26/02/2016
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Darcy Padilla - Family Love 1993-2014Darcy Padilla documented her own family for over 10 years; 1993-2014; and she captured both the good times and the bad times of her family. Again, I really like this project as the subject is evidently really close to the photographer and makes for a much better story. I like how the photographer has included various different characters in this story because it gives an overview of everybody in the family. This is something I will be focusing on when I come to photograph my house mates; although they are not family as such, I am very close to them all and I feel although I could get some intimate shots with them. What I personally enjoy about this project is the level of emotion shown in each photograph; especially the bottom right image, it almost looks as if the father is protecting the mother for some reason. Also, the top image shows that the woman in question is actually quite sad and the fact that she smokes indicates a sense of stress. In my project I will look to get close and personal to my subject and produce intimate, emotional images. I will definitely focus on sad parts when I shoot my cancer survivor as well as the happy parts, because I want my story to be powerful for its audience.
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24/02/2016
Daniel James - The LastI have decided to use Daniel James' project on his grandfather as research, as it is similar to something I wish to create in my photo story idea. Daniel is a student at my university and I have talked about this project with him, as it is very close to his heart. These are the last photographs he took of his grandfather before he sadly passed away through cancer. The project is incredibly deep and emotional and I find it extremely powerful in the sense that it almost symbolises the passing of life, thus creating new life in the form of his daughter. This is especially portrayed in the top image, where they are looking into each others eyes. One of the ideas I have for photo story is the recovery of somebody who has just had cancer and defeated it, and this is so perfect to how I wish to represent that person. I am very close to this woman, as her daughter is my best friend, therefore the access is not a problem and the reaction to the camera and to me will be very natural. I will look at everything from her hair, to the medicine she must take now that she had survived.
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22/02/2016
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Laura Stevens - Photo diary of a broken heartLaura Stevens, a photographer living in Paris suffered a painful relationship break-up and decide to do a project by asking people to pose in the way she was feeling. Although this project was evidently very staged, the photographers emotions are portrayed in each and every picture in the series and I admire this. In different people, Stevens has captured the essence of a painful break up beautifully. Obviously the photographer would've been hurt from the ordeal, but she managed to portray this in a beautiful, creative way. I picked out these 3 image in particular because I think they tell the story better than the rest. The top image symbolises the loneliness she was feeling at the time, and she sat eating dinner by herself, and not with 'him'. In the bottom, right image we see a woman having a cigarette alone, again symbolising loneliness; however, she is looking in the distance and seems lost also. The bottom left image is without doubt my favourite image in this series, as it symbolises the aftermath of the break up. When women break up with somebody, it is said that they question their attractiveness; this tells me that the photographer didn't feel attractive enough for her boyfriend at the time and this has affected her massively in her life.
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21/02/2016
Richard Billingham - Ray's a laughRichard Billingham is a British photographer who worked on a project to do with his family and his alcoholic father, Ray. The title of 'Ray's a laugh' is a play on words as well as an interesting title. It makes me think of 'raise a glass' as if to mock his alcoholism and also to actually claim that Ray is quite funny. I really like this documentary as it is so close to the photographers heart, it makes it more powerful. This also links with my project idea of photographing my house mates at University in their day to day life. The family itself looks like a very lower-class family and this is shown in Richard's story of them; the brown sofa, old wallpaper and just everything about the photograph screams 'low class'; I think this is why I like the project so much. In my project, I will look to photograph similar to this, but I will focus on the positives as well as negatives I think. This documentary portrays quite a sad message and shows Ray in quite a sad light.
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18/02/2016
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Elliott Erwitt - DogsUpon purchasing a book in Paris called 'Personal Best' by magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt, on the way back I decided to look at the many projects that he has shot. I came across this particular project which I find really interesting; he photographs dogs from their level, almost as if it is life from a dogs perspective. He tends to focus on dogs next to human legs, this signifies to me that dogs are lower than humans and are controlled by them. This point is particularly exaggerated in the bottom, right image as the dog is on a lead. This narrative is a very good narrative of dogs being 'a mans best friend'. Erwitt gives a different perspective on a dogs life in this narrative, as you tend to look at the photographs and sympathise for the dogs; in the bottom left image, the dog is so small that a human could literally stand on it. Although a lot of this series of photographs makes dogs look weaker than humans and 'lower', the top image partners them with humans and symbolises the 'best friend' stereotype we always think about.
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15/02/2016
Markus Hartel - New York City at NightAs with many photographers, Markus Hartel has photographed a series in the streets of New York, particularly during the winter months. The majority of his images seem under exposed in places and then over exposed in other places. I really like the use of street lights and car lights in Hartel's photographs; particularly in the top image. Hatred captures a snowy New York perfectly, as the light from the street lamps almost freeze (no pun intended) the snow and makes it much more important in the scene. I also like how Hartel has people in his frames, however they dont really have any relevance as individuals, but as a whole, they represent New York; although it is snowing and it is night time, people are still trying to get home or even go out to meet people etc. Hartel tends to silhouette a lot of his subjects, as the light is coming from behind them and I really like that fact, as you distant yourselves from the subject and now you ask many questions such as 'who are they?' and 'where are they going?'.
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13/02/2016
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Paranoid Britain - Steve ForrestSteve Forrest, based in London wandered to work one day and decided to count the security cameras on his way to work (over a 2.7 mile walk), his result was a staggering 106 CCTV cameras; some for traffic control, some may be even dummies but the truth is, everything we do is being monitored by cameras. This project from Forrest is extremely interesting and his series of images are quite shocking really. Some of the people in the images don't really notice the cameras, and just get on with life as if it was a normal day. however, the government have set out to place CCTV cameras to cover the majority of every city. I think this is a message telling us that the 'higher powers' as such are actually the paranoid ones. The bottom left image interests me, because it shows a perfect circle, and then it is ruined by a camera, hinting that cameras are running every day life for people. Forrest's images are very powerful, but in a subtle way. Because the photographer has dropped back from the image, we see both the camera and a person being watched by the camera. The girl in the top image is incredibly important, because she looks innocent. She is wearing a pink dress and is alone, and then the harshness of the camera and the fact that it is there breaks up the photo and creates almost the sense of somebody is watching this innocent woman from somewhere.
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9/02/2016
Recreating photographs
This was my first attempt at re creating a photograph from a magazine. In my opinion, my efforts were not too far off, however, the light could've been harsher on my models face. I tried to recreate this image with 2 lights; 1 full body soft light and 1 single bulb light. i noticed that there was one light central, yet slightly to the left, which is where i positioned my main light until i got the desired shadows inside his jacket and on the right hand side of his face. the other light was positioned to the right of the model, lighting that side of his body up, without fading any of the harsh shadows which i needed. one critique of this image would be the way I positioned my model, he needed to be more central.
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7/02/2016
1 in 8 millionSarah Kramer and Alexis Mainland photographed a series for the New York times called '1 in 8 million' - similar to the 'Humans of New York', this documentary series tells much more of the story. The series of photographs are placed on a website with the subject talking over them as they play. This idea is so perfect for my photo stories project and I aim to do something very similar to this. The photographer evidently have a huge relationship with their subject and therefore have this connection in their photographs. In the bottom right corner, the man in the image talks about how he had to wear a tie to school, and then goes on to talk about different types of ties and events, most notably a male at a wedding and how 'poor' he is because the female gets everything, and is prepared 2 years before the wedding, whereas the man gets only a tuxedo and is only prepared 2 weeks before. There are so many characters in New York that you'd probably fail to see most of them if you were to walk down the street. this is similar to every place in the world, if I were to walk down Cheltenham high street, how many people would I actually pick out and think "I want to photograph them"- not many. Everybody has a story and I must open my mind slightly to this point.
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5/02/2016
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Martin MunkasciMartin Munkasci is a Hungarian born photographer, who based his work in Germany and New York. He first claimed fame when he came upon a fatal brawl, which he photographed. Those photos affected the outcome of the trial of the accused killer, and gave Munkácsi considerable notoriety. That notoriety helped him get a job in Berlin in 1928, for the Berliner Illustrite Zeitung, where his first published photo was a motorcycle splashing its way through a puddle. He also worked for the fashion magazine Die Dame. His photography was unbelievably 'modern' for his time and this shows, especially in the top image and his image of a motorbike splashing through water. The bottom right image is said to have inspired Henri Cartier-Bresson. The photograph, taken in Liberia led Cartier bresson to say the following; "For me this photograph was the spark that ignited my enthusiasm. I suddenly realized that, by capturing the moment, photography was able to achieve eternity. It is the only photograph to have influenced me. This picture has such intensity, such joie de vivre, such a sense of wonder that it continues to fascinate me to this day."
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2/02/2016
Semester 2: Street & Studio'Fun Ashore' is a travel magazine and includes places to visit, food to eat and stories of adventures. This 2016 version of Fun Ashore tells the story of comedian Kevin Hart and his rise to fame from being the target of bullying. To create this image, the photographer seems to have used a standard sized lens; potentially something like a 50mm. As the portrait is pretty much full frame, it is evident that the photographer was relatively close to the subject. We notice that there is a black/ grey back drop in the studio where this was shot, with the bottom of the backdrop grey and the top is black. This is because of the direction the light is coming from; the right hand side. The photographer seems to have used a single, harsh flash to light up the subjects face, leaving the left hand side of his face under exposed, creating quite a dramatic feel to the image. However, we notice that his suit jacket is over exposed on the right and exposed correctly on the left, this could be down to another light, positioned lower to help fill in the light that was missing on the person's torso. Fun Ashore has an interesting selection of different photographs,where there is a lot of studio work, there is also many travelling photographs.
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8/01/2016
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Stories Project - EvaluationAfter finishing my stories project in Gloucester, I take a look back to the start of my project. I started by contacting various different butchers, as I thought it would make an interesting topic. After shooting at Gloucester Sausage Co. and critiquing my work, I needed to be less harsh with the flash and use white balance effectively. Within my images, there are now only a few images that use flash harshly, this is due to the fact that I wanted the meat to look bright and red. I have edited the white balance of the images, because inside the butchers was tungsten lighting, and it looked too orange. Although this had a nice effect, it took away from the images in my opinion, so I edited the images to have neutral, natural lighting. I tried to capture the essence of the butcher himself more than the butchery his name was Russell, and he was 21; he had tattoos and complained about 'working every day'. Stuart, the manager barely even came on the shop floor, as he was busy in his office. Russell is not your typical butcher, he has tattoos and a backwards cap and is effectively a 'lad'. This is why I found him so interesting; the job itself is incredibly complex for what I thought it was, he knew every part of every animal and I learnt a lot (especially about mince meat). I really enjoyed photographing at this butchers and I feel as though I have gained a lot of confidence from this project; I am now confident enough to contact people I wish to photograph and turn up by myself and talk to them. I think that the butchers was a good choice for me to photograph at, because it goes unnoticed how difficult the job is to get meat to supermarkets and effectively on to our plates.
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6/01/2016
Steve McCurry - the unguarded momentSteve McCurry has always appealed to me as a photographer. I remember first getting introduced to his work while in the first year at college, studying photography. We were in a lesson called 'leading lines' and Steve McCurry was a photographer who did this amazingly well. In the top image, we follow the hand prints along the wall that lead us to this boy that is running. The hand prints could symbolise the fun which the children have in this area of the world, as the boy running away looks quite mischievous. I really like the way McCurry uses certain techniques in his work and I will try to mimic him in the future, as he is very talented. I also like his documentary work, especially the bottom two images. They are fun, yet really interesting and I prefer this style of work to the much more depressing documentaries such as war photography. He tells stories about certain people and help us look deeper into these people's lives.
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2/01/2016
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Sandy Carter- Roma, people living on the margins of societyI really like photographers who photograph rougher areas f society, especially poorer communities. Sandy Carter in this series of images photographed in the poor area of Roma; she captures mainly children in her project. I think this is because people have a more sensitive connection to children living in poverty to what they would have if the subjects were adults. I really like the connection the photographer seems to have with her subjects. In the top image, the girl in the picture is staring directly into the camera lens, almost as if the photographer asked her to do so. I think that this helps both the photographer and the viewer connect with the little girl, as we can look into her eyes and sympathise for her. Her face is dirty and her hair is messy, she is evidently poor and living in poverty. Similar to the top image, the bottom right image shows two children with was looks like a bottle of wine. They are also dirty and look like they have been sleeping rough. The photographer has obviously talked to the children and asked them to pose. Usually children will smile with joy if somebody asks for their photograph, however, these boys seem stressed and upset. In the bottom left image, we can't connect with the boy in the image as much a the other images, because he is facing away form the camera. I think the photographer has done this on purpose so we sympathise for him.
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28/12/2015
6 photographers, 1 man, 6 perspectivesI recently watched a photography experiment video. There were 6 professional photographers and they were all set the task to take a portrait of this one man. However, each photographer was given a different persona of this man; a self-made millionaire, a fisherman and an ex-con are a few of the examples. I found it extremely interesting how different perspectives of person could cause people to photograph them differently. In the top image, the photographer was told that the man was an ex prisoner, therefore they photographed him in quite dim lighting, with harsh shadows and harsh sun light; he also has an intimidating look on his face. In the bottom left image, the photographer is told that the man is a commercial fisherman, and therefore photographs him relaxing and smiling, potentially because he enjoys his fake job. In the final image, the photographer is too that the man is a self-made millionaire and approaches the image to make the subject look powerful by lowering the camera angle and using quite flattering lighting.
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24/12/2015
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Martin Parr - Think of EnglandMartin Parr has always been a photographer who interested me. He is so unique and different to every other photographer I have seen and this inspires me. His work is quite odd, yet is also very interesting. Take for example, this project he did called 'think of England' to which he photographs at typical British seasides and looks at a stereotypical day at a beach like Skegness, Cleethorpeks etc. The British seaside (in all of its glory) is comically so bad, that it is actually quite good. The seagulls, 2p machines, rocky beaches and freezing cold seas make for the best of weekends away. Parr has captured the beauty of this superbly. I particularly like the top image. Seagulls are known to be quite aggressive and in your face, typically stealing all of your food and leaving children crying. He has captured the very essence of this in his seagull image; the seagull on the right looks intimidating and aggressive, whereas the one on the left is eating all of the chips. I like how Parr has looked for the British flag in some of his photos, as it really adds to the photo and says 'this is Britain'. The bottom two images include children in the photos. British beaches typically attract lower class families and especially parents trying to take their children on holiday for a very low cost. This is also portrayed very well in Parr's images.
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22/12/25
Bruce GildenOne Bruce Gilden is another photographer that I have recently been inspired by. His photography style is somewhat extravagant and almost quite barbaric. Gilden is famous for the way he photographs; sticking a camera and a flash in somebodies face and literally dazzling and confusing his subject, before they even have chance to question his motives. Potentially a method I would love to try in the future, but most certainly one that I'd be careful with. I like all three of my chosen images, particularly the top image, as it is comical as well as interesting. Maybe this is a march of some sort, or maybe the lady was just falling. However, the man in the background and the woman's face really add to the image, the man looks like he is more bothered by the cameraman, whereas the woman is evidently falling or fainting, but the look on her face takes away any seriousness of the image. The last two images are great examples of Gilden's work in New York specifically. He seems to particularly targets older people, maybe because he can get away without them seeing or arguing with him; that said, he doesn't seem to care if he was to be confronted.
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19/12/2015
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Elliott Erwitt - Personal BestWhilst walking around Paris Photo earlier in the year, I decided to purchase Elliott Erwitt's book "Elliott Erwitt's personal best' and have it signed by the man himself. Amongst this book was a series of photos that he did in Brazil, and alongside a few other projects that he did, this was one of my favourites. Brazil is known to be colourful and 'carnival' like. However, Erwitt shoots in black and white and completely takes away the colour from the images he shot, making us look at the subjects in the image and think about them, other than the clothes they are wearing and the background. He perceives Brazil as a poor, yet almost fun country. Evidently in the top image, the children are relatively poor. They have old looking clothes on and don't have any sign of wealth. However, they are sticking things to each others faces and playing, just like a normal children would. This is evident in the bottom left image also. I really like the bottom right image as it is quite ironic. The truck in the image seems to have broken down and there are two men trying to fix it. We then see a horse almost mocking the fact that it is broken down. Elliott Erwitt is a really interesting photographer and I am glad that I spent €50 on his book and signature. Although I did feel a little sorry for him because he is a bit past it now. However, this does not take away from the work he once produced.
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19/12/2015
Robert Capa - Magnificent elevenWhile researching for my project, I came across a book in which Robert Capa was the photographer. I read and looked through the book and I found a certain project in which he did very interesting. Caps was a war photographer and was shipped out with the 2nd batch of troops to storm Normandy beach in 1944. He took 106 images on 4 different films. Armed with 2 50mm cameras, he was the only photographer at the Normandy landings. His photos, historically amazing were the only ones published at this time and gave an insight into the war. Unfortunately, when Capa sent his negatives back to London to be developed, one eager developer turned the heater in the dryer up so that they could be published sooner. Inevitably, Capa's negatives were melted, except eleven of them. These were called the 'magnificent eleven'. I think that the story behind these images actually make the images better in themselves. The fact that only 11 images define the entire Normandy landings help us to cherish every single image that Capa took. I particularly like the top image as it shows how lonely the war was, despite thousands of soldiers attacking the beaches that day.
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17/12/2015
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Robert Frank - The AmericansI recently looked through a photo book called 'The Americans' by American photographer Robert Frank. The book was highly influential in post-war American photography. It was first published in France in 1958, and the following year in the United States. The book is a very interesting take on the American lifestyle and somewhat highlights the American dream. Freedom is symbolised a lot in Frank's images. We can see that in all three of images, they involve some sort of freedom. The top image shows a bus with all of its windows open and all the people on the bus are sticking their head outside of the window as if they were dogs. The bottom right image shows a guy in a convertible car, symbolising that he is completely free as he is not in any sort of confined space. Although the bottom left image doesn't really show 'freedom' as such, it shows an American flag, showing that the people hiding behind the flag in the image are proud to be American. I really like Frank's work in this project as it is something close to his heart. I will be influenced by this work, especially when it comes to doing an austerity, prosperity project.
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11/12/2015
Café art - life through the gaze of a homeless LondonerCafé art gave 100 disposable cameras out to homeless people in London; these were some of the example photos taken. By giving the homeless people cameras, we get an insight into the life they live. Although none of these homeless people have had any past experience in photography, some of the images are spectacular. Particularly the top image, although edited by a professional is actually a really good image. It gives the insight of both the man in the picture's life, and although the photographer. The man in the image is carrying 'baggage', and in itself, the image is a pun because he is even carrying baggage in life too. It gives us the insight of the man taking the photo too, as he probably sees this kind of thing every day. The bottom two images also give us an example of the daily things that homeless people come across every day. You can image them being much more observant than most people, as they have nothing else to do; therefore they can observe what is around them and actually take some pretty good pictures. This could be a great idea for a project, maybe using a group of people who aren't homeless and seeing a different side to society instead.
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5/12/2015
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Homer Sykes - New societyHomer Sykes tends to photograph people who are less fortunate or 'interesting' in society. In this series of images, we see people who are evidently on the poorer spectrum of society. In the top image, we see a guy who looks as though he is being arrested or blocked from something aggressive, like a fight or protest. The guy has a ripped t shirt, a messy hair cut and bags under eyes - he could be like this due to alcohol, drugs or he may just live in bad conditions, all we see from the photograph is that he is aggressive. In the bottom two images, we delve into the lives of people by entering their home. In one image, an elderly woman has a mask on and it almost looks quite frightening. She could have a mask on to help her skin, whereas she could also have one on because she had been burnt or gone through something to harm her. On the other hand, we see what could be her family. Either way, they are living in an average, what looks like a council house and evidently again are on the poorer spectrum. Along with the other 2 images, the man in the bottom right image is sad about something. This could be because he is in a bad state or can't afford to pay for something. I will look towards these kinds of images as they really interest me, especially the fact that he is obviously close to his subject, as he is in their house.
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28/11/2015
B&W or Colour?While editing some of my Gloucester stories work, I decided to experiment with them and change a few to black and white, up the contrast and use levels to make the blacks, greys and whites have more of a 'punch'. Obviously, while photographing at a butchery, you should focus on the reds and the raw flesh, making them stand out as much as possible. However, this could have negative connotations of what butchers do. By photographing in black and white, we get a much bigger sense of what job the butcher actually does. We also get a look into part of his personality; his tattoos and his hat forming a judgement. As Ted Grant once said - "when you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls:" I will definitely be looking into some more black and white shots in the butchers, especially to photograph the butcher himself, other than the meat, which would probably look better with the colour that it actually is.
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23/11/2015
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Steve Forrest - paranoid BritainSteve Forrest, based in London wandered to work one day and decided to count the security cameras on his way to work (over a 2.7 mile walk), his result was a staggering 106 CCTV cameras; some for traffic control, some may be even dummies but the truth is, everything we do is being monitored by cameras. This project from Forrest is extremely interesting and his series of images are quite shocking really. Some of the people in the images don't really notice the cameras, and just get on with life as if it was a normal day. however, the government have set out to place CCTV cameras to cover the majority of every city. I think this is a message telling us that the 'higher powers' as such are actually the paranoid ones. The bottom left image interests me, because it shows a perfect circle, and then it is ruined by a camera, hinting that cameras are running every day life for people. Forrest's images are very powerful, but in a subtle way. Because the photographer has dropped back from the image, we see both the camera and a person being watched by the camera. The girl in the top image is incredibly important, because she looks innocent. She is wearing a pink dress and is alone, and then the harshness of the camera and the fact that it is there breaks up the photo and creates almost the sense of somebody is watching this innocent woman from somewhere.
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23/11/2015
Kieran Dodds - Going Hungry in Britain"People don't want to be seen using a food bank". Kieran Dodds documents the life of people on the fence between poverty and hunger as he documents British people in genuine need for money and food. He claims that people in Britain are too proud and stubborn to ask for food off of other people or food banks. I found this series of images incredibly interesting and also quite emotional, because I have seen people in this situation before. Dodds has evidently had contact with these people before shooting them, as he has seemingly set up some sort of studio lighting in a few of his images. However, some of the images used are with natural lighting and on the street (top and right). I particularly like the top image, as the man there seems ashamed that he has collected some 'free food'. He seems to be moving quite quickly and he also has his head down. I really like the environmental portrait in the bottom left. It gives a sense of the person, as he has tattoos and a grumpy look on his face, so we evidently judge him as a person, and then we look in his cupboards and see that he only has tinned food and it makes us think that he is actually rather poor. I also like the framing of Dodds pictures, I like how the guy in the top image seems to be escaping the frame, linking with the fact that he is attempting to escape the humiliation of getting free food.
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23/11/2015
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George Georgiou - InvisibleGeorge Georgiou is a photographer born in London, UK. This project called 'invisible', linking to that of a photographer trying to blend in and to be invisible to create better photographs. The work is being shot across the whole of London through the windows of buses. Georgiou seemingly uses a wide depth of field for his shots (maybe f.22) in order to capture the entire of his photo so it is in focus. Evidently, he is on a moving bus and therefore it is difficult for him to capture everything; for example, the top image shows one guy in focus and one man who is blurred, possibly because he is moving the opposite direction to the bus. He also doesn't shoot using a flash, one reason for this could be that he is remaining 'invisible', however I think he has done this so that the bus window reflects very little light and all focus is on the subject. His subjects never seem to notice him, either. This is also a very good approach as we get the natural feel of the people in the picture. The images are candid and therefore, the photographer can't really compose them as well as he'd probably like to, and therefore we get the feel that he is just a passer by on the bus, which helps you to realise the thousands of people you pass. Georgiou seemingly uses a standard lens, maybe that of a 50mm lens, this shows that he is genuinely that close to his subjects.
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15/11/2015
Paris - Friday the 13thFriday the 13th of November was a day to forget for many as many people were brutally murdered by ISIS in Paris. From the 11th-13th of November, I visited Paris and most importantly Paris Photo, one of the biggest expos in the world of photography. Upon looking through hundreds of galleries and gaining inspiration from each, I met one particular photographer; Elliot Erwitt (who also signed my book). His work is very interesting, particularly his work with dogs, as he delves into the un-imaginable and 'breaks the rules' as such. His work is very absurd and is said to 'master' Henri Cartier Bressonn's "decisive moment" when it comes to photographs. While in Paris itself, I decided to photograph a little of the city. These two images in particular caught my eye, especially after the devastation that happened, I like the bottom image as the sky is moody and dark. I also like the top image of the Eiffel tower, although it is quite a common image to see.
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09/11/2015
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Gloucester wholesale sausage co.After researching and deciding to do my project inside a butchery, I managed to contact a place called Gloucester wholesale sausage co. who allowed me to photograph their store and their butchers. Upon arrival, I noticed that it wasn't just a butchers, it was also a shop that sell sandwiches, snacks and so on. I spoke to a lady and told her that I was here to photograph, and then I was allowed around the back where I met the butcher, Russell. Russell is a 20 year old man who works at the butchery every day (so he claims). I spent about 10 minutes before taking my camera out just to talk to Russell and we got on really well, his work was also very impressive as he was so quick and knew exactly what he was doing - he was also really strong, as you can tell in the top image. Although the place was full of dead animals and blood, I decided to go for a happy approach to my photographs. In the first image, I asked if i could photograph him next to the pig - he decided to lift it up and start making jokes about it, hence the picture. I also wanted to tell the story of how the meat is prepared for the general public and so I decided to shoot the bottom left image of part of a cow Russell was preparing to sell. I will be visiting the butchery again some time soon and look forward to getting some even better shots, now that I know the staff I can maybe get a little closer and more personal.
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03/11/2015
Gloucester project ideaA quick thought on the Gloucester project. Photographing butchers during work would be awesome and also quite gruesome at the same time. Blood, flesh and a rancid smell all something to consider in my photographs and also the reactions to things like halal could be a possibility - something to definitely consider in this project. I think that the white overalls of the butcher mixed with the blood they are undoubtably going to wipe on them, mixed with hanging flesh everywhere could make for some awesome, yet grim images. I could also (depending on contacts) photograph an environmental portrait for each butchery that I find, looking at the lack of women in butchery could also be a great story to be told. I have emailed multiple butchers and I am awaiting responses from them all, after their response I will arrange to meet them and spend a few hours with them.
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02/11/2015
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Photographs in contextThis picture shows a scene of the Vietnam battle in 1972. The frightened children who were running from the area of napalm attack. This was a result of a South Vietnamese plane that unexpectedly released napalm on its civilians and troops, the child at the center of this photograph threw away her burning clothes as she escaped. This picture sent messages of the horrific state of the war and pushed an anti-war campaign from the Americans, making it one of the most famous photographs. Although horrific, instead of photographing the strike itself, the photographer photographed people running from the scene, showing the horrible after-effects the strike had on its civilians and shows how falling back from a scene can capture more horrific events than the event itself.
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Are 'action shots' the best way to portray a story? Thomas Hoepker's photograph of the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers in 2001 sparking huge controversy, highlighting how quickly people forget about atrocities, with one journalist claiming that "this is a country that likes to move on and fast," If we just saw the foreground of this photograph, we would think nothing of it except a few friends having fun, the fact that the twin towers are collapsing behind this group of people is incredible. By pulling back from an event, instead of photographing the event itself, we see a totally different side to it... what people do not see in real time. Luc Delahay's photograph of the Jenin Refugee Camp shows a wide-angled view of Jenin and the disasters it has faced. Instead of photographing the people at the actual refugee camp, the photographer has fallen back from the close ups and taken a landscape to over see the disaster. Although there are people in the scene who are more than likely refugees, we are not connected to these in any way which makes it more possible to realise the disaster in the actual place rather than the people themselves.
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31/10/2015
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Magnum contact sheetsThis contact sheet/ image from Peter Marlow shows a speech by Margaret Thatcher in 1981 in Blackpool. The photographer has shot from beneath the prime minister at the time in all of his photos to show Thatcher as powerful and controlling over her public, the natural light used also reflects off of her pale white skin to depict her as almost evil. The photographer has multiple photographs of Thatcher smiling and laughing but decided to show the photograph of her looking moody, maybe showing that the photographer has this view of her and also the public too.
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This contact sheet shows a photoshoot with possibly the best boxer in history, Muhammed Ali. The photographs were taken in 1966, when Ali was in his prime and therefore the photo needed to make him look powerful and strong. Hopper opted for small f stop, causing the depth of field to be narrow and making Ali himself look blurry. This could symbolise what his opponent sees when they are being hit by him (a big fist and then everything goes blurry), this could also symbolise the fact that he was a speedy boxer and you couldn't see him. Hopper took multiple photos in this shoot, some full frame and some close up, however I think that he chose this image because it creates a powerful demeanour for Ali, just like Peter Marlow's photographs of Margaret Thatcher.
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26/10/2015
Stow Horse Fair shootPossibly the hardest shoot I have done up to date was Stow Horse Fair. The fair itself was nowhere near the size of Tewkesbury Mop Fair and there were far less people, making it much more obvious if you were taking their photograph. Upon arrival, I noticed that the majority of the crowd and salespeople were from the travelling community and a lot of them really didn't want their photo taking. For example, if I were to ask somebody for a portrait of them, I would get the simple answer of "no". Although some people were willing for their photographs to be taken, it was very rare and therefore I feel as though the candid photographs are the best. I particularly like the photograph of the two horses looking like they are kissing. These fairs have a bad reputation for animal cruelty and seeing two horses tied up happily playing with each other kind of shines a light on this factor. Overall, the event was a huge learning curve for me and I also feel as though I learnt who wants their picture taking and who doesn't. Although the gypsy community are extravagant and outgoing in their own way, a lot of them were reserved, thus making it a difficult, yet interesting place to photograph.
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25/10/2015
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Humans of New York- Brandon Stanton (research)While looking through books of people photographing other people, I considered the work of Brandon Stanton who's blog (which has over 4 million followers) tells the story of people who walk the streets of New York City. Being a major tourist attraction, the city is full of colourful, vibrant people who tell an interesting story themselves. Stanton obviously has a connection with his subjects, as they are willing to stand and be photographed by him. After massively considering a 'people of Gloucester' story, I declined the temptation and I am considering something similar to Stanton's work, however photographing different ethnicities in the heart of Gloucester an then maybe asking them a question such as 'what does it mean to be British?' or 'do you like England?' or even 'what brought you to England?' and hope they have an interesting, blog-worthy story. I particularly like the work Stanton did with the Asian man with the bright orange turban, because his white beard and orange features contrast really well with each other.
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15/10/2015
Women of the native struggle- Ronnie Farley (research)A little off topic, Ronnie Farley did a documentary called 'Women of the native struggle' where she photographed families and women especially during a poor period in native America. I was looking to explore the homeless and poor community in Gloucester, as they seem to be quite common in this area. Compared to Cheltenham, Gloucester doesn't really separate the 'poor' and the 'rich' side from one another and therefore there is a gulf of poor/homeless people mixed in with middle-classed and richer people. This could also be the road I take in my story as I find homeless people extremely interesting, because they all have a story of how they got to where they are, and what they aspired to be before these circumstances. However, getting the contacts to photograph the life of a homeless man/woman would be hard, as they will tend to want some sort of payment which I cannot offer. Farley's book tells stories of families (like Faure's) however Farley tells the stories of how they are in a struggle, and therefore pulls on the heart strings of the reader much more than Faure's work, which just tells an interesting story of a multi-cultural town.
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15/10/2015
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Citizens of the world- Nicolas Faure (research)"This is a collection of photographs taken of families in the Swiss town of Meyrin, near Geneva. Geneva itself is the centre for many international concerns, from the International Red Cross to Rolex, and the United Nations. In this nearby town, there are ambassadors from over 100 nations living harmoniously together". This book by Nicolas Faure studies the multicultural town of Meyrin in Switzerland and photographs different families in the town, the majority of them being from different countries. It is interesting how many different ethnicities there actually are. Gloucester is also very multicultural and has a variety of Polish, Romanian and Indian shops throughout the city which I could exploit. I hope to do portraits of different people walking the streets in Gloucester, especially on the roads with all the different shops. I find it really interesting how there is also a class difference between each of the families. For example, the Korean family look very well dressed and educated, whereas the other families look reasonably intellectual, their clothes and furniture suggest otherwise. This could also be exploited in my own work. I would find it an interesting documentary if I were to document each ethnicity in Gloucester.
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15/10/2015
Alex Fakso- heavy metal (research)Alex Fakso did a documentary on a group of boys who vandalised and graffitied on train tracks and trains as they were parked for the night. Working on my storytelling in Gloucester, I would like to document and shadow a group (or maybe a singular person) in their daily life. This is exactly what Alex Fakso did in this documentary. He used quite strong lighting while photographing them also, bringing out their flaws and making them look very vibrant and intimidating. I will use strong flash if I am wanting to make people look harsh and scary, however I will use softer lighting if I am trying to make them look nicer. I will seriously consider Fakso's work while doing my story telling because if I am doing a story on people, this will be one of the techniques I will be using. I am considering a story on different ethnicities in my work and how they are portrayed in Gloucester.
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13/10/2015
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USA vs Japan- Rugby World Cup shootThe last of the Rugby World Cup group stages were held at Knigsholm- Gloucester. A match between Japan and the USA was bound to show great character and an amazing atmosphere so I traveled down to photograph the fans pre match and post match, however I ended up entering the stadium and watching the match myself, photographing some fans and some of the match along the way. Japan won comfortable and both sets of fans were in high spirits as it was the last game that both teams would play. Outside the ground, the roads were pedestrianised 2 hours before kick off and 2 hours after kick off. This saw thousands of fans hit the streets, watching live music, a drumming group and a crazy Japanese man shouting "we love you England" to which the English and American fans loved. Throughout the night, I noticed that there was a lot of colour (particularly red, white and blue) which I wanted to exploit in my images. I also wanted to show an overview of the fans and the passion which the Japanese showed throughout the match and also the World Cup itself, and I think the bottom right image shows this well.
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12/10/2015
Tewkesbury Mop Fair shootUpon visiting Tewkesbury Mop Fair, I was aiming to shoot a lot of people at the fair, be it in natural light or with a flash. I was also looking to shoot an image that gives an overview of the colour and lights used at the actual fair and on the rides. I arrived at about 5pm and the fair was already very lively and rather busy... so I set off shooting! After about an hour shooting and about 100 different people photographed, I came across a man who seemed to be quite mysterious and as I watched him, he pulled out a notepad (mysteriously) and started writing some sort of note. He kept looking around and then taking another note, so I photographed him because he was a very interesting character. As it got got darker, I decided to go and look at some rides and photograph peoples reactions to the speed and dizziness of various rides, upon photographing roughly 20 different groups on different rides, I found this image very amusing. From what I could gather, it looked as though a mother and an auntie (or similar) took their young girl on the 'waltzer' which is a high speed ride, that pins you to the seat with its G-force. I love the fact that both of the women look as though they're almost pretending like they're having fun, whereas the little girl is undoubtably not having fun. While researching for the Mop fair, a lot of photographers did long exposures of circular rides (such as a ferris wheel) and they looked good, but they were really generic, so I decided to do a long exposure of a ride that had a variety of directions and spins involved, creating this particular image that gives an overall appearance of the fair, with its blinding lights and fast movement. Overall, the fair was a great learning curve for using flash photography and a very enjoyable experience.
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08/10/2015
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Using flash effectively (research)Bruce Davidson is a Magnum photographer and he did a project on a subway in New York City. This photograph shows how a harsh flash, pointing directly at the subject can bring out imperfections and flaws. The subject has dark skin and therefore he absorbs the light, as we can see in his face, he is also wearing harsh red clothing which also conflicts with the flash. I will use this method if I am wanting to highlight imperfections in somebody or if I am trying to perceive them as worse than they are, particularly at the Stow Horse Fair. Brian Finke also uses a harsh flash, maybe at a 2.2 aperture, this lights up everything in the frame and casts very dark shadows, causing an almost cartoon-like feel to his work. Also, like Bruce Davidson's images, the harsh flash highlights imperfections and flaws on the subjects. Rink Dijstrka takes a different approach to flash as she uses a much softer flash (potentially a soft box) in order to bring the subject away from the background, Dijstrka also shoots into infinity and therefore there are no reflection from the background, as there is in Davidson's images. I will use this technique if I am wanting to shoot a portrait of somebody,
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06/10/2015
Stow Horse Fair (research)A horse fair is normally an annual fair where people buy and sell horses. In the UK there are many fairs which are traditionally attended by gypsies and travellers who converge at the fairs to buy and sell horses, meet with friends and relations and to celebrate their music, history and folklore. By shooting the travelling community, I must be wary of wether or not they will see me taking their photograph and I must also be friendly and occasionally ask them for a photograph. As I will be shooting this fair during day time, I will be shooting with natural light, as these three images portray. Because the fair is mid/late October, and in England, I must be wary of the fact that it may be an overcast day or possibly even raining, therefore I will be taking a flash in order to shoot in low-light conditions. I would need to shoot at a reasonably high shutter speed to freeze the movement of the people, I will be shooting upwards of 160 shutter speed, depending on the conditions. This fair will be full of interesting, quirky people and everybody will have their own personal story about how they became a traveler/ if they were born into this community. I will also attempt to gain contacts for my story-telling project by talking to the travellers and handing out business cards, hopefully leading me on to the next project well.
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05/10/2015
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Tewkesbury Mop Fair (research)Dating back to 12th century, according to the Tewkesbury Fair Society the Mop Fair’s name came about because farm workers, labourers, servants and craftsmen would take along an item to represent their trade to the fair. Ran by the travelling community, Tewkesbury Mop Fair has an interesting array of people to photograph. Although I will photograph interesting people during the mop fair, I will also take note of the beautiful lights that cast off of various rides. Using a slow shutter speed will catch fast-moving rides with a blurred light, giving it an unnatural, mesmerising look to it. I will be taking a flash to the mop fair, however I will be focusing on the lighting from rides and different stores, thus creating different coloured lighting on people's faces, other than natural sun light and on-camera flash and therefore giving a different dimension to the image and making it more interesting. Ran by travellers, it will be interesting to see wether or not people like their pictures being taken and also should test my confidence in getting close to the subject. By using a 50mm fixed I have no choice but to get nearer to a subject I want to photograph, thus putting me in risk of being spotted by a subject, which could provide me with a more interesting shot, as I will capture their reaction to the camera. I aim to shoot a few rides with a slow shutter speed, various interesting people and also a photograph that represents the mop fair as a whole (maybe a landscape from a distance).
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22/09/2015
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Gloucester: the home of rugby shootKingsholm- Gloucester was home to multiple Rugby World Cup group stage games, including the thrilling game between a strong Scotland team and Japan, following their surprising win against South Africa. The game ended 45-10 to Scotland and the streets were buzzing as a 16,000 strong crowd stumbled out of the ground and to the pubs. During the World Cup, Gloucester was a different place altogether, somewhat overshadowing the bad reputation that the town seems to possess. Photographing the fans after the game was very interesting; although taking a huge defeat, the Japanese were in good spirits and were dancing and singing with the Scottish.
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A day in Gloucester shootGloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester stands in the north of the town, near the River Severn. The Cathedral dominates the town's skyline and also somewhat out-shines the rest of Gloucester with its looks. I noticed that many dog walkers would take their dogs around the Cathedral and also people enjoyed walking around the area. Despite the Cathedral and the town centre being reasonably clean and good looking, a two minute walk out of the city centre takes you to a completely different part of the town, where you will find many run down and abandoned places. Photographed on an overcast, glum day- the town does not look at all pretty (apart from the Cathedral, which is the nicest part).
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The saviour of the cityLaying in the North East of Gloucester is Gloucester's very own nature reserve. Gloucester Nature Reserve is full of wild animals and beautiful scenery, including a lake and a tributary of the River Severn, which entertains canal boat owners, as they can travel down the river, enjoying the greenery and various different plants. Although the outskirts of Gloucester itself is known to be quite glum, the Nature Reserve is definitely a diamond in the rough. While walking through the Nature Reserve, the friendliness within the people I met had a distinctive difference compared to those on the outskirts of the town centre. One elderly man allowed a friend to photograph a portrait of them by the lake, whereas in the City Centre, photographing people, it was almost intimidating. The friendliness of the people could correspond with the scenery they are involved with.
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Credit: http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/wildlife/reserves
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