explaining what you focused on in each shoot and how you intend to develop your next photoshoot.

• How successful was your photoshoot and experimentation?

During this photo-shoot I visited various street around St Helier which I felt displayed the perfect relation between colour, pattern, shapes and how a unique composition was created by this. I decided to use someone I know, as I could further stage and direct how I wanted them to pose in front of the compositional background. I found this an interesting concept to experiment with, as features such as lines, shapes, and outlines of colour or an object could be further enhanced against the main ‘silhouette’ of the subject.

• What references did you make to artists references? –
• comment on technical, visual, contextual, conceptual?

Looking closely a the work of Saul Leiter, his use of visual elements such as colour, pattern, composition, shape, and outlines, all work together to create contrasting, hectic features. Through his use of people as subjects that complement the background, creates this intriguing relationship as

Overall he achieves this unique concept about how he captures these specific moments to the final image. This is what makes his work so unique, never failing to attract the viewer. I love Leiter’s thought processes which lead him to creating such exciting and engaging images; ‘decisive moment,’ ‘the beauty of simple things’ and ‘the most uninteresting things can be very interesting.’ In response I took a close approach focusing on simple features that were in fact the most interesting, as I found what made the images was how it all fitted together through the contrasting colours, with lines/ patterns of random marks/ signs/ letters, defining this. I picked a locations with bold colours and features that made it unique. Leiter’s use of abstract approaches of forms and innovative compositions creates this painterly abstract look, further expressed through visual elements

• How are you going to develop your project from here? – comment on research, planning, recording, experimenting.
• What are you going to do next? – what, why, how, when, where?

intense colour

This is a small selection of the photos I have looked at when producing this project. A mixture of my father and mothers backstory in motorsport in photos. Having looked through these photos has helped me piece together the main part of my book and how I want to present it. Alongside looking at these photos I have asked about the stories behind them, or in some cases read the newspaper articles. Giving me an insight into chronological order, what I would have heard about growing up and now seeing the photos from the stories. Within my book I would like to add some of these images for context and background. The red westfeild car, has been sold and now looks different so I would like to take photos of how it looks now and compare it to how I knew it. This will strengthen the story I am telling within the book as it adds further context the story and shows the viewer what I am thinking about in each section of the book.

Photoshoot one –

Concept –

The first shoot is used to present documentary style photography where I will take images of my computer and have all the designing process presented on screen whilst I take the photos in order to show and represent the designing process. I will also use images in which show my expressions and how I felt whilst designing my hoodies.

Location –

For this photoshoot I am going to take almost all of the photos within my house, more specifically my bedroom with most the images featuring my desk and computer.

Equipment –

• pc.
• camera.
• natural/artificial lighting.
• keyboard.

Artist reference for this shoot –

Henri Cartier Bresson

– Documentary style photographer

Photoshoot Two –

Concept –

For this shoot I am going to take images of my devices such as my phone and pc etc. showing the creation of the social media platforms for the brand and representing the time and effort it takes to create all the socials.

Location –

Anywhere in my house when using my phone however when taking photos of my pc the images will be taken in my bedroom.

Equipment –

• Camera (canon)
• pc/phone
• LED lighting

Artist Reference for this shoot –

Henri Cartier Bresson

– documentary style photographer

Photoshoot three –

Concept –

For this shoot I am going to be taking photos of the sample hoodies arriving at my door in the box and then photos of the hoodies being unboxed and somehow representing the feelings of receiving the samples.

Location –

This shoot will be done within my house and front garden some images taken inside for the unboxing and photos taken outside of the door and garden with the parcels outside.

Equipment –

• sample hoodies
• camera
• boxes
• unboxing equipment (scissors etc)

Artist Reference for this shoot –

Henri-Cartier Bresson – Documentary photography

Photoshoot four –

Concept –

For my fourth photoshoot I am going to gather a group of my friends who are willing to model for me. I am going to take them into my school studio and set up the camera to capture some portrait images of them wearing my hoodies.

I am going to use 4 separate models, three which are boys and one girl, I will take photos of each of them wearing each different colour hoodie whilst guiding them to do different poses and positions to really capture the hoodies and their portraits.

Location –

For this photoshoot I am going to be using my school photography studio. to create that studio effect to my photoshoot.

Equipment –

• Camera (canon)
• studio lighting
• studio backdrop
• hoodies
• brand tags
• reflectors

Artist Reference for this shoot –

Oliver Doran – portrait photographer

Photoshoot Five –

Concept –

For this photoshoot I am going to take documentary style photos of my hoodies bulk order and more images of all the extra supplies that are needed for my brand.

Location –

I will use my bedroom an create a home studio to take images of the products and the supplies.

Equipment –

• hoodies
• supplies
• camera (canon)
• artificial lighting
• home made studio

Artist Reference for this shoot –

Henri-cartier Bresson – documentary style photography

Photoshoot Six –

Concept –

For this photoshoot I am going to take photos of money and the orders coming through online to represent the real start of the journey with selling these products.

Location –

I will do this photoshoot at my house, possibly in my room using a home made studio and using my pc.

Equipment –

• camera (canon)
• money
• pc
• home made studio

Artist Reference for this shoot –

Henri Cartier Bresson – documentary style photograpy

Photoshoot Seven –

Concept –

For this photoshoot I am going to take images in the perspective of a customer ordering from me, the process of them ordering and waiting for the order to arrive to them then getting the package and openeing it.

I will then get some images of them trying it on and walking outside the house wearing it.

Location –

My house.

Equipment –

• camera
• hoodies
• friend
• box
• natural lighting

Artist Reference for this shoot –

Henri-Cartier Bresson – Documentary style photography

Edits from my first few photoshoots:

For my first selection of images, I wanted to keep and enhance the warm ambient lighting from the surrounding lamps. This style of lighting may stay consistent throughout my book, with some breaks and pauses through other juxtaposing photos. Another motif along some of these first photos are bright lights, either from these lamps or the moon.

These two photos I feel link well to each other well because of the lens being out of focus, crafting a distinct look to them.

Some of my other photos may have a more blue tone, or be taken with flash.

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Black & White Edits:

Photoshoot 1: Portraiture

For my first photoshoot I will focus on taking portraits based off of old photos I have collected from albums. These portraits will include photos of people together as well as alone. I will try to make the poses as similar to the original image as I can. This photoshoot will be mainly based on the photographer Irina Werning as she takes new photos based on older ones.

Photoshoot 2: Landscapes

For my second photoshoot I will focus on Taylor Jones’ photography where he holds up old photographs and photographs them against the same place they were originally taken. This shows how things change overtime as well as how things also remain the same. I will do this by collecting various photos from photo albums where I know where they have been taken. I will then produce multiple photoshoots in response to these in different environments.

I copied in the essay plan from the blog and put it into my own blog post so that while I was working on my essay draft, I would be able to stay on track and know what I was doing:

Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.

Bibliography
List all the sources that you have identified above as literary sources. Where there are two or more works by one author in the same year distinguish them as 1988a, 1988b etc. Arrange literature in alphabetical order by author, or where no author is named, by the name of the museum or other organisation which produced the text. Apart from listing literature you must also list all other sources in alphabetical order e.g. websites/online sources, Youtube/ DVD/TV.

Essay Question

• Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
• Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.

I began going through the Theory: Literary Sources blog post to look at the different subjects that were there to see which ones were the most relevant to my personal study and my artist references. I took screengrabs of these so that I could have a brief overview of all the key texts that I could use:

I included a section about snapshot/vernacular photography as this may be useful in my essay as this is part of my personal study.

Possible essay questions:

1. How does the work of Carole Bénitah and Jessa Fairbrother explore issues of memory and loss within family?

2. Compare How Phillip Toledano’s  and Nancy Borowick’s photography represent the concept of loss?

3. How have concepts of family, separation and memory been explored in the photo books of Sarello, Casanova and Germain?

4. How are concepts of loss and memory narrativised through the works of Markosian, Toroptsov and Sarello?

5. How have Yury Toroptsov, Mariela Sancari and Julian Germain reflected upon the  themes of memories and remembrance in the construction of their photobooks?

6. Explore How both Yury Toropstov and Julian Germain Convey the Theme of Loss, Through their work.

I thought it would be appropriate to go through possible essay questions on the blog and list them on my own because this way I can easily see which question would be the most relevant to my personal study. This way, I can start to go through and find quotes from the different sources so that I can begin my essay clearly. As well as this, it gives me a good starting point for my own research too.

Previous essays:

Below are previous high-marking essays from students that I feel are the most relevant to the concept of my personal study as this gives me good examples of what an effective structure looks like so that I can use this as a tool in my own essay.

How do Diana Markosian and Rita Puig-Serra Costa express the notion of family history and relationships in their work?

 In what ways do alterations in Jessa Fairbrother’s work make the visible what is invisible?

Format:

• Essay question: How does the work of Yury Toroptsov and Philip Toledano explore issues of memory and loss within family? 
• Opening quote: ‘surplus of Faustian energy and psychic damage needed to build modern, inorganic societies’ (Sontag 1977:4)
  
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used – example:

Sontag, S. (1977). ‘In Plato’s Cave’ in On Photography. London: Penguin Books.

I have done a small photoshoot in St Helier to experiment with what I would like my outcomes to look like. I personally am not too satisfied with these photos and would prefer to get more detail and deadpan shots. I also think the lighting and composition in these images aren’t the best.

This is a map showing the area in which I walked:

Contact Sheet

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Final Images

Image Comparison

On the left is an image by my artist reference, Keith Dotson, and on the right is an image which I have taken. These images are similar as the style of each building are quite alike and each of these images have been taken from an angle. On the other hand, Keith Dotson’s image has a lot more contrast and detail than mine. This could have potentially been due to bad lighting or editing on my behalf, or just the buildings in general.

Snapshot Aesthetic – Its purpose is the recording of meaningful moments and delights in its familial sharing. Snapshot aesthetics refers to the visual style and cultural significance that arises from casual, unplanned, and often spontaneous photography, emphasizing the ordinary moments of everyday life.

I will use snapshot images across my project, to capture natural and meaningful images, as well as matching my artist case study images, Nick Haymes.

Vernacular photography – An umbrella term used to distinguish fine art photographs from those made for a huge range of purposes, including commercial, scientific, forensic, governmental, and personal.

photoshoot 1

my first photoshoot took place at a party. This environment fit perfectly as i got a lot of my friends together, and as it was a party, followed a lot of the stereotypes so linked back to my project nicely. This photoshoot took place in october half term at my house for my 18th birthday.

Photoshoot 2

For my second photoshoot, instead of fitting stereotypes made by the older generation, i took pictures of my friends having genuine fun, outside and away from ‘bad influences’.

For this shoot, i wanted my pictures to reflect Sian Daveys work. I photographed my frieds in a ‘raw’ moment, meaning nothing was set up or staged, it was pure enjoyment of being with friends.

I also like how this shoot links with Nick Haymes work too, the simplicity speaks bigger than taking the picture itself.

Photoshoot 3

my last photoshoot was pictures taken at reading festival. i wanted to put these pictures in my work as i believe they really look in to what my project is based on, and along with other pictures, all create a theme and storyline.

ESSAY DRAFT

15 December 2024 Mr Toft Leave a comment

DEADLINE: Essay Introduction-Pg 1 Draft MUST be handed in Monday 20 Jan 2024

DEADLINE: Final Essay MUST be handed in Fri 31 Jan 2025

Copy this essay plan into your own blog post, titled: Essay Draft:

Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.

Essay Question

• Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
• Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.

possible-essay-questions-to-investigate

Some examples of Personal Study essays from previous students:

Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure

• Essay question: Can truth and realism be shown through photography.
• Opening quote
  “Photography is the truth. The moment you capture it, you preserve the reality, but only for an instant.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson.
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why?
  Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Cindy Sherman.
  How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

Essay writing: Here is a link to another blog post which will provide you with guideline about how to structure each paragraph in your essay.

ESSAY WRITING

Use of AI / ChatGPT – go to this blog post here for guidelines.