Assignment two Zine, once you have clicked on the below link, click the symbol above the + and then use the arrow keys to turn the page over.

20200809-COVID-zine new

Vimeo link https://vimeo.com/427154318

After reviewing the idea and asking on the student forums for help, several students suggest the newspaper club and how to make a zine. I had seen this mentioned on the forum in older posts. The issue I have with it is costs and how many you need to produce to bring the price down. I don’t think it is worth the money for what will be a short gain.

I used Lightroom and book module to produce the layout. Something I had not used during assignment three, where I used pages app through the Apple software. Its slightly harder to master, although I have found a Youtube tutorial on this. I’ve just stuck to a simple layout while I try to establish how best to achieve this. I must admit I’m relatively pleased with the first attempt. The fact that it has been printed on cheap recycled paper and using a standard printer it has a rustic feel to it like you’d expect from a cheap magazine or a newspaper pull out.

If the assessment is not digital and we send prints, this would compliment the final prints with a small zine.

Bibliography

This assignment asks us to draw upon experiences from this part of the course and our research into self-portraits’. It comes at a time where we are experiencing for some people some hard and harsh times. Something people haven’t experienced before.

It is a testing time that we have entered into, one that that only time will tell how it is that we have dealt with it.

Self-portraits for me has been one I was hoping id be able to skip. I’d rather be the one photographing than the model. It has been an intriguing assignment for me, one that I’ve been able to experiment with more than the previous two. Partly down to now having more time on my hands to venture and time at home has helped me to try and experiment with new ideas and concepts.

Standing in front of the lens isn’t a strong point for me. I have been told what at times a “Face for Radio”. And not for the television. So how did I take to this task and the ideas I faced?

You will be able to see from my research how this final concept came together. The initial idea of Soldier, Civilian and Veteran I think will now be what I’ll try to portray in Assignment Five. Through this journey and seeing a portrait, has given me far more ideas to go forward. YouTube has been a breath of fresh air when looking for ideas whys to construct a self-portrait. I have also enjoyed looking at how Vivian Maier used herself within a picture to create her self-portraits.

Maiers images of herself within a frame drew me to the idea of a composition of my self-portrait, giving a point of view effect from my eye.  Hence my assignment title COVID-SOLATION a play on words.

Fifteen images down to nine selected to be placed into the zine and a few changes in the post edit. 20200420-ASS-3-C&N-COVID-SOLATION

Demonstration of technical and visual skills – I think this has shown a creative side to my photography, yes, I’ve used my street photography style within the images. Still, I believe shows you’re the viewer my PoV that I’ve seen through my isolation. By using everything, I had to hand from lighting that was purchased last year to a makeshift studio in the spare bedroom. I’ve pushed myself to think outside the box and ultimately, my comfort zone.

Quality of outcome – How I have chosen the viewer to see the view is via a word document that in the form of a zine. Single text sentence or word accompanied by an image on the following page. I believe it works well and I’ve had not bad comments from friends and family. Even without the text, I think they work. I don’t think the colour would have worked as well as black and white. Colour would have been too much for the eyes to see. Its dark times and bnw echoes this, I believe.

Demonstration of creativity – had I not seen this on technique on YouTube with photoshop and blending of images I don’t think I would have created them like this. I have used the double exposure in-camera technique beforehand on this course and EYV, I don’t think it would have been as dramatic as these have turned out to be. The use of dodging and burning of the image to enhance some of the areas works exceptionally well with bnw.

Context – I think you can see the background to the series that I have tried to portray. Self-isolation and portraiture have gone well together. Had I stuck with the two images using the large mirror I think you would have got a slightly different outcome.

contact sheet 20200416-Ass-3-final

some of the comments from the OCA forum page

Lynda512863

12d

 

Definitely very creative! The layering works well and there is a level of ambiguity in the images that is very engaging. Looking forward to seeing more!

 

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Thomas520377Thomas

 

12d

 

Thanks Lynda. Just trying to see what I’ve captured that works.

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AlanFletcher

11d

 

I wonder how it looks in colour? I think the repeating motif of your self portrait could work, disrupting the motif with objects within the home could add a further layer, outside and inside, maybe play with layering two images with the household objects like these self portraits, it could create a flow within a series, outside a restricted movement, inside a more static environment

 

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Thomas520377Thomas

 

11d

 

Hi Alan I did try that but it just didn’t work out. A kettle my head and a spoon in my mouth.

Just going through a few more edits. I think I’m content with what I’m achieving.

Time will tell. Thanks for the comments.

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AlanFletcher

11d

 

No in these flip side images remove your self portrait and use say a kettle and overlay say an image with I don’t know the kitchen or the outside world so the series becomes a mix of self portraits disrupted with objects

 

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Thomas520377Thomas

 

11d

 

Ok I see what you mean

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Matthew510072

10d

 

I think there’s potential for something really interesting here, as a concept and visually. I’d just keep experimenting and see where it takes it you.

 

Reply

 

Bibliography

Why have I chosen black and white over colour?

These have been dark days over the last few weeks with what the world is experiencing

, yes using colour would be cheerful but I believe black & white has more drama and ambiguity to them. After placing a few onto the student forum for some critics (something I didn’t do quite so well during EYV) I see I have got a few good comments. One in particular in how my head is slightly wonky. I will go back into PS and correct this, I don’t find it detracts me but I have a feeling if he has seen it then others may do, especially when this comes to assessment. Practice makes perfect I suppose should be the clique used here. I have a few more ideas to play with then I will start to construct my final selection and send to my tutor.

So today i put together a series of images I plan to submit for this assignment. The idea of isolation and self-portraits I think will come through. Seeing my street photography within my self portraits especially at this strange time. I’ve tried to incorporate what’s going on in Windsor and the world today with the COVID-19 outbreak.

Since I’ve started to look at this assignment, things have changed. Or this should read guidelines have been put in place by the government. Simply put, we are staying indoors until told otherwise.

I’m currently on easter leave from work, but this is still an unknown whether it is going back to Kent or working from home until we know more.

Today I tried my hand with self-portraits using the 50-140mm f2.8 lens on the Fujifilm XT3 along with some cheap lights I brought during EYV. After trying to see how the sun would be and a black backdrop. I changed to a light coloured sheet attached to the blinds.

Using the Fuji app with my xt3, I’m able to adjust everything from my phone and not run back and forth to the camera.

The idea is to be creative and think outside the box. The previous notions of using layers and different pictures to create one picture are still the direction I’m going. However, this time I’m using myself as in the portrait and some of my isolation exercise images I’ve been capturing during this lockdown with COVID-19.

Youtube has been a wealth of knowledge, seeing how I can blend layers and use multiple images to create one. I’ve used double exposure during this course and EYV, but never experimented with layers in photoshop like this. Yes, I’ve added things like in previous exercises and just the other night after the super moon.

By blending the layers and dodging and burning to empathise certain areas of my face so you can still see me as a portrait.

 

The light set up during EYV

I think I’ll try my hand with some self-portraits seeing we have time on our hands. Three keywords above I’ll use to try and portray this idea.

Whether I chose to show them a Diptych or as a Triptych I’m undecided as yet. I may try to blend two pictures into one a half and half type.-face

So below is a quick WIP on what I think can be achieved whilst being at home during the lockdown. Its nowhere near as good as I would like, the first image isn’t great from a Brighton calendar leftover Christmas present. May look at stock images online to use. My photoshop skills arent great when it comes to erasing and keeping a steady hand.

Nowhere near perfect!

Although this is just a wip it challenges you to think outside the box when limited to what you can do.

This assignment asks to keep a diary, now I’m no good with a journal, hence why I’ve used my blog to write small chunks in.

Whilst out riding this morning for my daily one bit of exercise I started to think about the last exercise where I rebuilt a child hood memory. This could be an idea in itself for this assignment by creating a number of self-portraits in locations I just can’t be at this moment in time.

I’ve several Brighton calendars my Dad would get me each year with 12 different locations for each month. The idea is to use this as a backdrop and somehow have me in frame as well.