pictures from homeLarry Sultan explains that throughout his project he healed his past and his memories of his childhood. After watching back his own family videos he began to realise that the camera shows these positive and happy images but it isn't completely what Larry remembers. He decided to reshape the truth in a way to celebrate his own family. He speaks of his feelings of betrayal after re-writing his past. However, during an exhibition his father accepted him as his role of a photographer and the project resulted in their bond growing stronger.
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I chose threshold concept number 10. "Photographs warp our sense of time ; they remind us of the things lost". I decided this relates the most to Sultan's work as it directly reflects the idea of revisiting your past and changing the memories from it. To be able to do this project Larry had to accept that he sees his old family videos as negative memories. This would have been difficult but also an opportunity to reinsert himself into family life even if it wasn't shot with entire genuineness as Sultan believed that 'truth can be staged'. I also believe that threshold concept number 5 correlates well with Sultan's project. "Photographs are abstractions, shaped by technology". I believe this connects with the images that Larry has taken. The word abstractions perfectly explains the combination of staged and partially true images taken. He captures the moments, based around memory but rewrites them in a way that he would like to remember them.
"Photography is there to construct the idea of us as a great family and we go on vacations and take these pictures and then we look at them later and we say, 'Isn't this a great family?' So photography is instrumental in creating family not only as a memento, a souvenir, but also a kind of mythology."
- Larry Sultan
This is one of my favourite images from Larry Sultan's project. The image was taken as part of the project to help Sultan heal from his childhood as well as create new memories to replace the bad ones from when he was younger. Over time the project began to affect the twos relationship in both positive and negative ways. To begin with, Larry's father didn't want to be a part of Sultan's journey and also didn't wish to acknowledge his talent. However, at an exhibition of Larry's work his father was once asked for an autograph. For Larry this was a turning point as his father began to question if his own son was slowly making him famous or him, as the model, was making his son famous. Sultan describes his dad as a 'strong character'. He talks about how his father didn't like to accept him for his job as a photographer and often dismissed it, calling Larry names such as 'loser'. He was a lower class child who decided to work hard and climb the ladder to become a vice president. The style of this photograph is based off a personal memory but the aim was to create new ones.
The photo is a portrait of his father. He has decided to take the image landscape to make sure the full environment is captured, including the TV playing in the background. The photo has been taken straight on, directly focusing on Sultans father with him just off the centre of the image. The carpet creates a bright colour yet still the photo is somehow of a dull tone. I think Sultan could have done this intentionally to make sure that not all of the old negative memories are gone yet new ones are being formed during this project. He has used his father for the focus point of the image like many of his other images in the 'photos from home' collection. I believe the photo is framed rather than candid but I would personally say that him playing golf is something that Larry has fond memories of from when he was younger. Hence why he decided to take this picture.
The caption reflects Larry's feelings towards his father. The verb 'tortured' represents how exhausting his father once was, before he accepted his son as a photographer fully. For me, the photo feels extremely realistic. The lighting is bright yet we can clearly see that it is natural as it is coming through the curtains from the windows leading to the garden. Throughout the project, Larry experiments with different ways to compose his images. Some are taken portrait with some being landscape. He also moves around in different environments. For example, the garden, the living room and a specific bedroom. He changes the angles he photographs the subjects in as well. Sometimes he will capture them face on but other times he takes his pictures from behind with their face not included in the images. This creates variety and as a viewer it makes his work more interesting as we begin to understand his life in a deeper level.
Overall, I think his images are really affective with the aim he is trying to achieve. He has shown his father in a different way to how he described him in his childhood. He has had a positive outcome that wasn't intended in the beginning. He says he has grown closer with him over the time these photos were take.
The photo is a portrait of his father. He has decided to take the image landscape to make sure the full environment is captured, including the TV playing in the background. The photo has been taken straight on, directly focusing on Sultans father with him just off the centre of the image. The carpet creates a bright colour yet still the photo is somehow of a dull tone. I think Sultan could have done this intentionally to make sure that not all of the old negative memories are gone yet new ones are being formed during this project. He has used his father for the focus point of the image like many of his other images in the 'photos from home' collection. I believe the photo is framed rather than candid but I would personally say that him playing golf is something that Larry has fond memories of from when he was younger. Hence why he decided to take this picture.
The caption reflects Larry's feelings towards his father. The verb 'tortured' represents how exhausting his father once was, before he accepted his son as a photographer fully. For me, the photo feels extremely realistic. The lighting is bright yet we can clearly see that it is natural as it is coming through the curtains from the windows leading to the garden. Throughout the project, Larry experiments with different ways to compose his images. Some are taken portrait with some being landscape. He also moves around in different environments. For example, the garden, the living room and a specific bedroom. He changes the angles he photographs the subjects in as well. Sometimes he will capture them face on but other times he takes his pictures from behind with their face not included in the images. This creates variety and as a viewer it makes his work more interesting as we begin to understand his life in a deeper level.
Overall, I think his images are really affective with the aim he is trying to achieve. He has shown his father in a different way to how he described him in his childhood. He has had a positive outcome that wasn't intended in the beginning. He says he has grown closer with him over the time these photos were take.
Delphine carmona
Delphine is a photographer based in Argentina. Her images focus on using light to create interesting and abstract images. Carmona photographs objects that she will use or see throughout the day making them the main subjects in her pictures. Her work uses natural lighting to express her day to day sightings as well as the shadows the objects create. Delphine talks about her work in an autobiographical piece. She says that the vibrant colours she has decided to use reflects who she is as a person. I think this is a really interesting way to describe your work as it gives a background into the reasoning behind your images. She says over this project she built up a relationship with the contrast of light and shadows which has helped her create this photos. I think her art is extremely interesting as she has decided to show the boring regular items she sees in a different light as something beautiful and positive.
“ I see daily life artistically as if it were my own film, where I write the screenplay of what happens to my character step by step”.
- Delphine Carmona
This is one of my favourite photos from Delphine as it perfectly umbrellas all her images into one. In this picture I can see a obvious shadow of a human hand, along with a vibrantly coloured flour in a vase, carefully placed in the centre of a small table that seems to be covered in some form of dark blue cloth. The image uses a soft yellow natural light which appears to be coming through a window as there are two distinct lines that look like they are formed from it. This picture fells extremely natural as the subject is a plant. The natural light emphasises this naturalistic feeling as well. The water in the glass vase leaves an interesting print on the wall from where the light carefully hits it, creating a calming atmosphere. The hand also adds to the naturalistic feel yet brings some sort of confusion to the image. It leaves the viewer questioning whose hand is it? Is it Delphine taking the image at the same time? It isn’t sinister but it is clearly there to bring a sense of confusion to the piece. Carmona has only used two colours helping enforce the simplicity of the photo.
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We were given the task to use objects as subjects and photograph them in the style of Delphine Carmona. I decided to use two objects, a mirror and a perfume bottle as they both capture natural light really well which is something that Delphine focused on in her photography. In a lot of her photography she uses objects that she would see day to day which is another reason I thought these items would be perfect for my subjects. Delphine tries to bring happiness a light into the regular things in her life which is why all of my images have been captured in natural lighting. The use of this lighting helps bring entire focus to the subject as well as creating a shadow onto the wall behind. The use of shadows is something that Carmona always actively thinks about when taking these pictures. The interesting shadows make the images I have taken memorable as well as interesting for the viewer to look at. I think the photos I decided to take indoors were more successful in being inspired by Carmona as they use natural lighting, shadows and negative space. The plain white background brings an element of tranquility and positivity. Another decision I made was to include a person in the photos. Not obviously, like in a portrait, but discreetly. The way I did this was by using the mirror to reflect small parts of my friend for example her eyes of her face, rather than making her the main subject in the picture. The way she is positioned is very important to the pictures as I used inspiration from Carmona to not simply make the person the main focus of the image. For example, she would use a shadow of a person or herself, or add an object that took the focus away from it being about the individual person. Overall, I really like how my collection of photos turned out because of the lighting, shadows and the objects I chose to use. However, I would like to use more time to photograph different objects and experiment more combing objects with people.
To begin this project I wasn’t entirely sure what I should focus on so I decided to begin by taking random photos around the house. However, after a few of these I realised that my house is extremely colourful and full of life. I chose to make this the focus of my photographs. In my house my mum loves art, colour, especially orange, and I haven’t fully realised until I’ve been asked to capture it in images. I love the colours that are in my house and for me personally they make it a home. They give off a cosy and welcoming atmosphere that I have taken for granted until now. The colours and the brightness ,although it may seem a lot, creates a calm environment for me. These pictures are just the small things I realised add to the feeling of comfort in my home. The oranges and golds especially appeal to me as bold and strong yet loving and warm colours.
Home and school similarities
My task was to capture moments of my family that use natural lighting as well as shadows to capture a more interesting image. I decided to use a mix of candid and staged images to express love within my family. For my subjects I chose to photograph both my friends as well as my mum. This is because I’m my eyes my friends are my family too. Although they are not biologically family they support me and love me in the same way my family does. My candid shots are the ones of my friend doing our friend’s makeup for her own photo shoot. I love the originality of these images. I thought carefully about the angles I was using as well as the lighting I was capturing. The picture or my mum are also candid. As she doesn’t like her picture being taken, I had to worn her or the project but I simply waiting with my camera for certain moments on the TV to make her laugh, creating a more natural picture. Throughout this project I experimented using mirrors as they create a new level to a photograph. I thought about the reflection of the subject and how it represents the person. I also experimented using the blind for a light source. Overall, I am happy with the way these pictures turned out as they express my personal views on family.
This is my favourite photo I took over this project. The lighting is the best feature as the use of a large window works well with the composition. Although the camera I used isn’t completely focused the positioning of the two subjects is good as you can clearly see the makeup that is the important part to the picture. The contrast of one face visible and one face not also makes the picture really interesting to look at. The hands places in the girl’s head are delicate and gentle which create a soft and warm atmosphere as well as the warm oranges that are reflected on the wall from the light.
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Our task was to photograph objects using the natural lighting. However, the sky was extremely dark so I struggled to find many areas in school where the lighting was good. Because of this problem, there were not any shadows and so I had limited access to interesting backgrounds like the last set of images. I tried to work around this by using the flash on someone else's phone. This was used in the photos of the perfume against the white wall. I would like to do this task again. If I did I would bring in different objects so I have more options and diversity within my photos. As well as this I would like to wait for a sunnier say where the natural lighting will be better and there will be more shadows i can use.
contact sheets
Reflection inspired photography
Olivia arthur
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Olivia Arthur is a London based photographer who uses her project 'Home' to capture meaningful moments within her family. She explores her feelings during her pregnancy and describes the immense emotions of change, not only emotionally but physically with her body. She explains that her home is about the people that she loves rather than a physical building as when growing up she was constantly moving. For her as a child, her home was about her parents and siblings. As she has grown older this has shifted to her adult life, where home is now, her husband and her children. She explains that during her pregnancy she thought a lot about the family dynamics changing. The relationships between her and her husband and her and her first born will change over time.
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Olivia's project explores her stages of pregnancy as well as her first born child Thea. In each frame of her images, is something that relates to motherhood. In a lot of the portraits, she uses her husband and her young daughter as the focus. I think she does this to show the love within her new family and emphasise the atmosphere of comfortability. She also photographs herself during her pregnancy, documenting the changes she experiences. As a woman bodily change is an entirely natural thing but it plays a big part in the journey of pregnancy. The picture of her silhouette where her pregnancy bump is prominent, shows a sign of vulnerability as well as self love. I believe this self portrait represents the enjoyment and anticipation behind pregnancy.
This is my favourite picture from the collection as I think it represents the thoughts behind having a second child well. For me, this photo of Olivia Arthur embracing her oldest daughter Thea, shows us the connection between the two. Olivia describes how she is worried and often thinks about dynamic change within their family once her next daughter is born. For me as a viewer I think the use of natural lighting works with the natural journey of pregnancy. It creates an atmosphere of love and tranquility.
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Olivia arthur inspired pictures
My task was to capture images of shadows and silhouettes in the style of Olivia Arthur. I decided to take all images over a few weeks rather than planning to take them at a specific time. This is so i could wait until the lighting was perfect for my compositions. I noticed that walking around my house during the day, sunlight came through my parent's window in their room. I took advantage of these reflections, in the same way that Olivia did. However, to bring my own artistic element into some of these photos i decided to incorporate colour. This is because I believe colour represents my home well as there are multiple colourful walls that when the light hits them, are a huge part of the decoration within our household. I chose to capture my dog in the reflection of my room's window as it is his bedroom as much as it is mine. Olivia's whole project was about her home and she expressed how the people within were what made it a home rather than just a house. So i thought my dog in the place he always is would work perfectly for this set of Olivia Arthur inspired photos. I also decided to explore outdoor photography. For example, on Monday 27th I went to a Bakar concert in the Eventim Apollo where the lighting is a huge part to the performances. The young artist came out to the audience by sitting on a stool as he began his song whilst having a circular plate in front of him. This was so he could shine a strong light behind him making a strong and crisp silhouette before showing his face.
final selection
This was my final selection of images. A lot of the photos from the gallery are pictures of the same things with a slightly different composition. These were my overall favourites of each set of images. The first is a picture taken from inside my house facing out onto my street. However, to incorporate the theme of reflections I used the sun that was reflecting on the wall and bouncing back onto the window. I then decided to capture the natural light reflection onto the wall that was mirrored in the window so it was clearer for a viewer to understand. The sun against the rich blue wall and the vibrant pillows formed a perfect composition. I think like Olivia's images these represent my home well. I wanted the portrait of Bakar's silhouette at his concert to be included in my final selection as i think it takes from Olivia's idea of capturing a moment of time. For me this concert was a good memory and the way he presented himself was so sophisticated and exciting for the audience.
editing and sequencing
I decided to look at this book as I was immediately drawn to the colours of the food. After looking at the book for longer, I began noticing the thought process behind the arrangements used to display the pictures. The photographer Karen bases some decisions about the order the photos are shown in, based upon the colours in them. For example, the small green leaf mixed in with them lemons directly next to an image of just green leaves. She also thinks about the before and after of cooking. An example of this is the photo of the mash and what appears to be meatballs next too the raw meat ready to be cooked. I love the way that she presents her images in a variety of different ways. Some of her pages have multiple images on with where as others have the full page covered with one photo on. Karen focuses on ensuring that the images next to each other compliment one another well. Looking at her book made me realise how there are not only different ways to present photos (more than one image on one page) but different ways to link photos (small similarities between photos). Her work has inspired me to think in more detail about the order i place my photos in my final exhibition.
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These were the images I decided to print to begin looking at for my final exhibition. I chose to use a variety of colours to make creating an order easier. As well as this is used a mixture of portraits and architectural images as they can be used as contrasts when next to each other. I created different edits such as a diptych to make the exhibition more interesting. I also used photoshop to combine two very similar images, creating a final photo that appears as a 3D model turning her head. I decided to print of these 9 images to then try and invisualize how the photos would look next to each other. Hopefully this will help me select a final 6 images.
My first stage to choosing the order to an exhibition was looking over the printed photos and noticing small things about the images I had selected. The small coloured areas were my main point of focus whilst deciding my diptychs. I think the pictures with elements of orange work well together as well as the ones with blue in. I also noticed the natural light used in the photoshop image, with my friend, worked nicely against the natural lighting reflecting a window in my bathroom. I paired the landscape images with other landscapes and the same with portraits. However, I would like to experiment with different ways of laying out portrait and landscape images together as I think it will make the diptychs more interesting. When thinking about presenting these in my house as an exhibition I think the display would look a lot better if I could have incorporated more pictures from outside my house to create more of a contrast of environments.