Final Images

My four chosen final images reflect how the current UK lockdown guidelines has affected the pub trade in my local area. Since the 20^th March, all pubs and restaurants have been shut down in order to reduce the threat of Covid-19 spreading. Living in a small country village where the local pub is the community hotspot, it has been incredibly eerie, usually being packed with locals all through the week, they have now been left desolate, boarded up and doors locked as if in a zombie apocalypse film. The likelihood of reopening this year is also fairly slim, with them being realistically the last places to reopen to the public, it is interesting to see a once buzzing location now idle, just brick and mortar without purpose. I wanted to capture this in some way as even though the decision to close pubs/clubs/restaurants was in just, it is still thought-provoking to consider if they can survive the lockdown period.

I shot in straight documentary style as I didn’t want to take away from the subject by creating sequences, double exposures etc and believed that singular straight on images would be the most effective way to infer the message which I intended. Taking the four images straight on of the objects which I wanted to capture without any unnecessary frame space or content meant I could portray the objects as they are without trying to include them in a wider scene, therefor not distracting the viewer from the key focus point in the image. My favourite image of the four is of the pubs sign which displays ‘Good Beer, Good Food, Great Atmosphere’ and then the frame presents the actual situation of an empty beer garden, completely missing customers. The image has a sense of dark satire which I thought when taking the photo and although the situation which is happening currently is obviously terrible, the image finds some sort of humour within the dark times.

Due to not being able to shoot in my usual style and without my usual cameras, I had to use my phone camera to capture the images for the project; I would have preferred to use actual cameras to get better image quality but I think for the kind of work I was doing, my phone held up well as I didn’t need to edit my images past putting them in black and white so I think the lower image quality was/is bearable. Although this isn’t the kind of work I usually create, I think due to the testing conditions I am pleased with the images I was able to create during the lockdown. Although, if I was to replicate the project outside of the lockdown, I would spend much longer on creating each image as I wouldn’t be constraint to trying to work during one exercise hour per day. 

Change of Theme/Idea for Images

While considering my previous idea of using flags which residents of the town which I live have put up to show their endurance during the lockdown, I have decided that it is fairly limited in both what I can do with the idea and the chances of finding more people which put flags up in windows, poles etc is relatively slim. Due to this I have decided to change my theme for the images and focus on how the multiple pubs/bars which are a hotspot in my community are coping/functioning during the lockdown and also the government regulations which means they can only work as a takeaway service. I think this is an interesting topic to focus on as the local pubs are quite old fashioned in my area as they still seem to be the centre of the community, with many residents going there as their main form of socialising, but obviously can’t now. With this idea in mind, I want to document how the public houses of my village look like during what would have been their busiest time of year, for example on a Saturday they would usually be packed with people but are now left derelict. One of the main which I will be conveying this is photographing the chalk boards on each pub which usually displayed the upcoming events each pub had, while now they are left empty. Another idea I had was to focus on the letters the pubs put up on their doors for the locals which explained why the customers are not allowed in. While shooting some images around this idea, I also found the pub gardens (which would have been thriving if we didn’t have Covid) interesting as they now look desolate and bare. 

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Final website design

https://hainesphotography.wixsite.com/photo

This is the three pages from my now finish website – my last step for my website build was creating my info/contact/social media page. I knew that I wanted to keep this page as simple as possible, displaying just the key information in a straightforward way, meaning the viewer can get my bio and contact details instantly without searching for it. To match the minimalist style from the home and portfolio pages, I decided to make the page clear with just the relevant information to the centre of the screen the same height as the menu and in the same Helvetica Light font. For my bio I gave a brief summarised sentence of what I believe the themes of my work to be and the styles of photography, eg portraiture and documentary, I mostly shoot. The bio then proceeds to display a photography email address and also my Instagram tag. Finally, I also included a section for exhibitions which I have had in the past and also gives me a space to add more for exhibitions which I do in the future. I decided to add a hyperlink to my instagram account embedded in the menu (which once clicked, opens up the link in a separate window) named ‘Instagram’ as it gives the viewer a quick way to visit my social media without having to manually enter in my account name.

I am quite pleased with the completed website as I think I was able to achieve the desired aesthetic which I imagined for it at the start of the project, which was to have a minimalistic, clear and professional layout displaying the most relevant information and images which I believe is most important to my photographic style. I knew when beginning the website that I didn’t want any distracting popups or complicated menus as I have seen on other photography websites which I have personally found didn’t contribute anything positive to the work which was trying to be presented. I kept my website as laidback as possible allowing my images to be the main focus point for the viewer. Another benefit of having this kind of straightforward design is, if in the future I want to add more images, text or pages, the website has page space for more content and I won’t have to change the layout/design to facilitate more content. In the future I might include more pages to the menu, dedicated to specific projects etc but for now I quite like how the four options look within the page layout.

PHOTOGRAPHERS’ WEBSITES FOR INSPO

Martin Parr’s website is a great example of how the use of design on a photography website can perfectly reflect the style of work which is presented. Martin Parr’s style is renowned for its quirkiness as well as many other characteristics such as making fun of the situations which he is capturing. His official site reflects his love for satire by keeping the aesthetic light-hearted through the use of menu headers, as well as the large images which has chosen to be presented on the home page, which is the first thing the viewer sees, instantly portraying Parr’s infamous style. The selected images on the home page are a range of Parr’s lifetime work but all reflect his signature comedic style, whether that is a sunbather sleeping/leaning upright on a concrete wall or a LGBTQ activist protesting behind a judge/barrister/lawyer etc. The menu for the website is playful, using mini illustrations to represent the pages they represent, such as a drawing of Parr for the Intro page, a camera for the Recent page, a stack of Martin Parr photo books for the Book page, an old style box TV for the Film page, a double page spread of a travel journal for the Blog page, filling cabinet for the Archive page, a vintage cash register for the Shop page, a stack of paper for the CV page, a standard question mark for the Frequently Asked Questions page and a world globe for the Contact page. The choice of menu instantly makes the website refreshing compared to other photography websites which I have researched in the past, making the viewer want to browse the options and therefor the other pages. The ‘Martin Parr’ title at the top left of each page also shares a similar style of design as the menu, appearing as if it was drawn onto the page with a red marker or crayon

I researched Parr’s website as I wanted some inspiration for my info page but unsurprisingly, he has a lot more information which he can present on the page (awards, exhibitions, magazines etc) than what I would be able to put it was still beneficial to see how the page was laid out and how I can keep it interesting while still displaying the important details. I personally want to my info page to be of a similar style but obviously I’ll have less to display due to just beginning recently as a photographer. Although I like how Parr’s page places the text on the left with a light, simple typeface and then a singular image to the right which still makes the page interesting.

Website Build – Portfolio Page

Before creating my portfolio page, I knew that I wanted a page dedicated to some of my favourite photos from past projects showing the themes and styles which my work has. I began looking at other photographers’ websites and how they organise their work and my favourite layout which seemed most appealing to me was a simple set of images set on the page, without any slideshows, galleries etc, which allows the viewer to scroll down the page to view more and also translates well to phone screens as there isn’t any laptop screen specific tools being used, e.g. if I had used one of the gallery options on Wix, it would have made phone use more tedious. As for the images chosen, I wanted a limited selection of what I think is my best work from various projects and organised in a way that also looks visually pleasing. I chose a range of portraits and detail photographs to show diversity and the detail shots also worked well to break up the portraits which otherwise could be overwhelming/boring if all placed next to each other. I placed some work which were not related and also different styles (such as portrait/fashion with a documentary image) to create a diversity but I also found that it could be useful to show how my personal styles are applied within different genres of photography. I think this worked well on the page as I think it gave the portraits a narrative and gives the portrait more significance and depth. As for actually laying out the images on the page, I chose a two-column grid with the images running down the page as I thought it worked well with how the home page was designed and also worked to create the minimalistic aesthetic. I’m really pleased with the outcome of the page and the images I have chosen which I believe summarise my work as a whole.

Website Inspiration for Portfolio Page

While browsing through the Eggleston website, one thing that I particularly liked was the use of layout for the images. The website uses a tile-style design to show a select few photos from the photographer’s work. I think this looks really good especially when trying to create a minimal look to a website. When it comes to creating my portfolio page, I think I will use a similar design as seen here – using a select few images, shot throughout my work so far, and lay them out in a aesthetically clean and simple way. I like the aspect of using multiple photo ratios on the page (square and 2:3) which makes the page more visually exciting which I will probably include on my portfolio page as I have used various ratios in my work, such as 1:1, 2:3, and 4:3 which I want to display on my website. Looking at Eggleston’s site has resolved any questions/reservations which I had about my portfolio page.

Website Home Page Update

After spending more time working on my website, I decided that having two images on the home page was too much as it made the screen cluttered and wasn’t worth having in. I think having one singular image on the page looks much better and more professional, keeping the whole theme minimal and clean.I chose this image for the home page as it is one of my favourites from my recent work and I think it also reflects the kind of themes which I try to incorporate in most of my work. I think having this image on its own makes the viewer want to see more – then moving to the portfolio page.

Website Building – Home Page

Starting off my website creating a home page, I took inspiration from the photographers’ websites which I have researched so within the project. I think the inspiration from mine compared to theirs is quite obvious, such as the white background and simplistic layout. When it came to design and creating my home page, I wanted it to be as simple as possible while still retaining professionalism. My decisions for the page were:

• Traditional, professional font throughout the website. I chose Helvetic as I have used the typeface previously and think it suits the style I am going for.
• My name as the title, in slightly larger text than on the menu below, I think the title was 24pt and the menu being 18pt (mostly to make my main more prominent on the page.
• Headings/pages in menu kept strict – wanted maximum three to four pages for my site, just to make everything as simple as possible and let my images to be the main focus point, rather than unnecessary pop-ups, text columns, etc.
• When the viewer enters my website, I wanted there to be one or two key images to be presented on the home page, demonstrating my style of photography straightaway. I chose one portrait from my Image Making project which is in colour and shot on digital and another portrait from my Identity project which is in b&w as well as being shot on film. I wanted the two contrasting images to show the diversity of my work as well as not being bound to using one medium, genre, etc. I think the two images work well alongside each other as they still reflect my style, whether that’s British-ness, nostalgia or 60s/70s influences. I also chose two horizontal/landscape images as I wanted the images to fill up most of the page without making the viewer scroll down to see the rest of the image. The decision to place the colour image as the top image was purely a stylistic choice, due to the top-left corner being relatively dark and matching the title and menu.
• I’m really pleased with the style of the home page; for the rest of the website I’m planning to use a similar layout when it comes to showing my other work and info.

PHOTOGRAPHERS’ WEBSITES FOR INSPO

The Richard Avedon Foundation website is the official website for the notorious American fashion photographer, Richard Avedon. Like the rest of the websites I have researched so far for this project, Avedon’s using the standard clear, white background with a select few images from his lifetime’s work. Although, browsing through the pages of the sight has a slightly different aesthetic/design/style than what the photographers’ sites had. I think this may be due to Avedon’s fashion photography style, but his website seems much more editorial than the others and something that would be more suited within a fashion magazine such as Vogue, possibly due to the light typeface, only using portraits for the home page and having one single font for the whole website – which I particularly liked. I also enjoyed how the three images chosen for the home page are all portraits but show a diverse range of styles, reflective of Avedon’s artistic/photographic ability. Sequencing a candid black and white portrait of a beekeeper next to an editorial style fashion colour image shows the diversity of Avedon’s style. The website also has more headings within its menu than I have seen with the rest of photographers I have researched: The Work, The Archive, Publications, Exhibitions, About and Social Media. The decision to have. Multiple pages with extensive amount of work is also reflective of the fashion editorial aesthetic, which is probably why it suits Avedon’s work.

PHOTOGRAPHERS’ WEBSITES FOR INSPO

The EgglestonArtFoundation website is the official site of infamous American photographer William Eggleston, known for his expert use of colour and American culture most notably through the 60s and 70s. Similar to the other websites I have researched so far for this project, EgglestonArtFoundation also uses a simplistic design/layout, with only one page presenting the photographers work. The reasoning behind just using one page is to keep the site as simple as possible, leaving the work to have the centre stage for the viewer. I personally probably won’t choose to do this for my site but I can understand why it might be desirable. Out of the three websites I have researched so far, Eggleston’s use of a white background is the most effective alongside his images, making his bright, saturated work pop out to the viewer. Another great style choice for the site is matching the ‘EgglestonArtFoundation’ title in the same shade of green as the car in the below picture – it’s a small detail but helps pull the design together. Thinking more about the title, the use of three shades of green on a bold typeface completely corelates well with Eggleston’s bright imagery and Americana style. I also like how the website contrasts the cool winter-feeling image on the left with the warm summer aesthetic photograph on the right. The viewer is presented with more of the photographer’s work when scrolling further down the page and is given a small piece of text about the photographer’s life and also any upcoming projects, although it is not extensive leaving the viewer to search for more.

PHOTOS FROM EXERCISE OF THE DAY – NO.2, 8:30PM

Photos from Exercise of the day – no.1, 12pm

Project Idea

Due to COVID-19 and the lockdown, ideas for the kind of photographs I can create is rather limited. I have the options of either shooting within the home or outside while on my days exercise. Im trying to experiment on what I could do from indoors but I am unsure of anything that would be coherent to the style of work I created before Covid-19 and I’m not sure if it would be very interesting anyway. This leads me to the shoot while I’m out if the house for an hour a day. Within nearly all of my work, I have incorporated some aspect of British nationality as well as nostalgia, so for this project I want to carry on with these themes. One positive outcome of what is going on at the moment is the sense of community within British culture, such as being more considerate of the elderly, clapping for the NHS, rainbows on windows, etc. This could be a good starting point for what I could focus my images on.

One idea I have had was based around how a country can stay positive during such difficult times and what symbols people use to represent this, such as flags, rainbows etc. While on my exercise of the day, I have been using the same route each day as it is fairly secluded so isn’t much threat to myself or others. Recently I have noticed that someone has erected a large Union Jack flag on a flagpole for most of the households on the street to notice which I thought was a really interesting way to show that the community was strong and will get through these difficult times. I thought this could be a very interesting topic to use within my project but am not sure how to present it. Due to the lack of time, equipment available etc I will have to shoot the images on my phone and possibly create a collage/sequence of some sort as the camera quality probably isn’t great compared to the cameras which I could have used if we were still at UCA. Im thinking it could be interesting to take a photo of the flag for everyday since the lockdown started or to use a picture for everyone which have sadly passed due to corona. Im not sure on what I want to say or create but I think this is a good starting point.

Photographers’ Websites for Inspo

To gather inspiration for my website, I decided to find the website of David Bailey due to him being one of my favourite photographers and also taking inspiration from his work in my past project. While trying to find his website, and then coming to the conclusion that he doesn’t have one, I found a lesser known photographer also named David Bailey from the US. Thinking his work was very good, I also enjoyed the layout of his website as well as the straightforward way he presented his portfolio of work. When first clicking on the site, you are presented with one large documentary style portrait below the photographer’s name and menu. I’ve decided after seeing this on both Bailey’s and Brandt’s websites, I am sure that it is a great way to present the viewer with a key image which represents your work as a whole, whether that is a documentary street photograph or a portrait. I think landscape is a more effective choice over portrait orientation as it works much better on a computer screen – I think of my crime series photographs could work well in this style. Like Brandt’s website, Bailey’s also has a limited number of headings, resulting in the viewer not being overwhelmed with unnecessary information or images.  

Photographers’ Websites for Inspo

Bill Brandt’s official website is a key example of the kind of website I anticipate to create for my portfolio. With a clean, uncomplicated aesthetic, Brandt’s website delivers the photographer’s lifetime work in a straightforward manner. The website is basically everything which I wrote what I wanted mine to look like – such as one key image on the home page, white background and simple black text/font. I also like how the website has a page dedicated to ‘News’ mostly filled up with any current or future exhibitions/book reissues. It’s a small feature but something which could make the website more engaging while browsing through. One design choice of Brandt’s website which I probably wouldn’t have chosen to do would be using one font for the ‘Bill Brandt Archive’ title and another for the rest of the text on the page. I could see why this would be done, mostly to separate the title from the rest of the page, but I think for mine I want to use a single font for most of the website if possible. Although the title at least is using a traditional typeface which suits the style of photography which is on the page. The overall style/aesthetic of each page is similar to a newspaper style of arranging titles and having a neat layout etc. I think this style works well as Brandt isn’t a contemporary photographer and it is contextually appropriate to match his style of work.

Initial Website Style Ideas

Creating a rough idea/plan of the kind of website I want to create, I have decided on some basic aesthetic choices for the layout, content etc. Some being:

1. Clean, black, white background so the viewers sole attention is on my chosen images.
2. portfolio – A strict chosen selection of images from my past work – using images which may have similar style, eg my portraits and documentary portraits from Image Making which all have some sort of nostalgic feeling to them
3. One main chosen image presented on the home page
4. Contact page – displaying email etc
5. info page – minimal with relevant information
6. Category for Individual project work
7. Possibly another category for my documentary work
8. link to social media – probably somewhere in the info page
9. Simple, smart typeface – nothing distracting