Mind map:

Mood board:

Photo Shoot Plan

What?- My main focus for this shoot is details, specifically in the barn where most of the tractors an equipment is stored. On the previous shoot I covered a summary and Raoul at work but I didn’t look at the peacefulness or at least the quieter parts of the lifestyle. This also includes Raoul’s passion of fixing older tractors, a hobby essential to his farming technique, using older tractors in a more traditional manor. There is a particular brand of tractor Raoul uses, Massey Ferguson, using the red of these tractors will become a statement point in the book, pinning down a small unchanging fact in an ever-changing industry.

How?- Using a canon mark 5iv with a 70-200mm lens will give me range to capture smaller details like the parts of each tractor while still having enough wider angle to capture the overall picture. I won’t have any artificial lighting with me as I will be climbing ladders and ‘exploring’ the farm. Meaning it is important to get my settings right, I will also shoot on RAW to allow me more editing depth.

Why?- Having captured the tractors and Raoul at work I want to show the quieter part of farming, the essential but currently unused equipment. I also want to show Raoul’s hobby, fixing tractors, to add a further human element to the book. The way Raoul stores equipment reflects how he works, neatly, organised and I think it is important to capture this attention to detail as it shows a further connection between how Raoul works in union with the land, listening to its every need.

This shoot focused on the tractors themselves and some of the equipment. As there are nearly 50 good photos, while I will edit them all I won’t put all of them on this post. Instead I’ll pick significant shots, detailed editing or other photos I want to explain.

Edit One

This is an interesting photo, I struggled to take it with the barn being dark but having to take the photo from the outside left it open to being over exposed. I adjusted my settings till I got an image I knew I could edit. I liked this photo as it frames the tractor well, hinting at what is in the barn. To edit I reduced the exposure, increasing the depth by reducing the highlights. I also cropped and reangled the image as it was off centre. I like the intensity in the shot and the depth in the background while having the empty foreground.

Edit Two

This is the first one from inside the barn, there was a little natural lighting from the sky lights so I needed to compensate with my aperture. The lens I was using only reduced to f4 however it worked well. I chose to get wider angled shots to try and show how many tractors and parts there are. I used simple editing to enhance the image picking the reds to be the main part of the photo.

Edit Three

This detail shot adds to the story, most farmer will have a preferred tractor brand, this one being Massey Ferguson. While red in the Massey colour the rest of the photos in the barn clearly show the abundance of red so this one I wanted to focus on the writing by changing the photo to black and white. In the foreground there is another tractors steering wheel this then cuts off the rest of ‘Ferguson’ it adds to the photo as people have to guess the rest of the brand which is easy enough. Or if its not it shows how little people know about the industry that sustains them.

Edit Five

I then went outside to where more tractors are stored. This photo was composed to show the other tractors around it having the wheels in the foreground out of focus. I like the snippet of hedgerow in the background as it adds texture. I chose to keep this image in colour to show the rust. I made basic adjustments to the images to deepen colours adding more depth to the photo.

Edit Six

I like this photo, it reminded me of previous research I have done looking at KEITH DOTSON’s abandoned cars in a forest. While this tractor isn’t abandoned so much as run out of time to fix it, it has an interesting appearance, especially in black and white. I increased the contrast as it adds to the photo, enhancing the disappearing into nature of the tractor.

Edit Seven

This photo is a detail shot, I liked all the oil cans lined up next to each other all red, like the tractors as well. Once I’d increased the exposure to show more of the image I tried it in black and white, but I found I preferred the shot in colour. The background is busy, full of oils, tins and other bits all in brightly coloured packaging.

Edit Eight

I then went into one of the workshops, an essential part of keeping the old ways going is being able to fix using the old techniques. A skill many people do not have now. This is part of one of the metal lathes, machines used to carve metal into shafts for equipment. I increased the exposure and contrast to create a high contrast tonal image, fitting to the other black and white images I have.

Edit Nine

Following the metal workshop I went into the wood workshop, which used to be the dairy. This shot has many elements within it, I like that it has the old cow headcollar, hooked on the old milking partitions, while having the tools for other parts of farming. I chose to make the image black and white to show the detail, for example it highlights the calendar, with the date 1988 on it. This is another way to show the age of the farm and how things haven’t changed as much as some of the more modern farms have. It also reflects how busy farmers lives are, to have multiple full work shops with scraps of history remaining.

Final Images

This photoshoot went well, I have plenty good photos some hinting metaphors, some simply showing the age, and some to try and get the viewer to understand how farming isn’t just a job so much as a never ending lifestyle, essential for everyone. I like how there are a mixture of shots showing how things are fixed, unfinished projects, and how much time runs away with you. I do think I need to add additional images, like a product of the lathe and a wider shot of the dairy, these will enhance the narrative I’m telling. Similarly to my first photoshoot, I have a range of black and white photos, some worked better in colour, some in black and white, a couple of images it’s important for them to be in colour. Making fundamental points in the story.

Mood Board:

Mind map of Kasuma’s work:

Who is Yayoi Kusama?

Yayoi Kusama was born on March 22, 1929 and is a Japanese artist known for her distinctive use of repetition and large installations. Kusama’s work is contemporary, as she works across painting, sculpture and performance blending elements of minimalism, surrealism, feminist art and Pop Art. She explores themes of infinity, self-obliteration and mental health, in which she uses her key motifs, such as excessive use of polka dots, to reflect her personality throughout her art.

In an interview with Bomb Magazine, Kusama stated:

“Polka dots symbolise disease.”

This short statement from the artist shows how she reflects her personal struggles into the ways in which she carefully creates her art and portrays it to the world.

Yayoi Kusama explores a unique view, starting with artwork created during her childhood up to works made this year. Her personal expression was shaped by her childhood experiences, including hallucinations that overwhelmed her sense of self. These hallucinations included flowers that spoke to Kusama, and patterns in fabric that she stared at coming to life, a process which she has carried into her artistic career and which she calls “self-obliteration”. She has explained these visions as an obsessional neurosis that has driven her to create art for almost 9 decades. In between, her career is surveyed, from her experimental years in Japan to her contributions to New York’s avant-garde scene in the 1960s, through to her return in 1973 re-emergence as an internationally known artist.

“My art originates from hallucinations only I can see. I translate the hallucinations and obsessional images that plague me into sculptures and paintings.”

– Yayoi Kusama – Interview by Grady T. Turner – January 1, 1999

Yayoi Kusama by Grady T. Turner – BOMB Magazine

Today, Kusama is renowned globally for her use of pattern, colour and symbols to create immersive and and personal works of art that transcend language and borders. She has made significant contributions to key art movements of the 20th and 21st century, including minimalism, Pop Art and feminist art. Although Kusama has experimented with many media and forms of expression, her underlying motivation for making art has remained the same. She seeks to convey the beauty of the natural world, and to further explore her place within an expanding universe of art and photography.

How does Yayoi Kusama’s art link to the theme of union?

Kusama closely explores the theme of union in several ways throughout her pieces, where she emphasises harmony and personal boundaries. As I researched in the interview linked above, Kusama often speaks about self-obliteration, the idea of losing yourself within a larger whole. By covering herself, other subjects and even large rooms in polka dots, she visually represents the merging of the self with the universe. This is an important element for me personally because in this project I want to delve into the theme of identity as it allows for me to self-reflect as well as find relations to my artist inspirations.

Furthermore, Kusama’s infinity mirror rooms create a sense of boundlessness, where reflections discard the separation between herself as the artist, and the viewer. The installations in her work suggest unity, where everything is connected due to the repetition of elements such as patterns and symbols. These factors reinforce the theme of unity as the viewer actively engages with her work through becoming part of the infinite reflections.

Lastly, her anti-war protests that took place in the 1960s due to the Vietnam War promoted peace and collective experience. She painted peoples bodies with dots as a way to symbolise their connection to one another, in attempt to bring a sense of community to the societal troubles occurring at the time.

Why did I choose to study Kusama for my project?

Her work has had a heavy influence on feminism and fashion, where she has collaborated with several major fashion brands. A significant collaboration that stood out to me from viewing her art is her 2012 collaboration with Louis Vuitton. She had originally teamed up with Marc Jacobs, then the creative director of Louis Vuitton to create a collection featuring her signature polka dots on bags, clothing and accessories.

Kusama also intersects with feminism through the challenges she faced in the male-dominated art world. When she emerged in the 1960s New York art scene, it was largely controlled by male artists like Andy Warhol and Donald Judd. Despite being overlooked, she continued to push the boundaries proving that women can succeed in conceptual art. She also delves into the exportation of the body through her Happenings which featured nude performances. These pieces challenged traditional representations of women’s bodies, and highlight her passion towards rebelling against stereotypical norms. This stood out to me due to the extensive use of vibrancy and abstract backgrounds in all of her work. Historically, most classical art favoured muted tones and Kusama rejects these traditional ideals, which signals a break from the past and reinforces growth.

Image analysis:

The image above by Yayoi Kusama is a portrait displaying her interests in contemporary photography through using her iconic installations which she is celebrated for. This photo specifically captures many of Kusama’s significant themes such as obsession, identity and self-obliteration in many ways. The image is dominated by an intense red and white colour palette which immediately portrays Kusama’s style of her work using lots of vibrancy. She repeats polka dot patterns throughout the image in her clothing and accessories as well as the background. The use of this successfully blurs any distinction between the artist and the work itself, which is something she aimed to achieve. The main subject in the image is Kusama herself, as she is positioned in the centre of the frame, yet she is almost camouflaged by the intense background. This is due to the repetition of the same patterns, however we can see that Kusama is still the main focus point as there is lots of symmetry used in the image, which allows her to be emphasised against the background. The image as a whole appears to me as surreal, mainly due to the tentacle-like sculptures that dominate the background and surround the artist. The shapes of the tentacles almost introduce a sense of movement, which contrasts with Kusama as we can infer that she is standing still. The repetition of dots on these forms suggest Kusama merging natural life with her psychological state, which allows the viewer to feel more connected with the work by understanding the context and Kusama’s psychological struggles.

The lighting in the image is soft and diffused, allowing for minimal shadows and emphasising the vibrancy of the red colours. Moreover, the use of symmetry throughout the image amplifies the hypnotic quality and forces the viewer to focus on Kusama, as she is placed in the middle of an even background.

As Kusama’s work is deeply rooted from her personal issues and she incorporates these into her images, this shows her lifelong obsession with polka dots and infinite repetition due to her hallucinations. This informs her perspective on self-obliteration where she can discard the boundaries between the self and the world. As well as including herself in the image, she enacts this idea by becoming a part of the infinite visual field created in this image. Additionally, Kusama has included a handbag as an accessory, which directly links to her collaborations with fashion brands, and therefore highlighting the intersection of art with personal identity.

Overall, this image by Yayoi Kusama is a statement that embodies the psychological challenges into her work to reinforce the themes of identity and obsession. By placing herself in the centre of the frame surrounded by colourful polka dots in every aspect, Kusama is emphasising the importance of the nature of identity and the ways in which humans are shaped by the world around us.

For my project I will be focusing on the union between dreams and reality. My own interest in the subject and photographers/artists have inspired me to go with this theme, one of the people who inspired me was Carl Jung, a Swiss psychologist known for his theory about dreams and reality in association with the unconscious and conscious mind, unlike Sigmund Freud’s theory, Jung sees dreams as meaningful messages from the unconscious that could help people navigate both their inner world and reality. I was specifically inspired by his process called individuation which is the journey of uniting the conscious and unconscious mind to become the best version of oneself.

I was also very much inspired by Trevor Henderson, a surrealist digital artist who is well known for creating cryptid-like creatures in a vintage-style filter. His creatures and uncanny style really impacted and strengthened my ideas, I plan to also create my own creatures while including a vintage or ‘found footage’ style to try and include the nightmare side of dreams and reality.

In order to respond to this idea, I will create photoshoots that interpret the union of dreams and reality or the conscious and unconscious mind, I interpret this by using editing techniques such as blurring or creating a ‘found footage’ style to the photographs in order to resemble the transformation or fusing of the two worlds, this will act as the connection point. I will also focus on the aesthetic and technique of liminality as well as ‘found footage’, I believe these will help create uncanny worlds that combine elements of dreams and reality within my images.

For my photobook I want to take my viewers on a journey through images that represent the union of dreams and reality, Another reason I chose to focus on this subject is because of my interest in dreams and how our actual lives fuse with them to create bizarre stories and scenery that may represent certain events or emotions or just some random thoughts. Therefore I plan for the photobook to be random and not in a narrative structure as I believe this will give the affect of spontaneity and randomness that dreams have. I do want some of the images to link as if they are part of the same dream, I will do this by places images with similar characteristics or subjects next to each other on a page or two.

I have also decided to interpret elements of Pictorialism and the Baroque style, I want to include the soft hard focus (Mainly Pictorialism) and ethereality of both themes within my images in order to represent the delicate and enjoyable side of dreams, however I also want to use drama that the Baroque style uses, for example it’s intense colours, scenery and posing, I will do this in order to represent the conflict that people may experience in dreams or nightmares.

Who is she?

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation, and she is also active in painting, performance, video art, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts.

Her work is based in conceptual art and shows some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, art brut, pop art and abstract expressionism and is infused with autobiographical, psychological and sexual content. She has been acknowledged as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan, the world’s top-selling female artist, and the world’s most successful living artist. She was inspired by American Abstract Impressionism.

Embracing the rise of the hippie counter culture of the late 1960’s she came to public attention when she organized a series of happenings in which naked participants were painted with brightly coloured polka dots She experienced a period in the 1970s during which her work was largely forgotten, but a revival of interest in the 1980s brought her art back into public view. Kusama has continued to create art in various museums around the world, from the 1950s through the 2020s.

Kusama has been open about her mental health and has resided since the 1970s in a mental health facility. She says that art has become her way to express her mental problems.

“I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieved my illness is to keep creating art”

When Kusama was ten years old, she began to experience vivid hallucinations which she has described as “flashes of light, auras, or dense fields of dots”. These hallucinations included flowers that spoke to Kusama, and patterns in fabric that she stared at coming to life, multiplying, and engulfing or expunging her, a process which she has carried into her artistic career and which she calls “self-obliteration”. Kusama’s art became her escape from her family and her own mind when she began to have hallucinations. She was reportedly fascinated by the smooth white stones covering the bed of the river near her family home, which she cites as another of the seminal influences behind her lasting fixation on dots. Her artwork is often linked to these experiences, reflecting on her own inspirations.

“I followed the thread of art and somehow discovered a path that would allow me to live.”

Moodboard:

Why I chose Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama is a renowned Japanese artist whose work has had an influence on feminism and fashion, through her contributions are often indirect or conceptual. Kusama’s art intersects with feminism through her exportation of the body, identity especially and gender, while her influence within fashion can express her visual language, specifically her iconic and memorizing polka dots, embodying self expression, rebellion against norms and empowerment. Kusuma’s fashion and art not only challenges conventional and typical beauty standards but also highlighting women within culture and art.

One thing that stood out it me, to keep my project linking ever so slightly to feminism, meanwhile having a variety is her theme reflecting on rebellion against norms. She does this through her unique expressions through the abstract and colourful clothing choices and back drops of her images such as, this image below.

Her work links to her mental health and psychological issues, expressing identity and differences within individuals. Her public struggles, link to Nan Goldin’s linking to my previous study. I find this evident through her psychedelic perspective shown through her fashion expression. Feminist critics often read this as a critique of how women are treated in a world that silences their voices and suppresses their emotional realities. Her race and ethnic unique style contributes to her art within culture.

Kusama has explored sexuality and the body in her work, often using her body as the expression, challenging the norm of objectification and de-humanizing within women surrounding sexual identity. Her ‘accumulation’ series where everything surrounding her and her body in polka dots can be seen as self- expression that challenges societal norms about women’s bodies and the expectations they face in society. My most previous project and essay, argued that expectations and social norms can be seen to be made by men as we live in a patriarchal society, however there is also the belief that stereotypes and social standards are a social norm and are inevitable. Therefore, this links to my previous project surrounding stereotypes, but from a different perspective with different and unique contributes.

Kusama’s fashion influence is often seen to be very bold and confident. She does this through her polka dots and vibrant colours making it difficult for viewers to not be interested. The polka dot eventually became Kusama’s signature symbol of femininity. It has become symbolic for breaking free from conventional and idealised expectations in society. This therefore influences empowering women through visual identity, Kusama’s approach to fashion and art reinforced the perspective that women should not only embrace their bodies but also express themselves bodily through fashion.

This ultimately lead to collaborations with fashion brands such as Kusama’s partnership with Louis Vuitton in 2012 making a wider audience for her art and fashion. Her iconic and unique yet memorizing symbols lead to wearable accessories partnering with Louis Vuitton creating a fusion of art, fashion and feminism.

Image Analysis

Firstly, the most eye catching element that draws my attention is the polka dots, however in a very different format and pattern. Her clothing matches to the back drop through colour, but contrasts through different layout and pattern within the small circles. She does this as she is emphasizing infinite patterns and the concept of infinity. Kusuma is famously obsessed with the element of infinity, which she symbolizes frequently. By blending her own attire with the backdrop, she is expressing her potential psychological states. Kusuma also plays with ideas of identity and gender through this technique. This form could be seen as a self-erasure, where she isn’t making herself and individuality. Instead, she becomes the physical environment challenging the idea of a fixed identity. The clothing looks like a type of animal skin potentially snake. Her unique style, patterns and vibrant colours is definitely eye catching. Most importantly, Kusuma uses her self, as a subject in her art, to explore the themes of femininity, identity and obsession. Her use of her own body as her art, serves as both a personal and universal expression of her own life and experience, especially her struggles of mental health, particularly her struggles with OCD and hallucinations. By using her own body as a canvas, she creates a direct and intimate collaboration between herself and the world. The covering her body, through patterns, symbolizes her desire to erase the boundaries and expectations between herself, and society. The bold, repetitive patterns are not just a form of self expression but a way of merging her persona with her art. This expresses as a way to reinforce her identity in a larger cultural context and make her own personal narrative and experience her own creative expression. This image, is taken from a dead pan angle and style. Her expressions are very neutral, and does not obtain a dramatic perspective or excessive visual flair. This is because the subject, appears impassive, unaffected and looking direct at the camera. The lighting is more soft, to allow the colours to be much more vibrant, as the colours are very significant in these type of images as it is her type of expression in her images to signify her traditional culture.

Historical Context

Kusuma’s own life and career challenge traditional gender roles. She moved to New York in the 1950’s, a time when the art world was dominated by male figures such as Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. She faced an element of sexism, but Kusuma’s refusal to conform to expectations made her an emblematic figure for women fighting for their place in the art world. Her boldness, resilience and unique aspect were later recognised as a feminist struggle for equality in the art world.

Her art blends with traditional Japanese aesthetics with contemporary practices, often reflects on japan’s complex history. Kusuma’s work, particularly her early work, emerged in the post-war period. This era in Joan had an influence on Western culture and a shift in social and cultural values. This links to her photo shoots obtaining nudity in the 1960’s. She used nudity to explore and challenge societal norms. She often used her own body as a medium such as “ Naked obsession” or “Body Festivals” which both included her use of expression through polka dots to cover the themes of sexuality and identity. The nudity was meant to break down the barriers between the artist and the audience and to challenge controversial modesty, sexuality and the female body. This was seen as highly controversial especially in the 1960’s in the main stream Western culture. The period was marked by shifting social attitudes towards sexuality, specifically during the sexual revolution. Kusuma’s work was seen as provocative and radical, as it went against the traditional expectations and stereotypes for how women should portray themselves in art.

The influence on Japanese traditions such as Kusama’s use of patterns, particularly her iconic and signature polka dots, connects to historical elements such as the kimono design in textiles. This link reflects her heritage and identity.

Psychological and social reflections in Kusuma’s work especially her use of infinity nets, installations and polka dots, reference themes of isolation, infinity and psychological states. This can link to her mental health issues such as OCD and hallucinations or even trauma, potentially post- war anxieties and the ever- changing field of fashion.

Overall why I decided to study Kusama and linking to union

Overall, I decided to study Kusama as she focuses on how it feels to be a woman and identity. But most importantly, rebels against the societal norms shown through her use of nudity in the 1960’s. This links to union as women as a whole within a political sense fought and rebelled through these standards and expectations to become something. This links slightly to my previous project however I focused on stereotypes. Kusama inspires me to make my project on union focusing on how women rebel through fashion specifically. Kusama clearly did this through symbols and her own experiences leading to empowerment. Fashion is stereotypically seem as more feminine as women tend to enjoy it more. Therefore, I aim to make a photo shoot linking to Kusama by making my own symbols aswell as fashion that ultimately signifies rebellion and identity and power roles within social norms within women through boldness and resilience. Kusuma deeply engages with her exploration on a personal and conceptual level. By using her body in her art, often without the conventional constraints of gender or modesty, Kusuma asserts her autonomy with her artistic practices. Ultimately challenging sexual expression. She also links to union through her heritage such as her Japanese Western traditions. She shows this through her modernist styles such as abstract expressionism and minimalism. Contributing to her Japanese culture. Kusuma presented herself as vulnerable, powerful and bold. The use of nudity became a tool for Kusuma to explore why and how female bodies were often objectified and over- sexualised.

For my Photography project I want to go down the path of romanticism as it is an art movement which united people in the late eighteenth century and still has an influence to this day when it comes to the arts and nature enthusiasts. A massive focus on romanticism is nature which is what I want to explore and develop as I don’t feel like I spend enough time in nature and it is beautiful, hence why the romanticists loved it. I want to try and capture this beauty by taking nature/natural landscape photos as natural landscapes were a common part of romanticism as they captured a lot of natural beauty as well as including some elements of the sublime. In the 1800s this was commonly done in paintings, but modern-day romanticists now also use photography to capture this.

To develop this project, I would like to go to the countryside and areas with nature and nice views as these would be great for taking natural landscapes. I would also like to capture a lot of my photos during the golden hour period of the day as during this time the light is all golden as the sun is setting which looks incredibly beautiful and helps give the photo that breath taking aspect that landscape photos have. Both the Photographers I have chosen to look at are landscape photographers with a strong appreciation for nature which I will go over in the case studies for them. One of the artists I have chosen to look at is Joe Cornish especially his work in his book ‘First Light’ which includes lots of stunning landscape photos as well as photos of nature such as rocks and the woods, Joe Cornish also takes some of his photos during the golden hour and when the sun is setting which is exactly what I want to do with some of my photos. The second artist is Jem Southam who also takes beautiful landscape and nature photos which are interesting to look at especially from his collection ‘red river’.

One Photoshoot I’m planning to start my project is around St. Martins near the woods as it is on the top of the hill, so you get lots of great views of the seascapes and landscapes as it is in the country there are also lots of trees and fields around which I could take great photos of. I also would like to present my photos in a book is it would be nice memorabilia of the beautiful landscapes in Jersey.

Alexander Mourant is an artist, educator and writer based in London, and born in Jersey. The work of Alexander Mourant embraces autobiography, literature and reference-based thinking, to create narratives that question the relationship between the body and the photographic medium. Mourant proposes how images may deal with temporality, spatiality and reflexivity, through new ways of thinking, and alludes to the photographic becoming a terrain itself, and a place we traverse.

Aomori

“It is peculiar how forests have such an affect on us,” observes Jersey-born photographer Alexander Mourant of his latest project Aomori, which was shot in Japan’s ancestral forests. “As temporal dimensions crumble, objectivity leaves us. We are found in a still, oneiric state, contemplating our own accumulation of experience.” (link)

These Images where taken in Japan as the name suggests, as Aomori meaning ‘blue forest’ in Japanese. The link between these two words creates Ideas on forests, as well as the nature of blue. “Together they create a place of high intensity, a place which questions our relationship to time, colour and self.”

The process to take these images was to use a church’s stained glass window, which was cut to make a lens filter. This adds spiritual history through the creation process, which also adds to the rich culture of Japan. “Susan Bright commented on the religious symbolism of my work, saying: ‘the spiritual history of the process seeps through into the image, to a time when the land was a place of worship,’”

His main inspiration for these blue monochrome Images was Yves Klein, and particularly his studies in the colour blue. Yves Klein used blue as it representing his spirituality and religious upbringing, the essence of natural elements like water and sky, and the vast expanse of the universe.

Above is one image from his from his work ‘Aomori’. From a first glace, you can see a heavily dense and humid forest, with the tropical flora coving the whole image. Closer to the top of the image, the bright mid-day sun is breaking it way though the plants, and reflecting off moist plants far into the depths of this forest. This creates an very atmospheric image, and draws the viewer into this magical world.

Blue in art is often used to create peace and tranquillity, and its defiantly shown in this image. The blue colour and the white highlights shining off the plants make this image feel like a old and enjoyable memory of a peaceful time. These Images engulf the viewer into a a mysterious voyage where both sorrow and beauty are tied together. These photos feel ancient, peaceful and respectful, party due to the strong blue that exposes itself to the viewer, as well as how these forests from Japan have taken centuries to form.

The lightness

This work gravitates more towards green instead of the blue from the previous project by Mourant. There was no reason for this, but as Mourant stated, ‘I think this leads into a more intuitive way of making photographs’ and ‘the photographs emerged in a way that most suits them’. To take these Images there was a lot less planning as ‘spontaneous’ process was favoured, looking for the nature of weightlessness in photographs. His main inspiration was from a book called the Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. These pictures where taken in various parks around London.

Photoshoot Plan

What?- I will photograph Raoul, the farmer, working on a field. This includes the tractor, the equipment, Raoul himself and other small details for the project. Having researched the impressionist movement I want to try some slow shutter speed movement photos as I think this will create interesting, bold photos that I can use to carry colours through the rest of the project.

How?- Using a canon mark 5iv and a 70-200mm lens I will compose photos based around, the lighting, the intent and natural moments. To create slow shutter speed photos when I reduce the shutter speed I will use a lens cover to reduce the harsh shadows and the potential over exposure common in slow shutter speed photos.

Why?- This is a strong starting point for the project, referencing how I saw Raoul when I was growing up, what he does and how he does it. It is a summary shoot, covering an introduction to the farmer and his lifestyle. It provides a link between the farmer and the land, demonstrating the UNION of the two in a way even people who don’t know much about farming, can see the true passion and hours it takes to create a union between land and man.

Contact sheets

I took a variety of photos, showing the details and the bigger picture. The lighting was harsh so I used settings that compensated for this, while keeping in mind the yellow of the flowers. I also used a range of techniques from different orientation to slow shutter speed motion blur.

Edit One

This photo, while not being directly linked to farming or Raoul helps add to the spring farming idea, the dog in the photo is ‘posing’ with his toy with a tractor and 4×4 in the background. Dogs and cats tend to keep themselves entertained on farms and yards, this photo shows that. I chose the black and white as it complemented the photo, although I did keep a colour version in case it will fit better in the book as it still a nice photo in colour, having the leading line of the curve.

Edit Two

I loved this shot with the tractor in the background and the tree/post framing the shot. The photo is an portrait that shows the subject walking and moving the marker. Making for a dynamic, informative photo. I liked this image in colour but the tree is less noticeable as I couldn’t crop the image down without removing the central lock on the subject.

Edit Three

This is a busy photo, I framed it with all the background as I wanted to show the many elements of the environment, I did however remove the one post as it looked odd sticking up from the closer focal length posts. I then used the sliders to lower the exposure, adding depth back into the photo and enhancing the green grass and yellow flowers.

Edit Four

This is a simpler photo, just showing the field being fertilised, I like that you can see the fertiliser, and that the tractor is almost perfectly between two posts framing the subject. The house in the background helps add context and build a story as it is made of classic Jersey Granite surrounded by fields and hedge rows. This is a good base image for the story.

Edit Five

Having taken this shot through a fence I have the fencing lines in the photo, this adds to the photo, leaving the viewer a deeper understanding of what it feels like to be witnessing the farming around them. This was a simple edit, bringing the colour in the shot back to life using the sliders.

Edit Six

Inspired by my research into art movements I wanted to try some slower shutter speed photos to add to the story. I created this photo, I think it gives the never ending feeling of farming which is what I wanted, to show that farming is always going to be important. I like how the flowers make a sea of yellow/gold and then the darker colour of the tractor contrast it. Even the fencing wire adds movement to further the never ending feeling. Editing wise all I needed to do was reduce the over exposure by moving the exposure slider down as when using a slower shutter speed the photos will appear over exposed.

Edit Seven

A simple detail shot to tie photos together is what I needed in this part of the shoot, I had a few photos with this bag/marker in so I wanted a shot of the markers to highlight them. The bags had patterns and flowers on and I wanted to compose the image to show more than one, showing how they were being used as markers. It only needed slight adjustments to correct the colour.

Edit Eight

This is a longer range shot, using the building and fence post to frame it. I noticed I hadn’t got many straight on shots so I wanted one as it will help the book flow if I put the dog photo and the portrait in. It also emphasises the tractors shape with the roll bar being portrait.

Final Photos

Overall I have a good selection of images, focused around the work being done to the fields to maintain them. This is a core part of my project showing the machines being used and Raoul working. Having a mixture of black and white and colour images allows for a variation in tones, textures and compositions. There is different techniques used in each shot, from how I’ve framed them to how I have picked which moment to photograph. I am lacking finer detail shots, however I plan to get these in the next photoshoot. Having researched ‘FOR EVERY MINUTE YOU ARE ANGRY YOU LOSE SIXTY SECONDS OF HAPPINESS’ I wanted a mixture of shots, some composed, some natural, using the environment like I have with the low angles using the daffodils to enhance each photo. Inspired by the impressionist movement, I used a slow shutter speed on some of these images, creating bright colourful slightly abstract photos. Forcing the viewer to focus on the photos and what is hiding behind the blur, also creating the circular farming feel. Continuing onwards no matter what, it also provides a nice base of colour I can them link through out the rest of my book.

Mood-board / ideas:

 

• A girl in her room
• A friend
• What she gets up to
• behind the scenes
• what you do when your 18
• unfiltered
• untitled
• cinematic
• personal
• up close
• confronting
• revealing
• expressive
• dramatic

Above I have listed key words and phrases that I am going to explore throughout this photo shoot. Capturing a girl in her personal space, environment which reveals her inner world behind closed doors, creating this sense of new reality perhaps showing us a new world that we’re unfamiliar with, and is different compared to ours. I want to express union through how her world could be different compared to someone else like the viewer, this idea of getting up and close, confronting us showing us this new reality, shows us how people are united together expressing to us through new world and realities. I am going to capture her in unfiltered moments, expressing scenes that perhaps could be relatable or engaging to us as the viewer which leads us into her inner world. I am going to follow the phrase getting up close and personal, showing raw, emotional scenes which ultimately create unfiltered, confronting expressions.

Lighting:

I am going to capture photographs as the sun is setting so there is this natural light that is creating shadows, new formations of reflections which we typically wouldn’t notice. I want this to exaggerate and highlight new forms, as well as the subject, highlighting angles and tones. I am going to be capturing the photo from the same direction as the natural light that is shining into her bedroom which will express this cinematic, unfiltered feature.

Composition:

I am going to capture different poses, firstly focusing on environmental portraits. Capturing a series of portraits like this will express the subjects inner world and show us her reality forming unity. Then following David Hockney’s joiners technique I am going to create the same composition.

• fashion – contrasting colours that stand out and are clearly expressed within the photograph
• record players / records, albums
• dressing up
• books/magazines
• facial expressions / poses
• trying shoes/heels on
• music

This photo-shoot is going to be staged but unfiltered, showing you the true reality, behind the scenes of a girl in her bedroom getting ready, makeup, hobbies.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – Inspiration:

These images above express reality, confronting views that are from behind the scenes within the subjects life, as we are shown through raw emotions and feelings. From portraits alone with a pose, or facial expression to the subject lying on a chair within their house with drink bottles near by, which expresses this engaging reality that closely relates to the subject we initially are drawn to in the subject. Although these are paintings I want to express the same effect but in a photograph. I going to do this by capturing unfiltered yet staged moments, choosing what they wear – from colours, outfits, and makeup, which will show the clear defining, definition of contrasting colour, that expressionist painters use within their loose brushstrokes. So expressionism has influenced me to capture people in unfiltered moments, with clear oulines and contrast, using bold colours and poses. I want it to be dramatic, expressing emotion.

These next photos show the next steps I want to focus on in a following photo shoot – which will show a series of images at different point within her (the subjects) life. So going out of her house to the world around her and how she fits within in. This expresses union as we see how she fits in with people alongside her, through what she wears, emotionally, through expressions and poses.

Man Ray (1890–1976) was an American artist known for his experimental photography and role in the Surrealist movement. Even though he was initially trained as a painter, he became most famous for his experimental photography. His “rayographs” (an approach to photography and often called photograms) and dreamlike images pushed artistic boundaries, influencing Surrealist photography. In 1921 Man Ray moved to Paris which is where his artistic career started, as he became associated with the Parisian Dada and Surrealist circles of artists and writers. He experimented with many different mediums including films, Photography, painting, sculptures and even fashion.

To take his surrealist photographs, he would be required to think completely automatically, so the photographs are unconscious and imaginary to the purest form. Surrealism manifested itself in a juxtaposition of words that was startling because it was determined not by logical but by psychological.

rayographs

“I have finally freed myself from the sticky medium of paint, and am working directly with light itself.”

To make his rayograph, he placed objects, materials, and sometimes parts of his own or a model’s body onto a sheet of photosensitized paper and exposed them to light, creating negative images. He embraced the possibilities for irrational combinations and random arrangements of objects, emphasizing the abstraction of images made in this way. Below is an example where the image is centred around a comb:

In this image, There are only shades black and white due to the technique used. The Image is a negative as the objects acted as a shadow for the light sensitive paper. There is only one clear Item that can be identified, which is the comb in the centre. The arrangements of objects around the comb keeps it the centre of focus and makes the viewer wonder about the importance of this object. We can also see many lines thought the image, which keeps the overall composition even and pleasant to look at. The confusion that this image creates through its use of objects that cant be interpreted reminds the viewer of dreams that they may have had, where some parts are clear but once the whole dream is put together its complete nonsense.

The way this image has been produced emphasizes the influence of the light and shadow instead of the importance of the picture itself. Looking at this article helps understand why he took these images.

Glass Tears, 1932

This photo was taken in Paris and is one of Ray Man’s strongest photos, and was often composed with other photos. Here you can see a cropped image of a woman’s face, with unusually large tears, as well as the models eyes, with her mascara-coated lashes looking off to the distance. This makes the viewer wonder what she was looking at. The eyebrows are tilted down which suggests she is in a sad emotional state, giving questions on why she is feeling distressed. The lighting is highly exposed, using studio lighting which was likely done to expose the truths about this model.

It terns out that this is not a real woman but a fashion mannequin with glass bead tears on the cheeks. This was likely done as Ray Man recently broke up with his lover and wanted to have revenge on her. The large, glistening teardrops are melodramatic, an exaggerated sign of sadness that makes a mockery of the sentiment. It may also be because Man Ray is exploring his interest in the real and unreal by challenging the meaning of still-life photography, which links to the surrealist art movement. The eyes being the main focal point of this image is common theme used by surrealist artists as it is an important symbol of inner vision, a concept central to their philosophy.

Other Images I like