For this photoshoot I focused on borrowing ideas, concepts and compositions from my chosen historical paintings, as well as photographs that Jeff Wall and Justine Kurland have taken. I have also experimented with different compositional features, such as the rule of thirds, foreground, middle ground and background, as well as experimenting with visual elements, such as tone, texture, line etc.

My Inspiration

The images below are the historical paintings that I have decided to borrow ideas, concepts and compositions from, because they either have a really good composition, or tell a story.

I have printed off each of these paintings on an A4 piece of paper and I took these prints out with me, while I was doing my photoshoot, so that I could see the images, while I was manipulating my models, composition, layout etc, so that I could see them side by side and compare them.

For these three images, I will take a more similar approach to Justine Kurland’s image, as I will use my female models to create the foreground, middle ground and background composition. I will also have a similar setting to Manet’s painting and Justine Kurland’s image, with the trees and the lake.

When making my photograph using this painting as my inspiration I have used one model sitting in a field in the same way. However, the narrative of my photograph is different to the narrative of the painting. In my photograph the model is sat in the field making daisy chains, compared to in the painting, where the women is dragging herself along a field, because she has polio and can no longer walk. I have altered this narrative, so that it fits the theme of youth, because this is an activity I used to do in my youth.

When making my photograph using this paintings as inspiration, I have borrowed the composition and idea from this painting. I had my model lie where the women is on the floor and I had another model on there knees beside them. However, instead of the narrative of my image being a dead woman and a man burying her at the beach, I have altered the narrative to fit my theme of youth. Instead, the narrative of my photograph is two younger children playing at the beach and having one bury the other in the sand in a fun, instead of upsetting way. I have altered the narrative of the painting in this way, because this was an activity I used to do in my youth with my friends, when we would play at the beach on a hot summers day.

Edits

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks and saturation. I did this, so that the image would have better lighting, by being slightly brighter.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that my image would be more vibrant and less dull.

I have edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image has better lighting. I also added a yellow tint to the image, because the image originally had quite a blue tint, so I wanted to cancel that out.

Experimenting with the Fore, Middle and Background

In Manet’s painting, as well as Justine Kurland and Jeff Walls photographs that they have taken inspiration from the painting. They all use the foreground, middle ground and background compositional element. I have also experimented with this and other visual elements in my work.

I have also used similar visual elements to Manet’s painting, such as the texture and the setting with the trees and lake in the background.

Experimenting with Selection Cropping

During this photoshoot, I experimented with rule of thirds. In the raw photos I was unable to get the exact thirds correct, so I experimented with selection cropping, so that the images would fit the rule of thirds criteria better.

As seen in this image, the subject on the left is in the middle third with the tree and the subject on the right is in the right hand third. In order to have the subject on the left in the left hand third, the negative space on the left and right hand side needs to be cropped out.

Now, the two subjects and the tree have their own thirds.

The process was then repeated for this image.

Experimenting with Rule of Thirds

After selection cropping here are the final images, that meet the rule of thirds criteria.

Final Images

I have used the same composition in my images, that was used in the painting. However, the narrative of the painting is a girl with polio dragging herself along the floor and in my image the narrative is my subject relaxing on the grass. I wanted the narrative of those photograph to be my subject making daisy chains, as this was something I did a lot during my youth, but there are not a lot of daisy’s this time of year, as it is Winter.

For my photograph I have borrowed the concept of the painting, which is a man burying a women in the sand, but the narrative is different. In the painting the man is burying the women, as she is dead, but in my photograph my subject is burying the other subject, as they are playing and having fun at the beach, which is something I did a lot during my youth. I have also used a similar composition, but the subjects are the other way around.

My images use the same compositional layout as the three images above, which is the foreground, middle ground and background layout of my subjects. I have also used similar visual elements, such as the texture and colour in all these images. I have also used a similar setting with the trees and the lake in the background.

Final Images

In Comparison to Justine Kurland

During this photoshoot I used a similar setting to the one used in Justine Kurland’s work. I also took these photos on a not so sunny day, which is similar to some of Justine Kurland’s images as well.

I also used similar narratives to Justine Kurland, as well as original narratives of my own.

I have displayed play fighting in this narrative as well, similarly to Justine Kurland. Play fighting can also stereotypically be seen as more masculine, as it is more aggressive and males are stereotypically seen as more aggressive. This relates to Justine Kurland, as she also displays females presenting more masculine activities, so that she can present to the viewer that their identity can be anything they imagine and it does not have to comply with stereotypical norms.

In Comparison to Jeff Wall

In this photoshoot I focussed on my compositional elements quite a lot, similarly to Jeff Wall, as he focusses on his compositional and visual elements more, rather than focussing on creating a narrative. However, even though I was looking at compositional elements I still focussed on creating a narrative as well.

The main compositional element I used in this photoshoot was the rule of thirds when I was creating my hide and seek narrative.

In these images I have the subject on the left in the left hand third, the tree in the middle third and my right hand subject in the right hand third, when the image is split vertically into three equal sections.

This is also a compositional element that Jeff Wall has used himself when creating images.

In this image Jeff Wall has the women on the left in the left hand third, the camera in the middle third and the man on the right hand side in the right hand third, when the image is split vertically into three even sections.

How does this relate to the themes of youth and identity?

This photoshoot relates to the theme of youth, as I have displayed quite childish narratives, such as playing catch/ piggy in the middle, or hula hooping. This represents youth, because this is usually activities children play when they are younger, and not much activities that people tend to do when they are older. These narratives also represent specifically my youth, because these were activities I used to do/ games I used to play with my friends all the time. I have also displayed play fighting, which can stereotypically be seen as childish, so this can also represent youth.

Play fighting can also be seen as a more stereotypical male activity, due to the aggressiveness of the activity and the stereotype that males are more aggressive than females. Having a female play fight in my image goes against this stereotype, which presents to the viewer that the subject is not complying with stereotypical norms. This presents to the viewer that her identity is whatever she makes it and it does not comply with social norms. This sends the message that the viewers identity does not have to comply with stereotypical norms either.

These photos also relate in particular to my identity, as these activities that I have presented through the narrative are activities I used to do during my youth, so are therefore a part of who I am and a part of my individual identity.

Analysis of 1 Image

This image has high levels of control, as I was able to manipulate the positioning and distance of my subjects, as well as myself in order to achieve the best composition. However, I had little control over the lighting, due to the lighting being natural daylight. However, I did have control over my camera settings, so I could try and improve the lighting.

F stop: f/6.3

Exposure time: 1/100 sec

ISO: ISO- 800

In this image there are lots of natural colours, such as green and brown and the colours the subjects are wearing (grey and black) are also quite natural, rather than vibrant. However, due to my editing the colour of the grass is a lot more vibrant. There are quite a lot of light tones in this image, due to the very white bright sky, but the darker colours of the subjects tops contrast the sky and their lighter trousers very well. There is also a lot of texture in this image due to the texture of the grass, the tree and the broken branches on the floor. The tree and the broken branches also causes a lot of shape to go on in this image, due to the unique shape of the tree.

The composition of this image uses the rule of thirds with the subject on the left in the left hand third, the tree in the middle third and the subject on the right hand side in the right hand third when split vertically into three equal sections. The main viewpoint of this image is the two subjects and the tree.

This image presents the theme of youth, because the narrative of this image, which is hide and seek is something majority of people play during their childhood. It is also stereotypically only played in childhood rather than in adulthood. As the majority of people used to play this game, or still do this allows the image to resonate with the viewer more, as it is more relatable to their youth and therefore their identity.

This image is also personal to my own youth and identity, as I used to play this game when I was younger, so this image presents what I used to enjoy and therefore who I was, or who I am now.

Photoshoot Conclusion

Overall, I think this photoshoot went well, because I was able to display a range of interesting narratives, such as a game of piggy in the middle. These narratives also displayed the themes of youth and identity very well, as well as displaying to the viewer that they do not need to follow stereotypical norms. I was also able to experiment with my compositional elements, when using rule of thirds in a few of my images. This has enhanced the aesthetics of my images and have linked my images in with Jeff Wall.

I have also been able to experiment with my editing on Lightroom and in Photoshop for this photoshoot. I experimented with AI during this photoshoot, so that I was able to present my narratives. I had to use AI to present the narratives that needed balls as props. These narratives were piggy in the middle and catch. I had to use AI to create these narratives, because I did not have balls to use as real life props.

This photoshoot also fits the themes of youth and identity very well, as these activities are activities that majority of people used to play in their youth, which makes this photoshoot more relatable to the viewers youth and identity and not just only my personal youth and identity.

However, if I were to do this photoshoot again, I would aim to take more photographs, so I would have more variation of the same narratives and just more selection to chose from.

During one of my photoshoots, I had a set idea of what I wanted the narrative of my image to be, which was catch/ piggy in the middle. However, this narrative needed the props of balls, which I did not have, so instead of just not doing the photoshoot, I am going to AI balls into my images.

Edits

First, I drag the image I want to edit onto a photoshop document. Next, I select the rectangular marquee tool and select where on the image I want the AI to be.

Next, I type in what I want to generate, which is a football in this case.

Next, I can pick between the options it has given me, or change my search slightly, until I am happy with the result.

Final AI Images

For this photoshoot I visited the field next to Jersey Dairy, where weekender used to be. The setting of this photoshoot doesn’t particularly relate to the themes of youth and identity, as this isn’t somewhere I used to visit except when I went to weekender, but it was a good setting to display the narratives I had in mind. The setting also correlated well with the settings used in Justine Kurland’s book. The narratives I wanted to display here was playing catch/ piggy in the middle, hula hooping and playing hide and seek.

Contact Sheet

The images which are highlighted green are the images I have chosen to edit, because they are my best images with the best composition that fits my themes of youth and identity the best.

Edits

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, whites and blacks. I did this so that the image would be more vibrant and saturated, specifically the green grass.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, whites, blacks and vibrancy. I did this, so that the image had better lighting and was more saturated.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image would have better lighting and be more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows and saturation, while decreasing the highlights, whites, blacks and vibrancy. I did this, so that the image has better lighting and is slightly more saturated.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights, whites and blacks. I did this, so the image would be slightly more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks. I did this so the image would be more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks. I did this, so the image would be slightly more exposed and more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this to improve the lighting.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image would be slightly more exposed and more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image would be slightly more exposed and more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image would be slightly more exposed and therefore have better lighting.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the lighting was better and the image was more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly more exposed, so the lighting was better and so it was more vibrant.

Final Images

In Comparison to Justine Kurland

This photoshoot relates to Justine Kurland’s images, because they have a similar wooded setting and are at a similar time of day, so the lighting is very similar. I have also made some similar photographs to the ones that Justine Kurland have made.

Both Kurland’s subject and my subject are stood up on a rock.

In Justine Kurland’s image she had her subjects wash their feet in the lake. However, in my image the subject was washing her hands.

In this image, I have pulled from the composition, by having a subject in the foreground, middle ground and background. I have also pulled from the setting, with the wooded area with the trees and the lake in the background.

Justine Kurland also displays the subjects in her work as runaways, so I experimented with the concept of runaways in my work, by having a subject scavenge through a bin for food.

However, I do not think this narrative of the runaway girls suits my themes of youth and identity and what I am trying to portray.

In Comparison to Jeff Wall

In this photoshoot I focussed on composition for one specific photo. I have used the composition of having a subject in the background, middle ground and foreground. This relates to Jeff Wall, because he also focusses on composition and has used this compositional technique before.

How does this relate to the themes of youth and identity?

This photoshoot relates to the theme of youth, specifically my youth, as I used to visit St Catherine’s woods a lot when I was younger, especially in lockdown during Covid. I would visit the woods a lot with my family, as we would always take my dog for walks here. This represents my identity during my youth, as this photoshoot represents an activity I enjoyed doing and still enjoyed doing during this photoshoot. It also represents a part of my identity, because it represents the people I enjoy going here with and the people I surround myself with represent who I am as a person.

Analysis of 1 Image

This photo has high levels of control, because I was able to manipulate the position and distance of not only my subjects, but myself as well. However, there was little control over the lighting, as natural daylight was used, rather than the lighting that can be found in a studio.

F Stop: f/ 4.5

Exposure time: 1/60 sec

ISO: ISO- 125

The colours in this image are not very bright, as the lighting in this image was quite dark. There are quite natural colours, such as the browns, green and blues, but the red and the yellow in the subjects jacket make the image pop slightly more, as they are quite a bit brighter and more vibrant. There is quite a lot of light tones in the top section of the frame, due to the sun, but throughout the rest of the image there is lots of dark tones, due to the shade caused by the trees. There is also a lot of texture in this photo, due to the ripples and current of the water, as well as the trees and muddy ground in the background. There is also a lot of line work in this image, which can be seen from the line of rocks in the lake and the path behind.

The composition of this subject is quite simple, as the main viewpoint is centre of the frame, and there is only one subject. However, the setting of this image makes it more interest due to the background and textures.

This image relates to my youth, because I used to visit St Catherine’s woods a lot when I was younger, especially in lockdown during Covid. I would visit the woods a lot with my family, as we would always take my dog for walks here. This represents my identity during my youth, as this photoshoot represents an activity I enjoyed doing and still enjoyed doing during this photoshoot. It also represents a part of my identity, because it represents the people I enjoy going here with and the people I surround myself with represent who I am as a person.

Photoshoot Conclusion

Overall, I think this photoshoot went well, as I was able to have a look at different compositional elements, such as the foreground, middle ground and background, like both Justine Kurland and Jeff Wall. I was also able to create a similar setting to the ones used in Justine Kurland’s work, with lots of similar visual elements, such as the texture.

However, some of the images were quite dark and had quite a blue tone, so next time I would adjust the exposure on my camera more to resolve this.

This photoshoot also presents the themes of youth and identity, in particular my youth and identity, as walking through these woods is an activity I used to love during my youth. This represents my identity, because it presents what I enjoy, which is part of what makes me who I am.

For this photoshoot, we visited St Catherine’s woods, because when I was younger, especially during covid, my family and I would go on walks here with our dog very regularly, so this setting relates to my youth and identity in particular.

Contact Sheet

The images which are highlighted green are the images I have chosen to edit, because they are my best images, with the best composition and layout. They also represent my themes of youth and identity the best.

Edits

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks and saturation. I did this, so that the image was slightly less exposed and had better lighting.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks, so that the image had better lighting and was slightly more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks and saturation. I did this, so that the image had better lighting, due to less exposure and so it was more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image had better lighting.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the exposure, highlights, blacks and saturation. I did this, so that the lighting was better.

I edited this image by increasing contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this so the lighting was better. I also added a yellow tint to the image, because the image had a blue tint originally, due to the lighting and camera settings, so I wanted to cancel that out.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was more vibrant and had better lighting. I also added a yellow tint to this image, to cancel out the original blue tint that the image had.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image has better lighting and was more vibrant. I also added a yellow tint to this image in order to cancel out the blue tint it originally had.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I also added a yellow tint to this image, to remove the blue tint and improve the lighting and make the image more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so the image would have better lighting. I also added a yellow tint to this image, so I could remove the blue tint the original image has.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this to improve the lighting and make the image more vibrant. I also added a yellow tint to this image, so I could cancel out the slightly blue tint the original image had.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this to improve the lighting and make the image more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation while decreasing the highlights, whites and blacks. I did this to improve the lighting of this image.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the lighting was better and the image was more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the lighting was better.

Final Images

In Comparison to Justine Kurland

Justine Kurland used some male subjects in her images, so I wanted to do a photoshoot where I also used male subjects, so that I would have a range in my work. I also wanted to present a more masculine activity, as Justine Kurland presented quite stereotypical masculine activities and I have so far only presented feminine ones in my work.

In Comparison to Jeff Wall

In this photoshoot I presented the same narrative, but I focused on changing my composition throughout this whole photoshoot. This relates to Jeff Wall, as he always focuses on his compositional elements, rather the narrative of his work itself.

I also focussed on other visual elements during my editing on Lightroom.

How does this Relate to the Themes of Youth and Identity?

These photos relate to the themes of youth and identity, specifically my youth and identity, because when I was younger I used to watch my uncle add things onto/ fix his cars. I also still now watch my friends do the same thing all these years later, so this presents that my identity hasn’t altered as much as I would have thought now that I am more grown up.

Analysis of 1 Image

There was a high level of control in this image, as I was able to manipulate the position and distance of not only my subjects, but myself as well. However, there was little control over the lighting, as natural daylight was used, rather than the lighting that can be found in a studio.

F stop- f/7.1

Exposure time- 1/200 sec

ISO Speed- ISO-800

The colours in this image are not very bright colours, but instead there is lots of neutral colours, blacks and dark blues. There is also lots of different dark and light tones throughout the image, due to the sun and the shade caused by the fence. There isn’t tons of texture throughout the image, but you can see a slight texture on the ground. There is lots of different shapes throughout this image, due to the tools and wheels etc.

The layout of this image causes the main viewpoint of this image to be the subject in the centre of the frame under the car. In this image the composition has a subject in the foreground on the left, the car in the middle ground and the subject under the car slightly further back in the background.

This image represents my youth, because I used to watch my uncle fix/ add things to his car when I was younger. This also represents my identity, because it presents how little my identity has changed from my youth, as this is still something I like to watch and now take photos of. This presents that my identity is still very similar to when I was younger, but now instead of watching my uncle, I watch my friends.

Photoshoot Conclusion

Overall, I don’t think this photoshoot is one of my strongest photoshoots, because I did not display a range of different narratives, but instead only presented one narrative. However, I was able to experiment with my compositional elements, as I was only focussed on my composition, rather than displaying different narratives. I was also able to present a more masculine activity/ narrative, just like how Justine Kurland presents more stereotypical masculine narratives. I was also able to experiment with male subjects in this photoshoot, rather than just using female subjects and activities, like in my other photoshoots.

In this photoshoot I wanted to take a more masculine approach, just how Justine Kurland had the girls be more masculine in her book. I took images of my friends fixing/ adding things to there cars. This also relates to my identity and my youth, because my uncle would do this all the time when I was younger and I would watch and try to help.

Contact Sheet

The images that are highlighted green are the images I have chosen to edit, because they have the best composition and lighting.

Edits

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly less exposed, as the lighting was slightly too harsh, due to the sun.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image has better lighting and is more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the lighting was better in the image.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was more vibrant.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was vibrant and had better lighting.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly less exposed.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the lighting was better.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is more vibrant.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is slightly more exposed, so that the lighting is better.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the lighting is better and the image is more vibrant.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly more exposed.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is slightly more exposed.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the lighting is better.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is slightly less exposed, so that the lighting is better.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is more vibrant.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the lighting is better.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is slightly less exposed, so that the lighting is better.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image has better lighting.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is more vibrant.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image has better lighting and is more vibrant.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image has better lighting.

I edited this image, by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the exposure, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image is slightly less exposed and is more vibrant.

Final Images

In Comparison to Justine Kurland

These images relate to Justine Kurland’s work, as they have a similar outdoor and more cloudy weather, rather than a bright summers day. The setting of her images is important, as it sets the story of the runaway teens, so I have experimented with a similar setting to her. However, I have also experimented with more sunny images, because in my youth I did more activities when the weather was better, so I wanted it to fit my theme of my own personal youth.

I have also tried to take on board the concept of the ‘runaway’ girls by having a bag as a prop for one of my models to reach into. The bag is all she has and is and has the contents of what she uses in her everyday life.

In Justine Kurland’s images here you can see a suitcase and a backpack, which sets the scene of the runaway girls, which is what I have tried to replicate using the bag in my photograph and the setting of the photograph. The setting of the photograph looks like a place where homeless people would go to get shelter from the cold and rain, so I thought this setting would be a good place for me to try and recreate the runaway narrative.

I also wanted to include my dog in the photoshoot, just how Justine Kurland had dogs in a few of her images. I also wanted to use my own dog, as I have grown up with her and she has been a part of my youth and is therefore a part of my identity.

I also created a similar image to the photograph of the girls running down the road.

How does this relate to the themes of youth and identity?

This photoshoot relates to the themes of youth and identity, specifically my youth and identity, because my models and I visited the beach next to kiosk, which is a beach I used to go to a lot when I was younger. I also still go to the kiosk quite regularly now, so it was a great place for a photoshoot for this topic. I had my subjects pose sat on the bench on the slipway, as this is where we sit during summer, as well as up on the rocks. We also visited the shed that we used to go last summer, but it is now a lot more destroyed than it used to be, probably due to the storm, so we weren’t able to sit in their, but I did manage to get some images of us exploring it now. I also managed to get detail shots of the newspapers that were left there, that date back to 1900, which we all used to look at and found very interested during our youth.

In comparison to Jeff Wall

In this photoshoot I explored more simplistic narratives, similarly to Jeff Wall, such as just sitting on the beach, rather than having my subjects do more complex activities, like climbing trees etc. Instead of focusing on the narrative, I focused more on the visual elements in my photographs, just like Jeff Wall does. An example of a visual element that I focused on was texture. I displayed the texture in the photograph below by using the textured setting of the rocks. I also experimented with the tone and colour in this image as well, especially with my editing, by making it more vibrant.

Analysis of 1 Image

In this photograph there was two types of lighting used in this image, which was natural daylight, as well as the flash on my camera. I had to use two types of lighting, because it had started to get dark when these photographs were being taken. There were also high levels of control in this photo, as I manipulated my subjects, as well as the location and distance I was from my subjects. I did this in order to create the best composition I could. However, I had little control over the setting and the lighting, due to it being a natural environment. There are also a lot of darker tones in this image, due to the darker lighting, but because of the camera flash there were some lighter tones, especially in the clouds, which created contrast between the setting and the subjects.

There are also lots of neutral colours in this image, such as grey, blacks, white and beige, so this image isn’t very vibrant. There is also quite a bit of texture in this image, which can be seen in the shapes of the clouds and the footprints left in the sand, which gives the image a more 3D sense. The main viewpoint of this image is the two subjects in the centre of the frame in the foreground of the image.

F Stop: f/4

Exposure time: 1/60 sec

ISO: ISO-800

This image is similar to one of Justine Kurland’s images from ‘Girl Pictures,’ where two subjects are running down a road. My image relates to the themes of youth and identity, specifically my youth and identity, because I used to visit Kiosk beach and sometimes still do with my friends, which is where the setting of this image is, so this image presents my identity, because it presents a part of who I am and what I enjoy doing in my free time.

Photoshoot Conclusion

Overall, I think this photoshoot went well, because I was able to take images with my subjects, as well as being able to take landscape and detailed images, such as the images taken of the newspapers. This will allow me to be able to have a range of differing images in my photo book, so I can have a more aesthetic layout.

I was also able to explore more activities I did in my youth, or still do, which also allowed me to explore my identity during my youth and my identity and how it has changed now. I also got to experiment with my composition a little bit, by positioning and directing my subjects. However, I would like to experiment with that some more.

In this photoshoot I was also able to experiment with my camera skills, including adjusting my exposure, as it continues to get darker and experimenting with shutter speed to create movement in a few selected images.

In my next photoshoot, I would like to experiment with compositional elements a lot more, such as rule of thirds and more visual elements, such as tone and texture etc. I also want to include more compositional methods that Jeff Wall has used in some of his photographs. Next time, I would also prefer to take photographs earlier on in the day, so it is not as dark, so that the lighting is better in my photos, as I would not need to use the flash.

In this photoshoot I went to the beach near kiosk, because this was a beach I used to go to very often when I was younger, and even up until last Summer. I also go to kiosk quite often, so this setting and the activities presented here represent my identity very well. We also visited a shed that we used to go to in Summer, but it has a lot of damage now, so I took photos of the setting and us exploring.

Contact Sheet

The images which are highlighted green are the photos that I have chosen to edit, because they represent my themes of youth and identity the best, and they have the best compositions and lighting.

Edits

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image would slightly brighter and more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image would be slightly more exposed, as the lighting was not the best, as it had started to get darker.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly more exposed and slightly more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image would be slightly less exposed, as I has used the flash, so the lighting was not the best. I also wanted it to be slightly more vibrant, so that the colour of the rocks would pop more.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I have done this, so that the image was less exposed, because the lighting was too harsh, due to me using the flash. I also wanted the colours of the rocks to be more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, and vibrancy, while decreasing the highlights, saturation and blacks. I did this, so that the image was less exposed, because of the harsh lighting due to the flash being used.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, because it was very dark, so I needed the image to be more exposed. I also added a yellow tint to the image, because there was a lot of blue tones throughout the image.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly more exposed.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was more exposed and more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the paper was less white and had more of a yellow tone, so that it would appear older.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and whites. I did this, so that the image was more exposed, so that the subjects flash was brighter and more could be seen.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was more vibrant and saturated.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that it is more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly brighter and the paint splatters were more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image had slightly warmer tones through it, rather than cool tones.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly brighter and the colours of the paint were more vibrant.

I edited this image by increasing the contrast, shadows, whites, vibrancy and saturation, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly brighter.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the highlights and blacks. I did this, so the image would be more exposed. I also added a yellow tint, because the image had lots of blue tones through it, so I wanted to cancel them out.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows, whites and vibrancy, while decreasing the saturation, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was more exposed. I also added a yellow tint, because the image had lots of blue tones through it, so I wanted to cancel them out.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows and vibrancy, while decreasing the whites, saturation, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that so the image would be more exposed. I also added a yellow tint to this image, because there were lots of blue tone throughout it.

I edited this image by increasing the exposure, contrast, shadows and vibrancy, while decreasing the whites, saturation, highlights and blacks. I did this, so that the image was slightly more exposed. I also added a yellow tint to this image to cancel out the blue tones in it.

Photoshoot Conclusion

Overall, I think this photoshoot went well, because I was able to create and present different narratives of activities I used to do when I was younger. I was also able to experiment with shutter speed in this photoshoot, so I could create movement in my photos.

However, I thought the still image walking down the lane was more visually pleasing, but I am glad I experimented.

I was also able to get detail shots, which would be good to use in my photobook to break up my images a bit.

However, next photoshoot I would need to go out a bit earlier, as it started getting dark very early, meaning I had to use the flash, which didn’t create the best lighting for the images.