My first three photoshoots are based on landscapes within Jersey which relate to legends and myths.
1: Dolmens
I will take photographs of the Dolmens within Jersey, these include the ones in St Andrews park, and Dolmen de Faldouët. I will do this because it is thought that there is a link between dolmens and witches. This is because in Guernsey there is a legend of the devil coming in a form of an animal and standing on top of a rock in a dolmen, it is then thought that witches danced around the dolmen to worship this beast. Therefore I will photograph the dolmens within Jersey.
2: Devil’s Hole
Next I will photograph the Devil’s hole, this is because of the way that it got its name. The story of the Devils hole is:
As winds increase, booming growls and roars emanate from the caverns of the great hole, created by the rush of air and water through the underground passages. The colonists, superstitious in the 17th century, believed the sounds came from the devil himself, so it came to be known as The Devil’s Hole.
3: Gorey Castle
My final landscape based photoshoot will take place at Gorey Castle, also known as Mont Orgueil Castle. I will take photographs outside of the castle, as well as inside of it. This is because Gorey castle holds a lot of Jersey’s witch trial history. This is due to over 60 witch trials taking place in this castle.
J Riley Stewart has been creating images and prints for almost 50 years. Stewart is mainly drawn to the luminism style of imagery, especially nature landscapes. Luminism art goes back all the way to classical photography, such as photography by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. It can be described as ‘the elegant balance of radiant light and mysterious shadows’. It is this balance which Stewart intends to capture through his photography.
J Riley Stewart chooses to take photograph as he wants to use the media as a way to remember a moment in time, of more specifically a story which strikes him during that moment. He believes the ‘remembering’ aspect is a major part of why he is a photographer.
“Why are we on this earth if not to remember our experiences, our stories; to learn something from them, and to pass them on?” – J Riley Stewart
Before photography became his main career, Stewart was a medical researcher. This taught him to always question, explore, experiment and to resolve the world around him. He enjoys photography largely as he is able to learn new things, which is similar to his previous career. He feels that photography allows him to stop time unlike any other medias, this creates an opportunity to explore and discover what our eyes and brains want to dismiss in seconds.
J Riley Stewart uses large format film cameras, which are often seen as old fashioned. He can be described as a ‘traditional’ photographer due to this type of camera, however he finds this camera is the best way to tell the visual stories as he is seeing them. This is because these large film cameras give him the ability to create large prints which retain elegant radiance, textures, and depth that other method cant, these prints also reveal details which are often overlooked in smaller photographs.
Analysis
Assimilation – Shadows of the forest become one with the historic Mission Baptist Church in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains NP.
This photo is taken of a Baptist Church, it has been put into black and white which causes each detail to stand out. The subject matter of the image is spread out evenly due to the shadows both in the foreground as well as the higher part of the image where the church is. I find this image has an eerie look to it, this is because of the way that the photo has been shot straight onwards to the church, it also looks almost abandoned and empty in the middle of nowhere.
I will take photographs of landscapes in a similar way to J Riley Stewart. However mine will be based on areas where legends and witchcraft stories as based, such as Gorey and the Dolmens.
Mickie Devries lives in West Michigan close to Lake Michigan shoreline. Devries focuses on documenting her own children, as she believes ‘to be a child is a magical thing’. She is inspired by children and how they grow and learn new things. She likes to photograph these moments as she wants to preserve and document them. However I am going to focus on a small project she done within her photography where she has created ghost-like images using various camera settings.
I am mainly going to take inspiration from Mickie Devries from the way that she achieves her ghostly looking photos within this small project of hers. I also like how the images look in black and white and I may also use that idea within my photography.
How to create ghostly photos:
1 – First you I will need to use a tripod, this is so that the photo is clear as I will be using a slow shutter speed of around 15 seconds, this is what Mickie Devries uses to create her images. She also states it is best to take these images in low ambient light.
2 – Next I will adjust my aperture to around f/8 as this is the same setting as Devries.
3 – Focus is then switched to manual with the subject in the frame, this is so that I am able to focus on the subject when I end up taking the photos.
4 – Next I will remove my subject from the frame and have my subject walk slowly into the position once I’ve pushed pushed the shutter button. Once the subject is in the position I will press the shutter button and have them freeze.
Simone Gernhardt suffers from prosopagnosia, this means she sees things differently compared to most people, everything is slightly blurry, distorted and idiosyncratic. In the beginning of her photography journey she began with standard lenses, however she found these felt wrong as every image was boring, as they were sharp and clean.
Handmade lenses
Gernhardt created her own handmade lenses as she found standard lenses felt wrong. She created these lenses out of various different materials, such as toy kaleidoscopes, prisms, pieces of scratched plastic, fluid colours, and handmade tools which create reflections and mirroring. Her proper journey in photography began when she first created these lenses, she enjoys using these handmade lenses as it creates a surreal look to her images. However around 12 years ago she discovered Lensbaby Muse, which she found to be life changing in her photography. She then began to combine her handmade tools with her Lensbaby Muse, she then later found that she didn’t need to use her old handmade tools and that the Muse was perfect for her photography.
Witchcraft in Photography
Simone Gernhardt was inspired to create this project by her love for halloween time, as she says “Although I almost never dress up for Halloween myself, I absolutely love this time of the year. The days are getting darker, the colors outside are moody & dull, and for me it is the best time to walk through beautiful, dark forests.” Her photoshoot for this project was done in a dark woodland area, one of her interests. She says that during Halloween time forests remind her of witches and witchcraft, as well as their bond to nature that surrounds them. She took these images in a forest located near her home on Halloween.
“…she is floating, leaving her body…. transforming the reality around her.”– Simone Gernhardt
Gernhardt’s model fulfilled her ideas for this photoshoot as the model reflects a natural, earthbound look of witches, according to the photographer. Her camera lens created a surreal look without using too much makeup and just using a standard halloween costume. After taking the photos she goes in with Edge 35 to add a blurriness to the images to make them appear more spooky.
Danny Richardson is a local photographer who grew up in Jersey before studying in Brighton, UK. He has lived in both France and Canada and has a passion for exploration and discovery. He is interested in various things, such as natur, art, and the universe.
I will be taking inspiration from his project based on the Myths and Legends of Jersey. Danny Richardson discovered the art of photography over 10 years ago and since then he has used it as a tool to show people the way he sees the world. Richardson specialises in creative portraiture and conceptual Fine Art photography. He wanted to create a series of images with a local twist that reflected his style of photography, which is creative portraiture and conceptual imagery. This project gave Danny Richardson a sense of nostalgia and it was personal to him, “I saw it as an opportunity to indulge the nostalgic ‘dungeons and Dragons’ watching little boy I used to be” – Danny Richardson.
Richardson was initially inspired to start this project by the stamp creator Nick Parlett who created a series of stamps based on Jersey folklore.
Nick Parlett’s stamps based on Jersey Folklore.
“We all have our own perspective on the world around us and thankfully I can use mine in conjunction with my camera to capture moments and images that reveal an authentic truth or a story waiting to be told.” – Danny Richardson
This quote by Danny Richardson sums up the theme of myths and legends well as they are just stories waiting to be told and everyone has their own perspectives of myths and legends or whether they believe them or not.
Analysis
In this photo a woman is dressed in a white wedding dress and a veil, there is then another figure in the foreground who could possibly be the groom. I believe this photo tells the story of the ghost bride of waterworks valley. Smoke machines have been used which create an eerie look to the photo. The main focus of the photo is the bride as she is positioned around the centre of the image, and the figure in the foreground draws our attention to her as they are looking right at her. There is also little saturation in the image, the main points of saturation are the bride’s headpiece and her hands, this draws even more attention towards her.
How will I respond?
I will take photographs in a similar way to Danny Richardson as they will all be based on Jersey myths and legends, aslike are his photos. I will also be taking the photographs in the location that the legends and myths are based in, this is similar to his work as he also took images based in the same locations.
To begin I created an overall mind-map, which includes some photographs from the internet, to gather all my ideas in one area. I created this on paper.
I then chose to refine my ideas into a smaller mind-map where I have chosen to focus on the theme of myths and legends within Jersey.
Some artists I may take inspiration from:
Danny Richardson
Danny Richardson is a local photographer who has created multiple projects, one of them being Jersey Myths and Legends, which is the one that I would take inspiration from for my personal study.
Iollann O Murchu
Murchu is an Irish photographer who focuses on the mythology of the Irish countryside.
Bjørg-Elise Tuppen
Tuppen is a photographer from Norway who combines her photographic skills with her photoshop skills to create mythical images based on legends and myths within Norway.
Simone Gernhardt
Gernhardt has created a project based on witchcraft, I will take inspiration from her to create a response based on the Witch trials which took place in Jersey.
Mickie DeVries
DeVries uses a technique to create ghostly photography, I believe this method would work well in my study to create eerie images,
In my personal study I plan to explore the theme of both Witchcraft and Jersey’s Legends and Myths. I would like to explore these topics as I believe they are not often spoken about and I find them interesting, I also believe they will create interesting images. I intend to respond to various photographers, but specifically I will take inspiration from Danny Richardson. Richardson is a local photographer who studied the same theme of Jersey’s myths and legends which is why I feel his will be perfect to study within my personal study.
Photographs by Danny Richardson.
I am also planning on learning new techniques for my personal study, one technique which I believe will look good for my personal study is Mickie Devries technique where she has created ghost-like images.
I also want to experiment with layering techniques to create images similar to this photography by Brad Goetsch.
By the end of my project I intend to create a book using the images I have taken in response to my theme of Myths and Legends as well as Witchcraft in Jersey
The history of witchcraft within Jersey dates back to the 1500s where outbreaks of witchcraft panic and mass executions took place all over Europe. Through the space of 160 years (1500-1660) between 50000 and 80000 witches were executed within Europe, and the majority of these executions were women. The Channel islands had a population of around 10,000 between 1560s and 1660s, where there were at least 65 witch trials which were held before Jersey’s Royal Court, with 33 being executed and 8 being banished, majority of these witches were women. This led The Channel Islands to be described as ‘proportionate to their size, the witch hunting capital of Atlantic Europe’. Individuals were able to be brought to trial as long as there was either a confession, proof ‘as clear as day’ or a parish indictment with parishioners deciding whether there was a case to answer. The accused would be held in a prison for up to a year and a day, if they were found guilty they would be hung and then burnt, this was the common practice in Jersey.
Thomasse Becquet
Thomasse Becquet was the first case found in the registers, she was apprehended by the Officers of the Crown on the accusation of being a witch in 1563. She was locked in Mont Orgueil Castle. She was eventually discharged due to an inquest into her crime.
c. 1880s Mont Orgueil Castle, Gorey, Jersey
The Plague and its link to Witches:
During the early 1580s the plague spread to Jersey, and many people with the illness resulted to consulting with witches, these people were often called before the parish church to be censured. People believed there was a clear link between the plague and the witch trials.
The Witches of La Rocqueberg
The Witches of La Rocqueberg is a myth I would like to focus on as it will link nicely to the Witch Trials.
To respond to this legend I could photograph Le Rocque, and I would also get someone to dress as a witch and model in the same area. As well as this I could even make a starfish out of clay as it is an important object in the story.
Witches Rock
The story of Witches Rock is another one which would link nicely to both the Witches of La Rocqueberg story as well as the Witch trials in general.
To respond to this one I would do a similar thing as I would photograph a model dressed as a Witch near a rock, I would also take photos of the same model dressed in a beautiful dress. I could then experiment with layering these photos to make a ghostly effect of one of the models, this would be done to represent the way that the beautiful girls disappeared in the story and the witches appeared.
Other Myths and Legends I may focus on:
Jeffrey’s leap
This story took place at Anne Port within Jersey. There is a huge rock in this location named Jeffrey’s leap.
Jeffrey had committed a crime and his punishment was to be thrown off the high rock. Locals came to watch Jeffrey get hurled off the rock and meet his end. But, by a stroke of luck, he survived without injury and swam to shore.
Full of bravery and certainty, Jeffrey boasted he would repeat the leap to show off how easy it was to survive. This time, he wasn’t so lucky as he leapt off, he hit his head on the rocks below and was killed.
I could respond to this legend by placing red fabrics over the rock to symbolise blood. I could then edit these images to make the red stand out more than the other colours.
La Cocagne
This is a lesser known legends within Jersey however I think it would be a good one for a photoshoot.
They would tell of an evil fairy or goblin that would hide under bridges and in wells waiting to lure children with magical concoctions, which if consumed, would curse them never to return to the mortal world.
For this I could photograph someone under a bridge holding some sort of drink, and another younger person stood on the top of the bridge. This is similar to an image which Danny Richardson took based on the same legend.
The ghost bride of Waterworks Valley
One story which I will definitely respond to in my project in the Ghost bride of Waterworks Valley. This is one of the most famous legends within Jersey.
Long ago a bride waited at St. Lawrence’s Church to be married but her groom never arrived. She was so distraught by what had happened that she killed herself. Legend says that, once a year a ghostly horse and carriage with a bride inside rides down the valley in search of her disloyal husband.
To respond to this legend I will photograph a model wearing a brides dress as well as a veil. I will take these photographs in waterworks valley which is where the legend takes place.
In this blog post I will review some projects which I believe have been successful.
Deadpan Photography
Deadpan photography is a type of photo which lacks all sense of emotion, it is mainly seen within landscape images. However it can be seen within portraits as well and the subjects of these portraits will tend to be in their natural state, without showing any emotion. For my photoshoot I chose to respond to the photographer Lewis Baltz.
Photographs by Lewis Baltz.
These two images were my best shots within my Deadpan project. I completed my photoshoot in various areas within St Ouens, which is where these two photos were taken.
I also investigated leading lines within photography which are typically used for drawing the viewers attention to a certain area within a photo. I took this image on the road in St Ouens where the white lines lead your eyes deeper into the image.
Evaluation:
I think my deadpan photography went well as I was able to create some similar images to Lewis Baltz. If I were to do it again I would take more photos in different areas, not just St Ouens.
Femininity
Another project I believe went well was my project based on femininity in response to the photographer Cindy Sherman, an American Photographer who mainly takes self-portraits portraying herself as multiple different characters.
Photographs by Cindy Sherman
In this photoshoot I chose to focus on photographing my model doing cleaning, cooking and more. I did this as I wanted to focus on photographing the out-dated stereotypical views of what women should do.
These are my best images from this project, I chose to make them all black and white as this is what Sherman does in her photography.
Evaluation:
I liked how my final images turned out in this photoshoot especially after making them black and white. If I was to re-do this photoshoot I would focus more on the ideas which Cindy Sherman focuses on, such as domestic violence and I would try to capture more emotion in my images.
Anthropocene
One of my favourite projects I have done is my the one based on Anthropocene where I responded to the photographer Zed Nelson.
Photographs by Zed Nelson
For my response to Zed Nelson I chose to visit Jersey Zoo, where I photographer a variety of animals. This related to the subject of Anthropocene as it shows has humans have had a negative affect on the lives of animals by making them live in cages for their own enjoyment.
This is one of my favourite images which I produced. I edited it to make the background blurred to make it appear that everything around the animal is moving however the animal is constantly stuck in the same place, similar to how they are constantly in the zoo.
Evaluation:
Overall this project was successful as I was able to create photographs with meaning similar to Zed Nelson’s photographs.
What are the differences between photographs that are MIRRORS and photographs that are WINDOWS?
Photographs which are ‘reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it‘– John Szarkowski, 1978, are considered to be mirror photography, as they are giving insight to the artists personal life. Mirror photography is often subjective and open to interpretation. Whereas window photography gives you a view into someone else’s life and experiences. Window photography allows you to explore the world and it can be a form of documentation, which is often objective. It allows you to understand more about the world as John Szarkowski said, ‘through which one might better know the world’ – John Szarkowski, 1978.
Mirrors:
Subjective (open to interpretation)
Reflects artist
Reflections
View into your own life
Manipulated
Synthetic
Personal
William Eggleston – from Memphis, Tennessee, Dye transfer print, early 1970s
I believe this image is a form of mirror photography as it is personal to the photographer. It is an image of the photographers freezer which contains their food, this makes it quite a personal image as it is showing the world what they have got inside of their own home, and what they eat. It is also subjective as people may have different opinions about the freezer and its content, making it a mirror image.
This is a form of window photography as it is a view of the outside world, and it is real. It can also be a form of documentation as they are photographing what appears to be factories, making it a window image.
