Alejandra Carles Tolra
Alejandra Carles Tolra is a photographer as well as a lecturer based in London, however she previously studied in the US to get her MFA in Photography in Massachusetts Boston, and even before that she attended school in Barcelona Spain where she is originally from. she recently took a visit to our school and helped us learn more about photography as well as show us her own work. she has recently also published her own project called Where We Belong, which is inspired by a festival she had attended in Bath and saw groups of people dressed up in regency cloths for a Jane Austen Festival. she asked around about why people would dress up and found that it was because they were big fans of Jane Austin and called themselves Janites. she then spent the next 3 years with some people she hd met and went to their gathering to help her take her photographs with and unbiased mind.
We fist looked at her most recent project called Where we Belong which is a series of photographs that are taken of a group of people who celebrate the work of Jane Austin. this project took her around 3 years to complete as she had to go to the groups trips and meet up to be able to take the photographs as well as build a connection with the people she was photographing so that she takes the photos with an unbiased view of them. what was also interesting is that she played around with staged photography as well as candid photography which might not be noticed at first but is more noticeable when looking at the images in more detail.
Respons to Alejandra Carles Torla
This week we were given the task to take 30 photographs around some of the words we were introduced to from Alejandra's workshop. We had to take the pictures while thinking about what the world meant to each of us as individuals as well as what we felt and thought about when we see the words and even what we imagine when we hear the word.
The images I took mainly reflect light, friends, collaboration, performance and dreamlike as well as some of the others. I think that this photoshoot was somewhat successful but I do wish that I was able to think more abstract for some of the other words. i think that although at first i really struggled to figure out what i wanted to do in this shoot and what type of pictures i wanted to create, i was able to reflect and rethink on the words and how i wanted the photos to represent the words. i believe if i was to this task again i could do a better job at representing words such as posed enlightened, home and fiction.
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Portraiture
Today we experimented with portraiture in pairs. The task was to take 12 successful portraits of your partner, we could also choose between environmental portraiture and studio portraits. I decided to got to the studio to take my portrait as I always wanted to use gel lighting to take cool and colourful photos. At first I wasn’t sure about how I wanted my model to act or pose so i started with just head shot type of photos from one place. I started to move around more and see what the lighting was like from different angles. I think this was affective because even though for my first model I had the same lighting set up the whole time by moving around I was able to create different compositions and mood with the photos. after looking around the studio to help find something that can inspire me i found a clapper board and used it as a prop. I then got the model to hold it up to their face and pose with it however they feel like. i think the the portraits with the prop helped the photos look more playful.
The images above are from my second attempt of taking portraits, however what I did different this time was that I went out and took more environmental portraits rather than studio style portraits. This is because i wanted to see what type of portraiture I liked taking photographs of better. From this shoot I don’t think I was able to choose which one I like better as I don’t think that the environment that I was in is the type of environment I would take portraits for which is why I don’t think I was able to take photos to the best of my abilities.
Nico Froehlich
Out of the entire South of the River project by Nico Froehlich my favourite photo is this image of a grocery shop, I think the reason i like it so much is due to its composition and how it has been framed to capture the shop as a whole the people around it as well as the poodle in front of it which reflection of the shop onto the water. I also like how your eyes first get drawn to the water and then up to the shop as it creates a feeling of curiosity to know more about where this is but also look at the people and analyse the image more. I think that although it seams like a simple photo for those who enjoy photography we can see the amount of though and consideration that went into the image which make us as the viewer appreciate it more.
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This was my attempt at environmental portraits from outside of school with some of my friends, my inspiration was Nico Froclichs portraits of people form south London and although its nothing like his work I think it was still a good attempt at taking environmental portraits but I still think that there is a lot more to improve on. As well as maybe trying a different camera next time as I feel that whenever I take pictures on the Cannon EOS I don’t end up liking the images as the white balance is off, I tried t fix it through the setting it still had a lot of white cast across the images. I think that I should try to edit them in iPhoto’s to see if there will be a difference. I feel that my favourite pictures are of the girl as I think the back ground was nice as well as the lighting. I also really like the image of the guy at the bus stop with the construction site behind him.
Personal Investigation Exam - Clementine's World
Today we had a mock exam/making day, which is basically when you are given the task to go out and create photographs from 3 of the options that the examiners give you. I chose task 2 which was colour theory, this is when you choose one colour a photography around and area and create at least 20 pictures. I chose the colour orange as I though it would be a bit difficult to photograph as its not a colour I usually see as pretty. However what i found through this task is that I can make ways for it to look nicely composed and aesthetic. What I began to do was change the cameras white balance to B6 G4 and used that to create most of the photographs, I did this because I felt that I would not have enough time when I got back to school to edit every photo individually and heighten their colours. I think that this photoshoot has been my most successful among all of the ones I've done so far as I think that the composition as well as the colours togethers go very well together
In the lesson today we explored what type of photographers we were, which started off by first creating a scale between each word to show which one we are more of than the other. Not only did this task make us think about what type of photographers we currently are but it also made me personally realise what type of photographer I want to be in the next few months. I found it interesting how almost all of my answers were more the right side which I would say was the more calm side. And by that I mean when I look at the words on the right side and I see Loud and Risky and Figurative I realise I don't really include those types of thing into my photography often and its often due to the fact that I'm scared to go out and experiment outside of my comfort zone. And when I looked at this it made me want to slowly start experimenting with different styles of photography just to see how it is but also to see if I find a style which I enjoy.
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This is a mind-map I made based off the type of photographer that I think I am but also somewhat want to be some of the areas I mention are things I like to photograph and then maybe how I like to photograph them as well as what type of photography I think it is. An example it Trips I like taking photographs on trips as a form of memory and evidence but if possible I would like to take them on film because I believe that they last longer in that way and are more permanent photographs. I think that this task was a good was for me to really think about what type of photographer I am and realise what I like and dislike in photography and where I think I belong in the world of photography in a sense.
Camera Work Shop
In one of the lesson we went over how to use a camera as well as what all of the buttons do and how to experiment with aperture, shutter speed and IOS. The reason why we did this workshop was because a lot of people in the class felt that they didn’t feel confident using Manuel settings which is why they feel they cant experiemnet aroudn with their
we continued to experiment with environmental photography in the camera work shop however this was the first time i had taken portraits using manual settings, i think that it was easier than i expected but i still had some difficulty because this day it was actually way too bright. i think that the ones i have chosen are quiet good in terms of the aperture being right and the ISO being correct. I also like the fact that these where shot RAW means that the quality of the images are way better than the other images i have taken.
Nico Froehlich
Recently Nico Froehlich came into school to visit us and also do a work shop with us. Nico Froehlich is a British photographer who studied digital photography at the University of Ravensbroune, and then worked as a life guard at Colfs school Leisure centre while continuing is passion of photography along the way. Nico Froehlich is very close to the area where I live and I was surprised to find out that i have known him for many years as I also train at Colfs leisure centre.
Nico froelichs style of photography is a mixture of architecture of the areas of south London but also of the people within the communities in south seats London. He has worked for many great commissions such as burger king, Apple and Brew dog as well as magazines such as The Guardian and Vittels. However when he came into school he told us a bit about himself and how he takes his photographs which I found was quite unique, this is because when he goes out to take his photos he rides around areas on his bike and when he finds a place he wants to take photographs of people and the community he first build a relationship with them through simply communicating with them which means that every time he takes his photos they become a bit more personal to him. He told us stories about where photos were taken but also about the people in them and how he would sometimes help them or hear their stories.
He also took us out for a little photo-shoot around the Kidbrook area and our task was to go and take portraits of people in their environments. We first went to dover right in-front of our school where there is chicken shops and barbers as well as a nail tech. I personally found this shoot very difficult as I struggle with being able to approach strangers and talk to them, which is why it took me a long time to find the confidence to however with Nico and my teachers encouragement I was able to approach the owner of the nails tech and ask if I could take a picture of them. I also took a picture of my classmate Ned who was taking pictures but I thought the way he wasn’t aware I was taking photo of him doing the same task as me was funny however what we were both taking pictures of were completely different. The task was to only take 3 really good portraits which is what I did however two of them are from the same place as I seem to not be able to find the one of the construction workers I took outside of Sainbury's by Kidbrook station.
Overall the experience of the shoot was good an although my images are very far from being as good as Nico's ones it was a great experience meeting him and finding out how passionate he is about photography and how weird it was that I have known him for so many years yet didn’t know he was a photographer. I was able to learn a lot about him.
Nico froelichs style of photography is a mixture of architecture of the areas of south London but also of the people within the communities in south seats London. He has worked for many great commissions such as burger king, Apple and Brew dog as well as magazines such as The Guardian and Vittels. However when he came into school he told us a bit about himself and how he takes his photographs which I found was quite unique, this is because when he goes out to take his photos he rides around areas on his bike and when he finds a place he wants to take photographs of people and the community he first build a relationship with them through simply communicating with them which means that every time he takes his photos they become a bit more personal to him. He told us stories about where photos were taken but also about the people in them and how he would sometimes help them or hear their stories.
He also took us out for a little photo-shoot around the Kidbrook area and our task was to go and take portraits of people in their environments. We first went to dover right in-front of our school where there is chicken shops and barbers as well as a nail tech. I personally found this shoot very difficult as I struggle with being able to approach strangers and talk to them, which is why it took me a long time to find the confidence to however with Nico and my teachers encouragement I was able to approach the owner of the nails tech and ask if I could take a picture of them. I also took a picture of my classmate Ned who was taking pictures but I thought the way he wasn’t aware I was taking photo of him doing the same task as me was funny however what we were both taking pictures of were completely different. The task was to only take 3 really good portraits which is what I did however two of them are from the same place as I seem to not be able to find the one of the construction workers I took outside of Sainbury's by Kidbrook station.
Overall the experience of the shoot was good an although my images are very far from being as good as Nico's ones it was a great experience meeting him and finding out how passionate he is about photography and how weird it was that I have known him for so many years yet didn’t know he was a photographer. I was able to learn a lot about him.
DEANA LAWSON |
This photograph is called Nation and it was taken by dean lawson, the image is of two men in a living room sitting on a sofa. They look like their smoking and hanging out with friends and then just having their picture taken, however knowing Dean Lawson and her style of photography is staging things it makes me question a lot of thing in the image. the fist thing that stand out at you in this image is the mouth brace the guy on the right has on, even though i know its staged i want to know what the purpose of it. One thing that makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable is the framing of the image, this is because although the frame included three men the third man of the right of the frame is covered by another image of teeth, which is something I've never seen any other photographer do at least not for the purpose of covering someone’s identity.
The image remind me a lot of the project in these and how their lives are and how their area also typically portrayed in film and by other people. Which is why when some people look at this image they might feel that the guys are aggressive and intimidating. They are also smoking weed and making gun signs which are things people will often relate to the projects a place of violence and drugs. Another thing that it remind me of is an album cover and rappers instagram stories and post where they hanging out with their friends. |
However when looking at the photo from a distance the colours are all very earthy with the brown floor, sofa, picture frame and then also brown durag, but then the green lighter on the sofa stands out and reminds the audience of what they are doing.
The most interesting part of this I'm age is the dentures in the right top conner of the photo which covers the mans head. According to MoMA the dentures belong to George Washington which was the 1st US President.
the lighting looks like it is natural from the room its self however i don’t think that Deana would have used just a single living room light i think she as used some form of professional lighting as the light seems as to be very controlled and coming form the right side of the frame from a higher angle due to way it creates shadows on the mens left side and how well the white background is lit.
I feel like to an extent this isn’t much different from reality, which is what i love about Deana Lawsons photography as she crested and stages phots so well that it looks like she has just gone to a location and told people she will be taking pictures in their natural environment. However thats not that she does she sets up everything from the poses to the props and framing, she takes everything into consideration before snapping a photo. for example the fact that these guys look some what cool and gangsta and like their rappers with the pose and jewellery but then you look at the man on the right and see his hairstyle which looks like his straightened his hair but then curled it makes him look a little funny. I think because of i have never seen a man with that hair style let alone a black man with his vibe with that hair style it looks a bit random to me. Which could be a something that Deana is exposing us to, by making me the viewer notice my close mindedness.
I feel that Lawson has created this photo to not only make the viewer question on what is staged and not staged but also reflect on themselves and notice the stereotypes or close minded beliefs we have on somethings.
The most interesting part of this I'm age is the dentures in the right top conner of the photo which covers the mans head. According to MoMA the dentures belong to George Washington which was the 1st US President.
the lighting looks like it is natural from the room its self however i don’t think that Deana would have used just a single living room light i think she as used some form of professional lighting as the light seems as to be very controlled and coming form the right side of the frame from a higher angle due to way it creates shadows on the mens left side and how well the white background is lit.
I feel like to an extent this isn’t much different from reality, which is what i love about Deana Lawsons photography as she crested and stages phots so well that it looks like she has just gone to a location and told people she will be taking pictures in their natural environment. However thats not that she does she sets up everything from the poses to the props and framing, she takes everything into consideration before snapping a photo. for example the fact that these guys look some what cool and gangsta and like their rappers with the pose and jewellery but then you look at the man on the right and see his hairstyle which looks like his straightened his hair but then curled it makes him look a little funny. I think because of i have never seen a man with that hair style let alone a black man with his vibe with that hair style it looks a bit random to me. Which could be a something that Deana is exposing us to, by making me the viewer notice my close mindedness.
I feel that Lawson has created this photo to not only make the viewer question on what is staged and not staged but also reflect on themselves and notice the stereotypes or close minded beliefs we have on somethings.
Questionaire
What is it within your photography that you really interested in?
I've come to notice that I'm very interested in taking pictures in film and not only coloured film but also black and white film. I have always been drawn to works of photographers such as Roy DeCarava who take phots on film and mostly in black white with luminating light playing a major role in his photos, but also how he takes pictures of the people around him as well as the community around him and his outside interest. I have also been recommend to look at Ming Smith who does similar thing with her photographs by playing with the shutter speed and making her images blurry intentionally.
What is it about your project that you want to know?
I want to know how much i can actually experiment with shutter speed and IOS , which are both on the more technical side of taking photographs which i can edit after taking a picture but if i experiment with film it will be different as i cant change to that much. However more broadly i want to know if the photographs i will take will give people the same nostalgic or warm feeling that i get when i look at the works of Roy DeCarava and Ming Smith.But i feel with the project being a personal investigation i want to also find out if this style of photography us really my style and if it can be something interesting for the viewer. i think we over look the beauty that light creates and only focus on how its harsh and exposing, but light can be innocent and playful and i want to be able to capture that within my work.
What is it that you want to document?
I want to document my friends our lives as well as architecture/ structures around me. I have always loved finding the beauty in little things people will pay no grate amount of attention to, I find that everything deserves our attention at least once even of its only for a small moment. i also want to document elements of light in photos and how we can manipulate it using shutter speed and IOS.
How much do you want to document what you see?
I don’t want to document everything all the time like artist such as Sian Davey and her collection Martha where she was documenting her daughter Martha all the time weather she was with her friends or by herself at home her mum would always be taking pictures of her. I would want to take photographs when I'm out with friends or when we are hanging out weather its good or bad and I want to document their achievements. I feel that if i document them at leats once or twice a week that should be enough because i find that i probably wont use most of them and also because i want to include the element of light into it it would mean i would have to do shoots on sunny days which i can be somewhat rare in London. I also would not be able to document them a lot because i will be using film and sometimes digital but mostly film, and when it comes to film if its black and white i can develop it in school but there is also the fact that film can get expensive.
What do you want to share with the viewer?
I want to share my experiences as a teenager for the next two years, as well as my life journey of becoming an adult and maturing but bot in an Instagram form of documenting but in a more artistic way. I want to show the life as teen in 2024-25 but also as a Gen-Z as o think that there is a lot of difference between us and even just the year 11s or even younger. I think that we are the last few years that can still relate to some of the more social concepts of the early 2000s. i want the viewer to feel comfortable and warm when looking at my images. I don’t want them to struggle to see what i want to show them. i want them to notice light and shadow and see something abstract that they can still have emotions towards. like i have mentioned before i want the viewer to feel nostalgia and relive a moment in time, relive an age they with once were at or are at or even one they will be reaching soon. I want to feel captivated by what they see.
What do you want to share with the viewer to experience?
I want to make more older people looking at my photos feeling nostalgia of their youth and their time at school but then with the younger generation i want them to take notice of what is to come in their life and how exciting things can be but then to also learn to appreciate their childhood as through my pictures i have so intention of only just showing the good parts of being a teen or turning in to an adult. i want to show the hardships we face and the way we perceiver through the hard times. but for people my age around me i want them to look at my photos and be able to take notice of the people round them and learn to sometimes live in the moment and learn to appreciate their last few years before becoming and adult. this is not to say that becoming and adult doesn’t have its own beautiful moments but there is a lot less time you get to just waste your time by going to the park after work or uni or laying in bed with your friend on TikTok for hours.
What kind of emotional/ experience do you want the viewer to have?
Have you documented in great detail a photographer or groups of photographers that have also photographed similar theme/ story/subject?
I have researched some photographers such as Roy DeCarva and Ming Smith however I can't say that I have tired to take pictures in their style or theme yet. I have been looking at the works of Roy DeCarava since the start of the year when in a lesson we were looking at the books of multiple artist so that we can see how people edit their photos and since the beginning I have always somewhat been drawn or inspired by his work which is why I actually started taking pictures in black and white as I had see it in his work. However the images I would take would not be particularly of people but more of my communities and the environment around me. Although all of those times I was trying to copy the works of other artist I would still be drawn to light in black and white pictures like in his work.
What were your findings within their work?
i found that both Ming Smith and Roy DeCarava had very similar yet different styles of photography. they both are very connected to their communities to the point where they have both documented black life as it was something that was very important for the both of them as black artist. the fact that Ming Smith was the first black female member of the Kamoio group during the time that Roy Decarava was its director. this was a ground which represented black artist and got their world to be presented in museums and galleries. they have also both been heavily influenced by jazz music and the blues and even have gone as far as created work which celebrates it. Now more specifically with their picture they both take photographs in black and white film however Mings work tend to be a lot more blurry than DeCarava which is probably due to the shutter speed she uses is lower than Roy DeCaravas, bit that alone creates a massive difference in their work. in Ming Smiths work you can also never really fully work out the subjects face due to the fact its black and white but also because there is so much movement in the picture.
I've come to notice that I'm very interested in taking pictures in film and not only coloured film but also black and white film. I have always been drawn to works of photographers such as Roy DeCarava who take phots on film and mostly in black white with luminating light playing a major role in his photos, but also how he takes pictures of the people around him as well as the community around him and his outside interest. I have also been recommend to look at Ming Smith who does similar thing with her photographs by playing with the shutter speed and making her images blurry intentionally.
What is it about your project that you want to know?
I want to know how much i can actually experiment with shutter speed and IOS , which are both on the more technical side of taking photographs which i can edit after taking a picture but if i experiment with film it will be different as i cant change to that much. However more broadly i want to know if the photographs i will take will give people the same nostalgic or warm feeling that i get when i look at the works of Roy DeCarava and Ming Smith.But i feel with the project being a personal investigation i want to also find out if this style of photography us really my style and if it can be something interesting for the viewer. i think we over look the beauty that light creates and only focus on how its harsh and exposing, but light can be innocent and playful and i want to be able to capture that within my work.
What is it that you want to document?
I want to document my friends our lives as well as architecture/ structures around me. I have always loved finding the beauty in little things people will pay no grate amount of attention to, I find that everything deserves our attention at least once even of its only for a small moment. i also want to document elements of light in photos and how we can manipulate it using shutter speed and IOS.
How much do you want to document what you see?
I don’t want to document everything all the time like artist such as Sian Davey and her collection Martha where she was documenting her daughter Martha all the time weather she was with her friends or by herself at home her mum would always be taking pictures of her. I would want to take photographs when I'm out with friends or when we are hanging out weather its good or bad and I want to document their achievements. I feel that if i document them at leats once or twice a week that should be enough because i find that i probably wont use most of them and also because i want to include the element of light into it it would mean i would have to do shoots on sunny days which i can be somewhat rare in London. I also would not be able to document them a lot because i will be using film and sometimes digital but mostly film, and when it comes to film if its black and white i can develop it in school but there is also the fact that film can get expensive.
What do you want to share with the viewer?
I want to share my experiences as a teenager for the next two years, as well as my life journey of becoming an adult and maturing but bot in an Instagram form of documenting but in a more artistic way. I want to show the life as teen in 2024-25 but also as a Gen-Z as o think that there is a lot of difference between us and even just the year 11s or even younger. I think that we are the last few years that can still relate to some of the more social concepts of the early 2000s. i want the viewer to feel comfortable and warm when looking at my images. I don’t want them to struggle to see what i want to show them. i want them to notice light and shadow and see something abstract that they can still have emotions towards. like i have mentioned before i want the viewer to feel nostalgia and relive a moment in time, relive an age they with once were at or are at or even one they will be reaching soon. I want to feel captivated by what they see.
What do you want to share with the viewer to experience?
I want to make more older people looking at my photos feeling nostalgia of their youth and their time at school but then with the younger generation i want them to take notice of what is to come in their life and how exciting things can be but then to also learn to appreciate their childhood as through my pictures i have so intention of only just showing the good parts of being a teen or turning in to an adult. i want to show the hardships we face and the way we perceiver through the hard times. but for people my age around me i want them to look at my photos and be able to take notice of the people round them and learn to sometimes live in the moment and learn to appreciate their last few years before becoming and adult. this is not to say that becoming and adult doesn’t have its own beautiful moments but there is a lot less time you get to just waste your time by going to the park after work or uni or laying in bed with your friend on TikTok for hours.
What kind of emotional/ experience do you want the viewer to have?
Have you documented in great detail a photographer or groups of photographers that have also photographed similar theme/ story/subject?
I have researched some photographers such as Roy DeCarva and Ming Smith however I can't say that I have tired to take pictures in their style or theme yet. I have been looking at the works of Roy DeCarava since the start of the year when in a lesson we were looking at the books of multiple artist so that we can see how people edit their photos and since the beginning I have always somewhat been drawn or inspired by his work which is why I actually started taking pictures in black and white as I had see it in his work. However the images I would take would not be particularly of people but more of my communities and the environment around me. Although all of those times I was trying to copy the works of other artist I would still be drawn to light in black and white pictures like in his work.
What were your findings within their work?
i found that both Ming Smith and Roy DeCarava had very similar yet different styles of photography. they both are very connected to their communities to the point where they have both documented black life as it was something that was very important for the both of them as black artist. the fact that Ming Smith was the first black female member of the Kamoio group during the time that Roy Decarava was its director. this was a ground which represented black artist and got their world to be presented in museums and galleries. they have also both been heavily influenced by jazz music and the blues and even have gone as far as created work which celebrates it. Now more specifically with their picture they both take photographs in black and white film however Mings work tend to be a lot more blurry than DeCarava which is probably due to the shutter speed she uses is lower than Roy DeCaravas, bit that alone creates a massive difference in their work. in Ming Smiths work you can also never really fully work out the subjects face due to the fact its black and white but also because there is so much movement in the picture.