What are the differences between photographs that are windows and mirrors?
As stated by John Szarkowski, in 1974, in an essay he wrote that accompanied the exhibition, “is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?.”
The below image is a window, it reflects on the world around the boy and the influences that affected him. This photo was taken by Diane Arbus and is titled The boy with the toy hand grenade. It was taken in central park in 1962. The boy in the photo is Colin wood, according to a 2005 article by the washing ton post, written by David seal, Colin has no recollection of having his picture being taken. Colin told Segal that he wouldn’t of posed like this unless he where asked and he recons he was imitating what he saw in war movies. It is likely that Colin was out with his nanny when Arbus came a cross him and grabbed a few shots, due to this it is very much like a documentary image and can be seen as an image reminiscent of the decisive moment.
I had a gorgeous image of the steam clock down at the harbour. Where there is a load of negative space in the top left corner which would be nice to put the title in. I bleed the image over the border to completely fill the page as it is one of my best photos as well it was an obvious choose to go as the cover page.
I tried to place this portrait next to the image of the dog, keeping the image of the dog small as to over shadow the meaningfulness of the portrait.
However, this didn’t work so I mover the dog to the next page. I toyed with the idea of putting a quote in the blank page, but I like the way all the focus is on the portrait.
For this one I spread this one I spread the image over two pages to highlight the in focus part of the photo, I tried to bleed the image over the edge. However, it cropped it too much and didn’t seem quit right, so I kept the white border.
I decided to try placing two images on one pages, as seen below. on the page can be see a pair of waders and a tied off cleat.
I then decided I hated this and removed image of the cleat completely. I then shrunk both images and lined then up on each page so they were then centred.
However, having both images small and centre looked an little clunky so enlarged the image of the waders.
Title
I wanted to keep the title simple. I settled on ‘St Helier harbour.’ This was an nice choice as it is broad and covers all images.
I lined the title up so it sat in the centre of all the negative space I placed it on its side so it ran upwards with the chimneys and the mast. and placed my name underneath.
I chose a font that was reminiscent of a typewriter as it sat nicely with the angles on the front cover image.
Fisherman go out to sea and catch shellfish that is then brought back to land and sold.
A paragraph
The fisherman drive down to the harbour, going past the towering steam clock, down to the pier. Rummaging through the equipment and going through the daily checks. Making sure that there is a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on board and reporting back to the coxswain. As the engine rumbles to a start, they radio in through the VHS, coast guard give the ok that they are aware of their leave. The vessel chugs out of the port and around the dolphin, headed to towards their destination. The salt water pricks at their faces, wave after wave breaking against the hull. Throwing her into neutral and rushing to the side. They hook a buoy, hoisting it up to grab on to slimy rope, the sea tugging to reclaim its kin. Emptying the pots, listening to the shells clack and clash, securing them for the trip back, accompanied by the smell of oil and fish the trip back long anticipated, sore backs and hands desperate for some relief, though relief was a far long dream. Tanks filled with creatures, claws bound ready for slaughter, to be sold. The drive home is tiering and filled with the dread of the doing it all again another day.
For this shoot I really enjoyed focusing on taking abstract photos instead of romanticised or straight on photos.
For this photo, I brightened it up by highering the exposer. I did not want to straighten this one as all the angles and corners create a topographical image
This photo did not need to be altered however I did not like it in colour. The black and white adds some gravitas to the image.
favourites
This shoot was most definitely a success. I came out with a multitude of photos which could of been used in the zine and in other projects however my favourites were.
This is one that I find better than the others. the day was cloudy so the ambient light wasn’t blinding. I find that the black and white accentuates the deep meaningful look on his face. He is framed by the arch and the door frame which makes for a nice compassion angling the focus towards him.
Evaluation
This photo shoot was incredibly successful. I really enjoyed going out and taking photos of things I wouldn’t of thought of, and meeting people I wouldn’t of normally met.
I managed to narrow it down to 14 images that I found to be the best from this shoot.
Editing
I have cropped this image to centre the painting, the point of the roof is not centre to the photo, however, the flag pole balances it out. I have also cut our some of the negative space in order to have the focus not only on the building but on the painting.
For this one I lowered the exposure to give the image more depth.
For me, a black and white photo can create more emotion with in the viewer. The building in the middle is the jersey rowing club, it is also the old life boat station. The slip is where the first lifeboat, the Howard Davis, was launched from. By lining up the rowing club in the centre through the barrier and the boat it is like a window to the past.
favourites
This is one of my favourites from this shoot. the dolphin is in line with the breakwater and the horizon and creates a nice even line across the images that is only broken by the ?. There is a lot of negative space with the brightness of the sky which creates a nice contrast to the darker colour of the sea.
Evaluation
This photo shoot was fairly successful however I would of liked to be more creative with my photos. A lot of what I took was very straight on and a bit more classical. I would like to go back down on a less windy day.
Zakynthos is a Greek island in the Ionian sea. it is a major tourist destination with gorgeous beaches with crystal clear beaches, and the Zante strip drawing loads party people to the designation.
The island is home to 2 million olive trees which are turned into olive oil on island which can be found in a any store. The beaches are nothing like those that are found in jersey and are perfect for snorkelling, with an abundance of saddle seabream, mullet and the odd cuckoo wrasse and maybe even a octopus.
The island has been through many occupations including the romans and the Germans during ww2. However the Zante joined the Ionian islands in 1864, the year the Greek flag was raised.
Photos
After speeding a week on the beautiful island that is Zakynthos, and experiencing the town, the beaches and the food, and a couple of days in Liverpool, I have come out with some beautiful photos.
ZANTE
LIVERPOOL
Best Picks
As with any photoshoot there are favourites.
This photo, for example, this photo. It is a statue of Dionysios Solomos who was a Greek poet from the island and is considered Greece’s national poet. This feel majestic with with the ways the yellow and blue of the sky compliment each other and the negative space of the pavement and the sky help to make it feel spaced out more that it is.
Experimentation
I experimented with this picture of my dad sat on the side of the road, in photo shop.
I layered an semi-transparent dark blue over the to then removed elliptical shapes. I then created a layer of light blue over the top of both layers and, again, removed elliptical shape from that layer. Making sure the him and his hat are visible through the gaps.
Cropping images can alter an photos meaning. By changing the focus you can create a new photo, which in many cases this could make a photo better.
By cropping this image to have the line of focus go from the dive platform to the water to the beach, then town and then the sky,
With this one I have brought the bottom of the photo to the the barrier. By doing this I have made uses of the sky, to make the towers and cranes stand out.
These two are from the same original photo. by cropping the image smaller and smaller the way the photo and the man in the photo is viewed changes and someone’s idea about the man changes. the first photo has more in the foreground which makes it seam more busier, whilst, the second one appears more lonely to me. the way that the man is solitary on his journey.
Cropping can also alter the way a photo is perceived. This photo below is already quit elegant and ethereal.
However, when the model is put in a circle crop the viewer and focus in on her and their mind can explore the possibilities of who she is and where she is from.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, born 22nd august 1908 in Chanteloup-en-Brie, France, was and still is considered the master of candid photography and a humanist. Cartier-Bresson is well know for his theory of the decisive moment. Coming from a wealthy family, he was introduce to art from a young age and had an affinity for painting, however, photography soon took over that love and adoration. When he was younger he travelled around Europe and Africa, with his camera, learning about different lives and cultures. this helped him shape and mould his philosophy “the decisive moment”.
The decisive moment
He always had his camera on him waiting for that “decisive moment”. The decisive moment is described as “the exact instance when a unique event is captured by the photographer – when something that may never happen again is frozen in the frame.” Cartier-Bresson published a book in 1952, in which the concept is widely explored.
The camera
Henri Cartier-Bresson was know for using the Leica Rangefinder with a 50mm lens. Cartier-Bresson preferred this camera to any other camera as it was small and inconspicuous, this allowed him to create beautiful photos without disrupting the people he was photographing them. The quite shutter sped also helped with the discreetness of his photos. The camera itself was small and easy to work with and there for no disruptive to the people in the photos. The lens was favoured as it create images that were closest to the eye.
How does Henri Cartier-Bresson view the activity of photography?
Cartier-Bresson describes the activity of photography as “physical pleasure” and states that it is almost “like hunting” without actually “killing”
The lens is described as an extenuation of the eye.
He describes it about being “here and now” and about being in the moment.
It is about freezing a moment of time in place.
The Gare Saint-Lazare
Take in 1932 of a man leaping over a puddle, behind the station. The well known station from one of Claude Monet’s paintings. The energy of Monet’s painting is more busy and you can almost picture the trains moving and people going back and forth, starkly contrasting the simplicity of the Cartier-Bresson’s photo, shows life as it was and is strangely calm.
Claude Monet’s the Gare saint-Lazare
The leading lines follow the top of the fence and the reflection of the top of the fence. This helps to bring the onlookers eye to the leaping man. This also brings attention to the man in the centre of the photo, which might not have been noticed otherwise.
The balance and the symmetry of the clock tower and the reflection of the man show the how the reflection and the tower are one in the same.
The rule of thirds places the leaping man in the centre right quadrant of the photo this frames him in place. This eases the eye on to him. if this were not the case and he were in the left of the photo, the man would be at the start of his jump. This would change the photo, in this instance we would be able to see where the man would be going to, the ripples in the water would disappear.
The negative space at the to and bottom of the photo helps to cement the idea that this is a frame of time that has been frozen, forever to remain a fragment of a life time before ours.
Black and white holds a soul that is missed in coloured images. this was not an editing choice to put the photo in black and white. the lack of colour allows for the eye to focus on more detailed and deeper elements of the photo. the earthy texture and the poster on the wall helps the viewer to appreciate the environment and feel as though they are there.
It is very likely that Cartier-Bresson used a smaller aperture to create a bigger depth of field and have everything in focus. He would also have used a faster shutter speed, this can be see where the leaping man is fuzzy however he is non in a major motion blur.
The natural midday sun, normally a pain for other photographers, is one of Cartier-Bresson greatest strengths. The high, bright sun created high a contrast and highlighted the mans reflection and despite being blurry is one of the clearest and vivid visuals of this photo.
These kinds of thing can be found among nature everywhere and are quite often beautiful. However, they often display a a past of a time before us. A age of humans long gone.
Living in jersey we are surrounded by bunkers and ruins. The best place to see these kinds of things is along the five mile road and on any historical land site, such as Groznes castle.
Here is a photo Jody took of me whilst I was taking photos out at Grosnez castle.
Axel Hutte is a German photographer (born 1951) studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1973 to 1981, he received a scholar ship to study in London and a scholarship to study in Venice in 1985. He is now considered one of the main representative of the Düsseldorf Art Academy.
Over the years Axel Hutte has produced many gorgeous photos and collections. However, I am focusing on one certain type of photograph he has made and that is ruins.
For me these pictures symbolise the battle between nature and humans and how we as people abandon and fail to maintain things in which we have created. The places in these photos are not confided to one place. It is not an abandoned village out in the middle of nowhere. And the ruins are beautiful places they need to be maintained.
This is one of my favourite pieces. The colour is dull yet vibrant and the texture of the bricks is so clear that it looks rough and where the plaster and paint have chipped away. Having the door neatly line-up with the archway creates a long depth of field and the eyes are naturally drawn through the arch. but my overall favourite thing about this photo is how simple it is.
These are similar to a few photos by Thomas Sutton.
These remind me a lot of some of the heritage site around Jersey specifically Corbier light house, Mont Orguil castle and Gronzel castle ruins.
This one is interesting as it is of one of jerseys coastal defence towers, specifically Tour du Sud, La Carreire, St Ouens bay.
