Hand in

I will be handing in:
My notebook
My final peice ( a 12x12 large square book)
and a project guide with Cv and Artist statement.
A peice of paper stating my blog address.

Project Evaluation

With this project, i feel like ive gone on a very long joyrney and finally have reached an equilibrem which i am happy with. After a slow start, finally descovering something i could get my teeth into was a big boost. Most of my micro projects have come along way from the start. With one thing being the initial idea and then developing into images that i am proud to call my own. I have struggled with finding artists, as many photographers dont over this idea of susperstitions However i have made key connections with other aspects of my work. My main inspiration comes from the work of Sophie Calle and her work with text and imagery in the book exquist pain. The stylistic approach of rinko Kawachi is very similar to some of the techniques and styles i have used in my own work and the work on susperstitions by Ansley west. I have also taken a great deal by looking at a range of artists that use text, repetition and the different structures and layout of books, which have informed my final peice. If im honest, i would of loved more time to delve deeper into the many supsertitions out there, as well as finally make work some of the supsertitions i had problems organsising or completeing to a standard i found suitable. I honestly want to continue along this project as i have found it both fun and exciting. I do like how it has allowed me to explore many different techniques, different styles and overall build up my portphilo with a range of work that is both different and coherient. My next step is to create the smaller version of this book for everyday resale and approach different locations on stocking my book and/or showing some of the more specific supsersittions in a gallery space. I think from my original images not only have my themes and concepts evolved but my technique and personal style. If im honest at the start of the year i felt like i had lost my passion and got stuck in a rut but my idea evolving into such a great project has helped my own self confidence as a practitioner.

Presentation and audience.

Over the last few weeks my focus has been moved towards this idea of audience and how my audience would percieve my work. Being a book its not very easy to exhibit. While my original theme was based to the 'be inspired' competition, its not very forward thinking for my project that has now lent itself more to a book format. While i could still exhibit sections of my collection, maybe presenting work from just one superstition i dont think it would work to be showing all at once.
If  i did show in the gallery it would be a choice of three of the bigger superstitions and i would want the images to be printed big. A1 or A0 size. Then the full collection in the book can be shown in the gift shop in the book. (editied into an image of the nottingham contempory)

The book will be avalible from blurb already. As well as a link to the blurb site on my website. The book itself is rather expencive at £50 printing cost so with the addition of profit would be around £60-65. However there is an option for me to create a smaller squared book, or a softback which with profit would work out about £20 a pop, which is much more affordable.
I could see my book as a coffee table book among the houses or artgallerys around the country, or even in art based coffee shop like
'THE DEAF CAT' a small independent art based coffee shop in my home town. I have approached them about entering my book to them for free, with the addition of my cards to accompany them.

The great thing about the smart phone barcode means if someone does see it in a shop or coffee house that they can scan it and automatically be directed to the page where to buy it themselves.

Book arrival

My final peice, my book, arrived today and i am so very pleased with it. the size and quality is amazing. The details are stunning. the colours are pretty much perfect and i am so happy with the result. Here are a few photos of the end result:

 The only problems i really see is that the left cinderella image seems slightlymore orange then it should do, and the final door image is slightly more darker, however in the whole scale i dont think it totally impacts the images or the book a great deal.

What i also found was a good idea, insted of a barcode the book includes a smart phone barcode that links direct to blurb where u can purchase the book. This is a great thing for settling with where/how to present my work and the audience.

Book finished

So i have got someone to proof read my book for spelling or errors, and finally got round to sending it to the printers. With the addition of trackable speedy UPS postage, my book should be here on the 5th May.
*fingers crossed*

Book final layout.

After alot of playing around with the design and the order in which the superstitions and oldwivestales fall in the book i have finally settled on a final layout for my book. 

 When looking at different styles of photography books (see previous blog posts) I was deliberating the kind of front/back to have on my book as i didnt think i could use a single image to portray all the superstitions, and when looking at other photography books, with the likes of Lewis Baltz or Colin Grey and there very plain fronted books i thought it was best for this kind of collectional style book.  The text used on the title is very traditional and almost looks embossed, this is as reference to this idea of a 'little book of superstitions' or an old style book stating do's and dont's.  The back doesnt have a blurb but instead just includes my logo which i personally also created.

 With the blurb website the first few pages are set into a layout for you with all the basics of normal books, while these could be removed i wanted to keep them  and include them as i feel it would keep my book in the regon of the actually profitable and sellable range. the basic title page on the inside cover uses the same font as the exterier.

 Next included space for the copywrite and space for an introduction. Here i added my details into the copy writing section as well as the addition once again of my logo. It also uncludes the blog address (here) to the information about how this was project was formed and created. The introduction is the same as what i have been working on and posted in a previous post. While this is ideal, it would of also have been nice to look into maybe getting an external voice in to write a narration to the book like many other photography book does, sort of like a mini essay, But due to time constraints this is really not much of an option, was well as not knowing who to turn to.

 The first superstition i wanted to include was the 'step on a crack, break your mothers back' images, purely because they were the original inspiration and the first headway i had in this project. Also the fact that they are the only black and white images i thought placing them at the start rather then just in the middle or randomly will make them appear less stand outish. The grid works perfectly around the square crop of the book with the addition of the text reflecting the repeptition.

I thought following the grid and the text accompanyment to add to the feel of size and volume which is reason why i added the grid and large repetitious text, i would have a double spread of just two 3x3 grids. when actually  i was unsure if they would completely work together, looking at them placed they seem both linked but also different. i was wondering if the two different floorings would really matter but they dont seem to be two clashing togeter. The dark contrasts in the images just adds to the feel of these images, and almost give a sence of time passing by.

 To conclude that superstition it worked best with this idea of repeating the style of the first grid and text, mirrored on the pages.  This draws the superstition nicely to aclose as it felt to abrupt to finish on the double page spread, as well as the text idea that was very popular from feedback, only appeared once. This way it almost works as brackets to the central images.

 The location of the next superstition was governed by the location of the 13th page. ironically placed just after the first allotment of superstition. Here the mirroring of the shapes of the book works well, and both numbers seem to fall remarkably central to the pages. The full 'bleed' images as it is called, was mearly what looked better with these images added to the page. i did try using boardered images but it looked better in this style.

 Incomparison to the associated photos the text is very simplistic compaired to the highly filled pages before. As seen in the books of Colin Grey the use of simple text on its own, just with white space is very effective. It also works well with this idea of it just being a page number, in a book.

 The final presenation of one of the later additions to the superstition project was the idea of the christmas lights and it only being up for 12days. The image i think is very striking with the colours vibrant and the background almost white, filling into the white space of the right hand page. I did crop the image as seen in the previous blog post as i wanted to get in closer to the bulbs and remove some of the more over the top tree branches as it was just abit to much, here the ratio of branch to bulb is perfect. With the string of lights almost going diagonally across the page, the tree branches seem to stretch diagonally across the other way. The addition of the text is very straight forward, and works almost like a count down clock for the image. you can imagen it counting down to one.

 Again here we see the final layout design for another late arrival to the superstition list. I also ended up cropping the main image (of the weather vein) to focus in more on the image. The second image (the right) works well as a basis for the text using the 'blank' space on the image. It creates a different look. I love the use of silhoutte and how the images work together. I also like the small colour palette and how it almost creates a 'black/white' feel to these images.

 While i wanted to use the dyptics and text to show the he loves me, he loves me not, i did decide in a previous post to use abit of an introduction (after all not everyone reads french!) and i chose to include this image as it was one of my fave images from the photoshoot but it didnt  really work as  a dytptic.

 I think this dyptic is actually one of my faves. With the tiltshift style effect and the differences and similaritys so apparent it just is the appitomy of what i wanted to achieve with these images and the text works so well.

 I like the fact that this image almost seems to appear to be extending from one page to another and reaching across from summer to winter, from happyness to sadness, from love to not loved.

 I think this dyptic works well as they are very similar and reflective of each other. the colours the structure the dept of feild.

 This image of the two pathways is very similar to the first of this superstition, and like the first is also a portrait, going portrait landscape, landscape portrait, it follows a nice pattern and again like the very first superstition seems to go full circle and ties off this supsertition nicely.

 These images seem to work better in a grid bigger then they do smaller. This superstition is another grid although this time the grid is bigger (photo size wise) being just a 2x2. Im really glad to have chosen a square book as it works so well in spacing for grids, as well as working equally for landscape and portrait photos. The text works rather well by association to the imagery. And again the images while in colour have this almost black and white feel to them.

 Abit like the intro to the 'he loves me he loves me not' images, with this superstition i wanted the text seperated from the images to allow the full impact for the dyptic. I also thought it would work well accompanied by one of the images that again i really like, but failed as part of my final selection.

 The two images for breaking a mirror are two of my faves and they work so well together. Either way (red or blue) first they would work but i placed the red first as otherwise i would feel that they would look like they are trying to be a whole face, the eyes and then moving down to the lips, and i didnt want to suggest that they are one alike.

 The addition of the blue becomes more apparent with the addition of the slight coldy blue tint to the left image. which i feel works well as connecting the images.

 These images look well presented mirrored with the same white spaced boarder, however it did take a few experiments to find where the text fitted best.  after all of the textperimentation i found that it worked best just to one side.

 Here again is the final presentation, i cropped closer into the dog and chose the final lighthouse picture. The thing i like about this is the rocks from the lighthouse image continues a line made on the floor in the dog image. I also like the contrast that while the dog is ment to bring bad luck, he is looking rather cute and rather happy. The text works well placed above the image on just plane sky.

 The final image is the 'doors close' image which i think works very well as an ending. While this is not my fave image of the selection frm that shoot, the other image that i loved didnt look right cropped into the square and its really wat i wanted for the last page, another full bled image. the date stamp contrasts the darkness of the image and the text to the left reflects the black of the image. It works well but i do wonder how much of the low light detailing would be printed?

 Finally as i did mention before i wanted to include a key as such to my book. The list comprises of all the supsertitions and old wives tales in the order they appear. Influence Highly by the idea of James C Christiansen's work on supserttions with the key to note all the supsertitions hes use.

final superstition addition

Finally, after a break home at easter i finally came up with my final superstition for my book ( as i was roughly expecting about a 40page book) While on a couple of trips to the coast (one thing i miss when im at uni) I thought about all the alternative superstitions and the idea that seamen are actually prob the most superstitious people out there, with many a tale about what could and would go wrong i did look deeper into it and using images i took over the easter break was able to peice together one last superstition, (which i dont normally like to work in this way, after reading the superstitions and then visiting the coast after, it just all fell into place.)One of the superstitions i read said it was unlucky for dogs to be near fishing tackle/boats. And when walking through whistable on a day trip to the beach, seeing this lovely dog, willingly sat next to fishing equipment it just screemed the superstition to me.

is fate a superstition?

While thinking about the superstition i thought what better to team with an image which is something thats ment to be bad luck at sea, then an image of what is ment to save ships and boats, so another trip to a coastal town over the holiday allowed to to take an image of a light house. I found it very difficult to think of a textual connection to make between the two, i looked a poems to do with lighthouses and saving mariners, taking inspiration and desided a little peice about the lighthouse saving mariners would the right for the suggestion that the dog brought bad luck to the ship. 

Book Introduction

Ive never been overly confident with writing, so i have been putting off writing the introduction to my book. finally, after getting a friend to proof read it i have finished with the following:
"Throughout the centuries, there have been superstitions that brought solace to the fear-stricken. Since humankind's earliest awareness of mortality, people have feared death and they have imagined omens, or warnings, in the simplest things, such as the appearance of a black cat, the spilling of salt, the number 13.

The following images are a culmination of a years work based around the theme of superstitions and old wives tales. This book explores the erroneous belief in superstitions and old wives tales and how appropriate they are in the modern world, through a series of photographic images. The images take a more suggestive stance at the representation of the main theme.

 The relationship between imagery and text is paramount, adjusting the audiences views on the meaning and visual metaphors presented. Using repetition and multiple images, the grids and diptychs
are able to convey the scale of the reign that superstitions once had over cultures, how while some superstitions are still quite apparent and some are nearly ‘extinct.’

This book is an exploration through different micro-project’s each with a different stylistic approach and metaphorical depth.  From 'Step on a crack, break your mothers back.' to 'He loves me, He loves me not.'
"

More old wives tales and superstitions 2

Over the past few days ive been thinking again of more superstitions i could include in my superstitions book. Thinking about the more obvious superstitions:
black cats
ladders
mirrors (check)

and then i thought, what is the most superstitious thing?
to me i would have to say birds. With hundreds of superstitions about the actitivies of birds i did wonder what exactly had possessed me not to think about this earlier. From a murder of crows and what the number means, to the sighting of a robin before winter, there is literally hundreds of different superstitons out there.
For example:
http://hubpages.com/hub/birds-myths-superstitions-about-birds

  I wanted to use one of the less obvious then counting crows or magpies.
Looking into it, supposidly the determination of what way that birds calling determins what is going to happen, the saying goes:

A bird call from the north means tragedy; from the south is good for crops; from the west is good luck; from the east, good love.

For this i did wonder what on earth i could do for imagery, until i found the perfect spot for shooting. In town the old town hall has a weathervain that has the N,S,E,W and is always surrounded by birds. Here i decided to lay in wait until the birds either formed around the vain (sat around it) or flew around it with some great results.

While the first image is still slightly blurred, these were the best out of the selection. i did want a pairing of images to be able to create a good look over a double spread. But after reviewal ive decided that the bottom two are my fave. The middle image because of the encorperation of the weather vane, the sihouetted birds and buildings against the unsual sky, while the second image is just a close up of the birds all in freeze framed. This allows me to try out one of the techniques that i looked at in the books that i looked at,  Jim Dines book, where the text is layered ontop of the image, the blank space in the middle allowing the text to sit nicely.
As for the text, i was thinking of simply,
NORTH
EAST
SOUTH
WEST
pulling the audiences eye to the weather vain on the other image and the link to the birds.

More old wives tales and superstitions.

I've actually been trying to focus and find more usual superstitions to add to my book and how they would work in my book. While playing around with the few ideas i started to think about more specific superstitions, from different countrys, different times of year, different kinds of people who would be supersitious Which did lead me to my next idea.
Thinking about specific times of year i thought back to the idea of christmas and christmas decorations. I know that one of the superstions that my mum always trys to live by is this idea that ur decorations must go up 12 days before and 12days after. It then lead me to remember about a series of images that i had taken earlier on in the year, only a few months back where i was shocked to still see lights up. I dont want to do the obvious image of a christmas tree with lights and be so typical, after all this is not a christmas card! but i do remember some of these images and that i liked them because they were unsual, and in a sence they did take me to this idea of a deadly christmas or a not so merry christmas. 
When we think of christmas we think of plump green trees covered in lights and surrounded by gifts, while the images that i took were of skeleton like trees and a dull sky. The contrast of the lights to the trees/ and sky is what i liked, the bright prime colours incontrast to an image that would be black and white otherwise. They also dont look very christmasy, and i think one of these images cropped down along side the simple words 12 days would work great as an addition to my superstitions.

more superstitions to include?

ive been trying to find new superstitions to include in my book but withtout being to obvious. Looking for some that are supsertitions but can be representented in not such an obvious way. some more of the other superstitions that ive found that i could include are:

one of the many bird rhymes

ivy on a house stops curses and evil

putting out a candle- should not be blown.

dropping a knife means a male caller, dropping a fawk means a woman caller.

looking into some of the 'martime superstitions' 

superstitions from other cultures?

 revisiting the idea of an umbrella inside?

Construction of book.

Currently ive been focusing on the contruction of my book, and working on the use of text with imagery. Some of the layouts are working better then others, and have slightly had to edit around images and structures to fit better in with the book. It also makes me think have i got enough superstitions in total? maybe lowering the amount of images per susperstition and such.
so far my structure is as follows:
step on a crack,
number 13,
he loves me, he loves me not,
break a mirror 7 years bad luck
one door open another closes (new year)
Shoes on a table.

Maybe i should look into doing some more superstitions, but as it stands my book is around 40pages long.
The combination of text and imagery seems to work very well. The different ways of combining the two follows this idea of each mircro project having its own indivudal style.

The inital front cover is to be just plain black, with the name, subtitle and name on the front, and the back my current logo. The reason for the simple black cover is a reminder of the books that u can get with the idea of the 'little book of chocolate, or little book of happiness' style books.

little book examples

the mock up of the step on the crack, break mothers back images.

Mock up of the text to accompany the door images.
some of the dyptic images such as the he loves me, he loves me not i did experiment with the idea of putting one dyptic on each page. such as below:

However it didnt really work structually compaired to dyptic spread over a double page. with the addition of text it works alot better.

So what i need to think about now is how many more i would want to include? 

book research- Lewis Baltz

Lewis Baltz's candlestick point is another interesting book that i have found while looking at different books. His work has been described as topography of the emptiness of random, damaged, remote places. The images are very baron and dipict many a landscape.

once again i find myself drawn to a book with such a simplistic cover. Maybe this is because i find myself thinking about a blank cover as so many indivdual themes in one book, it would be more effective to have a simple cover rather then one image that doesnt seem to get the feel of the whole book?

 Once again i also see a more unsual style and use of text. Here it reminds me of such as the text i want to use with my dyptics for he loves me/he loves me not (french for pain and happiness) and how i would want that presented with two singular words spread over a double page like the text below.

 While most of the following layout is straight forwardly the basic two page dyptic with white spaced boarders around the edges one of the things that made me want to write about this book was its mix of black and white imagery with the use of colour. while they are not paired together, most of the images in books will stick to one or the other and not devided between the two types of images. With my book i do have a selection of images that are black and white, which i feel is somewhat out of place, however looking at the combination of black and white accompanied by the odd colour image as seen here im rather impressed by how well it works.

Book research- Susan Paulsen

Susan Paulsens book 'Sarah Rhymes with Clara' is a documentry collection of everyday occurences that is around her daily life. This odd little book is a collection of mish mashed images including nudes which works more as a social documenty on her life and those around her.

Once again this book carrys the same simple and plain front cover that may convince the audience that it is not a photography book. However within the pages it soon becomes clear.

  The most prominant thing about the style of this book is its use of white space. The impact that an image has whe accompanied by nothing but white space is actually amazing. While i know most of my superstitions are in focus with this idea of text, it does go to show that white space and the audiences mind can be just as powerful.

 I also like the use of white space even on the pages with writing. here the text is not all alligned the same, and the two images have been shrunk to a much smaller size as if to create more space for blankness. it really is powerful in a sence. Of course she does use a double page for dyptic style images in which she does try and make a colour or visual connection between the two.

Final selection of images and use of text:

Step on a crack images:

With the addition of text being the repetition of the word, step until the page is filled when the final word is 'crack' as discussed before.

Unlucky umber 13

Followed by blank pages situated on the 13th page, just with the addition of the page number.

he loves me he loves me not.

with the addition of the text: Bonheur (summer or he loves me) and Douleur (winter or he loves me not.)

going out with wet hair, catch a cold.

with the addition of the text which consists of the latin name for the common cold.

Break a mirror 7 years bad luck

 Along with the text 'when you look in the mirror and dont like what u see, you can find out what it is like to be me'

New shoes on the table: bad luck

with the addition of the text: cinderella stories

New years eve superstition

with the text 'one door closes, another opens,