Brief
Create a series of between six and ten photographs on one of the following subjects:
Choose your focal length, aperture and viewpoint combination in advance...be careful of duplicates because repetition is boring.
Create a series of between six and ten photographs on one of the following subjects:
- Things
- Views
- Heads
Choose your focal length, aperture and viewpoint combination in advance...be careful of duplicates because repetition is boring.
Initial Thoughts
Idea 1
Initially an odd ball idea came to me when I saw the title "Collecting" and that was to do a series of photographs on the various items gathered due to medical illness, showing them in situ and the sharp juxtaposition that can cause, with the inherent societal base image of what is "normal". For example, the kitchen counter replete with various utensils and food items expected, along with a plethora of neatly stacked medicines, the front door with a key box on the front so that the carer can let themselves in, the bedside table with night lamp, books, glass of water and large nebuliser.
Whilst I liked this idea and had the options of several different samples and settings, I was very aware that it would be deeply personal, I may not be able to critically read or judge the photographs as to if they were effectively communicating what I intended. I may unintentionally rely too much on my own history and knowledge when framing and produce work only I understand.
I still like this idea, however I feel strongly that if I do it, I want to do it right, which will take time and also need to be at the right time when it is not too personally emotive for me.
Idea 2
I briefly considered doing a series of photos on the Martello Towers located around the coast of Jersey, as there would be an obvious connection between the subject matter, with sufficient variety between the photos. For some unidentifiable reason this never really grabbed me and I didn't actively pursue it.
Idea 3
Whilst striding across Jersey taking photos for "The Frame" exercise, I came across a number of honesty boxes and took photos of them. Similar to idea 2, I liked the idea of there being an understandable reference point between them but a guaranteed in built variety between the photos. I also liked the fact that this was something unique to the Channel Islands/South West. No doubt a number of photos have been taken of honesty boxes over the years, however I did not think it would be one of the most frequent topics for this assignment.
Idea 4
When out taking photos for the "Zoom" exercise, I visited a small hamlet on the north of the island, which had just started its annual hibernation at the end of the tourist season. There are a number of restaurants, cafes and even hotels which only open between Easter and early Autumn. I found the mothballed large café and closed coast guard hut very evocative. I thought an interesting series could be done, however I was unsure how effectively I could capture the message/essence that I wanted. Also when I read the brief again and clocked the requirement of a set focal length, aperture and viewpoint, I didn't think it would suit this assignment.
So the decision was made to proceed with idea 3, the honesty boxes.
Idea 1
Initially an odd ball idea came to me when I saw the title "Collecting" and that was to do a series of photographs on the various items gathered due to medical illness, showing them in situ and the sharp juxtaposition that can cause, with the inherent societal base image of what is "normal". For example, the kitchen counter replete with various utensils and food items expected, along with a plethora of neatly stacked medicines, the front door with a key box on the front so that the carer can let themselves in, the bedside table with night lamp, books, glass of water and large nebuliser.
Whilst I liked this idea and had the options of several different samples and settings, I was very aware that it would be deeply personal, I may not be able to critically read or judge the photographs as to if they were effectively communicating what I intended. I may unintentionally rely too much on my own history and knowledge when framing and produce work only I understand.
I still like this idea, however I feel strongly that if I do it, I want to do it right, which will take time and also need to be at the right time when it is not too personally emotive for me.
Idea 2
I briefly considered doing a series of photos on the Martello Towers located around the coast of Jersey, as there would be an obvious connection between the subject matter, with sufficient variety between the photos. For some unidentifiable reason this never really grabbed me and I didn't actively pursue it.
Idea 3
Whilst striding across Jersey taking photos for "The Frame" exercise, I came across a number of honesty boxes and took photos of them. Similar to idea 2, I liked the idea of there being an understandable reference point between them but a guaranteed in built variety between the photos. I also liked the fact that this was something unique to the Channel Islands/South West. No doubt a number of photos have been taken of honesty boxes over the years, however I did not think it would be one of the most frequent topics for this assignment.
Idea 4
When out taking photos for the "Zoom" exercise, I visited a small hamlet on the north of the island, which had just started its annual hibernation at the end of the tourist season. There are a number of restaurants, cafes and even hotels which only open between Easter and early Autumn. I found the mothballed large café and closed coast guard hut very evocative. I thought an interesting series could be done, however I was unsure how effectively I could capture the message/essence that I wanted. Also when I read the brief again and clocked the requirement of a set focal length, aperture and viewpoint, I didn't think it would suit this assignment.
So the decision was made to proceed with idea 3, the honesty boxes.
Research and Planning
I viewed 26 Gasoline Stations by Ed Ruscha. This is very much of the essence of the work I wanted to create, a series that was same same but different. Andrew Langford series "Species" is clearly very precise in its framing, positioning, tonal colouring, where as Ruscha has more fluidity in respect of his viewpoint and framing. Despite this change between photographs, it is not to an extent where it jars, 26 Gasoline Stations works exceptionally well a combined, harmonious series.
In respect of planning, alas there is no detailed map of the honesty boxes on the island. They are often on country lanes rather than the main roads, however they have to be busy enough lanes so that sufficient traffic passes by to merit the effort of the farmer in stocking up. I had located the first three, all by accident, on the walk I had undertaken for the Frame exercise. On deciding this would be my theme, I went out with the purpose of finding more. I don't have a car, so this meant walking boots and determination and some energy. In four hours of walking, I located a handful more honesty boxes.
I viewed 26 Gasoline Stations by Ed Ruscha. This is very much of the essence of the work I wanted to create, a series that was same same but different. Andrew Langford series "Species" is clearly very precise in its framing, positioning, tonal colouring, where as Ruscha has more fluidity in respect of his viewpoint and framing. Despite this change between photographs, it is not to an extent where it jars, 26 Gasoline Stations works exceptionally well a combined, harmonious series.
In respect of planning, alas there is no detailed map of the honesty boxes on the island. They are often on country lanes rather than the main roads, however they have to be busy enough lanes so that sufficient traffic passes by to merit the effort of the farmer in stocking up. I had located the first three, all by accident, on the walk I had undertaken for the Frame exercise. On deciding this would be my theme, I went out with the purpose of finding more. I don't have a car, so this meant walking boots and determination and some energy. In four hours of walking, I located a handful more honesty boxes.
Contact Sheet
A link to the contact sheet is below, please note it will open in a new window:
collecting_-_contact_sheet.pdf
Taken whilst shooting The Frame exercise
Image 6488 - honesty box 1
I think this is a strong photo.
Images 6525 - 6527 - honesty box 2
The reflection on the plexi-glass is a distraction on each of the photos. 6527 as a portrait shot does not work. 6526 is the best out of the three.
Images 6569 - 6570 - honesty box 3
I think 6569 is in better focus. Am not too sure if they would benefit from cropping.
Images 6575 - 6576 - honesty box 4
Unfortunately due to its location I had no option but to shoot into the sun, they are both slightly overexposed. I really like the image with the flag. Honesty boxes in and of themselves say a lot about Jersey, to work they there is an inherent trust within the community. There is a desire to visually associate these admirable and desirable qualities with the flag, however on critical examination this is more motivated by pride, rather due to drivers which would improve the asthetic qualities of the photo and series. The viewpoint with the flag is very different from all the other photos taken and would be visually jarring if put into the series.
Taken on a shoot dedicated for this assignment
Noting the requirement in the brief to have a chosen focal length, aperture and viewpoint combination in advance, I took the following photos with two focal length/aperture combinations. This was to give me the flexibility to see which produced the best series of photos after the shoot had completed.
Images 6850 - 6852 - honesty box 5
The wall on the right is very overexposed with the sunlight. Unfortunately I am unable to crop it, as it would impact the framing. I will see if I can mitigate some of the effect with photoshop.
Images 6854 - 6857 - honesty box 6
This was different from all the other honesty boxes as it was in the courtyard of a farmhouse. Due to a wall behind me, I was limited with my viewpoint and framing. I would ideally have liked have taken the photos a meter or two further back. The sign on the far left of the structure also calls out the trustworthy nature of the community that I espouse above, noting that CCTV is in operation.
Images 6880 - 6884 - honesty box 7
These are my favourite photos from all of those taken for this assignment. The specific subject matter, the background, the light, the colour.
Images 6893 - 6896 - honesty box 8
The light in these photos was tricky. The first is overexposed, yet on the others the interior of the honesty box looks exceptionally dark to the extent it appears underexposed. Images 6894 and 6896 are best in terms of framing.
Images 6897 - 6904 - honesty box 9
This was unusual in that it was a shed rather than an exposed shelf. When taking the photos I thought the images with the door open would work best and would fit better with the series. However the light produced harsh shadows on those photos and I think the ones with the door closed work better.
Images 6905 - 6911 - honesty box 10
My viewpoint and framing was limited as I wanted to remain within the shadows to take the photos and avoid shooting into direct sunlight. Despite being a different viewpoint from all the other photos taken (being side on rather than face on), I prefer images 6910 and 6911. Being able to read the sign brings the viewer in more.
Images 6915 - 6919 - honesty box 11
Again no option but to shoot into the sun, resulting in them all being somewhat overexposed. I like the last photo best out of the subset. The dappled light in the bottom left hand corner is visually appealing to me.
Images 6920 - 6922 - honesty box 12
Unfortunately none of these are usable due to the light reflections on the lens.
A link to the contact sheet is below, please note it will open in a new window:
collecting_-_contact_sheet.pdf
Taken whilst shooting The Frame exercise
Image 6488 - honesty box 1
I think this is a strong photo.
Images 6525 - 6527 - honesty box 2
The reflection on the plexi-glass is a distraction on each of the photos. 6527 as a portrait shot does not work. 6526 is the best out of the three.
Images 6569 - 6570 - honesty box 3
I think 6569 is in better focus. Am not too sure if they would benefit from cropping.
Images 6575 - 6576 - honesty box 4
Unfortunately due to its location I had no option but to shoot into the sun, they are both slightly overexposed. I really like the image with the flag. Honesty boxes in and of themselves say a lot about Jersey, to work they there is an inherent trust within the community. There is a desire to visually associate these admirable and desirable qualities with the flag, however on critical examination this is more motivated by pride, rather due to drivers which would improve the asthetic qualities of the photo and series. The viewpoint with the flag is very different from all the other photos taken and would be visually jarring if put into the series.
Taken on a shoot dedicated for this assignment
Noting the requirement in the brief to have a chosen focal length, aperture and viewpoint combination in advance, I took the following photos with two focal length/aperture combinations. This was to give me the flexibility to see which produced the best series of photos after the shoot had completed.
Images 6850 - 6852 - honesty box 5
The wall on the right is very overexposed with the sunlight. Unfortunately I am unable to crop it, as it would impact the framing. I will see if I can mitigate some of the effect with photoshop.
Images 6854 - 6857 - honesty box 6
This was different from all the other honesty boxes as it was in the courtyard of a farmhouse. Due to a wall behind me, I was limited with my viewpoint and framing. I would ideally have liked have taken the photos a meter or two further back. The sign on the far left of the structure also calls out the trustworthy nature of the community that I espouse above, noting that CCTV is in operation.
Images 6880 - 6884 - honesty box 7
These are my favourite photos from all of those taken for this assignment. The specific subject matter, the background, the light, the colour.
Images 6893 - 6896 - honesty box 8
The light in these photos was tricky. The first is overexposed, yet on the others the interior of the honesty box looks exceptionally dark to the extent it appears underexposed. Images 6894 and 6896 are best in terms of framing.
Images 6897 - 6904 - honesty box 9
This was unusual in that it was a shed rather than an exposed shelf. When taking the photos I thought the images with the door open would work best and would fit better with the series. However the light produced harsh shadows on those photos and I think the ones with the door closed work better.
Images 6905 - 6911 - honesty box 10
My viewpoint and framing was limited as I wanted to remain within the shadows to take the photos and avoid shooting into direct sunlight. Despite being a different viewpoint from all the other photos taken (being side on rather than face on), I prefer images 6910 and 6911. Being able to read the sign brings the viewer in more.
Images 6915 - 6919 - honesty box 11
Again no option but to shoot into the sun, resulting in them all being somewhat overexposed. I like the last photo best out of the subset. The dappled light in the bottom left hand corner is visually appealing to me.
Images 6920 - 6922 - honesty box 12
Unfortunately none of these are usable due to the light reflections on the lens.
Selection process
I split out the photos from the dedicated shoot into those taken with a 35mm/f-stop 22 combination and those taken with 55mm/f-stop 29 combination. As a default I preferred those images taken with the 35mm focal length. The extra background generally proving more interest to each image. I included the photos taken from The Frame shoot within the 35 mm selection. Whilst the focal length of these images was not 35 mm, the framing of them meant that they were able to easily sit alongside these images.
There are some images taken with the 55mm that I prefer over their 35mm counterpart, which I am tempted to include within the final selection.
None of the photos from honesty box 12 can be used. Despite liking the side angle of honesty box 10, it does not sit well with the others. None of the other photos from this subset are as strong and therefore I decide to include none. In respect of honesty box 9, I thought the image of the closed door would be better, however again it jarred with the others. I decided to use one of the 55mm focal length images instead, as the exposure was less harsh than its 35mm equivalent.
This left me with 11 images. I decided to see how I could improve all of them before making my final selection.
I used photoshop and modified each image with shake reduction, auto contrast, auto tone and auto colour. I would like to ideally get away from "auto" options, however for the time being and to prevent myself getting lost down more rabbit holes, I have gone for the easy option.
I split out the photos from the dedicated shoot into those taken with a 35mm/f-stop 22 combination and those taken with 55mm/f-stop 29 combination. As a default I preferred those images taken with the 35mm focal length. The extra background generally proving more interest to each image. I included the photos taken from The Frame shoot within the 35 mm selection. Whilst the focal length of these images was not 35 mm, the framing of them meant that they were able to easily sit alongside these images.
There are some images taken with the 55mm that I prefer over their 35mm counterpart, which I am tempted to include within the final selection.
None of the photos from honesty box 12 can be used. Despite liking the side angle of honesty box 10, it does not sit well with the others. None of the other photos from this subset are as strong and therefore I decide to include none. In respect of honesty box 9, I thought the image of the closed door would be better, however again it jarred with the others. I decided to use one of the 55mm focal length images instead, as the exposure was less harsh than its 35mm equivalent.
This left me with 11 images. I decided to see how I could improve all of them before making my final selection.
I used photoshop and modified each image with shake reduction, auto contrast, auto tone and auto colour. I would like to ideally get away from "auto" options, however for the time being and to prevent myself getting lost down more rabbit holes, I have gone for the easy option.
Initial Selection
Honesty Box 7
Honesty Box 8
Honesty Box 4
Honesty Box 5
Honesty Box 11
Honesty Box 3
Honesty Box 1
Honesty Box 2
Honesty Box 9
I hit a bit of an impasse with this assignment, in which I felt I was dragging my feet and could no longer see the wood for the trees. So I reached out to the student forum and asked for their views. Two kindly responded and stated that whilst they liked the idea each image could benefit from tighter cropping, as the images that worked best in their mind was when the collecting box was more visible. I took this feedback on board and cropped accordingly. I also decided to remove the second image, as I felt it was significantly weaker than the others.
Final Selection
Initial Reflection
There are areas that can be improved on, some of the images are not as strong as others, however unlike the Square Mile, no image has been included just for the sake of it. Again compared to the Square Mile, I approached this assignment with a clearer focus on identifying a suitable topic and story to tell. I have also learned that ideas will not just arrive by magic whilst I sit on my couch, I need to get out and about with camera in hand. Still much to learn, but progress is being made.
Assessment criteria
Demonstration of technical and visual skills
There was a focused use of focal length and aperture settings, alongside consistency of framing.
Quality of outcome
A coherent series of photos with a readily identifiable common theme has been produced.
Demonstration of creativity
The intention to produce a piece of work which did not contain an obvious topic has been fulfilled. The subject matter is not entirely outside of the box, however the desire to push my own narrow confines has been shown.
Context
My research was limited, I wanted to ensure that I was not unduly influenced by others and finding myself inadvertently producing poor copies of the ideas of others. Ed Rusha's 26 Gasoline Stations provided a strong reference point as to the essence of the work I wanted to produce.
I approached this assignment with a clearer approach, specifically knowing what I was going out to take photos of, whilst also keeping my eyes and mind open to all other ideas.
When reviewing the photos, it was with the clear intention of ensuring that each image fit into the body of work as whole. Viewing it as a whole, a collective.
There are areas that can be improved on, some of the images are not as strong as others, however unlike the Square Mile, no image has been included just for the sake of it. Again compared to the Square Mile, I approached this assignment with a clearer focus on identifying a suitable topic and story to tell. I have also learned that ideas will not just arrive by magic whilst I sit on my couch, I need to get out and about with camera in hand. Still much to learn, but progress is being made.
Assessment criteria
Demonstration of technical and visual skills
There was a focused use of focal length and aperture settings, alongside consistency of framing.
Quality of outcome
A coherent series of photos with a readily identifiable common theme has been produced.
Demonstration of creativity
The intention to produce a piece of work which did not contain an obvious topic has been fulfilled. The subject matter is not entirely outside of the box, however the desire to push my own narrow confines has been shown.
Context
My research was limited, I wanted to ensure that I was not unduly influenced by others and finding myself inadvertently producing poor copies of the ideas of others. Ed Rusha's 26 Gasoline Stations provided a strong reference point as to the essence of the work I wanted to produce.
I approached this assignment with a clearer approach, specifically knowing what I was going out to take photos of, whilst also keeping my eyes and mind open to all other ideas.
When reviewing the photos, it was with the clear intention of ensuring that each image fit into the body of work as whole. Viewing it as a whole, a collective.