My tutor, Jess Lennan made a series called ‘Two Cities’. As part of this series she took photos of people in their environments. The images are similar to what I am aiming for. The series explores the cities of Exeter and Plymouth as a juxtaposed narrative.

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The portraits in the series is what I am particularly interested in. The subject is posed in what appears to be their own homes. They look into the camera not showing much expression. This is intriguing as it do not give a lot of information away to the viewer. The locations are all quite different but she uses mainly natural light.

I really like this one, it shows how I could still use couples alongside images of people on their own. I like that she is looking at the camera while he looks at her, it shows how the subject interacts with the camera. There is mainly things in the background and surrounding the subjects which makes it interesting for the viewer.

When talking to Jess, she spoke about the project which was inspiring. She followed a similar route to what I am planning. She firstly contacted people to photograph and from there she gained new contacts from them people. This is what has started to happen for me and it good to see a successful project from this. She also mentioned little tips, such as often she had to ask them too move cups of tea out the shot otherwise it would appear in every photo. This makes me understand I have to really analyse the scene while I am there. It will be easier to move some objects while i’m there instead of noticing in post production.

In this shoot I photographed Chelsea in her bedroom. Straight away I knew the shoot wasn’t successful as I wasn’t getting any good photos.

It was a small room so she sat on her bed which was next to a window. This allowed just enough light in but it was an overcast day so didn’t create any interesting tones or shadows. There was not much colour in the room so the image appears quite dull.

The light fell more of her legs, I would asked her to move forward but that might of looked a bit unnatural as it was her who chose to pose like that. Also I was backed against a wall so I could not go any further back.

This photo showed her face better but there is nothing of interest in the background.

This is the only slightly good one in the series. She is looking at the window which allows more light on her face. It is far enough away that you can see the background.

This shoot was not successful and I will not be using any of these images as finals. I have a list of people to photograph so I still have plenty of opportunities to get photos. I could reshoot but as the location was not that effective I think it is best to focus on other people..

This shoot I photographed Jordan who was a gamer. He had a gaming set up in his small bedroom. This was one of the most challenging shoots I have done, purely because of the lack of space. His desk was in a corner with walls either side and a tv behind it. This left me with very little space. Adrienne Salinger’s work has inspired mine for 2 reasons. Firstly visually, in this shoot I had to use some kind of external light as the light available was not enough. I would of avoided this before but it was effective in Salinger’s work so I was ready to try it. Secondly how she works with the subject, to keep it as real as possible she tells them not to change anything in their rooms. It keeps everything in the frame authentic.

The room was really dark as the bedroom lights were dim and there was very little natural light available. I had to put my shutter speed too low or ISO too high that the images were slightly blurry or grainy. In all my shoots I have always had an external flash light in my car just in case I really needed it. Ive always wanted to stick to the available light there to keep it natural and real. But in this situation I had to use it. It is a big light which meant the only angle I could take it at was from above the TV or a little gap on the side.

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These are images that were unsuccessful. The first is an example of when I was using the lighting available, it just wasn’t possible. The second is from over the TV. The angle is too high. I also was using 24mm which is not effective. The subject does not stand out as much as I planned. The third was taken below the light. Again I don’t think the subject stands out from the background enough.

This is the most successful image. Considering the challenges, I am happy with how it looks. The constant studio light I used worked at lighting his face. The helps at making him stand out from the busy background. I do worry that the background is distracting but there was not a lot I could do to help that. Looking back I should of asks him to lower the brightness of his screen, this would of improved it. When I get to the editing stage, I could try for a way to darken the background.

Compared to Salinger’s work, mine is quite similar. A lot of them have got a lot going on in the background and it still works well. This makes me feel better about my images. I can not control what is surrounding the subject so I just have to be careful with how I choose to document it.

I have narrowed the ages I am photographing to mainly 23 as this is the age I will be next year and from people I know there is a lot of differences in their lifestyles. I am going to allow a year either side to include people who have only just turned 24, or people who are 22 but birthdays are soon. Having these extra years either side will allow me to connect with more people.

As 23 is the main age I am doing additional subject research. When searching it on google, so many articles come up with negative headlines. Examples such as ’23 unbearable struggles of being 23′, ’23 things in your life that will end at 23′ and ’23 reasons nobody like turning 23′. It is clear to see that it is a challenging year.

Looking through these websites there are similar points that I have researched before. Things such as you have to now rely on yourself for pretty much everything and the days of drinking in the week and summer holidays are over.

For people who went straight to university to college they are not fresh out of university so are more likely to be in a full time job. I feel like there is a lot of pressure for these people if they have not yet decided on their career or got a plan.

One article was more positive, it was things that 23 year olds need to hear right now. It stated that it does not matter if your not working your dream job right now. There is no set route to your end goal, everyone takes different paths. You still have time to fail. It does not matter if your love life, career or personal goals fail. Although it may seem like everyone else has their lives together, this probably is not the case. Also things will still change a lot, it is not always a bad thing though. There was so many other points that I found quite inspiring and basically had the message that everyone is different and it is your choice how you live your life. This is the message I have been trying to portray in my project. For me personally this article made me feel better about all the worries I have about where I am going in life. My aim is to give people a similar feeling in my work.

Adrienne Salinger is an American photographer who in the early 90’s created a photobook where she took photographs of teenagers and their bedrooms, the series is called ‘In My Room: Teenagers in Their Bedrooms’. She said ‘bedrooms tell stories about us. They become the repository for memories, desire and self image’. This supports the same idea I have been trying to portray in my own work.

She chose teenagers as it is a stage where they are on the edge of change, they mostly all lead similar lives with going to school and living with parents but will soon be going in different directions. (This is intereting as I have chosen the stage just after this where they are living through this change).

To keep her images very real, when she met the subjects in malls and restraunts, she told them not to tidy their rooms. This means the images shows clearly how these people live. Similar to other photographers who have conducted similar projects, the series of images become more intriging when you begin to compare them with one another.

Salinger uses some kind of light or flash which means there is very little tone in the images. This does mean there is much light availble highlighting both the subject and their possessions.

Although she photographs just in people bedrooms, her work is still relevant to help mine. Firstly the way she goes about the project is important, she makes sure they dont change their rooms for the photo which means nothing is staged. Also the way she photographs is effective. So far I have relied on available light in my shoots. I want to see the difference if I add an artifical light. This is something I am going to try in my next shoot.

So far I have done some successful shoots and have refined my style for this project. Seeing them as a series I like that they are all quite different. I was worried that using different angles and composition would not fit well as a series but I think it emphasises the differences between these people and makes it easier to see the comparisons. From feedback from tutors they have said that on a few they are taken from too high up, which I agree with. The photos of the two couples I plan to reshoot to improve this. They also said that it could be good to stick to a prime lens, such as 35mm so they are more similar. I have decided against this, the 24-70mm has made it adaptable when I am in completely differently locations that I do not know. Again I think these different angles can be more intriguing to look at at a series. I have got a 35m lens that I will experiment with to rule this idea out.

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My plan from here is to basically carry on with what I have been doing. I will be more aware of the angles to make sure I am more on the subjects level. I will also continue to be careful with light and try to keep it consistent. I am going to make sure I connect with the subject to create that relationship between me and the subject.

I put this post on both my personal and photography accounts on Facebook and Instagram. This was to gain more people to photograph. I do not have a set number at this point but the more successful images I have the more I have to choose from at the end. A few people replied, not many but a few people from university. This was a good start but I hoped for more. What I have found which has been important in finding people is talking to people I have photographed already. When I was shooting Ryan and Lauren, they gave me a whole list of people who might be interested. I contacted people through Instagram and have made plans with a few already. Mostly everyone I have photographed so far has given me at least one other person who might be interested.

I have made a list of all the people, as so far there is quite a lot and I do not want to forget any. It also allows me to compare genders and were Im taking them so that it will not be too similar. Many of these people live in my hometown so I have to wait a month until I am back there. In the meantime I will photograph whoever I can in Plymouth and be as well prepared as I can for when I go home. This means when I am home I just have to fit in as many shoots as I can.

I went to another work place for this shoot. I was taking photos of Jason who works as a chef in a pub. The kitchen was not that big but we found a lot of locations and angles to experiment with. He was quite busy as he had to keep working so I took photos as he worked. This meant a lot of images are of him not looking at the camera, but when there was an image that worked well, I asked him to look at the camera.

There was no windows in the kitchen so I relied completely on artificial light. From the last shoot I learnt that this could be just as effective. It worked well for this one as it made the kitchen well lit. Like previous shoots, I used a 24-70mm lens. This came in handy to quickly change from wide angle to closer up shots. He was doing a lot of different jobs around the kitchen which allowed me plenty of opportunities to take photos. Firstly, him making the potatoes. Not the most interesting photos but fun to watch! He was making food on mainline, the hot lights created some more intriguing lighting but the composition was not always good. He then was working on the carvery, It was really dark here as the main light was that above the food. This meant the main focus was on the food and the subject was left in the dark.

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I really like these images as the steam makes them interesting. But unfortunately he was not able to look at the camera. In this one and my previous shoots, there has been images that are good but wouldn’t work in a series as they are looking away. This made me think though that if there was enough other images, I could look into making some kind of photo book to display these other, more candid photos.

These 2 below are the most successful. The first one is effective as he is central in the frame and you can easily see his surroundings. It could be improved if he didn’t have a hat on so his face would be slightly more lit. I did not ask him to pose the way he did, I just asked him to look at the camera. I think the way he has chosen to pose is interesting. He is stood straight with his arms crossed, when initially looking, this makes him look quite proud of his kitchen and what he does. Crossed arms can also indicate defensiveness, maybe he actually feels quite vulnerable.

The second photo has less things in the frame but I like that you can tell he is in the middle of working. You can also see his face more clearly which is more effective. Seeing him and his expression could be more interesting for the viewer.

Overall this shoot was successful. I have two strong photos from it, I will decide which to use once I have got the rest of my images and can see which one fits best with the series. Like in my previous shoot, I have not had opportunity to experiment with natural light but I am keeping my influences from Ida Kar’s work in mind for future shoots.

For this shoot, I took photos of Meg in her work place. She works in a small bakery. When deciding where to shoot these photos we decided on here as this is where she felt comfortable. As she works a lot she might even spend more time here than at home, so this is a more accurate representation of who she is. I shot on Nikon D800 with 24-70mm lens. In all my shoots so far I have referred back to my theoretical research of the relationship between photographer and subject as this has been most influential on the work. I wanted the model to feel comfortable, so I was friendly and hid my feelings of nervousness about being in a new location to make sure I was still the one in power of the shoot.

I had not been to the location before so I did not know what to expect when I got there. We started upstairs in the cookery school room. It was a large room with big windows but the light was quite dull. We tried a few different places in the room. After we went to the main bakery. The room was already aesthetic, as it had rows of cake in the front, interesting objects in the background and the artificial light there let of a soft light that made the room feel atmospheric. I was able to capture this in my images.

This was one of my first images from the shoot. I really liked the light that came from the sign but it just wasn’t bright enough to light the subject. The composition could be be improved as well, if her and the sign had filled more of the frame, that would of been a better picture. But then I have to question if there would be enough in the frame to show about who she is.

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These are other photos I took in the cookery school. I think they are dull to look at and quite plain. This is mostly because of the background. They are correctly exposed but they are unsuccessful for this project.

This is from the main bakery. I like that she is centre of the frame but she is not looking. It works well on its own but in the rest of my photos for this proejct, the subject is looking at the camera.

This is the most successful. The shallow depth of field means she stands out despite there being a lot in the frame. The soft light creates a calm feel to the image and is aesthetically pleasing to look at. It has worked at showing what she does as I used a wide angle to show all the things around her.

Compared to Ida Kar, my work is quite different. I did think more about the light and shadow but I did not know the location I was shooting until I got there and there was no opportunity to experiment with shadow. I am happy with the artificial light that was available though and I wouldn’t want to change that for natural light in this situation.

Ida Kar was born in 1908 and photographed mainly in London where she mainly took black and white images of artists and writers.

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Some of her work was of the artists and writers in their working environments. It is interesting as it is their own creative spaces, so they probably felt more comfortable. It had more depth and context as well as for Kar it was her ‘her personal experience of bohemian circles in Paris and London’. This is quite similar to my project as for me it is as it allowing me to understand where I am going in my life. Having these deeper meanings can add more emotion to the images. In Kar’s case, I think it makes the photographs more real and natural. As she is representing her experience.

From looking at her images, what makes them effective is the use of light. She used natural light and it creates interesting shadows on the subject. I think she chooses the location on where the best light is which appears to be often by a window. The image below for example is really intriguing. His face is in the dark which I would think would not normally be affective but it makes it more interesting. The light falls partly on him, enough to clearly see what he is wearing. Then the lights fall onto the objects around him. This is his art stuff, an important part of what Kar is documenting. This use of light means the viewers attention is not completely drawn to the subject but instead can focus more on the surroundings. This is something that I need to make sure of in my work. The surroundings is where the comparisons between images will begin to take place and so i have to check that the light isn’t just highlighting the person.

I did another shoot the next day without time to research more but I kept in mind the importance of the objects in the frame. In this shoot I shot a couple who were living together in his parents house. They shared this fairly small space in his family home. It was actually quite similar to my last shoot, he was a big gamer and had his gaming set up on the desk. While she did her own thing, usually relaxing on the bed.

Like my previous shoot, I used a 24-70mm lens which was useful for the small space. There was not a lot to try out with composition because of the tight space we were in. His computer took up a lot of space and if I stood behind it, I struggled to fit Lauren in the image. The room was really dark so I had to use the available light from the ceiling lights. This didn’t get the soft lighting I liked in my first few shoots. Unless I find another artificial light, I will struggle to recreate this.

This image would of been more successful if I was only documenting him alone. The angle is effective as you can see him playing his game and he can still clearly be seen. I could use the screen of the computer to light up his face a little bit more as it does appear as quite a dull image. The issue with this composition is that it was impossible to fit Lauren in the background.

This is the most successful from the shoot. It still could be improved. Such as the light on the bed is quite bright. Like the previous image, his face is quite in shadow. I like the narrative of it, they are sharing this space together. I need to consider if having two people in the image will work with the series. Most of the other people I am shooting are on their own so I have to question whether this fits. I think it could, firstly because there is one other shoot with 2 people so its not entirely on its own. But also because it does show the comparison between these ages. In the last shoot, they were married with a house which is such a difference to someone alone in their university room. This is what I am trying to portray in my images, that there is no set answer to what stage of life you should be at. For now I will keep this image in the series and when I am in the final sequencing stages I will decide if it fits with the rest.