All posts by Ellie Sousa
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Zine layout: Design
Final Zine and Evaluation
Page1 (The front page) – I made it in black and white and put the photo full bleed all over the page with black writing that has an effect on it.
Page2- This is also a double spread but landscape to capture the whole image.
Page3- One of the images is full bleed so you notice that one more and the other one is normal.
Page4- Here is another full page spread of one image, landscape.
Page5- This page has one photograph and the other page has writing about St Helier harbour.
Page6- Has a poem about the harbour on the left and a photograph on the right.
Page7- last page black and white full bleed, just a simple image of the boats with low tide.
About the Zine.
Each of these I did a shoot at St. Helier Harbour because I wanted to show the mix of man-made stuff and nature. I like how the boats and buildings sit next to the water, and I wanted to capture how even busy places can feel quiet sometimes. The lighting was soft and cloudy, which was great because it made everything look calm without harsh shadows. I used a medium aperture (around f/8) so both the boats and the background stayed in focus, giving a good sense of the space. I went for cooler colours like blues and greys to give the photos a chilled, maybe even a bit lonely, mood. I also used lines and symmetry in my shots to show the difference between the solid structures and the more flowing, natural feel of the sea.
There is loads of different tones with being light and dark capturing the sea and the boats all around the harbour- you could say there is a pattern of repetition where by each image is lining and capturing each bit sort of like a sequence.
the ISO to 400 or 800 roughly, but the higher the ISO, the more grainy the image can look as it was a cold and rainy day. However capturing boats in the sunlight or reflections in the water, stick with a low ISO which is what I did.
I used Slow shutter speed to let in more light and can make moving things like water look soft and blurry, giving it a dreamier effect. On cloudy days, things can look bluish. Try switching to the Cloudy setting to warm things up, which is what I did. By adjusting these three settings, you can make sure your photos of St. Helier Harbour capture the mood you want, whether it’s bright and clear, soft and dreamy, or warm and glowing and by doing all of this I captured exactly what I wanted in my images.
Creating a zine about St. Helier Harbour has been a personal and creative project. The harbour, a place I’ve known all my life, provided a mix of old boats, local people, and daily activity that helped me explore my photography in new ways.
I’ve always seen St. Helier Harbour, but photographing it made me appreciate its detail, the old fishing boats, the reflections on the water, and the people working there. Working at the harbour wasn’t always easy especially with unpredictable weather and lighting but it taught me to adapt. I learned patience, waiting for the perfect light or an interesting moment, and focused on capturing the everyday life of the people who work there. Putting together the zine was about more than just taking photos; it was about telling a story. I arranged the photos in a way that takes the viewer on a journey through the harbour. I added handwritten notes to give it a personal touch and make the zine feel like a reflection of my experience.
Conclusion
Overall, this project helped me grow as a photographer by teaching me how to tell a story through images. It also deepened my connection to a place I’ve known for years, allowing me to capture the beauty and life of St. Helier Harbour in a way that feels meaningful to me.
Essay- origin of photography
Photography is one of the most influential visual arts of the modern era. The development of photography can be traced back to the early photography was invented by Frenchman Nicéphore Niépce in 1822. Niépce developed a technique called heliography, which he used to create the world’s oldest surviving photograph, View from the Window at Le Gras.
The Camera Obscura
The term “camera obscura,” meaning “dark room” in Latin means to an optical device used to project an image of its surroundings onto a screen. The basic concept involves light passing through a small hole into a darkened room or box, forming an inverted image of the outside scene on the opposite wall which would turn upside down, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci used the camera obscura to study photography but camera obscura couldn’t fix or capture the image.
Frenchman, Louis Daguerre- daguerreotype
In 1839, Frenchman, Louis Daguerre introduced the daguerreotype, the first widely used photographic process.
The daguerreotype process involved exposing a silver-coated copper plate to iodine vapor, which made the plate sensitive to light. After exposure, the plate was developed using mercury vapor and fixed with a solution of salt, creating a detailed and permanent image. One of the major advantages of the daguerreotype was its relatively short exposure time—ranging from a few minutes to half an hour, a significant improvement over Niépce’s heliographs.
The daguerreotype became worldwide, especially in portraiture. For the first time, people could obtain a true likeness of themselves or loved ones He created the first image that could be fixed.
The Calotype
In the same year Daguerre announced his invention, British scientist William Henry Fox Talbot introduced the calotype. the calotype was based on the concept of the negative-positive process, which allowed for multiple prints to be made from a single negative.
Talbot’s method involved exposing paper coated with silver iodide to light, producing a negative image. This negative could then be used to create positive prints by placing it against another sheet of sensitized paper and exposing it to light.
Collodion
The invention of the collodion, This process involved coating a glass plate with a solution of collodion, a sticky substance, and then sensitizing it with silver nitrate. This process produced highly detailed images.
In 1888, the introduction of the Kodak camera by George Eastman marked another turning point in the history of photography. He made photography accessible to the general public by making The Kodak camera. although it was small it was portable, and used roll film in the 20th century
Romanticism
Not forgetting, Romanticism. It’s all about emotion, individualism, and a deep connection to nature. Romanticism is often associated with painting, literature, and music, it has significantly influenced photography, looking at the themes of nature, emotion, and the sublime, and how photographers use visual techniques to capture these ideas and make each photo unique and beautiful in its own way.
Conclusion
The origins of photography are centuries of scientific and technological research. Niépce, Daguerre, and Talbot each proved the idea of realization and the ability to capture and preserve moments in time, as technology advanced, photography evolved, it also shapes how we see the world.
Conclusion
Photography started out as a cool science experiment, but it quickly became something way deeper. It can turn the everyday into something extraordinary, like how Andrew Krater captured Paris in 1928—his photos made him fall in love with the city so much that he had to go back for more.
What’s awesome about photography is that it shows how things look while also changing how we see them. The camera might be objective, but the person behind it—like me—adds their own vibe and perspective.
At its core, photography is all about framing an image and figuring out how light, angles, and shapes come together. The camera obscura is a classic example: it’s basically a simple black box that uses darkness to let in light, creating upside-down images. Even though this idea has been around for ages, it wasn’t until the 19th century that people figured out how to actually capture those images and keep them.
In 1839, Louis Daguerre and Henry Fox Talbot get a lot of credit for “starting photography,” but it’s important to remember that the camera obscura existed long before them. Daguerre came up with the daguerreotype in the 1840s, the first method that people could actually use to take pictures, while Talbot’s calotype, introduced in 1841, used paper coated with silver iodide to create softer images.
Both processes reflect the romantic vibe of that time, focusing on personal experiences and how we view the world. As I dive into photography myself, I’m super excited to explore this rich history and find my own unique voice in the art.
Narrative&Story-Research & Analysis- Zine
NARRATIVE
Narrative Is the way a story is told, for example you can tell different narratives of the same story. There is no right or wrong. It tells a story and a picture with a meaning. Narrative is constructed when you begin to create relationships between images and present more than two images together. Your selection of images and the order of how these images appear on the pages contributes significantly to the construction of the narrative. So too, does the structure and design of the zine.
STORY: What is your story? How will you tell your story?
I want to guide people to see what I see—to feel a connection to those moments. For my zine, I’ll be telling this story through images, each focusing on something specific. My goal is to make viewers pause and appreciate the beauty and meaning in everyday details, one photo at a time.
As I explore my surroundings, I’ll look for those little moments that tell a bigger story. I want to transform ordinary scenes into something special through my lens. There will be close-ups and different depths of images.
Ultimately, I want my zine to remind people that beauty is often found in unexpected places. Through my photography, I hope to inspire others to slow down and appreciate the world around them, celebrating the small yet significant moments that shape our lives.
My story is about capturing moments that often go unnoticed and using photography to highlight the details that truly matter. By focusing on certain points in an image, I want to guide people to see what I see—to feel a connection to that moment. For my zine, I’ll be telling this story visually. Each photo will emphasize something specific, whether it’s a fleeting expression, a small gesture, or a unique texture. The goal is to make the viewer pause and think about the beauty and meaning in everyday details, one image at a time.
Theme
In my photography zine, I’m focusing on telling a story that feels real and engaging. I’ll start with wide shots of the harbour to set the tone and show its atmosphere. Then, I’ll move into more detailed, close-up images that bring out the smaller, often unnoticed moments. By the end, the photos will come together to leave a lasting impact and tell a full story which could tell a picture about history or slave trades that may have happened in the past .
I’m carefully selecting which shots will take up more space, like full-page spreads, to give them the attention they deserve. The smaller, detailed shots and portraits will create balance, giving the zine a natural flow as well as acknowledging two side by side images. I want my photos to be seen through color, shapes, or contrasts between landscapes and close-ups. I want the series to evolve as you go through it, with each image adding something new.
I’ll use my best shots to make the story come alive and may include archival images of St. Helier Harbour if it adds to the depth and history of the project.
Zine pictures and layout
I’m working on a zine that focuses on St Helier Harbour, which has always been a place I’ve found interesting. I’m using both black and white and colour photos to show the different sides of the harbour. The black and white images highlight the textures and history, almost like freezing time, while the colour photos capture the lively, everyday side of it, like the boats and the reflections on the water. This is a spot where people relax and connect. Through this zine, I’m hoping to share that mix of old and new, quiet and busy, in a way that feels personal.
I have chosen these images to chose from as my zine prints, I am going to select 10-15 images of these pictures, some will be side by side comparison with before and after or black and white vs normal colour.
This image spread across 1 page as two, any images such as this will spread across the whole double page.
Both these images are going to be side by side.
Both of these image will spread across one page.
Compare each image side by side.
This is my final set of images that is going to be used for my zine, with a range of different shapes and sizes- as well as colours.
Edited shoot
Here is a before and after.
I made this photo have really high clarity on Lightroom.
Maritime museum shoot
Origins of photography
Photography was firstly invented as a scientific experiment..
The potential for photography is to turn the ordinary into extraordinary which is shown throughout Andrew Krater and his images made in Paris (which he liked so much he went back) in 1928.
Photography shows the world of appearances and it transforms what it describes because the camera is objective, you as a human taking the picture are subjective.
Photography is about framing the image and how you perceive the photograph being taken, considering the lights and the angles as well as different shapes and what makes up what in the images.
Fixing the shadow (living in the shadows)
The camera of obscura is a black box – you need darkness to see light i.e. chamber where there is a whole which allows light to enter from the outside. However light travels in a straight direction/line(law of physics) so therefore it makes the image upside and the reason you could argue that this wasn’t the origin of photography was because you couldn’t fix it and take it with you which is why the Frenchman and English man fixed this, for so many years this was the projection of real life (camera less photograph). A simple dark room with a hole in it, shining through some light is the closet way to a box which will end up reflecting the images upside down.
In 1839, Louie and henry “started photography” however this is problematic to state that the origin of photography was in this period as the camera of obscura box was happening 1000 years before henry and Louie – Frenchman and English man was able to fix it.
Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photographic process, widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. “Daguerreotype” also refers to an image created through this process.
Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low contrast details and textures
However the two processes made in 1983 which are daguerreotype and calotype have many similarities but also many differences i.e., both black and white with element’s of romanticism movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century. Henry fox Robert and Louie fixed this issue on metal and made it fixed as well as glass later on as a fixed photograph to reproduce images.
Conclusion
Photography started out as a cool science experiment, but it quickly became something way deeper. It can turn the everyday into something extraordinary
What’s awesome about photography is that it shows how things look while also changing how we see them.
At its core, photography is all about framing an image and figuring out how light, angles, and shapes come together. The camera obscura is a classic example: it’s basically a simple black box that uses darkness to let in light, creating upside-down images.
Daguerre came up with the daguerreotype in the 1840s, the first method that people could actually use to take pictures, while Talbot’s calotype, introduced in 1841, used paper coated with silver iodide to create softer images which made the images fixed.
St Helier harbour shoot 1
History of st helier harbour
The town is named for St. Helier, a Frankish missionary who was reputedly martyred there in 555. The saint’s memory is preserved in the Hermitage, a small 12th-century oratory on L’Islet, as well as in the Abbey (later Priory) of St. Helier, founded in the mid-12th century by Robert FitzHamon, of Gloucester.
St Aubin favoured
During the 17th century this became the island’s principal port, where vessels headed to and from the cod fisheries on the Canadian coast would moor, alongside cargo vessels and privateers and their captures. It was not a convenient location, however, because the berths dried out at low water, and there was no road to St Helier, which was still the island’s main town and marketplace. Cargoes had to be transported across the long beach from St Aubin to St Helier by horse and cart.
By the beginning of the century the clamour for a part at St Helier was so great that the States turned their attention to providing weather-proof jetties at what is now South Pier and La Folie and in due course private money paid for the construction of the quayside in front of what is now known as Commercial Buildings.
Eventually St Helier had facilities which encouraged merchants to stop bringing their vessels into St Aubin, and the main town harbour developed at the expense of the latter, although not nearly as fast as the island’s traders would have wished.
Fishing harbours
Havre des Pas was a very old anchorage for fishing boats, the ‘Havre’ then becoming an important shipbuilding area. The harbour at La Rocque was built in 1872, when local fishing was at it peak. With the building of the Eastern Railway in 1873, and the opening of La Rocque Station, this harbour became directly linked with the town and markets to enable the catch to be sold quickly.
Gorey is the oldest port in the Island, the castle being the early seat of government. In this cove, boats with men and materials were unloaded, though it was not until 1826.
Further north is St Catherine, where the remains of a planned large naval harbour of refuge can be seen. With relations between France and England strained, two such refuges were planned in the Channel Islands, one at Alderney and the other at St Catherine.
There are three little ports on the north coast, which can he classed as fishing harbours, Bouley Bay was built in 1828, with that at Rozel, in 1829. Bonne Nuit Harbour was built in 1872. The harbour at Rozel also catered for the oyster dredgers.