gracehubbardproject4

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Progress shoot

So these are my initial photos that I have taken of my street, I have done a mixture of some of them being in the dark and some when it was lighter, as it turned during the shoot, I have done some of plants and natural elements but also some of the artificial aspects of the street, just to properly show what the street is like. I am happy with some of these, and think I will use some for my final piece (photo book). 

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Evaluation

So for this project, we were given the task of creating a photo book that documented something over a period of time. So to start off with I had a few ideas but decided in the end to photograph my street. So I wanted to do this so I could try and capture some effective shots of what my street is really like. I did multiple shoots, all with different weather types and different times of the day so I could get a good mixure lighting and variety of shots. So when  I was planning for my shoot, I looked into a few photographers that had done street photography so I could try and get some inspiration/ ideas from their work and try some of what they did, but the only ones I could find was photographers that documented busy streets such as places in NYC, as my street is quite quiet, I could not recreate the shots in the same way they did, but I did take away some ideas as to what they were photographing, for example, people etc.

So I then planned out what I was going to photograph and how, I came up with a list of things that I thought would really capture the street well and then tried to execute them in the most effective way that I could. Before I went out to photograph I did have to think about what time of day I would go and plan around the weather so I could get a variety of shots. I took some of my shots with the flash on as they were shot in the dark but I took most without it on. After I took the shots I uploaded them all to photoshop and changed them to black and white as I thought they looked more effective this way and added more feeling to the shots. I played around with the saturation levels until I was happy with the way that each shot looked. 

So after I edited all the photos, I put them onto the InDesign layout that we were given a tutorial about near the start of the project, I decided to use 10 photos, so it was 12 pages including back and front cover, I did the stapling method instead of the binding as I thought this looked more effective because it was more simplistic so gave it a finishing touch. I was happy with my final piece as I felt it did capture my street quite well. 

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One shot a day - my garden

So for my one photo a day, I decided to shoot my garden, as I thought this would look effective, in the sense that it would look different every day as the weather would change so lighting would be different etc. I am happy with the photos I got as I feel they really show the progression between the days, you can also see a slight change between the plants and grass as it grows longer and bigger which I think is really effective.

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Final ideas for photobook

So this is my first attempt at taking shots for my final project, these are my favourite shots, I think that this shoot was very successful, I think I will use most of these photos to go in my final photo book as I feel they capture the feel of my street quite well. However I might change them to black and white in photoshop as I think they could look more effective, and add more character to my shots. 

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Book binding techniques

So there is 2 types of techniques;

Stapling (spine) - 

So we printed off our photobooks to practice how we wanted to put our photobooks together, so for this one we just used plain paper as it was only for practice, we lined the sheets up then stapled in the middle of the paper twice, evenly spread from each other, I found this looked quite effective. 

Saddle stitch binding - 

So for this one we printed off our actual booklets just to see how they would look printed so we had an idea for our final piece, so we drew 5 dots, 5.5cm apart from each other, portrait way. I stabbed holes in these and then threaded thread through the holes, I preferred this method as I thought it looked more handmade and personal. 

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InDesign

What is Adobe InDesign?

It is a digital publishing software. When making an A5 zine, what do you have to consider when setting up your document?

So when making it A5, it has to be portrait, and the facing pages option needs to be on, then 8 pages, so needs to be any multiple of 4 so that 4 photos can fit on each page.

How does InDesign help you sequence your work?

It lets you lay out how you want your work to look, so I can see which photos look best next to each other. I can also see how I want to space them out and try out colours and text.

What formats did you save your zine in? 

I saved it as a JPEG after I exported it. 

How did you print your PDF?

I opened up my documents and then printed it as a double sided booklet. 

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Plan for shoot

I am going to take photographs of people, pets, lamp posts, fences, trees bushes, cigarettes, chewing gum, curbs, concrete, flowers, grates. 

I will try and do different shoots at different times in the day, for example, on a sunny day, rainy day, during daytime and night time. 

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Photographers for inspiration

Martin Elkort

I have found some inspiration for the idea I think I am going to go through with, the photographer is Martin Elkort, he is an American photographer, illustrator and writer known above all for his street photography. Born in New York in 1929, he grew up during the Great Depression. Martin began to go around Manhattan, where he took all kinds of pictures. He then became a member of the New York League, and they started to ecord the effects of poverty, war, racial inequality and social injustice.Their attention was centered on the city of New York and its lively streets: the shoe shiners, acrowded beach at Coney Island, the windows, the children. Here are some of his images that I think are really effective and have inspired my ideas...

I really like these images, as they capture people in the middle of life, as if he took the photos without people knowing they were being photographed, I think this looks really effective as it is documenting what these people do in their daily lives and capturing what it is life to live in this place and time. I also think that the black and white looks really good, as certain objects stand out more with the dark shades, I am inspired by the work he has produced, so I think I might also go down the b&w route.

Paul Mcdonough 

Paul McDonough began to take photos with the same aim a painter normally takes a quick pencil sketch to then paint that subject on a canvas. It’s toward painting that McDonough pointed initially his attention. But it is by the means of these first shots that he realized how difficult it would have been to represent in the closed space of a studio, such variety of situations and images and the huge potential of photography when it comes to represent reality. Paul likes to seize the unique moments, the many oddities that New York offers, managing to mix in a single image both the public and the private. The captured scenes show the movement of New Yorkers who live in the concrete jungle.

I really like his work, as captures a variety of things related to this huge city, but he takes them from different and unusual angles which makes his work that bit more effective, he also has a good use of black and white, as the bold black and white contrast looks good with the photography he takes. 

Joel Meyerowitz 

Joel Meyerowitz was born in New York in 1938, in the East Bronx, where he lived “a peaceful relationship with the energy and the spontaneous craziness of life of those streets”. In a few days, he created an archive of thousands of images that document both the disaster and the work of recovery around the World Trade Center.

I like his work as he is including bright colours from buildings and surroundings of the city, I think this looks really good as they make really effective shots. I also like the fact he is mainly concentrated on people and them living their daily lives but it is captured on camera in just a few shots. I also like how it shows the busyness of new york city just in a very little photographs, I think this is because he has taken his photos from just below eye level so we can really see how many people are there. 

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Pinhole camera

So we made a pinhole camera from an empty cassette for a SLR camera, we cut a small rectangle on the long side of the case, then got a piece of hard foil, then got a pin and put the metal against a piece of paper and stabbed a hole through it, and filed one side down to make it smooth and the from the other side too. I then stuck this over the rectangular hole I just made with duck tape. I then went to the dark room and cut out a piece of light sensitive paper to fit inside the case, with the smooth side facing towards the hole, then I stuck a piece of bluetack on the hole. 

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Proposal

I have looked at Martin Elkort’s work, I really like some of his shots, I think that the way he photographed them, really adds to what he is trying to document and what message he is trying to get across to the viewers. This has given me inspiration for my project, as I might try out some of the things he did in his photos. I have chosen to title my street life, as I am going to be photographing my street, I will try and capture all aspects of the street. I chose to title it this as it kind of sums up what my photo book will be about. I will photograph different aspects, people, pets, cars, then the actual structure of the road, so the grates, fences, trees, lamposts, etc. I have decided that I will shoot in colour but will change them to black and white in photoshop because I think they will look more effective in b&w, however I don’t want to shoot them in black and white incase I prefer the look of them in colour, so I will make my mind up after I take them. I have decided that I will shoot on my street, near my house so it is easy access and I can capture many shoots at different times and days so there will be a mixture of lighting. So I am trying to document the life of my street, by photographing everything that happens on it, and just the day to day look of it. I am going to set two limits as to where I will shoot up to. I am planning to do a shoot this week, when it will be daytime and quite a drowsy, dull day but I think it will look effective with black and white if it’s darkish. 

What photographs have you taken so far? How have these gone?

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My idea - final project

My idea is that I am going to photograph my street, so I am going to set two points as limits to where I am photograph on the street, I will just shoot the different aspects, that all together document the street, for example, people, pets, fences, trees etc. 

I think this will be interesting to shoot, as I will be able to capture what the street is like and the fact that I am only photographing between two points really will show what people live in the area and what type of estate it is based on the housing. I am looking forward to doing this documentary as I might find/see some different things that I wouldn’t usually see.

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Nottingham Castle Documentry

So for this task we had to make a sequence of photos of something in Nottingham, so I decided to photograph Nottingham College. I am happy with the photos I captured as it was a sunny day so it was all well lit, and looks effective. I did it in a sequence from the start of my journey to the end. So first of all we walked up to the castle, and photographed the construction that was taking place on part of the the castle which we thought showed a good example of documentary, as we were documenting the progression of things that are happening on this landmark. We also photographed the surrounding areas of the castle, as we thought it showed the atmosphere of what the people and the environment around it is like. We then walked down to the canal in Nottingham as we wanted capture more of what the whole city is like. 

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Sequencing

We tried to sequence Valeramov’s work. We were given this context, these photos document the 2012 revolution in Ukraine. The photographer aimed to capture an honest picture of the violence, chaos and atmosphere of the city. This is the order that we decided to put the photos in, we chose to do it like this because the photos at the start are like preparation for the riot, then it starts with the fire and smoke surrounding the people. As the fire gradually increases in size the sequence continues, then the aftermath is people stood looking at the destruction that has been caused, you can see the smoke and how the air is misty and emphasizing the difference between before and now.   

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Typologies

Research task:

Jeff Brouws

Jeff Brouws, born in San Francisco in 1955, is a self-taught artist. Pursuing photography since age 13, where he roamed the railroad and industrial corridors of the South Bay Peninsula, Brouws has compiled a visual survey of America's evolving rural, urban and suburban cultural landscapes. Using single photographs as subtle narrative and compiling typologies to index the nation's character, he revels in the "readymades" found in many of these environments. Influenced by the New Topographic Movement.

I think this work piece is really effective because it is really bright and symmetrical. The sign of the palm looks really powerful as it is repeated and most of the photos are all from the same angle, so contributes to the similarity of every photo. I think he has chosen this object as it gives off quite a powerful message and represents a part of America as a country. 

Ed Ruscha - “Every Building On The Sunset Strip”

The artist Ed Ruscha is famous for his paintings and prints but is also known for his series of photographic books based on typologies, among them Every Building on the Sunset Strip, Twentysix Gasoline Stations, Some Los Angeles Apartments, and Thirtyfour Parking Lots. Ruscha employs the deadpan style found in many photographic topologies. The book shown above is a 24 foot long accordion fold booklet that documents 1 1/2 miles of the Sunset Strip in Hollywood.

I think this work is very effective as it is all black and white, and has been put together to look like one long strip. 

Practical task:

So I chose a theme of photos to photograph, I wanted to photograph something that is quite common and would be easy for me to capture enough shots to create this grid. I then uploaded them onto photoshop, then made the base to be a square, so cropped it to 1:1. Then opened a new document in photoshop, I then made a grid for 3x3 because I had 9 photos to put in my grid. I then uploaded each photo separately and then fit them as well as I could in each square. Then removed the grid lines and then flattened the image. Then saved the image as both a jpeg and as a psd file. 

I did enjoy it but found it awkward to take the photographs as it was in public. I also found it difficult to get all the photos from the same angle, like from the same distance for each shot, so when I put all the photos in a frame, I wanted them to all to be symmetrical and fit evenly next to one another but I didn’t quite achieve this as well as I wanted to. 

If I could do this again I would probably try and take a few more photographs so I could use a larger grid, and it would look more effective as the repetition of the bikes would look better.  

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Photographic Narratives

What do you think this photographic narrative is about? Why do you think this?

I think that this photograph sequence is about death, it is of a white light trail that is on the roads of London, the streets are really quiet, with bearly any cars on. We think it might represent the death of people who have died on the roads in London. 

How did your understanding develop during the course of looking through the series?

We started to properly work out what it was trying to show, once we got to about the 5th photo, we saw a pattern of similar photos, it has the same composition for all the photos, and are all taken from the same angles.

What unanswered questions do you still have?

I’m not sure about what it is supposed to represent with what deaths it would be showing, or whether it was an event that it was trying to show. I also am not sure about what the end of the light trail means.

Include two or three photos which you felt were key to the series. Explain why they stood out to you.

I think these photos are really effective as the way the composition is set up, you can see the trail that the vehicle has taken so shows the route that the light has taken. 

How close was your original interpretation of the narrative to the actual narrative?

We were correct with our interpretation, it was about the deaths of bikers in 2015, it was a photo of where each 8 bikers died, all of these happened on left hand corners, 7 of which were caused by lorries turning left round corners. It was used to commemorate the deaths of these people. The end of the light trail is where the biker was striked. 

How has having more context enriched your understanding of the series? How useful did you find the text?

Now that I properly understand the narrative behind the sequence I have more of an attachment to the photographs. I think that it was a very clever way of doing this and has a lot of emotion attached to it. 

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Photo Album Research

Work Stations - office life in London, photographed by Anna Fox 

This book is about life in work stations in London and trying to capture what it’s like for the workers and the environment they are in. This is how the photographer described it as “ Colour photographs with text captions. A study of London office life in the late 80’s, a critical observation of the highly competitive character of working life in Thatcher’s Britain this work extends Fox’s earlier interest in working with text an image”. I think this book does meet all the intentions, as it does show what it is life to work in an office in london in the 80′s. I think that the style of photography does suit the subject as they are taken from peculiar angles and she uses flash a lot which suits well with the era that they were taken in. She also uses a slow shutter to show the movement with a blur which looks effective as it symbolizes the busyness of London. After looking at this book, I remember it quite well as the design and photos are quite unique, I also really like the layout with the way she included writing about each image underneath each photo. These are my favourite photos from the book. 

I like this shot, as she has tried to capture the work life with an action shot, of a desk with people working at it but has then used a slow shutter speed so as the person is walking past the camera it has created a blur. I like this as it could be showing that it is constantly busy and a fast moving place, which could be symbolic of what London is like. 

I also like this as it shows what the workers do even when their not actually at work, I like how it’s of two men but from different angles, so the man closest to the camera is blurred and the man further back is in focus.

I like this as it seems like a very natural shot, as she is just on the phone but is surrounded by many other workers, I like how she is really bright but the surroundings, people are quite dull except from their shirts so looks effective as shows that she is the main part of the photo. 

State Of America - Micheal Ormerod 

Ormerod travelled to Sturgis, South Dakota in 1986 to photograph the annual motorcycle rally. Although he shot several rolls of film at the rally, none of the photographs were as successful as this image of a young girl taken at the same time that featured on the cover of his posthumous 1993 book States of America. I think that it does show this quite well, as he has chosen some really effective shots that represent the states of America. He has used a mixture of black and white shots, and some in bright colours, this helps to differentiate the states and what they are like, how they are all different, with different people and styles of things to represent the individuality of each place. 

I like this image, as it looks effective with the long road leading into the distance, and the motor cyclists following on the road. I also like how it is in black and white as well, because it looks more effective with the background and the road. 

I also like this hot as it is really bright, yet effective with the white lights and her t-shirt and shoes. I like how it is quite simple yet looks good with the girl stood there as if she isn’t aware she is being photographed. 

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Documenting Our College

For this task, we had to go around college and take photos of things/objects that I thought represented our college. We then had to choose the 6 best photos that we thought fit  together well. 

So first of all I photographed the buttons in the lift, as this is quite a large part of our college life, this gets used everyday by most people, it is also how we get around college as well as the stairs. 

This is a view from one of the windows in our college, I took a photograph of this because this is what we can see when we look outside the college. 

Here I photographed the water fountain, as this gets used a lot by most students here, and staying hydrated is a key part of college. 

I took a photo of a half drank water bottle because I thought it showed what students use everyday. 

I chose to take these photos as I felt that they represented our college well, as they all relate to the environment we are in, or what the students do/are like in college. I feel like some of my images are quite strong, as they show what the college life is like, however I could improve some images as a few of them don’t have strong links to the building or students.