Emilie Ristevski is an Australian photographer, visual storyteller and author. She often finds herself exploring far wide around the world to create and share slow and mindful wanderings within nature. Her work is about finding the beauty in our world and she is always looking to find ways to conserve and capture the things that often goes unseen. Over the years she has developed a strong focus on sharing meaningful content around sustainability and caring for the planet. She hopes her photographs have the ability to resonate with people in some way, that they can bring sense of nostalgia, a sense of wonder, that they will make you think something, anything at all. With pieces of her mind and heart scattered all over the globe, she felt the urge for her images to do and say more with the hope that she can encourage a greater awareness of the earths beauty and ever present fragility. It is through her storytelling that she hopes to inspire and educate her audience on the importance of our natural world. She truly loves being able to share the world through her lens and allowing others to see the magic of the natural world. Knowing she has encouraged others to see the world in a new light and reignite their connection with nature and our planet is something really special to her. Emilie’s work for photography started years ago when she discovered black and white film photography in a tiny dark room. Focusing on travel for her was never intentional and while studying design at university she always imagined herself somehow in the design world, however photography was also something she fell in love with the most when creating imagery.

What inspired you to start this journey? Would you say you’ve always been a creative & where do you think this has stemmed from in your upbringing? 

“I’ve always had an innate love of creativity. Growing up I experimenting with different art forms and mediums from painting, drawing, ceramics, anything where I could create and let my imagination become tangible. The combination of travel and photography helped to me create a strong sense of story, a way to create work which felt transportive and capture the untold wonders of our planet. Somewhere between the mountains and the ocean I have lived throughout several different regions along the east coast of Australia and in someway always surrounded by nature – This is where my love and connection to the natural world first began. Nature has always been a starting place for inspiration. The continual ebb and flow of being a creative and constantly being on the move forces you adapt and see things differently, a mindset which allows myself to appreciate the hidden beauty that can be found all around us.”

Emilie Ristevski describes her photography style as “storytelling, Escapism, Dreamscapes”

Forever Wandering

Forever Wandering is a book that Emilie Ristevski published. Forever Wandering is a labour of love of many years full of countless wanderings around the globe, she poured so much of herself into creating this book and never been so exited to offer a home for her photographs to be held in a tangible form. The process of creating her book was very surreal and overwhelming and became a leering curve for her in many ways. With so many uncertainties in the world right now, she hopes her photography is able to transport to peoples mind into the wildness of our world and help people discover a depth of wonder and awe of the planet. Forever Wandering is a visual insight into our natural world, telling a meaningful story of how we can find a deeper connection with the universe and ourselves. She just wants her photography to ins[ire people and re-light everyone’s connection with earth and see the beauty that is hidden with every corner or the planet and how its amazing sharing moments like exploring the world with people you love most.

“The camera is my tool of choice.”

Ashley Kaplan was born in San Francisco, California. She started Photography as an official business at the end of 2020, which wasn’t the best time to start a business. It took her a year to find out what type of photography she really wants to do but she is confidently to say that she is a love and empowerment photographer to book with and to take creative photoshoots of anyone’s story. When taking photoshoots of people she always tries to make everyone comfortable so she really tries hard with the posses and styling to highlight everyone’s natural beauty. She finds a lot of joy helping others out and that’s the biggest goal and value in life. She has been through a lot in both life and in this world of photography and she has learnt and grown through it.

Portfolio

Ashley says that photography is a hobby for her. She’s always treasured old family photographers and rich stories they carry with the, but it wasn’t until she become a mother that she got obsessed with the need to preserve and remember each phase and detail of her family life. She feels happier in the wild and beautiful places when taking pictures. She loves Capturing people, the wonders of this marvellous planet, and how we all fit into this awe-inspiring world makes her heart sing. Each stage of family and friends life is so fleeting to her. She knows he will never have enough time, and the years seem to pass too quickly, but there is a comfort in knowing her photography will continue to serve as a time machine transporting her back to preserve and remember.

French photographer Théo Gosselin was born in nearby of Le Havre in 1990. He currently lives and works in Amiens. He graduated in 2012 as a graphic designer in Amiens. He started photography around 2007, and it became his reason to live. He loves to capture the simple life, good and bad moments, and his adventures.

Théo Gosselin pictures are a true admiration to freedom, captured like a snapshot, credits to his film camera that he totally masters. His favourite themes are life, love, his generation, his adventures, and wide-open areas; he is, in simple terms, a young person yearning for independence and a different way of life where harmony with nature and human values are important. Théo Gosselin is the photographer of simple but heart-breaking pictures, which speak the language of feelings and true emotions. The young photographer delicately captures the connection that comes with maturity without using any false pretences or lies. Obsessed with music and cinema, he started to photograph as a way to celebrate love, beauty, friendship and freedom. With a style that is both raw and atmospheric, he captures the world around looking to really feel alive.

portfolio

Theo Gosselin’s photography is very simple: no sets, no staging, just allowing moments to happen. style which one would think would not be entirely beneficial to more commercial work. One of the good things about working for commercial photography is that Most of the time he is able to work with his own friends as models, producing moments that feel true to him and to the viewers. When working with professional models or actors, Gosselin prefers to meet them in advance, to ensure that same “organic” and familiar environment is maintained on set. As much as he tries to make these more product-minded shoots his own, the world of commercial photography remains a difficult one for him to feel at home in. “I hate when there are 30 people behind my back, looking at the pictures, drinking coffee,” he says. “When I shoot advertising or commercial, I try to work with a small team to preserve the intimacy of the pictures.” As he so bluntly states — “the clients can stay in the truck or in the tents—a model can’t be true in front of 30 people.”

Theo Gosselin quote when asked what did photography teach you over the years:

“I basically learned life through photography. This is how I met my wife, my friends and so many people. It’s been there in all the good and the bad moments in my life. It also makes me less shy and it’s been a bridge for me to connect with the entire world and live the life I’ve always wanted.”

Theo Gosselin was inspired by his friends and their lives not as a photographer but as a teenager who wants to capture the memories just like everyone else, Along the way, Gosselin took notes from the liberated ways of the American underground culture of the 20th Century.

I love the way Theo Gosselin presents his photoshoots. It shows exactly how teenage life is most of the time because in your teenage era that’s when you get to life your life a little and start new adventures.

image analysis:

The image above, photoshoot from Theo Gosselin. Photo was taken over the shoulder with a perspective of a car journey, with a strong depth of field and with the subject being blurry. Although the image looks simple and boring, I feel that it is sums up the purpose of Gosselin’s work well, and his relationships with those around him. As Gosselin, shoots over the shoulder, it is almost suggesting that him and the subject share the same view, as if their trip is the same for both of them, which shows me a more calming atmosphere, which include friendship and togetherness. At last I feel like this image is telling everyone that Gosselin is on a journey which also is mysterious because you cant tell where is is or going too but that’s wat also makes it more interesting and makes people curious.

MOODBOARD:

MINDMAP:

GIRLHOOD

James, who has been The North Wall’s Propeller Artist for two years, began exploring the idea of GIRLHOOD during the group show ‘Fourteen’ which she facilitated and took part in for ‘Photo Oxford’ 2021. As a way to understand her journey of grief, she began investigating the vulnerability of adolescence as a metaphor of how she felt straight after her father died. Since then, James has been documenting teenage girls, all born at the start of the smartphone era and in a period of transition; gradually moving away from childhood yet nowhere near adulthood. Every adult was once a teenager, and we can all add to the conversation regarding our own teenage years. James tells us, “I, probably like yourself, was invincible as a teenager, yet now as an adult and as a mother I see how vulnerable teenagers are.” The artist’s ability to capture the essence of teenage girls allows for honest and sensitive imagery. Philippa James meaning behind her photos is that lot of teenage feels like waiting for adulthood, waiting for freedom, waiting to be taken seriously. This brilliant, stirring exhibit captures those feelings as well as the excitement kinship and joy of that time, told through McDonald’s trips and post-school bedroom hangouts.

James’ work here recalls the dreamy female gazes of photographers like Petra Collins and Ashley Armitage, although intentionally more grounded and unposed. In Girlhood, the camera seems to simply bear witness rather than glamourise or caution. Her strategy pays off: the unpoised vulnerability and freedom become the collection’s chief strength.

I’m going to be taking pictures of my friends doing their normal weekend ot day to day activity, such as shopping, doing hair, doing make up etc. Also going to be taking some portraits of different teenage girls styles.

headshots means that the portrait photo is cropped somewhere in the middle torso – so that the focus is on your face.

To take photoshoots for headshots you can either use:

Flash Lighting:

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod: optional
Use transmitter on hotshoe
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal length: 105mm portrait lens

or, Continuous Lighting:

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod: recommended to avoid camera shake
Manual exposure mode
White balance: tungsten light (3200K)
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal length: 50mm portrait lens

MINDMAP & MOODBOARD:

Above is how I set up everything to take the photoshoot and below are some images from the photoshoot and the edited versions.

TOP 2 IMAGES:

These were my top choices because I loved the way its set and how the colours blend in so well with the face expressions and the mood in the image.

For my Landscape photoshoot we went to Havre De Pa and took some pictures there. A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal. The term “landscape” actually derives from the Dutch phrase landscape, which at the beginning meant “region, tract of land” however obtained the artistic connotation, “a image depicting surroundings on land” in the early 1500s (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000). landscape painting, the depiction of natural surroundings in art. Landscape art work may also capture mountains, valleys, our bodies of water, fields, forests, and coasts and might or might not include man-made structures as well as people.

When did landscape photography originate?

The earliest known evidence of a landscape photograph was taken between the years of 1826 and 1827. It was an urban landscape photo taken by a French inventor by the name of Nicephore Niepce.

Below are some images that I chose to edit, I tried to make the photos more dramatic since it would be more interesting and would catch peoples attention more.

The Anthropocene is sometimes used to describe the time during which humans have had a substantial impact on our planet. Whether or not we are in a new geological age, we are part of a complex, global system and the evidence of our impact on it has become clear.

MINDMAP & MOODBAORD:

For my first photoshoot I went to frigate beach and take photos of the sea when is high tide and when its low tide. I took three different pictures but all in the same place but just different angles just like Michael Marten did as I found it very interesting on I was curious on how he did it so perfect. These are the photoshoots Michael Marten inspired me to copy and my final outcome of the images inspired by him.

For my second photoshoot I took photos of abandoned buildings inspired by Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre. The quality of their work cannot be disagreed, and they have added great value to the medium of photography. I like the way they take photos of completely different places, places that no one hardly goes. Where its nice and calm or sometimes messy but still calm and peaceful. Their work relates to Anthropocene because they take pictures of mostly abandoned places and that shows how places can be destroyed or not wanted anymore because of the environment, could also be because of war or other any reason.

Butterfly lighting is a portrait lighting pattern where the key light is placed above the subject’s face and aimed directly at the subject’s face. This creates a butterfly-like shadow under the nose. Also known as “Paramount Lighting” after the classic Hollywood glamor photo. Butterfly lighting is a type of lighting pattern for studio portraiture. It is used for taking flattering, glamorous portrait photos. The lighting is soft on the face. It forms a butterfly-shaped shadow under the subject’s nose, which is the source of the name.

Chiaroscuro is a high-contrast lighting technique that utilises a low-key lighting setup to achieve contrast between the subject and a dark background. Chiaroscuro balances high-contrast light and shade to give the appearance of depth, creating an enhanced or more dramatic effect. Chiaroscuro creates three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional plane, darkening the background and highlighting the subject in the foreground, drawing the viewer’s focus and attention.

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

“The two creative motives that have been contrasted here are not discrete. Ultimately each of the pictures in this book is part of a single, complex, plastic tradition. Since the early days of that tradition, an interior debate has contested issues parallel to those illustrated here. The prejudices and inclinations expressed by the pictures in this book suggest positions that are familiar from older disputes. In terms of the best photography of a half-century ago, one might say that Alfred Stieglitz is the patron of the first half of this book and Eugène Atget of the second. In either case, what artist could want a more distinguished sponsor? The distance between them is to be measured not in terms of the relative force or originality of their work, but in terms of their conceptions of what a photograph is: is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?” 
— John Szarkowski, 1978

Photographs used as “windows” provide an overview into the world, culture, or experience of another person, serving as an open doorway that allows the spectator to learn more about something they are not familiar with. The viewer’s awareness of different lives, habits or locations is broadened by these photographs, which frequently depict situations, people, or settings that are outside of their own world. In this sense, “window” photos provide the audience a chance to see something different and give them an idea of parts of the world that they might not normally see, frequently with a feeling of curiosity or indifference.

On the other hand, “mirror” photos create a feeling of familiarity and connection by reflecting the viewer’s own identity, experiences, or feelings. These pictures create an emotional connection with the audience, frequently bringing out aspects of their own surroundings, culture, or emotions. A snapshot that serves as a mirror strengthens the viewer’s sense of self and helps them comprehend their own identity or experiences on a deeper level. “Mirrors” reflect the familiar, giving the observer a sense of being seen or understood, whereas “windows” provide new perspectives beyond oneself.

Richard long – A Line Made By Walking, England, 1967

A Line Made by Walking downplays the artist’s physical appearance while hinting at Long’s previous involvement in performance art. It demonstrates the duration of time it took for him to develop a visual way to express his enduring concerns about reality, movement, and impermanence.

Bill Brandt – Nude East Sussex, 1968

This picture, following his previous wide-angle nude works, positions the naked figure at the front with her body stretching into the background. The camera is positioned near the model’s face, causing the viewer to feel unsettled as they are aware that the nude is the focal point of the photo and must see the scene from the nude’s perspective. We are observers of the image while also being the focus of it.

Eugene Atget – Street Musician, 1898

This change in how Atget’s work was seen started towards the end of his life, when he became acquainted with Berenice Abbott, a young American photographer working in Paris for Man Ray. Following his passing, Abbott acquired his archive’s remains and started to advocate for his work. She was captivated by the unfamiliarity present in Atget’s photographs, finding within them a Surrealist element along with a steadfast commitment to accuracy and a genuine affection towards the subject itself.

This photograph is included in a collection Abbott printed and released to honour Atget’s centennial birth anniversary. An edition consisting of 100 sets, each numbered, was released.

Robert Rauscheneberg – Windward, Oil And Silkscreen In On Canvas, 1963

Robert Heinecken – Figure Sections (Multiple Solution Puzzle), 1966

Nan Goldin – Nan And Brian In Bed, NYC, 1983, Cibachrome

Goldin’s art is inspired by her personal life, and this image deeply captures the emotional intensity of her own love story. The artist reclines on a bed, looking at Brian – her lover – with a blend of desire and acceptance while he looks away from her. A gentle yellow glow envelops the setting, evoking the fading warmth of a setting sun and a declining bond. “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, a collection of over seven hundred colour slides accompanied by a soundtrack, features Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City as part of Goldin’s significant work.” The slideshow, lasting forty-five minutes, is named after a song from The Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, providing a close, emotional look at a marginal group in 1980s downtown Manhattan. Goldin has characterized The Ballad as “the diary I share with others”; the casual snapshot approach of her photos gives their personal narratives a strong feeling of being in the moment. Although the work depicts the collective experience of a generation affected by drug abuse and AIDS, its main focus is on the passion and intensity found in romantic relationships – both the peaks and valleys.

Garry Winogrand – Los Angeles, 1969, Gelatin – Silver Print

This photograph, similar to many of Winogrand’s finest pieces, is extremely unsettling. The photographer utilized a wide-angle lens to capture the people and their surroundings in great detail, and added another level of distortion by tilting the camera. The primary focus of the image is three women casting a brief glance at a man seated in a wheelchair with a begging cup in his lap. The bending of light in the middle of the picture highlights the outlines of the women’s legs, creating lengthy shadows. The contrast between the woman’s sexuality, youth, and mobility is juxtaposed with the man’s poverty and lack of mobility. The camera’s placement makes the viewer feel like they are on the street, adding a sense of urgency to the scene.

William Eggleston – From Memphis, Tennessee, Dye Transfer Print, Early 1970s

Bernd +Hiller Becher – Lime Kilns, Kalkofen, Harlingen, 1968

Richard Hamilton, Just What It Is That Makes Today’s Home So Different, So Appealing? Collage, 1956

print final zine layout:

computer zine final layout:

I really like the final outcome of my zine layout. The images are lade out nicely and each page shows different angles of the same place we went to. Decided to add some information about the marine since the whole photoshoot is about the harbour and the marine is one of the most important things of the harbour, also decided to write a bit about Brian Nibbs because he was the one showing us around the harbour and telling us more about it since he is one of the well known person that knows about the harbour.

Computer layout:

I decided I am going to talk about the Jersey marina since that’s the main important thing about the harbour.

Also decided to add a bit of information about Brian Nibbs since he is the CEO of Jersey harbour.

paper layout:

This is the type of set up I want to do for my zine. Still deciding which images to use but I think that will use most of them above just maybe in a different order that makes more sense and has a better understanding of the harbour.

We went to Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive and St Helier Harbour to take pictures.

For this edit I wanted to try and leave it black and white but also add some colour to it to see how it turned out. I edited it by decreasing all the colours on HSL saturation and luminance expect orange. I also decreased the contrast, highlights and the shadows.

For this image I decided I wanted to make it have a high contrast and shadows and decrease the white and black in the image which I think turned out really nice. The black and white in this image makes it looks more interesting and detailed with all the mix shadows and shaded of black and white. I would say it’s my favourite image.

Since I really liked the black and white version of this image I wanted to try out giving it a bit of colour by using HSL which was quite interesting. I was hoping that all of the top part of the mountain would turn green but only most of it did but didn’t turn out as bad as i thought because it lightens up at the top and blends in well with the whit and black.

These are the best edited images I have. I edited all of the best images to black and white because I love the way it looks and how there is so many different shades of black and grey. The black and white photos makes the imagine looks more dramatic and with black and white images it’s never has over-expose highlights, makes the image more exiting in a way because of the dramatic dark colours in random places in the photos. Coloured images are beautiful most of the time but so is black and white images, and in black-and white it expresses reality better.