Critical Appraisal -Object-

-Object-

Over the time spent on my Object project I found that I have learnt many things I can use in any of my further projects in future. To begin with I did struggle with remembering what equipment was needed and where it was all placed in the studio, but after doing a couple of workshops I did get the hang of it. I struggled with ideas also which can be helped with more research into my theme. I feel that In future I definitely need to plan ahead as this would of helped especially when it comes to organisation before the deadline.
The theme for my Object was decided on Teenage Pregnancies after my tutorial with my group, a very heated subject and one with endless possibilities of portraying it. I really wanted to aim the photo around Education as I feel this is one of the main reasons that could lead to teenage pregnancies. I chose to have the background dark and unfocused as it was not important in the photo, I only wanted the most important things to be in focus as they help portray the point I was trying to make.
I used a ranged of objects which included red heels, a teddy bear, baby shoes and a school uniform. I ended up going on a mad dash to buy a satchel and condoms as I felt this will help tie all of my objects together.
I decided to use side lighting on the objects as this helped intensify the shadows. The main focus in the photo is mainly the baby shoes, part of the shirt, a condom packet and the edge of the satchel. I needed only the important objects in focus, instead of school books in the bag I deliberately placed the heels and teddy; also a broken pencil all symbolising broken education.
I have enjoyed this first project but I feel that to improve I need to research more into my chosen subject, this should help with ideas of placing of objects in future as I did struggle.

My photo's

After waiting till Monday i found it was a mad rush to get everything ready for Thursday. Monday morning i got myself to the Stores situated at uni half an hour early to make sure i will definitely have a camera for the week. I spent the entire day in the colour printing dark room after processing my film and creating Contact sheets.
After only having my induction in this darkroom the week before i found i struggled as it was a challenge to remember everything without the help of a tutor.
The contact sheets for one proved difficult as each time i printed it the negatives were placed wonky or off line on the glass, i seemed to be getting light leaking onto the paper also. I tried to get it right three times before i decided on a suitable photograph.

My Contact sheets:

 Colour - Object shoot

As you can see the problems i have described above have shown through. I did have difficulty, i think its because i couldn't see how i was laying the negatives. I then worried that after moving and sliding them around the glass i feared there were new scratches and finger prints which covered the negs and would cover the photo graphs.













At first i wanted to use my first picture i took in the shoot, it contains all the objects including the school jumper. Below is the photo, after enlarging it i changed my mind completely as i thought it was too cluttered and that there were too many objects that distracted the eye.

One photo for Object Shoot, jumper included

Looking at the photo it is clear that at first glance it is overly cluttered. I do like the soft light but i definitely feel that is is somewhat too crowded. The colour is ok, it is slightly too pink and also the edge of the photo was cut off by the scanner. However i think the concept works, and using one of the images will make my point of Teenage Pregnancy clearer to the viewer.

This is ANOTHER lesson learnt. I had the negative in the wrong
way round. Everything is back to front!

So definately lesson learnt, i thought id put this on my blog just to show the mistakes of creating my final image. I selected my photo, notice some of the items are mssing including the jumper, however i made the mistake of putting the negative in the holder the wrong way so i then had to take it out, flip it, focus and position it all over again. 

My Object Final Photo

-Teenage Pregnancies-

This is my final outcome on Teenage Pregnancies. After removing the jumper, some of the pens and pencils and re-arranging the objects i decided that this was clearer and more to the point in which i was trying to make. I have a school bag filled with red heels and a teddy bear instead of schoolbooks, a opened condom draped on the corner of the bag unfocused, the school shirt positioned under the bag with baby shoes resting on top. Condom wrappers and broken pencils lay around the objects meaning Broken Education.

I have tried to keep the colours very similar, contrasting red's and black's all in theme with eachother. I am happy with the positioning of the items, i still think there is room for improvement especially on terms with it being too crowded. What is frustrating is how i didn't notice the sheet had folded up a little at the back and needs to be flattened.

I think if i was to re-create this i may try a much simpler approach. For instance less objects maybe,  it being neater could make it easier to read. I chose to focus on the objects that were more important for example the shoes, shirt and teddy bear.

I do like the colour, i think it may be slightly too dark however this could also be due to the side lighting that was used. I am pretty pleased with the final outcome, it took me a while to get there and i have learnt a lot about the equipment and using the dark rooms etc but it was definitely worth it, and i feel in this instance i have portrayed teenage pregnancies.

Time to photograph

The Objects

I've decided to use four objects in my photo. Looking back at my research alcohol is a well known problem and could represent the carelessness it causes when drunk. The specific bottle and choice of drink is very important, so when thinking of common drinks i've found that the most abused is Vodka. For me this drink in particular i try to avoid. I find that i become intoxicated very quickly with a little amount consumed. In the morning I will always suffer from the night before and worst of all it effects my memory, i act out in stupid situations and like most people say 'be stupid' and regret the stupid things in the morning. But all in all it's been my choice to do the things i do drunk or sober. Shockingly i know many people who call Vodka the demon drink, i myself have referred to it as this also. Is this a suitable drink to cause such mistakes as unprotected sex?
Another object which will be situated next to the chosen alcohol could be my red high heels. Red symbolising danger, romance, pain etc... also a strong colour, however i should be careful it doesn't overpower the photo.  I am wondering wether heels is best to represent teenage prgnancies. Thinking of the alcohol which to consume you need to be aged 18 or over, heels are genuinely worn by older aged girls anyway so maybe the alcohol will be enough.
The main focus of the photo will be a teddy bear, maybe have it laying on its side. Its a sandy colour with red paws which could also symbolise the similar aspects of the heels only as a child or baby's toy. Next to the teddy which i hope also to be one of the main focuses will be a pair of white baby shoes/trainers. White representing pure, simple, clean etc...  It being a colour photograph, i have to choose specificly the colours of the objects i want to use.

The bottle of alcohol will be a small Vodka bottle, maybe broken or smashed to symbolise the broken youth or lack of control. The bottle will be further back in the photo the red heels also in sight but not sharp with focus. The importance of the teddy bear is crucial, i will try to balance it on its side to represent a fallen or failed attempted to take something so precious and easily created seriously. Not only this, but the teddy bear itself could symbolise the mother herself still being a child. I decided to have the baby shoes to help identify the age of a baby also.

The lighting


The lighting for the photograph needs to be very soft, creating a gloomy effect, making the background seem darker perhaps, the objects will appear clearer and more important. Doing this i could use a light box and honeycomb to disperse the light and create shadows.


The background


Initially I had the idea of the background being children's wallpaper, for example half done so it's peeling off. However now i think that the background needs to be black, the wallpaper may take your eyes away from the subject even though i love the idea of the old paper. I may have to experiment with this one.

Teenage Pregnancies

In the Kent area 968 15-17 years olds had fallen pregnant in 2009. Surprisingly these pregnancies over europe was the lowest in nearly thirty years.

• 1998 under eighteen year olds - 41,089
• 2009 under eighteen year olds - 35,966

Ive found that babies born to teenage mothers have a 60% higher infant mortality rate and a 63% increased risk of being born into poverty compared to babies born to older mothers. Children born to teenage mothers are known to do less well at school and become uninterested early from education way before they have finished education, let alone further education. 

Daughters of teenage mothers are twice as likely as daughters born to older mothers to become teenage mothers themselves. Similar disadvantages affect young fathers also. I remember in Secondary school i had just two lessons on sex education. It was a basic run through of sex, contraception and the changes our bodies go through when we reach puberty. Statistics show that an increase of sex education in schools has gone up over the past ten years. There are now television programmes which go into full detail about sex, pregnancies, teenage worry's and concerns about their bodies. Not only this but a programme '16 and pregnant' is a series of children having babies, a story/diary of their pregnancy and birth. I can only hope it is a way of scaring, making young adults more aware of the seriousness of having a child, and the hardship it takes. This increase of education should help to prevent young pregnancies.

Is it just education?

Yes education is a big part of this problem, and can help prevent pregnancies in the future, but up bringing can be a big part of it too. Parental guidance, advice can be a huge part of the child's decision. If the teen finds it difficult to discus issues with there parents let alone sex, it'll be a challenge to ask their parents about the morning after pill, about contraceptions and what to do next if they do fall pregnant. 

I personally have come from a family in which i feel i could talk to each member about any worries i have. Having three sisters, we all have the underlying worry of pregnancy after sex even though contraception has been used. If i couldn't turn to my family for help, my friends would be the next step in hope they would advise me on what to do next. Even so, i don't think anyone would be able to advise you on what to do as we all have different opinions on abortion etc, unless they too have been through a similar experience.

One of the most important reason for teen pregnancies is the way in which the age group are looking at sex. For a majority, lack of appropriate sex education, and how the media portrays sex in an inappropriate and careless approach in general which could lead to teenagers looking at sex very differently. Most lack the maturity and understanding of the seriousness of sex and can get carried away in the moment.
Teen pregnancies can also result from sexual abuse of teenage girls. Instances of teen pregnancies resulting from sexual abuse by sexual predators, or even date rapes have been on the rise. Again this could be due to the lack of experience and maturity. Alcohol abuse can also lead to teen pregnancies as drinking leads to carelessness and lack of control. Your vision and views become blurred leading to actions you would never dream of doing when sober. Maybe this aspect can be used in my final still life.

My Chosen subject.

After my tutorial with Tom Slevin i was able to discuss my initial ideas. I've decided that for my chosen subject i will be portraying Teenage Pregnancy. As a group i was able to explain the few ideas i have. I briefly spoke about Teenage Pregnancy as that day i found yet another of my past school colleagues has given birth to baby. It got me thinking about myself, and how i feel i wouldn't be able to cope let alone bring up a child at eighteen years of age. Discussing this with my group i decided that this topic would be a good subject to research into. Why are all these teenage pregnancy's happening? Is it due to education? Up bringing? Or maybe due to not knowing the next steps after falling pregnant, e.g. the morning after pill.

Thoughts..

In a weird way Ive gone against the idea of Time being a subject now. The more research i carry out the more i understand that time itself isnt a subject at all, to re-create time and portray time would be a huge challenge. After struggling to find Photographers who have used time as a subject, i came accros artitsts who have represented time in thier paintings. In a way, Photography itself is unconditionally using time as a subject, taking a photo is capturing that present moment in time. Salvador Dali well known for his outragous paintings created a painting called 'The Persistence of Memory' (1931) It portrays Time and Space. The painting is an example of how over time things adapt to its surroundings, our memories changing form as we age and sometimes forget. It was thought that this dreamlike painting also represented how time has no relevance when we do sleep, however, does this represent wasting time or simply avoiding it?


 Time Lapse Photography meaning many photos taken to create a 'moving photograph'. The problem with this idea is knowing the brief states it has to be a still life. So this Time lapse skill would be no use. (Especially when using film!) The more ive looked into it i've realised that time as a subject, is a no go.

Is Time a subject?

The more i think about it the more i feel i can choose time as my subject. I't be interesting to show time in my photos, time we have lived, will live and are living. Maybe research into how things objects, people, etc... change over time, how things develop or end with time. Nothing lasts forever, maybe it'll be an interesting topic to re-create in objects?

Edward Collier..

(Edward Collier, Still life with a volume of wither's Emlemes, 1696)


When i first saw this painting i saw an organised mess of objects, belongings gathered together. The light is soft and warm, bright enough to light the objects needed to create a story but dark enough to hide the background. After researching the artist and this oil painting i have found that the skull and hourglass symbolise the inevitability of death. The hour glass displaying the time we have left, the skull a reminder of what is to come to every living thing. The music instruments, wine and jewels could represent the pleasures in life, little pleasures to us that we treasure in our hearts but ones that last for only a matter of time. The open book shows a brief poem emphasising the theme of mortality.
I wouldn't say its exactly a very happy painting, Its about the fragility of life itslef. An interesting painting indeed, Its own story unfolds to the person viewing it. I guess the objects speak louder than i first realised.


From the two artists
I've found the subject chosen doesn't have to be obvious to the world. I't doesn't really need to be well known, i want to pick a subject that we all know of  and have been brought up knowing. Something out of the ordinary.
I've had a ridiculous thought. What if i don't study a subject being abuse, abortion etc.. but something like time. something that resembles the time lost, gained and what we have left. How people waste time, or regret the time they have had. Is that following the brief or going too far?
Time can be seen at different angles, time we have to live, time we have lived. Kinda like the Past, Present and future.  At least it's a thought?

laura letinsky - untitled no. 35. from the Morning and Melancholia series 2001

I decided to take a look at one of the artists given on the brief. This photo particularly stands out to me as i love the lighting she has created on the objects. The objects are very simply laid out, their colours bright as well as their plain background. The simplicity of the objects, the fruit, makes it admirable and easy to look at. The shadow covering the mars on a wooden surface gives the impression of a kitchen work surface. Not yet cleaned, the complete opposite of the surface in light.
Letinsky's photo is actually one of a series, she was known to look at opposites, I've found a quote that i think sums up her work:

"I explore formal relationships between ripeness and decay, delicacy and awkwardness, control and haphazardness, waste and plentitude, pleasure and sustenance."


She's taken objects and compared them to relationships which is pretty interesting. To be honest the photo could represent relationships in itself, a ripeness that will only last for so long before it starts to decay, eventually it'll die and rot away. Its an object with a meaning we can all refer too, if we really see the photo for what it is we can get the contrasting meanings behind it.
I wouldn't say relationships is a subject i could re-create for this project, but this simpleness of an idea is perfect.   

Thinking back

when first given the brief i remember one thing thats stuck in my head ever since. It was Jonathan telling us 'to think outside our own world'. I've come to the conclusion that as simple as choosing objects may seem its proving rather difficult. The social issues that arise in the present time are not to any concern of mine because i tend to live in my own world anyway, and keep that world to myself. I've found that the more lectures i have, the more practical work i create, the more i realise how good the course is i struggle to come up with an idea.

The brief? my mini brainstorm...

This unit is split into two halves, the first half being still life. We need to make use of the professional studios, the cameras we're able to hire out, the resources etc...
The final image has to be in colour, studio shot, with studio lighting. One of the things that Jonathan mentioned was to think outside of my own world. I guess i could use this to my own advantage as i am a very closed person and would normally keep my 'own world' to myself. It'll make the project more interesting be able to use my imagination on a subject i feel passionate about.
But picking a subject is my difficulty.  The subject i choose i need to re-create using still life, i'm just struggling with picking a subject.

The world is not a nice place. We try to believe it is when its difficult to see the world for what it really is. We l.earn throughout life that things have a tendency to go wrong, the pain caused by others etc...The many topics that cause debate in the world can be strong but never won. I'm struggling to find a topic i feel most passionate abut.
A list?

• Vegetarian
• War 
• Abortion
• Climate change/Global Warming
• Homeless
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Adoption
• STD's and/or STI's
• Religion
• Smoking
• Terrorism 
• Kidnapping
• Tax (Money oriented subjects)
• Child abuse
• Sex offenders
• Human rights
• Animal abuse

This has given me a better idea of the topics out there in the world. 

I've highlighted Drugs as this topic has potential, i like the idea of the background it has, how in reality it is used today. The risks people take, does taking drugs 'for fun' really make it bad for you? What if it's being use but not offered? The countless types, the causes, the effects. What is long term damage? 

Does this subject have potential?

I need Ideas...

After creating my summer project i realised that my final idea was completely different to any previous thought i had. I struggled with the concept of creating myself because in a way i don't know who i am. This new project however, is i guess the complete oppisite. Taking note of a particular passion of mine and re-creating it with objects, hence the name Object. Its just trying to find a passion thats worth re-creating.

Just kinda struggling, maybe its time for a brainstrom. They always seem to help...