Camera Obscura & Pinhole photography

Camera obscura was an optical phenomenon which was created to project images from the outside into a dark room. By completely darkening a room apart from a small hole in the wall allows rays of light to enter, letting the outside world pour in. This process takes around an hour and projects an upside down image into the dark room. This process is admitted for being all natural, deep and primitive as it uses old historical technology instead of new and upcoming tech. After being used for many centuries, camera obscura was developed by using different camera filter and adjustments to make images stronger and clearer. Pinhole photography is a similar process which uses a tiny hole in a camera to allow light to come in. This creates an image onto photosensitive material. As light hits material such as photographic film or paper the inverted image is created, with a long exposure time of around several seconds to minutes, the small hole incision only lets a small amount of light through which makes it very unsuitable for fast- moving objects. However, due to the fact it it’s simple, accessible and inexpensive with a unique looking vignette, the style of photography became increasingly popular.

How Artists Use Camera Obscura | Lensbaby

Nicéphore Niépce and Heliography

The French inventor named Joseph Nicéphore Niépce was born in 1765. Within the time period of 1826 and 1827, he created the first ever permanent photograph which was named ‘View from the Window at Le Gras’. This introduced the process of Heliography. This process he created consists of the sun reflecting its light to create images. To achieve this he used a pewter plate which was covered with Bitumen of Judea which is a light sensitive substance. This substance hardens when it is exposed to light. The process takes up to eight hours and this time period is essential as the sensitivity of materials was much lower than modern materials. The plate is then needed to be washed with a solvent, this removes the Bitumen of Judea and leaves a permanent image. This process was particularly essential to the development of photography.

Musée Nicéphore Niépce and the invention of photography – only images

Louis Daguerre & Daguerreotype

Louis Daguerre was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography. This method preserving images and capturing them was a huge historical moment and made a large breakthrough. The daguerreotype is made by after capturing the image exposing it to mercury vapour which brings the visible image to life. The image also then needs to be rid of any unexposed silver iodide. This is achieved by completely covering the image in a salt or sodium thiosulfate solution. These images are very reflective and change when exposed to different angles of view. Daguerreotypes are also very detailed and clear which makes them stand out amongst other images from around the 1840s and 1850s. Louis decided to create the daguerreotype as he knew the world was seeking a photographic process which was easier to put into practice, since exposure times were only of a few minutes. So by creating his own process of photography, he became very successful and made Louis Daguerre world famous.

How Daguerreotype Photography Reflected a Changing America | Smithsonian

Henry Fox Talbot & Calotype

Henry Fox Talbert is very well known for being a successful pioneer of photography, scientist and inventor. Amongst his other successes he created a method of photography by using a ‘calotype’ which is a negative-positive process which is also known as the ‘paper negative’. He created images when exposed to light, these images were easy to produce and easy to distribute. However, they faced many drawbacks such as the people in the photos looking ‘on the edge of being present’ and seen as looking not quite alive due to a low sharpness and graininess, this caused a loss of fine detail. However, these images were popular as they captured a moment in time, fixed into place which was profitable and popular at this time. He used different light sensitive chemicals and salts such as silver nitrate and silver chloride.

The Daguerreotype’s Famous. Why Not the Calotype? – JSTOR Daily

Robert Cornelius & self-portraiture

The American photographer Robert Cornelius was known best for self-portraits around 1839. He is also known as creating the ‘first ever selfie’. This selfie was created outside his family lamp shop in 1839 in Philadelphia. and was made by setting up the camera and standing still for around 10-15 minutes due to the long exposure times of the camera. The photograph consists of Cornelius standing with a very serious expression, looking directly at the camera. This image is seen as very impressive as it is very clear due to the fact there was a very long exposure time and Cornelius was created for ‘himself’ and not for science or historical purposes. Due to the fact Robert created one of the first successful self portraits he displayed a legacy for self-expression, artistic exploration and identity through the art of self-portraiture.

The first ever selfie, taken in 1839 – a picture from the past | Photography | The Guardian

Julia Margaret Cameron & Pictorialism

Julia Margaret Cameron is highly commended for being a female pioneer or photography in the late 19th century. Her photographic style stuck out as she attempted to elevate photography as ‘fine art’. Her portraits focus mainly on sentimental pieces such as friends and family, this makes her style particularly personal and intimate, this links to her passion to pictorialism. This style of art and photography portrays emotion and mood through images, occasionally through metaphors in their work. Camera settings such as soft focus and blurred images were a significant contribution to a ‘dreamlike’ feel, this feeling was also through dramatic lighting and very rich tonal contrasts. However, the popularity and excitement over pictorialism declined around the 1920s when photographers and artists began to use a more modernist approach to their work and use more high- quality and direct styles with greater precision and detail. However, the beauty of pictorialism through natural scenes is still favoured by using the beauty of nature to emphasize the beauty of pictorialism.

Julia Margaret Cameron: An Appraisal – The United Nations of Photography

Henry Mullins & Carte-de-Visit

Henry Mullins was a photographer who explored the Carte-de-Visite format which was a popular style around the 1800s. These portraits were very popular around the time the general public were having more access to cameras. These portraits were used for personal and social representation, and used details captured the likeness of individuals. The arrangement of a Carte-de-Visite consists of a small photograph on a piece of card with a CDV format which allows a single negative to have multiple images on. This also makes it affordable and accessible as more than one image can be displayed to document social status around the 1860s. People of multiple classes such as celebrities and political leaders would display their power through 4 strong images in the Carte-de-Visite formation. However the popularity declined in the late 1860s as larger formats and advancements became more popular and reliable. However, the legacy of Carte-de-Visite still carries on as a revolutionary discovery and creation as his work reflects the aesthetic sensibilities of the time and emphasised the clarity and compositions of cameras during this time period.

Gustav William Henry Mullins Portrait of Queen Victoria – Art Blart _ art and cultural memory archive

Photograph Ideas and Inspiration.

These photos are some inspiration for photos to take when we go on our trip to St Helier Harbour. I would like to incorporate a lot of industrial components into this first photoshoot, and take more photos of historical elements in my next photoshoot.

The Three Main Harbours of Jersey:

–La Collette Yacht Basin.

–Saint Helier Marina.

–Elizabeth Marina.

Harbour History.

In the 19th Century the Old Harbour was constructed. The Chamber of Commerce urged the States Assembly to build a new harbour, but they refused, so the Chamber took it into their own hands and paid to upgrade the harbour in 1790. To shelter the jetty and harbour a new breakwater was constructed and in 1814 the merchants constructed the roads now known as Commercial Buildings and Le Quai des Marchand’s. They did this to connect the harbours to the town and in 1832 construction was finished on the Esplanade and its sea wall. In 1837, a rapid expansion in shipping led the States of Jersey to order the construction of two new piers.

Edited Photos.

Edits.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Whilst visiting Elizabeth Marina, La Collette Yacht Basin and Saint Helier Marina I attempted to get many pictures from different angles in order to replicate images when editing. I decided to go on a bright sunny day in order to capture the blue sky and shimmering water.

I decided to select these 4 images and convert them to both edited to be bright and colourful and also in black and white. I have also displayed a side by side comparison of both to decide which edit is more effective per image.

Edits and Experimentation.

Digital camera style editing inspiration.

For these images, I focused on editing these photos to look like they are taken in different eras such as the 40s- the 80s with a variety of cameras. Some have an older look by being more low quality and discoloured, some have a brown tint to them to look older and some have a more greenish tint to them to create a 90s style vibe to them. I particularly enjoyed editing these photos to give a 90s/ digital camera style as I am new to interpreting an older picture using Adobe Lightroom however I enjoyed experimenting with different filters etc.

My attempt.

Here is an example of the camera settings I used to create a digital camera interpretation.

Comparisons:

This image I have attempted to replicate an old photograph of St Helier Harbour. I chose a photo which is similar which includes a combination of boats and buildings. However, I struggled to give my image a low quality, old feel to it. Although the brownish tint is similar I could not make the objects as defined and low quality than I would’ve liked.

I particularly like this comparison as I tried to add a very very small blueish tint to this black and white photograph to make it slightly different than plain black and white.

At first glance, I was disappointed at a mark on my lens creating a few black dots on my photograph, but after editing my image I feel it adds an older, authentic and low quality feel to my photograph and has make it look more effective.

For this image, I decided to recreate an up-to-date image from the present time. This photo was the easiest to edit and interpret as I only increased the vibrance and made the image sharper as the photo is used for promoting Jersey so the colours are sharper and brighter.

Overall, this first photoshoot was successful to photograph and edit photos. Although for my 2nd photoshoot of St Helier Harbours, I hope to incorporate more photos capturing beaches, people and the production of seafood.

Whilst being at the maritime museum and visiting the harbours I had the opportunity to photograph multiple harbours, buildings and historical artefacts. I attempted to incorporate a balanced amount of different images whilst primarily focusing on the harbours and boats of Jersey.

Contact Sheet.

My Edited Photos.

My favourite Edited Photos.

These three Images I like because I have edited them to be very vibrant and colourful as I think they stand out and look very interesting as they are eye-catching. To make these images so eye-catching I primarily increased the vibrance and slightly the saturation. I also then made it into Adobe Photoshop and created a virtual gallery and created them into a strong arragementHere is an example of my camera settings on Adobe Lightroom.

These images all consist of harbours in Jersey such as St Helier harbours and marinas which are essential when it comes to Jersey history. I like how these images show Jersey in the modern day and how it has developed into a very industrial orientated site due to fishing and boats. This makes the harbour a very loud and busy place at times with many workers doing multiple jobs surrounding fishing, manufacturing, transporting and preparing the fish.

Black and White Images.

I particularly enjoyed photographing and learning about the fisherman and different workers and jobs that are essential when it comes to maintaining and caring for St Helier harbours. Photographing the workers was my favourite part of the trip as I feel these images only incorporate a second of the work that is necessary for Jersey’s fishing trade to be so successful. These photos also show the different roles there are when it comes to seafood production. I put these images into black and white as I feel these solo shots f different individuals would look strong as a quadtych with all 4 photos in a frame arrangement.

For example, here is the 4 images of people at work on Jersey harbours in a quadtych arrangement of images. I made this arrangement on Adobe Photoshop. However, to make this image stronger, I need to export my images out of Lightroom and import them into Photoshop to make the images clearer instead of using screen grabs.

To improve on this photoshoot, I would have liked to get more photos of manual workers as I think they are the most important component when it comes to harbours as they are the reason why they were created. I also think they are a great source of history and facts when it comes to harbours and boats.

For this virtual gallery I also created a tryptic where 3 vibrant photos are in an arrangement that fits the best. I also then created another arrangement of 5 images which I think makes he wall look overcrowded and confusing but was good for experimentation.

Overall, I think this photoshoot was very helpful and effective when helping my knowledge of Jersey’s maritime history. To improve, next time I would experiment with different camera settings and take more photos.

Video 1

• Makes you ask questions-
• Who?
• When?
• Why?
• How?
• What?
• Frames around image- what is beyond the photo frame
• Expresses a variety of emotions-
• Happiness
• Wonder
• Disappointment
• Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
• Photography is fast and instantaneous moment which will never be repeated or happen the same again.

Video 2

• Darkness to see light
• Lens is upside down
• 1893
• Camera obscura– optical phenomenon
• Twice as natural
• Outside world pours in- dark room filled with a small cut out for light to come in, around an hour and image from outside if formed on e.g. wall.
• Box camera- all natural deep and primitive, using old historical technology- not new and upcoming tech.

Video 3

• Henry Fox Talbert– PAPER NEGATIVE  was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes
• Moment in time, fixed into place
• Images made when exposed to light, but then went balck
• Transient and momentary so was not the stronger product.
• Was easily distributed and easy to produce.
• On the edge of being present- looks not quite alive.
• Romanticism
• Photos were captured using different light sensitive chemicals and salts e.g. silver nitrate

• Louis Daguerre – EPONYMOUS DAGUERREOTYPE was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the dagurreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography. 
• Shiny top, easily smudged. Only get one.
• Expensive and hard to distribute

Mood-board of Images

Here are some images of St Helier Harbour, in the 18th, 19th and 20th Century.

History of the Development of St Helier Harbour

It has been a popular misconception for some time that Jersey had no harbour at all until a jetty was built at St Aubin’s Fort in 1670 and that it was not until 30 years later that a small Chamber took it into their own hands and paid to upgrade the harbour in 1790.

The St Helier marina was opened in 1981 with nearly 400 berths; it is normally open for visiting yachts. The Elizabeth marina opened in 1998 with nearly 600 berths, most of which are for residents. Both these marinas have gates, so access is restricted to three hours either side of high tide. At least the boats in these marinas can remain afloat. The Old harbour still dries out at low water, as do the French and English harbours. La Collette yacht basin is a deep water, all-tide marina, again mostly reserved for residents.

Researching Jersey’s Maritime History Within Context of the Canadian Cod-Fisheries and the Transatlantic Carrying Trade.

What was the involvement of Jersey mariners in the Canadian cod-fisheries and the Transatlantic carrying trade?

By the beginning of the 16th-century Basque fishermen were travelling to the region to fish and, by 1580, around 10,000 European fishermen were making the transatlantic voyage to the area each year to fish for cod.

It was easy to fish in the open sea for cod at any time of year, but fishing inshore was far more difficult. It was here that the Channel Island fishermen made their biggest catches.

 It was cod fishing in North American waters that became the dominant industry in Jersey. As this activity began to become viable so this attracted interest from Jersey. It is possible that initially the interest was from people from Jersey crewing French boats operating from St Malo, but it was not long before some of the more entrepreneurial Jersey merchants, based in St Aubin, began fishing in North American waters in their own right.

Which ports did Jersey ships sail to and trade with?

As the land was heavily wooded, the easiest way to travel was on water; and because we know that the neolithic farmers settled Jersey when it had once more become an island, it is safe to assume that they had the skill to make some form of boat. In addition to this we know that they were also able to sail and navigate between the island and Armorica and over what is now the English Channel to the mainland.

Two neolithic passage graves in Brittany, Petit Mont and Mane-Lud in Morbihan, have what may be carvings representing ships on them.

What type of goods did Jersey merchants exchange for cod-fish?

Jersey cod-merchants also exported cod-fish to British colonies in the West Indies, Caribbean and later Brazil too in exchange for plantation goods, such as:

• Sugar
• Molasses
• Rum
• Cotton
• Coffee
• Tobacco
  which it brought to markets in America, Europe and the UK (inc. Jersey). Within that context Jersey benefitted from the profits made in the British Empire build on a capitalist model of a slave-based economy.

To what extend, has the island of Jersey benefitted from its constitutional relationship with Britain and the legacies of colonialism based on a slave plantation economy during the first Industrial Revolution (1760-1840)?

Jersey ships were allowed to go to any ports to trade, without paying any dues, they benefitted from this more than other British colonies. This took place from 1204, the freedom to decide on our own laws, and lower taxes, which improves finances. This was due to an agreement with the UK.

With this trade connection, some of the most common Jersey structures to end up involved with the slave trade were boats.

One boat mentioned in the report is the Speedwell, commandeered by Sir George Carteret’s son, James Carteret (who also owned a plantation in California).

The Speedwell left London 1663, and picked up 302 enslaved people at Offra, Benin. By March 1664 it had sold 155 men, 105 women and 22 boys to plantations in Barbados and St Kitts.

Another ship was the Defiance, owned by Peter (Pierre) and Thomas Mallet of Jersey and Parry.

The Defiance sailed under Captain John Kimber, a man who earlier had been tried and acquitted by William Wilberforce having been accused of causing the death of an enslaved girl by inflicting injuries because she refused to dance naked.

In 1797 it sailed from the Gold Coast with 409 enslaved people and arrived in Barbados with 408. 

Different Types of Images:

• Establishing shot–

Establishing shots are typically wide or extreme wide shots of buildings or landscapes. These shots might include signage, landmarks, or other obvious signals of place and time.

• Person at work–

Person at work shots are someone in their ‘element‘ at work doing their job.

• Relationship shot–

A relationship shot may capture the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected. This may be human relationships such as partners, family or friendships.

• Detail Shot-

A detail shot is a close-up photograph or artwork that focuses on a specific part or element of the subject, highlighting its intricate details and textures. The area or people around the subject are often blurry, whilst the subject is in high-quality focus.

• Environmental Portrait-

An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings. The term is most frequently used of a genre of photography.

• Formal Portrait-

A portrait is an image of a person’s face that clearly displays their likeness and may often display some aspect of their personality. A formal portrait is not a snapshot but a carefully arranged pose under effective lighting conditions.

• Observed Portrait-

INSPIRATION.

Student Examples of Work

By examining other students work, I am able to take ideas for my layout, titles and photo arrangement,. This is very helpful as I can see the calibre and expectations from finished work from this project before making my own picture story.

Student Picture Story Analysis.

Here I have taken a students picture story of St Malo and analysed it by identifying the types of images and different techniques they have used. I used arrows to identify different components such as the different types of pictures, poster/ picture story techniques and taking inspiration for my own picture board.

French Street Photography Inspiration.

Here are some photos I have attempted to replicate with my own street photography in St Malo.

Here are my virtual galleries displaying my images from St Malo. I used Adobe Photoshop to create this gallery and incorporated an ’empty gallery’ image from google. I then imported my images from Adobe Lightroom and displayed them in a layout I think suited the images and then added a ‘drop shadow‘ and ‘distorted‘ the images to fit the wall at an accurate angle.

To make your page spread…

First open Adobe InDesign, and choose a document size appropriate to your preferences.

For example, I am using a 3 page A3 size, and have picked the precise measurements.

Photos. – These are the photos I have chosen for my three separate pages, I have chosen to have my:

• My first page filled with 5 black and white images this represents.

• My second page is filled with 4 Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom edited photos where I used the selective colouring method to edit these.

• My third page is filled with 5 coloured images I took in St Malo.

Page 1

Starting off photo-layout.

Page 2

Starting off photo-layout.

Page 3

Starting off photo-layout.

I then created gaps saved for text, and filled them with ‘placeholder text‘ this is in order to gain an insight into what my picture story is going to look like after my description has been inserted. I also practiced my titles and fonts before coming up with my final title idea.

My title of ‘Shades of St Malo’ is used to demonstrate my three different pages of my picture story. With my story eventually getting more colourful by the end, this can be used as a metaphor of e.g.

• The different types of people around St Malo
• The different lifestyles and jobs of the people of St Malo
• The different locations of St Malo
• The different weathers of St Malo

This is linked to Henri-Cartier Bresson because I am demonstrating the observing of an ‘outsider‘ and the idea of how we perceive someone or something, may be a complete different viewpoint of the truth. For example:

In this photo, to me the man looked rushed and concerned. This is due to the expression on his face and the pace he was walking at. This makes me think he had somewhere to be, was running late or did not know where he was going. However, this perception may be completely wrong and the man may be instead, perfectly content, on time and aware of his surroundings. This observation is my initial thoughts whilst observing this person, my theme of being ‘the observer’ and finding the ‘perfect moment‘ to photograph. If this photo was taken a second later, the expression on his face may have changed, or his pace may have changed, which would make me perceive the man in that current moment, in a different way. This idea of different types of people therefore ties into the ‘Shades of St Malo‘ as it shows the different personalities and surroundings and how some may seem ‘black and white‘ to you and some are more ‘colourful and transparent‘

Finished Work.

Here is my page spread named ‘Shades of St Malo’.

I attempted to explain my perspective and how it relates to Henri- Cartier Bresson’s work. I also touched on why St Malo is such a popular tourist place and what attracts people to visit.

I have also then mounted my picture story onto foam board for display.

CROPPING.

Panoramic crop (horizontal)

Panoramic crop (vertical)

Square crop

Circular Cropping

In Photoshop, I attempted to edit my images by using selective colouring. This is by having a black and white image with one singular colour or object being colour. This makes the person or object eye-catching and can add meaning to a photo.

I chose the blue coat to be coloured as he is the focal pint of the image and would be the most eye-catching.

I decided to choose the woman’s red coat to be illuminated as it is a very bright colour.

In this photo I chose to have two colours both blue and orange colour. Having the background not fully black and white makes the atmosphere look gloomy and cloudy.

I chose for the orange/brown and the blue of the image to be coloured to make the bike stand out more.

For this image I chose for all the colours including pinks, yellow, orange, green and reds to be very colourful. This was to experiment with selective colouring on Lightroom.

For this image I decided to keep both the people in colour and have the background black and white.

For this image I decided to make the flags in the street both red and white, whilst having the image in black and white. However, this made some red coloured signs stay red also, which I think slightly takes away from the quality of the photo.

Motion Blur Practice.

1. Select an image and import into Photoshop

2. Select the ‘object selection tool‘ and right click to change the setting to ‘Quick Selection Tool‘.

Select around your person using the quick selection tool, to remove some outline press ALT. To select more press, SHIFT.

Go into Filter and press Blur and then Motion Blur.

Select Inverse to blur the background of the image and keep your chosen person or object in focus.

Here I have blurred my chosen subject instead of the background.