Electronic Portfolio -

Electronic Portfolio - 

Interim Evaluation -

Interim Evaluation - 

My research has been greatly beneficial to the advancement of my project and the adaptation of initial ideas towards a specific and finalised aesthetic and style. I began the project knowing that I had an interest in older mediums of photography, opposed to digital, and decided that I would expand my polaroid photography in this personal investigation as I have an admiration for the aesthetic often seen in 90s films relating to youth and such with a good example being "The Breakfast Club" but until my research of the photographer David Shama I was unsure in how to relate that to my photographic work.

After my research, I began exploring the techniques used by photographers such as David Shama, Julius D High and Jamie Livingston and employed film cameras and instant polaroid cameras in my project and featured them alongside their modern counterpart the DSLR. I have realised that the multiple mediums can work well in cohesion with one another to create a series of connected images and that the multiple medium technique is something that I can extend into my exam photoshoots. Furthermore, the exam paper discussed photographers and artists who created works that were intended to be viewed as photographic installations instead of being seen digitally which lead me to my initial idea seen within my first five photoshoots consisting of scrapbook style collages.

Moreover, the exam paper has also allowed me to consider a similar idea of photographic installations for my final exam pieces. I intend to create three almost life-size photo joiners of three subjects using my digital camera to showcase my understanding of modern technologies and the skills needed to capture a good photograph; however, I will also be including my polaroid medium in that I will sporadically place polaroids around the main body of work and they will be responsible of depicting items associated with the subject and therefore their identity which is a theme that I have returned to many times throughout the furthering of my project.

As the exam itself is 15 hours I intend to permit myself enough time to capture strong photographs for two shoots in the first three hours. I will continue my final shoot in the exam time that directly follows that which should at maximum take 4 hours to complete all three shoots; this provides me with the time to individually edit multitudes of photographs that will compose the large photo joiner installations. After editing I will have to print my photographs and carefully layer them on large sheets of card and then add the finalising details of the smaller photographs, captured using a polaroid camera, around the photomontage of the model. This should create three large photographic installations that will hopefully show my development of my project

Computer Experiments -

Computer Experiments - 

Black and White:

Image and Text:

Photomontage:

Process - 

Black and White: In Photoshop CC 2014 I opened the file where I then made a new adjustment layer and chose black and white. To emphasise it further I then adjusted the levels to create a more dramatic contrast in the tonally light and dark areas. 

Image and Text: I opened the scanned file and, using the text tool, created a text box and typed my text. I then changed the font and colour to make the text appear like a date marker often seen on old digital camera display screens. 

Photomontage: Using Photoshop I began by opening the polaroid scan and then, using the quick selection tool, began carefully selecting the image so that the background became transparent and the layer was isolated. I then dragged the file over to the saved image of "The Creation of Adam" which was the original inspiration for the polaroid and created the photomontage. 

Physcial Experiments -

Physical Experiments - 

Drawing:

Cutting:

Collage:

Process - 

Drawing: I captured a polaroid diptych and then gave a selection of pens to the subject of the photograph and allowed them to draw a design over the polaroid.

Cutting: After taking a photograph, editing it using Photoshop CC 2014 and then printing it I then took a scalpel and cut around the subject so that all the background was removed.

Collage: I compiled multiple film photographs, polaroid images and momentos into a final image on an A3 sheet of card an added 3D elements. 

Connecting Essay: Nan Goldin -

Connecting Essay - 

(Nan Goldin)

(My own photograph)

The first photograph is the work of Nan Goldin and exemplifies a candid documentary style which tells the narrative of the whole situation in accordance with Henri Cartier-Bresson's decisive moment. The photograph appears to capture a moment in time that depicts partying, smoking and drinking and other such behaviours that Goldin was known for, usually more deviant than depicted in this image. The variety of subjects appears to represent the eclectic life of Golding and that each subject helps to represent her as much as they do themselves in their styles and poses. Each can be used to relate to ideologies of youth representation, some are seen as fun, others as troublesome and another as self-destructive in reference to smoking and such. Mostly though, this image is warmer in hue and saturation but also in its concept and representation as the main depiction of youth in this image is as fun if somewhat troublesome. Relating to denotation, the image in landscape orientation and is a colour photograph of multiple subjects. The use of depth of field and the compositional grid are used effectively to create a dynamic final image resulting in the audience being encouraged to look at each subject individually and then together as a collective identity. Despite this, Nan Goldin has said that her work isn't a documentary as such as she "was living for the moment, not documenting for the future".

My photograph is a film shot from my shoot 3 collage where I used the location of a party to capture the collective identity of youth and part of my identity in my personal friendships. The photograph was captured using ideas of the decisive moment in that the bubbles and confetti had to caught at the right time to tell the whole narrative. Furthermore, the two main subjects are both composed on lines of the rule of thirds grid composition method meaning that the viewers attention is immediately diverted to them and their narrative. The connotations of the image are relating to the idea of youth as fun according to Ann Gould's representation of the youth subculture. I also wanted to present the often misinterpreted youth in a way that is in a kindred spirit with childhood; the bubbles serve as a symbolic device in the construction of a naive and happy quality to the final photograph.

There are both similarities and differences between the two featured works in that some technical qualities such as composition are evidenced in both and conceptual ideas relating to youth representations can also be seen. For example, Goldin's photograph places two main subjects in the central foreground to initially draw attention before the rest of the image is explored and I also used two central subjects that are placed along the vertical lines of the rule of thirds composition. Furthermore, both final outcomes display the collective identity of youth in a more positive light as fun instead of some more favoured fine art photography perspectives of youth as dark. Despite this, a main difference between the two images is the colourisation in that Goldin's is a warm hue whilst mine is a cooler blue colour; although this was not fully intentional but was instead emphasised by the medium of the film.

Connecting Essay: Dash Snow -

Connecting Essay - 

(Dash Snow)

(My own work)

The first image is by the photographer Dash Snow who created the "Polaroid Wall" installation for an art gallery and the images that compose it are captured using an instant polaroid camera. The installation itself is almost constructed like a photoessay collage and conveys the theme of connected images strongly through the corpus of polaroids. There are twenty polaroids composed into a grid depicting multiple scenes that convey themes of youth, nihilism and hedonism which are recurring throughout the majority of Snow's work. The photographs explicitly show intravenous drug abuse, naked forms engaged in sexual activities and urban decay featuring graffiti with messages that convey Snow's own ideologies and subcultural deviant beliefs. The photographs were taken to capture "nights he wouldn't otherwise remember" and also depict how Snow, himself, is constructed and socialised by those around him to form norms and values that are different to that of wider society which emphasises the rebellious, self-destructive and sexual nature of youth depiction in media, art and photography. 

My final outcome seen above is also meant to be viewed as an installation instead of as a digital copy to show the 3D elements and also to show the scale of the piece. There are multiple photographs and momentos that have been combined into one collage that uses disposable film cameras, polaroid cameras and phone cameras combined with the use of social media. The theme of this shoot it relating to youth and conveying the subculture as fun instead of in negative deviant ways.

There are similarities in that are installations opposed to digital photographs and they also employ the same technique of polaroid photography. Whilst it is exclusively a polaroid camera used by Dash Snow I used other mediums to convey youth in the new digital age whilst bringing in elements of nostalgia to create the desired aesthetics. Furthermore, the work of Dash Snow is conceptually darker in its subject matter than mine; Snow followed youth rebellion whilst I wanted to showcase a side of youth that is too often forgotten about when displaying collective identity of youth in photography. Moreover, the final outcome of Snow's is more simplistic in its composition and works in a style that is associated with fine art photography whilst mine is intended to be more intimate in its final layout and instead mimc a an amateur scrapbook effect so that the first five photoshoots can work together as connected image to create a narrative.

Connecting Essay: Julius D High -

Connecting Essay - 

(Julius D High)

(My own work)

The first image, by Julius D High, conveys one persons interpretation of love when faced with the question that is the prompt for all D High's captions. The location is used to tell a story about the person in that it is where the photographer found them and approached them and as such probably has meaning to the individual. Moreover, the pink colour of the background is often symbolic of love which is the theme of the series. Each work within the "What is love?" series is a diptych of two polaroids with a caption beneath that focuses on the response to the prompted question which can also be seen in the "35mm Film" series. Contextually, this is from the "What is love?" series that has been a photographic journey across multiple American states and captures everyday people and their beliefs and ideologies thus giving them a voice. 

My photograph is depicting a singular subject composed centrally in relation to the rule of thirds grid and was captured using the medium of polaroid photography. I asked my subject to physically manipulated this photograph using pens to tell something about themselves; this subject answered the prompt "Why did you choose this design?" by saying "I chose this design because of the connotations of equality associated with a rainbow and the idea of wonder found in space". The rainbows connotations are linked to pride in relation to the LGBTQ+ community whilst the stars are more explicit in their symbolism. The photographic medium is a polaroid diptych with a caption beneath, which serves as a computer experiment, that addresses what is important to the subject but also how it is important in the construction of their identity. 

There are obvious links between the work of Julius D High and mine seen directly beneath it. For instance, the technical composition is a diptych of two polaroids side by side with a caption beneath that initially conveys the subjects name and age in bold and then their response to the prompted question. On the other hand, the technical detail of physical manipulation is seen only in my images as this was an idea that I did not take from D High but instead thought of myself and discovered that other photographs such as Jamie Livingston had also employed a similar skill. Moreover, there is a difference relating to the conceptual approach that I took and that of Julius D High. I decided to study the idea of identity, specifically self-identity, through a series of connected images whereas D High explores the idea and expression of love through the question "What is your personal interpretation of love?". 

Connecting Essay: Jamie Livingston -

Connecting Essay - 

(Jamie Livinston)

(My own work)

The first image is by the photographer Jamie Livingston and depicts an anonymous subject, known to be Livingston himself due to the subject matter and nature of the project, surrounded by his medication. There is pen drawn on the image to fill in details missed due to over exposure but also to fill in details to an audience who might not understand the purpose of the medicine and the context of the photograph. The notes on the photograph create a naive almost child-like atmosphere through the drawing to create a more light-hearted interpretation of the difficulty of facing cancer; the doodles convey the messages "chemotherapy dispose of properly" and "2nd cycle". More explicitly, the polaroid conveys a subject who is positioned on the outer edge of the image and has his identity constructed, instead, through the objects on the table which are medicine bottles and pills. There is pen physical experimentation on the photograph to fill in area of the image that became too over exposed. Contextually, this photograph was captured in Livingston's final year and is only a month prior to his death. The photograph shows the endless fight and hope and courage that the photographer conveyed throughout his life and later his death. 

My photograph is depicting a singular subject composed centrally in relation to the rule of thirds grid and was captured using the medium of polaroid photography. I asked my subject to physically manipulated this photograph using pens to tell something about themselves; this subject answered the prompt "Why did you choose this design?" by saying "I feel a prisoner in my job. I would love to retire and play golf and go fishing all day!". The arrows worn on the uniform is used to connote a traditional form of prison attire where subject wore grey pyjamas with upwards facing arrows whilst the thought bubbles show the hidden hopes and dreams of the subject through iconic symbols. In relation to image denotations, the medium is a polaroid photograph which brings an element of nostalgia and the singular subject was composed in a way to mimic the compositions of Julius D High in that the subject was allowed to pose themselves however they wished. 

The similarities between Livingston's work and my own can be seen in both the technique and the concept. Technically, both above photographs utilise polaroids and the post-production physical experimentation ideas of using pen to manipulate the photograph. In reference to conceptual similarities is the fact that Livingstons' entire project was a documentary of his life and the people in it which therefore means he, either deliberately or subconsciously. studies self-identity and the constriction of it. I also decided to study identity through a series of connected images and therefore there is a similarity in that reason for creating the final images. Despite this, there are also some differences. Two major differences being the technique of lighting and composition; the lighting in Livingston's was over exposed whilst mine was possibly under exposed due to limited camera settings or instead as a result of scanning the polaroid in. The other difference of composition is that my work employs ideas of composition relating to Thomas Ruff and his 'portrait' composition instead of Livingston's layout in the above analysed image although that layout may not have been intentional as the photograph is a self portrait which can be difficult to capture when using a polaroid. 

Connecting Essay: Collier Schorr -

Connecting Essay - 

(Collier Schorr)

(My own work)

The first image is by Collier Schorr and the photographic collage is an installation within a frame that combines multiple subjects and photographs into one image. There are two subjects, one female and one male who are both in states of various undress which appears to focus on the themes of sexuality which often recurs in Schorr's work. There is also a contrast between nature and man made structures which could be an implicit method of contrasting females to males. Nature is often seen as feminine, mother nature, whilst man made structures, even in its naming using the generic man, contrasts to that. It appears to be a battle on the page between masculinity and femininity through colours and the skill of layering. Moreover, the masculine photos are jagged and cut into straight lines whilst the photograph of the female is curved almost conveying the shape of a feminine body. Contextually, Schorr is also a feminists who advocates for representation of minority communitites in her work which often employs androgynous and LGBTQ+ community models. In relation to the denotation there are a combination of photographs and pencil notes within the frame of this installation. The photographs are cut into various shapes and sizes which mimics an amateur scrapbooking nostalgic aesthetic and also utilises various colours; some photographs are fully in colour whilst others are black and white. There are multiple juxtapositions in this image with some being the colours, themes and technique of cutting.

The second photographic compilation is the final outcome from shoot 4 and features multiple subjects who help to address my theme of youth. There are photographs alongside object collected on, and relating, to the day of the photoshoot; some important moments include the bloodied plaster and the burnt paper. The connotations of these symbolic items is relating to the idea of youth as fun, trouble and self-destructive in accordance with Ann Gould's theory of youth representations. Furthermore, there are multiple photographs in which the subject is graffiti and this is to link to the idea of youth subcultures as destructive but my implicit ideologies was instead to show that the younger generation have a voice but nowhere to showcase their messages. More explicitly evident in this collage is my recurring use of colour where I focused on collating images of the same, or similar, hues and saturation. I did, however, also capture some images and edit them into black and white tones to bring contrast to the overall final installation. Additionally, another main feature of my work is that it uses a collage technique where photographs have been manipulated through cutting, sticking and layering to mimic the amateur scrapbooking technique and aesthetic employed by multitudes of polaroid photographers.

There is evidence of Schorr's influence on my project when looking at technique. For example, I utilised the collage layering technique seen in Collier Schorr's body of work but also employed the multiple colourisastions of images in that I used black and white alongside colour photographs. Additionally, my final outcome is not intended to be viewed as a digital image but instead as an installation due to its 3D nature and scale; this could be understood about Schorr's work too as the image was in a gallery exhibition and is a framed original image. However, there are also many differences between the two above works in that Schorr had a continued theme of gender and sexuality throughout her work whilst mine addressed identity and youth subculture. Moreover, Schorr's final image, despite using a similar technique to mine, is more simplistic in its nature which creates the more fine art photographer atmosphere whilst my work is supposed to mimic a more organised chaos of an amateur like I am.

Photoshoot 7: Work Record -

Work Record - 

Plans:

⧫ I will capture images using a polaroid camera (Fujifilm Instax Mini 8)
⧫ I will get subjects to create a diptych of photographs
⧫ I will get subjects to draw on the second of the photographs
⧫ I will gather a quote relating to the drawing on the second photograph

Hope to Achieve:

What I hope to achieve for shoot 7 is to document self identity of family through a diptych of polaroids, inspired by Julius D High and his "What is love?" series, where they take one standard portrait that appears like a passport photograph much like Thomas Ruff's style whilst the second is edited through physical manipulation using pens. I will then pose a question along the lines of "Why did you choose that design?" and create a caption with the subjects' response.

Shoot 7 will depict what people, my immediate family, perceive about themselves and how they present themselves to others. Moreover, the theme of nostalgia will again be continued as a connection between my first five shoots and my next idea featured in both this shoot and shoot 7 through the implementation of polaroids.

Actually Achieved:

Overall, I was pleased with the final outcome of shoot 7 in that it well continued my process and technique and therefore aesthetic established in photoshoot 6. The limited camera settings still worked well in the location and lighting of the scenario and provided the 90s reminiscent style that inspires both my work and the work of David Shama.

The final pieces are similar to the work of Julius D High in that the photographs are not extremely posed and create a natural atmosphere. Additionally, the diptych helps to convey the explicit and implicit ways of displaying self identity.

The captions explore each individuals responses in the similar way that Julius D High also uses captions to tell the narrative of the photograph but also more deeply of the person who is the subject. 

Progression: 

This is the second photoshoot in my the new direction and has well continued the aesthetic of shoot 6.

I will possibly be continuing this idea into my next photoshoots although I may adapt the ideas of technique and final outcome slightly to keep in theme with the aesthetic but show my development as a photographer with my own mind but also how I have been inspired by many others who have shaped my self identity as a photographer and a person.

Photoshoot 7: Contact Sheet -

Contact Sheet -

Photoshoot 7: Straight Images -

Straight Images - 

Polaroids:

Diptych:

Final:

Photoshoot 6: Work Record -

Work Record - 

Plans:

⧫ I will capture images using a polaroid camera (Fujifilm Instax Mini 8)
⧫ I will get subjects to create a diptych of photographs
⧫ I will get subjects to draw on the second of the photographs
⧫ I will gather a quote relating to the drawing on the second photograph

Hope to Achieve:

What I hope to achieve for shoot 6 is to document self identity of friends through a diptych of polaroids, inspired by Julius D High and his "What is love?" series, where they take one standard portrait that appears like a passport photograph much like Thomas Ruff's style whilst the second is edited through physical manipulation using pens. I will then pose a question along the lines of "Why did you choose that design?" and create a caption with the subjects' response.

Shoot 6 will depict what people, a few of my friends, perceive about themselves and how they present themselves to others. Moreover, the theme of nostalgia will again be continued as a connection between my first five shoots and my next idea featured in both this shoot and shoot 7 through the implementation of polaroids.

Actually Achieved:

I was very happy with the final outcome of shoot 6 in that I did not come across an difficulties with lighting due to careful placement of subjects that worked with the amateur aesthetic but also met the needed lighting requirements due to the limited settings on my polaroid camera. Additionally, the inspiration from various artists can be seen in my work which was a hope of mine through the means of polaroids, composition and then post production editing techniques such as is seen in my previously analysed Jamie Livingston photograph titled "09-18-1997".

The final outcome is reminiscent of the work of Julius D High in that the photographs are not extremely posed and create a natural atmosphere. Moreover the diptych helps to convey the implicit ideas of what self identity is. The first photograph on the left of each diptych is used to show the self identity presented to the public with the second image shows the hidden personalities, beliefs and thoughts.

However, to improve upon this shoot even more so I would have liked to expand the number of subjects used by further photographing more people. Perhaps even extending the idea of this shoot to a group of subjects not known to me, by approaching the mass public I could create a more in depth study in self-identity than currently shown.

Progression: 

This is the first photoshoot in a new direction of my project in that my style and technique is different from the collage style of my first five shoots.

I will be continuing this technique into my next shoot, shoot 7, but I will instead be photographing my family members with the same camera and same question que so that the aesthetics are similar but it also developed the idea of self identity through a variety of influences on my own self identity.

Photoshoot 6: Contact Sheet -

Contact Sheet - 

Photoshoot 6: Straight Images -

Straight Images - 

Polaroids:

Diptych:

Final:

Photoshoot 5: Work Record -

Work Record - 

Plans:

⧫ I will capture images using a polaroid camera (Fujifilm Instax Mini 8)
⧫ I will capture images using my phone camera
⧫ I will collect relevant momentos
⧫ I will compose all items and images on an A3 sheet

Hope to Achieve:

What I hope to achieve for shoot 5 is to document an aspect of my life that is important in my documentation of self. This shoot will be composed physically as if a scrapbook page, which has been a hobby of mine for many years, and will combine photographs in various mediums, momentos and social media.

Shoot 5 will show a place that has been important in my upbringing; the location of the shoot is a place that I have visited with family since I was a child and is a place where I have many happy memories. Therefore, the theme of nostalgia and sentimentalism is recurring once more and these are features of my personality which I value highly and as such even the subjects of my shoots further study my idea of self identity.

Actually Achieved:

I achieved an overall aesthetic of connected images in my first five shoots as planned and also was correct in the majority of my predictions. I used a my Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 as my only camera in this shoot as a digital camera alone would have not been in keeping with my desired outcome and the polaroid camera fits more so with my personality and love for all things retro and vintage. Moreover, it is also a connection to many photographers who have influenced me.

This collage did not use any digital photographs but instead, much like shoot 3, uses elements of old media. The polaroid camera provides an aesthetic that I enjoy even when the minimalist lighting settings do not go as planned. The final images themselves work with the location and meaning of the shoot in that it is a remark about my young childhood and at that point polaroid cameras were still very widely used. The use of colour and lighting was very important to me in specific reference to this shoot in that it focused on my happy relationship with my grandparents but also my happy and naive memories of childhood.

Although, to improve this shoot I would have liked to expand the subject further by photographing multiple locations relating to childhood memories of places and give each individual shoot in that sub-series a colour palette that links to the colours that I mentally link with specific memories of happiness, excitement and such.

Progression: 

This collage is the final in the style that I planned for my first five shoots. The technique of using multiple mediums within one final image is something that I do not plan on continuing for my next shoots.

I will most likely attempt to show a link and development between my ideas of the first five shoots and my next shoots in that I plan on using the older medium photographs. My current plan is to use polaroids although developments may lead me to change my idea especially the closer that I get to my final shoots.

I will be adapting my ideas to show my individual perceptions of both photography and the chosen exam question connected images in a way that draws inspiration from photographers in my research log and photographers research and also how I am capable of developing my own individual ideas.

Photoshoot 5: Contact Sheet -

Contact Sheet -