The personal study is based around the theme observe, seek and challenge.
Mind Map
Mood Board
Mood Board Analysis
My mood board includes a large range of ideas for my personal study of observe, seek and challenge, because I am not sure what theme I am planning on doing for my personal study yet, so I have included them all the get an idea of my options. I have included the themes which I have talked about on my mind map.
This is a rather large mood board containing quite a few images, compared to the usual mood boards I make, because I wanted to include a large range of themes that I could explore.
What I did- For this topic of portraiture I used the studio in school to take my images. I experimented with three different types of lighting, which were;
Rembrandt
Chiaroscuro
Butterfly Lighting
I also experimented with different backgrounds (black and white) and I also experimented with editing (creating black and white copies and coloured copies). I also had my models do different poses, that I think looked best.
Rembrandt
Rembrandt lighting is used to create shadows and contrast, and the ‘triangle of light’, beneath someone’s eye. This causes an element of drama and psychological depth onto the individual, who’s photo is being taken. Rembrandt lighting is an effective device to draw the eye. It is widely used in promotional photographs of film stars showing them in a dramatic and eye-catching way. An example of these film stars is Marylin Monroe and Keanu Revees;
How I did it-
Light: Lighting styles are determined by the positioning of your light source. Rembrandt lighting is created by the single light source being at a 40 to 45-degree angle and higher than the subject. Use cans use both flashlights and continuous lights.
Lens: Use a 35mm or 50mm if space is at a premium, or if you’re looking at including more of the subject than just the head and shoulders. A 50mm works really nicely for portraits and will give a nice depth of field if you’re shooting at a shallow aperture. But a 35mm will give you a wider point of view and is great to fit more of the body in of your subject.
Butterfly Lighting
Butterfly lighting is a type of portrait lighting technique used primarily in a studio setting. Its name comes from the butterfly-shaped shadow that forms under the nose because the light comes from above the camera. You may also hear it called ‘paramount lighting’ or ‘glamour lighting’. Butterfly lighting is used for portraits, because it is a lighting that flatters almost everyone, as it can highlight cheekbones and create shadows under them, as well as under the neck, which makes the model look thinner. This makes it the most commonly used lighting setups. This lighting has also been used for famous stars, from classic Hollywood and that’s why it’s also called Paramount lighting.
How I did it-
Lighting: Butterfly lighting requires a key light that can be a flash unit or continuous. If continuous, it can be artificial or natural. In other words, you can use strobes, speed lights, LEDs or even the sun. A butterfly lighting effect refers to the setup and not to the quality of light – it can be soft or hard light depending on the effect you want. If you want to create a soft light, you’ll need to use modifiers. A beauty dish is perfect for glamour photography as it distributes the light evenly and smooths the skin. You can also use a softbox or an umbrella. Instead, if you want to have hard light, you can leave the light source as it is. Alternatively, you can use grid spots to direct it and create different effects.
Experimentation: Once you have the key light set up, it’s time to fill the shadows. You can use a reflector to bounce the light back up and soften the shadow under the chin and the one from under the nose. To do so, position the reflector under the subject’s face. Start at waist level and see how it looks. If the shadows are still strong, move it closer to the face and so on. Experiment with different positions to achieve different effects. You can also change the colour of the reflector. A white one will give you a neutral tone, while a golden one gives a warming overcast. Once you’re happy with your butterfly lighting, direct the model to have a striking fashion pose or whatever the desired pose or expression you’re looking for. Just keep in mind that the subject’s face needs to be towards the light in order to have the butterfly shadow under the nose.
Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro is a visual element of art, which is defined as a bold contrast between light and dark. It is called chiaroscuro, because it is an Italian word meaning light dark. A certain amount of chiaroscuro is the effect of light modelling in painting where 3-dimensional volume is suggested by highlights and shadows. It first appeared in 15th century painting in Italy and Flanders (Holland), but true chiaroscuro developed during the 16th century, in Mannerism and in Baroque art. Dark subjects were dramatically lighted by a shaft of light from a single constricted and often unseen source was a compositional device seen in the paintings of old masters such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt.
How I did it-
Chiaroscuro lighting uses one key light and a variation using a reflector that reflects light from the key light back onto the sitter.
My Images
Rembrandt
Butterfly Lighting
Chiaroscuro
Evaluation
What went well- I think these images came out really well, because I displayed the different types of lighting well and my models made the images more exciting by doing different poses. I also like the editing in these images, especially the black and white copies. I also really enjoyed taking these images, because I much prefer taking pictures of people, rather than landscapes for example.
Even Better If- Next time, I would want to experiment with more models and poses. I would also like to create more black and white copies of my images, because I much prefer black and white images over coloured images.
Environmental Portraiture
What I did- For this photoshoot, I took photographs of people in their natural environments eg. work and school.
How I did it- I visited shops through town, such as the market, Love Bird Pottery Shop, Next, Schuh etc. I visited these specific places, because this was where my friends were working, so I was able to get photos of them there. I also wanted to take photos of my friends, so that I could get them to pose, and not feel awkward about it. I also went round school and took photos of students and teachers in their natural environment.
Environmental portraits can reveal somebodies life, like where they work, or what their home is like, or what they do at home. These portraits can be used to have an insight on another’s life, or to have an insight on a profession. These portraits can also be called historical, as they may show jobs, which are no longer professions, or show how homes used to look and what people would do in their homes. The images also shows people not in the present. These environmental portraits help feel a connection between the photographer and the person getting their picture taken, unlike how it would be on a phone.
My Images
Evaluation
What went well- I really enjoyed this photoshoot, because I really enjoy taking images of people. However, this also allowed me to move around and take pictures in different places, with different scenery, which I also really enjoyed. I also enjoyed being able to pose my models how I wished, because this allowed me to make my images exactly how I want them. I also enjoyed editing these photos and making black and white copies.
Even better if- Next time, I would make sure to check my camera settings, because some of my images are slightly blurry. I would also create more black and white copies of my images. Another thing I would do differently is maybe photograph strangers, so I can get out my comfort zone, and I would go to other places than school and work. I may also try different places of work eg restaurants, offices etc. instead of just retail.
Femininity & Masculinity
What I did- For this photoshoot I explored what was meant by masculinity and femininity. I explored their different stereotypes and the meanings behind them.
How I did it- I took photoshoots in the studio, as well as outside. I used different poses and props to display the different stereotypes. For example, I made a boy pose with his muscles, because a stereotype is that men are strong. I also had girls pose with makeup and other girl related products to present the feminine stereotype. I also used different lighting (pink and blue) to portray the stereotypes.
My Images
Evaluation
What went well- I really enjoyed this topic, because it was something I was able to write a lot about and really dive into, because it really interested me and I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the freedom I had for my images, because I could display femininity and masculinity in any way I wanted. I also enjoyed how I was taking photos of people, because that is my favourite photographs to take, because I am able to have them pose the way I’d like and I just find the photos more interesting. I also enjoyed editing these images and creating black and white versions of these images. I also enjoyed the use of props in some of these images.
Even better if- Next time, I would try and experiment with masculinity slightly more, and I would work on my lighting technique slightly more, so I don’t create shadows on the background.
Anthropocene
What I did- For the Anthropocene topic, I explored three issues, which were; abandoned buildings, litter on the beach and industrialisation.
How I did it- For abandoned buildings, I took inspiration from John Divola, and I explored different abandoned buildings in Jersey, such as St Saviours Hospital and Bouley Bay Hotel. I took pictures of the rubble left there.
For the litter theme, I went to Harve Des Pas beach, and I walked along the beach looking for litter and cigarette butts and I took photos of all the litter I saw. Then, I used the litter I had found and collected on the beach to make patterned photos out of it in the studio, in response to Barry Rosenthal.
Finally, I took photos of industrialisation, especially in town.
My Images
Evaluation
What went well- I really enjoyed taking pictures of the abandoned buildings, which is different for me, because I much prefer portraiture. I think I enjoyed this because I enjoyed exploring these abandoned buildings. I also enjoyed editing these images in colour and black and white. I also experimented with photoshop for this topic, which I thought went really well. I used things such as AI.
BeforeAfter
Even Better if- However, I didn’t enjoy taking photos of litter and industrialisation as much, because I found it quite boring, because I was quite uninterested, so I would not want to do this again.
St Malo
What I did- I took street photographs, which are candid shots of people going about their day to day lives.
How I did it-I observed the people around me and waited for the decisive moment (Henri Cartier-Breson).
My Images
Evaluation
What went well- I really enjoyed this trip to St Malo, and I really enjoyed taking these street photography images, because I much prefer taking images of people. I also captured lots of good images, using head shots and hip shots, so I could try and go undetected. I also experimented with photoshop at lot in this topic, more than any other topic. I experimented with motion blurring, colour selecting, and lots of different ways to crop my images. I also enjoyed making this zine, but usually I do not enjoy making them.
Even better if- If I were to do this again, I would try get a few more closer up shots, while still trying to be undetected, and I would try to get more photographs with peoples faces in, rather than their backs.
Jersey Harbours
What I did- I visited the harbour, as well as the fisheries in it and the maritime museum. I also visited the fish shop, where they sold all the fish. I took photos of anything that I saw that related to what I had been researching, such as the cod fisheries in the maritime museum. I also took images of people, boats, the harbour, fish, graffiti, information, maps and anything else I found interesting.
How I did it- I started at one end of the harbour, at the maritime museum and made my way down, making sure I took pictures of everything. I also asked people if I could take portraits of them.
My Images
Evaluation
What went well- I really enjoyed taking pictures of the fish, because I thought they came out really well, and I enjoyed being able to visit the fisheries with all the alive shellfish still inside. I also enjoyed visiting the maritime museum, but I didn’t enjoy taking photos in there and none of them came out very well. I also enjoyed editing these images. I also asked people if I could take portraits of them. I enjoyed taking these portraits, because it was a lot more fun that taking images of the harbour and I much prefer taking images of people.
Even better if- Next time, I wouldn’t visit the maritime museum, because the photos weren’t very good. I also wouldn’t want to walk round the whole harbour again, as I found it very boring. I only enjoyed taking images of the fish, rather than the boats and the rest of the harbour.
Justine Kurland was born in 1969 and is an American fine art photographer, based in New York City. She first gained public notice with her work in the group show, called Another Girl, Another Planet (1999), at New York’s Van Doren Waxter gallery. The show included her large c-print staged tableaux pictures of landscapes inhabited by young adolescent girls, half-sprites, half juvenile delinquents. This was her first exhibition of a photographic interest that lasted from 1997, when she began taking pictures of her mentor Laurie Simmons’s babysitter and her friends, to 2002. Altogether, Kurland published 69 pictures of girls in a series called “Girl Pictures.” The staged photos take place in urban and wilderness settings, with girls depicted as though to imply they are runaways, hopeful and independent. As landscapes she chose the ‘secret places’ of late childhood; wasteland on the edges of suburbia, ‘owned’ only by a feral nature and unsupervised children. Her book Spirit West (2000) featured similar work on a more ambitious scale. In early 2001 Kurland spent several months in New Zealand, where she created similar work with schoolgirls there.
About ‘Girl Pictures’
‘The girls were rebelling. The girls were acting out. The girls had run away from home, that much was clear. They were trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was boy.’ Floating a raft down the Mississippi. Tucking smokes into the sleeve of a T-shirt. Having a rumble. Living off land. Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it, all the dominion of boys. If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it. – Justine Kurland.
This is the first paragraph in Justine Kurland’s book, where she sets the narrative of her ‘Girl Pictures’ for the viewers. The narrative of this story is that these girls have ran away from home, so that they can explore and have fun and be whoever they wish to be. She sets this narrative in these tableaux images, by having the girls pose doing all these different activities, such as swimming in rivers, or camping in forests.
She also explains what she wants the viewers to take in from this book and from her images, which is that you too can be anything you dream of in your imagination. She states that they are pirates, cowboys etc, because in ‘Girl Pictures’ these girls aren’t just girls, they are whoever they want to be. She also states that they are trying on ‘boy,’ because in society standards it is more socially acceptable for boys to act in this rambunctious manor, rather than girls. This is due to stereotypes seen through genders. I feel like in this book ‘Girl Pictures’ she is trying to fight against these stereotypes of young girls, and this is an important matter to her and all other girls, because they have grown up being told they should be or behave a certain way due to their gender. She is fighting against these stereotypes, by having these young girls act in a way that is seen as more masculine and not socially acceptable for these girls.
Kurland also began dating women shortly after completing her ‘Girls’ series, working with an undercurrent of sex and female sexuality. As of 2018 she had been dating her current female partner for three years. I think that, because of her work fighting against stereotypes it impacted her and also allowed her to fight stereotypes and socials norms in her own personal life.
Girl Pictures
Analysis of one image
The lighting used in this image is artificial lighting, because the image is taken inside. The image also has a high level of control, because it is a staged tableaux image, where the girls position, distance and location was manipulated the way Justine Kurland thought best fitted. This image is a colour image and has quite warm tones throughout out, because of the warmness of the light (not a harsh florescent light). The layout of these girls was manipulated, so that there was a foreground, middle ground, and background, which leads the viewers eye around the page from front to back. This make the girls the main viewpoint of this image.
This photograph displays ‘run away’ girls living out of public restrooms, as they are exploring their sexuality and ‘trying on boy.’ This photo is largely about fighting against stereotypes, as they are acting in a way that is seen as more masculine, as they are travelling and acting in rambunctious ways.
This image is also a mirror image, because it is a reflection of Justine Kurland the photographer. It is a reflection of her and very internal to her, because she is a lesbian photographer, who also had to grow up in these stereotypes and during these social norms that girls had to behave a certain way, that was socially acceptable. It is also a tableaux image, even though it looks like a documentary candid image. This is because it is a staged image.
Doug Aitken- New Opposition
Doug Aitken is an American multidisciplinary artist. Aitken’s body of work ranges from photography, print media, sculpture, and architectural interventions, to narrative films, sound, single and multi-channel video works, installations, and live performance. He was born in 1968 in Redondo Beach, California. He moved to New York in 1994 where he had his first solo show at 303 Gallery. He is best known for his work with video, and the characteristics that define that medium are apparent within ‘New Opposition.’
Aitken has a large range of work, including an array of site- specific installations, sometimes synthesizing interactive media with architecture, for example New Horizon. He has also made video installations since the mid 1990s and has created them by employing multiple screens in architecturally provocative environments, for example the diamond sea (1997). He has also made outdoor film installations. He has also written books, done sound experiments, made sculptures, light boxes and taken photographs.
About ‘New Opposition’
Aitken is well known for his many photographs, which often explore spatial and temporal disruption and narrative suggestion like his installations. In ‘New Opposition’ the photographs do not work as the self-sufficient one-off frames, but rely on each other for meaning. The optical tricks that the landscapes form when put together give the impression to the viewer that they are either falling into the centre of the earth, or are on top of it looking down as if from the apex of a pyramid. The active involvement by the viewer and the three-dimensional sculptural sensations of the photographs can also be seen in the elaborate installations that often accompany hid videos.
‘The series New Opposition consists of three pieces and was started in 2001. I was interested in the fragmentation of the image. I wanted to formulate an image that was whole but also broken apart. So these are multiple images working as one. I wanted to find a way to blend together different moments in time, different spaces and different locations. I wanted to bring them together in a central unifying image. They are not portraits or cityscapes but more an entropic progression. As the series progresses it becomes increasingly abstracted and denser and you get a sense of motion. The elements in the last image are ones you might just walk past in dally life – there is nothing special about the land. You can imagine someone who is surveying the land taking them. I really like the idea of banality and repetition being used to generate the images, which are simple and unobstructed and not captivated by composition. The images create a cycle of different places, but they can all be tied together through the central unifying theme of the horizon, which cuts, perpendicular, through them. I was after a three-dimensional quality. Working as well are the ideas of montage and editing, basically filmic concepts, as is a repetition. I wanted the eyes to constantly search for the horizon. When the images are brought together they collapse and create a feeling of retreating or expanding.’ – Doug Aitken.
New Opposition
Analysis of an Image
The type of lighting used in this image was natural daylight in all four of the sections, because these are all landscape images. There is also shade within this image, especially in the top two sections of this image, because it looks like a rocky mountain range to me, which would create a lot of shade, due to the rocks blocking the sun. There is little control in this image, because Doug Aitken cannot manipulate the landscape. However, he can manipulated the position he is in, where he point the camera, his editing and the distance he wants to stand at, and this can alter the levels of light, shade and just how the images look. There is lots of warm tones throughout this image, as the colours in this image are sandy brown colours. However, the bottom right section is the exception and has more cool tones, as the colours in this image are blue and a chalky white. There are quite a few dark and light tones throughout these images, due to the shade and lighting within them. There is also a lot of texture throughout these image, as you can see the texture of all the different rocks. The image is also very 3D due to its editing and due to the chosen landscapes. There is also lines and a pattern of repetition in his work, because of the lines separating the four quadrants.
The composition of these images are organised and arranged into their four sections during the editing process. The images are cropped and the angle of them is manipulated to create these images. The viewpoint of this image is the horizon. There is also harmony between the images, as they are all similar landscapes, but there is also contrast between the bottom right section and the other sections, due to the change in tone and colour. The editing in this image also gives depth of surface illusion, as it looks like the images are falling.
Doug Aitken wanted to create these images of ‘boring’ landscapes and create an image that would capture the viewers eye and leave the searching for the horizon in the image. He was also interested in the fragmentation of the image, as he wanted to form an image that is broken but whole. He did this to blend together different locations at different times.
This image is a mirror, because it is a documentary image of four different landscapes that have been pieced together. These images show the exterior world and are not a reflection or internal to Doug Aitken, because they do not reflect him in any way. These images have not been staged or manipulated.
RECORDING > Based on the theme of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE’ – and with relevance to your Personal Study – produce 3 images that are documenting reality – ‘windows of the world’and another 3 images that are staging reality – ‘mirrors of the world’.
PLANNING > Produce a blog post where you plan and sketch out a few ideas in relation to the photo-assignment. You may use some of the images or artists references we looked at earlier in the week as inspiration and put together a mood-board, that will act as inspiration for your shoot.
In the next lesson tomorrow (Wednesday) you will be given a camera to make initial responses. Be creative and use this opportunity to experiment with ideas or approaches to image-making that you might want to extend further in your Personal Study. The expectation is that you make a set of images during the lesson using the school environment (inside or outside) creatively. The photographic studio is also available where you can explore different ideas using different lighting techniques…Rembrandt lighting…Butterfly lighting…Chiaroscuro…reflected light…coloured gels etc.
Mood Board
Mind Map
Windows
Doug Aitken
Doug Aitken is an American multidisciplinary artist. Aitken’s body of work ranges from photography, print media, sculpture, and architectural interventions, to narrative films, sound, single and multi-channel video works, installations, and live performance. He was born in 1968 in Redondo Beach, California. Aitken takes documentary images of all different landscapes, but not only does he do that, he also edits them and uses photoshop, to create a square like shape of 4 different landscape images.
Window- The images Doug Aitken takes are window photographs, because they are documentary images, of the exterior world. This gives these images a sense of realism and objectiveness, because they are truthful images of external views of the world. He takes images of all different landscapes, such as mountains, forests, ocean, dessert, rocky areas etc. All these images present the world in its truest form, as it is not staged, or fiction, but instead candid shots.
My Recreation- To recreate Doug Aitken’s images, I am going to take images of all different landscapes, such as the beach, woods, sand dunes, fields, etc. My landscape images are going to be slightly different to his, as I am more limited then he was, because we do not have places, such as desserts and mountains in Jersey. However, I am also going to edit my images in the same way as Aitken, so that they look like his work and relate to his work. I want to edit my work how he did, because I think it is unique and aesthetically pleasing and that is why I have chosen him for my window photographer inspiration.
I also want to recreate images like this with all the same colour scheme, but I also want6 to create images that have 4 different colours, so I can put my own spin on his work.
Mirrors
Justine Kurland- Girl Pictures
Justine Kurland is an American Fine Art Photographer, who was born 1969 in New York. She is a female photographer, who explores the life and activities of other young girls. Kurland first gained public notice with her work in the group show Another Girl, Another Planet (1999), at New York’s Van Doren Waxter gallery. The show included her large c-print staged tableaux pictures of neo-romantic landscapes inhabited by young adolescent girls, half-sprites, half juvenile delinquents. This was her first exhibition of a photographic interest that lasted from 1997, when she began taking pictures of her mentor Laurie Simmons’s babysitter and her friends, to 2002. Altogether, Kurland published 69 pictures of girls in a series called “Girl Pictures.” The staged photos take place in urban and wilderness settings, with girls depicted as though to imply they are runaways, hopeful and independent.
Mirror- The images that Justine Kurland take look like candid images of girls having fun, but in reality these images are tableaux images, because they are staged images, which she has manipulated and had young girls pose for. These images also have a very personal element for her, because she was once a young girl and this is her way of expressing her childhood memories, through photography. These images are internal of her memories, thoughts and feelings. Not only are these images personal to her, but they resonate with all other young teenage girls, including myself, because I relate to these images, and these ‘activities’ that they are doing in these images, because these are activities I have also done, or still do in my teenage years.
My Recreation- I want to remake these images, because I relate to them, because these images are targeted at teenage girls, like myself. These images will also be a mirror for me, because I am going to take images of my friends doing activities that we would usually do. I will also make these tableaux images, even though they may look like candid images, because I am going to stage the image and have my friends pose in which way I think is best. I am going to make tableaux images, that look like candid shots, because that is what Justine Kurland did. I am also going to try and recreate some of the images that Justine Kurland made in ‘Girl Pictures,’ so that I can later compare them and edit them in a way that looks like Justine Kurland’s images.
Some Activity Ideas:
Bonfire at beach/ forrest
Bubbles in a field
Around a lake
Eating snacks/ takeaway in car
Star gazing
Camping
Large open field
Football/ games on beach
Sand dunes
swimming in sea/ lake
Public bathroom
Climbing trees
Long road in countryside
Cliff path
Images I want to recreate:
I want to recreate these images, because these are images that I would be able to recreate in Jersey at this time of year. I also want to recreate these images, because these images relate to me, because these are things that I would do, or have done with my friends, so I feel like I can really reflect myself onto the recreation of these images.
I also want to do my own twist on my images, because I want to take photos of activities I do, which aren’t displayed in ‘Girl Pictures,’ like indoor activities, because I want these images to be a reflection of me and my girlhood.
Read two texts above (John Szarkowski’s introduction and review by Jed Pearl) and select 3 quotes form each that is relevant to your essay.
Select two images, one that represent a mirror and another that represents a window as examples to use in your essay.
Use some of the key words that you listed above to describe what the mirrors and windows suggest.
Essay plan Introduction (250 words): Reflect on the origin of photography and describe in your own words the difference between the two photographic processes, Daguerreotype and Calotype. Consider how they could be viewed as either a mirror or a window of the world according to John Szarkowski’s thesis. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s text and comment if you agree or disagree.
Paragraph 1 (250 words): Choose an image that in your view is a mirror and analyse how it is a subjective expression and staged approach to image-making. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review which either supports of opposes Szarkowski’s original point of view. Make sure you comment to advance argumentation in providing a critical perspective.
Paragraph 2 (250 words): Choose an image that in your view is a window and analyse how it is an objective expression rooted in the notion of realism. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review and follow similar procedure as above ie. two opposing points of view and commentary to provide a critical perspective.
Conclusion (250 words): Refer back to the essay question and write a conclusion where you summarise Szarkowski’s theory and Pearl’s review of his thesis. Describe differences and similarities between the two images above and their opposing concepts of objectivity and subjectivity, realism and romanticism, factual and fiction, public and private.
My Essay
The origin of photography started back in 1822, when Nicephore Niepce created the Niece Heliograph, which is the earliest photograph produced with the aid of the camera obscura. In 1829 Niepce partnered up with Louis Daguerre, who continued to experiment and improve the heliograph after Niepce’s death in 1833 and he went on to create the Daguerreotype. To create a daguerreotype image a daguerreotypist polished a sheet of silver-plated copper to a mirror finish, then he would use an air gun, so that there was no dust on this plate, that would ruin the photograph. Then it is exposed in a camera for as long as was judged to be necessary, which could be as little as a few seconds for brightly sunlit subjects or much longer with less intense lighting. Next, he torches it, with mercury vapour, so that the image is visible. Then, he removed its sensitivity to light by liquid chemical treatment, which was rinsing it with cool water to cool the hot metal plate down and dried it and then sealed the easily marred result behind glass in a protective enclosure.
The images produced by a daguerreotype tend to represent a mirror in photography, because the image is on a mirror-like silver surface, so light was reflected back through the image. The image was also on the edge of being present, as it was on the surface of the metal mirror, instead of like paper, where the image sinks into it. This meant that the metal one could be wiped away with a finger. These images were also described as, ‘a mirror with a memory.’ This images were often also portraits of people, which has a very personal element to them. They were also often tableaux images that were taken, as the image was staged and manipulated, instead of a candid shot. The daguerreotype also took a lot of time and effort to use to create the images, so the images taken by it also are also very personal to the photographer, because of the time taken and the effort they put in to produce these images. This makes it represent a mirror also, because of how personal the images now become to the photographer due to the daguerreotype.
In 1841, Henry Fox Talbot created another photographic process, which was called the calotype. Talbot first began with a piece of high-quality writing paper, which was first washed with a solution of sodium chloride (table salt), left to dry, then evenly coated in the dark with a solution of silver nitrate, and left to dry once more. When objects such as lace or ferns were placed on the sensitized side of the paper and exposed to sunlight, a negative silhouette would be created. Exposure times were fairly long, and areas not protected from the sun gradually darkened. Since the silver deposits on the paper reacted and changed tones during exposure, this was called a “printing-out” process. The print would then be washed in another solution of sodium chloride, which stabilized the image and reduced its sensitivity to light. Overall, calotypes were extremely better than Daguerreotypes due to it being easily distributed, reproduced and were much cheaper. Whilst they both used light sensitive silver salts, the Daguerreotypes required a lot more tools and metal plates which had high monetary value.
The images produced by a calotype tend to represent a window, because they were most commonly used for taking pictures of the external world. These images were documentary images, because they were candid images and not staged, but instead truthful. These images have a level of realism to them, as they are objective. Henry Fox Talbot also tended to take images of the external world, such as ferns and trees etc. which are window images, as the lens is like the window that you are looking through onto the world. Compared to the daguerreotype these images could be produced quicker and many positive images could be produced from the negative image, whereas with the daguerreotype this wasn’t the case. This meant that it didn’t take as much time and effort for the photographers to create the photos, so this also takes away that deep personal element of the images, because they didn’t have to work as hard or put as much time into creating these images. This represents a window even more so now, because there is even less of a personal element to the images now.
Mirrors
For my example of photographs as mirrors, I have used an image by Cindy Sherman. Cindy Sherman is a female photographer, who took images of herself dressed up as many different female stereotypes. In this image the stereotype that she is presenting is a generic housewife, who is in the kitchen. This image is a powerful image, because back in 1970-1980, which is when this image was taken, the ‘norm’ for women and the social standard for women was to be very domestic and stay at home to cook, clean and look after the children, while the men went out to work.
This image is a mirror, because it is a reflection of herself as a women and a reflection of her identity, because this is the stereotype she had to live through and this is what was considered to be socially acceptable of her and all other women in this time. This is also very personal and internal to her, as she is the one who has lived her life this way and being told she must live her life this way. She has also manipulated this image and staged the image, by using kitchen props in a kitchen setting. She has manipulated and positioned the props in the way she thought was best. She is also dressed up wearing an apron to really portray the housewife stereotype. She is also posing in this image, which makes it not a candid shot, but instead a tableaux image. This image is also very subjective and can interpreted in many different ways by the viewer, because it is such a simple, yet powerful image of her stood in the kitchen, with an apron on. This image is also a mirror, because it is a self-portrait of herself, that she had taken on a timer for her camera.
Szarkowski idealises that ‘a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it,’1 however, Jed Pearl suggests that ‘Szarkowski thesis gives little value to photography’s a priori status as a realist activity. The very technology of photography contains an admission that the “world exists independent of the human attention”- a photograph is, after all, a record of nature, of the world’s light and shadows. A photograph provides, to use Szarkowski’s word, an “autobiographical” response to a realist situation.’2
Windows
For my example of photographs as windows I have used an image by Rafal Milach. He took this image during a road trip across Iceland. He travelled across Iceland stopping at certain point to take images. This was a image he took in either a bar/ diner of a couple and their friend.
This image is a window, because he travelled across Iceland taking documentary candid images of whatever he saw that interested him, and in this image it was these three people. This image is very external to him, because he does not know these people, and most likely never saw them again, but he spotted a decisive moment and acted. He is looking out onto these people for this image, instead of looking at his reflection, or onto himself. There is also an element of realism and truthfulness in this image, which is what makes it a window, because it is a documentary image, instead of a candid image, which is staged or fictional.
Szarkowski’s thesis of ‘a window, through which one might better know the world?’3 and Jed Pearl’s review stating ‘It is the realist view that the world exists independent of human attention,’4 support this image as a window, because this image is a ‘realist view,’ because this image was not staged, but instead a documentary image, instead of a candid shot.
To conclude, photographs can be both windows and mirrors of the world, because windows, such as Rafal Milach’s image above, are realist documentary images, which present the truest form of the exterior world. Window images are candid images, so they present the world in it’s truest form. These images present to the viewer our exterior world. The importance of these images is that they are objective, they are used to present to the viewer the exterior world, and this can be really important for specific issues, such as war etc. These window images present issues of the world, as well as just landscape images. These images are metaphorically known as window images, because it is like you are looking out of a window (the camera lens) onto the exterior world. However, mirror images, such as Cindy Sherman’s image above, are tableaux images that are subjective to the viewer, so the viewer can interpret the image in any which way. This is important, because the viewer can interpret this intimate image, and may be able to relate to it and apply it to their own lives, as well as the photographers. These images are metaphorically called mirrors, because they are a reflection of the artist who made it, so this can be really important for photographers, so that they can display a sense of themselves through their work. They can also be used to display issues that are important and relate to the viewer, similarly how window images can be used to spread awareness.
The opposing concepts of photography: objectivity, subjectivity; documentary, tableaux; interior, exterior etc. provide alternative perspective of what photography is. However, these opposing concepts can overlap and cause ‘blurred lines.’ For example, these opposing concepts can overlap when the photographer takes documentary images that also reflect themselves etc. Therefore, photography may not be as split as Szarkowski and Jed Pearl state. The function and purpose of the photographs can and will change depending on who wields the camera and what they point their camera at, and how these images are presented.
Szarkowski John. (1978). Mirrors and windows. New York; Museum of Modern Art ↩︎
Jed Pearl. Review published in the photography magazine, Aperture in spring 1978. ↩︎
Szarkowski John. (1978). Mirrors and windows. New York; Museum of Modern Art ↩︎
Jed Pearl. Review published in the photography magazine, Aperture in spring 1978. ↩︎
What are the differences between photographs that are windows and mirrors?
‘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.
Mirror- A mirror photograph is a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself onto things and sights of the world. These images are staged/ tableaux and are subjective. They present the photographer, or a reflection of the photographer, as he reflects himself onto the images. These images are metaphorically described as mirrors, because they are a reflection of the photographer.
Window- A window photograph is when the exterior world is explored in all its presence and reality, so the images are not staged/ tableaux, so they are documentary based. They are also objective. These images are metaphorically described as windows, because they look out onto the world, like you would look out through a window onto the world.
Words and other quotes associated with windows and mirrors
Windows- Film, subjective, fiction, staged, private, bent/ wonky, internal etc.
Mirrors- non-fiction/ documentary, objective, candid, private, external etc.
Analysis of Images
Mirror- Cindy Sherman
About the image- Cindy Sherman is a female photographer, who dressed up as many different stereotypes. In this image she is a generic house wife in the kitchen. This is a powerful image, because back from the 1970-1980’s, when this image was taken, the norm for women was to be very domestic and stay at home with the children and cook and clean, while the husband was out at work.
Mirror- This image is therefore a mirror, because it is a reflection of herself as a women and a reflection of her identity, because this is the stereotype she had to live through and this is what was considered to be socially acceptable of her and all other women in this time. This is also very personal and internal to her, as she is the one who has lived her life this way and being told she must live her life this way. She has also manipulated this image and staged the image, so it is a tableaux, because she has dressed up as this house wife and manipulated her setting to be the kitchen, as well as posing for the camera, so that it is not a candid shot. This image is also very subjective and can interpreted in many different ways by the viewer, because it is such a simple, yet powerful image of her stood in the kitchen, with an apron on. This image is also a mirror, because it is a self-portrait of herself, that she had taken on a timer for her camera.
Window- Rafal Milach
About the Image- This image was taken during a road trip across Iceland with Icelandic writer Huldar Breiðfjörð, from which he made a book called, ‘In the car with R.’ He travelled across Iceland stopping at certain point to take images. This was a image he took in either a bar/ diner of a couple and their friend.
Window- This image is a window, because he travelled across Iceland taking documentary candid images of whatever he saw that interested him, and in this image it was these three people. This image is very external to him, because he does not know these people, and most likely never saw them again, but he spotted a decisive moment and acted. He is looking out onto these people for this image, instead of looking at his reflection, or onto himself. There is also an element of realism and truthfulness in this image, which is what makes it a window, because it is a documentary image, instead of a candid image, which is staged or fictional.
Research- For this topic I started with my research on cod fisheries, Jersey Harbours in the past and present. I did this by using the links on the blog and doing my own personal research. Then, I experimented with a mood board of what I had learnt and I created a mind map of what I had learnt as well. I think this was a beneficial way of conducting my research, because I had easy access to the links on the blog, which were specifically about what we needed to know, but I’m also glad I conducted my own research, because it allowed me to find out a few extra bits of info that were not provided on the blog. If I were to do this again, or ever wanted to add to my research I would use books for my research as well as just the internet, and I would research certain passed photographs of the old harbours, as well as the photographers that took them. I would do this, because I enjoy doing artist research, but this is the only topic I haven’t done it for.
Photoshoots- For my photoshoots we went and visited St Helier Harbour and the Maritime Museum. For the first photoshoot, I didn’t obtain a wide spread of images, because I only took photos of the harbour and the boats. I found this photoshoot quite boring, because I was taking images of the same thing all day long. However, I enjoyed the second photoshoot a lot more, because I didn’t only take images of the harbour and the boats, but we visited the maritime museum to take photos, as well as the fisheries. I found these much more enjoyable, because I found them a more fun topic and thing to photoshoot, because their was lots of different interactive things in the museum and the fish were very fascinating to look at and photograph. However, I didn’t think the museum photographs were very good, because they weren’t as visually appealing, but it was very fun to take them. If I were to do this again, I would visit other harbours, not just St Helier, because I want to get a wider range of images, as the other harbours may be completely different.
Editing- I used Lightroom to edit my images and I used a rating and colour system to decide which images I wanted to edit. I experimented with coloured images, as well as black and white images, to create contrast. I also experimented with creating different panoramas, as well as experimenting with my cropping and colour popping. I thought my experimentation of editing was very good, because I discovered what looked good with my images, and what looked not so good, like the colour popping. If I were to redo this, I would try and narrow down my images to maybe 10-12 for each photoshoot to edit, just so I don’t post too much editing on the blog, and so I don’t run out of time.
Display of Final Images- I displayed my final images in very different ways, having my best images flood through the whole thing, instead of just at the beginning, middle or end. I also presented my images solo, in pairs, or in thirds, depending on whether the images had a relationship with each other, were similar, or were my best images. eg. best images go solo. I think this worked well for me, because I was able to experiment with my presentation, and I was able to present a relationship between my images.
Paper Zine Mock up and Mood Board- Firstly, I selected my best 16 images, and made a mood board out of these images. Then, I printed them off, and laid them across the table and experimented with the layout of my images, until I found the right one. Then, I made a 16 page booklet, by folding 4 pieces of plain paper in half and sticking my images to them in my chosen order with masking tape. This worked well for me, because it was easier and quicker to experiment with my printed images on paper, instead of on the computer, because I could visually see them laid out next to each other in my booklet. However, next time I would spend more time choosing which images I wanted to use and experiment with my layout more, because in the end I swapped out images and changed the layout completely.
Making My Narrative- First, I started using;
3 word to describe my zine
A sentence to describe my zine
A paragraph to describe my zine
This helped me figure out the narrative of my zine, so I could present it in the best way possible. This also helped me come up with my title for me zine. Then, I wrote about my zine, explaining the narrative.
Experimenting with the Archive- I experimented with old images of the harbour, from google and the JEP archive, because I was experimenting with comparing the harbour from the past and the present, as well as showing how the harbour has progressed and developed. However, I did not end up using the archives for my zine, because I wanted to include more of my own images, to show off my own work. If I were to redo this, I would spend more time experimenting with the archives and look through all of them to see more images of the old harbour.
Zine Experimentation- I experimented a lot with my zine on InDesign, by experimenting with my images, their layout, my typography, size, colour and font of my text, my title, and what text I should include. I think experimenting thoroughly benefited me, because it allowed me to see lots of different versions of my zine, so I could chose which was the best and end up with my best outcome.
Final Zine- My final zine came out well, because of all the research, editing and experimentation I was able to do. I used many different forms of experimentation, like Lightroom editing, photoshop, paper mock ups and on InDesign. I also used many different forms of research, like using the links on the blog, doing my own research and using the information offered to me at the maritime museum. All of this put together allowed me to produce the best zine I possibly could. Next time, I would want to experiment with making more than one zine if I had the time. I would also like to make a zine, which involved text on the inside, because this one didn’t.
I created my InDesign document first and the settings I used are below;
I created 16 pages for my 16 photographs, just like on my prototype booklet.
I used the square selecting tool selected below to chose the size of my image and where I wanted it.
Next, I went to file and place and selected which image I wanted for this page.
Then, I right clicked on the image I had chosen, once it was placed and went to fitting and selected fit frame proportionally. I did this, so that the fitting would be more accurate and the image would fit perfectly within the selected box.
The result.
I could also go into display mode, so I can view my work in high resolution, so that my images were clear. This helped me be able to experiment and see what I did or didn’t like.
Experimentation
Once I had finished inserting my images, I wanted to experiment with my layout and be more brave with my juxtaposition, so I made an alternative layout, where I could swap my chosen images around in the layout.
I experimented with many different orders of my images. I also decided to get rid of some of my images and include one extra different image. I did this, because I wanted the include my landscape images as a full page spread.
Writing Experimentation
Next, I experimented with my text and typography. I experimented with the size of the writing for my title, as well as experimenting with the different fonts and colours of writing. I also had to layout my writing where I wanted it.
I experimented with lots of different font type, but in the end, I decided on ADD, because I think it best suited my zine, as it was the nicest font, but it was also a font that suited the harbour theme, unlike very posh cursive writing would for example.
Next, I experimented with the size I wanted my title and my name. I chose 30pt for my title, because I think it perfectly filled up the negative space at the top of my image. I chose 18pt for my name, because I wanted it to be slightly smaller than my title, but still stand out.
Then, I experimented with the colouring of my writing. I wasn’t able to use darker colours like black, brown, red for example, because the space where my writing is is very dark, so the writing would not be visible. That is why I have chosen to use white for my writing, because it stands out well and looks the best with my front cover and against the dark background.
Finally, I wanted to experiment with adding writing to my images, to explain my narrative.
I experimented with this, but ultimately decided I didn’t want writing throughout my zine, because I wanted my images to speak for themselves, and I didn’t want the writing to distract from my images.
Final Print Out Booklet
Finally, I printed of my images and folded them using a paper bone, so the pages were folded perfectly. Then, I put my images in order and stapled my booklet pages together.
In my zine that I am creating I have experimented with the layout of my images, and using images, which have relationships, so that I am able to create a narrative (story) portraying St Helier Harbour. I also had to create a visually appealing zine in InDesign.
What is a story?
A story is a narrative about people and events, usually including an interesting plot, is a story. A story can be fictional or true, and it can be written, read aloud, or made up on the spot. Journalists write stories for newspapers, and gossips spread stories that may or may not be true.
There are also picture stories, which are the intentional use of pictures and words assembled into a story. You can also have a picture story, without writing.
STORY:What is your story? Describe in:
3 words- ‘Life at the Harbour.’
A sentence- ‘The different elements of the harbour include, fishing, sailing, salting fish, selling fish and so much more.’
A paragraph- ‘At the harbour there was loads of different elements and workers working together, to keep the harbour life running smoothly. There was fishermen, salesmen, sailors, harbour masters and so many more people working together. They had to work together, so they could capture, salt and sell all different types of seafood, as well as transporting goods.’
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
About my Zine
In my zine, I used my images, which I had taken at the harbour, but I also wanted to experiment with old photos of the harbour from different archives, including the JEP Photographic Archive. I wanted to experiment with the archives, so that I could compare today’s harbour and the harbour from a long time ago and present the similarities and differences between them in my photos. However, in the end I preferred my zine with just the new photos of the archive that I had taken, because I thought they had more of a relationship with each other, and I just wanted to be able to present more of my work. I also experimented with different texts on my zine. I experimented with different titles, until finally deciding on, ‘Life at the Harbour.’ I also experimented with different texts inside my booklet, but I ultimately decided I preferred my zine without the writing, because I didn’t want to take attention away from my images, and I believe that the images speak for themselves. Finally, I experimented with typography, using different sizing, fonts, colours etc. for my title.
I used many differing images in my zine, that weren’t necessarily related, but also were, because of what I was trying to portray with my zine. I used images from all over the harbour and images of all the different aspects, eg the workers, the alive crabs, the seafood being sold, the boats docked, the rowing boats and crew etc. I wanted to include all of these images, so that I could present every possible aspect of the harbour, because a day at the harbour is never the same for everyone and I wanted the portray that. In my work I also didn’t add any text other than my title, because I felt the images speak for themselves, but because I also wanted to leave a level of subjectivity for the audience in my work, so the viewer can interpret my work in their own way.
What is a Zine
A zine is short for a magazine and it is a small self-published piece of original work, which can be presented as a booklet or magazine, with appropriate text or images. This is typically used as a form of developing identity by expressing artistic vision about a certain topic. This is non-commercial print-work that is usually produced in small, limited batches. Photo zines emerged from punk, DIY movements, and underground culture as an alternative way for photographers to showcase their work.
Experimenting with the Archives
Old photos of the harbour
For my zine, I want to experiment with archives of the old harbour and compare them to images I have taken of the harbour in present time. I want to experiment with this, because I think comparing and presenting the differences and similarities between present and past time harbours. This would enable me to create a narrative of the progression of the harbour.
JEP Archive
I also want to experiment with the JEP archives, because they contain images that famous Jersey photographers have taken during their life and time in Jersey. I could also compare my images to these images, and I could also edit my images into black and white, so they are the same as the archives, or I could leave them in colour to create a juxtaposition between my images and really present the differences in the old time harbour images and the new harbour images.
Final Selections
Before starting my zine on InDesign, I printed out 19 images, which were my best images, that also had a relationship with each other. I experimented with the layout and order of my images on the table and finally narrowed my 19 images down to 16 images and chose m final order and layout.
Next, I made a 16 page booklet with 4 pages of plain white paper and folded them all in half. Then, I stuck my images in the booklet in my chosen order, using masking tape. This allowed me to easily experiment with my images and see what my zine would physically look like, before creating it, so that I saved time and it was easier to create my zine.
Mood Board of Selected Images Before Experimentation
