Rituals.
A series of actions or behaviour often carried out by someone becomes a ritual; as shown in the header a woman eating breakfast everyday could be seen as a breakfast ritual. Or a religious ceremony consisting of different actions instructed by a religion.
I picked this theme because I immediately felt inspired and had lots of ideas of what I could do with the theme and it also opportunities for experimentation.
I picked this theme because I immediately felt inspired and had lots of ideas of what I could do with the theme and it also opportunities for experimentation.
Ideas
Mindmap
I found this project when I was searching for ideas and thought it fitted the theme for everyday rituals.
The link below matches with my idea of everyday rituals
Initial ideas for a final piece
A possible idea for my final piece would be to document an average week using photos and present the photos all together in order; going from waking up to going to sleep. So when the photos are presented in a series of images it records an average day in my life full of things I do everyday (everyday rituals). For example there would be images of waking up ,washing ,eating and travelling to and from school. Although the images would be of quite boring subjects, hopefully when seeing them all presented a weeks worth of these things would look interesting. The replication of similar images would encourage you to look for the slightest difference and require the on looker to focus more closely.
A possible idea for my final piece would be to document an average week using photos and present the photos all together in order; going from waking up to going to sleep. So when the photos are presented in a series of images it records an average day in my life full of things I do everyday (everyday rituals). For example there would be images of waking up ,washing ,eating and travelling to and from school. Although the images would be of quite boring subjects, hopefully when seeing them all presented a weeks worth of these things would look interesting. The replication of similar images would encourage you to look for the slightest difference and require the on looker to focus more closely.
Typology photography: Hans Eijkelboom
The idea of using typology to help me produce and present my final pieces appealed to me. Typology is the study of different types-this can be a study of cultures,different peoples and of the classification of artefacts according to their characteristics. I thought I could take images of the same ritual over a week or a few days and present them next to each other comparing the slight differences each time I do something. An artist that uses typology is Hans Eijkelboom. He uses typology to compare different people all with similar looks who he sees on the street. The photos below are three of many images that make up his book called 'People of the Twenty First Century'. To gather the images he needed for the book he spent 20 years on the streets of America, the Netherlands and China.
In this image there is a selection of photos with people wearing similar jumpers walking through what looks like a busy city in the background. All the photographs are displayed in a grid like a typology image. Hans Eijkelboom, a contemporary photographer who took these images spent years going out on the streets of Holland and America taking a series of images like these. The way the image is presented highlights all the different types of people , all with different styles wearing the same type of clothes almost like a uniform. The pattern of the jumpers runs throughout and links every separate photo to make up the whole image. I like how when you look at this image the first thing your eye is drawn to is the jumper and then after that you realise how different the people's outfits are. If I could ask the photographer anything it would be what was his inspiration for this image?
Sophie Calle
Sophie Calle a french artist took a series of photographs linked to ritual called 'Sleepers' where people volunteered to be photographed asleep for a period of time in the late 70's. The photos are linked to the idea of everyday rituals with sleeping being something we do everyday. The images were all in black and white and I think this suits the images very well as the idea of sleeping and night time would be in black and white. All of the people in the images volunteered to use the same bed and be photographed over a few months; this could also link to the concept of ritual as doing that over and over, sleeping and taking photographs everyday for months becomes a ritual itself. Out of the three images above my favourite is the middle one. This is because I like how it s presented in the grid. When you look at it , it feels like your looking at every one of those people sleeping at that exact moment .It is a record of that moment in history. Also the way it's presented gives you an opportunity to look and compare how all these different people sleep in different positions and how the covers are getting screwed up in all different ways yet they are all sleeping. It is a form of typology as it is a comparison of different types.
Andreas Gursky 99 cent
Andreas Gursky is a german photographer who did a series of photographs in 99 cent shops highlighting the colour of all the displays. I think this fits in to the idea of everyday rituals as a pound shop is something most people see or go into often. My favourite thing about these images are the vibrant colours. While you are walking through the aisles of the shop you might not really notice it but from the elevated view you get the full effect of the organisation and colour of the products. It's making very bright, interesting images out of everyday mundane sights. It gives pattern and texture to the image. My favourite image out of the three above is the far left image I like this one as unlike the other 2 which have the white ceiling which gives them more a sense of depth, in the far left image it feels more shallow and more like one wall of solid colour. As well as being organised in colour you can almost see a grid with lines going through from the shelves, it almost makes you look more at the whole image in detail as your eye follows each individual shelf from one end to the other looking at the different products and colour along the shelf.
First set of photos
These images are linked to rituals because work and walking around school are a kinds of everyday rituals. In the first image of Max and Kai on their laptops I really like the lighting of it and I think their intense facial expressions sort of match the dark lighting of the photo. The second image of the boy painting I like also like because it has a similar dark lighting to the first picture. I think the dot of light in the middle provides a contrasts to the rest of the image and the boy painting as they are so dark. The final image of the three is linked to everyday rituals because everyone walks around school everyday. I am really pleased this image was taken in black and white as I don't think it would have the same effect in colour, it would be to bright. I also think it's interesting as everything in the image looks glazed over because of the reflection of the light.The link between the images is the sense of darkness and shadows which gives a sense of drama to the normal everyday ritual.
Second set of images
I took these images around school to link to the theme rituals by looking at things we do and see all the time in school. The Images of everyone walking along the link shows people going from lesson to lesson which is something we do routinely with out thinking . The image of the stack of books also links to things we do everyday in school as it's work on someone's desk. The images of the doors and entrance to school look at things we walk through and see everyday. My favourite image is the centre image in the top row. I was trying to get it to look really simple with just a few students walking along with a brick back ground. However the lens wouldn't quite zoom enough to crop it well enough to get that effect properly. I could adjust the photo by cropping this image using editing software like Photoshop. My least favourite image is the image of the front gates as I couldn't really line the image up with out things getting in the way so it's at a slight angle. If I did this again I would try to get the image more straight on as I think it would look a lot better.
Image evaluation
This image is taken by an art and fashion blogger called Lolita. I find this image very interesting as it is of something very mundane and unimpressive however this image makes making a cup of coffee intriguing it looks like some kind of chemical reaction. I also feel that the repetition is very important to this image as although they would be interesting on there own they wouldn't have the same effect. The repetition models a process. As well as that I think that the repetition helps it fit the theme of rituals even better as the triplet of images represent making the the cup of coffee where as just one of these images would just be more like staring at the final product. This has given me ideas for my own project as I could take images in sets to show a process of doing an everyday ritual.Making the process part of the composition.
This image was taken by Michael Wolf and called 'Tokyo Compression'. I like how this image has a lot going on with different shades, shapes and textures all fitted into the small area, it is almost like a painting. I also like how you know what's going on in this image and where it's taken just by seeing it. I think this image fits the theme rituals as its an image of someone on their way to work which is a very everyday task. What's also interesting about this image is that you know that this person is obviously one of many cramped into the train and that there is a story behind the immediate image. You only have to see this single person to know that there are many more not in this image. I like how the only part of his face that is in focus is where it's being pushed up against the glass this draws attention to the idea of him being compressed in the train and represents everyone else in the train pushing him up against the glass.
Photos
These images I took on my iPhone and DSLR at home. The ones of the sink and tooth brush are linked to rituals as brushing your teeth and washing are things you do everyday. The images taken in the barbers are linked to a personal ritual for me as I have used that particular barber for my whole life. My favourite out of all the above images are the ones of the barbers as they are more engaging and relevant to me than the other set. There is lots going on in them with more colour and objects which is reminiscent of Andreas Gursky's image of the 99 cent shop.
I tried to adjust the composition by attempting to get the image lined up so that the same amount of each chair is shown .I then took the image and I cropped my best attempt using the editing software on my Iphone so that the positioning allowed greater focus into the centre of the image to draw your eye to the colour and pattern formed by the artefacts of the barber. I also like the way that you can see different angles of the same objects in one image as the reflection of the hair products in the back mirror gives 2 angles of the objects giving you a different view point of the same object in the same image.
Out of the other images I like the image of the shower. However that image came out like that by accident as I was trying to see what it looked like if i turned the shower on and took the image on a slow shutter speed. I could not keep the camera still so it came out blurred but I still like the result.The blurring of the edges adds to the lighting and produces a warm image. The image of the sink and tooth brush viewed from the side I liked as there is a sense of depth as there are four focuses in the image and as they get further away they become more blurry which puts more focus onto the first two objects (toothbrush and tap).
I tried to adjust the composition by attempting to get the image lined up so that the same amount of each chair is shown .I then took the image and I cropped my best attempt using the editing software on my Iphone so that the positioning allowed greater focus into the centre of the image to draw your eye to the colour and pattern formed by the artefacts of the barber. I also like the way that you can see different angles of the same objects in one image as the reflection of the hair products in the back mirror gives 2 angles of the objects giving you a different view point of the same object in the same image.
Out of the other images I like the image of the shower. However that image came out like that by accident as I was trying to see what it looked like if i turned the shower on and took the image on a slow shutter speed. I could not keep the camera still so it came out blurred but I still like the result.The blurring of the edges adds to the lighting and produces a warm image. The image of the sink and tooth brush viewed from the side I liked as there is a sense of depth as there are four focuses in the image and as they get further away they become more blurry which puts more focus onto the first two objects (toothbrush and tap).
Altered image
I decided to alter this image very slightly on photoshop and experiment with the image in an attempt to see how changing the brightness and darkening the colours in the image can change the mood of the scene. By making the changes to the brightness the lighting looked more washed out from the original image that was quite bright with a strong contrast. After the adjustment the photo became more dark and depressing. I am more keen on the original image as I think the brightness suits the content and a main focus of the original image is the colour of the collection of bottles and other hair products in the middle of the picture and their reflection in the back mirror.
More of my own images
I took these images of my tooth brush pot inspired by Hans Eijkelboom as they all have the same background and the contents of the pot is the same but I took each one on a different day and focused on how the position of the brushes and things change each day after being used. This links to typology comparing the small differences of the same thing at different times. All of the images came out how I would like them to come out apart from the first one as it's slightly off centre and the white background isn't completely filling up the background as in some of the corners you can see past the edge of the paper. There is also a slight crease going through the middle of the paper however I do not think that this affects the overall image significantly .My favourite thing about the images is how simple they are and that white is the main colour running throughout the image, not just the paper and pot but on all the tooth brushes and the tooth paste. White ties the objects in the image together.
Food rituals
I have taken a series of photos everyday of one part of my breakfast .I decided to try use the form of typology with the same content and focus on different days but using the constant of a white background using the same drink in the same type of glass every time. I also placed the plate and glass on the table under the sky light in the identical position each time pencilling the position of the plate and glass on the paper.I tried to use the format of Sohie Calle's 'Sleeper' photographs whereby she used the same bed, the same theme, but with different people. I have taken the pictures before and after each meal. I aimed to record the process of eating like the making of a cup of coffee. The series of before and after, repeated day in day out gave the images ritual. If I were to repeat this process I would like to record the before and after of a larger group of people i.e. in a canteen and collect a larger set of images making the routine breakfast ritual more of a significant event.The larger collection of photos requiring the viewer to look at the detail and difference amongst the similarity of the breakfast.
I decided not to take photos of my dinner as when I tried the lighting was so different and the photo didn't come out very well.As you can see from the first image it didn't match the others and made the food look disgusting. The second image included the chair and it was meant to show that i've left the table and finished eating but it didn't fit very well with the other images so i didn't follow the idea up. Another slight mistake was when taking photos of the bowls of cereal some have the spoon in and others don't which doesn't make the images as identical however I don't think it effects the images and I don't think it would take anything away from the final piece when it comes to producing it.
I decided not to take photos of my dinner as when I tried the lighting was so different and the photo didn't come out very well.As you can see from the first image it didn't match the others and made the food look disgusting. The second image included the chair and it was meant to show that i've left the table and finished eating but it didn't fit very well with the other images so i didn't follow the idea up. Another slight mistake was when taking photos of the bowls of cereal some have the spoon in and others don't which doesn't make the images as identical however I don't think it effects the images and I don't think it would take anything away from the final piece when it comes to producing it.
Images edited
I edited the images of my toothbrushes on photoshop while experimenting with different ways to present my final pieces. The first thing I tried was editing the images into the pop art kind of affect. To do this I changed the threshold of the image so it was black and white and only parts of the image were visible. I then put a layer of green which is the same colour as one of the tooth brushes over the top of this image and multiplied it so you could see the black shape of the tooth brush pot and brushes. Then putting this in a grid gives it a sort of pop art affect, to improve on this maybe I could change the colours on each image so there is 4 different colours and more variation in the image. I then made a different more simple way of presenting the image by cropping them and then organising them in a grid of 2 by 4.This makes it more simple and plain ,white being the main colour featuring the image. For my other way of presenting the toothbrush image I put layers different pictures on top of each other and then reduced the opacity of every image so it gave the effect of almost being able to see the tooth brushes moving and changing position. For my last image I cropped any imperfections out of my food images then put them into a 2 by 5 grid showing before and after of each meal with food on the plate and the plate after the foods been eaten. I then experimented with my blurred image by changing the contrast, vibrance and saturation.
Final pieces
Evaluation
For my theme I chose rituals. I chose rituals because as soon as I saw the option I immediately had ideas about what I could do for final pieces and there was an opportunity to experiment and develop ideas with this theme. I developed on and aspect of rituals in particular I went more into the aspect of everyday rituals after looking at the work of Sophie Calle, Andreas Gursky and Hans Eijkelboom . So I went down the route of photographing work and school , visits to the barbers , brushing your teeth and eating breakfast. The two ideas I concentrated more on were the morning rituals of brushing your teeth and breakfast, I thought it would be interesting to find a creative way of documenting them as they are often things we don't think about at all but do everyday. A way of representing how often we do these things I was inspired by Hans Eijkelboom and the how he presented his work in a typography display so I decided to take a collection of photos of the toothbrush pot and how the formation of the pot changes each day as people take brushes in and out. I also took a collection of photos of my breakfast each day before and after eating for a week so both sets of photos could be presented in a very plain way with a white background all just lined up next to each other.
As I experimented and developed ideas throughout unit two I used different cameras including Iphones and dslr cameras. I also began editing and improving images using photoshop I sharpened images and changed brightness. Using photoshop was a crucial part of developing images in editing the images for example when I made the images inspired by Andy Warhol I used photoshop to change the threshold and colour of the images. Photoshop was also key in how I presented the images in a grid as I had to use it to crop and scale down the images of tooth brushes and my breakfast which I used a dslr to take so they fit into the grid perfectly. The images of the tooth brushes developed from a photo of my sink where the tooth brushes where the center piece and main focus to being images of just the tooth brushes and a white background so that they were the only focus of the image.
On my page I have recorded my ideas neatly and creatively in different ways. I have made mind maps on popplet and screen shotted the image on to my website I have done the same thing with my pinterest board full of images linking to rituals. I also put all of my own images in to galleries and had evaluations under each gallery as having research with images of other photographers. My page is quite uniformly organised with out much variation in presentation of my images and writing.
I was pleased with my final piece as a response to my theme, all linking to everyday rituals. My first final piece the images of my tooth brushes in a simple typology display with a white background. I like how this came out as I think it has the affect I was looking for, for it to be plain and simple I think having white as its main colour helps it have this affect. As well as this having every photo in the grid taken with the exact same composition makes you focus more on the main point of interest looking at the different formations of the toothbrushes representing the ritual of people taking out and using their tooth brushes everyday. To make this image better I would have taken more photos so the final out come would be bigger and there would be a bigger range of toothbrush formations. For my second final piece I had the picture of all of my different breakfasts over a few days before and after eating. This image was very similar to the tooth brush final piece as they are both meant to be in a typology style of presentation with white being the main colour keeping it plain and simple. The photos show the before and after of the meal so they represent the process of me eating the meal with out showing it. If I did this again I would take more photos to improve the affect of the overall out come giving a bigger range of different meals bringing more colours, textures and shapes to the final image. I also noticed a mistake in this image as one image isn't the right way up which takes away from the affect of all of the photos having the same composition and being uniform so I would correct this mistake if I made it again. The last of my final out comes is the Andy Warhol style image of the toothbrushes in a large grid. This image links to my theme as it uses the same images as the other final piece including toothbrushes so again its about the different formation of the tooth brushes. However its presented in a completely different style opposite to being very white and plain and simple its very bright with contrasting colours. I like how by changing the threshold of the toothbrush images it makes it harder to make out what the photo is of at first but by making it like that you concentrate on it more and realise the different formations. I also like the size of the image as I think the green colour on that scale gives it more impact than if it were just a smaller A3 image. If I did this again I think I would think about experimenting more with different colours would give the affect of each image being more unique to the next rather than all being one colour the same throughout.
Overall I am pleased with my progress in this unit as I think I have done sufficient research and experimentation to make a set of successful final images that link to my theme. I feel I have clearly presented the thoughts, ideas and justifications I have had for my final pieces and the changes I made to theme while producing them.
As I experimented and developed ideas throughout unit two I used different cameras including Iphones and dslr cameras. I also began editing and improving images using photoshop I sharpened images and changed brightness. Using photoshop was a crucial part of developing images in editing the images for example when I made the images inspired by Andy Warhol I used photoshop to change the threshold and colour of the images. Photoshop was also key in how I presented the images in a grid as I had to use it to crop and scale down the images of tooth brushes and my breakfast which I used a dslr to take so they fit into the grid perfectly. The images of the tooth brushes developed from a photo of my sink where the tooth brushes where the center piece and main focus to being images of just the tooth brushes and a white background so that they were the only focus of the image.
On my page I have recorded my ideas neatly and creatively in different ways. I have made mind maps on popplet and screen shotted the image on to my website I have done the same thing with my pinterest board full of images linking to rituals. I also put all of my own images in to galleries and had evaluations under each gallery as having research with images of other photographers. My page is quite uniformly organised with out much variation in presentation of my images and writing.
I was pleased with my final piece as a response to my theme, all linking to everyday rituals. My first final piece the images of my tooth brushes in a simple typology display with a white background. I like how this came out as I think it has the affect I was looking for, for it to be plain and simple I think having white as its main colour helps it have this affect. As well as this having every photo in the grid taken with the exact same composition makes you focus more on the main point of interest looking at the different formations of the toothbrushes representing the ritual of people taking out and using their tooth brushes everyday. To make this image better I would have taken more photos so the final out come would be bigger and there would be a bigger range of toothbrush formations. For my second final piece I had the picture of all of my different breakfasts over a few days before and after eating. This image was very similar to the tooth brush final piece as they are both meant to be in a typology style of presentation with white being the main colour keeping it plain and simple. The photos show the before and after of the meal so they represent the process of me eating the meal with out showing it. If I did this again I would take more photos to improve the affect of the overall out come giving a bigger range of different meals bringing more colours, textures and shapes to the final image. I also noticed a mistake in this image as one image isn't the right way up which takes away from the affect of all of the photos having the same composition and being uniform so I would correct this mistake if I made it again. The last of my final out comes is the Andy Warhol style image of the toothbrushes in a large grid. This image links to my theme as it uses the same images as the other final piece including toothbrushes so again its about the different formation of the tooth brushes. However its presented in a completely different style opposite to being very white and plain and simple its very bright with contrasting colours. I like how by changing the threshold of the toothbrush images it makes it harder to make out what the photo is of at first but by making it like that you concentrate on it more and realise the different formations. I also like the size of the image as I think the green colour on that scale gives it more impact than if it were just a smaller A3 image. If I did this again I think I would think about experimenting more with different colours would give the affect of each image being more unique to the next rather than all being one colour the same throughout.
Overall I am pleased with my progress in this unit as I think I have done sufficient research and experimentation to make a set of successful final images that link to my theme. I feel I have clearly presented the thoughts, ideas and justifications I have had for my final pieces and the changes I made to theme while producing them.