ARTSFEST PHOTOGRAPHY YR2
GALLERY 2024
LEXIE BAKER | MIAH BRYAN | HOLLIE CARRINGTON | COREY CHALLENGER | JOSHUA HARPER | BETH HEWITT | JESSE JEWKES | GRACE JONES | MEGAN NOCK | SARAH RALPH | CHARLIE SOUTHWELL | MADDISON WELLSBURY | CALLUM WOODALL | VALENTINA ZIVANOVIC
Lexie Baker
For as long as I can remember, I have had an absolute passion for baking, so this was the main reason I chose to photograph a selection of my creations as it combines two of my favourite hobbies, baking and photography. Having recently been diagnosed as gluten-intolerant, my eyes have been opened to the possibilities
and endless trial and error that gluten-free baking involves. My project focuses on displaying a wide variety of my favourite baked treats which I have managed to adapt the ingredients of, to show people that being gluten-free does not have to mean boring!
I feel very strongly about this topic as the price of gluten-free products in all supermarkets in comparison to standard products are astronomical. Food intolerance sufferers have no choice but to pay! Furthermore, the majority of supermarket gluten-free treats I have tried are somewhat lacking in taste which motivated me to get in the kitchen and experiment with different flours, raising agents and extras to see what worked and what didn’t. Many alterations resulted in failed attempts but after months of persevering, I believe that I have found many great substitutes to replace ingredients that I would have used before my gluten-free journey.
In a world where dietary restrictions can sometimes feel limiting, I want the world to see that having dietary restrictions is not the end of the world and that it just means you have the opportunity to get creative and experiment with different recipes!
Miah Bryan
My final major project aims to showcase the progress and development of my photography skills. During my time at Dudley College, my confidence levels have significantly increased, leading to an increase in my photography knowledge and proficiency in various techniques.
The theme for my final major project is called Pure Essence. I produced this name because the work uses light painting and expresses the individual’s essence through light. My theme for the final major project highlights the use of light painting to create a spiritual aesthetic in the images. The colours used in the photographs evoke a sense of one’s essence or aura emanating from the body, making each person’s essence unique and intriguing.
My work is characterised by its artistic nature, captivating viewers with its vibrant colours and calming effect. My work was created to appeal to a wide audience. My photographs encourage individuals to interpret the images in their own way which gives a sense of connection and appreciation for the diversity of one’s essence.
Hollie Carrington
Photography, for me, is more than just capturing images, it’s a means of storytelling, a way to freeze moments in time and preserve emotions, experiences, and
perspectives. Through my lens, I seek to uncover the extraordinary in the ordinary, to capture the beauty and complexity of the world around us.
My approach to photography is deeply rooted in observation and connection. I am drawn to the light and shadow, the colours, and textures in everyday life, Whether I’m documenting landscapes, portraits, or street scenes, I strive to capture the essence of each subject, to convey its unique character and narrative.
I believe that photography has the power to evoke emotions and provoke thought. Each photograph is a reflection of my perspective, a window into my vision of the world. Through my work, I aim to inspire curiosity, empathy, and a deeper appreciation for the beauty and diversity of our planet and its inhabitants.
Corey Challenger
Roots and Reflections: Faces of the Black Country
All my photography is an exploration of the vibrant and diverse community of the Black Country. Through my lens, I seek to capture the essence and spirit of the people who call this region home. Each photograph is a window into the lives, stories, and emotions of individuals who contribute to the rich tapestry of this unique cultural landscape.
In my work, I aim to celebrate the resilience, strength, and beauty of the people of the Black Country. From intimate portraits to candid moments, I strive to portray the authenticity and depth of human experience. Through the interplay of light, shadow, and composition, I invite viewers to connect with the subjects on a profound level, to see beyond the surface and into the soul.
Moreover, each image is a testament to the power of visibility and the importance of honouring and amplifying marginalised narratives. I hope to showcase how great the older generation were and are, in terms of their work and credibility, to the younger generations. I also want to be able to reach to the older generation and have them reminisce on a previous time.
Ultimately, my photography is a testament to the resilience, beauty, and complexity of the human spirit. It is a tribute to the strength and diversity of the Black Country community, a celebration of identity, and a call to action for greater inclusivity, compassion, and social justice.
Joshua Harper
This project highlights the decline of analogue watches in recent decades. Analogue watches have lost relevancy to the youth as learning digital has been the dominant clock face to learn as analogue is left to the dust. The younger generation will look to their phones for the time instead of analogue watches.
This project has been one where I had fun in the creation as it allowed me to play with different aspects of brand photography, especially experimenting with different styles. I think this project has fully engaged my creativity, as it has pushed me to play around with different techniques and has been an adventures experience for me.
The challenges I had along the way were understanding how to approach this style of photography, as it can be very meticulous with its small details. I have taken inspiration from Edward Fury as he has dabbled in this range and has been an influence on me and this project.
Beth Hewitt
This project draws attention to the problematical nature of the world around us and as we see it. Involving different boroughs of the Black Country, the intended purpose of the project was to unite our community by allowing people to be heard and what they feel the United Kingdom could work on. My inspirations come from photographers such as Phil Loach and Daniel Meadows due to their incredible work ethic in terms of social skills and digital storytelling.
The gratification theory has been used to identify the target audience and develop the intentions for the project. This specifically fulfils the needs of others identifying and relating with the work (Personal Identity), learning (Information) and encouraging social integration. The specified target audience is directed at 18+ and aims to encourage a deeper perspective of our country and how it affects everyone.
I have thoroughly enjoyed tackling this final project and seeing everything come together in the end. I am most proud of stepping outside my comfort zone and getting stuck into the humanistic approach most photographers use. I stepped aside from my typical studio photography to focus on the art of documentary and ‘The world we live in’.
I have faced challenges such as a lack of willing participation in communities, which only deepened my appreciation of different areas and supported the nature of the project. This project is a significant step on my journey as it has initiated my path to studying journalism at university and becoming more confident, a great listener, creative, compassionate etc. This project has also helped me fulfil the role of the person I aspire to be.
I think my target audience will take valuable information away from it about the world they live in and how they identify with their community. My project explored a range of topics such as the heritage/history of the people I got to know, opinions on our country and advice for our generation. It is a powerful project as not only were photographs taken, but I also took time to hear the individual’s stories. My documentary images exhibit a place we call home and draw beautiful pictures of the world around us.
Jesse Jewkes
I believe in the power of the still image, I feel photography is a great way of capturing momentous occasions, times of joy and is fundamental to the way we express
ourselves. I enjoy capturing the fun times and taking pictures of deep meaning as well as showing beauty in the ordinary and mundane.
The idea I decided to go with for the final major project was to use a technique called projection image photography, this is a technique where you use a projector to project images on to a subject or model. This is a remarkably interesting type of photography and I think you can get interesting images from it. I decided to give it a go because it was something new that I had not tried before.
I came up with the idea to project colourful words onto someone which evolved into using numbers not words. This project gives the feeling of humans becoming increasingly in contact with technology and how they are starting to almost blend seamlessly with technology as humans technology are becoming inseparable integrated. The target audience for this project is people who enjoy projection image photography.
Grace Jones
In my photography, I strive to capture the profound beauty that resides within the solitary moments of life. My work explores the complex layers of loneliness, presenting it not as a state to be feared, but as a powerful and beautiful aspect of the human experience.
Through intimate portraits, I delve into the inner words of individuals, revealing the silent strength and vulnerability that often goes unnoticed. Each subject, framed against minimalistic backgrounds, tells a story of solitude and introspection, inviting viewers to find a piece of their own reflection in the quiet spaces between light and shadow.
In contrast, my landscape photograph offers a broader canvas, where vast, untouched terrains become metaphors for the expansive nature of solitude. These serene and often desolate environments highlight the inherent beauty in isolation, suggesting that there is a certain peace and clarity to be found when one is alone with the world.
Beauty, in my work, is not confined to the traditionally picturesque but is discovered in the raw, unfiltered moments of life. By embracing both the starkness of empty spaces and the nuance of solitude, I aim to create a visual dialogue that resonates with the universal human condition.
My photography is a celebration of loneliness as an essential, enriching part of our existence, where both portraits and landscapes converge to illuminate the understated elegance of being alone.
Throughout my work, I invited my models to reflect on their own encounters with loneliness and find solace in the shared nature of this deep human emotion.
Megan Nock
My project, ‘See the music’ includes an artistic approach to album covers. Every photographic cover represents a song and its lyrics somehow linking to the image. This project allowed me to step outside the box and think on a deeper level as well as expand my style of photography to a more expressive genre.
My target audience are collectors of album covers, music lovers and people with a creative eye. I want my audience to listen to the music and view the images from my perspective. People outside the intended audience could still benefit from my work as it is an activity for all and can create a brand-new experience for music itself.
Inspirations for this project comes from artists such as Jack Bridgeland on the SN37 Agency or album covers in general because there is always some sort of theme or underlying aesthetic included.
My final project represents all the new knowledge of photography that I have been shown throughout the past two years at Dudley College. It will represent how my editing photography and research has improved and how my ideas have a new perspective. This will benefit me in the future to grow as an artist, not just a photographer and support me to explore new themes.
Sarah Ralph
Product photography is the art of capturing high-quality images of products for use in various marketing and promotional materials. It is a crucial element in magazines, advertisements, and social media campaigns, it showcases products in their best
light to entice potential customers. Effective fragrance photography involves meticulous attention to lighting, composition, background, and post-production to highlight the bottles intricate designs, luxurious packaging, and the brand’s essence. High-quality images can significantly enhance a fragrance brand’s online presence, create a sophisticated and desirable image, and ultimately drive sales by providing customers with a clear and attractive representation of the products.
By accurately depicting the elegance and allure of perfumes and aftershaves, excellent product photography can influence purchasing decisions and elevate customer satisfaction, leading to increased sales and brand loyalty.
From the beginning of my photography journey, I have always had a keen interest in product photography. I find I am often drawn to images that experiment with vibrant colours and unique compositions.
Throughout this project, I have explored and tested a range of techniques and methods to produce images that have the same captivating effects as the ones that inspired me. This included the use of coloured gels, multiple lighting setups such as wrap around lighting and a range of interesting compositions created using a variety of props.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this project and I believe my final images exemplify high-quality product photography and effectively showcase my skills in this field.
Charlie Southwell
My final major project is titled Imagining Tomorrow’s Magazines Today, and it consists of creating magazine covers in the style of well-known magazine brands, putting my own twist on the images. I aim to show magazine covers designed in unique ways that do not correlate with the norms of cover design in today’s media and push people to use unusual techniques more often in the future.
My intended audience includes artists and graphic designers as I wish to inspire them to use unique techniques in their work. Others outside of my target audience can still benefit from my work as they can see the simple aspects of graphic design and photography and learn that it is okay to use different techniques no matter what people think about them.
During the creation of my final major project, I am most proud of planning and executing my first idea and seeing how well it turned out after post-production. The first challenge I had to overcome was during my first shoot, where I did not have access to a black background, so I had to use a white background instead which did not fit with my vision. I overcame this by changing my planned colour scheme so it would fit with the background and not look out of place.
This project has played a big part in my development journey as a photographer as it has helped me to understand the world of fashion photography and how important photographers are for the fashion industry. This work has also helped me develop my skills for my career as a fashion photographer.
My wish is that any artist or designer will view my work and understand that you do not have to abide by the standards of today’s media industry to fit in and that you should follow your own ideas and explore unique styles that suit them.
Maddison Wellsbury
For my final major project, I wanted to explore a theme that I really enjoy doing but will also increase my confidence in my photography skills at the same time. This project has allowed me to edit and manipulate my own images in a way that also shows off my editing skills and also demonstrates my type of photography.
The theme for my Final Major Project is architecture and landscapes. The name of my project is Urban Architecture. I have chosen this theme as I want to display to my audience that styles of architecture and buildings can change over time due to manmade or natural reasons. I have used and applied skills that I have learnt, using Photoshop over a long period of time. While going along with this project I have demonstrated times where I’ve had to solve problems such as how I wanted to achieve types of images and that I wanted to create and show how my images will be manipulated and edited. I hope by creating these types of images it will make the audience appreciate the environment we have around us.
My work is inspired by a few landscape based photographers, such as Paul Brogan who is a town based architectural photographer.
Callum Woodall
The theme for my final project is about hidden disabilities which builds upon past projects such as Diversity. My project, Hidden Surface, encourages the audience to reflect on the subject’s disabilities. I want to show that those with disabilities are not alone, and they should express their differences (where most hide). My aim is to showcase and celebrate these differences through my work. Some of the photographers that inspired me to do this project are Alex Ten Napel and Zoe Proctor because of their cooperation of monochrome to express more details of their subjects’ facial features creating a more emotional connection within their work.
This project has allowed me to become more independent and develop a flexible approach to my work, expressing creativity and maintaining full control over the project, from developing consent forms, holding meetings, and working with models for each shoot.
Whilst studying at Dudley College my three greatest achievements are:
> Working alongside international photographer Rob Hornstra and Arnold Van Bruggen as I received a worldwide published acknowledgement (book about the Black Country) for my assistance and knowledge around the Black Country
> Helping raise over £23,000 for a baby-loss awareness charity by climbing the highest mountain in England (Scafell Pike)
> Becoming the diversity representative for the whole college
Valentina Zivanovic
I think photography is a powerful tool to express yourself – it can help us to appreciate and enhance other people’s work even more. I personally love working with musicians and music, and this is what my project is based on.
I enjoy playing around with Lightroom and Photoshop to enhance my images. I’m pretty good at studio photography, but really, I prefer taking pictures of natural and spontaneous moments. Ross Halfin is a big inspiration for me when it comes to photography. In the future, I hope to work with bands to photograph gigs and help produce images to promote their work.
This project is my interpretation on many styles of album covers, seeing what ground I could cover and what worked best with that. Each piece of media should evoke a different feeling however, most are based around a form of censorship or psychedelia. There is also a use of AI in certain images but not all – for example, some of the borders I created were partially created using AI to make them appear more spontaneous and psychedelic.
I chose to place all of the mock-up CDs into physical cases and place them on a rotating display to give a more tangible feeling to my works. All these works are fictional, although some display actual musicians.
