The cycle- pt 1
Photo essay- research
What is a photo essay?
A photographic essay is a form of visual storytelling, a way to present a narrative through a series of images. A great photo essay is powerful, able to evoke emotion and understanding without using words. A photo essay delivers a story using a series of photographs and brings the viewer along your narrative journey.
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Artist research 1-
Duanne Micheals
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Duane Michals (b. 1932, McKeesport, PA) is one of the great photographic innovators of the last century, widely known for his work with series, multiple exposures, and text.
Michals first made significant, creative strides in the field of photography during the 1960s. In an era heavily influenced by photojournalism, Michals manipulated the medium to communicate narratives.
The sequences, for which he is widely known, appropriate cinema’s frame-by-frame format. Michals has also incorporated text as a key component in his works.
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Rather than serving a didactic or explanatory function, his handwritten text adds another dimension to the images’ meaning and gives voice to Michals’ singular musings, which are poetic, tragic, and humorous, often all at once.
Michals received a BA from the University of Denver in 1953 and worked as a graphic designer until his involvement with photography deepened in the late 1950s. He currently lives and works in New York City.
Why i like his work?
I think its a very creative and efficient way of presenting perspective and passing time. I like the way he uses black and white as it makes what could be interpreted as a fun light situation into a much more meaningful and serious one. It makes you believe that there is more going on than originally thought and that there is a message behind the work.
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How this work has influenced me
I like the way that Paul graham displays his work as it leads the viewer's eyes around the page even encouraging the viewpoint to circle and turn into a cycle rather than a straight line across the page.
In my experimentation, I will use this to influence my own display ideas with my essay.
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Artist research two-
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Paul Graham
Paul graham is a British fine art and documentary photographer born in 195. One of the things graham is most famous or is using colour in serious situations( which lead him to be criticised)
He is also famous for his sequences which can be found in museums such as the state modern.
He studied at the university of bristol and has won many photography awards including the Hasselblad award, Guggenheim for creative arts. Some of his exhibitions include
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the seasons
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does yellow run forever
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the present
His sequences such as the examples to the left of this text show multiple moments in time that string together to show a process. The first sequence is a man sat at the busstop eating his food.
the second is a man mowing his lawn. These processes are normal everyday occurrences you may pass on the street and not acknowledge.
Shoot Plan
What will you be taking pictures of?
myself sitting on a chair holding a book. A series of photos which will give the illusion on the camera slowly zooming in and watching me.
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Where are you going to shoot?
my landing, in my house.
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What would I like to show?
the cycle the past year and the idea that we are almost in March and our lives are starting to seem repetitive and. Makes the viewer question how much longer our lifestyles will be like this.
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What is the weather going to be like?
Cold and rainy with a white sky and dark clouds
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What equipment am I going to use?
Canon 2000d with an 18mm-55mm zoom lens
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What to wear?
An outfit I would wear to college- jeans T-shirt and a chequered shirt.
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What could go wrong?
Run out of memory on my card solution-I'm at home so I can just get another card. same goes for if my camera runs out of battery I can charge it. The weather doesn't massively effect my shoot, so bad weather would not be a problem.
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How did the shoot go?
The shoot went well although i had some issues trying to set up a white background. The original plan was to place a white bed sheet on the doors behind me. I attempted to do this but it wasn't working as well as i previously thought. The concept of the images weren't affected but the images could have been more professional if the background would have succeeded. A bonus to the changed background is that there is more for the eye to see and perhaps the background is an accurate representation of how not much is going to plan lately and how we are all having to make the best of what we have got.
Contact sheets
Final Photo Essay
1/15 sec. f/7.1 25 mm
1/20 sec. f/7.1 40 mm
1/15 sec. f/7.1 18 mm
1/15 sec. f/7.1 18 mm
1/20 sec. f/7.1 18 mm
Establishing shot
Mid-shot
Central shot
Zoom in shot
Repeated shot
Anaylsis
This photograph is of me sitting in a chair looking at a photo in a book. The photo I'm looking at is an exact copy of the first image. I did this, inspired by Duanne Micheals, to give the illusion that I'm watching my life flash before my eyes(literally). The message behind these links towards the pandemic and the self-reflection isolation has caused. Depending on the viewer's mindset you could look at this multiple ways. Reflecting on your past life and reminiscing about times before the pandemic. Having time to rediscover parts of you that you thought were lost. Regretting decisions an arguments with the people you miss the most. Everyone will have experienced one or more of these during this time and the aim of this work is to notice how you've grown and changed and understand that others feel as you do too.
Another view of this work is the cycle of our routines in lockdown. No new people, nothing to do and no one to meet. In fact, the most exciting thing for many of us to do is the weekly shop to Tescos. This outfit is one I would definitely wear to Tescos(in fact I actually have worn this is Tescos multiple times).
These pictures were shot on a canon 2000d digital camera with a tripod. I used a 10-second timer to set up the picture which took 4 pictures consecutively so I could change positions during. For some images, such as the third one, I used a wide lens on my camera for a different angle and view. By placing that picture in the middle its become more of an obvious cycle and the central image is clear.
I used a fast shutter speed to capture a sharp clear image which helps the illusion become more realistic. I also used a narrow depth of field to ensure all my image was in focus. I knew that by focusing the whole picture I would have more to work with whilst editing. If I chose at a later date that I wanted the background or foreground to be blurred I would do so in photoshop. I chose to keep everything in focus because the details of the background were important to my message.
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Experimentation
This experimentation was influenced by Duanne Micheals. The way he used black and white to add a sense of severity to his sequence. I wanted to see whether it could do the same to my sequence. The conclusion of this is that I believe it brings out the idea of sadness within these images. Removing colour does indeed increase the severity although the colour made the images more realistic which may improve how the viewer can relate to it. Overall I'm glad I tried this but I prefer the original images.
More experimentation.....
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If I were to display this in an exhibition I would take inspiration from Paul Graham and how he presents his sequences. By spreading the images out and experimenting with paths across the page, the viewer's eye moves in circles around the page in a cycle which links to how the message involves the cycle of lockdown life.
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I like all of these layouts but my favourite is number 1.
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1
3
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Random experimenting with photoshop
I recently downloaded photoshop onto my laptop and wanted to experiment with my most recent images.
The first image- I used the smudge tool to try and show the model being sucked into the book. The book represents the cycle and the overall concept that lockdown repetition is inescapable.
The second image- I created another layer consisting of the model and the book and then placed that on top of the original image. I then selected the model only layer and lowered the opacity to 66%.
After completing these edits I feel as if I am becoming more familiar with photoshop as the last time I used it was over a year ago in year 11.
Evaluation
Overall I think my photo essay was a success. Given the circumstances, I believe I made the appropriate altercations and alternatives to present my ideas effectively. The imperfections of the shoot actually link back to the struggles of isolation which is a key part of my theme. Having to make the best of what we have is something everyone has to live with now. It can bring out the creative side of you or contrastingly cause stress and discomfort. However, you deal with it, knowing everyone is also experiencing it can make people feel less alone. I hope by showing my struggles and adaptions to make my viewer feel less alone. My favourite part of this project was editing the images and watching them connect together. If I were to do this again I would experiment with my clothing choice and research into how different colours represent different emotions. I could use that to convey the emotions I feel about the cycle. I also think this project would look a lot nicer in warmer light, although the gloomy light adds to the mood I think it could be interesting to show a contrast between my emotions and the situation around me. Sunlight streaming through the windows would show a hard light in the images and create contrast. I could use that light to show how although the cycle has us all trapped there is light at the end of te tunnel and although this may seem endless, there will one day be an end.
Adding a personal note, I really feel as though this work shows how I feel, and although the idea was inspired by Duane Michaels, I'm proud of how I took that inspiration and personalised it to my situation.
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