Overall, I am happy with how this project turned out, and I am proud of the personal journey it has taken me on. I have learnt about the history of my grandparents and made personal memorabilia of their love.
I found certain parts of the project challenging, such as when putting my photobook together. When I started, I realised that it would be difficult to make the images flow into a story because they were all so different. I had to make myself insert my own photos, and not just archives because I struggled to create connections. However, after persevering, I found ways in which I could present them and connect the pages to create the personal journey I wanted it to.
After completing the book, I realised that I was drawn to the archived images, especially the retro look of the worn away images, the yellow tones and saturated colours. It has inspired me to think about working with archives in the future.
When exploring photographers, it took me a while to find the right ones that would work for me. I was really inspired by Carolle Bénitah, and I created multiple edits based off her. However, when creating my photobook, I decided it didn’t fit, and I chose not to use them. Researching her work was still beneficial for me, and I am still happy with the outcomes from her work. Other artists such as Alec Soth, Nan Goldin and Jessa Fairbrother all inspired me to create and edit in certain ways. Without researching Soth’s work, I wouldn’t not have been inspired to create the dramatic portraits of my gran. Overall, the most inspiring artist for me was Larry Sultan, influencing some of my images and most of my book layout. The way he presents his images in such a variety caught my eye because he managed to create such an interesting book, also presenting archives and new images. The photos of his parents also influenced me to take photos of my gran in posed situations, but still with a serious face. His work got me thinking about lighting and angles too.
Example of our work compared:
The editing process was helpful for me, and I learnt more about Lightroom Classic. I got to experiment with colour correcting the archived images that were too orange and working out ways to create structure and quality through adding texture and clarity. Some of my images also challenged me, such as the one above, because I wanted to create impactful images, using light to draw emotion. Even with my black and whites I have always been inspired by Ansel Adams ability to create bright whites and dark blacks. I attempted to achieve this in my work because I find it adds more depth and makes an image powerful.
Mounting my images was the most time consuming. I chose to mount them all similarly, however I met a challenge when some of my images turned out different sizes to what I ordered. However, I managed to find ways around it, and I am happy with the way they are put together to present parts of my gran’s life.
Overall, I have learnt a lot from this project, understanding that photobooks can include archives to alongside my images, and not just my own photos. I have understood the bookmaking process more too, because this book took me longer to piece together than my previous one. There was a lot of depth to creating it, and I spent more time shaping meanings through the pages. Surprisingly, it felt like an emotional journey, learning about my family’s life, and I am glad I have created this project to present it.