Photo essay…week 4 & 5
Unit 2 Telling the “Home” story in words & pictures
2.1 Identify photographic resources
For all images I used my camera Nikon Z6, a zoom lens 24-70mm, f/2.4, a tripod, my memory card, Lightroom as an editing software and SnapBridge app.
2.2 Produce photographic images to meet identified goals
This week project was to produce a photo essay with theme “Home during the pandemic” using a documentary elements practised in previous weeks. Photo essay is a set or series of photographs that, when assembled in a particular order tell a unique story or evoke emotions. The photo essay should convey a story to the viewer.
I started to gather ideas about my story I want to tell. Then I went through my images from last weeks and selected some I wanted to use. I also took many fresh images. I realised that some images I really like from last weeks that they just don’t fit for the photo essay. The photos I decided to use must not only be compositionally and artistically strong, but they need to be informative and even educational.
2.3 Identify presentational forms
I decided to shoot in landscape format, it just felt more narrative style for my photo essay. The one thing I was really struggling with was to make a decision if images will be black&white or colour. I am a big fan of black and white photography but as I created a photo essay with my son in the pictures I decided to go for colours. His own world is very colourful, he is always smiling and is happy (even though he is portrayed here mostly in a pensive mood). The message of my photo essay is to portray the new life routine and feelings we are dealing with and to prompt viewers to think if there are any positive things that might come from the lockdown.
The Single shot
“It should have a bold composition, strong subject matter, should be eye catching, could be controversial and is used for advertising billboards, newspaper, book and magazine front cover, posters, promoting art exhibitions.”
For my documentary project reflecting theme “Home during the pandemic” I chose the following image 1. My aim was to portray the new socially distanced life at home and common inner feelings we are facing during the pandemic.
In this image I connected the documentary photography style with long exposure to cover the topics we were practising in the past weeks. The long exposure allowed captured “me” at three different situations to enhanced my multitasking.
Photo essay, theme “Home sweet home during the pandemic”
Image 1
20s, f/4.0, ISO 100, zoom lens 24-70mm, f/2.8S
“I’m spinning. The life during lockdown no3 brought a new perspective to my daily routine. Like many other families we are trying our best to continue as close to normality as possible. This time of year we would visit our parents who live abroad. It’s been over a year now since we spent time together. Instead we all became professionals in using technology like Zoom or Facetime, which became the only way to be close to our loved ones. The division of playtime and work time doesn’t ever look fair to my 11 year old son Oliver. The current home chores are not different than before, they just have different rhythm, they are more condensed without other social interactions. It feels like a circle with an assigned seat around it but without seeing a way to escape back to a life out there….as we used to know it. How much did we lose and miss, and did we gain anything?”
Image 2
1/50s, f/6.3s, ISO 560, zoom lens 24-70mm, f/2.8S
“Regular grocery delivery becomes part of a new normality. With the self isolation period, it is the only way how we shop. Plenty of disinfection and antibacterial products are hidden in one of the colourful “see you again” bags. Normally recycled bags are not accepted back now and I stopped counting how many I have stored at home and ready to be returned when the lockdown is over.”
Image 3
1/5s, f/4.0, ISO 320, zoom lens 24-70mm, f/2.8S
“Not so much fun for Oliver to study alone. The same screen used for his school work effortlessly transforms from a source of boredom to a source of excitement as it is used for gaming and socialising. Seeing his brothers to study as well and being surrounded by his things make this period more manageable for Oliver. He definitely mastered his computer and presentation skills … and matured a lot.”
Image 4
1/640s, f/4.0, ISO 100, zoom lens 24-70mm, f/2.8S
“Not this bridge again! Our everyday walk in our neighbourhood seems the same after a month. We are in the third month of lockdown no3. I am often Oliver’s only companion during the walks. Oliver loves to play football, tennis and just run around with his friends. Despite getting to know our neighbourhood better, he thinks the walks are endless…”
Image 5
1/50s, f/4.5, ISO 560, zoom lens 24-70mm, f/2.8S
“Our dog Bailey is painfully watching Oliver getting a haircut. Learning
at least one new skill became a necessity. I watched some tutorials online but decided not to become a hairdresser, my family is relieved and Bailey is happy that the dog groomers are open. “
Image 6
1/1250s, f/4.0, ISO 850, zoom lens 24-70mm, f/2.8S
“The abandoned tree house remains quiet during the lockdown. Usually full of Oliver’s friends, the house doesn’t get much attention. Loose strings are leftovers from the first lockdown, where I grew my vegetable garden - the first one in my life, hopefully it will be revived again with tomato plants.”
Image 7
1/320s, f/9.0, ISO 900, zoom lens 24-70mm, f/2.8S
“My mind gets stronger and my stress level gets weaker when I exercise. This is my remedy. It is my time to stop worrying about the life we are all experiencing at the moment, my time to recharge my energy to stay positive and strong, and my time to get ready for the life after covid. It is “a fight”….”
2.4 Asses the photographic project
This project was not only about capturing the images but also about selecting the right ones and adding captions and wording.
My aim was to create a visual coherence in my photo essay so my pictures are perceived as a whole, not just individual images put together. I believe I accomplished it by including the theme, specific angle of shooting, using the same colour mood and tones throughout my essay.
I spent some time to think about what ideas and what message I want to pass on in my essay. The research was an invaluable part of the assignment as well. The idea of my message didn’t evolve right from the start. My ideas have changed throughout capturing different angles and subjects, and through the days. I also had to respect that not my entire family wanted to be part of my photo essay.
The next step was to go through my images from previous weeks and decide which one I want to use. That was not an easy process. I had to stay objective and made a selection without compromise. I ended up using two of them.
I took many new images, I tried different angles and different lenses, I played with the aperture and composition a lot. Then the hardest part was to make a selection of images while constantly thinking about the message I want to convey. Later I had to decide the order of selected images - which will be the first one, the second and so on.
For my first “single shot” I played with long exposure technique (“ghosting”). I picked this image as I believe it summarises the core of my story, it shows the main involved characters, the settings, the place, the mood, the emotions and “the circle” we are in. The images (2-6) create my story and I picked a portrait, a subject, a place to “tell” my story. I concentrated on the angle I was capturing images and on the composition. The last image (7) closes the photo essay with a positive energetic message. It is a self-portrait but focusing on my shadow rather than on me.
Wording/captions
It was not easy to find the right words to caption my photos. When I take a picture I remember exactly how I felt, where I stood, which angle I used and why I took that picture. Working on this photo essay made me realise that I am not sure if others feel the same way when looking at my images. So I showed my photo essay to my family, first without captions, and later with added text. They all agreed the words helped them shape their views and thoughts to connect with the images.
I feel that I was holding back with capturing emotions and close ups in order not to expose my personal space. As I mentioned already in my previous blogs I am quite protective of my family and personal life. I believe that documenting someone or something else would allow me to capture more details, shoot closer and be more objective. My challenge was also to find the right words and captions, which is an area for constant improvement.
Sources: Course materials, Internet, book: The Art of Photography by Bruce Barnbaum, book: Art and Photography (Phaidon), Word Press Photo books
