Shoot Seven- Destruction- Shoot Analysis

Within this shoot, I intend to explore ways to display to my audience the destruction the youth culture can cause. Due to a lack of access, I wouldn't be able to capture factors which I would want to such as the destruction caused by graffiti- darker images shown on my image bank. However one fact I can gain access to is fire. Within my image bank, I have discovered different photographers who show youth through silhouettes created by fire which I find really interesting.

Darren Johnson as shown in my research log is the main inspiration for this shoot because he shows different settings as backgrounds with youth silhouettes in the foreground which I find really interesting. Another photographer which has inspired this shoot is the work of Richard Sandler (also shown on my research log), even though the photographer takes images differently, the use of editing is really interesting which I can take from.

The techniques I hope to use in this shoot is the use of movement in the flames and also depth of field, showing the fire in the foreground and the subjects in the background. Even though the fire will be set up, I will have my subjects standing around but won't tell them when I will take the photo.

The main inspiration for this shoot is the news coverage of 2011 London Riots. Mediation formed a huge stereotype upon "Yobs" during these riots as a form of ideology of protection, an attempt of scaring families in order to keep their children at home and "tamed". As shown in the newspaper front cover on this blog, you can see the destruction that is being caused and the implication that the subject is the one who created this fire. Even though I do not have access to take photos of the riots- obviously as it has already occurred and also I can't take photos within a riot due to lack of access but all danger. So I hope to take the factor of fire to create a negative view of youths within my audience. The reason I have chosen this for this shoot is because even though these specific riots occurred in 2011, the view of youths being destructive (as the ones in the riots newspaper coverage) is still relevant today.

Shoot Six- The Change Of Interest In Youth Culture- Contact Sheet

Shoot Six- The Change Of Interest In Youth Culture- Work Diary

For this shoot, my intentions was to show my audience a series of photographs which display the change of interest in youth, however, I found that with different interests, it didn't fit very well with a running shoot, therefore I decided to use an overall theme of the counter stereotype of youth, the interest of records and magazines. The reason behind my idea for this shoot was to be able to display to my audience that not all youths wear hoodies, go out a graffiti everything, some individuals decide to stay home and listen to music. The main influence to this shoot was Ali Seglins who's work is displayed in my research log. Even though Seglins photography includes more of a fashion line of series, the style of the photos have a eye drawing effect of a retro feel which I liked to recreate. Even though this shoot was taken on a DSLR rather than a film camera like Seglins, I still found factors such as record players which I found linked similar to Seglins work.

My favourite photo from this shoot:

Even though my style of photography for this photography project is documentary with different subjects, I still find this photo really interesting in displaying a counter stereotype of youth in today's society because without the subject being in the photo, the audience are still able to build upon a personality behind the person who this photo was aimed to capture. It is someone who likes record players and that style of music but there is also the aspect of fashion with the shoes in the background. Another reason why this is under my favourite image for this shoot is because this was generally the way this persons house was- even though the record player wasn't exactly in this position on the floor, this was how it was set up, with the shoes placed in this way, without my manipulation which I really like. Another aspect to this photo which I find really intriguing is this use of colouring in this photo. This is the raw image with no manipulation from photoshop, yet I find the colouring of the case and the background wood effect from the wardrobe is contrasted really nicely with the colour of the shoes but also the colour of the record. I took many different photos of my friends record player with different records, yet I find this photo the best one due to the orange record as it complies really well with the wood effect on this photo.

My Least favourite photo from this shoot:

This photo was taken within a Camden shop with records and CDs, however, I accidentally put the put my camera settings on a longer shutter speed which has had an over exposed effect across the frame distorting the whole photo so the audience are unable to see what the stickers say above each cd row. This photo may have also had this effect because as I took the photo, someone who I was with ran past the lens- creating this blur effect, which in this context I do not think is a successful effect on my photo. A final reason I have decided to put this photo in this part of my work diary is because I think it stands out too much when put with my other photos of this shoot, it doesn't fit in due to being too over exposed. 

Overall:

Overall I believe this was a successful shoot in the idea of displaying a counter stereotype of youth, however, whilst looking at this shoot within the rest of my other shoots, I do not believe it would fit in as a complete series, as the majority of my photos are of the stereotypes of youth, including the gritty black and white effect, I believe this series would stand out too much when creating my final top images. Therefore, I have decided to keep this shoot as a representation of youth to my audience showing not everyone complies with the stereotypes, however, as much as the photos were successful, I believe other shoots stands out much more on the representation of youth.  

Shoot Six- Changes of Interests In Youth Culture- Straight Images

For this entire shoot, I used the same editing technique to create a series of images which all move easily form one to the other, in order to edit these photos, I looked up various techniques on YouTube in order to recreate a film style effect on these photos. The reason I wanted to do this was because I wanted to show a counter stereotype as much as possible and I found that do this effect help me create this. Even though I recreated different techniques found online, I found this style most successful.
1. Using the curves tool, I drag the left corner of the line 2/3 up the first box, this differs from most of the techniques using curves because you normally drag the line within the middle of the line to create a contrast, yet I found when you actually move the beginning of the line upwards, it creates a really nice fade to the photo.
2. I then used the vibrance tool to lessen the boldness of the colouring on my photos, I didn't massively lower this because this subsequently made the photo black and white which I didn't want, I just wanted the colours to blend together more and be more muted, I found this was successful in showing a film effect because it forms a retro-like effect on the images, as shown below.
3. Then, going back to the curves tool, I used it to create a faint vignette around my images, in order to do this, I opened up the curves tool then with using the gradient tool, I drag from the middle of the image to close to the edge, this meant that the vignette would only cover the corners of my photos. I then clicked in the middle of the curves line and dragged it down slightly to create that vignette effect.
4. Finally, I found the most successful way to create this effect was to add a hint of "Noise" to the images, this gave it a grainy effect.



Camera Settings
Shutter Speed- 1/15
F.stop- 4.5
ISO- 200
For this photo, I had aimed to create an image to display to my audience the counter stereotype of youth without my subject physically being in the image. I found this a successful and interesting approach for my work because I believe the audience are still able to build a personality of my subject without actually being present in this photo. Another aspect which is interesting in this photo is the positioning of the record player alongside the  shoes in the background, this is because I find this shows a counter stereotype of youth that this subject I am capturing isn't one to go out in hoodie etc, they enjoy music and fashion.

Camera Settings
Shutter Speed- 1/15
F.stop- 4.5
ISO- 200
Much like other images I have in this shoot and some others, I told my subject to behave the way they normally would and whilst every photo was being taken I was talking to them, I found this was a good approach because it meant that my subject was unable to tell when exactly I was going to be taking the photo, but at the same time it meant I was able to capture a raw image of this subjects personality really well. At this point in time she was looking through her records to put the next one. Even though that is a normal story behind this photo, some of my audience may read in it this with symbolism, believing that my as my subject differs from the "norm" of teenagers, the audience may create a story that she doesn't fit it, yet she is still happy to look through her records as a symbol of herself.

Camera Settings
Shutter Speed- 1/8
F.stop- 4.5
ISO- 200
This image was inspired by a variety of different images shown in my project image bank, but also the image bank for this singular shoot. I find it really interesting because it's as if my subject has been taken away and replaced by this media forum- the magazine. Another small aspect of this photo which I really like is the use of colouring, I had chosen my subjects clothing of this shoot and then whilst looking through her magazines, I found this one which I was really drawn to because the colour of the title complies really well with the colouring of her top.


Camera Settings
Shutter Speed- 1/30
F.stop- 7.1
ISO- 1600
The image was taken within an underground "retro" market in Camden town where there were lots of old clothes, records etc... when we came to the record section, my friends were generally looking through them (in the end one actually bought one), even though I myself don't buy records, I found it really interesting on the excitement they displayed when seeing all these records, I then got my camera out and walked around them whilst they were looking, even though they knew I was taking these photos, I continued to talk to them, building that relaxed atmosphere, enabling me to capture these photos.

Camera Settings
Shutter Speed- 1/30
F.stop- 7.1
ISO- 1600
This image is taken in the same place as the image above, yet this is just a different subject to the one above. I find this photo really interesting because of the angle I chose for the framing of this photo, this is because I put my camera down the side of record boxes. Another reason I like this photo is the context behind it, even though it is very hard to tell the difference between this image and the image above, but the genres of music they were each looking at were completely different, for example this subject was looking at western music whilst the one above included artists such as Bowie. I find that this is important because it helps me show the counter stereotype of youth because generally, youths are suggested to comply with peer pressure, yet if I had made it clearer that they were looking at different genres I believe it would have worked even better.

Shoot Six- The Change Of Interests In Youth Culture- Image Bank

I have a very similar photo of this on my 30 project image bank blog post because I find it really interesting because it is a counter stereotype of youths. Even though lots of my shoots for this project include the grime stereotype of youths being negatively portrayed, I hope this shoot varies by being a counter stereotype- revealing to my audience the different sides of youths, not all youths behave negatively. The reason find this photo intriguing because stereotypically, magazine shops are considered the places which are filled of "nerds"/"Geeks" however, even though we cannot see the faces of these subjects, we can see their clothing which appears to fight against the typical clothing associated with "nerds". I also find this photo really symbolic because it implies these youths are almost "becoming the media", peer pressure is a high issue in today's society of youth and I find this photo really informative of this.

When I come to shooting the photos for this shoot, I really hope to recreate an image such as this one because I find the narrow depth of field effect really interesting as the Head-shell on the tone-arm is in focus and the tracking force gauge is out of focus along with the back of the record player. The reason this makes this a really intriguing photo is because ben though there isn't ay subject physically within this photo, the audience are still able to form a story suggesting the music is being player- the tone-arm wouldn't be on the record if it wasn't meant to be playing music- therefore showing how there is someone listening to the music- we just cannot see them. Even though there is a chance I wouldn't be able to gain clear enough focus such as this photo, I hope to recreate my own version of this photo, yet I may chose to use the entire record player instead of just the arm.

This photo is really interesting when looking at the counter-stereotypes of youth because many years ago the record was a widely spread interest with most household owning one, however in the past couple of years, the record has appear popular again by certain teens which I find interesting because its almost a full cycle of interests. I find this particular image intriguing because of the position this photographer has got the subject to stand in- holding the record over her face; this is because it almost as if the photographer wanted to imply to the audience hat the audience is ashamed to be using records and is therefore hiding away from the camera because this doesn't conform with today's society of youths- fighting against the stereotypes. This is a very similar photo to one shown in my 30 image bank for the whole project, however unlike the other one (which is low key lighting in the studio and a close up), this photo is in colour and is further out, revealing the simple clothing that this subject is wearing which I find interesting because the colour of red on the top contrasts with the darkness of the record.

Much like these images below, this is an example which works with the idea of this shoot of interests in electronics and technology however it may stand out too much from the rest of the series in this shoot so I intend to use this example to help show this message however, I hope to use it in my computer experiments post instead because then I believe it will fit in more and I would still be able to show my audiences different stereotypes (being constantly connected to a screen) and my different experimentations. I find this image really interesting because even though it appears to be an older subject (which I won't be taking photos of) the message of being sucked into social media and phone technology is still highly relevant. Another reason this is an interesting photo is because of the blur hiding the subjects identity, all we can see is what they are wearing and the most important part of the photo- her phone.


As shown in my shoot analysis, I have created a quick example which is very simple to this photo, however when I come to making computer experiments, experimenting with different blending modes, I hope to recreate a very similar photo- spending more time on it. I find this image really interesting due to the symbolic meaning behind it, unlike the image below, the entire body of this person has been replaced with the keyboard implying that the whole of youth is slowly being taken over by the technological world. However, I do not like the top on this image created with mouths as I do not think it works very well and wouldn't help my message of youths being technologically taken over with random mouths scattered on the image- I do not wish to use this aspect when I come to my computer experiments.


When I come to Physical experiments, I hope to recreate an image such as this one because I find it really interesting, even though it links really well with this shoot idea, there could be a chance of not linking with the other images of this shoot so I hope to use it, yet separate it. The reason I find this photo really interesting is because of the symbolic aspect which is formed within it. This photographer has taken a simple portrait with normal lighting within a studio then printed out the photo ripping out the face- this is a good effect because if the face was cut out, it could appear too neat and would have the same effect that it does here. This is because the ripped effect suggests that as time has changed youths are forced into this world in order to fit in. Furthermore, the replacement of the face with a phone simcard is highly symbolic because it implies their lifestyle has been replaced by technology instead. However, the photographer has created irony within this photo because the face with messily ripped out, yet the sewing up of the simcard is very neat.

Shoot Six- The Change Of Interests In Youth Culture- Shoot Analysis

Within this shot I intend to explore different ways the youth culture has developed in the activities and interests this portray. The three main elements I hope to shoot, is records, electronics (phones and game consoles) and magazines

Record players- one of the first ways of the distribution of music. With the first ever invention in 1887- called the gramophone which was able to rotate a hard rubber disc and create sound through the cracks in this disc. Subsequently leading to the creation of records. The records company expanded and became a massively popular way of listening to music. Yet the creation of the more portable cassette in the 70s became increasing popular with being both cheaper and a more accessible way to listen to music, saw a decline in the purchases of record players. Yet within the recent years, they have became increasingly popular again- perhaps a way of reliving the past or trying to be vintage.
To include record players into this shoot, I will use low angles and narrow depth of field techniques in order to show both subjects and the players. This shoot may be considered staged, yet I do have friends who generally listen record players so will document them in their normal state.

Electronics- From the first phone (now considered a brick) to the most recent Iphone or SAMSUNG, teenagers have always been seen as the "Key" target market as they are more likely to be using it- stereo-typically. Either "blocking up the phone bill" or just "constantly attached" the youth culture is very commonly associated with electronics, staying in to look at a screen rather than going outside to talk to their friends in person.
Even though I do not have access to older phones, I do have access to all the modern technology, whether it's because I own them or because my friends do, I hope to include these electronics in order to help portray a stereotypical view of the youth subculture being anti social.
The techniques I hope to use is documentary, blur, close up and narrow depth of field. these are the techniques I intend to explore because I believe these are best fitting with these shots.

This image shown of the left is a quick example that I made to show a way of manipulation I hope to achieve because this shows interests, however, I could be possible that the surreal manipulation for this shoot appear in my physical experiments, linking with this shoot, yet on a different blog post.

Shoot Five- Skateboarding- Work Diary

Within this shoot, I believe I have been able to successfully display different experimentation of the youth culture through skateboarding. For example, I have experimented different techniques such as animated GIFs to show the movement of skateboarding, however when I originally went out for this shoot, I didn't have a tripod so much frame moves a little bit in the middle of the GIF. I think this shoots shows how my research has helped me because the photographers Dan Boulton and Mark Vallee have highly influenced me and the style of photography and editing.

My Favourite photo from this shoot:

With the inspiration shown on my image bank from this shoot but also on my project image bank, I wanted to achieve an image which captures the anti social youth culture with the activity of skateboarding but hiding the identity of my subject- you cannot see his face yet through his clothing and the way he is walking with his skateboard there is the suggestion of the rebellion personality- he would rather be skateboarding his day away than doing something "productive" such as working (stereotypically viewed by certain audiences/ older generations). Another reason I like this photo is way the audience are able to build a personality on this subject through looking at the bottom of the skateboard- it shows a combination of arts through the collage of different images. Another reason this image is one of my favourites is the contrast in colour of the subject and the graffiti shown in the background, this is because it can be used as symbolism as youths are the creators of graffiti, yet chose to use bold colours to make it stand out and grab attention, yet they choose to dress in more muted colours, suggesting their expression is through their graffiti not their dress. 

My Least Favourite Image In This Shoot:

This image was taken for the use of creating an animated GIF, however, this certain time, the subject resulted in falling off his skateboard which I didn't want to include in my GIFs. Even though it could be argued useful in showing the raw form of skatebaording- it isn't staged as mistakes do happen, I do not believe it shows the correct affect which I would hope it too. Another reason why I do not like this photo is the lighting, as there is very little light within the skate-park- it is in a building, when taking the photo, I was looking into this building creating a dark scene. A way this could have been improved would be to change my positioning, As shown on my straight images I have achieved some photo where the lighting is clearer however to improve this, I would like to have more images where the lighting is better.

Progression: 

As I  find this shoot has been really successful in showing the key negative stereotype of youth, I would like to go back to this location to reshoot, this time using a disposable camera in order to achieve a film photo effect and also a tripod on my DSLR camera for reshooting GIFs.