Here is a mind-map which I produced with 2 of my classmates. In the green and blue is the a breakdown of the words Observe, Seek and Challenge and what they mean to us. In the pink and orange is ideas for our personal studies. We covered a range of ideas from personal interests to the exploration of history and natural forms such as the human body and landscapes.
Mood-Boards
Natural Forms (Human Body + Nature)
History + Ideologies
Personal Interests
This mood-board is based on Architecture as it is my passion.
Romanticism in photography consists of capturing sublime scenes and dramatic landscapes which create a sense of awe for nature. For this topic, I created HDR Merge Images of the cliffs at Plemont and L’Etacq. This was inspired by Ansel Adams as he would photograph picturesque landscapes, mainly mountains. He also used the Colour zonal system which is a system of tonal values from black to white as his images were in B&W. This is why I used HDR Merge so that my images displayed a range of tones and colours. I really liked this project because I enjoyed capturing the beauty of the natural landscape and, at the same time, it can nice to go out and take the photos.
My Images:
The New Topographics
The New Topographics is a project which explores how humans have altered the natural landscape. For this project, I walked around Harve des Pas and captured images of buildings and a combination of both the natural and built environment. I really enjoyed this project and it inspires me to photograph the urban environment for my personal project.
My Images:
Anthropocene
Anthropocene is a word used to describe the impact of human activity on Earth’s climate and ecosystems. For this project, I photographed industrial areas of Jersey such as La Collette, Bellozanne and the Quarry at Sorel. I enjoyed this project as it allowed me to be creative whilst also illustrating the Island’s impacts on climate change. This project inspires me to capture photographs of positive actions that the island is taking towards climate change such as the construction of sustainable buildings.
These are all of the images that I think were successful.
Best Images
These are my best images out of the ones above. I have decided not to edit these photos as I would like for them to be kept natural and not be manipulated.
Evaluation
‘Mirror’ Photographs
Inspiration for Mirror Images
My Mirror Images
These are my final images. These images can be considered as mirror photos as they have been edited and manipulated. For these photoshoots, I used images of graffiti which I took when I went to Liverpool and edited them onto photos of the little white hut (Le Don Hilton) which I took in St Ouen. I think that this is an interesting combination as it takes the natural environment and displays it as an industrial one.
‘Window’ Photographs
Inspiration for Window Images
My Window Images
It is debatable whether these would be true ‘mirror’ photos as it is turning something real into something that is surreal/has been embellished. This style of photography could be classed as pictorialism as it emphasizes the natural beauty of the sea by altering reality. Since this is altering reality, you could declare that these aren’t true mirror images, however, you could also argue that this is not what your eye truly sees, but rather what the camera sees. Furthermore, these images capture the movement of the sea which is a natural process and, although these outcomes aren’t what the eye would typically see, these photographs are fully organic and have not been edited. Overall, I would say that these images are sit between the mirror and window categories but lean more towards being windows.
For my ‘mirror’ photos I would like to take images of buildings and edit them by using photos of graffiti and layering them on top. These would be mirror photos as they are staged, due to the editing, and display a false environment.
This is my inspiration:
This is an image by a photographer called Matt Embee who went around the Baltic Triangle Area of Liverpool capturing street photos. This image has been edited using double exposures, displaying buildings and graffiti. For my own images, I would also like to experiment with photos of graffiti, creating altered landscapes of an already urban environment or perhaps even a building within a natural environment such as the little white hut in St Ouen.
Matt Embee
Matt Embee is a Manchester Wedding Photographer who has gained many awards is photography such as Masters Manchester and he has been selected as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the UK. Furthermore, Matt has been doing wedding photography for around 13 years and he enjoys capturing human emotion and interaction. Although Matt is mainly a wedding photographer, when he has time spare he likes to test his photographic skills. In 2018, along with a group of wedding photographers, Matt travelled to Liverpool, specifically the Baltic Triangle, to experiment with double exposures and capture images of graffiti and the industrial heritage of the area. Here are some other images from this photoshoot:
Since I will be going to Liverpool, whilst I am there I will try to capture photographs of graffiti to use for my final products.
Plan for Window Photos
For this photoshoot, I would like to focus on the beauty of the natural environment, creating photographs that will contrast to the urban, manipulated environment of the previous ‘mirror’ photos that I will create. This links to previous projects such as Anthropocene and The New Topographics as my photoshoots will present 2 different landscapes, one that has been transformed by humans and the other which has been untouched. For this photoshoot, I am going to focus on photographing the movement of the sea at a slow shutter speed. I will have to do this at a time of day where it is dull and there is not much light such as early morning or in the evening as I don’t have an ND Filter. I will take these photographs by using a tripod and setting the camera to a low ISO and slow shutter speed ranging from about .4 to 2 seconds. Some locations I may go to include Plemont, Greve de Lecq, Bouley Bay and St Catherine’s Woods.
My Inspiration:
Glyn Dewis
Glyn Dewis is a photographer who lives in the South West of the UK. He also educates people on photography through YouTube and his 4 books:
Furthermore, Glyn is an ambassador for various companies such as BenQ, Westcott Top Pro and Calibrite. Glyn’s photographs have also been on the front cover of various magazines and he has presented at various conferences and exhibitions around the world for Photoshop and Adobe.
At the start of 2019, Glyn Dewis began his 39-45 Portraits Project which lead him to photographing surviving WW2 veterans. This resulted in Glyn to become an Ambassador in the Veterans Charity.
I learnt about Glyn Dewis through his seascapes project, in which he captures remarkable photographs of colossal waves crashing over rocks and brisk flow of the sea. He takes these photos on his iPhone using a tripod and phone grip then retouching them on his iPad in Lightroom.
Mirrors and Windows was an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in July 1978. The curator of this exhibition was John Szarkowski, an American photographer who attempted to categorise the work of various photographers into two components; Mirrors or Windows.
What are the differences between photographs that are MIRRORS and WINDOWS?
Mirrors
Mirrors are metaphors for photos that reflect the beliefs and interests of the artist who took it or its subject. These images are often staged in order to portray a message. An example of a mirror image could be an environmental portrait.
Words associated with Mirrors:
Romanticism
Fiction
Staged
Subjective
Reflective
Personal
Windows
Windows are metaphors for images which are a documentation of reality. These images are truthful and have clear objectives. Examples of window images are newspaper images used to display events which are taking place to raise awareness.
Words associated with Windows:
Documentary
Realism
Public
Candid
Objective
Truthful
Examples
‘Mirror’ Image
This is an image of Cindy Sherman attempting to oppose patriarchy by posing as female stereotypes. This would be a mirror image as it is personal and reflective of her beliefs that women are not less superior than men. Another reason as to why this would be a mirror image is because it is staged, rather than showcasing real events.
Other Mirror Images:
‘Window’ Image
This is an image by Henri Cartier Bresson, a photographer know for capturing the Decisive Moment in his work, as previously researched on an earlier blog of mine. This is an example of a window image as it is a candid photograph of a cyclist who was passing Henri at the time.
This is the front cover of my zine. I really like this photo as it is compositionally and contextually interesting. This makes it perfect for a noticeable front cover. I also wanted to have a straightforward title that could directly link to what the images inside display; the fishing industry of St Helier Harbour.
This is the first page of my zine when you open it up. I have put this here as it is an overview shot of the harbour, featuring many fisherman boats at the Old French Harbour.
For this page, I wanted to display an archive image with one that I have taken. I have chosen these images as they are the closest match out of all my photos and I have made them the same size on the page.
This is the next page of my zine and I wanted it to display the fisherman at St Helier Harbour as part of the fishing industry. I have made the image on the right larger as it will be the first you see when you turn the page and I personally prefer the image as the one on the left has a blurred background. This is also why I have made it smaller.
Both images on this page display men working on their boats, one of them pressure washing and the other welding. I have made the image on the left a full page to draw the viewers’ attention to it as when they turn the page over they will initially gaze to the right.
On the right is a fisherman, Will, doing his job and on the left is where he works. I have made the image on the right larger so that it matches the layouts of the rest of the pages.
This page displays stationary boats. There is juxtaposition between these 2 images as one is the seabed and the other is on land.
This is my last pages of my zine. I have made these also a double page, similar to the front pages so that there is balance within the zine. I have aligned this image so that the page splits between the 2 boats.
This is the back cover of my zine. I have photoshopped my name onto the number plate as the original number plate had the same amount of letters. I also used this photo as it features a seagull with open wings in negative space which makes the image more interesting, whilst also engaging the viewer.
Evaluation
Overall, I think that my zine well presents the narrative I was going for and is cohesive and well thought out. I have started off the zine by displaying an overview of the harbour with an archive image to demonstrate how it has changed over time. This then links to the fisherman within their work environments, the harbour. Finally, the zine comes to an end displaying fishing boats tethered in different locations. My zine also holds a continued theme of black and white images throughout which helps keep the cohesiveness and remove any distractions caused by bright colours.
I am not very satisfied with this page as I don’t feel like it fits in with the rest of the zine or with the narrative I am trying to display (fishing industry), therefore, I am going to find an archive image that is similar to one that I have taken and display them together.
Use of Archive Images
These are my two options of archive photos. I am going to go for the first option as it is more clear that they were taken at the same place and they still relate to the fishing industry, therefore, will fit in with the rest of the zine.
I re-edited this photo and lowered the clarity so that it would fit in better with the archive one.
I then rearranged the pages to what I thought was a more suitable layout:
I then added the title ‘St Helier Harbour’ to my front cover.
I then decided to put the subtitle ‘Fishing Industry’ below.
I then changed the layout of some of my pages to get a more efficient layout overall:
My zine is going to tell a story about the fishing industry in Jersey at St Helier Harbour.
A paragraph
My zine will tell the story of the lives of the fisherman at St Helier Harbour. The story will be displayed through photos of fisherman and the activities they get up to from day to day. Finally, it will present their surrounding environment as an overview of their lives.
Narrative
I am going to tell my story by presenting various images that relate to the fishing industry in Jersey. These will include things such as fisherman boats, fishermen and men working on their boats. I will also display images of the harbour and potentially even an archive image to show its development over the years.
Selection of Images
Final Edits
Selection After Elimination
Mock-up on Paper
I have made a mock-up zine using 4 folded sheets of A4 paper and my selected images which I printed out.
Editing name into image
I started off editing this photo in Photoshop by using generative fill to remove the text.
I then selected and copied and pasted number plate letters across. I got these letters from an image on google which I then opened in Photoshop.
I then put the letters in to place by using the original image and putting my letters on top so that they were the same size and position.
Camera Obscura is a natural phenomenon in which you have a dark room/chamber and allow light rays to pass through a small hole. These light rays will project an inverted image of the view from outside onto a surface within the dark room. This is similar to how a modern camera works as the camera is the dark chamber and the hole for light is the aperture. The mirror in modern cameras flips the image around so it is no longer upside down. Furthermore, in the 16th century, camera obscura became a popular drawing and painting aid as people would use the projected image to trace it.
Here is an example of the use of camera obscura. This took place in Venice in 2006 and depicts a projection of Santa Maria della Salute on a bedroom wall.
Camera Obscura is still used to this day, an example being the work of Susan Derges. Susan Derges works with nature to produce her images by going out at night and submerging light sensitive paper under water, allowing the moonlight to transfer the image on to the paper.
Joseph Nicephore Niepce was a French Inventor and Photographer, born in 1765. Niepce lacked in artistic ability so used Camera Obscura as a drawing aid, in which he later used to create the process ‘heliography’. He created this process in 1822 and used it to capture the World’s very first permanent photograph. This photograph was of Pope Pius VII, however, it was later destroyed after Niepce attempted to make prints from it. In 1816, Niepce would send letters to his sister-in-law containing small images on paper coated with silver chloride, however, they were negatives and when they were exposed to light for viewing they would go dark all over. Niepce then explored other substances that were affected by light and became intrigued by how bitumen coating would become less soluble after being left exposed to light. This went on to his creation of the heliograph where he would dissolve bitumen in lavender oil and use it to coat either a lithographic stone, a sheet of metal or a sheet of glass and leave it to dry. He would then cover it with an engraving printed on paper and leave it in direct sunlight so that, after sufficient exposure, he could use the lavender oil to rinse away the unhardened bitumen which had been sheltered from sunlight by the lines/dark areas in the engraving. Finally, he would etch the remaining details in with acid. Later, after Niepce’s passing in 1833, his invention was overshadowed by the invention of his partner’s Daguerreotype, an improvement of the Heliograph.
Niepce’s first ever saved image – taken between 1822 and 1827 at Le Gras, France
Louis Daguerre was a French artist and photographer, recognised for inventing a way to fix the projected image of Camera Obscura, known at the Daguerreotype. The invention of the Daguerrotype was announced on the 19th of August, 1839 at a meeting of the French Academy of Science in Paris. A Daguerrotype is sometimes referred to as a ‘mirror with memory’ and it was originally made by, first, polishing a sheet of silver-plated copper to look like a mirror then making it sensitive to light by using Iodine in a closed box. After this, camera obscura was used to expose the surface to light and create an image. This would take a range of 3 to 15 minutes. Finally, this image was fixed by desensitising the sheet to light using sodium thiosulfate or salt with gold chloride.
Daguerrotype of Louis Daguerre in 1844
The surface of daguerrotypes are very delicate and they can be ruined just by wiping them, therefore, they were often blowtorched around the edges to be sealed and put into protective cases/picture frames.
Henry Fox Talbot was an English scientist, inventor and photographer who invented a photographic process known as the Calotype, otherwise known as the Talbotype. This was an improvement over the Daguerreotype as multiple prints could be made from it and the exposure time was only a couple of minutes, however, the Daguerreotype could only be reproduced by copying it with a camera and took longer for the photo to be produced. Prior to the Calotype, Henry created a process known as the “photogenic drawing” process which produced paper negatives on light-sensitive paper with silver salts. This was similar to Nicephore Niepce’s Heliograph, however Talbot found a way to prevent the photographs from darkening when being again exposed to sunlight. The Calotype was a modified version of this process with a faster exposure time and development process and it allowed negative prints to be made positive through contact printing.
Below is the earliest surviving negative by Talbot, depicting the lattice window at Lacock Abbey, made in August 1835.
William Collie was a photographer who was born in Scotland in 1810 but moved to Jersey in 1841. He was one of the earliest photographers in the Channel Islands and had a portrait business at Belmont House in St Helier. Collie was the first known photographer to use this photographic process in Jersey and in the late 1840s made a series of Calotypes depicting ‘French and Jersey Market Women’.
William’s photograph of Jersey market women, taken in 1847, one of the earliest photographs printed on paper.
Robert Cornelius, born in Philadelphia in 1809, was an inventor, businessman and lamp manufacturer. He worked for his father in his lamp shop and specialised in silver plating and metal polishing. After being hired by a Client to produce a silver plate for a daguerreotype, Cornelius became intrigued by the process.
At just 30 years old, Robert Cornelius was believed to have taken the world’s very first portrait in 1839. He took this image just two months after the announcement of Daguerre’s Daguerreotype outside the back of his family’s store in Philadelphia. He created this portrait by removing the lens frame and running to stand in front of the camera completely still for 10-15 minutes then covering the lens back up. Cornelius wrote on the back of this Daguerreotype “The first light Picture ever taken. 1939.”
Robert Cornelius’ Self Portrait
Henry Mullins – Carte-de-Visite
The Carte de Visite, translating to ‘visiting card’, was a small photographic portrait, typically 54 x 89mm in size mounted onto a piece of card 64 x 100mm in size. They became increasingly popular in the 1860s and were exchanged among friends and family to create albums.
Collection of Carte de Visite photographs
Henry Mullins was a photographer who moved to Jersey in 1848. Between his relocation in 1848 to 1873, Mullins produced thousands of photographs of Islanders, with almost 10,000 available to view online. He owned a successful studio in the Royal Square in St Helier and was the photographer of choice for the Island’s leading members and wealthy families.
Carte de Visite of Henry Mullins along with some photographs of his Clients
Richard Maddox
Richard Leach Maddox, born in England in 1816, was a photographer and physician who, in 1871, invented lightweight gelatin negative dry plates for photography.
Example of a Negative Dry Plate
Example of Dry Plate
These dry plates are an adaption to Frederick Scott Archer’s Collodion process, which was invented in 1851. These plates had to be sensitised at the time of exposure, meaning that the emulsion was still wet and produced ether vapour which can affect a person’s health.
Richard Maddox’s dry plates consisted of a glass plate coated with light-sensitive gelatine emulsion that was left to dry before use. This allowed photographers to use commercial plates off a shelf, rather than have to prepare their emulsions. It also allowed for cameras to be smaller and have faster exposure times. This process was developed and eventually led to the ‘Kodak’ Camera.
George Eastman was an American entrepreneur, born in New York in 1854, who founded the Eastman Kodak Company. Kodak being a word he created himself. Due to the passing of Eastman’s father, he had to leave school at the age of 14 to support his family financially. In the 1870s, whilst George was working as a Bank Clerk, he became interested in photography and, in 1879, created a machine for coating dry plates. In 1881, alongside Henry Strong, George founded the Eastman Dry Plate Company. He then began experimenting with film roll to replace plates and invented the Kodak Film Camera, in which he released in 1888.
The first Kodak Film Camera, 1888
This camera could be hand-held and was designed so that it was simple for anyone to use, with just the click of a button. Additionally, the camera was pre-loaded with enough film for 100 photos, priced at $25, and once the film had been used up it could be returned to develop the film and have new film inserted for $10. Eastman’s slogan was “You press the button, we do the rest”.
In 1990, Eastman Kodak released the Brownie Box Camera, a camera designed for use by anyone, including children. The initial price of the Brownie was just $1, equivalent to $37 in 2023, due to it being a basic cardboard box camera with simple controls. This became an increasingly popular camera for photography and many other models of it were later created by Eastman Kodak.
Digital Photography first came in to being in the 1950s when the first video tape recorders were developed in 1952. Later, in 1957, Russel A. Kirsch created the first ever digital image. It was a portrait of his son which he produced using a Drum Scanner, technology that could sense the differences between light and dark in an image.
Russel Kirsch holding the very first digital photograph, a portrait of his son.
In 1969, Willard Boyle and George Smith invented CCD (charged-coupled device) chips. These could be used in video cameras and by 1975 CCD cameras were being used for broadcast television. In December 1975, Steven Sasson, an electrical engineer and inventor at Eastman Kodak, produced the very first true digital camera using CCD chips. This was a large, battery-operated, self-contained camera, weighing 8 pounds, with a resolution of 0.1 megapixels and image production time of 23 seconds. The images from this camera were digitally recorded onto a cassette tape.
Steven Sasson with his Kodak Digital Camera
From then on, digital camera technology has continued to evolve to this day and they are now everywhere, from DSLRs to phones, computers, cars and more.
We are going on another photography trip and during this trip we will be doing another 2 photoshoots, one at Victoria Pier and the other to La Collette Yacht Basin. Additionally, we will be visiting the Jersey Maritime Museum. My plan for these photoshoots are the same as the previous 2, however I would also like to try and get more Abstract shots.
Image Selection
Image Sub-Selection
Edits
People
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Here I used the brush tool to increase the exposure and highlights in this area so that the boat is more visible.
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Abstract
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I then put this image in B&W and increased the contrast as I think it looks more effective and best highlights the details in the rope.
