David Spero
The churches in this series have none of the monumental architecture of the traditional church with its symbolism of status and power. In these churches the architecture is contingent, as the buildings were never designed as places of worship. They have become churches through a combination of pragmatism, chance and geographical need. Sometimes temporary or semi permanent, they are often where we would least expect to find them and at times almost invisible, located in industrial estates, shopping parades, houses, cinemas, above pubs and commercial properties.
They reflect a wide diverse range of denominations and sects, which form what can broadly described as the ‘charismatic evangelical movement’. Made up of white, Afro Caribbean and African initiated churches, they form a grass roots go it yourself spiritualism, a movement where faith is intrinsic and God is personally experienced.
Friday 2 May 2008
Tuesday 29 April 2008
Final Proposal
FD PHOTOGRAPHY Year 2
Project Proposal
Name: Adam Denson
The title of the project at present will go untitled, however the title is a working progress.
Subject/ Concept
For my final major project I have decided to focus my attention on documentary photography. I wish to propose the idea of documenting a variety of posters that can be found outside places of worship. Why does the church still persist using the poster as a form of reaching out to their audiences when there are more effective means of advertising and promotion? I would like to ask the question why does the church mix religious undertones with popular modern culture in their posters and is the poster considered as a form of preaching. Predominantly, the images are about the text in the posters, however I set out to inform the viewer about the wider picture. Therefore I will not dismiss the idea of capturing people arriving and leaving the congregation, nor will I dismiss the idea of documenting the possibilities of evidencing the posters being designed. To help answer my project, I would like answering: Why does religion choose this route of advertising? Is the poster considered as a form of preaching? Can you tell me if the poster is an effective way of enticing the public through the doors? What is the true meaning of these posters? Who is responsible for making these statements? Who are the people responsible or making these posters? Where are these posters made?
Aims
My aim is not to preach religion, nor am I intending to be disdainful. My aim is to simply document, collect and share my findings with others and present them in a book. To ensure I have explored my subject and my questions go answered it is important I try to arrange small interviews with those who head the congregation. By photographing the heads of congregation, outside their place of worship with the poster in view is ideal.
As mentioned, my images are predominantly about the posters, however my series may take an interesting slant should I gain access to where the posters are designed and made. Creating a behind the scenes documentary is something I haven’t seen before and is something worth considering.
Audience/ Context
The project is specifically aimed at those who share an interest in documentary photography and it is possible that my work may attract those who follow a faith. The images should not be taken too seriously and for the viewer, the images will appear pleasing in appearance. I would like my work to provoke thought whilst at the same time answer some of the questions I need answering. Should I look at trying to have my work published then I will consider looking at several journals ranging from Daylight Magazine, Source and eight. My series will be presented in the form of a digital book, however I would like to consider other creative means of presenting my work, not to dissimilar to other photographers who have had their work published.
Time Management
Collecting a wide range of images, enough to make a series will be time consuming; nevertheless I have no concern that I will not be able to achieve this. Below is a time schedule that will help me adhere to time scales and plan out my project. The deadline for the project is the 10th June and by 20th June my final major project will be exhibited.
Photography 7th April – 9th May 2008
Editing images 12th May – 16th May 2008
Prepare digital book and final large images 19th May – 23rd May 2008
Print final large images, ready for mounting 26th May 2008
Digital book submitted, time allocated for the final book to arrive 26th May – 6th June 2008
Submission date - 10th June
Research Methods – Reference points
The research required for this project is limited and I will begin by looking at other photographers who have approached this subject or a project similar to this one. To help kick start the project I will begin to look further a field at other lens based practitioners such as Lee Friedlander, Stephen Gill, Paul Graham, John Angerson, (Love, Power, Sacrifice). Places of worship will be located by using roadmaps, online maps and my Tom Tom. In summary my methodology in terms of research is of no concern. My key aim is to arrange small interviews and gain access to the places where these posters are made.
Project Proposal
Name: Adam Denson
The title of the project at present will go untitled, however the title is a working progress.
Subject/ Concept
For my final major project I have decided to focus my attention on documentary photography. I wish to propose the idea of documenting a variety of posters that can be found outside places of worship. Why does the church still persist using the poster as a form of reaching out to their audiences when there are more effective means of advertising and promotion? I would like to ask the question why does the church mix religious undertones with popular modern culture in their posters and is the poster considered as a form of preaching. Predominantly, the images are about the text in the posters, however I set out to inform the viewer about the wider picture. Therefore I will not dismiss the idea of capturing people arriving and leaving the congregation, nor will I dismiss the idea of documenting the possibilities of evidencing the posters being designed. To help answer my project, I would like answering: Why does religion choose this route of advertising? Is the poster considered as a form of preaching? Can you tell me if the poster is an effective way of enticing the public through the doors? What is the true meaning of these posters? Who is responsible for making these statements? Who are the people responsible or making these posters? Where are these posters made?
Aims
My aim is not to preach religion, nor am I intending to be disdainful. My aim is to simply document, collect and share my findings with others and present them in a book. To ensure I have explored my subject and my questions go answered it is important I try to arrange small interviews with those who head the congregation. By photographing the heads of congregation, outside their place of worship with the poster in view is ideal.
As mentioned, my images are predominantly about the posters, however my series may take an interesting slant should I gain access to where the posters are designed and made. Creating a behind the scenes documentary is something I haven’t seen before and is something worth considering.
Audience/ Context
The project is specifically aimed at those who share an interest in documentary photography and it is possible that my work may attract those who follow a faith. The images should not be taken too seriously and for the viewer, the images will appear pleasing in appearance. I would like my work to provoke thought whilst at the same time answer some of the questions I need answering. Should I look at trying to have my work published then I will consider looking at several journals ranging from Daylight Magazine, Source and eight. My series will be presented in the form of a digital book, however I would like to consider other creative means of presenting my work, not to dissimilar to other photographers who have had their work published.
Time Management
Collecting a wide range of images, enough to make a series will be time consuming; nevertheless I have no concern that I will not be able to achieve this. Below is a time schedule that will help me adhere to time scales and plan out my project. The deadline for the project is the 10th June and by 20th June my final major project will be exhibited.
Photography 7th April – 9th May 2008
Editing images 12th May – 16th May 2008
Prepare digital book and final large images 19th May – 23rd May 2008
Print final large images, ready for mounting 26th May 2008
Digital book submitted, time allocated for the final book to arrive 26th May – 6th June 2008
Submission date - 10th June
Research Methods – Reference points
The research required for this project is limited and I will begin by looking at other photographers who have approached this subject or a project similar to this one. To help kick start the project I will begin to look further a field at other lens based practitioners such as Lee Friedlander, Stephen Gill, Paul Graham, John Angerson, (Love, Power, Sacrifice). Places of worship will be located by using roadmaps, online maps and my Tom Tom. In summary my methodology in terms of research is of no concern. My key aim is to arrange small interviews and gain access to the places where these posters are made.
Friday 25 April 2008
The Time Online
Taken from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2884585.ece
The signs outside churches advertising God are as close as most get to hearing a sermon. They can be embarrassing, inspiring, intimidating and hilarious all at once and no where more so than in America.
We've got a gallery of images from The Great American Book of Church Signs by Donald Seitz for you to browse.
Send us pictures of signs you've seen and we'll display them here.
Email your funny church signs to faithcentral@timesonline.co.uk stating your name and where you saw the sign, send the biggest jpeg file your computer can manage.
Feedback From My Proposal (version 1)
In short an excellent idea, thoughts:
Social/ cultural/ religeous issues investigated, also contemporary popular culture and religion.
Is this purely a Chritian phenonemen?
Is your product just text based or will you contextualise the work in terms of location, congregation arriving/ leaving?
Are ou lmiting images to 'the site' or will you document the production? Are there meetings where groups have 'brain storming sessions?'
Last thing about the 'production/ what you make in the end' are you interviewing anyone? Will text (apart from that in the image) be used in the product?
Social/ cultural/ religeous issues investigated, also contemporary popular culture and religion.
Is this purely a Chritian phenonemen?
Is your product just text based or will you contextualise the work in terms of location, congregation arriving/ leaving?
Are ou lmiting images to 'the site' or will you document the production? Are there meetings where groups have 'brain storming sessions?'
Last thing about the 'production/ what you make in the end' are you interviewing anyone? Will text (apart from that in the image) be used in the product?
Lens Based Practitioners
http://www.stephengill.co.uk/bonb/4s.jpg
Taken form Stephen Gills Billboards series and Billboards of Billboards
Final Major Project
FD PHOTOGRAPHY Year 2
Project Proposal
Name: Adam Denson
Project Title – The Ten Commandments, Media For The Day Modern Day Disciple. Final title will be decided before final major project hand in date.
Subject / Concept
What is the project about? What is your ‘viewpoint’ on the subject? Include any relevant background information.
For my final major project I have decided to stick to documentary photography and document the posters that are found outside places of worship. The idea came about when traveling in my car I noticed how religious posters are used to communicate to an audience. One poster I saw stated how ‘Jesus Loves The Weakest Link’. Using a religious undertone and associating it with modern culture I found this statement quite humorous. By using photography as my chosen media my project will focus primarily on written communication and therefore I will record various statements made by the church. Why do religious institutes go down this route of advertising themselves? Should we question why the church chooses to advertise this way? Are their methods a form of preaching? One valid reason could be because churches are experiencing a decline in attendance levels, communicating to wider audience could be a way of enticing the public through their doors. What is the true meaning of these posters? Who is responsible for making these statements?
Aims
What do you want to achieve with your project? What are you trying to communicate through your project? What is your motivation?
As a non-religious person I am not intending to preach religion, nor am I being disdainful. Documenting, collecting and sharing my findings and presenting them in a book are my key interests and motivation.
Audience / Context
Who would be interested in the project? What is a suitable professional outlet for the work (eg. Gallery, editorial, book).
The project is specifically aimed at anyone who shares a similar interest as me in documentary photography. The images should not be taken too seriously, however at the same time I would like my work to provoke some thought and therefore help answer some of my questions. My work will hopefully attract people with a religious belief but also those who have a sense of humor. If I intended to publish my work then I may look at contacting the likes of Daylight Magazine and source.
Outcome of project.
What is your proposed format, medium and presentation for the work?
The images will be presented in the form of a digital book (supplier bobbooks.com) and in addition several A2 prints from the series will be exhibited.
Time Management
What issues are there with completing the project to the set deadline?
What is your schedule for completing the project? Provide a rough schedule of your workload.
Should I have to travel further to my location then I may need to negotiate time off from college. My main aim is to finish the final project two weeks prior to the official hand in date. To help accomplish this a rough schedule is drafted below. I would like to continue the project after submitting my work. Regarding time scales I have no real concerns other than ensuring that enough time (ten working days) is set aside for preparing and submitting my digital book (bob books).
Photography 7th April – 9th May 2008
Editing images 12th May – 16th May 2008
Prepare digital book and final large images 19th May – 23rd May 2008
Print final large images, ready for mounting 26th May 2008
Digital book submitted, time allocated for the final book to arrive 26th May – 6th June 2008
Research Methods – Reference points
How and where will you research your project? What and who are your initial reference points?
The research required for this project is limited, nonetheless I will look at whether other photographers have explored this subject and if so, look at how I can improve my idea. Finding places of worship will also be easy to locate. Whether it’s searching online, road maps or using a Tom Tom to find my locations, I have no real concerns.
Project Proposal
Name: Adam Denson
Project Title – The Ten Commandments, Media For The Day Modern Day Disciple. Final title will be decided before final major project hand in date.
Subject / Concept
What is the project about? What is your ‘viewpoint’ on the subject? Include any relevant background information.
For my final major project I have decided to stick to documentary photography and document the posters that are found outside places of worship. The idea came about when traveling in my car I noticed how religious posters are used to communicate to an audience. One poster I saw stated how ‘Jesus Loves The Weakest Link’. Using a religious undertone and associating it with modern culture I found this statement quite humorous. By using photography as my chosen media my project will focus primarily on written communication and therefore I will record various statements made by the church. Why do religious institutes go down this route of advertising themselves? Should we question why the church chooses to advertise this way? Are their methods a form of preaching? One valid reason could be because churches are experiencing a decline in attendance levels, communicating to wider audience could be a way of enticing the public through their doors. What is the true meaning of these posters? Who is responsible for making these statements?
Aims
What do you want to achieve with your project? What are you trying to communicate through your project? What is your motivation?
As a non-religious person I am not intending to preach religion, nor am I being disdainful. Documenting, collecting and sharing my findings and presenting them in a book are my key interests and motivation.
Audience / Context
Who would be interested in the project? What is a suitable professional outlet for the work (eg. Gallery, editorial, book).
The project is specifically aimed at anyone who shares a similar interest as me in documentary photography. The images should not be taken too seriously, however at the same time I would like my work to provoke some thought and therefore help answer some of my questions. My work will hopefully attract people with a religious belief but also those who have a sense of humor. If I intended to publish my work then I may look at contacting the likes of Daylight Magazine and source.
Outcome of project.
What is your proposed format, medium and presentation for the work?
The images will be presented in the form of a digital book (supplier bobbooks.com) and in addition several A2 prints from the series will be exhibited.
Time Management
What issues are there with completing the project to the set deadline?
What is your schedule for completing the project? Provide a rough schedule of your workload.
Should I have to travel further to my location then I may need to negotiate time off from college. My main aim is to finish the final project two weeks prior to the official hand in date. To help accomplish this a rough schedule is drafted below. I would like to continue the project after submitting my work. Regarding time scales I have no real concerns other than ensuring that enough time (ten working days) is set aside for preparing and submitting my digital book (bob books).
Photography 7th April – 9th May 2008
Editing images 12th May – 16th May 2008
Prepare digital book and final large images 19th May – 23rd May 2008
Print final large images, ready for mounting 26th May 2008
Digital book submitted, time allocated for the final book to arrive 26th May – 6th June 2008
Research Methods – Reference points
How and where will you research your project? What and who are your initial reference points?
The research required for this project is limited, nonetheless I will look at whether other photographers have explored this subject and if so, look at how I can improve my idea. Finding places of worship will also be easy to locate. Whether it’s searching online, road maps or using a Tom Tom to find my locations, I have no real concerns.
Wednesday 5 March 2008
Lighting Evaluation
Evaluation
Whether it’s knowing how to use lighting equipment, how to use it creatively or knowing how or when to introduce different lighting techniques, lighting can still be a daunting experience. By the time I finished the brief I wanted to ensure I came away with a clearer understanding of certain lighting techniques and feel confidant with my abilities, knowing I can take out the lighting equipment at anytime and photograph.
After grouping up with Phil Auty and Chris Harvey we began straight and booked the studio space. On the day of the shoot Chris brought in a fragrance bottle to photograph, however as a group we had no vision in how we were going light it. As a group we were not put off by this as it allowed us to problem solve, experiment and discuss with one another creative ways of lighting. Reunited with the studio and the lighting equipment we managed to achieve some great images of the bottle, however for me I was beginning to feel that lighting products was becoming a cliché. As a photographer who enjoys lighting, I understand the importance of having these skills; however working in a studio is an area of photography I’m not drawn to. I find working in a studio restricts my creativity and therefore I was looking further a field. After much soul searching I reached the decision of going out on location and document the interior of my grandparents house in Manchester. Both myself Chris and Phil had our own little projects we wanted to pursue and therefore we found each other working separately and getting on with producing images.
Prior to going out on location I began searching the Internet and looking in various books for examples of interiors and how professionals approached their subject. Research suggests that complicated lighting set ups are unnecessary. If areas of a subject require additional light then either additional lighting can be implemented or reflectors can be used to bounce the light. Before I began speaking to people I always considered the more lights to light up the subject, the better, however this was not to be. On location I was using no more than two flash heads and one tungsten light to add warmth to my subject. After analysing my images I found the tungsten light made no real difference to the aesthetics of my image and a better solution would have been to use an amber filter.
Planning what equipment I was going to need on the day of the shoot and organising the insurance and liaising with my grandparents was well managed and went well. For future photo shoots I will adopt the same approach and this will help me avoid any problems in terms of wasting time and incurring or increasing costs.
On my grandparent’s house the shoot took two days and after day one of the shoot I then realised how much time was required for travelling, time spent photographing and setting up/ putting away the equipment. In my opinion I felt my naivety got the better of me on day one, however by day two I managed to turn it around and gave myself an additional two hours in the working day which enabled me to work at a much smoother pace and I was able to finish my work on time.
I feel the landscape image I took of the armchair in my grandparent’s house with the carpet and side table was probably one of my more creative shoots. I have been told in the past that my competency of being able to use the lighting equipment is sufficient; my creativity however needs stretching, as I tend to play it safe. The way of working I adopted when out on location was to analyse each image I took on my lap top screen and ask myself what could I do differently to improve the image. I found this approach successful and it was at this point when I began to feel like a real photographer. Making images, analysing them and making alterations to my lighting boosted my confidence and were a rewarding feeling.
I believe working in a team has its benefits, however on this occasion I was happy working on my own and getting on with producing images. Communication within the group was kept to a minimum and again this was due to the fact that we were left to putting our ideas into practice. The only breakdown in communication was when we all arranged to get together and plan out the design of our leaflet idea. Over the two days of the shoot, as well as being photographer, I was also responsible for finding the location, research, planning, organising and assisting, props, and styling. Although to some degree I managed to work well on my own there were times in the day when I felt it would be helpful to have some help.
The cost of the photo shoot at my grandparents was minimal. Costs such as travel, time and insurance were accounted for and although my shoot was unpaid I am aware how valuable time is when working as a photographer.
Reflecting on my experiences I believe my recent experience compared to the one back in 2007 has been a more rewarding time for me. Although I already had the knowledge of being able to meter light, set up and use the lighting equipment I feel my confidence and development has improved significantly. I believe working alone has been one of many factors responsible for this as I was left on my own and empowered to analyse and be critical about my images and solve any lighting problems that were going to either help or hinder my shoot. All in all it has been a great learning curve for me. One key point I will take away with me when I go back out and use the lighting equipment is to remember that there is no need for complicated lighting set ups. This has been already demonstrated in past lighting inductions where creative images have been created using only one light and several reflectors.
Whether it’s knowing how to use lighting equipment, how to use it creatively or knowing how or when to introduce different lighting techniques, lighting can still be a daunting experience. By the time I finished the brief I wanted to ensure I came away with a clearer understanding of certain lighting techniques and feel confidant with my abilities, knowing I can take out the lighting equipment at anytime and photograph.
After grouping up with Phil Auty and Chris Harvey we began straight and booked the studio space. On the day of the shoot Chris brought in a fragrance bottle to photograph, however as a group we had no vision in how we were going light it. As a group we were not put off by this as it allowed us to problem solve, experiment and discuss with one another creative ways of lighting. Reunited with the studio and the lighting equipment we managed to achieve some great images of the bottle, however for me I was beginning to feel that lighting products was becoming a cliché. As a photographer who enjoys lighting, I understand the importance of having these skills; however working in a studio is an area of photography I’m not drawn to. I find working in a studio restricts my creativity and therefore I was looking further a field. After much soul searching I reached the decision of going out on location and document the interior of my grandparents house in Manchester. Both myself Chris and Phil had our own little projects we wanted to pursue and therefore we found each other working separately and getting on with producing images.
Prior to going out on location I began searching the Internet and looking in various books for examples of interiors and how professionals approached their subject. Research suggests that complicated lighting set ups are unnecessary. If areas of a subject require additional light then either additional lighting can be implemented or reflectors can be used to bounce the light. Before I began speaking to people I always considered the more lights to light up the subject, the better, however this was not to be. On location I was using no more than two flash heads and one tungsten light to add warmth to my subject. After analysing my images I found the tungsten light made no real difference to the aesthetics of my image and a better solution would have been to use an amber filter.
Planning what equipment I was going to need on the day of the shoot and organising the insurance and liaising with my grandparents was well managed and went well. For future photo shoots I will adopt the same approach and this will help me avoid any problems in terms of wasting time and incurring or increasing costs.
On my grandparent’s house the shoot took two days and after day one of the shoot I then realised how much time was required for travelling, time spent photographing and setting up/ putting away the equipment. In my opinion I felt my naivety got the better of me on day one, however by day two I managed to turn it around and gave myself an additional two hours in the working day which enabled me to work at a much smoother pace and I was able to finish my work on time.
I feel the landscape image I took of the armchair in my grandparent’s house with the carpet and side table was probably one of my more creative shoots. I have been told in the past that my competency of being able to use the lighting equipment is sufficient; my creativity however needs stretching, as I tend to play it safe. The way of working I adopted when out on location was to analyse each image I took on my lap top screen and ask myself what could I do differently to improve the image. I found this approach successful and it was at this point when I began to feel like a real photographer. Making images, analysing them and making alterations to my lighting boosted my confidence and were a rewarding feeling.
I believe working in a team has its benefits, however on this occasion I was happy working on my own and getting on with producing images. Communication within the group was kept to a minimum and again this was due to the fact that we were left to putting our ideas into practice. The only breakdown in communication was when we all arranged to get together and plan out the design of our leaflet idea. Over the two days of the shoot, as well as being photographer, I was also responsible for finding the location, research, planning, organising and assisting, props, and styling. Although to some degree I managed to work well on my own there were times in the day when I felt it would be helpful to have some help.
The cost of the photo shoot at my grandparents was minimal. Costs such as travel, time and insurance were accounted for and although my shoot was unpaid I am aware how valuable time is when working as a photographer.
Reflecting on my experiences I believe my recent experience compared to the one back in 2007 has been a more rewarding time for me. Although I already had the knowledge of being able to meter light, set up and use the lighting equipment I feel my confidence and development has improved significantly. I believe working alone has been one of many factors responsible for this as I was left on my own and empowered to analyse and be critical about my images and solve any lighting problems that were going to either help or hinder my shoot. All in all it has been a great learning curve for me. One key point I will take away with me when I go back out and use the lighting equipment is to remember that there is no need for complicated lighting set ups. This has been already demonstrated in past lighting inductions where creative images have been created using only one light and several reflectors.
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