Commission Unit: Waste Research

My first thought on receiving this brief was what did waste mean to me? Initially I considered waste in its literal meaning: things that are discarded because, although they may still be useful to someone, others no longer have use for them.
Working with this in mind I began to research how much waste is produced in the world each year and where the majority of it is accumulated. After some initial research I could find no current statistics for the whole planet, however I did discover that each year the United States of America produces approximately 220 million tonnes of waste per year. The USA makes up around 4% of the world's population therefore one could imagine the amount of waste produced throughout the rest of the world.
With more thorough research I found the Environmental Protection Agency's statistics for the amount of waste collectively produced in 2009 by the United States of America: a total of 243 million tonnes. I found these statistics very shocking as I was aware that a lot of waste was produced but seeing the actual statistics made it even more shocking.
However, on completing this research, I decided that I want to look more deeply into all the meanings of the word 'waste' so as to come up with a more individual approach to the brief. I considered the expressions 'waste of time', 'waste of space' and 'waste of life'. After thinking through each expression I decided to focus on 'waste of life'.
From there I thought about how I could display this saying. I considered people that were despised by society such as criminals and the like and how some would go as far as considering them a 'waste of life'. However this idea did not appeal to me so I began to think of other possibilities of the saying. I then thought of people's reactions when something they had been working on for many years doesn't work out so they may consider it to be a waste of their time and life. After contemplation I decided that I did not want to take this idea further as I felt it was not at all what I wanted to achieve.
My final inspiration came from my best friend who was recently on his rnr from his military tour of Afghanistan. He told me how his platoon had the lowest fatality rate with only 3 deaths and also how he had had to carry his comrade's leg after it was blown off by a land mine. Although gruesome I knew this would be the perfect inspiration to display my idea of 'waste of life'.

As mentioned in the previous post I decided to centre my idea for 'waste of life' around the wasting of lives young and old on the battlefield. Death through war, as is painfully apparent, is not a new occurrence, it has existed for many centuries. A lot of people's lives are wasted through the act of war as, in the words of Don McCulin, "War is never a creative situation, it's about damaging other people's lives" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8492000/8492777.stm). Whether the damage is physical, in the form of loss of limb or death, or mental, such as shell shock or "soldier's heart", it will forever leave a lasting impact on the world and will waste a life that could have potentially achieved so much more.

I decided that, in my images, I wanted to create portraits of soldiers (or those dressed in that manner) that showed the mental and/or physical effects of war on a person. To begin with I am going to research into the history of mental illness in wars of the 20th and 21st century.

Historical Context

To gain a clearer understanding of the mental effects of war on a person I decided to background research its history and find where it was first mentioned and what it largely involves.

The earliest mention of any mental illness, or shell shock, caused by war I could find was in 490 BC in the form of a marble sculpture showing a soldier going blind “without the blow of a sword”. This event is described by a Greek historian who witnessed the scene first hand. This shows that the negative effects war can have on a person are not a new occurrence.

In 1761 an Austrian physician by the name of Josef Leopold Auenbrugger described what he saw as the causes of war related mental illness: “When young men who are still growing are forced to enter military service and thus lose all hope of returning home safely, they become sad, solitary, and full of sighs and moans.” He stated that they finally eased to pay attention and become indifferent to the world around them.

The term ‘Shell Shock’ was first used in the First World War by military physicians to describe soldier’s reactions to trauma in the early years of the war. It commonly manifested itself in a number of ways ranging from amnesia to blind or deafness. Many believed it was a physical reaction to an actual shock to the nervous system which was caused by shelling; however this theory was disbanded when soldiers who had not experienced shelling started to display symptoms.  

Let There Be Light (1946), John Huston

In 1946 a film called ‘Let There Be Light’ was commissioned by the United States Army Signal Corps to provide an insight into the lives of 75 US soldiers who had suffered emotional trauma as a result of fighting in the recent world wars. The film itself is very graphic which, in turn, caused it to be very controversial and, upon review, the military banned the film due to its potentially demoralising effect it may on recruitment. It was not until 1980 that it was declassified. The faces of some of the young men in the film display a sense of seemingly complete hopelessness. There is blankness in their eyes as though they are not quite whole in mind; their gaze is distant and somewhat confused. However, some look as though there is nothing wrong with them but, as they begin to speak, it becomes clear the trauma they have suffered and how it is affecting their minds and way of life. They seem almost childlike. Watching this film allowed me to gain a better insight into how shell-shock affects a person and how it makes them appear both physically and mentally.

Vietnam

As more wars arose the occurrence of “combat fatigue” became more prominent still. 1955 brought the start of the Vietnam War and, when it ended in 1975, the term “Post-Vietnam Syndrome” was commonly used to describe soldiers with psychological difficulties as a result of their service. Military physicians observed that the victims experienced “growing apathy ... alienation, depression, mistrust ... expectations of betrayal, as well as an inability to concentrate...” In a survey released in 1990 by a government-funded report, around 15 percent of American soldiers who had severed in the Vietnam War were still suffering from war-related mental health issues fifteen years after the war had ended.

Modern Day Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Troops

After exploring the historical context of ‘shell-shock’ or, as it is now known, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I decided to find some more recent statistics on the condition so as to put it into a more updated context. PTSD was first accepted by the medical community in 1980 and since then soldiers have been required to take a psychological assessment before being allowed to operate in the field. The assessment highlights those who will be more susceptible to the effects of PTSD and will therefore make it easier to help them if needs be.

Moving into the 21^st Century and the current ‘War on Terror’, there have been 328 British soldiers diagnosed with PTSD since the start of the war in 2001 (http://ptsdcombat.blogspot.co.uk/2007/03/war-list-oefoif-statistics.html). These statistics show that PTSD is still a very real and unpleasant occurrence in soldiers as it has been for many years.

Research

Initial Research

After exploring the background and effects of PTSD within the military I decided the further my research by looking into some photographers that included military life, and the effects of it, in their work.

Don McCullin

The first photographer I researched was Don McCullin. McCullin is known internationally as a British photojournalist who is widely recognised for his war photography. His work explores the underside of society and frequently depicts the unemployed and downtrodden. He spent a period of National Service in the RAF working as a photographer’s assistant as he failed the written theory test necessary to become a qualified war photographer. During his time photographing in the Vietnam War McCullin’s Nikon camera stopped a bullet that was intended for him.

The image above is from his series in Vietnam. I feel that this image truly portrays the waster of a person as the look on his face shows seemingly no sense of being. The man seems completely absent due to the atmosphere of war around him. This image inspired my project as there may have been endless possibilities that this man may have fulfilled in his life until it was interrupted by the ‘higher cause’ of fighting for your country.

Shaped By War Exhibition

After researching McCullin’s work I found that it really spoke to me and I admired the concepts behind his work and his overall attitude towards war and the way it affects people. From this I decided to visit his Shaped By War exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London.

I travelled to London on the 9^th of March for the exhibition and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to view some of McCullin’s work and learn about each piece and the reasons they were taken. It has helped me gain an even further insight into the background of war photography and showed me the possibilities there are when taking these types of images.

Suzanne Opton

Suzanne Opton is an artist who lives and works in the United States. In 2004 she created the series of photographs focusing on soldiers, the Soldier Billboard Project, which is a body of work that explores America’s reaction to the soldiers returning from war in Iraq or Afghanistan. The work incorporates close-up portraits of soldiers resting their heads on a flat surface. The intimacy and vulnerability of the images offers a stark reminder of the realities of war.

I especially like the intimacy of Opton’s work and it enables the viewer to see deep into the soldier’s expression, or lack of, and lets them imagine what these people must have been through in order to have such expressions present.

Claire Felicie

The series “Here are the young men”(The Netherlands – Afghanistan, 2009-2010) show photos of Dutch marines deployed to Afghanistan.  These marines are young boys, full of excitement and expectations that are being sent to a war zone. There they are confronted with pain, sadness and death. Will something appear on their faces of these experiences?

The series ‘Here are the young men’ is divided in three subseries:

‘Marked’: black and white triptychs of marines before, during and after their tour of duty to Afghanistan.


‘Armoured’: black and white portraits of marines back from patrol and photos of their good luck charms.


Committed: colour photos of marines on their base Combat Outpost Tabar in Uruzgan, Afghanistan.

I like the intensity of Felicie’s portraits as they, like Opton’s, allow the viewer to see the detail in the faces of the troops and gauge a preliminary understanding of their experiences. The stark contrast in the centre image of the triptychs in comparison to the slightly softer contrast in the other two I feel connotes the harshness of war and how it can change a person both physically and mentally. I would like to create images for my project that have this kind of intimacy.

Louie Palu

The series KANDAHAR TO HELMAND looks war in a different prospective Canadian medics at a Canadian Forward Operating Base are seen standing on a blood stained floor while treating four Afghan civilians one of which later died from his wounds after they suffered injuries from an apparent improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Zhari District Afghanistan.

I feel that Palu’s work is very graphic and, although I would like to emphasise this fact, I feel that maybe they are, although interesting, a little too graphic for this project.

Luc Delahaye

Delahaye is a French photographer known for his large scale colour work. He mainly depicts conflicts, world events or social issues. He has an intense, documentary style to his work with a strong narrative structure. He is a former member of Magnum as he left in 2004. In the 1980s and 1990s Delahaye completed works in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Rwanda and Chechnya. 

In an interview Delahaye once stated: "The majority of photojournalists tell themselves they do this work because it is important, that if people can just see these problems in these parts of the world they will do something about them. I have never believed this." I admire his point of view and I agree with him completely. I believe that photographs have the potential to change the world, but that doesn't mean that they actually always will. 

The image above is one of Delahaye's most controversial images. An article in the Guardian suggests that he "... turns war photography into an uncomfortable art". The image above of a dead Taliban soldier is a constructed piece by this particular photographer. Delahaye arranged this soldier in a piece that in a way shows a fascination with death and morbidity. It seems to show that careless nature war presents to human life, seen through the unceremonious placing of the body in what could be a wasteland.

Although I find this photograph interesting in the way that the photographer has tailored the subject for a specific purpose I am more interested in creating intimate portraits of people to portray my concept.

Jeff Wall

Jeffrey Wall is a Canadian artist. For this particular project I am going to look into his 1992 series 'Dead Troops Talk'. I feel that this series merges conventions from war and horror genres with those of history to create an almost grotesque narrative. 

Like Delahaye, Wall reanimated the dead and positioned them within the photograph to create what seems like a message of waste and an absence of care. The large depth of field allows Wall to display a full scene without one single main point of focus which I feel gives the viewer a lot to consider in terms of the message being portrayed by the photographer.

Conclusion

After conducting this research I feel that I would like to create a series of images taking inspirations from the stark portraits of McCullin and also from the deliberate positioning of Delahaye and Wall. I feel that combining these two inspirations will allow me to portray the message of waste of life through war sufficiently.   

Commission Unit: Waste Appraisal

For my project I decided to concentrate on the idea of human waste, more specifically the waste of life through mental or physical illness due to the effects of war. 

My main influence was the photographer Don McCullin and his work in the Vietnam War. This work grabbed my attention due to the stark reality, strong emotion present and ideas behind each image. I wanted to be able to include the same sense of emotion and loss of person in my work.

The images themselves were staged poses like that of the photographs by Jeff Wall and Luc Delahaye but with the emotion similar to that of the work of McCullin. I wanted the subjects to appear to have lost all hope and faith in what they were doing and in the world around them. I chose to keep their faces hidden so as to suggest a sense of loss of being and of way of life, I wanted the body language to portray the emotion to be seen by the viewer.

I chose to shoot in black and white as I felt it allowed the raw emotion of the subjects to be the main focus of each piece of work. I keep the depth of field very shallow so as to emphasise that the subject is the main focus of each piece. However it is still apparent what the background surroundings are and how they relate to the subject themselves.

If I were to shoot this again I would like to experiment with the effects of using a large depth of field and see how it changes the relationship between viewer and subject. I would also like to try creating triptychs of each subject in different poses maybe with their full face showing to show an even deeper emotion. 

My final contact sheet is below:

Seminar 1 - "The Commission - The Portrait Issue"

'Changing Pace, David Weir', Finlay MacKay

Finlay MacKay is a Scottish photographer who studied fine art photography at Glasgow School of Art.

His visual thinking appears to be centred on his creative use of post-production techniques.

Whist shooting for the ‘Road to 2012’ project MacKay moved away from the traditional approach to sports photography. His images suggest that he observes and then responses to the narratives presented by the athletes. He looks into the training locations of the athletes and provides a story of the London 2012 Olympics from a singular perspective.

MacKay photographs his subjects in their own homes or places which I believe shows his understanding of them as individual. Showing them in everyday surrounding ensures that they look comfortable and their appearance is not too false or structured.

Aesthetically, the above image gives a great sense of movement. The curves of the winding road and the trees that almost appear to be leaning backwards on the right of the image add to this appearance of motion. Weir himself is shown in a similarly streamlined fashion which may refer to his determination to move forward and not be held back by his disability. MacKay appears to have used strobe lighting to make Weir stand out by casting a strong light over him. The depth of field is large and allows the viewer to take in not only Weir but also the other surroundings. Personally I would have expected a shallow depth of field to be used as it would have picked Weir out of the picture and emphasised his importance. 

'Actual Life', Toby Glanville

Toby Glanville is a British photographer from Kent. His series was taken from 1997 to 2000

In an interview with Juan Ignacio Moralejo, Glanville was asked what his motivation for photographing people in their workplace was. He explained that there were a number of reasons but the main one was the idea that work places people in the world. He also said that “when one encounters people in the workplace one feels quite removed from the order of things, from society’s method of ordering”. It seems that Glanville is suggesting that seeing people at work may cause others to contemplate the fine line between employment and the other.

The subjects in Glanville’s photos seem to be quite at ease in their jobs as they do not look uncomfortable when being subjected to the camera. With further research I found that the people Glanville photographed were often only part of small businesses or were their own bosses.

                                       

The photos appear to use natural light and the shadows present emphasize the fact that the subject is being photographed in their place of work. There are no special costumes or props present which again keeps the photo natural. This may have been done by Glanville so as to keep the subject comfortable and allow him to gain the image he wanted.

The photograph above uses a camera angle that looks slightly up at the subject which may reflect how, as she appears to be a teacher, that she has a power in the form of knowledge and therefore power over the viewer. The large depth of field allows the audience to take in the surroundings and how the subject fits into them respectively. The setting itself is very modest and does not overwhelm the subject. The pastel colours give a gentle appearance to the subject and may suggest an aspect of her nature as a person. This assumption could be supported by her expression as it seems natural and friendly.

The shadows, coupled with the highlights on the subjects face, provide a good tonal range without including shadows and highlights that are too harsh. 

In comparison with MacKay's image Glanville's portrayal of his subject shows a deeper understanding of how a person and their background intertwine. The relationship between photographer and subject seems stronger in Glanville's images as the subject's gaze is fixed on the camera lens whereas in MacKay's images the subjects are more engaged in the activity they are performing. This may suggest that Glanville has a clearer understanding of how a subject relates to their surroundings and how it shapes them as a person.

 

‘Freischneider’, Ulrich Gebert

Ulrich Gebert is a German photographer. In his series ‘Freischneider’ (Hedge Cutter), Gebert photographed shrubbery and also the men with the saws that brought ‘order’ to them. It explores the relationship between human being, shrubbery and patterns of order. The garden and gardener are set face to face with a confrontation that seems to resemble a culprit-victim relationship.

The landscape worker seems to be portrayed as a goliath figure, armed with protective gear. His gaze looks away from the camera and into the distant giving the air of importance, as though he has a greater cause to achieve rather than having his photo taken. The vivid colours and sharp focus on the subject suggest that he is a strong individual. However, the subject is not seen to be obviously standing in front of any background as the depth of field is quite shallow which keeps the background out of focus. This suggests that Gebert does not understand the subject as an individual but views him more as a mean to a larger end: his portrayal of the culprit-victim relationship.

Comparison

In conclusion, I think that the works of Glanville and MacKay are alike in their choice of depth of field but also very different as Glanville's subjects seem to connect to the viewer more on account of their gaze being almost straight into the camera lens. Both Glanville and MacKay are showing their subjects in their natural surroundings which appears to bring a more comfortable and relaxed air to their posture and allows them to be seen as an individual and also lets the audience understand who they are as a person. On the other hand Gebert's photos do not engage with the subject or the viewer as the gaze of the subject is a lot more hard set and facing away from the camera which makes it seem as though Gebert has no interest in creating a relationship with the subject and is not seeing them as a person, as MacKay and Glanville have, but rather as a tool for a larger message. Overall I feel that the most successful portraits are those of Glanville as they allow the viewer to engage with the subject and also gives them a clearer understanding of who the person behind the camera lens may be.

Task One - Analysis

Peter Lindbergh, Kate Moss, Harper's Bazaar US, Long Island, NY, 1994

Our first task was to choose an iconic fashion image and analyse it through back research to gain a clear understanding of the narrative of the piece.

As I am not too familiar with fashion photography I first set out to research some notable photographers in the fashion field. I looked into Terence Donovan's work and his mixture of fashion and seemingly documentary photography. I also explored John French's style of reflecting natural light and using low contrast in his work along with his initial work with the Daily Express. 

Finally I came across the German photographer Peter Lindbergh. He intrigued me and with further research I discovered that he had done extensive work internationally for Vogue, starting in Italy, then England, France, Germany and, finally, America. He has also worked for The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Allure, and Rolling Stone. 

Lindbergh is considered as the founder of the supermodel boom that characterized the 1980s and 1990s. His work went against the usual lavishness that typified the era as he avoided the heavy styling and excessive visual elements. 

The image I have chosen is his photograph of Kate Moss from Harper's Bazaar US in 1994. In this photograph Moss was only 20 years of age at still in the first stages of her modelling career. Lindbergh has portrayed Moss as candid and relaxed with an absence of striking, contorted poses or extravagant, dramatic expressions or costume which allows the appearance of the seemingly 'everyday woman' to show through. I feel that this image lets the natural beauty of a woman show through as there are no 'distractions' of makeup or copious costumes of props. 

So far I prefer this style of fashion photography as it does not divert from the real and it attempts to show the subject in a more natural, beautiful way.

Self Appraisals: Object

What is your understanding of issues related to Object?

My understanding of current issues within society are obtained through the regular reading of newspapers both in print and on the internet. 

I know that there are always issues within modern day society and most appear to be based firmly in politics. Whether it be the war in Iraq and Afghanistan or MP expenses or global warming. 

There are issues forever present in society, therefore it becomes hard to choose one to focus the project on.

What context would you place your work in?

We were required within this project to create an image based on a current issue within society. I chose to focus on the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan. My best friend is currently fighting for the British Army in Afghanistan and it was his youth that inspired my final piece. I wanted to focus on the youth within the British military but also how soldiers are constantly being sent out to fight with seemingly no regard for the devastation caused to them and their families if not all goes to plan.

What were the reasons behind your photographic choices? For instance, how do you think your visual choices translate to your ideas?

I chose to include real meat in my piece to create a 'shock' factor that would get people's attention as soon as they look at the piece. I also wanted the meat to represent the way it seems as though soldiers are thought of by the government: pieces of meat that are 'expendable'. The inclusion of the toy soldiers represents the youth of the soldiers both fighting and lost in the war. I included the poppy within the piece to symbolise the remembrance of the lost soldiers. 

How have you managed your studies?

I feel that I could have managed my studies better but my management of this unit was satisfactory.

What aspect of your shoot productions do you need to reflect upon and why?

I would like the chance to reshoot the piece of remove the distraction caused by my inclusion of the fake blood. After review by myself, my peers and my tutor, I feel that it is too much when used in conjunction with the other elements of my image. 

What has been the most significant challenge on these Units so far? – How can you overcome them in the future?

This was my first shoot using a large format camera and studio lighting and these were my biggest challenge so far. I feel that I can overcome this by getting some more practise with the equipment.

Self Appraisals: Body

What is your understanding of issues related to the body?

In society people will always have issues with the way they look and the way they are portrayed to others. It is quite common for a person to want to change an aspect of themselves in order to make themselves more 'acceptable'. However, there is also the issue of how some people are misjudged due to the way they look as they may harbour a completely different being inside them to what is apparent on the outside.

What context would you place your work in?

For this unit I was required to create a portrait of a person in order to represent an element of them. 
My subject had a background involving a career as a college lecturer so I decided to draw on that within my work.
I researched Yousuf Karsh for this project as he has completed numerous portraits of famous, well educated individuals such as Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill.

What were the reasons behind your photographic choices? For instance, how do you think your visual choices translate to your ideas?

We were required to shoot in black and white meaning that composition and positioning would be key to creating a successful image. Due to this I asked my subject to wear a formal suit so as to uphold the look of an educated gentleman. I positioned him standing up with his hands neatly in his pockets to give him the appearance of a college professor. I did not include direct eye contact with the camera in order for the subject to appear as though he was deep in thought and not considering the camera at all.

How have you managed your studies?

I do not feel that I managed my studies perfectly but I do think I managed them effectively so as to produce a satisfactory project.

What aspect of your shoot productions do you need to reflect upon and why?

I feel that I may have liked to try different compositions and positioning with my model and maybe include the use of props for a clearer display of his background.

What has been the most significant challenge on these Units so far? – How can you overcome them in the future?

The most significant challenge on this unit in particular was getting used to the lighting setups and how different positions of the lights and reflectors can produce drastically different outcomes in the final piece. 

Self Appraisals: Environment

What is your understanding of issues related to the Environment?

There are currently many issues related to the natural environment. One of the main topics in relation to the concerns about the environment is that of global warming. It has been suggested that the surface temperature of the Earth will increase by between 2 and 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21^st century. There are believed to be some small natural causes involved, however it has been shown that man made elements such as the burning of fossil fuels also contribute hugely to the problem.  

What context would you place your work in?

For this project I was required to produce a set of three images that successfully displayed my views on the issue related to the natural environment. I could choose to follow a number of different aspects from the political side of the natural environment to the human intervention within the landscape.

I chose to focus on the intervention of humans within the natural landscape and how it ‘disrupts’ the natural beauty of the place around it.

For this unit I chose to look at the photographers John Davis and Edward Burtynsky as their work appeared to focus on similar aspects of the natural landscape as I wished my own to.

What were the reasons behind your photographic choices? For instance, how do you think your visual choices translate to your ideas?

To begin with I shot my photos in black and white as they reflected the colour context one of my previously researched photographers had used. However, after some constructive feedback, I changed to shooting in colour so as to contrast the stark greys, blacks and browns of the factories against the lush greens and blues of the natural landscape.

I endeavoured to use a shallow depth of field for my photos so as to make the landscape appear to be disappearing into the background and the industrial elements in sharp focus so as to make them the central focus of the piece.

I also tried to take my photographs on days when there was a lot of light present so as to illuminate my subjects more and give the colours a stronger presence within the final images.

How have you managed your studies?

I managed my studies by trying to structure times for my blog work as well as for going out to shoot and also for printing. I have a lot of elements to work around in my life however I feel that I managed to plan successfully, but not perfectly around them.

What aspect of your shoot productions do you need to reflect upon and why?

I feel that I need to plan specific days for writing up my progress more carefully so as to engage in the full potential I can offer. I also believe that I need to practise more with the equipment I have been using I order to gain a better understanding of how it works and how to operate it.

What has been the most significant challenge on these Units so far? – How can you overcome them in the future?

The most significant challenges in the units so far have been learning to use the equipment and being able to use it effectively and successfully. I feel that I simply need more experience with the cameras etc to be able to produce better results. 

Object Tutorial and Development

Object Development and Tutorial, 6^th October 2011

Development

After compiling primary research my next task was to come up with an idea that would display the subject I had chosen. My first thought was to identify objects that are commonly associated with military and military memorial. The two initial items I decided to work with were a poppy and a toy soldier. Below are my initial thoughts on the connotations the above items could hold in relation to my project:

Toy Soldier: This could be a clear representation of the military but also could represent the youth of soldiers as well. It may also represent the way soldiers are ‘manipulated’ by a higher chain of command.

Poppy: A symbol of remembrance. The vivid red colour symbolises the danger of war and also could represent the blood that was shed within.  The fact that the poppy would be larger than the toy soldier could be used to show that, no matter how small each death of a soldier may seem, they will always be remembered hugely.

I wasn’t too sure about composition at this point but I knew exactly what message I wanted to put across and from there I went into my object tutorial.

Object Tutorial

In my tutorial I introduced my idea and the reasoning behind it. After some discussions I was told that my initial idea provided a good foundation to build upon and from there I made the following improvements to my initial idea:

o   Meat: This would be to represent the waste of human life created by war and how some ‘higher authorities’ may view soldiers as ‘expendable’ even though they may not admit it.

o   Blood (Fake): This is to represent the blood spilt by soldiers fighting for their country. Also the red will be a prominent colour within my final piece.

o   Poppy: I kept this from my original, the red matches that of the blood and it also is a strong symbol of remembrance.

o   Toy Soldiers: These were also kept from my original idea. They represent the soldiers themselves and also the youth within the army.

o   Map/Globe: This would represent the fact that war causes losses all around the world.

Reflection

I feel like I got a lot from the tutorial and it has helped me to create a more complex and interesting final idea. 

Backtracking: Environment

Initial Ideas

For this project we were required to produce a set of three images that effectively displayed an understanding of an issue or aspect within the natural environment.
There are many things that affect the environment such as the burning of fossil fuels which in turn have been accused of aiding the process of global warming, the human intervention within the landscape, fuel shortages and deforestation. The aforementioned issues are only a very small proportion of elements that introduce problems to the natural environment.

1. My first idea focused on the subject of oil and mining fossil fuels. I began to look for photographers that had explored the subject for themselves. The first photographer I came across was Edward Burtynsky. Burtynsky focuses on how the natural landscape has been transformed through industry. Although I liked this idea I did not feel that I could proceed further with it as I did not have strong enough ideas to create a successful scheme of work.

2. My second idea was similar to the first. I considered looking at the impact manmade structures has had on the impact and how they 'disrupt' the beauty of the nature around them. To begin with I could not find any photographers to research for my cause. However I did consider taking another look at Burtynsky's work as it had some similarities to what I was trying to achieve.

Final Ideas

After carefully considering both of my ideas I decided to continue forward with my idea of man's industrial intrusion into otherwise picturesque landscape around it. I had a good idea of places I could go to take the images I desired but, however, I still lacked a photographer from which to draw influence. From here I went into my tutorial with my idea and hoped the feedback wold be both positive and constructive.

Tutorial and Development

In my tutorial I presented my initial idea and was told that I needed to have a clearer idea about how I wanted to portray the industrial parts of the landscape in relation to the natural parts. Before this I had considered introducing wind farms and electrical pylons into my photographs but, after my tutorial, I decided that they were not appropriate for the message I wanted to portray and decided to carry forward the idea of factories and big industrial plants within the landscape instead.
A photographer was also suggested for me to research. His name was John Davis.
From this tutorial I was able to continue my research and develop my ideas more.

Research

My first area to research was that of the work of John Davis. One of his bodies of work focuses on the area around the Durham Coal Mine and displays one of industry's effects on the landscape. Davis has many times been referred to as a narrative landscape photographer. This work in particular was commissioned as part of a 1983 exhibition from Amber and Side depicting their response to upcoming conflict between miners and the British government over the future of the coal industry.

I also looked into his 1979-2009 series called the British Isles. These photos gave me the inspiration for my first attempt at the series of photos. The image on the left and right show industrial buildings in the natural landscape. In my opinion they seem to disrupt the flow of the natural spaces around them. 

This is the type of composition I wanted to achieve within my final series of environment photographs.

Review

I presented my initial results in a review in November. They were not as good as I has first hoped they would be as I had not had enough experience using the camera or in the process of printing. I also knew that my composition needed some improvement as there was no consistency in the distancing from the subjects and the lighting conditions in which they were taken. Many of my original negatives were either overexposed or underexposed causing the prints to fall below the expectations I, and others, had for them. From this I decided that reshooting my project again would be my best chance to improve upon the previous results.

Re-Shoots

As a result of my review, I now had to go back and retake the photos for this project once more. My first reshoot came on the 30th of November.
I first travelled to Aylesford to retake the photos of the newsprint that is situated behind a large expanse of farmers land.
Then I travelled to Brooklands Lake to take images of the paper mill next to a peaceful fishing lake.
I struggled for a while with a third industrial building to photograph. My boyfriend and I took a day trip to the Isle of Sheppey to photograph some of the factories there. However these were situated within an industrial estate and were therefore not really what I needed to photograph.
For the time being, I made do with the images of the two factories I had found and concentrated on printing them. However, when I came to print I was not happy with the composition or the appropriate sharpness of the images so I decided to reshoot again.
My next reshoot came at the start of December with a Bronica ETRS that I had been bought as a present. To begin with I got on well with the camera and managed to redo the shoots I was initially unhappy with. However, when it came to printing again I was still not satisfied with the results and therefore has to wait until after the Christmas holidays to shoot again due to lack of equipment.
My final reshoot came on the 10th of January. I returned again to Aylesford and Brooklands Lake to reshoot the factories, and managed to find a third factory to shoot in Burham Court. When it came to processing and printing this set of images I was much happier with the results and was therefore able to print some satisfactory prints.