Introduction:
Photography can turn something ordinary into extraordinary, photography transforms what it describes. Early origin’s of photography starts with Camera Obscura, this is when you have a blacked out room, with a tiny hole from the outside world showing the light into the room. After around 1-2 hours of patiently waiting, there will show an upside down natural photo of exactly what is on the other side of the hole in the wall. a darkened box with a convex lens or aperture for projecting the image of an external object on to a screen inside, a forerunner of the modern camera.

Introduction (250 words): Reflect on the origin of photography and describe in your own words the difference between the two photographic processes, Daguerreotype and Calotype. Consider how they could be viewed as either a mirror or a window of the world according to John Szarkowski’s thesis. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s text and comment if you agree or disagree.

Paragraph 1 (250 words): Choose an image that in your view is a mirror and analyse how it is a subjective expression and staged approach to image-making. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review which either supports of opposes Szarkowski’s original point of view. Make sure you comment to advance argumentation in providing a critical perspective.

Paragraph 2 (250 words): Choose an image that in your view is a window and analyse how it is an objective expression rooted in a sense of realism. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review and follow similar procedure as above ie. two opposing points of view and commentary to provide a critical perspective.

Conclusion (250 words): Refer back to the essay question and write a conclusion where you summarise Szarkowski’s theory and Pearl’s review of his thesis. Describe differences and similarities between the two images above and their opposing concepts of objectivity and subjectivity, realism and romanticism, factual and fiction, public and private.

A Mirror reflects a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world.

In the summer of 1835 William Henry Fox Talbot experimented with various chemicals to develop paper coatings suitable for use in a camera. He placed small wooden cameras that his wife called “mousetraps” all over his estate. The earliest surviving paper negative dates from August 1835, a small recording of the bay window of Lacock Abbey (left). In 1978, the German photographer Floris Neusüss visited Lacock Abbey to make photograms of the same window. He returned again in 2010 for the Shadow Catchers exhibition at the V&A to create a life-sized version of Talbot’s window.

The idea of photographs functioning like windows makes total sense. Like the camera viewfinder, windows frame our view of the world. We see through them and light enters the window so that we can see beyond. Photographs present us with a view of something.
However, it might also be possible to think of photographs as mirrors, reflecting our particular view of the world, one we have shaped with our personalities, our subconscious motivations, so that it represents how our minds work as well as our eyes. The photograph’s glossy surface reflects as much as it frames. Of course, some photographs might be both mirrors and windows.

“The two creative motives that have been contrasted here are not discrete. Ultimately each of the pictures in this book is part of a single, complex, plastic tradition. Since the early days of that tradition, an interior debate has contested issues parallel to those illustrated here. The prejudices and inclinations expressed by the pictures in this book suggest positions that are familiar from older disputes. In terms of the best photography of a half-century ago, one might say that Alfred Stieglitz is the patron of the first half of this book and Eugène Atget of the second. In either case, what artist could want a more distinguished sponsor? The distance between them is to be measured not in terms of the relative force or originality of their work, but in terms of their conceptions of what a photograph is: is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?” 
— John Szarkowski, 1978.

I started with the front cover being one of the ex-captain’s of the harbour as he is one of the main reasons for all of these boats and workers being able to be here.

We went to the maritime museum, taking photos of all of the history and facts from the boats and ships from the past and a lot of photos from the St Helier Harbour, showcasing fish such as crabs, lobsters and even a special lobster the fisherman brought out for us.

Here are some photos that are my favourite that I have taken and started to edit.

These photos are based around the harbour and the lobsters the fisherman caught. The man then let us take photos of him in his working environment with firstly his cafeteria with his dogs and work colleges, and then him lifting out a big lobster from the back-top to show to all of us and put it on the floor.

I took these photos of these old-fashioned, (some new) boats either being stored just waiting to enter the sea. Or, some boats being worked on as you see in the last photo, with a man sanding/drilling the bottom of it, potentially drilling holes or drilling something off of it.

These are some photos I really like with the B/W filter on top of it to create a dark/old style to them.

I like how the 3 faces are looking into the camera with a little grin/smile with the dog eyes peeking at the camera too. The men were in the back of the harbour which made it feel very sketchy with two blokes sat talking to each other with one on a bike with a dog on a seat.

These are some photos I have brought the saturation down and only shown the main colours of the photos, for example, the boots on the door, the door and window frames are all this orange/red colour, so I made everything else Black and white and brought out that colour a little more than standard.

The man moving the fish from the boxes into little plastic clear bags, I made the 3 bright lime green boxes stand out, but, I also wanted the mans boots and glove to be brought out as the lime green/orange is a nice opposite blend of colours that pops.

I felt that the mans apron was the main part of this photo for me, as the fish weren’t very colourful/bright, and that is the centre stage object/clothing. So, as I brought out the darkish-blue, I also saw that the air-con behind him was the same colour so I left that still blue to give the photo some front colour and back colour.

For the next photo, I saw the big pillar on the left side of the photo and knew, that this had to be the main coloured-part of the photo. So, I made everything else B/W but I saw this little barrel next to it and had to keep that with the navy blue to add a little clash of the colours.

Some other photos I have edited are these photos.

Photography can turn something ordinary into extraordinary, photography transforms what it describes.

Camera Obscura is when you have a blacked out room, with a tiny hole from the outside world showing the light into the room. After around 1-2 hours of patiently waiting, there will show an upside down natural photo of exactly what is on the other side of the hole in the wall. a darkened box with a convex lens or aperture for projecting the image of an external object on to a screen inside, a forerunner of the modern camera.

A Pinhole camera works because the small hole you made with your pin, paper clip, or pencil acts like a tiny camera lens. Light from the Sun enters the pinhole (or the holes in an object like a colander), it gets focused, and then it is projected out of the other side of the hole.

Photography captures live nature. Romantism is about nature too. The Camera’s were shoebox size and named mousetraps. Fix the shadows. They used the same plate in the camera that was the final plate with the image on that gets polished and cleaned.

I took a total of 468 photos from the St Helier Harbour Trip we went one, I took a lot of photos slowly angling from left to right, or from one side to the other, so after when I open Lightroom, because they are so similar just slightly adjusted I can merge them together and it will work perfectly like this photo for example.

I used these photos to create this panorama, the easiest way to create a panorama is to start on one side of the subject, and whilst trying to keep the height the same, slowly glide the camera to the opposite side, taking multiple photos.

This Jersey harbour was created in the early 1700s century. The harbour dates back to 1680 when the then Governor Sir Thomas Morgan ordered a stone pier built at St Aubin’s Fort. Until this time, even though St Aubin was the island’s main port, ships were loaded and unloaded by carts at low tide.

This was the harbour, as recent as possible, with myself going on the 10/09/2024, I can clearly say that the harbour has increased in size, and the amount of boats that use the harbour, and bigger/taller, with even land being built.

The channel islands were created due to rising sea levels during the Neolithic period, creating Jersey, (the largest island), followed by Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and a few more little islands. The first mention of fishing in the islands appears in the Norman Exchequer Roll of 1195. The King having the right to require conger to be landed at specific ports and sold to merchants to whom the King had granted a right of pre-emption.

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

The geographical location of the Channel Islands, where trade from the west of Europe and the Americas passed close by. Led to many becoming skilled mariners, firstly as fishermen then as traders. Jersey would trade with the Canadian fishers in want for Cod-fish.

Which ports did Jersey ships sail to and trade with?

It was during the early 19th century that stone piers were built at La Rocque, Bouley Bay, Rozel and Gorey, to accommodate the oyster boats. The harbour at Gorey also took passenger traffic from Normandy.

During the Roman period there was an established trade route between Alet (St Servan) and Hengistbury Head in Dorset. Guernsey was the favoured stop off point, because of the natural deep water harbour at St Peter Port, although these boats undoubtedly called in to Jersey as well.

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

Salt was essential for preserving cod, particularly the salted and dried variety that was a major commodity. Some others are textiles, Wine and Spirits, Agricultural Products, Fishing Equipment and Supplies, Clothing and Household Goods.

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)?

Triangular Trade was a crucial role in the export and import of various goods from Jersey.

I wanted to create a page spread with a lot of my photos that I used the colour saturation for. With these photos, I came up with a title called, ‘Colour-Popping Malo’. This matches the theme because in my photos I have the colours saturated out so you can only see the bright, colourful ones. I even changed the title to match the theme by making some of the letters the same colours as in my photos.

After this photo spread, I changed the layout around because I felt like the photos were too crowded on the bottom left area, so I moved one of the photos top right which also cut some of that big paragraph in half which was even better. Then added some more separate text in that middle left space. Also, I moved the title from the top right which stood out a bit and looked unnatural, to on top of the coloured umbrella photo which is my establishing shot. But, I kept the word ‘Malo’ outside of the photo with it maintaining the all black look to create difference and stand out more.

I changed the AI generated waffle text into actual English talking about different things to do, see, and go to in St Malo.

My first photo I chose is this photo of a rather-old couple walking along a street with their dog on a leash

Selective Colour Splash