• 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?

statement of intent:

what do you want to explore?/why do you want to explore the topic?:

the topic I want to explore is landscapes, but more specifically how its effected us how we have effected it and are absence in are innovation to help preserve are planet. I believe I will be able to make images that portray the messages that I’m exploring for my personal study by capturing images that show we’ve effected the for mainly are personal benefit without giving thought to the things there before us. The reason I want to explore this personally is because although its spoken about its not paid attention to enough to the point where everyone is doing their best to change the world positively, which is why I believe that it would be an interesting subject to do my project around as its something different. This project will allow me to not only learn more about this topic and enhance my skill with taking landscape images. My aim for this project is to produce a piece of work that can educate not only myself but others as we all live in the same bubble on the importance of what we are doing to the landscapes around the island but also the world and how we should be more ethical with what we do and if its all necessary. I believe by using photography I will be able to portray the message that I want to push as how else is better to see how we effected the landscape by showing people images.

how do you wish to develop your project?:

I will develop my project by making sure I take images in specific places such as through out town and some other more rogue places throughout the island and certain weather conditions that make the image look more appealing such as foggy weather or rainy days, but obviously this isn’t something I can rely on but would make the image more aesthetically pleasing. Certain techniques I would like to use would be long exposure panoramic shot as this will help me focus on the smaller elements in the image as well. to further enhance my photos to make them even better I will edit them to look more how I want them to which means some photos will consist of more warm colours popping in the image, then some would feature a more cold atmosphere in the image.

with the combination of my knowledge of the topic and using my photography skills, my intention is to create a series of images that show you the landscapes in multiple different angles view points and perspective. this will also help me show if we have really changed the landscape for the better which is going to help me link it to the idea of are the majority of people happy with their living conditions and the location they live? and if the answer is no why we destroying land for people to be unhappy?

when are where do you intend to begin your study?:

For this project I intend to begin my study by taking lots of images that are inspired by the artists i studied such as Rut Blees Luxemburg and Edgar Martins. would probably start my project by taking images throughout the night around town and possibly around the island trying to replicate some images from the artist I have studied and some photos from my own creativity, this is because I believe that it will be able to successfully show what I’m trying to portray by doing this sort of photoshoots. For example i would like to take images of things that represent damage to the environment and things that in my opinion that are wasted on the island. more specifically things such as abandoned places and things such as deforestation, industrialization and air pollution and overpopulation. which i believe some of these to growing problems in Jersey such as overpopulation which in hand has led to more industrialization around the island to provide for a growing population.

photoshoot 1

for my first photoshoot I would dedicate it to the inspiration I got from rut Blees Luxemburg which is what a plan to do with all my photoshoots dedicating my photoshoots to each photographer I studied and trying to take photos using their techniques to my best ability. Where am I taking my photos? Because for my first photo shoot is going to be in the style of Rut Blees Luxemburg I would most likely go around around town but certain weather conditions would be necessary such as rain, fog, and possibly hail so overall harsh weather conditions. the images bellow would some I would like to recreate.

where could I achieve making an image similar to this? I would most likely take images in town where I could find street lights like this for bars, clubs, shops etc. how could I achieve this and what other factors need to come into place? to achieve this image i would need to find a street with a certain type of lighting at night. the lighting could be yellow or white doesn’t matter

photoshoot 2

for my second photoshoot I would like to take photos that would be more similar to recreate the work of Todd Hido’s house hunting project which consisted of him taking images if houses in the suburbs of America in Ohio in dark places which I could take inspiration by going to estates at night or even possibly find houses isolated and take images of that which would be more fitting to the considering his project. However I would obviously like to take my own twist the project as I just want to take inspiration and not copy the these projects. these are some of the images that i would like to recreate or put a little twist on it.

where could I go to create these images? I could create this images by going to estates or quite remote places around the island and take a couple of images of houses around those sort of areas. how could I create these images? i would need to go around the island in the night or possibly when the sun is about to set to have the perfect natural light to then be edited and maybe tint them a little bit to create the sort of misty or foggy effect that the sky has in the images.

photoshoot 3

just like all my other planned photoshoots im going to take inspiration from my artists i have studied which in this case would be Edgar Martins. in this case the images in this photoshoot would consist of images where the landscape is the main focus with sky basically not even being existent in the image as it would be completely black. then making the landscape a bit more bright as if someone was holding a flashlight when editing the image. these are some images I’m taking inspiration from for this photoshoot.

where can I create these images? I can make similar images to this near places like Cineworld where there’s an abandoned building and possibly visit other abandoned places around the island. what could I do when editing the images to recreate these effects? to recreate this image I can go into Lightroom and use the masking tool to highlight the background of the image and turn the exposure down to make it dark how the example image above looks.

Rut Bleed Luxemburg

Rut Bleed Luxemburg is a German born British photographer she attended the London collage of printing where she then go on to achieve an MA in photography. how does she create her images? a lot of her images includes a long exposure to let her use the light in the streets only. this is technique is used in her images in the night that include reflections off the floor of street lights and buildings such as office blocks or even possibly capture cars moving along on the road.

One of her key interests is how the built environment shapes human experience and perception. She often focuses on the urban environment’s emotional resonance, particularly the intersections of architecture, the human body, and the passage of time. Her work can evoke both a sense of isolation and intimacy, presenting the city as a kind of stage where private, sometimes melancholic, moments unfold.

Luxemburg gained wider recognition with her series London Overground, which captured night scenes along the London Overground rail network. The images from this series depict a hauntingly beautiful, almost cinematic view of the city. The use of artificial light and the interplay of shadows give these photos an otherworldly, dreamlike quality. Her images often appear at the cusp of the real and the imagined, offering a glimpse into a hidden or forgotten side of urban life.

example images:

image analysis

Todd Hido

early life and career:

Todd Hido was born in 1968 in Ohio who had gained an interest in the American suburbs which would then become a big part of his work. His work was also inspired by documentary photography which had helped him develop his work into poetic, cinematic, and also blending aspects of narrative and fine art photography.

key themes and style of photography:

Hido’s most recognizable project would be the house hunting project from 2001. this project showed exactly what his style was about, low conditions in the night. these images in this project consisted of houses in the suburbs in the night through fog.

Another aspect of photography that Todd Hido explored was portraits. He mainly took images of women that would considered to portray the women in the portraits as vulnerable or other feelings, he did this to so people would perceive these images how they wanted to there isn’t a right or wrong answer its on what you believe

Impact and Recognition:

Todd Hido is considered one of the leading photographers of contemporary American photography. His work has been exhibited widely in galleries and museums around the world and has earned him a dedicated following. Hido’s influence extends beyond fine art photography, with his work often being cited in discussions of contemporary American culture, film, and visual narrative.

He has also contributed to a wider conversation on the nature of domestic spaces and the ways in which suburban environments can both reflect and distort human emotions.

Conclusion:

Todd Hido’s work resonates due to its exploration of mood, light, and the deeper psychological layers that landscapes can evoke. His approach to photographing ordinary suburban environments transforms them into spaces of haunting beauty and emotional complexity.

example images:

image analysis

visual:

in this image i would say it contains quite a mixed tone as parts of the images contain a dark blue space on the bottom and the top left of the image however as we look in other places in the image it contains quite a bright blue coming from the source of light in the image. the from we see this image in would be 3D as we are seeing buildings form an angle that allows us to see the front and side of it. from the viewpoint we are given in this image i would say that the surface we see is quite ruff in this image as the concreate isn’t smooth with marks all over it and over grown grass creeping from under the other side of the fence.

technical:

the type of lighting we see in this image would be unnatural as its coming from a street light, however this street light has been manipulated with a long exposure leading to the colour of the light almost taking over the whole image. this image appears to be in a focused and narrow approach when it was taken with quite a cold colour for the setting of the image this could have possibly been done to watch the time of day as it was taken in the night.

conceptual:

the concept behind Todd Hido’s image is his inspiration behind documentary photography which then helped him create these sort of images which I would personally say are quite cinematic. But if we want to talk about the idea behind the images this quote says it all  ‘I wonder about how people live, and the act of taking that photograph is a meditation. ‘ which he then goes on to say that the project doesn’t have an answer and is more of a question. A rumination without resolution.

contextual:

Edgar Martins

Edgar Martins is a Portuguese-born photographer known for his evocative, contemplative, and often minimalist approach to landscape and architectural photography. His work blends formal precision with a deep sense of atmosphere, often exploring themes of place, memory, and human intervention in the environment.

Key Elements of His Work:

Landscape and Architecture: Martins frequently explores the intersection of natural and built environments. His images often focus on architectural spaces or expansive landscapes, but he presents them in ways that challenge conventional representations of these spaces. He’s known for creating photographs that blur the boundaries between the natural and the artificial.

Human Impact on Nature: In addition to exploring architectural spaces, Martins often addresses how human activity has shaped or altered natural landscapes. This can range from the environmental consequences of industrialization to the ways in which man-made structures interrupt or interact with the natural world.

Minimalism and Composition: His use of space is often quite minimal, drawing attention to the vastness or emptiness of a scene. His compositions tend to be precise and meticulously structured, focusing on light, shadow, and texture, and often leaving room for the viewer to interpret the spaces and their meaning.

Recognition and Influence:

Edgar Martins’ work has garnered critical acclaim for its intellectual depth and visual beauty. His approach to photography—combining meticulous technical skills with a deep philosophical inquiry into place, time, and human presence—has earned him recognition in contemporary photography circles. His work is included in numerous private and public collections, and he has exhibited internationally, including at major photography festivals and galleries.

His photographs are often compared to the work of other contemporary photographers who blend minimalism with exploration of place and memory, such as Richard Misrach, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and others who approach landscape and architecture with a meditative, almost existential tone.

In summary, Edgar Martins is a photographer whose work challenges the viewer to contemplate the spaces and places we inhabit, to reflect on the passage of time, and to reconsider the role of human presence (or absence) in the environments around us.

example images:

image analysis

observe, seek, challenge

“the human desire to seek and explore the unknown has driven artists to look for fresh inspirations throughout centuries, compelling them to diverse subject matter and experiment with new materials”

historic paintings examples:

these paintings maybe thousands of years old but can still have many influences on artists around the world. For example Banksy a graffiti artist produced a piece in London’s Leake Street tunnel to comment on the fact that we seek the idea of attempting to preserve prehistoric examples instead of trying to do it with modern art such as graffiti in this case.

Banksy, Cave Painting Removal

(this is the painting referenced in the text above)

the soviet propaganda posters started in 1917 after the Bolsheviks took over Petrograd now known as saint Petersburg. as it was quite a young state it needed to spread an ideologies around the state effectively. this was going to be challenging as the literacy rates were only 37.9%, this meant that the image had to be the driving force of the poster not the words on them. this has influenced the modern age by propaganda now becoming used by for many things such as combating against world problems (COVID-19, climate change) and for things such as presidential election.

Ai Weiwei, Study of Perspective, 1999

this project was produced by Ai Weiwei to project the idea that people shouldn’t just listen to governments and should have there own beliefs. he done this by going to significant monuments and putting up the middle finger. this obviously has had an influence on the modern day with many people speaking up against government, a big example of this would be Greta Thunburg as she challenged the Swedish government to take part and battle against climate change which then turned then helped raise awareness around the world drastically.

Painter Jackson Pollock, cigarette in mouth, dropping paint onto canvas

Joe Pollock was an artist that used the “drip” paint technique, the reason he used this technique was to help explore themes such as surrealism navigation of the unconscious and Jungian symbolism. this basically means he wanted people to connect to his images through emotions what it made them feel and why?  “The Search to unravel the working of the Human psyche and understand the very nature of consciousness has often inspired artists.”

Rogan Brown is a British artist based in France. His inspiration stems from his interest in the complexity of nature, creating pieces that help us look at the world on a different scale.

mind map

mood board

question: what are the differences between images that windows and mirrors?

John Szarkowski believes that photography falls into two categories, these categories are known as windows and mirrors. As Szarkowski states  “The distance between in terms of their conceptions of what a photograph is: it is a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?”. To put it simply when making an image does it represent you as an artist if so this would be a mirror image, or does it show the exterior world, with its natural elements this would be a Window image.

words that associate with mirror photography

subjective

reflective

personal

unique

aesthetic

individual

romanticism

words that associate with window photography

documentary

realism

views

objective

optical

unaltered

genuine

artist that include windows and mirror photography

(mirror image: Richard Hamilton)

Richard Hamilton was a painter who created painting based on his views and ideals on the world which is was what made them unique and different. he produced his own atheistic which is what is known as pop art and was it to be believed to be one of the first paintings consisting if pop art. These are the reasons to why I believe this image is indeed a mirror image as it fits the criteria of Szarkowski’s theory’s about photography.

(window image: Ansel Adams)

Ansel Adams was a landscape photographer who travelled all of America to capture images similar to the one above. His photography consisted of capturing the beauty of nature in ways never seem before in photography which is was made his work so special, he visited Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, all the time to capture its change over the years of his career making it documentary, realism and unaltered which is why this contributes to the mirror aspect of Szarkowski concept of his photography theory’s.

where?

school

function

streets of jersey

my home

work

who?

colleagues

family

friends

students

teachers

aim:

to present images that represents “windows or mirrors” accurately to the images and artists I have studied

how?

take photos around the school, work, home, and the streets of jersey.

artist studies:

Ansel Adams

Richard Hamilton

• 3 words
• A sentence
• A paragraph

NARRATIVE: How will you tell your story?

• Images > New St Helier Harbour photographs
• Archives > Old photographs of St Helier Harbour from SJ photo-archive or JEP Photographic Archive
• Texts > Write a short introduction or statement about your picture story, image captions
• Typography > creative uses of words, letters, font-types, sizes

Add a selection of your final 10-16 images as a moodboard/ gallery to the blog post too, including any archive material too.

story

3 words: past and present

a sentence: the history of the jersey harbour, what its jobs is, and who is doing the work that we don’t see, and the locals that take in the site.

A paragraph: Jersey Harbour, once a bustling hub of maritime trade and fishing, has evolved significantly from its historical roots. In the past, the harbour served as a critical gateway for commerce and a refuge for fishing boats, its quays lined with warehouses and bustling markets that reflected the island’s vibrant economic activity. Today, while still a functional port, it has transformed into a picturesque destination, blending its rich maritime history with modern amenities. Visitors can now enjoy waterfront cafes, art galleries, and recreational activities alongside traditional boat moorings, illustrating how Jersey Harbour has adapted to contemporary needs while honouring its storied past. This juxtaposition of history and modernity makes the harbour a compelling focal point for both locals and tourists alike.

how are you going to tell your story?

images: old photos provided to me and present photos taken by me

texts: write short texts in the begging and end of the

typography> use creative words, fonts, letters and sizes

mood board of images I might use:

camera obscura and pinhole photography

long before the introduction to photography the idea of it had already existed in the ancient world. this known because the evidence shows that the earliest use of camera obscura dates back to 4th century BC. the ideas traditionally came from places like china and the ancient Greeks. ideas of photography were raised by people such as Mozi a Chinese philosopher. How was camera obscura done? Camera obscura was achieved by setting up in a dark room with a little hole in one of its wall, then light is needed from the outside of the room (daylight from the sun) reflecting an image of the outside world on to the wall opposite the hole in the wall. This method has been used and refined developing it to become more modern in the present. most well known examples of camera obscura would be the following, Leonardo Da Vinci using the method to study proportions an perspective in art, and Athemius of Tralles a Greek mathematician who used camera obscura for his experiments.

photo example of camera obscura

modern day recreations

the first ever picture when was it and is it really the first ever image?

unlike most historic things no one is actually sure of when photography actually started or if we really have found the first ever photo. However its widely believed that the first ever photo was made in 1827, by Nicéphore Niépce.

calotypes and Daguerreotypes

(henry fox talbot)

in 1839, development of photography started with a two step process. Henry fox talbot’s process started by putting images through light an silver chloride coated on paper, this produces a “negative” this invention was seen as groundbreaking. By exposing a little bit of light, over a short period of time these images would turn darker creating what we would call a “negative image” due to it having a limited amount of light in the image. From this process you could then use these images as templates to then create clear images by using chemicals on these papers then you’d be able to numerously print them. This is what we know as Calotypes.

(henry fox talbot example)

Louis Daguerre

the second type, that takes inspiration from  Nicéphore Niépce’s work using heliography, created by Louis Daguerre he used iodine-sensitized silver plate and mercury vapor. The method named after himself the “Daguerreotype” its process of making the image is quite unique. This method creates an image much different in comparison to Henry Fox Talbot as this process helps create a more 3D effect instead of a flat 2D image. despite the more unique image and method of creation the Henry Fox Talbots method would be superior as its was more simplistic making it the easier choice for everyone who wanted to make an image. however, his method would become more popular in the distant future due to the invention of the film camera.

Richard Maddox

Richard Maddox, suggested that sensitizing chemicals, calcium bromide and silver nitrate, would be be coated on a glass plate in gelatin. From this idea, Charles Bennett, made the first gelatin dry plates for the public to purchase, soon after the emulsion of these chemicals could then be placed onto celluloid roll film.

these gelatin plates helped create a revolution in photography. as they were commercially marketed as people bought them as if they were a necessity which helped create an even bigger interest for photography for people among the UK. it also saved time for photographers from having to sit in a dark room to create there images, instead images could have been stored away and developed whenever necessary. his work would also help with the construction of small cameras that could be held with your two hands.

(example of the work that helped create the said camera)

George Eastman

George Eastman was an America entrepreneur born in New York, and invented the first ever kodak camera (this lead to well known photographers such as Ansel Adams and Weegee to using this camera or later installments of it). However before he created the kodak camera he was already an expert in the field of photography as he had mastered the ability to make dry plate for photos. he manufactured these plates in London in factory and established a film company named “Eastman Dry Plate and Film”. This lead to him applying the dry plates process onto film therefore creating the Kodak to which he then made available for the public in 1888.

(this was a marketing poster for the camera when it was first created)

The Kodak Brownie- the camera that made photography accessible

out of all the installments of the kodak camera one of their most important creations was the kodak brownie, this is because it was a user friendly camera for people who weren’t exactly experts with a camera (similar to a camera on a phone) as it was as easy as pressing a button and it would create an image, it also a whole new market of people as photography was mainly for people of the upper class as it was pretty expensive to indulge in photography in its early days however this camera changed that and made it available to people of the middle class. In the 1900s the amount of people that had this camera sky rocketed on a mass scale.

digital photography

with film photography predominantly being used in the 20th century because of George Eastman’s invention it was bound to change with the tech development happening around the world. This lead to Steve Sasson’s invention of the first self contained digital camera for kodak. with this invention it became even more simple for people to use cameras which then obviously lead to modern day cameras being developed into what they are easy to use and accessible to anyone in the world.

(side by side comparison of film and digital camera)

after this a rapid growth in camera development happened from the 1970s up until the modern day

history of jersey photography

Thomas Sutton

Thomas Sutton is a well known photographer he was the first ever photographer to take a colored image by that isn’t the only reason he is well known Establishing a studio in St Brelade in 1848 here he worked alongside another photographer, Frenchman L.D. Blanquart-Evrard were they had a printing establishment. In 1850 this studio was advertised as “founded at the suggestion of, and patronized by, H R H Prince Albert” who was known to be a keen collector of photographs. 

(first ever colored image)

photos rated 1-2 stars

these photos are rated 1-2 stars because they didn’t meet the criteria of what I needed to accomplish inn terms of the quality of the photo itself or what the image its self consisted of.

photos rated 3-4 stars

these photos I believe are rated 3-4 stars because it has some of the criteria that is needed for project but is missing somethings that I would consider for the photos to be 5 stars. for the most part I would say the photos are missing the quality of the image or it doesn’t project the idea of the difference between the modern day harbour and the original harbour.

photos rated 5 stars

these eight photos are what I believe to be the best photos I took on this trip to the harbour as I think it captured what the harbours about as it shows how the modern day harbour works in comparison to the 1800s

Edited images

evaluation

overall I believe that I got a good set of images on the trip to the harbour as they capture the history of the harbour but also capture the changes and how its changed over the years of the harbour. However for next time I would prioritise getting more images of higher quality as I think I missed out on some images that could have been better due to the quality of the image.

square crop:

I used the square crop for this image because I think that it suited it the best as I was able to zoom in on this couple and make them the main focus of the image and it also helped make the image look more like a polaroid image which is what I wanted to go for.

panoramic crop:

I think the panoramic crop was ideal for this image as it helps zoom in something in the image that makes it look more interesting to look at instead of having a bunch of empty space in the photo making it less appealing to look at.

landscape crop:

I believe that the landscape photo was appropriate for this image as it helps focus on the person in the image as it got a lot less of the space underneath the railing with the bright leaves which most people would probably be drawn to as they are very loud colours

combined cropped images: