What is Conflict?:
According to Google, Conflict refers to some form of friction, or discord arising within a group when the beliefs or actions of one or more members of the group are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more members of another group. In proper terms Conflict is referred as arguments over something or someone that is rising in a constant about something or someone else that is not accepted and can be very bad.Conflict is things that affects peoples lives in a bad way.
Statement of intent:
In this project I hope to share my thoughts on Conflict and describe with my images how hurtful it can be towards people. At the end of this project I am going to show my best most developed photographs and place them in this website.For my theme which is conflict I plan to do bullying and abuse in school and I can mainly focus the physical abuse towards the victims, this is because I believe that this a cause that occurs very much in school.
For my initial research I will start by creating a mind map using coggle to work out the many things that cause conflict and etc. Then I plan to make a mood board of conflict images that links with bullying in school, I will use the internet to find these images and also these images will give me an idea of what I could do. Secondly I plan to find a charity that supports Bullying in school and use that charity name and logo for my images that I edit on Photoshop. I will also extend my knowledge of "bullying in school" by watching bullying related videos or films, this will be effective for me because I will know about the setting in the background and actions caused by the bully and also how the victim would feel.
When I chose this theme, my thoughts were war, fighting and death.However after thinking and realizing more about the routes I can go down in such as bullying or racism I found out that conflict isn't always about war its mostly about something that can hurt someone in someway either mentally or physically.
To show progress in my work I will start by taking my first photo shoot of conflict and then working my way for there. I will develop my images by editing them on photo shop fixing the slight things that will affect the image heavily and maybe change the color to suit more of a wallpaper image for conflict.I will also be using str and ebi to improve my work weekly and work out what went wrong and how I can fix it.
I would like to experiment by using a wide range of techniques within my suite of work. I will be using a canon camera with a wide lens. I will also use different settings in the camera to change the style of my images such as ISO, White Balance, Shutter Speed, Aperture and more.I will also try to push myself in Photoshop and be creative, mainly focusing on making my images black and white because I believe it adds more effect to my images.
I have around 5-7 weeks to produce my final gallery of images in conflict and hopefully they will reach the grade I desire. I am to complete my mood board at the first week and start my photo shoot by the second or third week and finish it all with Photoshop by the sixth week and the seventh week will be used as my evaluation of project.
Finally as my work progresses as I stated I will be using str and ebi to improve my work but also I will be looking at different photographers to give me more ideas and a view around my main theme of "Bullying in school". I will be labeling my work effectively and have my tutors or peers check my work and have them give an opinion of it.
For my initial research I will start by creating a mind map using coggle to work out the many things that cause conflict and etc. Then I plan to make a mood board of conflict images that links with bullying in school, I will use the internet to find these images and also these images will give me an idea of what I could do. Secondly I plan to find a charity that supports Bullying in school and use that charity name and logo for my images that I edit on Photoshop. I will also extend my knowledge of "bullying in school" by watching bullying related videos or films, this will be effective for me because I will know about the setting in the background and actions caused by the bully and also how the victim would feel.
When I chose this theme, my thoughts were war, fighting and death.However after thinking and realizing more about the routes I can go down in such as bullying or racism I found out that conflict isn't always about war its mostly about something that can hurt someone in someway either mentally or physically.
To show progress in my work I will start by taking my first photo shoot of conflict and then working my way for there. I will develop my images by editing them on photo shop fixing the slight things that will affect the image heavily and maybe change the color to suit more of a wallpaper image for conflict.I will also be using str and ebi to improve my work weekly and work out what went wrong and how I can fix it.
I would like to experiment by using a wide range of techniques within my suite of work. I will be using a canon camera with a wide lens. I will also use different settings in the camera to change the style of my images such as ISO, White Balance, Shutter Speed, Aperture and more.I will also try to push myself in Photoshop and be creative, mainly focusing on making my images black and white because I believe it adds more effect to my images.
I have around 5-7 weeks to produce my final gallery of images in conflict and hopefully they will reach the grade I desire. I am to complete my mood board at the first week and start my photo shoot by the second or third week and finish it all with Photoshop by the sixth week and the seventh week will be used as my evaluation of project.
Finally as my work progresses as I stated I will be using str and ebi to improve my work but also I will be looking at different photographers to give me more ideas and a view around my main theme of "Bullying in school". I will be labeling my work effectively and have my tutors or peers check my work and have them give an opinion of it.
Analysing an Image:
The 5 C's:
Context
UNICEF has taken this picture. The family is from Syria as it is fleeing from its civil war.It was taken on a destination to Sweden as the family was going there to find safety, shelter, food and education for the young children. The meaning behind this image is to show the world what happens to people when a war occurs and the people have to abandon everything for safety. It has been published on a website with other numerous pictures of the same family taking its destination to north, to Sweden.The website was my source for this picture and I couldn't find the photographer for the pictures but I know it has to do with UNICEF, the photographer mainly focused on this family because of the tragedy they are going through with a 10 month old baby , and a 11 year old boy. The time period it was taken look's like it was in the morning straight away because they had to move fast to their destination and quick without wasting any time so you can also tell they couldn't get enough sleep. And it does Influence them because, again it shows the tragedy and horrors they are going through. Here is the website of my source: https://medium.com/photography-and-social-change/born-into-conflict-fef201a4eb45
Connection
This connects to my work because the photo shows the family fleeing from war and war is linked or is in the section of my theme which is conflict, and this is important because when they flee from war and the conflict in Syria it affects them and their whole life and in my work I have to talk about these kinds of things.War is linked to conflict because not only is it killing people and ruining their lives but also they fight over something or someone and without noticing or caring they can affect innocent people.In my opinion I think there is a message behind the image and the message is to show and explain to the world how many lives are right now because of war and how their lives are compared to yours and this could happen to you if there was a war, Its also to show the catastrophes they are facing and we as a people can do something about it to help them. Its in a black and white image because it shows contrast and just having a black and white colour makes people feel dull and mostly dark feelings.
Composition
The picture was taken in a worms eye view which makes the family look vulnerable which is the focus point.The picture has a strong triangular leading line, that makes us focus on the despair on their faces.The picture shows a deep depth of field because everything it is in focus and the family are close up to the camera.Its a fast shutter speed to catch the moment for it to be in focus.The photographer uses rule of thirds to show that each section of the photo is important.The contrast of the photo which has dark colors which again represent their feeling and gives a hard image. My eyes is drawn to how the triangular leading line is representing the family with the father at the top and the young child at the bottom.It doesn't look like he used a tripod because of the leading line and how the position of the camera being taken in a worms eye view. There is a background of dead trees and leaves and that also can represent the theme of war and conflict and the abandoned house shows how they have abandoned their home for safety.
Content
The picture/photo look's recent due to the clothes and wires behind them, it looks like it was taken during the time of the Syrian refugees escaping their own country. The color looks mostly black and white and a bit of others but they are all dark, even when the sunlight is being shown it look's dark and it's also being covered by dark clouds.I am not sure where they are or where it is but I that they are on a destination to Sweden and they are still going north to Sweden. There is lots of mud and it looks like there is lots of steps in the ground that people have passed from and it could be more refugees going to different places and this also shows the amount of people that had to flee.
Comment
What I like about this image is that it tell's us a story and this story is hooking me in and its capturing the moment. I also like the height advantage and such and the mud which shows the movement of the amount of refugees, what I do not like about this image is that it's aesthetically is in focus and they are not showing the baby which if they did can be effective and make their story more interesting and the picture as well. What can we do to help however ?, We can help by donating money for the specific family's and most important get them a life and what i mean by that is if we get them a house and they can get a job and they can live their lives like us and some could be world changers for all we know they could find ways to make the world a better place.
What I want to focus on is Bullying and Abuse in school:
My Mood Board:
The reason why I picked these photos and why I like them is because it relates to my theme a lot and the the way the image works is also another thing I like.
For example the 4th image has a depth of field where it blurs the victim and focuses the glasses.
My favorite one out of them all is the first one because it shows all the parts of bullying and when it adds up it can ruin a person's life, not just the victim but also the bully.
For example the 4th image has a depth of field where it blurs the victim and focuses the glasses.
My favorite one out of them all is the first one because it shows all the parts of bullying and when it adds up it can ruin a person's life, not just the victim but also the bully.
Charity that is connected with my work:
What is kids cape?
Kids cape is a charity anti-bullying service and they provide funding and what makes them really special and more different than other charities is that they also provide training for adults to help those who are getting bullied or already are being bullied.
They are connected to my work because they work with bullying and abuse.
Here is a statement from their website about their vision:
Our vision is for all children to grow up in a world free from bullying and harm, with adults who keep them safe and help them to reach their full potential.
Our mission is to provide children, families, carers and professionals with advice, training and practical tools to prevent bullying and protect young lives.
This is also how they give advice about their bullying:
"We provide children, families and professionals with advice and information to keep children safe.
How they deliver the training with everyone:
We provide a range of training opportunities for professionals working with children and young people to support the provision of safe and nurturing environments.We deliver high impact programme's of support for children, parents, carers and professionals to prevent bullying and keep children safe.
Finally they also talk about their values:
We work through a variety of communication channels, partners, campaigns and events to raise awareness of bullying and how to stop it.
We believe that every child has the right to live life free from bullying and harm. We believe that all adults have a responsibility for creating safe and nurturing environments for children. We value the role of parents and carers and work with them to keep children safe.We believe that by working together we can protect more young lives and actively encourage partnership work."
Their Website if you would like to check it out: https://www.kidscape.org.uk/
They are connected to my work because they work with bullying and abuse.
Here is a statement from their website about their vision:
Our vision is for all children to grow up in a world free from bullying and harm, with adults who keep them safe and help them to reach their full potential.
Our mission is to provide children, families, carers and professionals with advice, training and practical tools to prevent bullying and protect young lives.
This is also how they give advice about their bullying:
"We provide children, families and professionals with advice and information to keep children safe.
How they deliver the training with everyone:
We provide a range of training opportunities for professionals working with children and young people to support the provision of safe and nurturing environments.We deliver high impact programme's of support for children, parents, carers and professionals to prevent bullying and keep children safe.
Finally they also talk about their values:
We work through a variety of communication channels, partners, campaigns and events to raise awareness of bullying and how to stop it.
We believe that every child has the right to live life free from bullying and harm. We believe that all adults have a responsibility for creating safe and nurturing environments for children. We value the role of parents and carers and work with them to keep children safe.We believe that by working together we can protect more young lives and actively encourage partnership work."
Their Website if you would like to check it out: https://www.kidscape.org.uk/
My Photo Shoot Plan:
First Shoot
For my first shoot I'm going to be shooting the victim and bully almost in contact and such.
I think my first photo shoot was successful as it has everything I wanted for my plan and all of it was a positive success.It was the exact image I had wished for that is why I think this was a great first shoot.
Worst Photo:
The reason why this is my worst photo is because the bully is laughing when he isn't meant to, instead he is meant to show like a mean face or a disgusted face towards the victim. Also you can see on his arm that its getting blurry and the shutter speed isn't that good as well.
Best Photo:
I like this photo a lot because the bully is almost being shown in contact and the background is representing the photo as if it was a prison.
Also his identity is hidden to show that there isn't much known about the victim or to show that he could be terrified.
My depth of field is shallow and this is good because it is showing a good focus of the bully and victim.
I have used rule of thirds to achieve in each part of my photo something important, for example in the middle it is showing the victim and the bully's hand almost being in contact and showing the how powerless the victim is, on the left side of rule of thirds is the bully being shown to overpower the victim and his expression is showing how he feels, finally on the right side of rule of thirds is showing the background to emphasize the meaning of the photo.
In this photo I was trying to create a meaning on how someone being bullied isn't something you should ignore and how it can affect any victim's life in the future, worst possible scenario suicide.
Also his identity is hidden to show that there isn't much known about the victim or to show that he could be terrified.
My depth of field is shallow and this is good because it is showing a good focus of the bully and victim.
I have used rule of thirds to achieve in each part of my photo something important, for example in the middle it is showing the victim and the bully's hand almost being in contact and showing the how powerless the victim is, on the left side of rule of thirds is the bully being shown to overpower the victim and his expression is showing how he feels, finally on the right side of rule of thirds is showing the background to emphasize the meaning of the photo.
In this photo I was trying to create a meaning on how someone being bullied isn't something you should ignore and how it can affect any victim's life in the future, worst possible scenario suicide.
Second Shoot
For my second shoot I will be shooting the bully leaving the victim alone after his physical contact and his fight etc.
For my second shoot I think it was also positive to what I had wished for or hoped for, although I had to change positions of my images as I thought it felt like the bully would leave the victim inside more than outside.
Worst Photo
The reason why this is my worst photo for my second shoot is because I hadn't finished taking the pictures and one of my models was a bit too early and was trying to stand up which made the picture look fake and less realistic.
Best Photo
This is one of my best photos because it is showing the victim after he has been beaten up and this is also good because the lighting was perfect, the facial expression of the victim was good.It looks so real that it makes me think it actually happened.
Final Shoot
For my final shoot I will be taking pictures of the victim physically hurt and it also shows the depression of the victim and they are still being bullied as it is constant and repeated.
For my final shoot I believe it was a success as again it was as I hoped for and to the last of my shoot it kind of shows a story from my first photo shoot to my last photo shoot shows a story.
Best Image
The reason why this is my best image in my opinion because all the camera settings were perfect and their isn't anything blurred out or blurry and when you look at the victim you can easily tell the image meaning.
Worst Image
This is my worst image because it loses the meaning and everything applied, the problem is that all the camera setting were perfect yet it was such a waste to look this way.
Starting to develop my ideas in Adobe Photoshop CS3
First Poster:
Final Image- First Poster:
Second Poster:
Final Image- Second Poster
Third Poster:
Final Poster - Final Image
Evaluation
My Project was Conflict, and I think that it was a perfect first project for me to start with because you can learn many things from the conflicts around the world and the point of my project was too make things that people would look at and learn about whats right and wrong in the world mostly wrong.
My main theme was Bullying in school, and I think this is a vital theme that everyone should have their eyes on because their are many and I quote "many" school's around the world and where there is a school their will always be a place for children to be hurt without anyone else knowing that is bullying.
I think that using Photoshop during the project was what I found most interesting because I got to learn man new ways and skills of using Photoshop and how I can make things look for example an image more powerful and with a meaning for the viewer to understand better than just a plain image of somebody getting punched in the face.
Techniques that I learnt and during the project were changing the colour of an image to make it blend in with the meaning , adding quotes and text on the poster to again give a better understanding of the theme. A technique that I would like to develop further is to crop parts of an image in Photoshop and change its position, during a lesson I tried but instead failed many times and I decided to focus on it later as it was time consuming.
I haven't researched any photographers during this project as I didn't have much time but I did research other bullying photos online and they have helped me to create my photos by giving me numerous ideas.A technique I enjoyed the most was in Photoshop and it was called Gradient fill and what it done was It would cover part of the image with just the color black and it would also blend in with the image and I would use it to cover the bully's face and that means to me that it doesn't matter about the bully it only matters about the victim.
I think the final image poster 3 is perfect and It gives a message to those who are bullying others. I did unfortunately counter problems during my project I also talked about it but most of my problems were in Photoshop as I was too time consuming and failed some posters because of Photoshop,I learned from as'well by making sure not to repeat the same mistake and focus on the time a lot as during photography the lesson itself when it comes it time it fly's by very fast.
Next time I would take better images from different angles and places, Also not just the same picture where the bully is physically hurting the victim their are a number of ways a bully can "bully" the victims, maybe even find a different way of using Photoshop but in the end I think that this project was a perfect start to my Photography GCSE Subject.
My main theme was Bullying in school, and I think this is a vital theme that everyone should have their eyes on because their are many and I quote "many" school's around the world and where there is a school their will always be a place for children to be hurt without anyone else knowing that is bullying.
I think that using Photoshop during the project was what I found most interesting because I got to learn man new ways and skills of using Photoshop and how I can make things look for example an image more powerful and with a meaning for the viewer to understand better than just a plain image of somebody getting punched in the face.
Techniques that I learnt and during the project were changing the colour of an image to make it blend in with the meaning , adding quotes and text on the poster to again give a better understanding of the theme. A technique that I would like to develop further is to crop parts of an image in Photoshop and change its position, during a lesson I tried but instead failed many times and I decided to focus on it later as it was time consuming.
I haven't researched any photographers during this project as I didn't have much time but I did research other bullying photos online and they have helped me to create my photos by giving me numerous ideas.A technique I enjoyed the most was in Photoshop and it was called Gradient fill and what it done was It would cover part of the image with just the color black and it would also blend in with the image and I would use it to cover the bully's face and that means to me that it doesn't matter about the bully it only matters about the victim.
I think the final image poster 3 is perfect and It gives a message to those who are bullying others. I did unfortunately counter problems during my project I also talked about it but most of my problems were in Photoshop as I was too time consuming and failed some posters because of Photoshop,I learned from as'well by making sure not to repeat the same mistake and focus on the time a lot as during photography the lesson itself when it comes it time it fly's by very fast.
Next time I would take better images from different angles and places, Also not just the same picture where the bully is physically hurting the victim their are a number of ways a bully can "bully" the victims, maybe even find a different way of using Photoshop but in the end I think that this project was a perfect start to my Photography GCSE Subject.