For this project im thinking of familiarising myself with the themes of family, ageing, home and love/relationships. Some photoshoots may include resemblance looking at archival images and reflecting my my family and what feels like “home” and sentimental connections which can link to the questions of Where is home? Why is this important to me? How can I sum this up?

Other questions I could ask myself could be:

• What does this photograph say about the relationships within the family?
• How does this photograph reflect the atmosphere or feeling of the home?
• What objects in the photo represent home and family?
• How have the spaces in the photo evolved or changed over time?
• Who is missing from this photo?
• What do the backgrounds or settings of these photos tell us about the family’s history and identity?
• How does aging manifest in the subjects of these photographs?
• What emotions are evoked by looking at old, worn, or faded photographs?
• How do family members interact with old photographs?
• What stories or memories are attached to this photograph?
• How do old photos influence a sense of family continuity?
• What role do old photos play in memorializing loved ones or preserving family traditions?
• What types of photos are considered most valuable or meaningful to preserve in a family’s archive?
• How does the format of the photograph (e.g., digital vs. print) affect its emotional value or the way it is viewed?

In terms of my moodboard we tried to explore different ideas and branch of various thoughts/words that link to the theme of Observe, Seek and Challenge.

I think that the words and themes branching out about “Realistic” approaches and “Challenge” in terms of documenting and manipulating (linking to Windows and Mirrors) link more to my personal project and idea that I would like to lean more towards.

Mind Map

For My Personal Study, called “Normal Becomes Abnormal,” I originally created this mind map above focusing on a variety of themes which I have a particular interest in, to get a overall idea of my project and to gather ideas. I chose to focus on Family & Background, Lost Jersey and Architecture & Street. Whilst diving into these themes, thinking about possible photoshoots and artists who I can take inspiration from, I realised that I have an interest in how lighting, specifically low lighting and the lighting given to us during the night can change our judgement of familiar areas and places. This Mind Map helped me solidify my overall plan and theme for this project.

The Mind map Below is more specific to my final personal study project concept. This mind map focuses on things such as: Night Photography, the dichotomy of day vs night, locations, image ideas and inspirations for this project. This Final Mind Map gives me a strong and detailed plan for my project.

Mood Board

This selection of images highlights the transformation of the nighttime low lighting. The images which are relatively low light, show eerie/mysterious deserted streets, artificial lights/lamposts and empty urban and rural settings. These photographs powerfully show the difference between day and night, creating feelings of loneliness, mystery and surreal. For my project I can use this mood board to take inspiration for images and replicate the images to then tell a story with these images through the layout of my photobook

Personal Photoshoot with Elliot

This January I did a quite absurd photoshoot with my friend Elliot stemming from one of my many sporadic ideas. I wanted a portrait photoshoot in a bath with a toaster.

Elliot is a massive book and musical fiend, a fan of the gothic aesthetic and a historical whiz. Other than the toaster those are all his belongings. Elliot’s creative contribution comes from the literature If We Were Villains and Cirque du Soleil.

The beginning of A levels really threw me in the deep end, but my mock selection portraits from light experimentation are interest me despite the over the top editing.

At the time I would have discovered the photographer Jonti Wild. His stark style pulls colour and lighting to the forefront, which is what I somewhat got to explore in this project.

St Malo

The opportunity to take photos in a foreign country gave us an unbiased and fresh perspective to review our skills.

This photo is my favourite of the selection for its candid narrative and sharp capturing that gave me minimal work to do in post.

The pictures are too purple for me, but the concepts and composition I admire and want to build from.

Henri Cartier Bresson was the main influence here. I was intrigued by his photos of people doing odd movements but couldn’t pass the opportunity to photograph people that interested me.

James Popysy’s style where he lightly overexposes the shot was creeping into the back of my head at the time hence some of the shiny whites. It’s a technique I want to follow up now as well.

Equestrian Portraits

and the raw photos

In my spare time I like to take photos of my girlfriend and her friends on their horses. It’s a good opportunity to capture photos in a fast pace environment and to play with light (e.g. reflections) and composition.

I don’t really have any inherent inspiration, I just practice my skills.

Multi Exposure

I got to experiment with photoshop during our multi-exposure experimentation. I sparingly used motion blur and the clone stamp tool for these photos. Jonti Wild again was a big influence on me.

Photoshoot with my sister and an experienced photographer

At the start of photography A level my sisters co-worker asked to do a photoshoot of her. I was invited so I could learn and take photos which was essential for me learning exposure and composition tricks. I also practiced colour editing afterwards, but it was very beginner.

William Eggleston is an artist that takes photos based on the the theory of mirrors and windows. His work is based on windows as his photos don’t tend to be personal, it’s more an overlook on other people’s perspectives. William Eggleston used colour photographs to describe the cultural transformations in Tennessee and the rural South. He registers these changes in scenes of everyday life, such as portraits of family and friends, as well as gasoline stations, cars, and shop interiors. William shows that his photos can show both mirrors and windows as some of his images aren’t really personal, but some of his images might reflect himself, possibly taking images of close friends and family that makes the image more personal to him. Although most of his images tend to be street photographs and less likely focused on one singular person. Eggleston tends to find surroundings that he would find himself in which makes it personal but not known as some other photographers. His work tends to be in a city, meaning it could represent his childhood or something memirable to him but instead of a singular object he liked to keep his surroundings important to him. I really like how colourful his images are, it’s almost as if he adds a radiant effect to his images as they tend to stand out, they almost look retro, his images make the world look a lot brighter than it is, it’s almost as if the world is losing colour and Eccleston’s photos have all the coloured sucked into them. I really like the outcome of his images as they look very different to other artists, these photos almost look likely, they give off a happy vibe. 

When looking through Eggleston’s work I found that all his photos were quite ordinary and didn’t have a specific theme, he mostly looked at images of quite boring but colourful sceneries, mostly just images of banal everyday life. William Eggleston wasn’t interested in photographing “decisive moments” like Cartier-Bresson nor was he interested in capturing abstruse characters or extraordinary moments. He was all about finding the beauty in the mundane. Many of his photographs have primarily warm tones in the background (like red, orange, or yellow)– yet his main interest in the photo may be of a very cold colour (blue, green, or violet) which stands out from the photo. His photos are mainly taken during golden hour or when the sky is really blue, he doesn’t tend to take pictures of the bad weather, he stays away from it. William Eggleston’s is an influential American photographer, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of colour photography as an artistic medium., his work elevated everyday scenes- such as ordinary street scenes, interiors, and mundane objects using a striking use of colour. Some key aspects of colour uses used by William Eggleston were saturated colours and vivid imagery, he would use colour to evoke mood and emphasise the beauty of the everyday. His keen eye for light and colour was enhanced by the new technology of dye-transfer printing, which allowed for greater control over colour reproduction and more vibrant final print. He also made ordinary objects have extraordinary details, for example he would take pictures of petrol stations, empty streets, family homes and interior details, and through his precise framing and use of colour, these scenes felt loaded with significance. It wasn’t just about documenting reality but finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Some of his main themes were the democratic forest, southern landscapes, people and intimacy. His most famous one being Southern Landscapes where he highlighted themes of isolation, nostalgia and the passage of time. He would take his would be focused on the American South a place that he was intimately connected and familiar with. I would say his images from the southern landscapes would represent the theory of windows as images of suburban life, southern landscapes and ordinary people reveal a world that is simultaneously familiar and foreign, offering insights into a region’s cultural and social fabric. His work captures a specific historical and geographical moment, providing a view into a culture and lifestyle that may be distant or different from the viewer’s own. However, it could be controversial as some could say it’s seen as both a mirror and window, his images are personal yet universal, both intimate and detached. His careful attention to colour, light, and composition allows the viewers to engage with the image both on a personal level and an analytical level. His images tend to rely on their ability to be understood through both the lens of personal reflections (as mirror) and cultural exploration (as windows). 

Feminism, Female Identity, and Beauty

1. Research & Concept
   Investigate how photography reflects and challenges themes of feminism, beauty, and female identity. Key questions to explore include: How do beauty standards shape women’s identities? How can photography break traditional representations of women? Look at artists like Cindy Sherman, Francesca Woodman, and Laura Zalenga for inspiration. Their work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation.
2. Personal Theme
   Develop a central question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?”
3. Techniques
   Use portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real, unposed moments that move away from stereotypical beauty standards.
4. Visual Style & Symbolism
   Use symbolism in your photos, like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities to reflect the variety of female experiences and challenge narrow beauty ideals.
5. Photo Shoot Planning
   Focus on photographing diverse female subjects to reflect a range of identities. Choose settings that feel personal or empowering, like home, nature, or urban spaces. Be intentional with clothing and makeup, either to highlight or challenge beauty norms.
6. Editing
   Keep editing minimal to preserve authenticity, but consider using black-and-white or color choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers, can help reflect the complexity of female identity.
7. Reflection
   Reflect on how your photos address themes of feminism and beauty. Consider how your work questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation.
8. Conclusion
   Conclude by summarizing how your work adds to the dialogue around women’s identity, beauty, and empowerment.

Herr are the top 3 artists at the top.

I plan to do this by investing women’s beauty and misogyny etc, How do beauty standards shape women’s identities?.. Looking at artists like Cindy Sherman because her work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation. afterwards I would develop a question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?” This could be done at home, friends home, beach, town centre, harbour, in a car, public, in bathroom with the shower running (with steam). These places are places I’m thinking of and hopefully will inspire women by starting off in a home, reflecting women I will choose settings that feel personal or empowering. I would use the tecqinues: portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real moments. In my images I would need to use symbolism like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities. This is to either to highlight or challenge beauty norms. For these images I would be using a range of different editing tools, suck as photoshop Lightroom and I would be using various colours such as black and white or colour choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers. However by doing all of this I would still need to make sure and consider how it questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation to be able to try and make a change.

observe, seek, challenge

“the human desire to seek and explore the unknown has driven artists to look for fresh inspirations throughout centuries, compelling them to diverse subject matter and experiment with new materials”

historic paintings examples:

these paintings maybe thousands of years old but can still have many influences on artists around the world. For example Banksy a graffiti artist produced a piece in London’s Leake Street tunnel to comment on the fact that we seek the idea of attempting to preserve prehistoric examples instead of trying to do it with modern art such as graffiti in this case.

Banksy, Cave Painting Removal

(this is the painting referenced in the text above)

the soviet propaganda posters started in 1917 after the Bolsheviks took over Petrograd now known as saint Petersburg. as it was quite a young state it needed to spread an ideologies around the state effectively. this was going to be challenging as the literacy rates were only 37.9%, this meant that the image had to be the driving force of the poster not the words on them. this has influenced the modern age by propaganda now becoming used by for many things such as combating against world problems (COVID-19, climate change) and for things such as presidential election.

Ai Weiwei, Study of Perspective, 1999

this project was produced by Ai Weiwei to project the idea that people shouldn’t just listen to governments and should have there own beliefs. he done this by going to significant monuments and putting up the middle finger. this obviously has had an influence on the modern day with many people speaking up against government, a big example of this would be Greta Thunburg as she challenged the Swedish government to take part and battle against climate change which then turned then helped raise awareness around the world drastically.

Painter Jackson Pollock, cigarette in mouth, dropping paint onto canvas

Joe Pollock was an artist that used the “drip” paint technique, the reason he used this technique was to help explore themes such as surrealism navigation of the unconscious and Jungian symbolism. this basically means he wanted people to connect to his images through emotions what it made them feel and why?  “The Search to unravel the working of the Human psyche and understand the very nature of consciousness has often inspired artists.”

Rogan Brown is a British artist based in France. His inspiration stems from his interest in the complexity of nature, creating pieces that help us look at the world on a different scale.

mind map

mood board

I will be producing two photoshoots, with one being a document – (realism/ factual/ public) and the other photoshoot being tableaux (romanticism/ fiction/staged).

Documentary
For my Documentary/realism and factual photoshoot, I will be using ideas such as street photography and a mix of environmental portraiture going around town/popular places in Jersey and taking different photos of how different people live there life, or what they do for work and how their lifestyle is. For another photoshoot, I want to take multiple photos of how the traffic builds up either on the avenue or near the tunnel underneath the roundabout in town.

I have another better idea, of going to a bonfire night with a lot of people around watching the bonfire and fireworks and taking photos of random couples hugging, having arms around each other, maybe even kissing each other whilst a firework goes off. This may turn out not as good as I imagine because it will be very dark and especially because there will constant flashing lights from the fire works, plus the fire flames from the bonfire.

Tableaux
For my Tableaux photoshoot I have multiple ideas of either masculinity and femininity with showing different stereotypes or flipping the stereotypes around. Another idea would be about a story line with two friends meeting up to either sell drugs, or a different story line with them meeting up. Another idea links with the idea I just mentioned, but instead it could be a crime scene where one kills another and hides his body or similar thoughts to that. Finally, could do a photoshoot with either emotions or phobias such as claustrophobia with a photo of someone trapped in a small place surrounding themselves.

I went to the fireworks/bonfire night and these are some of the photos I took.

I selected a few photos I want to edit which are these photos.

Here I really liked the use of the bonfire with the grass almost path to the bonfire, which I can edit to create an essential ‘fake’ pathway which leads to the bonfire using Black and White on the outside of the photo with uplifting the green in the grass and the orangey/red bonfire.

In this photo I really like the use of both a male and female sat down watching the fireworks over them, I could of gotten lower to the ground and centred the fireworks in between them, but I have an idea of maybe either keeping them both ‘alive’ in the photo and in colour, or creating a B/W silhouette around one of the couple, with an idea of ‘The other partner wishing loved one was watching the fireworks with them’, but they are as a “ghost” sat next to them in B/W, sort of photo.

Something sort of like this where the male partner remembers when they watched the fireworks together in the past, she was next to him watching the fireworks but she isn’t physically there, just spiritually watching next to him.

• What do I want to explore?

I plan on exploring the enjoyment as well as the difficulties that come with doing sport and inspiring to becoming an athlete. Through the use of photography, I want to present my views on the game of basketball, using my team and other players as the subjects. I also want to explore a single and particularly passionate player in more depth and see how basketball has effected his life in positive and/or negative ways. Using a mixture of tableaux and documentary photos will help me present what its like to be a inspiring athlete. This would allow for viewers to think of similar experiences they have had, potentially giving them an insight into why they aren’t enjoying a certain sport, or anything in life as much as they use to.

I want to take photos of my team mate as each of them have there own reasons for playing, as well as there own struggles that keep them from being the best. Playing sports for most people is a hobby, but for some they put a lot of pressure on themselves to be the best, or to stay at the same level of there team mates, which can be difficult when problems like injuries, addictions, and mental problems arise.

• Why does it matter?

This matters to me because my biggest passion in life is the sport of basketball and I want to shine a light on the young players who play the sport.

due to my deep interesting in this subject I believe I can capture the emotions from basketball and the players. I believe that photography is one of the best mediums show these emotions as it tells a story without words, using only visual elements, making it easily digestible, while also allowing the viewers to easily make there own interpretation of the photographs taken. This is important because most books or films lead the viewer rarely lead the viewer questioning things as it explains everything, however a photograph can only show so much allowing the viewer to fill the gaps with there own experiences.

• How I wish to develop my project?

I plan on starting out with basic photography work like portraits of my team mates and taking photos on the court, showing the sport in a good light, and how enjoyable it can be as a hobby for young players. Then I plan on developing that work into a story with specific photos with a over obsessed basketball player, incorporating more staged tableaux into my work too add effect through photography. This is to have more control over how I want the images to look like, it also physically allows me to create this story. Developing my project like this also helps my with my story booklet, as I can put the photos in with a similar order that I will take them.

• When and where you intend to begin your study?

I plan to start my study with looking at some case studies that will with help me link and develop my project. I’ve already got a few Ideas of photographers that I could use, e.g. Neil Leifer and Tom Wood. Following on by this I plan to take a photoshoot in the studio with my team mates.

For my personal study, it’s important that I choose to focus on something that I can explore in a vast way and come up with multiple different concepts for whilst also making it meaningful. I want to make this a study of internal reflection, with my own views and perceptions of life/ the world so that my work can be interpretive to others and subjective. I would like to shy away from more documentary photography showing realism and look for more abstract scenes or ideas as I want to be able to tell a true story that is manipulated so that the viewer of my work can perceive it in their own way and apply it into a different context that I hadn’t intended.

As this is the first time I have had to come up with a personal study entirely on my own, I want to make this body of work different from my other photoshoots that I have done as this is now going to include an element of privacy and a sense of vulnerability in my work. Now that we have done a short-term study on Mirrors and Windows, I can use my knowledge of this to determine what kind of concepts I want within my work to define the story, allowing me to choose a more subjective internal tone in my personal study. However, my work doesn’t particularly have a staged or fictional aspect to it in the form of tableaux photography as what I am demonstrating is a truthful, raw and real story.

INTENTION:

The intent within my personal study is going to be about the difficulties and struggles of growing up with a family member who, over time, deteriorates from gaining a mental illness. Specifically, the illness that I would like to represent is Bipolar disorder, something that can occur over time for a multitude of reasons, for example a neurological change within the brain. I think this concept will be very powerful within my work as it will be able to curate a narrative that develops throughout my final piece, as well as convey many emotions to the viewer through obscure metaphors and symbolism. As well as this, I find that creating an outlet where issues concerning mental health issues, such as photography, can be extremely progressive in removing stigma, shame or even helping to develop an understand about these kinds of things in society because they represent the reality behind the labels that people are given, as well as visually exhibiting every factor that comes along with this socially sensitive topic. Sometimes, the best way to educate about things, such as mental health is through visual art forms as it is easier to show the harsh reality behind it, as well as enabling people to communicate their own inner struggles through photography.

Bodies of work like this can begin to strike conversation about inner conflicts and battles in a form that allows the individual or people involved to express themselves in a way that words can’t describe. Mental health in men and boys, whilst slowly becoming more progressive and seen, is still stigmatised against due to phrases such as ‘Be a man’ for example. My work will be able to show that males do also suffer and the hands of these different illnesses and can be used as a form of awareness to show that this is reality, and that it truly is okay. Regardless, it also proves that things like this can happen to anyone, with them actively going through it or experiencing the second-hand repercussions of it every single day, proving that you never do know exactly what people are going through and that you must always be mindful of that.

My plan for this photoshoot is going to begin with going through old images of me and my brother and selecting ones that I think are the most appropriate for my final piece. I am going to photocopy these so that I can physically create something with them, whether that be burning selective pieces, using pen or painting over it. I think this will be very effective as it adds an element of art and graphic design into my work where I can then really get creative and use dynamic lines to tell a better story than the image could alone by itself. I will then photograph these images again so that I can put them onto the computer.

I am also going to go through many things that my parents have kept from me and my brother when we were younger, for example drawings or notes from childhood, so that I can also use these I my work because I would like to be able to highlight the way that mental health issues can completely take over and transform a person, being able to indicate that life wasn’t always like this and that these issues can develop, grow and fester so quickly out of nowhere that it occurs before your eyes before you realise. As this is something that has been occurring within my family life for a while now, being around 6-7 years, I think its not only incredibly important but that I owe it to myself to actively and clearly represent a difficult story that I have been part of that many people wouldn’t expect if I didn’t tell them, however this is something that affects millions of people on an day-to-day basis that makes it hard for them to cope with the demands of the world around them. This project is something I have thought about for a long time, knowing that this would be the topic I would like to focus on, because it is a part of me, and its a part of my family.

I gained the inspiration of using archived images such as family albums and distorting them from ‘Is that my blue butterfly?’ by Matthew Knapman, where he tears, scribbles, burns, bleeds, splatters ink, digitises and collages different images of his mother at a variety of ages and personal keepsakes of hers, in order to display the story of his mothers struggle with breast cancer, resulting in the loss of her life. I came across his personal study in the classroom when we began looking at what makes a personal study and deciding what grade boundaries we would give the one that we picked based off of their essay and their final piece. When I came across it, I instantly knew that I wanted to explore this theme of loss through different destructive methods as it will allow me to detail even further, the story that I intend to tell. Matthew Knapman gained inspiration from Jessa Fairbrother and Carolle Benitah, two artists who I plan to explore whilst also investigating the similar artists I can find and choosing whose work best correlates with my aim for my personal study, choosing who influences me the most.

I think one of the most important themes within my personal study is going to be nostalgia. The sentimental aspect behind my work, using old keepsakes from my childhood or archived images, is going to drive the story about the events that have occurred within my life that may have been unpleasant, but have shaped me as the person I am today, making it extremely important to tell this story in a clear yet respectful and truthful way. Alongside the theme of nostalgia comes a tone of grief, however, I want to convey the difficulty of grieving someone who is still here yet not the same person they one were or not who they are recalled to be. This sense of absence within my work is something I think will be very moving and striking, especially through the use of different art mediums, because not only will it make my work memorable and abstract, but it will be able to convey the multitude of emotions that I feel about the topic of mental health in regards to my brothers situation.