragraph.
The Teenage Experience.
A portrayal of teenage life in comparison to generational changes.
My story is about male teenage life, and how it is altered depending on current world events. My book will contain examples of the current events, to portray a true authentic storyline of what it means to be a teenager in this generation. I want to do this to create a representation of how the current events change how we live, I will do this by using the view of an insider and an outsider.
Write a book specification
Narrative: What is your story? Describe in:
3 words
Male Teenage Experience
A sentence
A story line consisting of current trends and the way that teenagers life their life.
A paragraph
A story line consisting of representation by using different photographic tools, such as landscape photography to portray how the environment around us changes out narrative. Also consisting of portrait imagery to make a personal storyline adding depth to the characters.
Design:
Consider the following
How you want your book to look and feel
I want my book too look consistent by using a sequence within my imagery, and I want it to feel smooth rather than shiny.
Paper and ink
I will use premium paper and mainly black ink.
Format, size and orientation
I want a smaller square book as to not stretch out my images which would focus on its imperfections.
Binding and cover
My cover will be a wrapped image to contain the book.
Title
My title will be a short description of my book, trying to give as much context as I can in a short sentence.
Structure and architecture
My book will have a structure which dive deep into the personality of each character and be broken up by a landscape image.
Design and layout
I want to have some smaller images and some images that are full bleed to create attention to the full bleed images portraying them as more important to the story line.
Editing and sequencing
I have edited my images to contain bold colours with some more personal black and white images.
Images and text
I will add part of my essay into my book to create a contextual element.
To be concerned with beauty. A set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.
2. The cubist aesthetic
Cubism was a revolutionary new approach to representing reality invented in around 1907–08 by artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. They brought different views of subjects (usually objects or figures) together in the same picture, resulting in paintings that appear fragmented and abstracted.
3. Formalism
Formalism describes the critical position that the most important aspect of a work of art is its form – the way it is made and its purely visual aspects – rather than its narrative content or its relationship to the visible world. Structure over content ,no emotion or context.
4. Indexicality
Guide signs and symbols memory. In photography, indexicality refers to the direct relationship between the photographer, the photograph, and the subject. This concept emphasises that photographs are inherently linked to the physical reality they capture, serving as an imprint of the real world.
5. Representation
Ideas are depicted. To understand representation in photography is to understand how you are interconnected to the thing in which you photograph. It is to accept the responsibility for how you depict a particular subject. Understanding the deep impact images have in our society is the reason for teaching representation in any capacity.
I gathered and placed all photos I may incorporate into my photobook, and made a smart collection of them all. Again, sifting through and ignoring ones that don’t particularly fit with my project.
Carefully placing each photo into their own cell, acknowledging the clash of colours and photo contents, found where they may fit best.
Knowing my sequence of photos is one coloured and one black and white, I left gaps to add my additional photos in when they have been completed.
I’ve chosen very specifically which photos would go best together, which photos could tell a story, entice viewers and keep them drawn. The screengrab above, shows this simply, with the childhood photo including food, the teenage/young adult photo depicts stomach. This allows viewers to relate in whatever way they saw fit.
With my title having the name ‘roots’ it gives 2 meanings. The idea of my roots being my family and my childhood but also my root of my hair, as I had copper hair as a child, I dyed over it as I grew up but every couple of weeks, the ginger would come through ever so slightly.
The font I used for this title was ‘Agency FB’. This font really stuck out to me because of it’s harsh block like letters. I feel that this reflects the idea that life is harsh and stubborn too. Un malleable and very ‘it is what it is’.
I finished editing and choosing the black and white photos that will fit well with each archived photo, playing around with placement and checking what photo compliments the other the most. Some of the photos matched so well (snake photos), and they look perfect together.
For the cover, the simple but effective idea of using a photo of roots from someone’s hair gives my work a sense of abstractness and almost blindsides the viewer on what the story will be.
Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .
Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different points of view – not only your own.
Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.
Essay Question
Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.
Subjects – car and driver (comparative), the car’s soul and how it is a reflection of its driver
Starters – Exploring the relationship between… (comparative), Through the eyes of the…, a journey through…,
Potential Questions
Exploring the relationship between the car and its driver
A journey through the soul of the car; and how it is a reflection of its driver
Essay Plan Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure
Essay question:
Opening quote – Jeremy Clarkson (2009). – “It’s what non-car people don’t get. They see all cars as just a ton and a half, two tons of wires, glass, metal, and rubber, and that’s all they see. People like you or I know we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities… You can develop a relationship with a car and that’s what non-car people don’t get… When something has foibles and won’t handle properly, that gives it a particularly human quality because it makes mistakes, and that’s how you can build a relationship with a car that other people won’t get.” – Interview from “Love the Beast” (released March 12, 2009), a documentary made by Eric Bana, Whyte House Entertainment (distribution), Pickup Truck Pictures (production)
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?
“exploring the relationship between a car and its driver”
explain how a car has a soul, where that soul is found; a driver has an innate connection when driving their car
explain this innate connection in rally photography
opening quote here?
Pg 1 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
artist reference 2 – Maurice Selden
Ari Vatanen in the 1976 Granite City Rally in Scotland, photo by Maurice Selden
talk about both stories behind the photo, from the drivers perspective, and the photographers perspective
explain how the relationship between the car and the driver is evident in this photo (face direction + wheel direction show driver has trust in the car/ motion blur = speed)
however, not every car and driver relationship is like this…
Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
Artist reference 1 – Helge Skodvin – 240 landscapes
begin talking about how the regular relationship is different (more personal + emotional connection rather than a physical, drive fast connection)
present the Ferrariesta, why is it so special to me, where did the name come from etc.
get to the point – each driver develops a different relationship with their car, but ultimately every driver develops a level of appreciation for their car
link to Helge Skodvin – 240 landscapes – every car is different but each has its own soul.
refer back to artist reference – talking about personalisation + memories etc.
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
parallels – every driver appreciates their car
Bibliography: List all relevant sources used
Bibliography
Jeremy Clarkson (2009). – Interview from “Love the Beast” (released March 12, 2009), a documentary made by Eric Bana and Pickup Truck Pictures (production)
Sticking with the black and white theme for my photoshoots, this will be the last one. I want to show and incorporate a lot more feeling and emotion with this photoshoot, with the sense of family and support backing this photoshoot I believe that will encourage a lot more un normalised feeling.
I used natural, and a simple camera flash for the lighting of these photos. Dark backgrounds to give a neutral but opposing finish in the photos. The contrast of the light and dark to build tension throughout worked so well for the outcome of these photos.
Essay Question:Looking at Justine Kurland and Mary Ellen Mark; how do females connect with each other through interaction and how do they overcome the stereotypes of gender roles?
My area of study is about femininity and how females interact with each other. I look into the female gaze and how woman overcome the gender roles and stereotypes of society. In my personal study I will be focusing on how woman overcome gender stereotypes through rebelling during their teenage life and to also show the emotions girls experience through my images. The artists I have chosen to look at are Justine Kurland and Mary Ellen Mark. I have chose Justine Kurland because she looks at how females support each other and how girls feel empowered when they are together. In Justine Kurland’s photoshoots, she expresses through the experiences she did not get to do as a teenager. Justine Kurland uses tableaux photography; this name comes from the words “Living Picture” in French. Tableaux photography is an image or array of images staged in a set environment to convey a narrative. Justine Kurland stages her photoshoots to make the images look like real life and to create a meaning behind each image. I am going to create my own tableaux photography like Justine Kurland to neglect the gender roles of young females. I have chosen to look at Mary Ellen Mark, because contrasting to Kurland she photographs girls to show the vulnerability they experience and the emotions that females go through alone. In my project, I wanted to show the two differences of girlhood and how they navigate themselves in a world full of stereotypes and gender roles. I am also going to pay attention to the outfits that the girls are wearing in my photoshoots as I believe this plays a big part when creating a sense of freedom and also a sense of isolation in my images.
Throughout the years there have been many various waves of feminism to encourage equality. “Feminist movements in the United States have called for greater political, economic and cultural freedom and equality for women.” https://www.history.com/news/feminism-four-waves. There have currently been four waves of feminism, the first one being to argue for the woman to have the right to vote which took place in the years of 1848 to 1920. This started because females were denied basic rights which led to movements taking place for woman to stand up for themselves. Woman felt that they had the right to have a say in the political decisions that were being made. Woman also wanted the right to own properties and to be able to have an education and employment which lead to more waves of feminism occurring. This led to feminism in photography in the 1970’s when feminist groups started creating their own visual documentation of what it was like to be a female. Over the years this has become more popular in photography because feminist artists are producing images to convey the idea of woman’s rights through emotion and narratives. Justine Kurland is one of these photographers, she uses her art to express her feelings towards feminism. Kurland also uses tableaux photography to create her projects. “Tableaux photography is a technique used in many photographers’ works to convey a narrative through an image or a series of images”. Tableaux Photography. The term “tableaux” was first used in an art context in the 18th century by a philosopher, Denis Diderot to describe a painting and it comes from the French term “Living Picture”. In Victorian times tableaux Vivint’s were a popular form of entertainment, this consisted of recreating artworks on stage based on a painting.
Therefore, tableaux photography involves a performance before the camera takes the shot, which is usually instructed by the photographer who tells the models what to do and how to pose. In the 1880’s, photographers strived for photography to be artwork, and this led to them using tableaux to mirror the paintings and other artworks.
Justine Kurland is a contemporary fine art photographer from New York born in 1969. At the age of 15 Justine Kurland left her home to live with her aunt in Manhattan and this was where she found her interest in art. I am inspired by Kurland’s photoshoot titles “Live Dangerously” which is a series of images presented as part of her exhibition in 2004. This project is about revealing bold and dynamic ways that females inhabit nature. The images in her project include teenage girls setting off smoke bombs, skinny dipping, climbing trees and other activities similar to these. Kurland created these images to “reveal the bold and dynamic ways in which female bodies inhabit and activate the natural world.”https://nmwa.org/art/artists/justine-kurland/, and to express the things she didn’t get to experience as a teenager. She wanted to reveal the things that she wished she had done. She wanted to portray the idea of a coming world where girls were not categorized and where they could find protection and empowerment together and within themselves. She used teenagers in these staged images because she wanted to portray the sense of freedom for females and how they express themselves in the Suburban settings where she chose to take her images. Kurland would travel up and down the country looking for locations to set her photographs in and finding girls on her way because she wanted to create a society of females and how they would react with freedom contrasting from their bedrooms where they are isolated. The locations were chosen carefully to create their own sense of danger and risk and to portray the exploration of identity. She wanted to show how females connected with each other through the female gaze therefore she wanted the girls to care for each other and this turned into a reality of the girls helping each other, feeding each other and resembling protection. Justine Kurland uses tableaux photography when creating her images to convey a narrative for the viewers. In relation to my project, I am inspired by Justine Kurland’s artwork as it shows the empowerment of woman as a collective. I am going to set up my photoshoot in woods and fields and use the tableaux photography technique to stage my images to portray a feeling of girlhood. I am going to ensure that in my images, the relationship between the models is a sense of comfort within themselves and as a society. I will use woods and fields for my photoshoot in relation to Justine Kurland because I want my images to have the perception of freedom and to have a sense of carelessness. I will edit my images in colour because I want my images to be bright to add a sense of happiness and to convey the feelings that girls have when they are together. I will also ensure that when constructing my images that the girls are connected in a way that they are helping each other and being happy to resemble the idea of freedom that Justine Kurland wanted to portray.
These images are from Justine Kurland’s exhibition named “Girl Pictures”. These were the images that inspired me to take my own. These images show the connection that girls have to overcome the stereotypes that people have which was her aim. The images are all set in woodland areas and fields which portray the freedom of the girls in the image and show the bond that females have in nature when they aren’t isolated and stuck in their bedrooms. In this project all the girls are dressed in basic outfit which has inspired me to do the same when taking my images to show the simplicity of females lives and how they connect with the world around them.
Mary Ellen Mark is an American photographer who was known for her photojournalism and documentary photography. Her work is displayed in museums and published worldwide. She was born in Pennsylvania and started photographing things with a box brownie which is a carboard box camera. She discovered a passion for art when she was at school and later attended the University of Pennsylvania where she earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art. Soon after Mary Ellen Mark got a scholarship to go and take pictures in turkey for a year which is where she produced her first book; Passport. She also visited England, Greece, Germany, Italy and Spain to take photographs whilst on her travels. When she was in her mid 20’s she moved to New York and started taking pictures of the war, specifically the woman’s role during the war where she was able to capture the vulnerability and resilience of the woman. One of mark’s most famous projects was called “Streetwise” which was published in 1988. Mark took pictures of the lives of children and teenagers who lived on the street to spread awareness of their struggles to survive, and the stereotypes others have. Mary Ellen Mark tended to photograph things that not many people were aware of like poverty, illnesses and prostitutes, to spread awareness of the poor circumstances in people’s lives. Mark’s images are mostly portrait, which shows the emotions of girls and how female viewers can relate and connect deeply with the images. Mary Ellen Mark would also take images of girls to show the concept of girlhood, however when producing her images, Mark didn’t intend to connect with the idea of girlhood, but it became apparent that she was connected to her own images when taking them. She discovered that “Her portraits capture individual lives with a familiarity that makes them universally relatable”https://nmwa.org/whats-on/exhibitions/online/mary-ellen-mark-girlhood/. When taking these images Mary Ellen Mark wanted to create a story within the images to show the vulnerability of females in the world and how they perceived through the ideas of gender roles and stereotypes. Her images also convey the fact of navigation and how young girls must find themselves within a patriarchal society which may seem threatening and scary for girls in their youth. When producing my images that are inspired by Mark’s work, I am going to manipulate the images to have a solemn tone to convey a feeling of sadness and worry through the camera lens. This way, I will try and make the images connect with females and young girls that feel threatened by the world. I will also attempt to make the background black to portray the feelings of loneliness and worry that girls in this world feel every day. I want to create a contrast of images in my project between a mix of Justine Kurland inspired images and Mary Ellen Mark’s. I want to show the difference in emotions of girls when they have freedom and when they overcome stereotypes or gender roles in comparison to when they feel isolated or controlled by the patriarchal society that is still apparent today.
These are the images I am inspired by. The black and white in the images show the sadness within these girls and show that they are simply unhappy. I like how the background of these images are filled with empty space and this could portray the loneliness that the girls feel in the image.
Both artists I have looked at have taken the same approach to overcoming stereotypes and gender roles, however they have explored this subject differently. Mark and Kurland’s work both look at the idea of girlhood and they both portray emotion through their images to convey girls’ experiences through life, however in different circumstances. Mark looks at the complexity of woman’s life and the vulnerability that girls experience in times where life isn’t so easy like the war or woman in poverty to portray to viewers the situations that girls go through that could be scary or even more so traumatic. Whether Kurland looks at the simplicity of woman’s lives because of their freedom in the suburban areas where they are photographed, where they have a sense of freedom and how they have the power to do what they want with their lives. Mary Ellen Mark’s images are all in black and white which correlates to the idea of the complexity of the girls’ lives in her images. She has no colour in her images which show the emotion of sadness through the dark colours in her images. Kurland’s images have lots of colour more so in the background this could be Kurland trying to portray that these girls grew up with a good background which is contrasting to Mark’s images where the background looked derelict and run down. Another difference between Mark’s images and Kurland’s images is the amount of people in the images. In Kurland’s images there are multiple girls which show the bond they have with each other and the connection of friendships, however Mark’s images that I am inspired by are girls on their own. This shows that the experiences they face are lonely and they’ve must navigate themselves through the patriarchal life alone. In my images, which are inspired by Mary Ellen Mark, I have manipulated a dark background surrounding the girl.
This is because I wanted to convey the darkness in girls’ lives and the struggles that they go through. For my images inspired by Justine Kurland, I have taken the images in a meaningful place where I grew up which is in a woods behind my house.
This is contrasting to Kurland’s images as the areas they were taken in don’t have any meaning to her, they were just in the visions she had growing up that she couldn’t experience because of her lack of freedom caused by the gender roles.
