The backdrop of the park field cannot be seen as it is pitch black, the darkness serves as a good backdrop, I used flash this illuminates the one and only subject, making him appear striking against the dark background. Due to this it also emphasises the leading outline of the subject, arms and height etc. In this image he has a deadpan expression looking straight into the camera. For many young people, smoking cigarettes is just viewed as a passtime in which one can catch up with their friends and socialise. It is evident in this image there is no camaraderie of trying to impress people, he is just alone in the shot but with people behind the scene; a few friends who smoke because they enjoy it.
In this shot taken by Simon Wheatley, it is of two youths at a bus stop, smoking what looks to be a joint, the boy on the left in the nike hoody and jeans, has his arms crossed, hood up leaning against the bus shelter as though he's about to fall asleep, we infer from the image that he is asleep due to the effects of the drug. The other boy in the leather jacket and jeans is trying to pass the other boy the joint and encouraging him to carry on. The image connotes the stereotypes of young people often depicted as chavs, due to how public a place they're smoking and their clothing etc, it therefore connotes teenage rebellion.
The similiarities that both mine and Simon Wheatley's shots share is multiple teenagers smoking in both public places outside and in both images the boys are gesturing one another in different ways. Both shots capture the feeling of smoking being a very uniting thing in teenagers, they look out for each other and encourage one another, both capture very a-typical teenagers, in the second photo the teenagers appear antisocial and rebellious however. I and Simon Wheatley's approach to taking images on smoking culture in youth shares common themes such as, in both images they are candid documentary pieces, it is evident that in both shots we have not instructed our subjects to behave in a certain way but they have behaved as thought the camera is not even there adding to the authenticity of the controversial shoot.
Nikki S Lee-
This image has been taken from shoot 10. It is of me and the singer and lead guitarist of a band I play in called The Revolt, we are standing on Camden high road with the Camden town bridge behind us, the lights are all on in the distance because of how late and dark it was. The concept behind the image was to get an image before my band were due to play later that night, in a location that had a typical part of Camden that the photo would show, and in this image it is the bridge that shows off the cultural significance of the location. We are all in our outfits for tonight with shirts and ties underneath our parkas or crossovers, reminiscent of the style and sub-culture of our band, since it is a Mod/Britpop band, and since we are also in Camden which is culturally strong place for mod subculture also.
In Nikki S Lee's image she is posing with two black men, she is dressed like them with a top that is has American iconography on, and is posing with a swagger as though she is from where they're from and she knows them. The shot connotes a hip-hop vibe, the men are wearing showy clothes and look as though they could be rappers, the location of the shot doesn't give much away but in the context of the image it could be taken in the 'hood' where hip-hop culture for African Americans is massive. The shot is essentially her fitting in to different societies and subcultures.
The first obvious thing is the fact that Lee asks passers by to take an image of her in these environments with a camera, this was a thing I did influenced by her, however I generally got my dad to take the pictures. Also both images are posed with a backdrop of some significance showing context to the image. The way in which Lee poses with subjects, in clothes and certain locations that portray a certain subculture, in my image it is not an art project but is a true reflection of me and my friends as we all wear the clothes seen in the shot regularly and genuinely play in a band, enjoy the mod subculture and regularly go to Camden, but is closely linked due to how candidly Lee portrays a cultural scene.
Martin Parr-
This image is taken from my first shoot, spanning over a visit to Norfolk. This image is of my sister, my dad and the main focus is on my grandma, we are all sitting round a table eating cockles, a typical British seafood, at Blakeney point, the belt of blue ocean is visible in the distance, the image is reminiscent of British culture, spending pass-time with your family by the sea, it's timelessly traditional, and typically British, this is evident in the fact that all ages from my little sister to my grandma are eating the seafood enjoying the atmosphere by the coast.
This image is of a old couple, a baby in a pram which is probably their grandchild, with more people in the background, they are sitting at a shelter that are normally positioned with the view out to the sea, a bin overflowing with rubbish. They are eating fish and chips with the view of the sea,this connotes family holidays in British summer time, enjoying the ambiance of the coast, eating a traditionally British dish. The shot is very bright and almost surreal as the colours are quite mute and un-striking, it looks as though the image has been taken with a flash.
Both images have quite a lot in similar, both are taken by the sea with grandparents as subjects eating traditional dishes. Both images seem to connote the same feeling, of a very British pass time of enjoying the atmosphere by the sea, sharing it with family, eating fish and chips by the sea side. Martin Parr was a massive influence in taking the series of pictures for my first shoot, as it really made me consider how British culture is ageless and timeless in a sense where all ages within the family for example get together and enjoy British traditions.
Frank Habicht-
This shot is taken from my fourth shoot on teens in London smoking, drinking, socialising. This image is of two people I met on a night out. The subject on the right is holding a cigarette with his other hand in the air striking a pose, the other boy on the left is tilting his head looking into the camera, the image is jovial and fun. The shot connotes teenage fun, it is by no means a serious image but shows what teenagers get up to under the influence of alcohol out in the city having a goof time with friends socialising, The cigarette connotes typical British culture, as it is seen as almost a tradiiton in the UK to smoke and also connects to the teenage rebellion. The portrait shows off alternative fashion and culture in Britain, as the two teenagers are not a-typical of what most British teenagers where and so shows this in what they get up to within the image, it's emphasised in their carefree fun attitude in the shot.
This image is of two 'rockers' in the 70's, a youth subculture of motorcyclists. Their clothing, such as the leather jackets connotes their subculture, both subjects are on motorcycles, the man is smiling at the picture being taken, and the woman is posing with a cigarette hanging out her mouth. The image connotes youth subculture in Britain, being proud of your personal identity, dressing how you want to dress and acting how you want to act. The main subject being the woman is heavily made up and looks iconic of the times, the portrait frame of the shot helps create depth of field including the motorcycle and the man in the background further adding context to the image and the symbolism of British culture.
Both images depict two subjects with each one having one of the two subjects smoking a cigarette. They also depict youth culture in Britain, with different emerging subcultures, rockers and indie/alternative, they are both portrait shots, just by taking pictures of people doing what they're doing, the way they're dressed says so much about them as people and their relation to British culture. Of course one of the main factors of the shots is the element of smoking, it is a massive part of British culture, shows the rebellious nature of youth, the romanticism of smoking, the connections that it has to identity, overall these images just reveal a lot about British culture.
Henri-Cartier Bresson-
This is an image taken from shoot 2, where I went to Camden town for the day, to photograph British culture. The image is along the lock, there are multiple subjects standing and walking different ways, one woman is walking towards me, another is drawing with chalk along the wooden board/fence whilst staring into the camera, others are standing having conversations by the path and next to the lock and others are walking away on the path. Cranes are visible in the background, a willow tree, some grafitti and a barge boat. The interesting part of the image is how many different parts to the image there is, among some of my favourite; the landscape, the contrast between the industrial side and the scenic typically British parts such as the canal, boat and Willow tree. The woman doing grafitti connotes youth culture in Britain, as well as the location of Camden and how it connects to British culture.
In this image, Bresson captures a family eating lunch by the river Seine in paris. There is lots of different things going on in this picture, one of the men is pouring a glass of wine, the other two women and man are watching a fishing boat going past on the river whilst eating their lunch. The image is interesting as there is no particular main subject, therefore there is lots of different components that your eyes are drawn to. The shot connotes a very typical french scene in Parisian lifestyle, because in France they value lunch and view it as an important part of their lifestyle.
The similarities that my picture and Bresson's has is that both shots have multiple different parts, there are lots of details be seen, both are in black and white due to the tonal depth of my image I chose black and white, whereas Bresson's is that color due to the film camera. Also both images captured the essence of their countries cultural roots, Breton's is more a typical french traditional living, and mine shows a wide dynamic range of different culture sand people enjoying the same place, which is very culturally rich.
