Shoot 3- Doors and arches; Work Record

Plans for the shoot, What I hope to achieve:

For this shoot I aim to capture images in the similar style of the work by Andreas Gursky, this is because his style of composition really stood out to me when I done my research for my preparatory shoots. My main aim for this shoot will be to capture images of door and arches. This is because this will be a combination of two shoots that I conducted during my preparatory shoots that I found really successful in displaying my ideas for this project, displaying the historic factor whilst capturing buildings and structures in Waltham Abbey. Therefore, in this shoot, I hope to achieve similar images to the work that I conducted in my practice shoots alongside incorporating the work that I found would be better if- for example in my shoot of ruins (I will be using this as inspiration for the arches part of this shoot) I discovered that a portrait framing was very successful as the use of framing helped me frame the actual arch way. Furthermore, I discover that the locations in which I use are very important in the creation of my work- not to use places that are in the shadows because they might end up appearing flat and not create a very interesting photo. Furthermore, I have planned that this shoot also works alongside photographers such as Lewis Baltz (who is discussed in this section of the exam paper) and Bernd and Hilla Becher, both of which are part of the new typographics. I think this therefore shows the important of this movement because the photographers who were including in the new typographics are mentioned throughout my research.

This is a google maps screenshot of the route I have planned to take for this shoot, the circles are places in which I intend and aim to go to to take photos at. This is a combination of places in which I went in my test shoots but also other places which I have discovered since starting and researching for this project.

What I actually achieved:

As a whole, I believe this is my strongest image within this shoot. I find that this image clearly shows my plans and aimed for this shoot because this is one of locations I went to in my preparatory shoots and took a very similar image to this one. Although I find that this image actually develops on from my work in my test shoots because I believe I can incorporate the work of Henri-Cartier Bresson as this image conforms to his definition of the decisive moment because in the background of this image I have captured two tree trunks and in between them, I have captured a passer by which I find is really intriguing because if I were have taken this image just a moment later the person would have either been behind the other tree trunk or the other side of the tree, or just not in frame at all. Furthermore, I find that this image is really successful in complying with my aim for this whole project because I have managed to capture the some history in the creation of this image. For example, I have used an arch to frame around my image which is actually a wall that was originally build to protect the Abbey Church hundreds of years ago. Furthermore, I find that this image captures the a key use of texture just signifying the age of the wall. Another reason why I decided to revisit this location for my exam shoot is because I find the use of arches framing my image really interesting, this is because it is almost as if I have edited two different images together- the image of the wall but also the image of the tree in the middle. I think that image can resemble the work of Vivian Maier because even though she isn't a photographer that I have included in my research of structures, I still believe the use of framing is very similar and can be transferred over to my work. Furthermore, I do believe that I have successfully captured an image which resembles the work of photography Andreas Gursky as mentioned in my plans for this shoot because of the composition.

This is another image in which I find has successful captured my aims for this shoot. Firstly, I wanted to included this in my work dairy because I believe it can convey deeper symbolic messaging much like the work of William Eggleston. This is because the paint of each door is something you would have seen in America 50 years ago, suggesting a separation between ethnicity. I also find this a very strong image within this shoot because I think it has been successful in displaying my aims of focusing on the composition of the images- making images head on. Some people however may look at this image and believe that it doesn't show any historic aspects- which is what my project is about- Although when you look at the context of this image I find it very successful in displaying my hopes for this shoot. Moreover looking at the symbolism work that is helped conveyed through Eggleston, this is a photo of on of the oldest pubs in Waltham Abbey which I think is shown here through the style of the windows- the classic pub windows. Furthermore, I find the context important for my audience to know/ understand why I have included this image, this is pub which is a very good example of a "typical working-class pub", a pub where people would go after work and watch the football. In terms of the structure it self, I believe this image has successful captured and shown the influence of photographers work such as Lewis Baltz showing the arch ways of the door in the main centre of the frame.

I believe that this is my weakest image in this shoot because I do not think it works well in the series of the other images which I have used in this shoot. I also do not think it works in terms of capturing doors and arches because it is actually a gate that hides the bins. I thought this was going to be a good idea to include in my project because it is quite run down and looks quite old. However I believe it captures a different type of rundown in comparison to the other two images shown in this work record alone. Furthermore, I believe that this has to be one of my weakest images in this shoot because I believe it is one of the images which don't show my plans and influence of this shoot as much as the other images have. I think if I were to have re done this shoot, I do not think I would improve this image as such, I juts wouldn't take an image of this location because I juts do not think it was successful. Moreover this, I find the location quite weak in helping me portray my aims of composition, the surroundings weren't directly reflective which I believe is important when taking photos such as this project because it then makes the final image of a head on photo much more interesting and aesthetic for my audience to look at.

Shoot 2- Old Vs New; Work Record

Plans for this shoot, What I hope to achieve:

For this shoot, I intend to create a series of images which display the old Vs new within my town of Waltham Abbey. I used 3 of my shoots in my preparatory shoots to experiment different ways of conducting this shoot. As a whole, I found it really interesting and successful and therefore decided it would be a good idea to include it in my exam. The image on the left is of the work Ryan Francis, which displays how I was influenced in my test work to display my final products. Furthermore, this shoot was influenced by Jason E. Powell who is also shown within my research in my unit 2 blogger- thus showing how I completed lots of research to conduct this shoot. Furthermore, one of the key things which I want to show was a variety of different aspects within Waltham Abbey, not just the different in shops, because all the buildings are actually listed buildings so they cannot change all that much, it is the surroundings of these buildings in which I wish to focus on. Moreover, I aim to take images in the style of Lewis Baltz and Bernd and Hilla when I am editing I wish to keep these photographers in my mind as well because their work is quite old, and I think their style of editing would work much better when I place the images together. To complete this shoot, I will be using the website of http://efdhistory.org.uk in order to gain my old images- This is the website of my local museum.

This is the route I intend to take when I go out and complete this shoot, the circles indicate the specific locations that I want to go to- places I have found old photos of.

What I actually achieved:

I believe this is one of my strongest images from this shoot because I believe it clearly shows my aims that I wished to capture. This is because it is clear that both of these images are in the same location and that the one above is the older image. I wanted to include the car in the foreground of this image because it shows the difference in society in terms of technology; the way of travel use to be by bus, yet now it is car. What I also find really surprising is that as the bus stop is there in the older image, it suggests that Sun Street was actually a road- thus showing how little transport was used, because of the small lanes, if Sun street was still a road, it was be too dangerous as people walk up and down this street but also because this is where the market is. Another reason I have decided this is one of my strongest images for this shoot is that though the use of photoshop, I have been able to aline these images so they are nearly exact. Furthermore, I think it is clear and interesting in this image that these buildings are listed, meaning they are not allowed to be changed on the outside. I find it a part of history and intriguing how the outside of these buildings can never change yet the insides are forever changing. When finding different old images, I wanted to take a photo of this one in particular because this is one of the main buildings to me that I know have changed so many times. For example, originally, this building was a post office, and it has also housed shops such as a card shop and a barbers- it continues to change. Moreover, I find this image to be one of my strongest because the way I finally produced this image to me resembles my intentions of producing work in the style of Bernd and Hilla Becher- as their work shows on the left, they took images of different aspects of a building and presented them side by side- much like I have with the old and new images.

I believe this is one of my weaker images of this shoot. This is because even though I find that it successfully portrays the difference in society- people used to have much more community spirt; going out more together than is shown here, I find this weaker image because I was unable to aline the framing together. For me to have taken the image in the exact style of the old image, I would have to stand in the middle of the road and even though it does look empty on my image, behind me is one of the busier roadabouts in Waltham Abbey so would have been far too dangerous for me to complete this image. Originally, I wasn't going to even edit these images together because eI knew they would be too different, however, I thought it was quite good at showing my experimentation because even though the two images do not aline together, they still show the audience the difference between what the society used to be like and what it has become.

What I am doing next:

For my next shoot I will be completing a shoot in the exploration of doors and arches. This is because on two different shoots on my practice shoots in unit two, I completed one shoot on ruins and one on houses, I found both very successful and therefore want to display how my test shoots helped influence my work through combining the work together.

Shoot 1- Shop Fronts; Work Record

Plans for the shoot, What I hope to achieve:

For this shoot, I intend to use the style of Lewis Baltz in the exploration of photographing shop window fronts. As my chosen topic is Manufactured Structures I hope to create a final series of images of buildings within my hometown of Waltham Abbey. The reason I have chosen shop window fronts for this first shoot is because during my preparatory shoots, I experimented with a couple of photos of different shop fronts and I personally found the final outcome really interesting. As shown in the image on the left, my main plan of this shoot with be to carefully frame my images in the similar composition to the work of Lewis Baltz and also of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, These are just 3 of the photographers who I found when research my project for my preparatory shoots that helped influence this project. In order to achieve the similar style of composition in a head on style format, I will be using the equipment of a tripod and focusing on the camera settings, this is be to gain a bright image, which is not too over exposed , therefore to achieve this effect I will aim to have as low as an ISO as possible this is because the higher the ISO the more grainy an image is and I want my images to be quite soft. Furthermore, within my preparatory shoot of shop fronts I found an issue with my final images and shadow, this is because at the time of taking these images, I did not focus on anything else other than taking the image, therefore I hope to achieve images in this shoot of sharp and aesthetically pleasing and interesting images for my audience to observe, by doing this, I will have to ensure that before I take the image, I look at what will actually be in my frame, will there be shadow, will there be reflections? I plan to keep these in my mind when I do go out to take this shoot.

The location route I will be following is highlighted by the red line, this is the high street within Waltham Abbey called Sun Street, the reason behind me choosing Sun St. for this shoot is because it shows how much of a small town this is, even though there are big shops such as Tesco, lots of shops are small boutique shops and as the shops of Sun Street are all listed buildings, the outside of them are not allowed to change from their original state showing the historic value in these shops.

What I Actually Achieved:

As Waltham Abbey is quite a small town, down the high street, it mainly consists of independent companies/ small standing boutiques. I decided to include this image in my work record because I believe it has highlight the style of the town within this single image, additionally, I find this image one of my stronger images of this shoot. This is because, this barbers was opened in 1940 and there a still relevance of the older era of this town. For example above the sign, even though it is not shown in this image, there is a barber pole which is quite old as it has faded. Furthermore, as this building, much like all the other building on sun street, is listed, this means that the outside can never change what it looks like, it is protected for historical reason. Another reason I believe this is one of my stronger images is because of the framing, I positioned this image in my frame so that one each side of the main building there was a similar gap on either side. I also find that my aim for focusing on the composition has been successful in this particular image because it signifies the impact that my research has had throughout my project- the image shown here is the work of Andreas Gursky who also captured images which focused on the similar composition to my work- head on.

This is another image which I decided to include in my record because I believe it clearly shows the historic factor of the town of Waltham Abbey. This is because this image is of a butches shop which are becoming increasingly less popular- independent companies such as this one in particular are being taken out of business by large conglomerate super markets such as Tesco, Asda and Morrison. Much like the barbers, this company was founded around the 1940s. I think this is important because it shows a sign of the small independent aspect of this town as the companies have been kept through generations, passing down and keeping it in the family. Many shops down sun street and very well known to the people in Waltham Abbey, where everyone seems to know each other and there is a great community spirt which is shown on different events which take place through out the year- different fates. For this particular image I find it to be one of my stronger ones in this shoot because of the framing work again. I stood in the middle of the shop front so that I could frame this image in the correct and most interesting way, at the same time this helped enable me to not be in the frame. I do however believe this image would be even better if it was a detached building so I could have gaps besides each part of the frame, although I can not help/ change the way the buildings are. Furthermore, this image could be improved by the removal of the window reflection, although again there wasn't much that I could have done with this due to the weather- it was sunny so it was causing reflections on the frames. Moreover, I believe this image is a stronger outcome of this shoot because much like the image above, I believe it consistently shows my use of research to help me complete this project. For example the image I have placed here is of the work of photographer Lewis Baltz who work I had aimed to take inspiration for in this shoot as he also captures really interesting images of structures, he is also part of the new Typographics movement which I believe is also relevant within my work and project.

Finally, I do believe that this is one of my weaker images within this shoot. This is because I aimed to explore the different shop fronts in Waltham Abbey, showing the difference between the old stores and the newer one. This is obviously one of the images I captured revealing a newer shop on sun street being much more well known out of this town. However, I found that the newer styled shop fronts didn't work as well. This is because, even though the buildings are listed and nothing can actually be changed in the building itself, more well know companies such as this and the cooperative, have added a "fresher" look adding paint and a more modern name above the door. Personally,  I preferred the images with an out dated sign on the building because I find that they conform better with a small town atmosphere. Furthermore, I do think this is one of my weaker images due to my composition which I framed this image with. This is because I had to avoid being in the window reflection on the door so I had to stand slightly to the right which I do not think has worked very well because now the image doesn't appear central. More over, even though I cannot change this myself, I believe if I would have actually taken the image with the door in the centre much like it appears it should be, the sign would have been off centred which again wouldn't have the same effect that some of the other images I gained in this shot created.

What I Am Doing Next:

For my next shoot, I am intending to create a New Vs Old series of images, showing what life was like 100-70 years ago and compare it to what it is like now. A way I am going to be incorporating this into my project will be that the images will be consisting of structures, how somethings which used to stand are no longer here as they have been replaced by homes for example.