Justine Kurland

Kurland was born in Warsaw, New York. At 15, Kurland ran away to Manhattan and concentrated on becoming an artist. Her photos are representations of both childhood adventures and current experiences., She now spends much of her time on the road, scouting locations for photographs and recruiting models. most of her work can be considered a ‘mirror’ as they tend to reflect personal experiences and also societal constructs such as identity. the images she takes of friends and strangers could be an exploration of her own identity through others and how she wants to portray herself.

She is heavily influenced by her Yale instructors Gregory Crewdson and Philip-Lorca diCorcia, and is known for her elaborate staging of photographs. Kurland has used staged tableaux to explore the social landscape of girlhood, life on communes, and life in the wilderness.

Kurland’s main project was called ‘Girl Pictures’. Kurland started this project in 1997 when she was a graduate student at Yale. She first photographed a fifteen year old girl called Alyssum who was the daughter of Kurland’s partner at the time. The two bonded overtime and put their imaginations together to plot a narrative teenage runaway story. Girl Pictures includes candid portraits of younger women in rural areas and outdoor environments to show the opposite of the past societal views on how women should act. So many of the images in Girl Pictures were taken outside in locations that feel desolate or easy to overlook. They are often staged under bridges or beyond fences or on the sides of highways; places that feel synonymous with warnings.

The lighting in this image is natural and seems to be at either sunrise or sunset. The lighting sets a feeling of calmness to the viewer as it looks tranquil and relaxing. The warming tone also contributes to the idea of tranquillity. In this image, Kurland is photographing Alyssum. This image shows Alyssum in the centre of the image holding onto a tree.

The way she is holding onto he tree creates a sense of fear as she seems to be clinging onto it and not wanting to let go. Her being in the centre of the image I think works really well to create a deeper meaning of the image. the water next to her seems to be travelling one way on the left of the image whereas the direction of the headlights of the cars suggest the road travel the opposite way. as well as that, there’s a pathway on the grass which is also creating a direction. Alyssum’s body faces the road whereas she’s looking over her shoulder at the water which creates the idea that she doesn’t know what direction to go in or what path to take and seems to be lost.

Some images inspired by Justine Kurland

Observe

Definition:

• Notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant.

How do you observe in photography?

It requires being present in the moment and fully engaged with the environment and the subjects within it. Observing in photography is key to capturing the perfect image.

Seek

Definition:

• attempt to find (something).

How do you Seek in photography?

To seek in photography includes finding the perfect location, timing and subject to create the ideal image. Photographers will plan out their shoots and seek certain places and objects they want to obtain they don’t just go for everything and anything

Challenge

Definition:

• a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength.
• a call to prove or justify something.
• invite (someone) to engage in a contest.
• dispute the truth or validity of

How do you Challenge in photography?

Photographers get their photographs noticed when they have produced a diverse piece of work that may have taken extra abilities to obtain. This could include getting dangerous shoots wand challenging themselves to do things that will make their photographs stand out from the rest and participate in a kind of competition to produce the most interesting pieces of work.

Danger

Wildlife

The Planet

The Human Psyche

Topic that interests me for a personal study

Still Life

The first photoshoot that I did was on the topic of still life and nostalgia. Our summer task was on this topic so we brought in items that were nostalgic to us and were able to photograph them in different ways with different lighting. The items i decided on bringing were:

• Baby Book
• First pair of shoes
• Photo (Grandad, Brother and myself)
• Photo (My Brother and I)

I quite liked how this photoshoot for this topic turned out, the lighting was warm and brought across a nostalgic feeling which worked well. I think I did well with experimenting different things to include in the photoshoot by using different levels and objects such as the sheet.

Photos:

Portrait & Lighting

The next topic photoshoot was studio portraits where we focussed on the different types of lighting techniques such as Rembrandt, Butterfly and Chiaroscuro.

Rembrandt

Rembrandt lighting is a technique utilizing one light and one reflector or two separate lights. It can make images look dramatic but at the same time still natural. It’s usually characterized by a lit-up triangle underneath the subject’s eye

Butterfly

Butterfly lighting is a pattern in photography where the lighting sits above and pointing down on the subjects face. This creates a dramatic form of a shadow under the nose and chin which gives it a pattern on a butterfly. It is also given the name “paramount lighting” named for the Hollywood studio for how they lit up the actresses.

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro lighting technique was used in films very commonly. It’s common that the lighting used is natural light coming for, certain places such as through a window or a gap where the sky is visible.

Femininity & Masculinity

This photoshoot was my favourite one to explore, shoot and edit. The artist I decided to focus on was Cindy Sherman who focussed on female stereotypes, She regularly alters her appearance beyond recognition through makeup, prosthetics, and costumes. To create her images, she assumes the multiple roles of photographer, model, makeup artist, hairdresser, and stylist. She becomes the character in the story she is attempting to portray through her images.

Mood Board of images

My photoshoot was focussed on female stereotypes and I picked the topic of dance which is stereotypically considered more of a female sport.

Romanticism

The characteristics of romanticism photos include a focus on individualism, an emphasis on nature, emotion over reason, freedom of form, an exploration of the Gothic and unknown, a return to the past, the awe and wonder, the idealization of women, the purity of childhood, and the search for subjective truth.

Many photos focus on tranquillity like a photo of a sunset or calm seas. As well as this, photos that focus on dramatic and dangerous conditions such as a stormy sky or rough seas are also very popular when it comes to romanticism.

I liked this photoshoot but I struggled to take as many as I did on other photoshoots so it wasn’t my favourite.

The artist I focussed on was Ansel Adams who was the most important American landscape photographer and environmentalist who created famous black and white photographs mostly based in the American West.

My inspired images:

Urban/industrial photoshoots

This photoshoot was done as a class during our lesson time. the location was harve de pas swimming pool and round to La Collette. I think these locations were good as it gave you different variations of building types and sceneries. For example, we reached the modern built apartments which contrasted to the older buildings that stood behind them.

I enjoyed these photoshoots and editing them. The main edit I did was making most/ all of the images black and white because in my opinion the black and white works better with the theme of industrial theme.

Anthropocene

Anthropocene simply describes the time where humans had a substantial impact on the earth. The effects of human activities on Earth can be seen for example in biodiversity loss and climate change. Many people would link this with the effects of climate change as the warming of our atmosphere, air and oceans caused by using fossil fuels which are created by humans.

I researched two artists who were Michael Marten and Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre. I did a small shoot focussed on Michael Marten’s images. Marten’s interest in photography went towards natural changings of the earth and how the push and pull of tides create very different landscapes even though they are in the same place. He usually took the photos at about 6 or 18 hours apart.

Mood board of Michael Marten

My response

I then did my own shoot where I focussed on litter and pollution. I enjoyed this shoot because it was simple but still effective

Observe, Seek & Challenge (St Malo)

This shoot was done on a class trip to St Malo where we were focussing on observing other people and getting photos. The main focus was people and making sure this didn’t involve any posing as we needed the photos to be natural and unexpected like Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photos. I decided on editing many of my photos into black and white however kept some in their original form as I didn’t want to do everything in black and white. My photos include both camera photos and also photos taken on my phone.

I really enjoyed this photoshoot because it focussed on people rather than still images of landscapes or objects. I think taking photos of people is much more interesting as you can interpret the image in different ways and observe other people and see what they do in their day to day life.

Harbour & Maritime Museum

The photoshoot of the harbour included many different areas which meant I was able to get a large range of images. This included the new harbour and the old harbour. personally I prefer the old harbour photos and I also put some of them in black and white to match the more older theme to the photo.

I think this was one of my least favourite shoots as it was something that didn’t interest me like observing others, focussing on people did.

The Calotype was an early photographic technique invented by William Henry Fox Talbot of Great Britain in the 1830s. Henry Fox Talbot experimented using paper and shoe boxes which he called “mousetraps” to create his image. He discovered a chemical (gallic acid) could be used to “develop” the image on the paper. The Daguerreotype, invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwide in 1839. It was the first publicly available photographic process. In comparison to the calotype, Louis Daguerre used a mirrored metal plate instead of paper. Daguerre’s invention of the Daguerreotype eventually became less successful and Talbot’s Calotype became more popular. Both processes are long and tedious. Both invented in 1839 which meant there would be a competition between the two as they were invented in the same year. Both processes fix an image. I think that both the Calotype and the Daguerreotype can be considered as Mirrors and as Windows.

The image that I have chosen is a photo by Cindy Sherman. I decided that this image was a very obvious mirror for several reasons. A mirror image can be described as when the photographer is trying to demonstrate or reflect something that they feel about themselves or as John Szarkowski in his text, said a mirror is “reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it” and “a mirror- a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself on the things and sights of the world”. A photograph that is considered a mirror is a photo that reflects the self. It can reflect the subject both physically and emotionally. For example a portrait of an individual could be showing something personal like the way they are feeling in that moment or the way they wish to be perceived. Artists like Cindy Sherman uses her images to explore self-image. She uses photography as a mirror to show identity of females.

In this image, the main focus is the person in the image. Since the individual is Cindy herself, this is a strong indication that she is trying to reflect something she feels about herself by choosing herself to participate in being the model and not getting someone else to do it for her. This means the image is a type of selfie which further supports the idea of the image being a mirror. The image itself focusses on the feminine stereotypes since Sherman can be seen to be in the setting of a kitchen since the image shows things such as pans, shelving units and washing up items. This is stereotypical since it was normalised for woman to just be in the kitchens and she may be trying to show that idea. She can be seen to be looking over her shoulder and the viewer can interpret that to what they like but it was usually be a negative thing she may be looking at. Sherman is also seen holding her stomach which could be a usual comfort for a woman so this could further suggest something to make her uncomfortable is going on and further shows how she depicts the theme of vulnerability in her photos. The use of using herself in images further makes it a mirror image since she’s showing how an image reflects on how she feels and taking it to another level by actually using herself to show a stronger connection.

This is an image that I have chosen to represent Windows in photography. A photo is considered a window when the photo is attempting to offer a view into other worlds, experiences or cultures. They are photos of documentation rather than reflection which can tell us stories and expose us to environments we may have not experienced. Photographs that function as windows open up new perspectives and allow the viewer to see more. John Szarkowski explained his view of a photograph being a window by saying that a window is “through which one might better know the world?”. There are many reasons that make a photograph a window. For example they are able to transport the viewer back to that moment, evoking emotions, memories, or a sense of nostalgia. In this way, the photograph functions like a window into the past. As well as this it can be a window into other cultures which expose people to others lives and how they live differently. Windows can be interpretative and allow the viewer to decide for themselves the meaning of the photo.

in this particular photo, I think the reason that it is a window is because it is a window into another world. It is showing an insight into a world that the viewer may not have direct access to by exploring other cultures and a society different to our own. Through this photo, we can encounter new environments, people and experiences without physically being there. The image shows two boys who look happy when engaging in the photograph. However this juxtaposes their surroundings as it doesn’t look like they live in very good conditions. This image was taken on a photographers trip to India. I considered this a window image as the photographer is not from there so they aren’t ‘mirroring’ their own life but instead showing a representation of something else.

Overall, in contrast to Szarkowski’s opinions of deciding whether an image in either a mirror and a window, I believe that a photograph can also be both at the same time. It can reflect the viewer’s own inner world (a mirror) while simultaneously offering a view into something external, whether that’s a different place, culture, or moment in time (a window). The images I have chosen above have many differences and similarities. Cindy Sherman’s image is her playing a part to mirror struggles of female stereotypes. However the window image is an image of real life and not playing a part. Both images both aim to draw attention to factors in society.

Images inspired by Robert Frank [WINDOWS]

Frank’s images can be considered windows as they show photos that separate the people in the image from the viewer. his images are able to provide a view into another world where both an objective and subjective perspective can be shown. it shows the view of a moment in time which we don’t experience ourselves. this could be things such as a different culture that isn’t ours showing that we wouldn’t experience this moment however we are getting a view into someone else’s reality. windows may sometimes bring across an emotional aspect where the viewer feelings certain feelings towards the image and what is going on as they experience a glimpse of someone else’s reality.

Images inspired by Man Ray [MIRRORS]

Man Ray creates images that are considered mirrors by using reflective surfaces to distort images where he is able to present his subjects in unique ways. he manipulates the images which creates a break between what is real and what is illusion. He does this by placing mirrors in certain places which create the distortions. The image that is considered a mirror doesn’t usually include everything, it only captures what the photographer chooses to show and then allows to the viewer to interpret it from there. Mirrors in photography can be used to show identities and personal opinions and thoughts. like an actual mirror, they can be used to reflect how we see ourselves. they provide reflections of internal and external meanings and influence the way we perceive ourselves or what the photographer wants us to see. overall mirrors are not just a direct reflection, photographs like this are able to share deeper meanings and allow the viewer to be subjective with how the interpret the meaning. The image that is considered a mirror doesn’t usually include everything, it only captures what the photographer chooses to show and then allows to the viewer to interpret it from there. Mirrors in photography can be used to show identities and personal opinions and thoughts. like an actual mirror, they can be used to reflect how we see ourselves. they provide reflections of internal and external meanings and influence the way we perceive ourselves or what the photographer wants us to see. overall mirrors are not just a direct reflection, photographs like this are able to share deeper meanings and allow the viewer to be subjective with how the interpret the meaning. The distortions could reflect certain emotions like confusing or self insecurities.

My Images I consider mirrors [inspired by Man Ray]

What are the differences between photographs that are WINDOWS and MIRRORS?

Photographs that are considered MIRRORS:

Mirror photos are usually called this when the photographer is trying to demonstrate or reflect something that they feel about themselves. John Szarkowski in his text, said a mirror is “reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it” and “a mirror- a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself on the things and sights of the world”. Mirrors in photography reflect or represent reality or emotions. The image that is considered a mirror doesn’t usually include everything, it only captures what the photographer chooses to show and then allows to the viewer to interpret it from there. Mirrors in photography can be used to show identities and personal opinions and thoughts. like an actual mirror, they can be used to reflect how we see ourselves. they provide reflections of internal and external meanings and influence the way we perceive ourselves or what the photographer wants us to see. overall mirrors are not just a direct reflection, photographs like this are able to share deeper meanings and allow the viewer to be subjective with how the interpret the meaning.

Photographs that are considered WINDOWS:

Window photos are usually called this when the photographer takes images where they try to demonstrate their opinion and how they feel about the outside world. John Szarkowski said a window is “through which one might better know the world” and “through window which the exterior world is explored in all its presence and reality”. a window photograph are able to provide a view into another world where both an objective and subjective perspective can be shown. it shows the view of a moment in time which we don’t experience ourselves. this could be things such as a different culture that isn’t ours showing that we wouldn’t experience this moment however we are getting a view into someone else’s reality. windows may sometimes bring across an emotional aspect where the viewer feelings certain feelings towards the image and what is going on as they experience a glimpse of someone else’s reality. this is importantly used in documentary photography where images are windows to historical events like the wars and how whoever views the photograph now is not currently living that historical period and so its a look into the past and therefore a different reality.

Example of MIRRORS

This is an example of a mirror. I chose this image as first of all it is a self-portrait so it is already showing personal views from the photographer and not of something/someone else. the individual is acting as the subject as well as the photographer. The image reflects on society expectations of women identity and roles. though her images reflect herself they are also reflecting many other individuals realities and the societal ideas.

Example of WINDOW

This image was taken on a photographers trip to India. I considered this a window image as the photographer is not from there so they aren’t ‘mirroring’ their own life but instead showing a representation of something else. The image is very real and factual as it’s showing their environment and life through the image. The focus is on the two boys however the boys juxtapose their surroundings. The boys are seen to be quite happy and excited to be involved in the image but in comparison to that their background seems like an unhealthy environment to live in.

After choosing my photos for my zine, I created the pages I wanted using the settings: width: 148mm,
height: 210, pages: 16, orientation: portrait, columns: 2, column gutter: 5mm, margins: top, bottom, inside, outside: 10mm, bleed: top, bottom, inside, outside: 3mm. and then experimented with the layout and where each photo was going to go. I had to find a few more images as the structure I was going for didn’t work for the amount of images I had.

I began adding writing which was focussed on the history and development of Jersey’s harbour which I thought was a good choice of topic as every picture was taken at the harbour. I used writing on a previous blogpost for this. I made sure to add the writing in empty spaces such as the one above where its positioned in the sky which means the image doesn’t look too busy or confusing. I made sure to keep the writing to a minimum so it doesn’t disrupt the image any further. In this particular page, I only wrote on one photo as it was the largest and the other images would’ve been too small to add writing and the image would be ruined and the writing probably would be lost.

After choosing each photo and making my final decision on them all, I chose where to arrange the photos and which ones worked well next to each other. I decided to keep a pattern of 3 photos on one page then 1 photo then 3 photos etc. I think this worked well because then the layouts were switched up a little and not completely the same throughout. I added two more photos at the end as I hadn’t completely filled up all the pages. I printed the booklet using the correct settings and then folded it over in the order it came out the printer in. After flattening the edge, i stapled the sides twice and then used the trimmer to get rid of all the white boarders around the booklet.

Evaluation

Overall, I think my zine turned out well however I think I could’ve improved it a lot more. I liked the selection of photos I chose and I think I did well will picking my best ones. I liked the layout that I picked as it did as isn’t just stay as a continuous page spread of one photo or 2 instead I alternated the layout by keeping a 1 photo then a 3 photo design. I made sure to keep my favourite landscape photos on the 1 photo page so that they are noticed more. I think keeping all the images in their original colour with some editing was a good idea as it makes the images pop more and draw more attention. However, I think I could’ve been more creative by adding som emote advanced editing to some of my images to make them more interesting and unique. I also think I could’ve tried to get more images that would work together to create a story in my zine as I don’t have much of a story for the images I chose. Each page has similarities but there isn’t an obvious story to it.

A photo zine, or a photography zine, is a small, self-published booklet or magazine that features photography. Zines are a tool used by photographers to tell a story in a visually capturing way to inform an audience about a specific topic or issue, to showcase and advertise a new idea or simply create a preview of an ongoing project. 

To begin a zine, the photographer would decide on a range of photos that relate to each other. Zine’s generally will tell a kind of story or will at least have something in common.

Zines can be made on InDesign or can be handmade. For example, the settings I used for InDesign were: width: 148mm,
height: 210, pages: 16, orientation: portrait, columns: 2, column gutter: 5mm, margins: top, bottom, inside, outside: 10mm, bleed: top, bottom, inside, outside: 3mm. When you fold your sheets, your front cover and back cover should always be the first and last pages of your layout.

My Own zine:
My zine is going to be focussed on the photoshoot from St Helier Harbour which focusses on the new and the old harbour. I am planning to keep my zine all in colour and keep a brighter tone to the overall piece. I think I could make the old harbour photos black and white but I have decided to keep it all in colour so that all images have something in common.

Edit 1: Colour splash

For this edit, I decided to do a colour splash with this image. I chose this image because to had many vibrant colours to choose from. the yellow boat stood out to me as it was slightly out of the group of boats and also the most noticeable colour. I first went to saturation of individual colours and turned all saturation down to 0 for each colour apart from yellow. This then left me with the image on the second screen grab above where I had the yellow boat visible but also many other yellow parts in the image were also visible and not in black and white. I then clicked the brush tool, circled in the top right, and turned the saturation down for the brush. I simply needed to brush over the rest of the image around the yellow boat so that the image was all black and white apart from the yellow boat.

Final Edits:

Edit 2: Marquee tool experimentation

For this edit I chose a photo and decided to make it more interesting but adding a section in the centre that stood out. I used the Elliptical Marquee Tool to create the circle and clicked shift to make it a perfect circle so all I needed to do was adjust the six and the position of it. I put it in the centre of the image and then right clicked the circle and clicked layer via copy. I experimented with the shadowing and position of the circle by adding a drop shadow to create the effect that it does below. I made this shadow the whole way around the circle. I then went down to the layers on the right and made the middle section black and white and kept the background in colour to create the second image below.

High saturation edits-

For this edit I simply had to change the saturation dial on Lightroom and make it the highest possible one. As well as doing that I also went on each individual colour and upped the saturation on each to make sure I had the highest amount. This made the image look more vibrant and less dull and grey looking.

The photoshoot of the harbour included many different areas which meant I was able to get a large range of images. This included the new harbour and the old harbour. personally I prefer the old harbour photos and I also put some of them in black and white to match the more older theme to the photo.

I merged all photoshoots into one as some of these were taken over 3 different times.

I think to improve this shoot I should go down on a different day when the weather is brighter as a large number of the photos have cloudy skies which make them much darker. However, this also worked well with some photos as the black and white effect matches well with darker/ cloudy skies.

Black & White Images

For this photoshoot we went to Jersey’s Maritime museum where we listened to a talk about the history and then had our own time to look around and gather photographs of the museum. There were may different parts to the museum such as the occupation section which focussed on the world war.

I liked this photoshoot however I don’t think I will use it in my final zine as i would struggle to find many things that linked together. The images that are larger above were my favourite images from the photoshoot