Assignment 5. Research, Planning and Working Images

Brief

Self directed project

Develop a project around the theme of Self or Other, or a blurring of the two. For example, this could be a performative work of self-portraiture, or perhaps a documentary story combining portraits, objects and spaces to describe Others.

This is your chance to find and articulate your personal voice in relation to the context defined throughout this course. This will only be realised through an iterative process of experimentation, reflection, analysis, editing and research. Each iteration should lead you to the next until you reach a point where you feel ready to gain feedback, from your tutor. Following tutor feedback, you should rework your project.

The first iteration should involve sketching out possible ideas. Add this to your learning log. Then, try out one or a number of these ideas. Add these early experiments to your learning log. You should then have a look at your most successful images in relation to your developing idea and take the work forward – experiment, reflect, analyse, edit, research and continue to do this until you are at a point where you would like to receive feedback from your tutor, submit your work by whatever means you both agree.

Assignment five is a project in progress. It is not expected to be fully resolved, visually coherent or a clearly contextualised submission. As well as visual material (contact sheets, work prints, etc., depending on the nature of your practice and your project) you should include a short text (around 500 words) setting out:

The specific themes your work is addressing or what your work is attempting to communicate

A list of the practitioners you’ve looked at in relation to this assignment

A bibliography

A brief self-evaluation

Research

What is performative work? Visual artwork that is here and now and refers to the idea of performance but is not a performance.

I haven’t included Joe Spence in the research, as I am looking at my Photo-Therapy at work, not what it is and the reasons for it, that’s all in the essay.

George Davison is the main inspiration for me to do pinhole photography, particularly his beautiful 1890 landscape, The Old Farmstead, later renamed the Onion Field. He had deliberately enhanced the pinhole’s softness by printing it onto rough paper. This gives the print an impressionistic, painterly effect described at the time as fuzzy photography.

To see how the camera, which is basically a sophisticated light leak, could produce such wonderfully atmospheric, blurred landscapes, that suggested a vision of a dream, had me hooked. Its this vison of a dream that I try to portray in my own pinhole images and my Photo-Therapy.

I was drawn to Richard Pousette-Dart abstract expressionist photographic work. He used photography to mix multiple exposures, of the same or different subjects, to produced images that reflected his artist background.

His double exposed portraits gave me the impression of movement and time and will go well with the pinhole camera.

A combination of Davison’s impressionist landscape mixed with abstract self portraits influenced by Pousette-Dart should be an interesting mix.

Mary Fahy brings both of the above together in ‘Maternal Spirit’ a pinhole image of her mother, by a gate with woods in the background. She describes the long exposure times as a meditative experience that brings the subject and photographer closer together and I hope that the two camera approach will achieve this too.

Vivian Maier’s self portraits are mostly taken from the reflections in mirrors and windows or shadows. Although unrecognised in her time and mostly remembered for her street photography, she had a great eye for detail. Her ability to recognise and capture the reflections is amazing.

I like the feeling of isolation and loneliness in her images and I hope to bring that out in my own.

Carmencita film lab have a good article on double exposures and this has helped me a lot with working out the best exposure times to, hopefully, get some good intentional results.

Claude Glass is a convex, dark tinted mirror that was used to soften and frame a landscape, described as the Instagram filter of the 1800. Artists and travellers loved the way that the mirror, used to look over shoulder, reduced the tones and colours of the reflection in to that of a framed painting.

I came across the glass in an article about Tintern Abbey and this has led my to look at the idea of using mirrors.

Guillaume Amat mirrors has an amazing body of work, taken on 4×5, using a mirror. If the mirror, 800x1200mm, did not have a a heavy wooden stand to support it, I would have easily missed it. It is so well placed, within the framed landscape, that the reflection is part of the composition.

He has also manage to keep the camera out of the reflection by using the 4×5 cameras movements, but for me, that is not a concern as I want the reflection of me and the camera.

MICHAEL ZHANG has an article on setting up mirrors in the landscape and he has used the mirror as the main subject. The mirror is in the shadows behind the scene and the it is reflecting the brighter landscape, he has also used a strobe to enhance the affect.

Ralph Howell did a project were he turn washed up objects into pinhole cameras, then photographed them back at the location they were found with the aid of a mirror. The images are simple, but beautiful.

I’m really looking forward to starting this part of the project.

Assignment Planning

I’ve ended up with two projects running at the same time due to Covid restriction. This page now includes all text and images from both projects in date order. I will sort this page out in to separate pages so it is properly signposted ready for assessment later.

10th December

In relation to assignment fours essay and the lecturer review, I aim to show my Photo-Therapy in action and how the camera and landscape become connected to the self during the process. .

My personal Photo-Therapy is all about using analogue pinhole cameras and could be described as Mindful Photography. It’s the process of being outside in nature, on my own, absorbed in the image making process. It steps away from the instant digital world and slows me down in a calming and cathartic way.

I visualise this project being a combination of Davison’s impressionist landscapes mixed with abstract self portraits that are influenced by Pousette-Dart.

need to show this process at work
need to show the interaction and connection between self, camera and subject
will need to photograph me, the camera and the subject
could stand in shot, even just for part of the exposure, would be a shadow
but won’t show the camera
its important to use pinhole cameras, this is what the assignments about
short on time, so need to keep it simple
location is important, I have to connect to it
use holiday in Cornwall as looks like it will go ahead

The best way to show me, the camera and the subject will to use two cameras, one photographing a scene as I would normally do and the second behind the first photographing me taking the picture. The end results could be displayed side by side.

With exposures around 1 to 5 minutes I would be a ghost in the scene, an essence of me, like Mary Fahy’s Maternal Spirt. This appeals to me, I liked the idea of me becoming apart of the camera and the image, to show how I become part of the process. I have 10 days in Cornwall booked over the xmas holidays, fingers crossed, and will have plenty of time to get some great images on the coast and to perfect the idea.

12th December

Just had a thought while sorting out cameras, film, tripods, light meter and all the other bits and bobs I carry with me, like tape to hold cameras together and to stop light leaks, that it is the first time I have used the pinhole cameras under the pressure of a deadline. When things fall off, go wrong or I cock it up, its not a problem, I will, at some point, sort it and wonder back and have another go.

So I will also use digital as a back up for the unplanned events. That’s now 3 cameras to carry. The digital will also help save film and time as I can sort out the composition of the second camera before hand.

Film will be Ilford 120 FP4 rated at ISO160, which is my personal EI
developed in Ilford ID11, 1to1, 15 minutes
front camera
- 6×6 frame, 30mm focal length equivalent to 16mm, 0.2mm pinhole, f150
Rear camera
- 6×9 frame, 42mm focal length equivalent to 17mm, 0.3mm pinhole, f135
meter readings will be taken at f22 then adjusted to the camera f number
reciprocity will be compensated using Ilford calculation
- Tc = Tmp, factor of 1.26
- exposure time in seconds, xy = corrected time in seconds
Example, f22 = 2s, f150 = 7 minutes
scanned at home

19th December

As a practise run and to sort out any kit issues I took the dog for a walk up the local fields and had a play. The first though was, what a lot of stuff to carry, particularly two tripods. It took about 10 minuets to set up. Pinhole cameras take time anyway but doing two at once got a bit confusing what with checking/guessing the composition, getting the horizons level and working out 2 different exposures.

In the end I had to use one camera at a time due to the different exposure times. It was too complicated to try and operate and time both shutters at the same time. If both had the same time and were connected to the same cable release it would have been OK.

I feel that this goes against the idea of showing me taking the picture, its now a posed image and not a moment of catharsis.

I’ve only shot one image with the pinhole cameras and backed up with the digital. Its not ideal waiting to finish the film to review the results, but that the nature of using film, the anticipation.

*Digital back up and test shot for the set up of the project*

Not a particularly interesting image but it has given me an idea of how the set up will work and what the final images will look like, a polaroid type test shot.

The thing that surprised me is the fact I did not feel any of my normal connection to the process. I was in a rush, looking for anything to photograph and under pressure to get something.

Not my Photo-Therapy at all.

21st December

On reflection I will continue with the 2 camera approach in Cornwall. I can disappear for hours along the coastal path taking my pinhole images as normal and all I have to do is put another camera in to the mix. I wont have to rush and I know there is plenty to shoot. I will still do the digital back up and if I feel that the approach is still not working, I can use it to experiment and visualize a different approach.

23rd December

And …

Tier 4 has hit. Stay at home, no unnecessary travel. It has to be done, I don’t have a problem with that. I need to have a big rethink.

Dartmoor and the south coast of Cornwall are my favourite places to go with the pinhole cameras, dramatic coastline with crashing waves, fast running rocky rivers, old stone engine houses and other structures all make great subjects. So I will need to look local, the problem with local is its not as dramatic and I see it every day, this year even more so.

26th December

Luckily I live and work near the mouth of the Hamble River and can go for walks along the foreshore up towards Hook and Solent Breezes. The pinhole cameras I use are mostly 120 role film and the focal lengths start at 12mm, 35mm equivalent, and as the coast is fairly flat I may find it difficult to fill the frame.

I have taken some location pics of the foreshore and the ponds at work on my phone to get an idea of what’s available,

Test images of foreshore on the Hamble and the ponds at work

Looking at the images I can stop worrying about a lack of subject matter, yes its not Cornwall, but stop whinging about it and get on with it.

28th December

I have taken a couple of walks and have taken image’s at 6 different locations, 2 off which finished a film that I had started before hand. I also finished the second cameras film. I will dev both so I can start looking at how the project is working out. That will leave 4 locations that I will see when the film is finished.

29th December

Developed the 2 films and they both look good apart from the rear camera looks like I’ve double exposed it!

30th December

These are the test shots,

When I process pinhole images I try to do as little as possible and use the images as are, otherwise I might as well just use digital. But my immediate thought is that the different formats don’t look right. Will talk about the cocked up double exposure latter! They need to be the same instead of one being 6×6 and the other 6×9.

The only reason for the 6×9 is it’s the only camera I have that can use a pneumatic 5 metre shutter release and I don’t have the time to make another camera that will. To get a better idea of what I had in my head I will have to crop the 6×9.

Its still not doing it for me, I need to work out if its the subject that I’m not happy with or the idea is not working. I have tried changing the positions of the images but I can’t decide it the landscape or me taking it is more important.

The second location is so much better and is my normal style. The wide angle of view and the 90 second exposure has transformed the water and clouds in to smooth translucent mist and delicate elongated streaks. The light fall off to the edges focuses the eye to the centre of the image and the drift wood.

I do like the image of the drift wood, its tranquil and clamming. Yes, I could and have done the same with digital, producing more images, working quicker and get the results instantly. Pinhole photography is a slow, calm and thoughtful process that can not be rushed and that’s the point of my Photo-Therapy, its the whole image making process, from planning locations, preparing the equipment, setting up, making the image, processing the film, etc, etc …

Its also full of surprises, like me cocking up and double exposing all the second camera images! I decided to change my 6×12 camera to 6×9 to save film, 8 images instead of 6 per role, which I haven’t done before and then used the wrong film advance number on the backing paper, so instead of advancing for a 6×9 frame I was doing a 6×4.5.

I like the results. They are more like the images I visualised at the start, this mix of Davison and Pousette-Dart or Fahy. Yes the negs are over exposed, but I love the ghost effect, the essence of or the trace of me in the images.

The negative’s of the double exposed film

One thing that did concern me is that all my thick warm winter gear is black and I would just look the same in every image, but the black has helped in the double exposures as it has little effect and allows detail from the lighter parts, more exposed on the neg, to still show.

This is something that needs more investigation, but I will wait until I finish the other role of film.

2nd January

The Covid numbers are looking very scary and the press is full of doom about schools and jobs. I have a works meeting tomorrow and have doubts that work will be open and I could end up home schooling again. Need to start thinking and plan for another lockdown.

3rd January

Work will be open but we will have to have a rapid test every week. Still not sure about the schools. My thoughts are,

if we lockdown I will look at it as a challenge
I can still use the ponds at work during my lunch breaks as they are on private land
I won’t have to hump all the kit very far form the car
I will be getting paid as I will be still at work when taking photos
I won’t get so cold
I can concentrate on the image making process and save the time taken getting to a location
Need a back up plan in case work gets shut down and end up at home like the first one

4th January

First day back at work, spent 3 hours in the freezing cold stood out side the test centre with 50 other people! All staff were negative, which is great. Lockdown looks likely as Boris is due to make an announcement!

If we are lock-downed I am limited to what I can do at home, having done most of the course work about being at home. I need to stick to the pinhole cameras as it relates to the essay but need to go at it from a different angle. The assignment wont be my true Photo-Therapy as I need to be as far away from home as posable, preferably Cornwall or Dartmoor.

5th January

We’re in Lockdown 3, which I feel is the correct thing, I am still working and Emily is going back to school fulltime. I will carry on with the first project but need to do some reflection on it to see if its still posable and if I need to change the approach to it.

Am I allowed out to take photos? The NUJ state that professional photographers are key workers, ‘Media workers are classed as key workers and have the right to be out and about as part of their job’. As a ‘non-pro’ going for a walk with a camera over the shoulder and stopping for the odd snap should be fine, but carting a bag of cameras and tripods around is not worth any fines or abuse.

So I’m going to also look at the self during lockdown, which will tie in with the research of the first project. I will be in front of the camera instead of behind it and in the back of my mind I feel that they will both complement each other. Through a series of selfies, using Vivian Maier for inspiration and a pinhole camera, I will look at my lockdown life, what I can do at home and work and how I fill my time, a sort of old technology meets modern culture. I can still have some fun …..

6th January

I intend to use a 35mm Holga camera which I will try using handheld or with a mini tripod/clamp. This will all fit in to a small daysack and won’t look like I’m on a mini expedition. Image will be black and white which ties in with the essay and how I use Photo-Therapy. I can also process the films at home and evaluate quickly with out any processing postage delays.

Shoot ideas

routines at home
walking dog
cooking
eating
working
DIY
studying
gardening
relaxing
sleeping
boredom
driving
taking photographs
shopping

8th January

Taken the camera for a couple of dog walks and had a play at home and will dev the film tonight so I can scan it tomorrow.

9th January

First film, contact sheet.

Contact sheet from 1st 35mm pinhole film

10th January

Work has been shutdown for a week. All the staff got pinged by the NHS test and trace app to say we must isolate for 5 days as we have been in contact we someone whose tested positive. The only place were we have all been together is outside the test centre last week. I assume that the volume of information has lead to a delay in the reporting process. Which is slightly worrying as we were working last week and leading our normal, Covid secure, lives.

As I only have two weeks left on the course I ‘m glad I had started on plan two!

11th January

Now working from home.

Will spend time looking at the 35mm images and reflecting on the all the work so far.

12th January

Project 1 review and reflections

The 2 cameras approach and then backing up on digital is too much kit to carry. Its not practical for working on location, in a studio may be, but I cant think why you would want to. The set up and all the faffing about working out 2 different exposures, composition etc is not worth it for results that I’m not overly impressed with.

But the cocked up film advancing has really been inspiring.

Drift wood is a combination of 3 images. The middle is me standing next to the camera looking out over Southampton Water. The part frame to the left is the first of the two taken from the same spot and to the right is part of the next location at the nature reserve.

The fact I’m wearing dark clothes means that I don’t expose many silver halides on the film so there’s still plenty left for the highlights, hence the shadow effect. The middle and left images were both 8 seconds each so I was only in the frame for half the combined exposure.

The image of the pier is a single image on the right as its the end of the film. The exposure was 3 minutes and as I did not have the 5 metre pneumatic release, I had to use a fixed cable one. This meant that I had to open the shutter, sit down and get back up to close it. I didn’t rush and guess that I was only in the frame for 2 minutes.

this is the ghosting effect that I imagined at the start of the assignment
it puts me in the image with out my ugly mug being visible
the shadow represents the essence of a person
I could just stand in front of the camera to put myself in the frame
- no need to hump all the kit
- very simple to set up
- would be a quicker process all-round
I’ve already achieved the plan with the image of the pier
- I have taken a pinhole with me, the camera and the subject
- but, I would not normally stand in front of the camera
- I would be behind or to the side
I could take the main image, rotate the camera and taken a second exposure looking back
- pick an area were the background is dark so as not to effect the main exposure to much

So when I’m allowed back outside on Friday, I will take one camera and a tripod, stay local and practise taking the main image facing forward and then rotate the camera on the tripod to do a double exposure with me in the frame from behind. I can developed the film and scanned over the weekend.

Project two review and reflection

Theses are the best selfie images from the test film in the 35mm camera.

My immediate thoughts and reflections are,

they are mostly underexposed and possibly slightly over developed
- I have not used Delta film before
- the film is out of date, but properly not a major problem
- I have not done any personal EI test with this film and dev time
- I have had to edit the exposure and contrast heavily in Lightroom
- I have not been able to get the best from the negatives
the exposures took too long for a portrait project
- the indoor desk shots were 5 minutes but needed to be 7+
- the outdoor ones are between 20 seconds and 1.5 minutes
- outdoor times are OK but they are under exposed by 1 to 2 stops
they are not very Maierish
the images are cramped in the frame
- the cameras focal length is 44mm
- not as wide of view as I’m used to
- would need to pull back to get more of me and the location in
the images don’t have the pinhole wow for me
- there is no resemblance to Fahys work
- the long focal length and small negative have compressed the images
- there is no sense of space in the images
- there is very little perspective
- there is no light fall off towards the edges
- there is no sense of compressed time
the film and camera choice was not the best for a time critical project
but, I now have a basis to work from
- have not done many pinhole portraits before, so a good starting point
- I now have an idea of how to move forward and develop the project
- the images meet the plan, images of the self in lockdown
the next step is to build and develop the project are’
- get consistent results
- Ilford FP4 film and my personal EI will sort this
- use my wide angle 120 cameras
- the above will give me constant results with the pinhole look I want

13th January

Two days before I can go outside again!

I will spend the next 2 days doing some selfies at home and writing up the research better as its all in a note book.

With the selfies I will use the 6×9 120 camera as I can use the pneumatic release with it. This means I can concentrate on the images and not have to keep going back to the camera. I will experiment with some more images at the desk first as its a controlled environment, then move to different shots, garden, cooking etc.

14th January

Its only been 4 days, but I’m bored and grumpy. Took some selfies working at my desk, grumped around the house for a bit looking for inspiration and decide to was to dark. Then forced myself to stop playing solitaire and set up some studio lights in the kitchen.

I have tried strobes with pinhole before, but the multiple pops need at full power was not worth the effort. So I planed to use the modelling lamps. This actually work great and lifted the exposure 2 stops. Problem was one over heated while I was faffing about and now wont work.

So got very grumpy and gave up.

First 6×9 pinhole selfies

Much better images, happy with the quality of the negatives and the angle of view given by the camera, 17mm 35mm equivalent. I do have a 6×6 camera that is 12mm, equivalent, which would have been even better but I can not fit the pneumatic release to it.

I also, in the end, enjoyed doing the selfies. I have taken 8 images of me at home and if I had the time it would be interesting to see how many shots it would take to do the same with my phone. But its the nature of the pinhole camera that I love, it doesn’t matter that the composition is not exact or that there is a light leak and the top of my head is cut off.

Do do this on my DSLR, I would have used the app on my phone to check that the camera was in the best place, take the shot and check the image. All with out having to move from in front of the camera. I would still have taken a minimum of 5 shot for each image above.

The best image for me is the knocked tripod. The tripod had dropped during the exposure and I love the haunting abstract look of the image. It has made me start to think that I’m trying to get too perfect an image with the pinhole camera.

On reflection, my Photo-Therapy is concentrated on getting the best possible image. I use laser drill pinholes, calculate the optimum hole size for the focal length of the camera and spend ages trying to get the best exposure. It has been very necessary and important to me and I will continue to do it, but, it may be time to change direction and look at having a more fun approach.

15th January

I’m allowed outside!!

Took the dog for a walk first thing this morning just to get out and stretch the legs. I took some photos on my phone that are possible locations for more selfies,

I have photographed the bench before as its very rustic with great texture and I quite often sit with the dog looking out over the town. So me, dog on bench and another of me looking out at the view.

The idea I had for the path is to use the long exposure to capture me walking up it. I timed my self walking from the bottom to the top and it took 40 seconds. In cloudy weather the exposure will be 1 minute 40 + and that would give me time to open the shutter, leg it to the bottom and walk back up. Worst case, I wont be captured at all, but I hope that I will be a shadow along the path. I could also stop in places too.

The dog pond, I call that because the dog loves going in to rescue sticks, but can’t swim and I’ve had to go in a few times to rescue the dog.

So with just one camera, small tripod and light meter in a daysack, I when for a nice long walk.

The first thing that caused me a problem was that the sun was out, nice day, but rubbish for pinhole. I find my pinhole has strong contrast, colour is not so bad. I tend to get about 4 to 5 stops latitude and find an overcast or cloudy day flattens the light, allowing me to get good detail in the sky and subject.

It was definitely too bright to play with long exposures and walking up the hill. But I got some shots of me in some trees and the pond. On the way back it had clouded over a bit so I was able to do the bench and the view.

More fun, hopefully no one saw me running like a loon up and down the path with a confused dog.

With the dog pond, I sat on a stone in the water so as not to make to many ripples and used the pneumatic release. I stayed in the pond for 35 seconds, then took the last 5 seconds after I had left. This has had an interesting affect on my black fleece, the sleeve has taken on the impression of the tree reflections, but other wise has not changed me.

Before, I would have worried about shadows and showing how the image was taken. But I was happy with the shadow of the camera in the two tree images, as it relates to project one and shows the connection between me, camera and subject. I have also not hidden the pneumatic release when used, again its a connection.

The windy path has not worked out too well. I am in the images but you have to look very closely to see me. Windy path 1, my head and body are visible in the mid left. In 2, I am just visible to the bottom end of the path and in 3, I am mid left as two barely visible heads.

Even walking very slowly, I have not registered on the negatives. Its only when I had stopped, that I appeared. With all three negatives I only appeared in the dark of the trees, not in the lighter part at the top of the hill. I will do this again but need to work out the times better and what I’m trying to achieve.

16th January

I had a walk around the local palace ruins looking for ideas for the Photo-Therapy plan. I was looking for a dark background to try the double exposure, but all the stone work if light flint, this would have register on the neg. I did do some more selfies and had a play with moving during the exposure. I have recorded the times so I can plan better later on.

Driving, due to the bright day I exposed for the inside of the car. I will do this again on a dull day to get more outside detail. This has come out better than I expected, I was worried that the camera would wobble too much as it was clamped to the head rest, but driving very slowly up the high street seams to have worked.

Fireplace 1 is two exposures of 4 seconds and I moved from one side to the other between. I am more visible on the right as the darker stones have allowed more of me to register on the negative, where as on the lift its just my head and one hand that is visible due to the lighter stone.

Fireplace 2 was four exposures of two seconds and I have not registered at all. To make the double exposures work for the Photo-Therapy project I will have to be very carful with the background choice and exposure times.

17th January

Going back to work tomorrow and need to get moving again on the first project plan and try the double exposure, the main subject and then me behind the camera. I will do this at one of the ponds on site so I can use a descent tripod.

I know I will have a problem with the camera not taking the pneumatic release so I will have to open the shutter then move back. I will try different exposures, 50/50, 75/25 and which exposure should come first.

18th January

Theses are the remaining images from the first project Photo-Therapy and the images from the pond at work. It seams like its been a long wait. I like the nature reserve as its how I imagined it. Its got movement and clouds that are reflected in the water. Definitely worth a revisit on a cloudy day.

The sluice lacks any wow and the pier is not much better, but the misty water movement is interesting. I need to wait for a higher tide and more stormy conditions with lots of cloud. If It wasn’t for the restrictions I would have gone back.

The two work pond and south pond images are good but again the sky lets them down. They would have been better in colour as the blue of the sky would have given it more interest. I would normally carry two film backs for the camera, one black and white and the other Ektar colour film, for such occasions.

The last four images of the work pond are my first attempt at the double exposure for project one. And they didn’t work. The double exposures I did for the selfie project weren’t to bad and the ones I did by accident were pretty good.

They are just very confusing and more importantly they don’t show me. Instead of putting me in the image to show the connection between me and the subject I have a mix of the subject and the buildings and boat trailers behind it.

19th January

Reflections and future planning

Project one

I set out to show my Photo-Therapy in action and the connection between me, the camera and subject. I started with the idea of using two cameras, one to take the subject and the second to take me taking the image. This second image would show me, the camera and subject and then be display side by side with the first.

I have achieved this,

But by accident. If it was not for the cock up with the film advancing, I would not have gotten the ghosting effect in the second/rear camera. I have also not been able to recreate the effect intentionally or consistently.

I was also not happy with the fact that the image of me, my shadow, was posed. It’s not the moment of me taking the photograph. Due to the complicated set up of using two cameras, it was not posable to open both shutters and time different exposures at the same time.

So, even thought I have meet the brief, I was not happy with the images as a representation of my Photo-Therapy.

The second iteration to the project was to use a single camera and double expose the negative. Once facing the subject as normal and the second facing behind at me to emphasize the connection. It didn’t work. As I have said above, I was not able to intentionally create the effect I had imagined.

As I am near the end of the course, only 4 days left, I am disappointed that I have not been able to progress this project to a third or fourth iteration. But the national lockdown and having to isolate have impacted on my time and ability to get out and pursue it further.

Project two

Lockdown selfies with a pinhole camera. The aim was to take a series of images about my life at home and work. Again I have achieved this,

and I had fun doing it, which is important in the current pandemic. I have lots of ideas that would continue this project, including the cattle water trough, above, that I would sit in with a rubber duck.

This could make an humorous body of work, but I can’t think of another way of advancing the project, apart from looking at a more abstract approach to the images, which I feel would be very interesting for a future project.

What’s next

Trying to do two projects side by side was just as hard as trying to use two cameras at once. It was in the back of my mind, when I started the second project, that there was a connection between the two, in terms of the research and the images.

Both projects involved me as a subject, using the same cameras and image making process. The only real difference is the location for the images and whether I’m in front of the camera or behind it. So I need to condense both projects into one so I can continue with a coordinated simple approach.

I will still continue with project ones Photo-Therapy, but will combine it with what I have learn from the second project.

I have shown that I can take a pinhole photograph of a subject
I now need to concentrate on showing the self, subject and camera connection
- double exposures were unpredictable
- they didn’t include the camera
- were bit of a confusing mess
- were not taken at the same time as the subject
- the two cameras worked the best, but again, taken at different times
  - but did include the camera
being in front of the camera gave best and more predictable results
- both selfies and second camera images of me worked ok
- me, the subject and camera, if included, were taken at the same time
the best way forward, apart from the second camera, is to use reflections
- I could try the reflection of water
  - I would have a limited range of locations
  - the water would have to be flat calm
  - the camera would have to be angled down to pick up its reflection
- a mirror
  - could be placed directly in front of the camera, the reflection of the subject, me and the camera in a single frame
    - would have to be a big mirror due to the cameras wide angle
    - if the mirror was to close to the camera there would be very little subject visible
  - placed in an appropriate position, it would become part of subject and reflect me and the camera in to the frame
    - with careful consideration the mirror would blend in and become a key part of the composition
  - A mirror will be directional and easer to control
  - will need to research in detail to work out best approach
I would like to be able to demonstrate/experiment this next iteration before the end of the course, then continue on after, at a more relaxed pace
- that will give me the time to enjoy the experimentation and development
- I’m not going to be able to travel to locations, so I will have to stick local
- will experiment and develop the project, so when the restrictions end, I will be able to travel with a proven working concept
- need to look at different mirrors
- I will look at water reflections, but don’t expect any useable results
I need to reduce the element of unknow and the trail and error
- will use digital to experiment as this will enable me to visualize the concept, like a polaroid, before using film

20 January

I have been researching mirrors in photography and I’m impressed with the work I have seen, particularly that of Guillaume Amat and Ralph Howell. I visualise the mirror as part of the landscape, reflecting the self and the camera, at the time of the image being taken.

I am excited at the prospect of trying something completely new and I now want to remove the bathroom mirror and take it for a walk.

I will experiment using my DSLR and 10-22mm lens. Both cameras have the same aspect ratio of 3:2 and a similar focal length. I will do this in my garden, as I don’t think taking a mirror for a walk constitutes permitted exercise.

I have also been looking at the end of this course, proof reading the text, writing the final 500 word reflections and sorting a bibliography. I will also check every thing against the assessment criteria.

The last thing I need to do before assessment is sort out this very long blog/diary into manageable and sign posted sections. This may mean I have to rearrange the sequence to make a direction of flow that is easy to follow, I may need some lecture advise on that.

23 January

I have come across the mirror that was use to see the kids in the back seat. Its about 200mm diameter with a swivel and strap attached, and fits nicely in my daysack, so no need to hideaway at home, I took it for a dog walk.

As a first attempt am impressed with the results. I’ve had to adjust the brightness in a couple of the mirrors as they had a slightly different exposure and were too dark. The mirror is quite scratched and could not be used in the project but is great for practising.

Apart from Trees 1, the images are handheld. With trees 1 I added 6 stops of ND filter. This gave 2 minutes of exposure so I could get more of an idea how the mirror would look as a pinhole image. The mirror image is sharp enough so shouldn’t be any problems.

Being small and using a wide angle lens, I’ve had to place it close to the camera so the viewer can distinguish what it’s reflecting. I was looking for a mirror without a frame as I wanted it to blend in with the subject, but the black edge makes a nice frame within the framed image.

There is a lot more work to do here. It’s more than just me taking the photograph and being visible with in the image at the moment of it being taken. I can’t decide if the reflection is an echo of what is behind the camera, a desire to see where I have been or where I want to be. If the mirror was bigger and took up more of the frame, the meaning would be changed.

Mirrors have been part of photography from its very start and I need to research this and the above in much more detail so I can form a basis to continue this project.

I have converted these images and added a vignette to make them more pinhole like. I can see that the mirrors blend in much better, but I feel that I want to make them more of a feature and colour would do this much better.

24 January

Finished typing up and sent link to lecturer.

25 January

The end!

Well not quite. I will have a break for a bit, then carry on with the mirrors.

Final reflections, thoughts and self evaluation

In this assignment I was attempting to show my Photo-Therapy in action and how the camera and landscape became connected to the self during the process.

I have used the following Practitioners in this project,

John Evans
Richard Pousette-Dart
Barbara Ess
George Davison
Mary Fahy
Vivian Maier
Guillaume Amat
Michael Zhang
Ralph Howell

Bibliography

Bos, D. (n.d) Landscapes. [online] Dianne Bos. Available from: http://diannebos.ca/portfolio_landscape.html [Accessed 12 December 2020]

Ess, B. (2004) I am not this body. 1st ed. New York: Aperture

Evans, J (2003) Adventures with pinhole and home-made cameras. 1st ed. Switzerland: RotoVision

Fahy, M. (2001) Pinhole art: a marriage of mechanics and mystery. [online] Women in Photography. Available from: https://www..org/archive06-Apr01/gallery/f2/wipinews.html [Accessed 10 December 2020]

Harding, C. (2014) O is for… the onion field and the great fuzzy photography debate. [online] The Science Museum. Available from: https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/a-z-of-photography-george-davison-pictorialism-vs-straight-photography/ [Accessed 9 December 2020]

Howell, R. (2008) Ralph howell flickr feed. [online] Flickr. Available from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ralphhowell/with/2331544566/ [ Accessed 20 January 2021]

Maier, V. (2021) Self portraits. [online] Vivian Maier Website. Available from: http://www.vivianmaier.com/gallery/self-portraits/ [Accessed 11 December 2020]

Pousette-Dart, R (2014) As photographer. 1st ed. New York: Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute

Smith,J. (2017) The 18th-century phenomenon of putting a filter on a sunset for likes. [online]. Atlas Obscura. Available from: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/claude-glass [Accessed 18 January 2021]

Sierzputowski, K. (2015) Photographer Guillaume Amat places mirrors into industrial and natural landscapes to look both beyond and behind. [online] Colossal. Available from: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/07/guillaume-amat-mirror-landscapes/ [Accessed 18 January 2021]

Van Lent, E. (2018) The science of double exposures (and how to make them. [online] Carmen City Film Lab. Available from: https://carmencitafilmlab.com/the-science-of-double-exposures-and-how-to-make-them/ Accessed 17 January 2021]

Varney, J. (2013) Photographic reflections: the photographer in the mirror. [online]. Victoria and Albert Museum. Available from: https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/caring-for-our-collections/photographic-reflections-photographer-mirror?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0rSABhDlARIsAJtjfCcP_rF7JCpjR7Dv5If0NjvTKYRuFLyFzRlKAW3TFayc9GD6XKRSZ5caAs50EALw_wcB [Accessed 19 January 2021]

Zhang, M. (2012) Creative landscape photos shot using a mirror and off camera lighting. [online] PetaPixel. Available from: https://petapixel.com/2012/10/01/creative-landscape-photos-shot-using-a-mirror-and-off-camera-lighting/ [Acessed 17 January 2021]

Self Evaluation

This has been a rollercoaster of an assignment. There have been Covid tier changes, a cancelled holiday, a national lockdown and a stay at home isolation order. All of which left me running two projects side by side, one I could do from home and the other outside of it.

But that has been necessary, and I can’t complain about it. The two projects have now blended in to one and I will continue with it after the course has ended. I’m looking forward to developing the project at my own pace and being able to really connect with it as a Photo-Therapy.

The original project idea was to show my Photo-Therapy in action. It just didn’t work for me. In hindsight, I realise this was because I was still at home and rushing to get images on a deadline. My Photo-Therapy is about the process of building up to taking the image, the image itself is the by-product of that process.

It’s the planning and anticipation, researching an area on paper and online maps, looking at other people’s images and reviews. It’s getting to the locations, walking, climbing, boat or swimming. It’s the time spent at the locations, absorbing the sights and smells, watching the camera compress time. It’s the isolation and freedom that is cathartic.

I did get some good subject images, front camera, but didn’t really connect to them and this shows. I haven’t spent the time looking and visualising the image, the images were just taken, not waiting for more clouds or a higher tide which would have improved them enormously.

The rear camera images only really worked due to me cocking up and double exposing them. The two images side by side met the project plan of showing the connection between the self, camera and subject. But the images are not taken at the same time and in my mind they have become posed and fake.

The plan was also too equipment heavy, so the second iteration was to use one camera and double expose, from the front and back. When I tried to recreate the cocked up double exposure effect, I failed. A factor in this was a lack of time to properly research, experiment and develop, but also I didn’t feel it was the right thing. The camera was not included and again the second image was posed.

The second project, pinhole selfies, was fun to do and I will properly do more in the future, but, I can’t see away of developing it beyond a bit of fun. Looking at Fahy’s and Ess’s work of pinhole portraits, I don’t believe that I have the eye or ability to progress in the same abstract way.

The final iteration, the two projects combined, is based on the Photo-Therapy and should be able to show the connection between the self, the camera and the subject at the time the image was taken. I only had time for one outing with a mirror, but I immediately felt a connection to the process and on a much deeper level too.

I will need to spend time analysing this and work out what direction the project will take me in the future. I am genuinely exited about it.