Definitions

Aesthetic- patterns in a photographer’s use of visual elements to create beautiful images. These elements can be frame compositions, subjects, color schemes and lighting techniques.

Formalism- Focusses on the formal elements, such as the design, composition and lighting and it is all about the elements, rather than the subject matter, as there is no emotion or context behind the image. The photographer becomes a visual designer whenever a frame is captured. In camera cropping concentrates on the desired subject while eliminating everything else.

Example: The west coast f/64 group, founded in 1932 consisted of a group of photographers working under the formalism movement eg Ansel Adams.

Indexicality- the way a photograph points (like an index finger) to its referent.

Example: Ideas that photographers are closely related to memory, the past, presence, absence and death.

The indexical sign is based in cause and effect, eg. the footprint in the wet sand indicates or traces of recent presence.

Symbols and metaphors can be indexical too.

Representation- photographs that are made of the real world and that represent a place or things relatively realistically.

Representation refers to the way in which individuals, groups or ideas are depicted. The use of the term usually signals acknowledgement that images are never ‘innocent,’ but always have their own History, cultural contexts and specify, and therefore carry ideological implications.

Narrative- the idea that an image or a series of images can be used to tell a story or create a narrative. A narrative is an account of an event or a moment in time, which makes photography the perfect medium for constructing narratives.

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

Introduction:

‘If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it.’ -Justine Kurland, ‘Girl Pictures.’ ¹

My intention for this study is to explore the themes of youth and identity by creating narratives personal to my own youth and identity. Specifically, I am going to focus on female identity and female stereotypes, and how they can be combatted against, as this is personal to me as a women. This subject is also extremely important for other women and young girls to demonstrate that your identity can be whatever you desire and that you do not have to comply with social norms, or expectations. I have also explored this in depth in my previous topics and was able to create visually pleasing images with powerful narratives. I would also like to present my female subjects ‘trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was boy,’ ²so that I can present more masculine stereotypes and really exaggerate this point of opposing social ‘norms’. This topic of youth and identity interests me, because I think it would be interesting to see how my identity has changed from when I was younger, to now when I’m slightly older. I would also like to look back onto my youth, so that I can see what societal norms I followed and didn’t. I also would like to experiment with different compositional elements, such as the rule of thirds, so that I can improve the presentation of my narratives.

I am analysing Justine Kurland’s work, especially Girl Pictures, because the topic of youth and identity really interests me, because I am still exploring my own identity as I am growing, so this topic is also personal to me, especially because I am a female growing up in this society, who is held to certain expectations. This makes it important for me to combat stereotypical norms, so that I can be myself and help other women do the same thing and express their true identity through the narratives I am presenting. I also feel like because this topic is so personal to me it will allow me to create good photographs to display my feelings and opinions.

I am also analysing Jeff Wall’s images and how he creates his narratives and uses different compositional elements. Jeff Wall takes inspiration from historical paintings, similarly to Justine Kurland. I am also going to be pulling ideas, concepts and compositions from not only his work, but historical paintings as well, especially Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe painted by Édouard Manet in 1863.

So far in this study I have started recreating activities I used to do in my youth, so that I can present my identity and youth through the narratives of my images. I have created tableaux images, where I have positioned and manipulated my subjects. I have also experimented with compositional elements a little bit, by experimenting with the foreground, middle ground and background. To further develop my work, I would like to improve my compositional elements more, by experimenting with the rule of thirds for example and I would like to take inspiration from historical paintings, similarly to Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall. I would also like to focus on trying to create a different range of activities ranging from more feminine to more masculine elements.

Historical context

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 and ‘narrative is crucial to photography,’ ³especially in tableaux photography, as it ‘relies on a narrative for it’s readings.’ ⁴Tableaux 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,’ (Wikipedia) 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.

Justine Kurland

A notable influence within tableaux photography is Justine Kurland, who utilizes a narrative of young runaway girls in a staged environment, where she manipulates the positions/ layout of her subjects to create aesthetic compositions in all her photographs. She carefully composes all her tableaux images, as she manipulates the narrative to be whatever she desires. Justine Kurland borrowed ideas, concepts and compositions from old historical paintings (masters). An examples of her borrowing from a master is ‘Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe’ by Edouard Manet, which was created in 1862-63.

This painting includes a nude women in the foreground of the painting, who is lunching with two fully dressed men, who are in the middle ground of the painting. They also seem to be having a picnic in a woods, which is presented by the setting of the painting and the picnic basket containing fruit. This suggests they are lunching, as the title of the painting states. ‘Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe’ is French and states ‘Lunch on the grass.’ There is also a half dressed women in the background of this painting, who is washing herself/ swimming in the lake. This painting was very scandalous back in the 1800s, as public nudity was seen as vulgar and frowned upon by society. This was because nudity was a very private concept back in that time, so the models for this painting would have most likely been prostitutes, as a respectable women would not have done this, or been allowed to in this time period.

Justine Kurland borrowed the concept and the composition from this famous painting. As seen in the painting and the photograph, the settings are quite similar, as they are both scenic landscapes, which are wooded, with trees in the distance, as well as the lake in the background. She has also borrowed the nudity concept from the painting, as she has a young girl lifting her top in the photograph, as if she is undressing to get in the lake. She has also borrowed the composition from the painting, as well as other visual elements, such as the colour and texture seen in both the painting and the photograph. Justine Kurland has used the same layout of having the ‘nude’ girl in the foreground, with people in the middle ground, as well as more people in the background down near the lake.

Justine Kurland explores the theme of identity throughout her work, through narratives. The narrative of her work in Girl Pictures is that ‘the girls were rebelling. The girls were acting out. The girls had run away from home… Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it.’⁵ In Girl Pictures the girls weren’t just girls they were whoever they wished to be, as they are finding their true identity during their youth. She also states that they are in ‘the dominion of boys,’⁶ because in societal standards it is more socially acceptable for boys to act in this rambunctious manor, rather than girls. This is due to gender stereotypes, which have been seen through many centuries. Justine Kurland is trying to fight against these stereotypes of young girls, in her work, because this is an important matter to her and all other girls, because they have grown up being told what they should be or how they should behave a certain way due to their gender. She is fighting against these stereotypes, by having these young girls act in a way that is seen as more masculine and not socially acceptable for these girls. Youth is also an important theme throughout her work, as she presents these girls exploring their identity in their youth, which is extremely important, because during youth you do not know who you fully are yet and being able to explore every aspect of your youth and identity, even if it does not comply with social ‘norms’ allows you get the truest sense of your identity possible. Her message that she is presenting to the viewers through this work is that they can be anything they image, even if it is still in the ‘dominion of boy.’⁷

Jeff Wall

Another notable influence within tableaux photography is Jeff Wall. Jeff Wall creates tableaux photographs, by manipulating his subjects and he also borrows ideas, concepts and compositions from 1900th century classical paintings from the Baroque period, including ‘Le Dejeuner sur L’herbe’ by Edouard Manet. However, he alters the narratives of his photographs to present a more modern day version of the paintings, while still keeping the same compositional elements and concepts. On the influence of Baroque painting in Wall’s images he has said, ‘my work is based on the representation of the body. In the medium of photography, this representation depends upon the construction of expressive gestures which can function as emblems.’ (Wall 1984). In his body work he often captures a snapshot of ordinary street scenes and social encounters in everyday life that may as well have gone unacknowledged, as well as also exploring a range of social and political themes through his work. He also digitally manipulates his work at times, to confuse the viewer even more, so that they have to look harder at his work and think more deeply about the narrative and the role of the photograph itself.

Jeff Wall has created a tableaux image, where he has manipulated the positioning and location of his subjects and himself. He has also borrowed the composition that was used in Manet’s painting for his photograph, by having the three people in the foreground on the left, the person on the right in the middle ground and the far people in the background. He has also pulled from the setting a little bit, as the setting is in field like area with trees on the left. However, he has made a more modern day version of this painting by including the bridge, which is a modern day structure in his photograph.

Conclusion:

Overall, both Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall share similar inspirations, as they both pull ideas, concepts and compositions from old historical paintings and create unique more modern narratives in doing so. They also use similar paintings for their inspiration, which can be seen as they have both used Manet’s painting- ‘Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe.’ However, they create and explore different narratives in their work, even when using similar inspirations. Justine Kurland explores the themes of youth and identity throughout her work, specifically in Girl Pictures. In order to explore these themes in her work, she presents a range of different narratives of young girls doing a range of different activities, such as swimming in lakes, playing at a park, laying on the beach etc. While she is presenting what is seen as simple narratives, they actually all have a deeper meaning behind them, as she is presenting to the viewer that these girls are doing all these things, because they can be whoever they desire to be and their identity can be whatever they decide to make it. She also presents the young girls doing more stereotyped boy-like activities, such as playing in the woods and wrestling etc, so that she can present to the viewer that they don’t need to follow societal ‘norms’ and they can be anything they imagine.

Whereas, Jeff Wall creates more simplistic narratives, such as sitting in the park, or lying on the grass etc. He says, he is ‘not interested in narrative,’ (Wall 1984) because he focuses more on the compositional and visual elements in his work. This makes his work more technically complex.

In this image, I focused on my composition, similarly to Jeff Wall. I experimented with the rule of thirds, by having my subject on the left in the left hand third, the tree in the centre third and my subject on the right in the right hand third. I focussed on my composition in this image, so that I could produce an aesthetically pleasing image. The narrative of this image is that the subjects are playing hide and seek with the subject on the right counting and the subject on the left hiding. This relates to Justine Kurland’s work, as I have presented young girls acting out a narrative, by having them do a fun activity, which in this case is playing hide and seek, which presents their youth and identity. This image also specifically reflects my youth, because when I was younger I used to play hide and seek all the time with my friends. This in turn then looks at my identity, because it looked at who I used to be and who I am now and how my identity has changed from during my youth to now.

This image also relates specifically to my youth and identity, because the setting of this image is the sand dunes, and both subjects have climbed up the 100 foot hill, which is what I used to do in my youth every Summer. This relates to the theme of identity, because this image relates to who I was in my youth, as it displays an activity I enjoyed doing. This image also relates to Justine Kurland, as I have presented a narrative of a specific activity, which was done by my two subjects. This image also relates to Jeff Wall, as I have positioned my subjects in the centre of the frame, so that they are the main viewpoint.

References:

1. Justine Kurland, ‘Girl Pictures’ (2020) ↩︎
2. Justine Kurland, ‘Girl Pictures’ (2020) ↩︎
3. Bright, S. (2005). ‘Narrative’ in Art Photography Now. New York: Aperture. ↩︎
4. Bright, S. (2005). ‘Narrative’ in Art Photography Now. New York: Aperture. ↩︎
5. Justine Kurland, ‘Girl Pictures’ (2020) ↩︎
6. Justine Kurland, ‘Girl Pictures’ (2020) ↩︎
7. Justine Kurland, ‘Girl Pictures’ (2020) ↩︎

DEADLINE: Essay Introduction Draft MUST be handed in Thursday 18 Dec 2024

DEADLINE: Final Essay MUST be handed in Fri 31 Jan 2025

ESSAY: In the Spring term will be spending 1 lesson a week, normally Wednesdays on writing and developing your essay. However, you will need to be working on it independently outside of lesson time.

Objective: Criteria from the Syllabus

• Be aware of some of the methods employed by critics and historians within the history of art and photography.
• Demonstrate a sound understanding of your chosen area of study with appropriate use of critical vocabulary. – use for image analysis
• Investigate a wide range of work and sources
• Develop a personal and critical inquiry.

How to start: Copy this essay plan into your own blog post, titled: Essay Draft:

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.

Some examples of Personal Study essays from previous students:

possible-essay-questions-to-investigate

Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph. Further help can be found here essay structure or see link here The Royal Literay Fund

• Essay question:

In what way does Justine Kurland & Michelle Sank explore youth and femininity through their work?

How does Jeff Walls tableaux approach depict a seemingly photo journalistic approach?

How do Justine Kurland and Jim Goldberg portray childhood differently through their work?

To what extend have Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall used narrative as a way to explore female identity in their work?

To what extend has Justine Kurland used narrative as a way to explore female identity in their work?

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

• Opening quote

‘To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge- and therefore, like power.’ (Sontag 1997:4)

• 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?
  
  Female Identity and Narratives

Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall

Creating my own images recreating my own youth, while still borrowing concepts, ideas, compositions from both of them and other historical paintings, including Manet.

Tableaux photography

• 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. 
  
  Tableaux photography and its origin in Pictorialism – explain its influence from Allegorical Painting and how it was a reaction against photography as a scientific experiment
  – select an example from Pictorialism, eh. Julia Margaret Cameron, discuss how she constructed images using friends/ family to model exploring female identities influenced by Pre-Raphalite painters
  
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
  
• Justine Kurland use of narrative using real people in staged situations and link with style of Tableux Photography
  – select key image that was inspired by Manet breakfast painting
  
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Jeff Wall use of narrative using real people in staged situations and link with style of Tableux Photography
– select key image that was also inspired by Manet breakfast painting

• 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

Sontag, S. (1977) ‘In Plato’s Cave’ in On Photography. London: Penquin Boohs.

pictorialism-vs-realism-3Download

How Did Pictorialism Shape Photography and Photographers ?

A short PPT on Tableaux Photography

Bull, S. (2009), ‘The Photograph as Art’ in Photography. London: Routledge.

Bate, D. (2016) ‘Pictorual Turn’ in Art Photography. London: Tate Galleries.
a text about how Tableaux has been influenced by Pictorialism.

Bright, S. (2005). ‘Narrative’ in Art Photography Now. New York: Aperture.

Cotton, C. (2009). ‘Once Upon a Time’ in The Photograph as Contemporary Art. London: Thames & Hudson.

text, interview, articles about Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall

Bengal, R. (2020) ‘The Jeremys’ in Girl Pictures. New York: Aperture
– see book in the classroom

Kurland, J. (July 14 2020). Justine Kurland Reflects on Her Photographs of Teenage Girl Runaways. New York: Aperture

https://www.frieze.com/article/justine-kurland

Kurland, J. (2020) ‘Cherry Bomb’ in Girl Pictures. New York: Aperture.

Bengal, R. (2020) ‘The Jeremys’ in Girl Pictures. New York: Aperture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Margaret_Cameron

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tableau_vivant

https://www.google.com/search?gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBBzQ1NWowajSoAgCwAgE&ie=UTF-8&oq=Pre-Raphaelite&q=Pre-Raphaelite&rlz=1C1GCEA_enJE1126JE1126&safe=active&sourceid=chrome&surl=1

Narrative and Photography

Use of AI / ChatGPT – go to this blog post here for guidelines.

Key Terminology: Here is a link to a glossary of key words, glossary of photographic processes, glossary of art movements and genres, and linking words and phrases.

Essay writing: Here is a link to another blog post which will provide you with guideline and more details about how to structure each paragraph in your essay.

Draft Introduction (250-500 words). Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can use an opening quote that sets the scene. You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study e.g. what and who are you going to investigate. How does this area/ work interest you? What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument? What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within. Include 1 or 2 quotes for or against. What links are there with your previous studies, if any? What have you explored so far, or what are you going to photograph? How will your work develop. What camera skills, techniques or processes have you experimented with, or are you going to experiment with?

Essay Question:

Introduction:

For this photoshoot I focused on borrowing ideas, concepts and compositions from my chosen historical paintings, as well as photographs that Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland have taken. I have also experimented with different compositional features, such as the rule of thirds, foreground, middle ground and background, as well as experimenting with visual elements, such as tone, texture, line etc.

My Inspiration

The images below are the historical paintings that I have decided to borrow ideas, concepts and compositions from, because they either have a really good composition, or tell a story.

I have printed off each of these paintings on an A4 piece of paper and I took these prints out with me, while I was doing my photoshoot, so that I could see the images, while I was manipulating my models, composition, layout etc, so that I could see them side by side and compare them.

For these three images, I will take a more similar approach to Justine Kurland’s image, as I will use my female models to create the foreground, middle ground and background composition. I will also have a similar setting to Manet’s painting and Justine Kurland’s image, with the trees and the lake.

When making my photograph using this painting as my inspiration I have used one model sitting in a field in the same way. However, the narrative of my photograph is different to the narrative of the painting. In my photograph the model is sat in the field making daisy chains, compared to in the painting, where the women is dragging herself along a field, because she has polio and can no longer walk. I have altered this narrative, so that it fits the theme of youth, because this is an activity I used to do in my youth.

When making my photograph using this paintings as inspiration, I have borrowed the composition and idea from this painting. I had my model lie where the women is on the floor and I had another model on there knees beside them. However, instead of the narrative of my image being a dead woman and a man burying her at the beach, I have altered the narrative to fit my theme of youth. Instead, the narrative of my photograph is two younger children playing at the beach and having one bury the other in the sand in a fun, instead of upsetting way. I have altered the narrative of the painting in this way, because this was an activity I used to do in my youth with my friends, when we would play at the beach on a hot summers day.

Edits

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks and saturation. I did this, so that the image would have better lighting, by being slightly brighter.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that my image would be more vibrant and less dull.

I have edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image has better lighting. I also added a yellow tint to the image, because the image originally had quite a blue tint, so I wanted to cancel that out.

Experimenting with the Fore, Middle and Background

In Manet’s painting, as well as Justine Kurland and Jeff Walls photographs that they have taken inspiration from the painting. They all use the foreground, middle ground and background compositional element. I have also experimented with this and other visual elements in my work.

I have also used similar visual elements to Manet’s painting, such as the texture and the setting with the trees and lake in the background.

Experimenting with Selection Cropping

During this photoshoot, I experimented with rule of thirds. In the raw photos I was unable to get the exact thirds correct, so I experimented with selection cropping, so that the images would fit the rule of thirds criteria better.

As seen in this image, the subject on the left is in the middle third with the tree and the subject on the right is in the right hand third. In order to have the subject on the left in the left hand third, the negative space on the left and right hand side needs to be cropped out.

Now, the two subjects and the tree have their own thirds.

The process was then repeated for this image.

Experimenting with Rule of Thirds

After selection cropping here are the final images, that meet the rule of thirds criteria.

Final Images

I have used the same composition in my images, that was used in the painting. However, the narrative of the painting is a girl with polio dragging herself along the floor and in my image the narrative is my subject relaxing on the grass. I wanted the narrative of those photograph to be my subject making daisy chains, as this was something I did a lot during my youth, but there are not a lot of daisy’s this time of year, as it is Winter.

For my photograph I have borrowed the concept of the painting, which is a man burying a women in the sand, but the narrative is different. In the painting the man is burying the women, as she is dead, but in my photograph my subject is burying the other subject, as they are playing and having fun at the beach, which is something I did a lot during my youth. I have also used a similar composition, but the subjects are the other way around.

My images use the same compositional layout as the three images above, which is the foreground, middle ground and background layout of my subjects. I have also used similar visual elements, such as the texture and colour in all these images. I have also used a similar setting with the trees and the lake in the background.

Final Images

In Comparison to Justine Kurland

During this photoshoot I used a similar setting to the one used in Justine Kurland’s work. I also took these photos on a not so sunny day, which is similar to some of Justine Kurland’s images as well.

I also used similar narratives to Justine Kurland, as well as original narratives of my own.

I have displayed play fighting in this narrative as well, similarly to Justine Kurland. Play fighting can also stereotypically be seen as more masculine, as it is more aggressive and males are stereotypically seen as more aggressive. This relates to Justine Kurland, as she also displays females presenting more masculine activities, so that she can present to the viewer that their identity can be anything they imagine and it does not have to comply with stereotypical norms.

In Comparison to Jeff Wall

In this photoshoot I focussed on my compositional elements quite a lot, similarly to Jeff Wall, as he focusses on his compositional and visual elements more, rather than focussing on creating a narrative. However, even though I was looking at compositional elements I still focussed on creating a narrative as well.

The main compositional element I used in this photoshoot was the rule of thirds when I was creating my hide and seek narrative.

In these images I have the subject on the left in the left hand third, the tree in the middle third and my right hand subject in the right hand third, when the image is split vertically into three equal sections.

This is also a compositional element that Jeff Wall has used himself when creating images.

In this image Jeff Wall has the women on the left in the left hand third, the camera in the middle third and the man on the right hand side in the right hand third, when the image is split vertically into three even sections.

How does this relate to the themes of youth and identity?

This photoshoot relates to the theme of youth, as I have displayed quite childish narratives, such as playing catch/ piggy in the middle, or hula hooping. This represents youth, because this is usually activities children play when they are younger, and not much activities that people tend to do when they are older. These narratives also represent specifically my youth, because these were activities I used to do/ games I used to play with my friends all the time. I have also displayed play fighting, which can stereotypically be seen as childish, so this can also represent youth.

Play fighting can also be seen as a more stereotypical male activity, due to the aggressiveness of the activity and the stereotype that males are more aggressive than females. Having a female play fight in my image goes against this stereotype, which presents to the viewer that the subject is not complying with stereotypical norms. This presents to the viewer that her identity is whatever she makes it and it does not comply with social norms. This sends the message that the viewers identity does not have to comply with stereotypical norms either.

These photos also relate in particular to my identity, as these activities that I have presented through the narrative are activities I used to do during my youth, so are therefore a part of who I am and a part of my individual identity.

Analysis of 1 Image

This image has high levels of control, as I was able to manipulate the positioning and distance of my subjects, as well as myself in order to achieve the best composition. However, I had little control over the lighting, due to the lighting being natural daylight. However, I did have control over my camera settings, so I could try and improve the lighting.

F stop: f/6.3

Exposure time: 1/100 sec

ISO: ISO- 800

In this image there are lots of natural colours, such as green and brown and the colours the subjects are wearing (grey and black) are also quite natural, rather than vibrant. However, due to my editing the colour of the grass is a lot more vibrant. There are quite a lot of light tones in this image, due to the very white bright sky, but the darker colours of the subjects tops contrast the sky and their lighter trousers very well. There is also a lot of texture in this image due to the texture of the grass, the tree and the broken branches on the floor. The tree and the broken branches also causes a lot of shape to go on in this image, due to the unique shape of the tree.

The composition of this image uses the rule of thirds with the subject on the left in the left hand third, the tree in the middle third and the subject on the right hand side in the right hand third when split vertically into three equal sections. The main viewpoint of this image is the two subjects and the tree.

This image presents the theme of youth, because the narrative of this image, which is hide and seek is something majority of people play during their childhood. It is also stereotypically only played in childhood rather than in adulthood. As the majority of people used to play this game, or still do this allows the image to resonate with the viewer more, as it is more relatable to their youth and therefore their identity.

This image is also personal to my own youth and identity, as I used to play this game when I was younger, so this image presents what I used to enjoy and therefore who I was, or who I am now.

Photoshoot Conclusion

Overall, I think this photoshoot went well, because I was able to display a range of interesting narratives, such as a game of piggy in the middle. These narratives also displayed the themes of youth and identity very well, as well as displaying to the viewer that they do not need to follow stereotypical norms. I was also able to experiment with my compositional elements, when using rule of thirds in a few of my images. This has enhanced the aesthetics of my images and have linked my images in with Jeff Wall.

I have also been able to experiment with my editing on Lightroom and in Photoshop for this photoshoot. I experimented with AI during this photoshoot, so that I was able to present my narratives. I had to use AI to present the narratives that needed balls as props. These narratives were piggy in the middle and catch. I had to use AI to create these narratives, because I did not have balls to use as real life props.

This photoshoot also fits the themes of youth and identity very well, as these activities are activities that majority of people used to play in their youth, which makes this photoshoot more relatable to the viewers youth and identity and not just only my personal youth and identity.

However, if I were to do this photoshoot again, I would aim to take more photographs, so I would have more variation of the same narratives and just more selection to chose from.

I started to pair images together in Lightroom on the book section, basing this on the composition, colour and contextual information that they gave.

When I was doing this, I wanted to create variation in my work by using different page designs so that each spread would have alternating layouts. I was aiming to use full-page spreads that bled all the way to the edge, however I wanted to also leave small spaces on other pages so that they would be different. I also differentiated between the sizing, being that some images were made to be very small, taking up only the edge of the page, whilst other images were placed central to suit the image paired with it.

I wanted to create standardisation in my work by making all of the archived material have the exact same design. I came across different border options which I experimented with side-by-side to the pairing image so that I could see which one I preferred.

I also had to find the same border for the images that were portrait, as many of my archived images were landscape. However, this wasn’t a problem as I was able to zoom in the image and crop it to fit.

I also alternated the positioning of the images to assess how well the compositions went together so that I could figure what order to place them into.

For example:

I wanted to make sure that the material in the images was focused towards the centre as this is important in

I played with pairing images too as this would help me piece together the narrative whilst also show me what suited and what didn’t.

During this process, I was able to do final touches and alterations to my images so that they would accommodate the other images. This also helped me see what weaknesses I had in my images and how I could perfect them.

In images, like this one below, that were over-exposed, I used the masking brush tool as this allowed me to edit specific areas of the image without making alterations to the overall image. I did this with this photograph as it gives high contextual information about my brother. I wanted to highlight the depth of the cracks in the door whilst also keeping the image dark at an appropriate amount because this will make the image come across as angry and hurt, which are relevant emotions concerning my brother.

I experimented with this in numerous ways as I wanted to make it look the most dramatic as I could whilst still making sure it looked realistic:

I started experimenting with different layouts for my front and back cover as this sets the scene for the viewer to give them a clue on what this is going to be about. I saved doing this until last so that I would find it easier as then I can choose from my selection of images that have already been displayed, being faster.

My ideas began like this:

I began to copy over my essay into the back of my photobook. I imported the reference images into my Lightroom Catalog so that I could drag them from the strip into the pages of the book.

To add text, I used the photo description box which is just a simple text box while for my images I used the photo choice.

Here, I could experiment with font types, sizing, spacing and boldness to decide which suited my photobook the most and which one was the nicest in my opinion.

I decided on a solid black background colour as I feel that the darkness and opacity suggests to the viewer that this photobook is concerned with topics that are deep and serious. I didn’t like how the templates sat so I decided to use one, and then create my own photo cell and measure it over the top so that they would be equal.

I paired these images as the front cover shows the start of his life, and the back cover shows a more recent photograph of him once he has endured the battles of his mental health and has changed as a person. The shine of the flash in the first image can be echoed into the back cover image, which not only gives it consistency but can be perceived as still having small parts of his old personality tucked away in his mind somewhere.

I chose on the title ‘Fragments of Him’ for a number of reasons. For one, the two images on the front and back cover are small, acting like a window into his life. This is also reinforced by the pixilation on my brothers face on the front cover because there are pieces of him covering up his own face. Finally, I thought this name was well suited and appropriate as many of my images are quite abstract, being that they allow the viewer to have small flashes into the direct experiences of my brother and the second-hand repercussions that untreated mental health issues have on a family.

I decided on the Georgia font and put it into bold in order to make it stand out against the contrasting black so that it would be more eye-catching. Once I did this, I standardised all of my writing in the photobook so that it would be the same.

Once I had completed this, I felt that I wasn’t quite done with my photobook. So, under my archived images, I began to write small anecdotes about what mine and my brothers relationship was like, his hobbies and the family dynamic. I did this to provided context to these archived images but also so that the viewer can get to know who my brother was/is and learn about his life.

I dragged the image caption down further away so that it would stand alone and be more emotive. I also altered the colour of the pages as I felt that the white was too harsh for a subject matter like this.

Once I had my final checks, I sent my book to Blurb.

I chose for standard portrait with a hardcover image wrap, with premium lustre paper.

My Final Layout:

This chicken belongs to my Grandmother and is from 1980. I chose to edit this image black and white along with the other images of objects as it gives the idea they are linked to the past.

This was a wedding gift to my grandmother during 1971, and has stayed with her ever since.

This ruler was given to my grandmother during 1966, when she was 14, and she has kept it since then.

This is a close up of a doll given to my auntie as a gift from her friend who visited caketown during 1989.

In my photobook I am going to include both old images as well as new ones which I have taken. For these old photos I am going to crop and transform them so that there is nothing in the background.

Adjusting my images:

For majority of my old images the table is visible in the background. To fix this I am going to use lightroom tools to adjust it so that the photo is the only thing visible.

To do this I used the ‘transform’ option and adjusted the image slightly horizontal and vertical. I also rotated the image.

Finally I cropped the image after adjusting it. I will not make any other edits to the old images as I want them to have the same look as they already do.

Before:

After:

Making adjustments:

1: I have adjusted the image on the right so that it is a similar tone to the original image. I will put these onto the same page therefore I want them to be the same sort of tone.

I also chose to adjust the hue and saturation of certain colours such as red as i found the red jacket to be too vibrant in the original image.

I also chose to increase the clarity on the original image as it is sort of grainy as it is a very old image.

These two pages are two ideas, I perfer the second one which includes the wedding ring and the two photos on the second page.

My layout

Front + Back cover ideas:

I am planning on using a watch for my front cover as my project is based on the past and how we change over time as well as memories. Therefore a clock will emphasise this meaning.

I decided to try a different colour for the background of the book, I then noticed that the front cover didn’t really suit the colour of the pages. Therefore I decided to change the front cover to a more warm toned image of my Grandmother.

I then experimented with adjusting the colours of individual pages to suit the images on them.

Final Layout:

How can photographs be a way to connect to the past and a way to create a sense of nostalgia?

‘the power to photograph, the power to archive, the power to create a certain set of memories.’ ¹– Collin Pantall

In my personal project I have chosen to explore the theme of nostalgia through photography. Nostalgia is a sense of longing affection for a period in the past, photography is a great way to create this sense as it allows you to capture this moment in time and lets you look back on these moments. To do this I studied the photographer Irina Werning whose most known project, “Back to the Future”, is all about nostalgia and how photography can be a way to reconnect to the past. To respond to Werning I looked through old photo albums to gather images which I was planning to recreate. In doing these photoshoots a sense of nostalgia was created for the models recreating these images, it was like reliving the past. Alongside Werning I also studied photographer Samiksha Chaudhary who created a project which also relates to nostalgia and memories. In my response to Chaudhary I photographed my families old objects, specifically my grandmothers. Whilst doing this I learnt more about my families past as I was told stories which accompanied each of the old objects.

Nostalgia itself goes back to the 17th century the Swiss medical student Johannes Hofer described the feeling of nostalgia as a disease, and those who felt it suffered from an ‘afflicted imagination’ ². This was seen as a dangerous condition and it was thought to be caused by an imbalance of the four bodily fluids, which was a huge cause of disease in this era. It was also believed that it could cause physical health issues, especially if those affected were away from their native places for prolonged periods. It was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that nostalgia began to shift from a sickness to an emotional experience. The Romantic period was when nostalgia really began to be understood as a universal human feeling, an emotional reaction that was linked to memory as well as identity. Today, nostalgia is considered to be a complex emotional state which can create both positive and bad feelings.

Irina Werning:

Irina Werning is a freelance photojournalist who focuses on personal long-term projects. She is based in Argentina and has a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s degree in history and a master’s in photojournalism. Werning won the Ian Parry Scholarsip in 2006, the Emerging photographer fund in 2012, and he first place Sony world photography award for portraiture in 2012. Irina Werning became world-famous as a result of her project ‘Back to the Future’. In this project Werning photographed people as they reenacted their childhood portraits. This unique series shows how people look and feel 20 years after their childhood portraits, Werning took her camera and portrayed hundreds of people as they go back to their future. She was inspired to create this project after she scanned some older photos and after she ended up in one of the locations where one of these photos had been shot.

In this image taken by Irina Werning, three relatives have come together to reenact an old portrait of the three of them when they were younger. Although this may not create a sense of nostalgia for the viewer, it would have created one for them as it is a recreation of a time in their childhood. In her book The Photography Reader, Liz Wells stated, ‘memories evoked by a photo do not simply spring out of the image itself, but are generated in an intertext of discourses that shift between past and present.’⁴ This suggests that the sense of nostalgia created from old images is subjective to the viewer. One viewers may see an image as nostalgic whereas another may not, this is because everyone has a different past and presence which may not connect to these images in an emotional way.

My response to Irina Werning consisted of me photographing mainly my mother. When recreating these old found images it created a sense of nostalgia not for me but for her, as she was the one who lived the moments captured in these photographs. This adds to the concept that the feeling of nostalgia is subjective as everyone gains a sense of nostalgia from different things depending on their past.

Samiksha Chaudhary

Samiksha Chaudhary believes objects function as memory keepers and he found himself reliving these memories through photography. This all began in lockdown when Chaudhary found himself stuck in Mumbai, whilst his parents were back home at Calcutta. Chaudhary found this time lonely as he missed his parents, therefore he aimed to revive and relive little moments which were created by these objects. He released a set of photographs taken of these objects as part of a bigger collection which he previously shot during 2019 whilst being at home with his parents. Chaudhary found photography to be a way of tracing back memories all the way to his childhood. It was also a way to feel closer to his parents and a way to hold onto old memories. Each of his unique objects tells a story which takes him back to his home. Chaudhary wishes to capture the object’s value to his personal history, rather than the value of them. These objects create a mental map to his childhood and they are also a way of knowing his family’s history. With the objects laid out they all tell a story. They capture a lifetime within them, not only his own but also that of his parents and relatives.

This image by Chaudhary is taken of a wooden doll, a wedding gift to his mother. It held a small vial of perfume and this amongst many other objects were showcased in his home when he was growing up, some were inherited whereas some were received as gifts, and some were collected by his parents themselves, mainly his mother.

In my response to Chaudhary I chose to photograph mainly my grandmothers old items, one of which being a ruler from when she was ages 14 during 1966. Whilst photographing many of these objects I gained a sense of nostalgia as she told me the stories which accompanied each of these valued items, despite not experiencing this time period myself. Looking at all these old items also allowed her to travel back in time through bringing back old memories which she has connected to these objects.

To conclude, photography can be a way to connect someone to the past. This can be seen in both Irina Werning and Samiksha Chaudhary’s work, however they both create this sense of nostalgia in different ways. For example, Werning focuses on portraiture and reenacting older images, reminding people of those times in the past and reliving old memories. This sense of nostalgia was felt by my family members when I photographed them restaging old images. On the other hand Chaudhary photographs objects of his parent past, creating new memories of a time he didn’t experience. Which is what I experienced when photographing my grandmothers old items, I felt a sense of nostalgia for a time I didn’t experience. Overall photography is largely linked to nostalgia as it is a way to both relive old memories as well as gain new memories of the past.

Bibliography:

1. Collin Pantall (2019) Remembering the Past, Remembering the Present. Location of site: Here ↩︎
2. Johannes Hofer (1688) Coming home again. Location of site: here (Page 2) ↩︎
3. Image from project ‘Back to the Future’. Location of image: here ↩︎
4. Annette Kuh (2003) Remembrance The child I never was. Location: here ↩︎

During one of my photoshoots, I had a set idea of what I wanted the narrative of my image to be, which was catch/ piggy in the middle. However, this narrative needed the props of balls, which I did not have, so instead of just not doing the photoshoot, I am going to AI balls into my images.

Edits

First, I drag the image I want to edit onto a photoshop document. Next, I select the rectangular marquee tool and select where on the image I want the AI to be.

Next, I type in what I want to generate, which is a football in this case.

Next, I can pick between the options it has given me, or change my search slightly, until I am happy with the result.

Final AI Images