Photographic Project 'Poles in the UK': First Shoot

This week I finally took the first photos for my photography project about Polish immigrants in the UK. I used a Nikon D3500 camera with an 18-55mm lens and tripod remote trigger. Due to the fact that I was doing sessions in the studio, I chose a low ISO of 200 and aperture priority. I also decided to shot black and white images in dark background, because I'd like to make them simple but expressive. Below I added a contact sheet with my photos made in Photoshop.

Below I have added a photo with a description that I like the most and will be part of my project.

F3.5, 1/30, ISO 100, -1 exposure bias, FL 18mm

F3.5, 1/30, ISO 200, -1 exposure bias, FL 18mm

F3.5, 1/30, ISO 280, -1 exposure bias, FL 18mm

I'm generally happy with the first shots taken during this session, because they turned out much better than all the previous ones I took during the classes. Perhaps because I had more time to set up the equipment and lighting. However, I will have to take a second shot because I would like to photograph a few more models.

Studio and Natural Light Practice

At today's session we took natural light and studio photos. In this post I would like to describe the effects of my work and the problems I faced. And of course I will present some photos I took.

At first, I'd like to describe a natural light session during which I took photos with Pedro and Filip, who were my main models. To make this shots I used Nikon D3500 with standard lens18-55mm. Below I have included a contact sheets with photos I made, created in Photoshop.

I started shooting with ISO 400 and Aperture Priority because the light outside was bright. In this task I tried to focus in photos composition and model poses. Here are some of my favourite pictures from this session, with brief descriptions of each one.

F5.6, 1/160, ISO 400, +0.3 exposure bias, FL 20mm

F5.6, 1/125, ISO 400, 0 exposure bias, FL 55mm

F5.6, 1/30, ISO 400, +0.3 exposure bias, FL 48mm

In the last photo, I even got to capture a rival gang of photographers at work.

F5.6, 1/80, ISO 400, +0.3 exposure bias, FL 55mm

Overall, I am happy with the results of this session, but I need to learn how to better use the camera and its settings. I hope it helps me improve my skills in the future.

Second part of lesson was portrait studio session. We made monochrome photos of Miss Lauren in low key background. I started this session at ISO 200 and aperture priority and then tried adjusting the rest of the settings. Below you can see Contact sheets with ma photos.

Unfortunately, we had very little time because our group was quite big, so our tutor rushed us and I couldn't set the camera properly. Below you can see my best photos from this session with a short description.

F5.6, 1/60, ISO 200, -1.7 exposure bias, FL 55mm

F5.0, 1/20, ISO 200, +0.3 exposure bias, FL 34mm

To summarise, I am satisfied with today's classes, particularly the outdoor session. Unfortunately, the studio session was too short, and I had trouble adjusting the camera settings, so my photos are not excellent. Therefore, I need to focus on improving my operating skills and setting up the camera for the future.

Photography Project Research

As part of my Photography Project, I decided to take a set of photographs showing Poles in Great Britain. I picked this topic because, as a Polish immigrant and history lover, I have always been fascinated by Polish emigration phenomenon. It has a lot to do with my nation's history and the many wars we have had over the past few centuries with Germany and Russia. During my research I found hundreds of old photographies from over the world, who shows Polish immigrants, usually on ships, in ports, at train stations or even at work.

Polish refugees By Theodore Koch (1920)

My next step was to focus on Polish emigration in the UK and search for photographs directly related to it and I found work of photographer Czeslaw Siegieda, son of Polish Immigrants, who was born in Leicestershire in 1954. He usually made photographs of important celebrations and fetes of the Polish community in Leicestershire. (czeslawsiegieda.co.uk., 2017) “I wanted to focus on simple things and scenes that would tell a personal story about the spirit of a people and of a nation who would not be broken either by war or occupation.” (Siegieda, 2020). However, the subject matter of his works is not very interesting to me, because I am not a big fan of Polish folklore and religious traditions, so I decided to look for other photographers dealing with this topic.

Polish family, Loughborough (1976) By Czeslaw Siegieda

However, the subject matter of his works is not very interesting to me, because I am not a big fan of Polish folklore and religious traditions, so I decided to look for other photographers dealing with this topic. During further research, I discovered an album that included photographs of Polish immigrants in the United States at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They are created in the studio in the traditional style of the time, often with a variety of accessories and backgrounds (Wendt Jensen and Learman, 2014). Below I have pasted one of the photos from "Portrait studios of Detroit's Polonia: the face of Polish immigration".

Michael Luszczyk & friend (1924) By Władysław Jakubowski

I really like the idea of taking photos in a studio, using props such as a chair. In my project I will try to refer to portraits of Polish immigrants from the early 20th century, but I will try to give them my own style. Furthermore, to avoid distracting viewers, I will use a black background and try to create photos that are more simple and raw.

References:

Siegieda, C. (2020). Polska Britannica. 1st ed. RRB Photobooks.

Siegieda, C. (2017). Czesław Siegieda Documentary Photographer. [online] czeslawsiegieda.co.uk. Available at: https://czeslawsiegieda.co.uk/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2024].

Wendt Jensen, C. and Learman, H. (2014). Portrait studios of Detroit’s Polonia : the face of Polish immigration. Orchard Lake, Mich.: Polish Mission Of The Orchard Lake Schools.

Photography Project: Initial Ideas & Plan

This term, one of my tasks in Creative Media Production is a photography project that includes a series of portraits. My first idea was to take a set of photos showing homeless people on Leicester's streets. I even did some initial research and found photographers dealing with the problem of homelessness in the UK, such as John Gill (2019), whose photo I've posted below.

Homeless Man By John Gill

Unfortunately, after speaking with my tutor, I gave up on this idea because, in her opinion, photographing homeless people exploits their difficult situation and is unethical, which I agree of course. 

That is why I chose to go after another project idea: to create a series of portraits of Polish emigrants in the United Kingdom. I decided to deal with this topic because it has always annoyed me that we Poles are perceived in the United Kingdom as cheap labor or criminals. In my project I would like to show that stereotypes about us are not true and the average Pole can be more than just a plumber or a warehouseman.

My plan is to make a series of studio portraits depicting 10 Poles living in the UK. I would like my models to be diverse in terms of age, gender and time spent in the UK. I would also like each of my models to show their true personality in the photos. I'd like to make my session in next week and optionally reshoot in one or two weeks later.  

References:

Gill, J. (2019). Photographing the Homeless. [online] JOHN GILL. Available at: https://www.johngill.photography/photographing-the-homeless/ [Accessed 22 Jan. 2024].

Introduction to Photography: Above & Below

Today during classes we had practice in taking portraits from a high and low angle. Due to the bad weather and my limited time, I decided to take shots inside the Art Factory. In addition, we learned how to set the camera for ISO, aperture and exposure compensation. Below I have included a Contact sheet with my photos made using Photoshop and the best images from today's session.

Below you can see Filip's photos from low and high angle.

I took the first photo on the stairs from above. I use an aperture of F5.6 and ISO 320 because I had a lot of light coming through the windows. Additionally, I used the rule of thirds composition and a strong contrast between the background and my model. Unfortunately, I think the photo was a little too bright, so in the future I will have to pay more attention to light settings when taking shots.

F5.6, ISO 320, 1/30 shutter speed, Exposure Compensation -1, Focal length 18mm

My next photo shows Filip from below. As with the previous photo, I used an aperture of F5.6 and ISO 320, which, given the slightly weaker light, meant that the photo was not too bright. Moreover, I used the rule of thirds composition as in the previous photo and I used triangles to create more interesting composition.

F5.6, ISO 320, 1/40 shutter speed, Exposure Compensation -1, Focal length 25mm

Finally, I made a collage of my best photos from below and above and called it 'Sadness'. Overall, I'm not very happy with the results of my first session, but I had little time to do it and I'm not a very good photographer. However, I hope that my skills will improve during this semester.

And here I would like to show an extra photo from today's session taken from eye level using close-up shot.

F5.0, ISO 200, 1/25 shutter speed, Exposure Compensation -1, Focal length 44mm

Object Lesson: Can

In today lesson we talk about object and ideas what we can do with it. I choose Jean Paul Gaultier perfume box looking like simple can.

CAN by Damian Sibielak

The first association with a can was, of course, Andy Warhol's painting 'Campbell's Soup Cans'. Unfortunately, I don't have much painting talent, so I quickly gave up on the idea of painting my can like Warhol.

'Campbell's Soup Cans' by Andy Warhol

My next idea connected with can was shooting. As a child, I often shot cans and bottles with an air gun. The skills I gained then were useful during my service in the army. 

One of the artists who used weapons to create art was Niki de Sainte Phalle, a French-American sculptor, painter, and filmmaker. She gained fame by creating a series of works called 'Tirs' (1961–1963), in which she shot at bags of paint placed on a white canvas. 

Portrait of Niki de Saint Phalle, creating a Shooting Picture, 1961.

Inspired by the work of Niki de Saint Phalle, I decided to use my object as a shooting target, record my performance and create a short film. Below you can see the effect of my work.

References:

The Andy Warhol Museum (2024). Andy Warhol’s Life - The Andy Warhol Museum. [online] The Andy Warhol Museum. Available at: https://www.warhol.org/andy-warhols-life/ [Accessed 9 Jan. 2024].

Deng, C. (2023). Niki de Saint Phalle | Biography, Art, Sculptures, Nanas, & Facts | Britannica. [online] www.britannica.com. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Niki-de-Saint-Phalle [Accessed 9 Jan. 2024].

Welcome in Spring Term

Hello!!! We have a new year 2024 and many new challenges and projects to do. In last term I focused on making film and learning how to use a new processing programs. During term break I thought a lot about my new goals for this term and how to achieve them. And this is a reason, why in next few weeks I will have to focus more in photography because of my new projects. Of course I made some research about the best photographers, and I'd like to write something about my favourite one Daniel Kordan. He is great landscape photographer with 2 mln followers in Instagram. 

Vietnam by Daniel Kordan

Last year he worked in Vietnam, where he took amazing landscapes and lots of photos showing the lives of Vietnamese people in their daily lives, especially while working. During his work, he uses both classic Nikon cameras and DJI drones, so he can capture shots from several perspectives.

Vietnam (2023) By Daniel Kordan

When looking at Kordan's works, you may get the impression that they have a fairy-tale character, reminiscent of scenes from fantasy films.

Vietnam (2023) By Daniel Kordan

The strangest thing is that most of us, when we hear the word Vietnam, automatically associate it with the war and its horrors. Even though the war in this country ended almost 50 years ago, we still remember it as a dangerous and terrifying place. Pop culture also had a huge influence on it, dozens of films were made showing this country only in the context of war, which made it its symbol.

'Saigon Execution' By Eddie Adams

War photographers also had a huge impact on shaping the image of Vietnam in our consciousness. The best example is Eddie Adams, who won the Pulitzer Prize for this shot, which captured the execution of Viet Cong's soldier. The image has been widely used to illustrate the horrors of war, particularly the American involvement in the Vietnam War. 

References:

Rare Historical Photos. (2017). Saigon execution: Murder of a Vietcong by Saigon Police Chief, 1968. [online] Available at: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/saigon-execution-1968/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2024].

Daniel Kordan. (2014). Daniel Kordan. [online] Available at: https://danielkordan.com/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2024].