FMP - PHOTOBOOK
- Last term I undertook a project about my boroughs Radio Station, CroydonFM: a not-for-profit, community-led online and FM radio service.
- I used my photography to tell the story of the platform Clive Campbell and Phoebe Aurelia built, a platform that connects generations of people, in a positive way, through a similar interest in music; providing opportunities in Creative Media for members across Croydon, a fairly rundown area with not a lot of opportunity for new and upcoming creatives.
- As a way to celebrate the boroughs wealth of talent, my images document selected members of the station around Croydon. Famous for its iconic, “brutalist” architecture and street graffiti art, locations in Croydon have been used as a way to enhance the music identities of the members.
- This term, I'd like to delve deeper into this project. Now that I won't be constrained by time and won't have to stick to the theme of "Connections," I'll be able to experiment with new ideas that will complement my original concept of connecting the community with the area, resulting in a stronger final project.
- One example of this will be incorporating portraits of individual members that will compliment the group and architectural shots. Adding this level of detail will give the viewer more of an insight into each individual members personal story and connection to the radio station.
- Another way to improve this project is through the architectural shots. I don't feel that the photos used in my last project were of low quality, however it was one of my first architect shoots, so there is defiantly room for improvement and I can used this project do develop my skills in architecture photography.
Initial Brainstorm
WEAK POINTS OF PREVIOUS PROJECT:
- In order to make sure this project comes out 100% perfect, I need to iron out the small mistakes made previously that had a big effect on the final outcome of the project.
- One of the weaker points of my project was the photo series on the left. Whilst the position of my models is strong, the location itself doesn't respond very well to the idea of brutalist architecture, and as seen in the location shot, it isn't a very interesting location either.
- To not make this same mistake I will do more in-depth research into locations.
- The second example on the far right is perfect for the project: strong location, composition, and model positioning. However, when printing, I noticed that this shot is slightly blurry, which is due to the fact that I used the incorrect settings when shooting.
- Because the quality of the image was poor as a result of this error, the final result was harmed. Using the correct settings and double-checking before shooting will help you avoid making this mistake in the future.
- Because the quality of the image was poor as a result of this error, the final result was harmed. Using the correct settings and double-checking before shooting will help you avoid making this mistake in the future.
EXHIBITION OR BOOK?:
- When deciding how to present this project, I wanted to find a way to document how the station is currently in its early stages, and I also wanted to present the project in a way that members and local residents can view and appreciate what CFM has created.
- This narrowed my options down to creating either a printed photo book, or an exhibition that will be located/displayed within Croydon for members to see.
- While it would be amazing to display the work in Croydon Central for all residents to see, I believe that this would limit the project to just Croydon.
- Whereas if I created a photo book, I could create multiple copies to give out to people, and my project would have a much wider reach and would show other areas and communities what they, too, can achieve with the right group of likeminded individuals.
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I looked at music magazines for inspiration on how to present/layout my book to gain a better understanding of how to display work like this:
Brick Magazine:
- Brick, which was founded in 2015, is published bi-annually in a 260-page print edition that documents the current state of hip-hop and its ever-expanding cultural reach.
- The magazine honours hip-hop hero's, hop's shines a light on forgotten heroes, and celebrates the most cutting-edge contemporary artists.
- I selected this magazine as a lot of their features are photo-stories supporting a small article in relation to the featured artist. I found these photo-stories inspiring because the layouts were not basic as shown below.
- When I looked at their inside layouts, I preferred the ones where the images spoke for themselves rather than having a lot of text.
- As demonstrated in the two examples below, where on the left is a four photo story of the model expressing various expressions with minimal text linking to it. This style of layout appeals to me because it allows the pictures to tell a story rather than the text, and it is something I hope to emulate in my own personal work.
- That being said, I do feel that having a few pages with a fair amount of text to introduce this chapter or section of the photo story could be useful.
- For example, having a specific amount of text about a specific group of people who share a common interest in the same style of music.
- I liked the far right layout because it could be used, in my case, to display a large group image, followed by the group title and a small write out.
- I liked the far right layout because it could be used, in my case, to display a large group image, followed by the group title and a small write out.
- I also feel that the amount of text isn't too intimidating, and our attention initially goes towards the image as apposed to the text which I really liked.
- Another example of a layout where the images tell the story is the photo story "Freddie Gibbs vs The World" in Brick Magazine.
- The use of minimal text allows the photographs to tell the story of what is happening here, which I find much more interesting in comparison to having a load of text on the page. In this case it revolves around Freddie Gibb's style of fashion.
- Collaborating multiple images with a similar subject matter create a stronger final story, as these images are working together to add detail to a narrative. This is something id like to replicate in my own work as this style of storytelling can make for a much more powerful photo-story.
- Finally, I believe that the black framing around each image makes them stand out more against the white background and adds contrast between the white background and boxes the images in in rather than it blending into the background like the main image.
- My takeaway from these two layouts is that I want to use 4-5 images with the same/similar subject matter and use my photography to tell one big story about a specific music group in CFM, such as the R&B Community, where I could have one image of the group, then individual portraits, and another image of the location itself.
- As seen in my example layout below, I have a main group shot with the location and main people for this scene, followed by three detail shots, two of which are portraits of each individual, drawing more attention to each member individually rather than in a group. I could also add a small description next to each member's photo to tell you a little bit about them.
- I wanted to emphasise the architecture in my third detail shot. While this is not always necessary for every dps, I thought this particular building was a good example of Croydon's Brutalist architecture.
- I liked this detail shot because it gives the viewer a better understanding of the groves and structure of the buildings, highlighting its patterns and connecting the building to Croydon.
Test/Mock Up Layout
Vice Magazine:
- Vice magazine was founded in 1994 by Suroosh Alvi, Gavin Mclnnes and Shane Smith, which focuses on lifestyle, art, fashion and news/politics.
- The founders wanted Vice to be an outlet for young people who disliked mainstream culture, with the topics discussed often being neglected by mainstream media. Examples being topics related to mental health, sci-fi and sexual health, (topics that tend to be relatable to lives of teenagers.)
- At first the magazine was sold in Montreal, Canada, but would go on to be published world wide. With the first British edition being published in 2002 with Andy Capper being the first editor.
- I chose Vice Magazine because their magazines contain a lot of photo-stories, and I thought their layout style would be inspiring and useful for my research.
- Below I have created a photo-collage with all of the layouts I found inspirational.
- What I liked best about these layouts was their simplicity and lack of text, allowing the message contained within the photographs (whether it was fashion, facial expressions, or lifestyle) to tell the story.
- I also liked how the titles and text were laid out - overlapping the images in some cases, which I thought looked clean and professional, and also demonstrates the link between the story and the text.
- Finally, I liked how the images were presented large and bold, taking up a large portion of the page. Even when there are a lot of small images on one page, as seen in the top left and top right images below, the layouts remain picture focused, making them very visually appealing.
ART WORD'S - BOOK STORE:
- After getting ideas for how to present my photo series in an artistic way from various magazines, I decided to pay a visit to Art Words, a book store.
- I was able to see how photographers had laid out documentary photo projects in book form, ranging from landscape books to portrait books to small and large books with a variety of subject matters.
- Seeing the books in person also allowed me to see how different colours and types of photography looked being printed on different paper types. The most popular paper types being matte and satin.
- Matte is my preferred finish. I liked the feel of the paper because it had a nice texture, and because it was matte, there was no glare when looking at photos under a light. Finally, the colours on matte paper were more bold, giving the dark tones a high contrast look that I really liked.
Unseen London - London Grime:
- Unseen London was one of my favourite books in the store, particularly the section on London Grime by Vicky Grout.
- In terms of layout, I liked the way that the text was kept to a minimum as it allowed the photographs to tell the story of the people and the area that they were from.
- In contrast to magazines, the pages are not overly busy and usually contain only one image. While I believe that having multiple images on the page tells a more in-depth story, I prefer that my attention is drawn to just one image, as opposed to it becoming unclear as to what is the main subject when multiple images are on the page.
- Finally, I like how some images take up the entire page while others have a large white border around them. More specifically, the ones with larger borders, as they draw your attention in closer, linking back to what I said earlier, as opposed to the pages being busy and distracting the viewer.
Vicky Grout:
- Whilst looking at this book I was very inspired by Vicky Grout's style of photography.
- Vicky Grout is a London-based British/Polish photographer shooting predominantly on analogue, who specialises mostly in portrait, music, fashion and street photography.
- Her use of composition inspired me when I was looking at her work. She was able to incorporate backdrops of the architecture surrounding her subjects by using a 35mm lens, which links to their storey by showing the area they're from.
- This adds an important element to the plot. Grout has shot this in such a way that it's clear that the subject is still the most important part of the storey, and that the background doesn't distract us from that.
- The poses appear very natural, which results in more genuine photographs instead of coming across as staged or forced.
- In terms of the colouring I like the fact that these give off a vintage film look, as the colour adjustments are very subtle which gives the project a documentary feel.
- My takeaway from Vicky Grout's work is to continue using a 35mm lens to incorporate the backdrop whilst still making it clear that the model is still the key subject.
- As well as only making subtle adjustments to keep the urban/grime of Croydon in my photos, as Grout has done in this project.
Zed Nelson - The Street:
- We had Zed Nelson come in to speak to the class this week. In his talk, he discussed the process of making his photo book "The Street," which started as a small project after he returned home from America after finishing his project "Gun Nation."
- The project lasted four years and was centred on Hoxton Street in east London. It analyses the anatomy of Brexit and gives voice to those affected by gentrification's relentless forces.
- Nelson's playful lens captures the mercurial personality of a neighbourhood that changes before our eyes as the film progresses. There's a growing sense of despondency as old businesses close one after the other, to be replaced by "buzz bars" and insurance company headquarters. The area's rent has been skyrocketing.
- While the layout of the book was excellent, I was most inspired by the project's photography and storyline.
- I liked how Nelson was able to capture all aspects of the borough, looking into how there was a lot of change happening in the area due to rising home prices and popular businesses moving in, causing the borough to feel nothing like the original Hoxton locals knew.
- He conveyed this by depicting both the new and old aspects of the area, creating a contrast between the two. This also allowed for the inclusion of other people's perspectives in interviews.
- While many people dislike change and believe they are being pushed out of their homes, others saw the need for change.
- One example is the woman who ran the Hoxton church, who claimed that things were much better now because previously, someone had smashed the church cross, whereas the people moving into the area are not the type to do so.
- While many people dislike change and believe they are being pushed out of their homes, others saw the need for change.
- One example is the woman who ran the Hoxton church, who claimed that things were much better now because previously, someone had smashed the church cross, whereas the people moving into the area are not the type to do so.
- I feel that by shooting both the area and the people of the area was a great way to document change in both the people, the borough and the shops as a whole
- My takeaway from this project is to use the people in conjunction with the borough to create a more detailed story about both the borough and the people.
-By photographing the people of Croydon, as well as the unique architecture that surrounds the borough, I will be able to tell a more in-depth story about the borough as a whole, in the same way that Nelson has, as opposed to photographing one aspect on its own.
Spencer Murphy - Urban Dirt Bikes:
- Spencer Murphy is a London-based fine art and commercial photographer. Best known for his portrait photography, he won the National Portrait Gallery's Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize in 2013, after his work had been chosen for the exhibition six times previously.
- In this photo book, Spencer Murphy documented London's most misunderstood subculture, capturing the style and attitude of a movement that is life or death for its adherents.
- Whether they ride dirt bikes, quads, or mopeds, tearing up tarmac and performing stunts on industrial estates or city streets is an expression of self-expression. They are united in the face of the law and a hostile public by a passion and a way of life that few outsiders understand.
- I really liked the story line of this book and the way that Murphy documented a community that is typically misunderstood and looked down upon by many.
- In terms of photography, I liked how Murphy shot one image from a distance of the person riding their bike, which gives the viewer an idea of how they appear on the streets, and then a close up and personal portrait to form a connection between the audience and subject, as this closeness isn't something you would see if you saw them riding their bikes on the streets.
- Another takeaway from the book is the pages of tire marks on the road, with the little sequences from riders.
- These pages have a meaningful and personal feel to them because they speak about the fears and concerns that riders have but do not share with the public. These are genuine concerns, which I believe contributes to a more meaningful story.
- I would like to do something similar to this, speaking about the architecture of Croydon and having individual images of some of the more iconic buildings.
- I feel that this would break up the sections of portraits really nicely, and can speak about what these abandoned buildings once were, when and why they were abandoned and what the plans are for their future.
- For example the Nestle Tower, was the home to Nestle's London Office from 1964-2012, and was abandoned for the newer offices in Gatwick and is set to be rebuilt into flats.
