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A Cycle of Fashion

An assumed life cycle of a garment, from being sourced and made, to being sold and worn, hoping for a second life after it all.

This project has helped me in so many ways, from taking photos, creating stories, to comprehending the assumed process of each stage of an items life. I want to better my craft by expanding my creative ideas and visions in a cohesive matter.

#gothrift

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Contact Sheet - Week 11

Where in the world am I?

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

I decided to further understand my story in terms of fashion as I study, work and dress in it.

Wanting to test out the photo book, after I used my shoot of my brother to experiment and get a rhythm of how I could better my practice, I was inspired to pursue a take on fashion for my final presentation. With this in mind, I decided to look deeper into the story of my understanding and love of the subject; how it is made with intense innovation, marketed and how it comes back to live a second life. With that idea in mind, I organised and took photos at different, peculiar places to revisit and finalise my idea. These places included fabric stores, my studio, a parking lot where the flea markets stood and a lot behind apartments and shops, and a thrift shop where bargains are bought.

I loved doing this as I enjoy spending time getting lost in rolls of fabric, the engulfing confusion in studio, wandering around with my friends, exploring the markets and its many treasures, peeping in the nearby thrift stores on which I ventured in and every other shoot as well. Thrifting has been a mild passion of mine, fashion photography is as well as I appreciate the control I have in shoots such as with my brother and my friends, both of which were to promote my brother's side hustle.

In the thrift store, I was intrigued with the effects the glassware made, however that would maybe stray away from my theme if I added it unexpectedly, I'd have to consider how to intertwine not just fashion of clothes, but the fashion of other designs such as the glassware which would be awesome.

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Positional Statement

Living in Tamaki Makaurau, I am Jasmin, a 19 year old who is eager to explore the world and capture it through her lens.

Currently still growing, I have yet to truly know where I belong, however, that desire drives me to understand who I am and the world around me further. Interested in documentary, fashion, portrait and street photography, I hope to grow my craft and become more confident with my skills, whether with a camera or personable and to develop my own style in time.

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Choosing 3 photo books that interested me was difficult due to the variety available to choose from, however it had to be done.

Kanta Nomura’s artist book “The Yoshida Dormitory Students’ History” was interesting to me with the different medias used. The delicacy of the history along with the look of the book from first glance intrigued me as it was also opened from back to front, as a traditional Japanese book. The story that it holds is so evidently cohesive with the different colours, images and techniques used.

 1ST PRIZE: KASSEL DUMMY AWARD 2019

Text by Markus Schaden, The PhotoBookMuseum, Cologne.

This book really surprised me with the pop of pink that I didn't anticipate. The drastic difference between the pink pages covered with dramatic words against the photo filling spaces make this book memorable carried such an important message about the past and therefore the attention grabber definitely earned the judges respect as it addressed a vital situation.

2ND PRIZE: KASSEL DUMMY AWARD 2019

Haddon Hall  by Naomi Harris

I love the chaos in this photo book. I personally think it would be a a challenge to curate photos that emit the past and the atmosphere of warmth of the days. However, Naomi has turned back the time and the vibe draws me close to wanting to live in that moment and time.

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Contact Sheet - Week 11

Where in the world am I?

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

I decided to further understand my story

Wanting to test out the photo book, after I used my shoot of my brother to experiment and get a rhythm of how I could better my practice, I was inspired to pursue a take on fashion for my final presentation. With this in mind, I decided to look further into the story of my understanding and love of fashion, how it is made with intense innovation, marketed and how it comes back to live a second life. With that idea in mind, I organised and took photos at different, peculiar places to revisit and finalise my idea.

I loved doing this as I enjoy spending time in thrift stores on which I ventured in, not only looking for a good deal, but to capture the many treasures. I was intrigued with the effects the glassware made, however that would maybe stray away from my theme if I added it unexpectedly, I'd have to consider how to intertwine not just fashion of clothes, but the fashion of other designs such as the glassware which would be awesome.

There were other photos that I had forgotten to include in this last contact sheet of a shoot with friends and other pictures from my phone.

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Street Documentary Photographers

Gilbert Duclos

Duclos worked on a photo series called “Cités” , with the theme of people inhabiting urban environments. Taking from the tradition of documentary photography, his images lead us on the streets of famous Western Cities in an urban journey. Taken randomly, his black and white photos, which are all vertical, reflect Duclos’ curiosity and his influence. 

From 1954 to 1961, his father was the General Manager of Montreal's Belmont Park and every Sunday of the summer, Gilbert was taken to the amusement park so that he could see his father hard at work.  The raucous, joyful and colourful crowd had a strong influence on the future vision of this burgeoning photographer. Taking several jobs to help pay his way after he had put his studies on hold and left for Paris, he worked as a vélosolex courier in Paris, an upholsterer for his craftsmen friends and as a mover. He began taking photos in Paris using the Kodak Instamatic that had been given to him by his mother.

In his free time, he explored Paris and perfected the art of loitering on the city’s grand boulevards and terraces. The time he spent in Paris played a key role in his approach to street photography and I admired the simplicity of the black and white silhouettes that were made into art.

Mitch Epstein 

“Photography remains a tool with which I form and sharpen my response to the world around me. Anything and everything is photographable in an infinite number of ways. That excites me.”

One of the many members of the transformational generation of mostly American photographers who engaged with and challenged the conventions of modernist photography of the first half of the twentieth century. Like other luminary photographers of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Epstein pursued a more individualistic, subjective values system in his artwork and did so with colour film: “I started to work in colour, which was a radical, and some thought foolish, move in 1973. Colour photography was not yet a medium for serious photography...”

Epstein helped pioneer fine-art colour photography in the 70’s, his photographs are in several major museum collections, this includes the New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate Modern in London and more. 

I enjoyed admiring Epstein's work as figures in his images must seem ordinary in person but through the lens of the camera, it almost feels like a staged shoot or something unusual, which what drew me to it.

Joel Meyerowitz 

“Some photographers go to the streets, and other photographers go to a studio. Some pretend it is a movie and other photographers walk into the world and say “show me”.

Those select few who are willing to go to chaos with the high hope to interact with the moment, where life will get clarified for them.They can welcome ambiguity and surreal aspects of this kind of chaos.

Even though it is chaos out there, they will have a moment of clarification

There are plenty of people who don’t see it, because they don’t look that way.”

A believer of seizing the moment, Joel Meyerowitz is a photographer whose work has appeared in more than 350 exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world. Born in New York in 1938 and began photographing in 1962, making him one of the first proponents of colour photography in the mid-1960s. Meyerowitz played a key role in the evolution of the attitude towards the use of colour photography, whose resistance to acceptance was almost universal.

I admired his work as he practices making art out of what was in front of him. The quote said it all.

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Photo Book Mock

Wanting to practice a photo series as an initial jump board, I used my shoot of my brother and his side hustle. I found this shoot to be fun and interesting as I was able to control how I wanted the images to turn out.

After showing Natalie, I was also able to gain helpful feedback on how I may approach my final presentation/ photo book. She suggested multiple sections of how I could potentially approach displaying my brother's side hustle more. With the concern of the assignment being about 'Who I am', I was able to look at other aspects of fashion that would be a personal take from me instead of my brother. She thought of the ideas of such as exploring the process my brother has developed and capture them, which I could instead tackle by understanding my own personal take of the processes of fashion and create a story of creation's cycle of crafting garments or something of that sort.

This photo book was a fun take on playing around with one shoot and experiment the formatting of the book.

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"Two Cars, One Night"

by Taika Waititi, DOP Adam Clark

This short film was a very interesting insight in the mind of two youngsters who pass time by getting to know one another. The black and white feature cohesively adds to the interest as other techniques help make the story enjoyable cinematically and artistically.

From the opening scene of passing clouds, time lapses and different lighting features, to the diverse shots that include closeups, low angles, panos and establishing shots, the film creates a great story out of the kids' meeting, a simple concept.

The many angles and techniques incorporated has been helpful to consider every aspect of a scene to capture. I was able to walk away with a new perspective on how I should take my photos.

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'Now THIS is a Photo Zine!' Personal Break Down

The Art of Photography YouTube channel reviews and shares zines that people across the world submit as being previously inspired to collate and bring to life a body of work.

From the history of photography series, to the photo assignments to the art series, a submission had said that they have all provided and inspired viewers to produce work in the form of projects in a meaningful and transcending ways.

This video is also a reminder that photos are fragile and we can lose them. I have been once reminded of how important it is to back up images, storing them in more than one secure place to be certain that they would be kept forever to be cherished. By publishing photobooks, it helps not only promote the styles of photography, but also to have a tangible copy that people will have forever.

The different formats of zines that Ted receives are quite creative and inspiring as zines of different shapes and sizes, stories and journeys bring likeminded people together. The newspaper zine of the beach and what looked like a beach spots was a memorable zine for me. The handmade zine with the sewn binder that showcased how 'different is good' as the quality was beautifully made with the delicacy being evident. It was also a piece that I was interested in as it showcased a student's travels across 4 different countries in Europe and how his brain worked to capture in film the moments by adding captions he had heard in his journey whilst also studying.

This has inspired me to try make my presentation in a photo book in the standard they have - if time will allow me.

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Photos That Changed The World - John Klein

"Since the beginning of photography, images have provoked reactions in people, and those reactions have caused change to happen."

This TED talk was about focusing on "images that transcend borders, images that transcend religions, images that provoke us to step up and do something."

We are told that 'when we are confronted by a powerful image, we all have a choice' to either look at the photos or to look away as images taken and publicly shared in the past created either a great change for better or reminded others of the worst.

The idea of taking the photograph and how the viewer brings in their own set of values and beliefs, resulting in the image to resonate with them is brought up and therefore we are all challenged to do something about the images we see, as it isn't the photos that change the world, but our reactions.

This talk had led me to deeply think and consider what I capture to be right or wrong, impactful or meaningless, and to understand different stories, processes and how life really is. One day, I want to be able to move people with my art.

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Urban Street Fashion Photographers

Known as street style, urban or candid photography, the style is about capturing the real world; what is worn, styles. 

Street Fashion photography focuses on people and their behaviour in public spaces such as the street.

I wanted to explore this style of photography and see how it can inspire me.

Vicky Grout

Peter Dupont for greatest

Doja Cat for Clash 113

Looking at Grout’s work and how he is known for his portrait, fashion, street and music photography, I was able to be inspired by his images of Peter Dupont and Doja Cat as they reflected who they were, whether in terms of location or details of their portraits.

 The relations to who Mr Dupont is and his aesthetic was evident as plants hung around his home and the relaxing atmosphere of his upholstery embraced his space with a comforting look. 

The shoot with Doja Cat was a simple portrait shoot that helped express who her character is as she freely posed with her hands and made silly faces that reflected her personality. The locations also could be inspired from the singer’s history and really helped me understand how I could look at ‘Who Am I’ in the context of simple photos that carry meaning.

The locations utilised also could be inspired from the model and singer's history and really helped me understand how I could look at ‘Who Am I’ in the context of simple photos that carry meaning.

Tyrone Lebron

Lebron built a reputation in the fashion industry for his candid, sun-kissed photography. The London-born filmmaker and photographer shoots portraits that often narrows down on perceived imperfections that questions what the actual beauty is. 

The photographer shoots using a range of film cameras from a large format of 10 x 8 plate to a grainy half frame. His hazy, half-lit style was accidentally discovered when his film was exposed to daylight and since then, the style was adopted by Lebron as his signature which manipulates the processing of his images.

I liked the use of his technique, incorporating the natural light and using it both in his shots and his process afterward. A different approach for a different look.

Pretika Menon

In the beginning of her career, Menon started as a fine art photographer, which helped her combine mixed media and storytelling. She ventured into fashion as she realised the possibilities of layering and used fabric and drapes in ways to create characters. While speaking about her work, Menon enthusiastically states, “I guess in the bigger scheme of things I want to create stories that go beyond selling clothes; to put out an imagined universe very close to reality but with much more empathy and curiosity for alternative culture, with a side order of humour.” She identifies her work with “Mockumentary drama.” 

I like how the image maker creates a story for the characters captured. Her practice of layering has also been a point of interest as well as her implications of crafting her shots.

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Contact Sheet - Week 10

Where in the world am I?

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

This week, my Church had its 15th anniversary and I was asked to document the event. Upon arrival, I had already seen the busyness in the air with gazebos being set up to tables rushing out so that decorations and food being taken out of cars could also be set up.

I had realised that there were different lighting situations I needed to adjust to as there were dimly lit rooms and the bright cloudy day outside as well. The photo wall also presented its own set of challenges as the material for the backdrop reflected the light that shone on it. Some movement on stage also made me turn up the shutter speed.

My overall experience of shooting the event has made me understand what it's like to be involved behind the camera and what subject matter I need to consider. I can do better next time by experimenting further to create an aesthetic, theme or atmosphere in my photos that would require less editing.

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Contact Sheet - Week 9

Where in the world am I?

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

My favourite shoot yet, I helped my brother out with his side hustle. Tasked to focus on the vintage pieces he's hoping on selling online, he modelled while I was able to direct the shoot and produce these photos which are both a mix of sophisticated and quirky and everything in between. I am pleased with this photos as it was fun and quite creative on behalf of us both.

This allowed me to understand how to utilise props and lighting as we styled him and also had studio lights in the room to enhance the subjects.

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Contact Sheet - Week 8

Where in the world am I?

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

Challenged to take photos within the radius of 1 square metre, I chose the park and found the pigeons to be quite interesting as they freely waddled up to me, flew and scattered away. I also saw people far away and captured them enjoying their morning.

It was beautiful to see different forms of life, from flora and fauna to the public share such a particular space.

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Contact Sheet - Week 7

Where in the world am I?

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

I wanted to explore the idea of spaces I visit that may be typically filled with people. Considering this, I shot at the night time or when it wasn't peak hours. Doing this, I played around with the settings and enjoyed the contrast of empty spaces to the reality of seeing them filled up. I was also able to see how ordinary places can be found to be different such as the photo of the couch in the living room.

This can also reflect how I personally feel alone or scared at times with the lack of light and life around me.

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Contact Sheet - Mid Sem Break

Where in the world am I?

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

Another weekend spent at the Flea Markets where I stumbled upon a sweet shop owner who sold dried bouquets. After asking if I could take photos, she had asked if I would be able to send them to her which made me feel more professional and wanted to produce the best quality possible.

I played around with the settings as the shadows under the tent were drastic lighting differences compared to the sunny spotlights. In the end, I got a hang of knowing how to adjust my camera and also be consistent with the ambiance the photos projected.

This experience has lead me to understand more of what it means to be a set photographer and excites me to know more about it in the future.

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Contact Sheet - Mid Sem Break

Where in the world am I?

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

During this week, I was able to take photos of the Father's day celebration in my church.

Capturing the smiles and relationships in one spot of the many father figures with their families and friends. Seeing the bonds of each and every connection was so raw and beautiful as we celebrated the head of every house and also honoured other pillars.

I was reminded to take time to appreciate those that do a lot for us and celebrate them.