I gathered and placed all photos I may incorporate into my photobook, and made a smart collection of them all. Again, sifting through and ignoring ones that don’t particularly fit with my project.
Carefully placing each photo into their own cell, acknowledging the clash of colours and photo contents, found where they may fit best.
Knowing my sequence of photos is one coloured and one black and white, I left gaps to add my additional photos in when they have been completed.
I’ve chosen very specifically which photos would go best together, which photos could tell a story, entice viewers and keep them drawn. The screengrab above, shows this simply, with the childhood photo including food, the teenage/young adult photo depicts stomach. This allows viewers to relate in whatever way they saw fit.
With my title having the name ‘roots’ it gives 2 meanings. The idea of my roots being my family and my childhood but also my root of my hair, as I had copper hair as a child, I dyed over it as I grew up but every couple of weeks, the ginger would come through ever so slightly.
The font I used for this title was ‘Agency FB’. This font really stuck out to me because of it’s harsh block like letters. I feel that this reflects the idea that life is harsh and stubborn too. Un malleable and very ‘it is what it is’.
I finished editing and choosing the black and white photos that will fit well with each archived photo, playing around with placement and checking what photo compliments the other the most. Some of the photos matched so well (snake photos), and they look perfect together.
For the cover, the simple but effective idea of using a photo of roots from someone’s hair gives my work a sense of abstractness and almost blindsides the viewer on what the story will be.
Sticking with the black and white theme for my photoshoots, this will be the last one. I want to show and incorporate a lot more feeling and emotion with this photoshoot, with the sense of family and support backing this photoshoot I believe that will encourage a lot more un normalised feeling.
I used natural, and a simple camera flash for the lighting of these photos. Dark backgrounds to give a neutral but opposing finish in the photos. The contrast of the light and dark to build tension throughout worked so well for the outcome of these photos.
for the entirety of my project, I will need multiple photoshoots to gather all the photographs I may need for all topics I wish to include. Focusing in on topics of relationships, upbringing, family, and teenage life overall. Harnessing the ins and outs of life as a girl, the love and enjoyment but also the difficulties too, whether that is insecurity, or hurdles they may face along the way. All of this is girlhood and growing up so I want to capture all of it as best that I can.
Photoshoot 1 –
For the first photoshoot, I wanted to focus in on relationships, in more depth, ‘teenage love’. Using myself and a friend to show this through ambient lighting and coloured spotlighted lights. I focused on gaze and touch to show affection and red and blue light to focus in on lust, the red symbolising almost the ‘rose tinted glasses’ saying more deeply.
Photoshoot 2 –
For my second photoshoot I focused on capturing teenage life, the good, bad, drunk and sober, anything I can think of that may not be normal for a teenager to experience, but has been normalised. It not just shows the messy aspect of partying, but the friendship and love that young adults have to give. I wanted to include milestones and downsides these special years that each teenager goes through ( I’m aware not all teenagers live like this ). However since I want this project to reflect on me and my growth not just through my actions but as a person, the raw and unfiltered reality would be really important to include.
Teenage life is full of love and whether that is hard to see sometimes, its always around. The love and respect I have for all my friends is a very big part of me and I don’t want to keep that out of my project and my life in general. The raw natural light photographs show the bare truth of how life is behind the cover of parents and guardians and the touch and comfort you will find in this photoshoot really embrace that.
Photoshoot 3 –
For my third photoshoot, I wanted to focus solely of collecting photos that show woman’s hardship. Since I want to show both sides of girlhood, one being the fun, exciting side that you see all over social media, and second being the issues and difficulties that woman and girls face on the day to day. I want to use these photos (after editing) to place along side not only photos I’ve taken from these photoshoots but archived photos of my childhood. This is to show contrast and almost what’s behind the wall of personality that girls not just my age but of all ages may put up.
For example, along side an archived photo of maybe my parents and siblings, I could put an edited photo of a younger girl with bruises, evidence of domestic violence. I want to include this in my Personal project because it is raw, it is something people don’t talk about or see very often and it is definitely something I want to bring awareness too. Too many people can understand and relate to this kind of experience, especially from a young age and that makes me want to showcase my story even more.
Archived photoshoots –
Obviously, I did not take these photos myself, they are a collection my parents have been growing for my entire childhood. Capturing memory after memory and depicting the innocence and love that filled my childhood. Showing a happy family with loads of friends and endless support.
I really don’t want to change these photos significantly. I want them to obtain their authenticity, and I believe that altering them too much will take away from that. I have sifted through almost 2000 photos and narrowed it down to 15 photos that I believe will fit my project the best and tell a story individually as well as together.
For this photoshoot, I want to elaborate the idea of hardship. Experimenting with different difficulties woman and teenage girls may face. Sticking with the black and white theme, ill edit them with a simple black and white filter and adding a few tweaks with highlights and shadows to perfect the photo edit.
1. Write a book specification and describe in detail what your book will be about in terms of narrative, concept and design with reference to the same elements of bookmaking as above.
Narrative:What is your story? Describe in:
3 words
My child hood.
A sentence
My experience growing up, the good bad and interesting.
A paragraph
My story will portray the growth and understanding of my childhood. Exploring the hardships and importance of growing up and the individuality of each persons story.
Design: Consider the following
How you want your book to look and feel
I want my book to be a hard cover book, I want it to be heavy too.
Paper and ink
I want the paper on the inside of my book to be thick, durable and sturdy. Almost to symbolise skin, as weird as that sounds.
Format, size and orientation
I want my book to be as big as an A4 sheet of paper, big enough to catch someone’s eye but not too big to bother.
Binding and cover
I think my front cover should be a portrait photo, almost like a school photo or ‘mug shot’ of me, well not actually me but a model.
Title
‘ROOTS’ – I had black hair growing up and since I’m naturally ginger, my roots would show as my hair grew. And since I’m talking about my childhood, my roots, I thought it was fitting.
Design and layout
I want there to be a photo on each page, each photo couple to contradict each other.
Images and text
The title of each photograph will be in the bottom right corner of each page in small simple text.
All these photos will indefinitely be edited the same. I want to make shadows a very prominent feature of the photos as well as keeping natural highlights one of the main focuses. I want to look at the vibrancy and saturation of each photo, focusing on levelling out colour and adapting each vibrancy to each individual photo.
Photo 1 –
Final edit –
Photo 2 –
Final edit –
Photo 3 –
Final edit –
Virtual gallery –
After a lot of development, I want to re-edit this photoshoot to black and white. This will make it fit my project and my other edits a lot more.
1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.
The photobook I’ve chosen is called ‘FEMALE’. This photobook is made with individual portraits. Each photograph being completely different, a different person, place and style. If I were to assume that the topic of the photobook was ‘females’ then the artist has produced that perfectly. All models included in this project were women, and seem completely different, woman of all walks of life were included in this project.
2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)
The photographer is a woman called Jitka Hanzlova. A German based Czech artist. Jitka wanted her work to bring a sense of home to her viewers, she moved from Czech to Germany young, with her environments being uncertain, new people place language and surroundings. She didn’t feel like she had a place, so her work helps give herself and others a form of security and home.
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:
For this Photobook, there doesn’t seem to be a story, but pages and pages of individual stories. Each and every separate woman included in this piece has their own individual story, and I believe that is more powerful then a singular story. It brings variety and experience from loads of different perspectives.
Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
The book is a hard cover book, thick paper with a papery smell. Thick paper for ease of printing the photo, and hardcover used for formality.
Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
The paper type stays the same throughout the whole book, I don’t know if that is because of the theme of neutrality throughout the photobook but it is very impactful. The first and last page is in sugar paper/cardboard too.
Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
Each photo is printed onto the A4 in landscape. The photos were taken with the technique of portraiture, almost mug shots. Simple quick photos of women. There are 128 pages (not including first and last page) in this photobook, which may be significant to Jitka Hanzlova in some sentimental way but from what I can see, there is no straight up reason for it.
The front page has a large printed photo on the cover. The photo from page 39. This photo must have some significance to Jitka for it to be used twice.
Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
The title ‘FEMALE’ is very intriguing, it leaves a lot open for interpretation. It is also very relevant for this specific photobook too, since every person photographed is a female/woman.
Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?
From what I can gather, each page has its own story, each specific person on each page has a life and a story of their own. Their stories are told through not just facial expressions but body language too. The poise and structure of their stance, illuminates it all.
Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
The repeating technique of portraiture, shows a distinct similarity between each photograph, a woman in her own world, with no bothers in the moment the photo was taken.
Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.
Each individual photo has its own 2 pages, while only sitting on one, is the photo. There is no fold outs or double spreads but only a couple pages with writing.
Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.
The editing of these photos are difficult to point out, they seem like raw, untouched candid portraits. However the portraits show juxtaposition through the repetitiveness of the photographing style.
Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others. Use of captions (if any.)
This photobook contained an essay, however it was in Czech, so was not understandable.
How is femininity shown through childhood, and stereotypically perceived through society?
Introduction –
Femininity is a very broad label to put on not just looks, but beliefs and speech. Femininity is the characteristics shown stereotypically by women and girls. As a female today, my views and beliefs have varied throughout the years of my childhood. Not just because of growing up, but social media played a very big part as well. Everyone telling you what you can and can’t do, wear and say, really affects a developing brain, especially in a world where all you want to do is fit in. A very big inspiration in not just my photography work but mindset too, is Cindy Sherman. She breaks social stereotypes and never adapted herself to norms all through her long career. My work reflects hers quite deeply, as well as showing my own personal hints throughout as well. My childhood came with a lot of emotions and cultures, growing up abroad and living with a strange environment, with my parents splitting and that changing my view on stereotypical love. I want to include all the messy and irregular things that have happened to me and show them to the world. By normalising the unnormal, it can reflect Sherman’s work perfectly, the abstract, unnormal and weird. My project will be mainly surrounded by the idea of femininity and masculinity, using my previous project on that topic as inspiration and almost like a baseline for help. I know that will benefit my overall outcome. I’ve photographed moments of love, lust, fun and danger, focusing solely on teenage life for my first couple of photoshoots, the fun memories and universal moments that teenagers all over the world could relate experience too. I want to finish photographing the other areas of my topic, the family and childhood aspects, which I hold dearly in my mind. I want to focus my nostalgic photos on natural light, the outdoors and nature in general. I feel like naturalistic light can bring copious amounts of nostalgia to a photoshoot and that is a very important aspect to my project.
Paragraph 1 –
Femininity and stereotypes have been judged and watched for centuries, artists and photographers have battled these negative connotations alongside all the change and disruption it has caused. From the suffragette movement to the recent pro-choice movements against abortion bans in the US, and the Taliban control over woman in Afghanistan, photographers have followed it all. These movements are very important to me not just as a photographer, but a young woman in this era of time. With almost all my rights no longer being mine in some parts of the world it takes all the hard work and effort woman have given to fight these issues back after almost 100 years. I want to not only share my childhood story and simple issues that I faced personally with my audience, but also include the issues women all over the world face. Woman have always been the underappreciated gender, through stereotypes, and social and societal norms, “take care of the kids, clean the house, cook the dinner” and those are only the superficial sayings. I want to look deeper into the suffragette movement as inspiration for my photoshoot, since I want to add in almost nostalgia, the idea of the pro-choice movement almost repeating history of the suffragette movement, links nicely to my idea of using old, archived photographs and polaroid photos. The movement also being so powerful in female history, gives not only an impactful connotation to my work, but also helps show the hardships that continue to ensure to this day. Even though the times have changed, the issues still commence, and I believe that focusing on that explanation and topic can impact my personal study immensely. The use of usually candid photographs that are taken of these movements, are very powerful, raw emotion and genuine expressions hold a lot of importance, so I want to include that aspect. I want to place photos that demonstrate issues women must face all over the world, next to innocent childhood photos and general childhood to adulthood moments and memories to show the contrast and the behind the scenes, of almost every girl’s life. With photos that depict party scenes, kindness and genuine friendship and love, contrasting with photos that depict hatred, maliciousness and hurt. I believe that everyone should have to see the life every woman lives, whether it is fitting into societal norms, or rooting into personal insecurity. Many people wrongly think that life as a woman is nothing but giggles and makeup, cooking and cleaning but the struggles that woman face hold an unmeasurable amount of weight on each and every one, including myself. I want to be able to open the eyes of the people who view my work, physically, emotionally and morally. I want them to not only feel emotion towards it, but feel the need to make change, to thank their mother, grandmother, sister and friend, for making it through to whatever stage they may be at in their life, a simple thank you and an I love you can really make the hardships worth it, when you hear it from someone you love. While I understand that the ‘normal’ woman may not understand or even be able to fathom half of the issues that some woman in Afghanistan, for example may be living with, everyone has their own hardships and with my work, I want to show the raw and sometimes hidden difficulties that come with life, and more importantly being a girl. Social media has not been around long enough for people who endured the suffragettes movement, I believe that with the power that social media holds over everyone on this earth, my work could reach just the right people, not just those who could do something about it, but those who need the hope of knowing someone is watching and noticing and wants to make a difference.
Paragraph 2 –
One photographer that I believe really resonates with my work is Bianka Schumann.
Her work focuses on the idea of memory, she explored this topic through two perspectives. The first reflects on adolescence, growing up and something that she calls ‘no mans land’. This is what she describes as the space between childhood and maturity. The awkward time frame where I sit now, you think you know everything there is to know but really, you have no clue. The second perspective being nostalgia, the memory of things that sometimes we don’t realise we remember. The secret memories hidden away that are enclosed by not just time but hurt too. These memories are usually deeply personal and some things that people don’t often feel the need to share.
Bianka uses a lot of natural light in her work, it gives an incredible idea of the instinctive and regular life through childhood. Using clever spacing and portrait she also brings unease and danger into her work slightly. I feel that this is symbolism of danger and unease could show the criticality of childhood, the importance of this time in every person’s life. Bianka also uses techniques in her photography like blurring. She often blurs backgrounds of photos, whether this is to bring more attention to the focal point or show a sense of desperation, a need to be seen. Many children have times where they don’t feel seen, and maybe this is how Bianka helps her inner child heal from not being seen. Bianka’s ideas of nostalgia and memory is something I really want to interpret into my personal project. My memories I have surrounding my childhood are very close to my heart, good or bad. So, including them is important for me. Since my main idea is to pursue the theme of childhood and growing up from the feminine perspective, I believe nostalgia can be a very powerful approach for expressive work as it resonates with a lot of different people, man or woman, from all over the world, in whatever way they want to portray it. I also would love to include Bianka’s use of natural light. I feel that is can emphasise meanings and symbolism throughout my work very easily. Studio lighting and artificial light can come across as too harsh in some respects. I want my photographs to not look staged, I want it to be as natural as it can. Obviously, I will need to think about staged ‘candid’ photos since it is difficult to capture photos in the style I’m looking for in natural scenarios, with completely natural lighting that is perfect for my photographs.
Paragraph 3 –
Another artist that resonates with me and my work is Catherine Panebianco, a photographer who resides from British Columbia, Canada.
Her work, similar to Bianka Schumann’s, focuses on memories, home and people she loves. Catherine’s work looks for a sense of belonging and place, a safe space some people may phrase it as. This really links to my work because of the idea of security, I wanted to include this in my project in the form of archived photos. In Catherine’s work, she used archived photos and the original place they were taken.
I believe that that holds a lot of power in reconnection with past memories and emotions and though I don’t want to use that exact idea, the concept I believe is very powerful. The technicalities of Catherine’s work varies from blurry background to natural light. Similar to Bianka’s work, it really encapsulates nostalgia, the use of this technique of naturality captures the ease and thought that links to nostalgia, no artificial memories, just raw. I believe that natural light can help develop or remind a person of memories and the undeniable link that holds with each individual, whether that’s fragile reminders or ones that bring someone the most comfort. Catherine’s use of blurs in her photos is also an extremely powerful tool id like to include in my work. It focuses the viewer on the spotlight of each photo, immediately retaining their attention and in Catherine’s case, the polaroid she uses in each of her photographs.
It shows the focal point immediately allowing the individual to focus on the centre of each photo, concluding their own story and interpretation of each photo. Focusing on the centre of the image, whilst the rest of the story comes in when they take a wider look at the artwork. I also really appreciate the personal feeling her work holds. The subtle inclusion of Catherine’s hand in each photo allows each viewer to have a separate and individual relationship with the art and the artist herself. I also believe that a small detail like this almost takes the serious connotation these types of photoshoots hold, and while Panebianco’s work is very well established, it allows a relaxing and calm nostalgic environment surround the piece. One aspect of Catherine’s work I definitely want to impact mine is the idea of a focal point, her use of a focal point really resonates with me. I want to bring that self-creating feel to my artwork, not just to interest my viewers, but to resonate emotionally with each and every individual. One photo alone can bring up so many emotions for someone and I feel like nostalgia is a universal part of that. Natural light, which I’ve mentioned countless times, is a serious technique I want to include. The comfort and natural feel it can bring to art is so powerful. It brings a general understanding to art and not just others but our self too. Natural light has a powerful way of bringing things together, in a technical way, it compliments everything in nature, the beauty and danger of it all. However, in an emotional way, it brings it together almost intertwining them as one. The memory of the warm sun and comforting, grounding feeling of outside, can bring thousands of memories form everyone all over the world together.
Conclusion –
Both artists explore a variety of different themes, techniques and approaches. While Bianka Schumann focuses on growth and maturity through approaches like adolescence and growing up, Catherine Panebianco focuses on memories, home and people she loves. Bianka pinpoints in on the journey and the growth, the experience that is needed to grow emotionally and spiritually as a person. She uses a lot of natural light, similar to Catherine’s work but they both use it so simply to produce completely different pieces of art, yet they build on the same emotions in each and every person. I believe that Bianka’s use of natural light help her explore the naturality of her emotions. The expression that she uses to impact her photography is seen clearly through all her work. Since her work resonates a lot with childhood the use of natural light has such a different impact and outcome overall then what you see with Catherine’s work, where it impacts clarity and feeling more overall. In Bianka’s work, the portrait photographing technique is very moving and impactful for her theme and production. With the inclusion of this technique, the technicality side of photography is really brought to light as well, as this is something you may not focus on as much with Catherine’s work which focus more and candid photos and archived polaroid pictures which create not just emotion but dimension. While Catherine uses proof of memories and archived photographs, Bianka takes hers from scratch. Personally, I believe that Catherine’s technique is sub sequentially more impactful emotionally, however some may argue that the use of fresh images may reach a lot more important subliminal messages to other people and allow individual emotions to manifest in each person. Up to now, my personal work I feel, has reflected a lot more of Bianka’s not just thought, but technique overall. The use of similar ideas she has included, my portrait photography and ‘canid’ moments caught through the lens, my reinvention of old memories, It all leads back to her work. While I love the ideas that is shown through Catherine’s work, the idea of including archived photography into my newly made photos has become more crowded than I have liked. I will be definitely be including the use of archived photos, but I believe that they give so much impact themselves that placing them into or on top of new photos can be almost overbearing in my project in particular due to the heavy theme I have dedicated my work too.
