17/04/2016
Final project evaluation
Nicola Needham is one of my best friend’s mother and she was diagnosed in December of 2014; when she was diagnosed I was shocked as well as heartbroken. Luckily, Niocla survived the cancer and now lives a normal, healthy life. I decided to photograph a story on her to show the recovery after cancer to showcase the way it affects everybody, especially the patient even after it has disappeared. This story was very close to my heart and I felt as though this helped me to develop a better relationship with Nicola and also to discover more about the disease and develop an understanding of what people have to go through. I do believe that the story achieves a recognition of breast cancer and how difficult it can be, it also helps the viewer get closer and more personal with the subject, helping to develop a more emotional, hopeful story.
Do I think I captured it well?
I think that in a lot of cases, I have caught the recovery really well in this story, as it is a reasonably happy story in the end, however I feel some of my pictures lack in quality, and although they help massively towards the story, they could’ve been better. Although I feel that some of the images lack, I also feel as though I have some very strong images in there as well, especially the portraits. Generally speaking, this project was one I will remember, as it made me sad and then it made me happy; I think having such a good relationship with your subject is absolutely vital in a story like this, as you need to ask extremely personal questions and also photograph some emotional, personal things and in a lot of cases, you wouldn’t be able to get the access if this was the case. This project has opened my eyes to the emotional heartache cancer causes and also opened my eyes ot the relief and joy of somebody overcoming it.
Do I think I captured it well?
I think that in a lot of cases, I have caught the recovery really well in this story, as it is a reasonably happy story in the end, however I feel some of my pictures lack in quality, and although they help massively towards the story, they could’ve been better. Although I feel that some of the images lack, I also feel as though I have some very strong images in there as well, especially the portraits. Generally speaking, this project was one I will remember, as it made me sad and then it made me happy; I think having such a good relationship with your subject is absolutely vital in a story like this, as you need to ask extremely personal questions and also photograph some emotional, personal things and in a lot of cases, you wouldn’t be able to get the access if this was the case. This project has opened my eyes to the emotional heartache cancer causes and also opened my eyes ot the relief and joy of somebody overcoming it.
13/04/2016
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Final contact sheetHere are the 22 images that I have chosen for my final edit and will edit them into a powerpoint with audio over the top. I decided to record Nicola speaking for my presentation as it gives us more depth to the story, as it is from the person themselves. I decided to use the diary that her daughter wrote for her to narrate the story along with audio because this gives it a much more personal depth to it. I feel as though there are some strong images in the edit as well as a few weak ones; however I feel as though the weak images tell the story just as good as the 'best' photographs. All in all, I really like my final edit and think it tells the story really well.
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9/04/2016
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Double page spread ideasI decided to put a full bleed photograph for my front cover as it enhances the photo and also the writing and grabs attention - perfect for a magazine. I also decided to lay the photos out with the most powerful ones bigger and also each and every photo matches the story told in the writing. I will need to add captions however, as it is not known in some of the photographs what they are.
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5/04/2016
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Recovery of a cancer survivor shoot 2After my first shoot with Nicola, I realised that there were a lot of things in there that were a lot to do with cancer treatment and the process of it, for example paperwork, a diary and jewellery/ flowers she had been bought while in hospital. In this shoot I wanted to create a sense of how she goes about every day life now that the disease has passed her. I wanted to focus on her family, her pets and of course her every day routine and things she enjoys doing. Nicola specifically enjoys spending time with family, drinking tea and watching Tv. In the shoot, I captured her watching television, drinking tea and also playing with her pets, i felt that this gave the story more of a range of photographs; one set to show how bad the cancer was at the time and then the after effect of it. I particularly find these 3 images interesting. The bottom right shows Nicola over looking her family, almost as though she is the protector of them all. I like the depth of field in the piano photograph and also that I actually captured it all while she was playing the music. The top image is one of my favourites in the story, as it is a strong portrait and shows hope and happiness.
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1/04/2016
Andi Schreiber: WonderlustAndi Schreiber is what one might coin as a domestic Martin Parr. She turns her camera on her life, her children, family and friends with a glaring lens that is full of color, reality, and the details of our humanness. There is humour and pathos in her seeing, and her skills as a photojournalist bring domestic life into focus.
"WonderLust is a visceral response to my immediate surroundings – a world where I’m at home yet hovering on the periphery, an insider and outsider at once. Through these images I find my place within my family’s framework and that of a larger existence." I really like this project, as it links to every day life for most people. Especially the top image, which shows what looks like the after effects of a party; diorites, alcohol and a lot of mess. The bottom two images, assuming that they are here kids, shows the every day life of a young child. I think that she documents the normality of life perfectly in this project. |
28/03/2016
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Daniel Depew: People with storiesI recently discovered the work of Daniel Depew when I found this photograph while doing some research. There was something about the simplicity of the image, combined with the poignancy of a man wearing a USA vest in an empty coffee shop, that drew my interest. You could feel time passing in the still of winter, in that sterile burger joint, and wonder about his life, his family, his future. Upon investigating Dan’s work further, he brings that same way of seeing to many of his portraits and images. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, his photographs celebrate the odd, humorous, awkward, honest, and unpolished moments and characters of real life.
The simplicity of this project really makes it one to stand out to me. Although every single person you meet has a story, Depew has titled this project 'people with stories' and I find this interesting because now you actually start questioning each individual story, whereas with a normal portrait you'd look at the eyes and the quality of the photograph. Depew has captured America perfectly, especially in the top image. It is so patriotic with all of the red and whites and also a USA jacket, I think it works so well. In the bottom two images, we see polar opposites however, one looking depressed and then 2 elderly women looking happy; questioning what they are feeling at that moment. |
24/03/2016
Henry Horenstein: Tales from the 70'sHorenstein has been a tireless photographer and educator, always on the move with subjects ranging from horse racing to burlesque to country music. For those that know him beyond his photographs and Basic Manual, you know that he also has a flair for presenting his work within the book format. His monographs include Racing Days, Animalia, Humans, Show, Close Relations, and his most recent updated edition of Honky Tonk: Portraits of Country Music. However, Henry is not done, and his new tome inspires to show the common thread that runs through such an expansive career and eye in photography.
Horenstein’s newest venture "tales from the 70's aim to chronicle the people and events of the decade. He says, “I hope that this will serve as a chronicle of the past – a snapshot of the time and people who were not famous or rich but were a fundamental part of the culture of the 70s.” I particularly like the high contrast black and white images in Hohenstein's work. I also really like the top image, because it shows vulnerability in the woman and also the surroundings she is in. |
20/03/2016
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Charles J. Mintz: Americans at homePhotographer Charles Mintz has a unique portrait project, Lustron Stories – Americans at Home, which features environmental portraits of Lustron homeowners. He has created a series that shines a light on an unusual architectural community all living in the same footprint, but bringing their own unique flourish to their homes.
Lustron Corporation manufactured porcelain baked enamel steel houses in Columbus OH between 1948 and 1950. Virtually everything, exterior siding, roof, interior walls, cabinets, and ceilings were made out of this material. The components were shipped to site on a specially designed trailer and assembled by local contractors. Of the 2500 sold, roughly two-thirds are still being used today. These houses were aimed at GI’s returning from the war, as starter homes for young families – an answer to the country’s severe housing shortage. Over the past three years, 120 portraits of the people living in these homes in fifteen states have been produced using Mintz's large wooden film camera. This project idea is very similar to 'citizens of the world' by Nicolas Faure, who photographed over 100 different nations living in a small town in Switzerland. The concept of environmental portraiture also interests me massively, because no only do you see the person/ people living in the house but you also see a bit of their history and living habits. Maybe the guy in the first image doesn't have anybody living with him and therefore lives quite messily for example. |
17/03/2016
Recovery of a cancer survivor (shoot 1)"Cancer affects all of us - wether you're a daughter, mother, sister, friend, coworker, doctor or patient."
I decided to shoot a very personal project of my best friend's mum, Nicky. In December, 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and from thereon life was a fight. Now, at just 50 years old, Nicky has fought Cancer and came out superior; she lives at home with her 2 daughters - Ellie and Annabella, and also her husband Steve. During the project I learnt so much about the illness and also about the daily struggle she had. Ellie made a diary from day 1 and gave it to her mother for christmas; I have photographed a lot of the book itself because it makes for an incredible narrative. I have also focused a lot on the positives, as well as the recovery itself; such as the animals she now owns and also how happy she is as a person. I particularly focused on her eyes, as they are bright blue and show so much hope. |
14/03/2016
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Morgan Ashcom - what the living carryMorgan Ashcom was born and raised on a farm in rural Virginia. His photographs explore the mystery behind the visible world, and are a combination of imagination, observation and experience. In 2013 he graduated from the Hartford Art School MFA Photography program and now lives and works in New York City.
While in the woods, Ashcom found pockets of wilderness, many of them nestled between rural and urban areas, and they were sometimes lightly populated. His interactions with the people he met and his responses to them provided some seeds for the photographs in this series. One of them remarked to him, “Depending on how long you been out here, you’d be surprised as to the things that can crawl into your brain.” Every place and every person has their secrets or demons, and often they’re passed down through the generations in families and communities. Ashcom claims that he can see a part of himself, and characters he's come to know, tabernacled in these photographs which are an indiscernible amalgamation of observation, imagination, and experience. |
11/03/2016
Birthe Piontek: Lying stillPiontek's project consists of self portraits and still lifes, each dealing with notions of mortality, sexuality, intimacy, roles and relationships and the change within them. Lying Still started out as a visual diary, capturing a personal journey through sickness. But soon, Piontek realised that she was also telling other stories. She noticed how her body had changed since she was younger. How her body would keep changing, and wouldn’t last forever. How becoming a woman comes with the price of aging. And as she focused on these forces that lie beyond our control, She began to explore the concept of internal change, and our approaches to what happens in life. The images are a view of the human condition – poetic scenes that have their origin in the deep reservoir of the unconsciousness and refer to our dreams, desires, urges, memories and fears. Particularly linking images to that of the female period; we see subtle links to blood in the project. We also see that in almost all of the images, Piontek is hiding her face with towels, hair and in most of them, completely cutting her head out of the frame. I really like this project as it is very personal and also rather powerful, as it makes me sympathise for her as a person, helping me to appreciate her work a lot more. |
8/03/2016
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Mike Sakasegawa: All good thingsMichael Sakasegawa is a self-taught photographer and writer, occasional book artist, and full-time electrical engineer. This project is a project about his children, and he writes about it in such a poetic way. This is how he introduces his project;
"Some day I will die. It’s a strange thought to dwell on at a time in my life when my children are so young. As, indeed, am I. And yet, since the birth of my oldest, I have never been more acutely aware of the passage of time." I feel as though this project in itself is actually as poetic as the way he talks about it. He portrays the way of life perfectly; the way we grow up, get a house and then have children whom we need to look after and bring up, until one day the inevitable happens and we die. I also like how modest Sakasegawa is about his personal life. Although the entire project is of his children and their every day Sakasegawa also includes 1 self- portrait as he is laying in the sun and his kids are running around him; he seems happy and I think that hi happiness is what this project is about, as well as his children. |
5/03/2016
Thomas Michael Alleman - The unwindingThomas Alleman has created a number of significant projects about what’s outside the front door–his focus on the ubiquitous American Apparel billboards and other projects such as Sunshine and Noir where he finds black and white beauty on the streets of cities around the world, and Dancing the Dragon's Jaw which explores the 1980's AID's crisis in San Fransisco. In this photo story, Alleman explores a much more personal and powerful project called 'the unwinding', that shows a family in decline at which Thomas had a ringside seat. This series garnered a place in the Top 50 in Critical Mass in 2015. "I began practicing my pictures of my mother and the family in 1982, just as their downward trajectory began slowly but certainly spiralling." Aleman said, talking about how this project came about. I really like this project as it is really powerful and also links to the potential project that I could shoot on the cancer survivor, however my project is evidently going in a different direction than his family.
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3/03/2016
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James Nachtwey - RwandaJames Nachtwey's horrific project in Rwanda shocked thousands when it was released and it still shocks me to this day. The series of photographs were taken during the Rwandan genocide in 1994; Nachtwey was noted talking about the death toll as "The number most often heard is 800,000. It’s a big number no matter what it’s applied to. Trying to imagine 800,000 people with their heads bashed in by rocks and clubs, impaled on spears, hacked to death with hoes and machetes – in just three months – stuns the mind, and we struggle to wring meaning out of words like “biblical” or “apocalyptic.” Still to this day, I have yet to see many narratives much more powerful than this one; it shows malnourished children, injured children and the weapons used in this huge genocide. The top image shows what looks like 4 slashes to the face of a child with a sword or knife. The victim seems to have had the top of his ear chopped off, as well as part of his mouth impaired. The third image is particularly shocking because not only does the series show death and brutality, but it also shows a typical 'African' photograph in where there is a starving child crawling, much like the work of Kevin Carters with the vulture and the starving girl. The 2nd image however shows no humans, but just the weapons of mass destruction laying peacefully in a pile. There are likely thousands upon thousands of swords in this pile.
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29/02/2016
Student food - Shoot oneThis was my first shoot in my university accommodation on the topic of food. I decided to shoot each and every image with my on camera flash, therefore giving the food a shocking/ un-flattering look to them, regardless of what they were. I live with 6 other students and we all share a kitchen, and amongst thinking about a project for a photo story, I found it interesting how (including myself) students in the modern day live on a very small budget for food, and therefore buying cheap, saturated foods. The main suspect for this project is Tesco's 'own brand' products, especially meats. In the top image we see a packet of sausages being opened and a tin of beans next to them. Although the beans are a reasonable brand, we can tell that the meat is of very poor quality; this combined with a harsh flash makes them look even more vulgar. I will potentially use this project as a narrative on student lifestyle and how it could be different. I could do this by photographing meals that aren't just gory, but in fact I could photograph some nice looking meals as well.
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28/02/2016
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Martin Parr - FoodAmongst discussion with both my tutor and my class, I have made the decision to photograph students and their food, as I think it is a good representation and stereotype of students in Britain. Students are known to not eat very well and therefore, I want to document this to see if the stereotype is true or not. I live in a house with 6 other people and have access to many other places if needs be. I will attempt to use a really harsh flash, that similar to Bruce Gilden and Martin Parr, this is to bring all attention to the food and bring out every gritty detail in the meal. Unknown to me, Martin Parr actually did a story on food. However, Parr hit the subject with more natural lighting, making some (not all) of the food look quite desirable. I really like Martin Parr's use of lighting on his subjects, as the vibrance of all of the clouds stand out massively. He tends to focus a lot on 'typically' British food, particularly that of Fish and chips from a typical chip shop in Britain (he actually did a project on the British sea sides). Unlike my images, Parr seems to have a neutral feel to his image, them neither looking good or bad. I particularly like his use of flash in these images, as nothing is blown out and there are no harsh shadows to be seen.
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26/02/2016
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
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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
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
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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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13/02/2016
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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7/02/2016
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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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