Imagine that you are about to illustrate a story for a magazine. You have a cover to illustrate, and several pages inside (create between 6 and 12 images – you can choose). Even though there may be no text, you should write captions (of any length) to explain and link each picture.
The cover picture will need some of the techniques of illustration that you have been experimenting with. The picture essay will be more of a narrative. This means that, as you will be using several photographs to illustrate the main body of the story, you will have the opportunity to spread the load of the story telling among them. Different images can deal with different aspects of the subject, or you might choose to insert a linked series of photographs that show something happening in sequence. Remember that some of these photographs will be seen together on the same pair of pages. You can use this to set one image off against another; sometimes the juxtaposition of two appropriate images can be telling.
Any theme which has a narrative element could be a suitable subject for this project. The suggestions below are intended to get you thinking. You can use or adapt them or you can develop your own idea. Remember that a narrative will contain the element of time – hours, days, weeks or maybe even just seconds. Read through all the ideas offered below before choosing one or devising your own:
Reflection
Give yourself a final self assessment check against the criteria before you send all your work off for assessment. Make adjustments if you think there are any weaknesses.
Assignment Five – Applying the Techniques of Illustration & Narrative
First Page
Front Cover
Second Page (upper)
Picture 1 & Caption
Initial preparation and pre planning
1) It always pays to prepare for your holiday break and pre-plan your journey prior to setting off. If using a satellite navigation device always have a backup road map handy … just in case, you never know.
My chosen destination was Crystal Palace, hence the rail and tube network map of London.
Second Page (lower)
Pictures 2 to 6 & Captions
Basic Vehicle preparation
Prior to setting off on any holiday or journey its advisable in such a vehicle to make some pre-journey basic checks. It can be very inconvenient if something should happen whilst travelling due to being unaware of a minor problem that could have been avoided. Even though this motorhome is only eighteen months old and has a full service history, basic checks are good practice and offer peace of mind.
2) Check the motorhome is currently taxed and also incorporate the duration period whilst the vehicle is in use.
3) Check the engine oil level.
4) Check the coolant, brake fluid and windscreen washer levels.
5) Check the vehicle tyre pressures, including the spare. Also make sure you have identified where the vehicles jack and hazard triangle is stored. If travelling abroad (France) it’s compulsory that all passengers who exit a broken down vehicle are wearing a reflective vest.
6) Check the motorhome has a sufficient amount of gas for the duration or that the destination you are travelling to offers a service to replace empty cylinders . In this instance the system used here is LPG and not all sites offer a refill service, therefore it is advisable to check and top up the gas level at an early convenient time, such as before the holiday begins.
Third Page
Pictures 7 to 9 & Captions
The Journey & Travelling
Just before setting off, take ten or so minutes to mentally go over everything you have planned. During this time take the opportunity to visually double check the vehicle exterior and interior for possible stray unsecured items that could potentially be of danger by flying through the habitation area and potentially hitting someone in the event that the brakes are heavily applied in an emergency situation. Driving a motorhome of this size and certainly in the case of much bigger variants can be a challenge for some drivers, therefore its advisable to allow for plenty of time whilst travelling on the road, if possible choose a time where the roads are less busy. It’s advisable to take regular breaks from driving, the general approach is to take travel breaks every two hours.
7) Whilst taking travel breaks make a habit of checking the tyre temperatures (by hand), they should be quite warm to touch but not excessively hot.
8) Compare temperatures between the front and rear tyres, they should be approximately the same, if there is a significant temperature difference it could be down to low pressure or worst case the vehicle is overloaded.
9) Take regular breaks from driving, especially on long journeys. Make a habit of going to the toilet, it stretches the legs and helps prevent driver fatigue.
Fourth Page (upper)
Picture 10 & Caption
Arriving on site
On arrival you must check-in at reception, look for designated parking bays. It is important to follow the sites rules.
10) This picture shows the sites combined entrance and exit.
Fourth Page (lower)
Picture 11 & Caption
Checking in at reception
After parking the Motorhome in a designated arrival bay its time to check-in at reception. Most sites have an “earliest” check-in time (normally 12:00 PM) this is to allow site users who are moving on enough time to vacate.
11) Crystal Palace Caravan Club reception, all new arriving visitors must check-in first. From here you are given a designated pitch number and introduced to the site layout and its rules.
Fifth Page
Pictures 12 to 22 & Captions
Setting up
Having found the designated pitch I chose to reverse the motorhome into the space, this way offered the best option of midday shade from the sun.
12) Whilst travelling it is best to keep the vehicle weight to a minimum and upon arrival one of the first jobs is to fill up the onboard water tank and this pitch had a designated water tap.
13) Checking the left to right level.
14) Checking the fore and aft level.
15) In the event of uneven ground the vehicle will need to be levelled via means of ramps.
16) Having levelled the vehicle and applied the handbrake it’s good practice to chock the wheels for further safety measures. With manual transmission the vehicle can be left in gear whilst upon ramps but this is dangerous in the event of the driver forgetting when next starting the engine to come off the ramps.
17) Electric mains hook-up, keep the extension close to the vehicle and surrounding fences or hedges. This way children playing or people walking past are not likely to trip on a randomly positioned lead or potential trip hazard.
18) Winding out the external sun canopy.
19) Unrolling the all weather mat (optional).
20) Final adjustment to the all weather mat.
21) Fitting an external screen cover (optional). Most motorhomes have internal cab concertina slide screens fitted as standard but they condensate badly causing the inside of the cab windows and windscreen to drip condensation, eventually resulting in mould developing which doesn’t look nice on the vehicles internal screens.
22) The final setup, just in time for the rain …. but to my amazement this was also the only time it actually rained.
Sixth Page
Pictures 23 to 26 & Captions
Enjoying the moment
After the initial motorhome setup the individual holiday begins. The choice is as you please, weather its relaxing in the grounds of the designated site using their facilities or taking advantage of the sites location and using it as a base for daily activities.
23) Up early and having breakfast.
24) Enjoying the outside life of Motorhoming.
25) After a day in the Capital its time for an evening BBQ.
26) Outside in the open air beneath the sun canopy with a plate of food and a cold beer.
Seventh Page
Pictures 27 to 32 & Captions
Holiday over
With the holiday at a close, most of the above procedures are repeated in reverse order. For instance the journey home needs to be planned and parts of the Second Page (a) are re-enacted and once on the road the Third Page is again applied. The same checks and procedures apply for both starting a journey and that of returning.
27) Draining the grey water from the onboard waste tank, all sites have a designated drain for grey water. With a motorhome its just a matter of driving the vehicle to the drain point, aligning up and opening the tap.
28) Like the grey water, the onboard toilet cassette needs to be emptied in a designated “elsan” waste point, here I am seen returning the cassette into the motorhomes external access point.
29) Always lock the external access points and hatches and double check them prior to making any journey.
30) Just like checking in on arrival you have to check out on departure and on this site you hand back the toilet block and shower key.
31) Having checked out … its time to hit the road.
32) Something important to us all.
We spent a week at Crystal Palace and with its proximity to London and its transport links we saw many of the Capitals attractions.
Assignment 5 – My Thoughts & Approach
One of my initial thoughts for this assignment was to photograph the whole process of making a culinary favourite of mine, a king prawn bhuna … but whilst thinking it through my mind was elsewhere. Some time back my wife and I had arranged a break in our motorhome and from here it all come together. I routinely perform various checks to the motorhome prior to going on any holiday and with this in mind I thought why don’t I document the whole thing and include one or two pictures showing something of the experience.
I put my mind into gear and mapped out my approach on paper as to what and how I was going to document the process. I started with a topical list which then became a series of headings, these headings later became the pages making up the assignment and whilst breaking each heading down it quickly came together as to what pictures I needed to take for each heading.
With an outside project like this I relied upon natural light in most instances but I did use fill flash and a diffuser panel in some of the shots.
Below I have given a brief description on a page by page process of my thoughts and approach whilst taking the majority of pictures. I have also included camera details and a personal comment.
First Page
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – For my front cover (first page) I knew this picture had to stand out from the crowd, it had to be the one noticed amongst others on the magazine shelf, it needed to have something different about it to potential attract buyers. I had it in my mind to capture a picture of the motorhome during late afternoon (sun down conditions) or early morning for that special light and indeed I took several pictures of the motorhome in these conditions but neither of them stood out like the long exposure shoots I took over the course of several evenings.
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera positioned on a tripod)
Speed 1/30th sec
Aperture f4.8
ISO 400
White Balance Setting Temperature 3800°K
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 35 mm
Comments – This was one of those rare hot summer days (especially whilst on holiday in the UK) where there wasn’t a cloud to be seen anywhere in the sky for the whole day, resulting in the most fantastic sunset. The picture was taken at 11:20pm with a long exposure of thirty seconds and upon reviewing it on the cameras screen I felt excited that this could be my cover picture, I took several more and this is one of them. Being that I shot this picture in RAW I was able to up the exposure very slightly and bring out that lovely purple sky but this created another problem in matching a type of font to sit on top of the picture ultimately representing the magazine logo. Although I haven’t edited the colour of the sky it does present a slightly alien colour to what we are used to seeing and then it dawned on me that this colour would look the part with the cover and logo looking slightly sci-fi and for all my efforts I think it looks good and works well.
Second Page (upper)
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – For my second page (a) or should I say my second heading ‘Initial preparation and pre planning’ … this pretty much speaks for itself. I wanted to show in one universal picture everything needed, a picture telling of no more than the tools needed to get you to your destiny with the necessary booking details and a little extra information for the London train and underground network. It’s a picture that doesn’t need to be complicated and my first attempts where laid out on a black velvet back drop using an overhead light and diffuser but it looked to sparse. I then decided to give the background a little more character hence the oak table top.
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera positioned on a boom looking down)
Speed 1/10th sec
Aperture f4
ISO 100
White Balance Setting Temperature (tungsten)
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 29 mm
Comments – This picture was setup on my dinning table using a mains powered overhead reading light (floor standing) and a one stop diffuser panel. After arranging the items on the table to a fashion I was happy with I then introduced the camera from an overhead position using a counter weighted boom, I then positioned my reading light and diffuser accordingly. As I have already stated above it’s a no thrills type of picture that is purely there to give visual meaning of what’s needed for the trip.
Second Page (lower)
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – Shown on my second page (b) ‘Basic vehicle preparation’ this was a matter of logically photographing what I call my motorhome pre-checks. The small peripheral pictures surrounding the main gas bottle picture where taken by means of positioning the camera on a tripod and using an external wireless remote timer for capture.
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/90th sec
Aperture f4
ISO 400
White Balance Setting Temperature 5500°K
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 70 mm
Comments – The main picture shown on my second page (b) is of the gas bottle store where I am checking the gas level. I originally took this picture using an off camera flash unit but upon reviewing the picture it looked too hard and produced a bad reflection bouncing back from the galvanised surface within the store, this also made the picture look too busy. My second approach and also the method used in this picture was using a white reflector positioned in a way that directed natural light into the space. The result is a much softer and more naturally pleasing picture with less reflection and more emphasis on the true colour.
Third Page
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – For my third page ‘The journey & travelling’ I wanted to show the typical things I perform when pulling into a service station when in the motorhome. Obviously my main concern is to take a break from the driving and stretch my legs but also to perform a hands on test of checking the tyre temperatures. Due to space restrictions in the car park, safety and the danger of constant movement of traffic I set the camera up and my wife took these pictures of me, I took the pictures inside the service station.
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/250th sec
Aperture f4
ISO 1600
White Balance Setting Temperature 5500°K
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 24 mm
Comments – The main picture shown at the bottom of the third page is that of a bustling service station, it typically shows people ambling around and taking a break from the road. My emphasis here was to capture a picture with a series of symbols that we all know and are universally recognised. Due to poor light the picture was taken using a fairly high ISO and is a little noisy but I am happy with the outcome as it was an opportunity shot I immediately recognised utilising symbols.
Fourth Page (upper)
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – My fourth page (a) ‘Arriving on site’ was a picture captured showing a typical Caravan Club sign and entrance. But more so to me it had just tipped down with rain and for a brief moment on arrival the sun had come out creating an opportunity to capture a picture with a dramatic sky and large contrast between shadows in the trees and sun light on the macadamised entrance leading into the site.
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/1500th sec
Aperture f8
ISO 1100
White Balance Setting Temperature 5500°K
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 70 mm
Comments – I particularly like this picture and I am drawn to it by the variation of light throughout the complete frame. If you use you hand and cover the left side of the picture it is totally independent from the right and vice versa, they could be two separate pictures. Prior to the heavy downpour it must have came over very dark and in response the reception office must have turned on the background lighting to the main entrance sign, if you look carefully you can make out the illuminated areas.
Fourth Page (lower)
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – Shown on my fourth page (b) ‘Checking in at reception’ this picture was taken by my wife, although I did set the camera up for her. I decided to incorporate this picture as a formality, it also represents the captured moment of arrival and start to the holiday at Crystal Palace.
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/500th sec
Aperture f5.6
ISO 200
White Balance Setting Temperature 5500°K
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 70 mm
Comments – This picture is a captured moment combined with the formality of checking-in (on site). Due to the nature of this assignment I thought it only apt to include such a picture and also to emphasise that it’s part of the process, all reputable campsites require new visitors to check-in.
Fifth Page
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – For my fifth page ‘Setting up’ I had a mental vision of a main picture supported by smaller images surrounding it. The main picture was to be the finished item with the surrounding smaller pictures providing a visual process and story.
Camera Details
Picture Motorhome in rain (main picture)
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/250th sec
Aperture f5.6
ISO 400
White Balance Setting Temperature 5500°K
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 38 mm
Comments – During the time of taking this picture I got very wet and you can see the rain drops and water running off the rear part of the motorhomes canopy and I decided upon using this picture for that very reason, I like the captured moment of the rain falling.
Sixth Page
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – My sixth page ‘Enjoying the moment’ shows my wife and I enjoying a BBQ and also in one of the smaller images sitting down at breakfast time. Camping in general is about being outside and I wanted to show this but being a motorhome I also wanted something of the inside too. The pictures had to have something in common hence my choice of dining and food. I decided to make the four pictures into a montage and bring them together as this introduces a quicker understanding and further ties their relationship. To have used each picture independently wouldn’t have had the same visual grasp or brought the subject and their relationship together.
Camera Details
Picture My wife cooking (outside BBQ)
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/500th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 400
White Balance Setting Temperature 5500°K
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 32 mm
Comments – Three of these pictures where taken with the camera positioned on a tripod but the picture of my wife cooking was taken handheld and in this picture I wanted to emphasise the smokey atmosphere coming from the BBQ. I tried at first with a shutter speed of 1/60th sec but wasn’t happy with the result but as I increased the shutter speed the visual clarity improved. At slower shutter speeds I was capturing movement with lots of grey cloudiness but not the smoke I wanted with its atmosphere, my best results were captured 1/500th sec.
Seventh Page
My thoughts and approach when taking this picture – ‘Holiday over’ – With my seventh page, once again I had a mental picture giving gesture or telling of a closing event and upon seeing the sign outside the site ‘Have a safe journey’ my minds picture had been found. With this being a closing picture, it would have worked well on its own as a symbolic message but due to my chosen subject for this assignment there is the matter of packing up and going home. Once again I decided to collate certain images but placing them around this important message depicted in the main picture. Like my fifth page (‘Setting up’) I wanted to tell a visual story of the closure to this event and of its final tasks.
Camera Details
Picture Have a safe journey (main)
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/250th sec
Aperture f5.6
ISO 400
White Balance Setting Temperature 5500°K
Lens 24/70 mm
Focal Length 70 mm
Comments -As stated above, I was looking for a closing picture and this being such an important meaning to us all whether towing a caravan, trailer, driving a motorhome or a heavily laden car full of camping equipment the message is just as important to all. Its not an award winning photo but I like the message it gives over and I feel it works well for this part of the assignment as it closes the experience with an element of comfort.
My Reflections
Once again I have enjoyed part five and of its the coursework. Again I have completed all the exercises to the best of my ability and learnt a great deal in doing so.
Current Books I am Reading
- The Photograph / Graham Clarke / Oxford History of Art.
- Anne Liebovitz at work / Anne Liebovitz / Jonathan Cape.
stingray493 