Miklos Gaàl is known for a lot of unique method of producing images by manipulating the camera and its abilities. Gaàl studied film, photography and graphics design between 1995 and 2004 at a place called “Tiak”, which is said to educate and promote people who are able to present their talents in a creative way. His work attracts people because of its toyish effect, meaning the subjects in his images look like they where photographed form a miniature scale, whilst including photographic skills like subject, angles and lighting. His method involves manipulating the perspective of the camera, mostly from a higher point, which looks down on an area or place which includes subjects which is a technique called “tilt Shitft”.
Gaàl’s images are described in his book through how his “views attract our gaze involuntarily by being markedly out of focus”. Showing how his images present a sense of confusion, uncertainty and mind manipulation. This shows how Gaàl’s images challenge the view of reality and how we perceive things constructed to us from birth, his work alters the world in a confusingly addictive way, where the image doesn’t make sense, but attracts the eye.
What is Tilt Shift?
Tilt shift is the method in which you manipulate the focal point of your camera in respect to the sensor on cameras and can now be bought as an adaption to your camera at a price, but is also possible through editing a regular image in a way which creates this effect of “tilt shift” and is mostly effective through being up at a high point. Which can make an image look like a miniature model of the place or make it look like an “ant world” in my opinion. For example:
Its aim is to make the focal point of a subject or area to become closer to the camera, whilst everything else almost stays in its place or becomes further away, and isn’t just used in landscape materials, but also for specific subjects, like a single building or large subject, but isn’t used for portraits, rather suburban areas.
I have chosen to take this page as inspiration for my project. By collection images of my grandmother in a documentary style, I can present her, and her surrounding space in a way that links to the archived images I will use.
I am going to make shoots in the style of some of the photographers on this page. I will try a few different styles to begin with, and then decide which I like the most.
Cindy Sherman is an American photographer and artist who plays on the female stereotypes. Her Untitled Film Stills includes over seventy black and white images which were made between 1977 and 1980. This series embodies the disguise, mystery, voyeurism and vulnerability in which women hold. Her work could be viewed as feeding into the ‘Male Gaze’ due to a handful of her images being staged in a heterosexual perspective which could be viewed as sexualising women. Cindy Sherman embodied many different roles while creating her photo series, she styled many of the models clothes, hair and makeup wile also being her own model.
Cindy Sherman has always experimented with different identities. Just after she moved to New York, she produced her Untitled Film Still series (1977–80) , in which she used disguises and photographed herself in many different location settings with a conscious understanding of what props she wanted to use to create scenes which resembled those from mid-20th-century movies. These images rely on female characters such as the jaded seductress, the unhappy housewife, the jilted lover, and the vulnerable naïf. Cindy Sherman used cinematic understanding to structure these photographs. The untitled series immediately became topics of conversations about feminism, postmodernism, and representation, and they remain some of her best-known work.
Many pictures of Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills show situations that can come across as uncomfortable, promiscuous since it show a depicted woman in a vulnerable position. Cindy Sherman confronts people with the negative implications of the way the media depicts women especially in movies through the way she positions herself in her images which leaves an open door for men to objectify the female body. The male gaze is often present in her but she subtly changes the perspectives, expressions, and circumstances.
Observe: Notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant.
Seek: Attempt to find (something)
Attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something).
Challenge: A call to someone to participate in a competitive situation
dispute the truth
I created a mind map of my initial ideas with words that I think associate with the main themes which has helped me created a better understanding of what my final outcomes could be.
a person who watches or notices something.”to a casual observer, he was at peace.
a person who follows events closely and comments publicly on them.”some observers expect interest rates to rise”
a person posted in an official capacity to an area to monitor political or military events.”elections scrutinized by international observers”
SYNONYMS: spectator, onlooker, watcher, voyeur, looker-on, fly on the wall, viewer, witness, eyewitness, bystander, sightseer, commentator, onlooker, reporter, blogger, monitor.
SEEK
VERB
attempt to find (something):“they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds” SIMILAR: look for, be on the lookout for, search for, try to find, look about for.
attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something):“the new regime sought his extradition” · “her parents had never sought to interfere with her freedom” SIMILAR: pursue, go after, go for, try, attempt, endeavour, strive
ask for (something) from someone:“he sought help from the police” SIMILAR: ask for, request solicit, call on, invite, entre, beg for
(SEEK SOMEONE/SOMETHING OUT)search for and find someone or something:“it’s his job to seek out new customers” SIMILAR: discover, detect find (out), unearth, uncover, disinte
CHALLENGE
NOUN
a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength:“he accepted the challenge” SIMILAR: dare, provocation, summons
a call to prove or justify something:“a challenge to the legality of the banning order” SIMILAR: opposition, defiance, ultimatum, confrontation with.
VERB
invite (someone) to engage in a contest:“he challenged one of my men to a duel” · “organizations challenged the government in by-elections” SIMILAR: dare, summon, invite,bid, throw down the gauntlet, to defy someone to do something
dispute the truth or validity of:“it is possible to challenge the report’s assumptions” SIMILAR: question, take exception to, confront, dispute, take issue with
Observe Seek and Challenge within photography
Observe: Observation is the foundation of photography. It’s about being mindful of your surroundings, noticing the interplay of light and shadow, shapes, colors, and textures. By keenly observing the world around you, you’ll start to see photographic opportunities everywhere, even in the seemingly mundane.
Seek: Seeking in photography involves actively looking for unique perspectives, interesting subjects, or moments that stand out. This might mean exploring new locations, experimenting with different techniques, or engaging with diverse communities. Seeking allows photographers to expand their visual repertoire and discover fresh ways of storytelling.
Challenge: Challenging oneself is crucial for growth as a photographer. This could mean pushing the limits of your technical skills, experimenting with unconventional compositions, or tackling complex themes and concepts. Embracing challenges fosters innovation and encourages photographers to evolve their style and vision.
By combining observation, seeking, and challenging oneself, photographers can cultivate a more profound connection with their craft and produce images that resonate on a deeper level with viewers.
I don’t think that this photoshoot was overly successful – my plan wasn’t really detailed enough and the camera settings have not been fully used to their advantage. I think that the best images are actually the ones of the plants as they reflect the work of the artist better. I would like to reattempt this shoot even if it is only for experimentation purposes.
I would want to explore adventure through the photographs as it response well to all : challenge, seek, observe. to me all these aspects are mostly seen when seeking for travel and exploration. To me specifically I see traveling having an impact on my future, therefore choosing to focus on a subject I know I will be passionate about photographing I hope will result in great outcomes.
I am planning to start by collecting archival images from my last summer, where I went for a trip with my 2 friends where we camped in another country with no plan, I will look for photographs taken in the past where I was exploring other cities, towns, countries etc. I then plan on a series of photoshoots where I will have a huge difference in my outcomes. Although I will have different outcomes, the theme of the photoshoots would be the same, most of the work will be outdoors and challenging me to get out and seek for adventure.
I will begin my study by diving into photo albums that include pictures of travel, I then want to plan a photoshoot revolving around rural landscapes and some urban. As I am limited to Jersey, I plan to explore jerseys some hidden some obvious points, and hopefully discover things that I can capture through the lens.
When it comes to photoshoots I will collect pictures of objects that carry sentimental value from the previous trips and hold memories. A lot of the photographs however I think will revolve around rural landscapes, where I can tap in into romanticism. However I also wish to photograph people, where I want to capture moments of people living, not posing, I want to capture the beauty and nature within people, to catch them is a natural settings. This means photographing subjects in motion, in the moment scenarios, instead of pre planned studio photoshoots. Meaning most of the pictures will be taken outside the images will be more documentary and observational, however I might have to stage a couple to get the desired look.
I will make sure to be very experimental with the images I create. Experimenting with different angels, ways of taking photographs, I want to especially explore underwater photography, or strive for an underwater photography effect. Other ways I will achieve interesting photographs could be through zooming in onto subject photographs not only from one distance.
Some of the images might be taken by different mediums of photography, this being shot on film, digital camera, or polaroid’s, I love film photography so I will try to use it the most when possible, but when it might not be possible I can always achieve a similar effect through image altering in photoshop or Lightroom. Depending on the format and how well the images compliment each other the sequence of them might change. I think adding in a more older look to the photographs will also enhance the meaning of them being documentary, taken in the past, reminiscing on the adventures etc.
When it comes to presenting my outcomes I am still unsure how I would present them exactly, however I know that I don’t want to make a photobook, instead I will look for other ways to display my outcomes.
Overall, the outcome I want to achieve will be to have a series of images that are of adventurous nature, images that are discovery and look fun. I want them to how travel and exploration through travel. I want to show that even in a restricted island it is still possible to find beauty and be adventurous regarding it’s size.
I have made another mood board which presents my focus in a narrowed down way. This revolving around the ideas of adventure, travel, discovery and freedom.
The outcomes vary from each other in the mood board as I don’t have a specific way of capturing my images just yet, but I know there are some elements I wish to in cooperate, these being portraits in natural scenes, landscapes of more rural landscapes as well as I want to explore challenging but effective photographic techniques, such as underwater, reflections, etc. Where it is also the camera that is adventurous.
I think exploring these themes relate to the title of the exam well , as I will constantly be observing life around me through documentary photography. The photographs themselves will have a meaning of seeking for adventure, exploring and finding. And the photographing process will be challenging to capture specific moments.
The title for this project is Observe, Seek and Challenge, I have attached bellow the exam paper. In this booklet there are useful tips on how to gain ideas for these themes.
Bellow I have created a mind-map of ideas from the main headings. these included similar words, but also relating words and subject ideas I can focus on.
Observe- The main ides that strike me when hearing observe is everything that surrounds us on a day-to-day life, things that are ordinary, because many people might see them but not observe them. For example when choosing the same route to school everyday after weeks there can still be subjects that become unnoticed. Therefore to me observing means paying attention to one thing thinking about it, analysing it, enjoying it, and having a response to it. Therefore to observe it is much more than just seeing. By observing we discover and fin new things, we become more creative and curious. When it comes to photography the camera lens acts as a lens to observe the worlds through, therefore photographs that respond to this the best are ones where life is being represented, for example moments that are captured by the camera, but also photographs of subjects that represent that the photographer looked for, meaning they discovered them, just like special moments/ special events. To this documentary photography responds to very well as to be able to capture moments through documentary photography, photographers have to constantly observe everything around them in order to focus their camera on a specific moment and subject.
Seek- The first words that come to my mind is to be wanting, to seek for something, this leads me into the category of goals or wishes, to be seeking a specific kind of future, if it is with family, a person, career. To seek is to want something this might be a specific feeling or person or item, place. This is why when it comes to photographic responses to this category, what comes to mind are portrait responses that show people striking to achieve something, to reach a goal. This as well as photographs that show emotions, because I feel that out of all 3 to seek is a very emotional world that could be shown through portrait photographs. There is also another interpretation of that word where more photographic responses showed up once searched for this word, which are of hide and seek, this links well with the idea of observing, and finding, as when kinds play hide and seek, they seek for people, to find them. This can be also interpreted with outcomes that are playful and adventurous, responding to the idea of hide & Seek.
Challenge- To challenge means to go against something, this could be a view or an opinion, it also means to do a task with difficulty, therefore this can be interpreted many ways as photographic responses could go in different directions, some showing challenging tasks that people or animals go through, sometimes willingly or sometimes not. A great example of this is the image Migrant Mother showing the struggles of a single mother in poverty with 3 kids, then some can be seen of animals in a wild doing best to survive. However what cant be discouraged is challenging tasks people willing like to put themselves through games, board games or video games, or stress at work, learning or other personal challenges. I thing the biggest one is one that majority of people can relate to, mental health, nearly every person struggles mentally with a task or just with personal issues. Therefore many photographs can show this, these need to capture human emotion. I think the ones that do that best are once again documentary photographs of protests, where raw human fatigue and distress can be seen, not in one but in a group of people. The other side of “challenge” as a topic could be taken literally onto the technical aspect of the photograph, a photograph which was hard to capture, this because of the subject being photographed being challenging or by the specific way of photographing that is challenging to the photographer, an example of this are Olympic and sport photography, where it’s challenging to capture the perfect moment as the person is in constant motion, therefore ensuring the right setting on a camera is essential, to know how to do that might also be challenging for the photographer. Depending on light, speed, etc.
Mood-Board
Bellow I have collected few of photographs that I believe respond well to the mind map above as well as the description of each word in the title.
After creating the mood-board I could see a certain theme that the photographs all lead to, this to me were of adventurous nature, documenting life, catching key moments and being very discovery and full of life behind them. This means that majority were documentary photographs. From this I will be able to narrow down my focus for the exam.
