Mood board

About

Jan Roald is a Norwegian photographer who lives in Elvemyrkroken in Norway. He offers his photography services for hire, allowing people to contact him for photo assignments.

His typical style is contrasted black and white images, though he photographs a range of styles such as landscape, portrait, still life etc. He does, however, take some images in colour if the client requests it.

Roald’s work relates to the themes of observe, seek and challenge due to his photographs always observing something or someone through the lens. He also links to seek as he aims to find interesting layouts and compositions for his images. also linking to challenge as he challenges himself to take the best photo he can.

Why I chose the artist

I chose to use Roald as an artist reference due to his album ‘is the life also a chess play’ which he created in June 2019. His album includes photographs of chess pieces in an almost castle like setting where he uses his surroundings to create interesting looking still life images.

I would like to create this using different game pieces. I plan to do this by visiting one of the castles in Jersey and taking the board game pieces with me. From there, I would use the different aspects of the castle, such as the cobble floor or castle walls, to create interesting still life images.

I would also like to create interesting images by creating different effects with the pieces, using different elements in order to imply different meanings behind the images.

Image analysis 

I chose this image in particular due to the potential meanings behind the images as well as the effective composition of the photo.

To begin with, we are able to see a snake on the board which helps to highlight the size of the chess pieces. The snake could be a symbolism since throughout history snakes have been used to represent themes such as death, wisdom and health. However, now days when referencing snakes we picture stealth and deceitful, so when applying this to games it could be used to symbolize cheating. The connection between the snake and the game becomes stronger when you take into account the colours, the opposing side being black which is the same as the snake.

If we turn our attention to the photo as a whole, there is a lot to it that can catch our eyes. For example, the shadows of the pieces and the black pieces in the background all help to set the scene of the image making it more enjoyable for the viewer to look at.

Links

https://www.fotojanroald.com/about.php

Statement

My intent for this project is to focus on the strategies and tactics behind games such as chess, checkers, cards etc. I will be photographing both people playing the games as well as the actual pieces themselves in addition to taking images that represent my artists references while sticking to my theme of games. My reason behind this idea of games is that it links into the theme of observe seek and challenge since we observe our opponents, the pieces and the game itself all while seeking to win and beat our opposition. The challenge is the game itself, coming up with strategies and tactics to best the person we are playing against.

When presenting my study I plan to create both a photo book as well as prints that I will manually edit. The main aesthetic that I plan to go for is contrasted black and white photos, while also having some of my images in colour but keeping the tones muted. This way, my images will all fit together when producing my photo book or prints as they will have a consistent theme while also remaining interesting to the viewer as it will cause them to focus more on the details in the photograph. In order to accomplish this I will be using Light room classic as well as Photoshop if need be to edit my images.

Mind-map of ‘observe, seek and challenge’

This is a mind map of an exploration into the theme of ‘observe seek and challenge’, showing the descriptions as well as potential meanings behind the words.

Mood-board of ‘observe, seek and challenge’

This is a mood board showing a visual representation of our theme ‘observe, seek and challenge’ in which I created a collage of images which ultimately merges the theme together creating an overall feel for the project.

Mind-map of idea

This mind map of ideas represents some of the different aspects I would like to include in my photography.

Mood-board of idea

This is a mood board which show as visual representation of some of the images I plan to recreate in my project in my own style.

About the theme

Observe – To observe is to notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant. The origin of the word observe comes from Latin, with ‘ob’ meaning towards and ‘servare’ meaning attend to or look at. Other similar words to observe are: watch, notice, detect, spot, perceive. On the other hand, words opposite to observe are words like: overlook, ignore, disregard.

Seek – To seek is to attempt to find (something). The origin of the word seek comes from the old English word ‘sēcan’ which means to look for something. Similar words include: pursue, strive, aim, aspire. Opposing words would be: neglecting, shunning, dismissing.

Challenge – To challenge is to prove or justify something. The origin of the word challenge comes from the middle English words ‘ kalange’ and ‘chalenge’ which means to accuse or claim. Similar words are: dare, obstacle, ultimatum, opposition, objection. Opposing words to challenge are: acceptance, obedience.

Exam Paper analysis

When analysing the theme, I highlighted specific areas that I though may be useful regarding my idea for my project.

Firstly, ‘the images were painted by firelight’ gave me the idea of incorporating elements into my work in order to create more interesting pieces. I think the elements would also act as a way to depict emotions without having any people present.

The quote that ‘artists frequently use metaphors in their work to disguise the messages’ helped to link into my idea of using certain things as metaphors, for example an idea would be to use different kinds of theatre masks as a symbolic refence to hiding you emotions when playing games.

Lastly, the idea of ‘war zones’ or ‘life and death’ can be showcased through games such as chess due to the tactical aspect behind them. I could potentially portray this through my use of lighting and the way the playing pieces are laid out.

Initial idea

My idea for this project is to focus on the theme of games and how we observe, seek and challenge through them. Majority of the time, the games we play challenge us as we try to reach or attain a certain goal. Challenges often come in the way of other players or obstacles we have to find ways around. What we seek while playing games is to win, and while most of the time there is no harm if we lose its almost as if we have an instinctual drive to want to come out on top. Finally, observation is key while playing games, whether that be observing your opponents expressions or the game itself, observation is key and is often how we end up creating strategies against them.

The games I plan to focus on are board games such as chess, checkers, cards etc. I would like to take photos of the games themselves as well as people playing the game. When taking my photographs of the games themselves I would be shooting them in different locations in order to show the viewer some sort of symbolism regarding the outcome or feeling of the game (water could be equal to losing.)