Photo Essay

Mark Powers- Good Morning, America

This is a photo essay by Mark power, not a finished piece yet, it has several instalments but
has been put on hold due to COVID-19. The piece will have 5 books in total, so far only 3
have been released. It has been about 6 years since he first started this project. He has
travelled all over the US to capture a narrative of the country, the landscape, and the culture.
In his most recent book/volume the images seem more solum, bleaker. They were shot in late
2019 and early 2020, when the virus first arrived and was lurking. We know how the virus
escalated and how It affects our lives every day, so they seem like post apocalypse images.
They were taken before the virus really erupted, before there was the BLM movement, before
any of the political protests. It shows the images in a more solemn light as we know what
happened after they were taken; we know how the virus has progressed.
 My theme is ‘Journeys’
Shoot Plan no.1
- I am going to take pictures of my journey to the supermarket.
- I am going to shoot in my car along the journey.
- I would like the photos to show a typical journey in lockdown,
which is just to the supermarket as there is not anywhere else to
go.
- Ideally, I would like it to be overcast to add to the more sombre
tone of lockdown and then the sun will not interfere and create a
reflection on my windscreen.
- Equipment list is small as I will just need my Nikon D3300,
Myself and my car.
- Techniques I will use I will use a fast shutter speed to get a crisp
image, I will use a small f number as it is quite dark in my car
and overcast on the day I intend to shoot.
- My inspiration for this shoot is Mark Power- good morning
America. This is my inspiration as he is showing the US for
what it was at the time, showing the culture, the landscape, the
political things happening at the time. I want to show what life
is like for a lot of people during the lockdown and pandemic in
the UK. A simple trip to the supermarket and how bleak life can
seem now.
Contact Sheet
Results
I like this image; the steering wheel is slightly off centre
which makes for a more interesting photo. The ISO was
slightly off for this shot, hence why it is grainy. I like how the
image is relatively dark apart from the few little bits of
colour and saturation in the image. such as the dial on my
speedo and rev counter, or the stitching on my wheel, it
contrasts with the dark interior of my car. I see this as the
starting point of my journey, me leaving my house and
sitting in my car. It is the lightest and brightest out of the
images, which could have a deeper meaning; The world
outside the comfort of my car is dark and solemn.

This my second favourite image out of this sequence of

images. The foreground (my indicator) is completely out of
focus, the background is what is in focus (the speedometer
and dash display). I really like the contrast between the dark
surrounding the dash/display and the dial arms which are
red and lit up. The subject of the photo is nothing special,
but it is something that I look at every time I get into my car
and drive. Its one of the main things of my journey. You get
the impression of time moving, as the car is driving, you can
tell this by my speedometer. You can see I am traveling
about 60mph and am doing 4000rpm, so I think I was in 4 th
gear.

This is a photograph of one of the things I encounter every

time I go in my car, traffic lights. I like the central
composition of the traffic light, with the uneven
composition of the buildings and the sky. There is contrast
between the grey light sky compared to the dark shop front
and dark traffic lights. You can see in the bottom left corner
of the image there is a car coming into the frame and on the
top right corner you can start to see the edge of my
windscreen. I think this image works quite well for the
purpose I wanted it to it shows how dull the outside world
can seem at these dark times.
 I really liked how this one came out. The off-centre
composition and slightly wonky positioning of the shot looks
good, I think. Its appealing to look at. you can see in the
image how empty the roads are, especially for someone
who has knowledge of the area, this is usually packed with
pedestrians and cars at all hours of the day. I like the
contrast between the dark shadows of the road/buildings
compared to the brighter areas of the sky and the yellow
COVID-19 related signs. It is weird seeing the area look like
this as its normally full of life, but in this it seems more post-
apocalyptic.

This image is the brightest and most normal of the set. It is

simply a view of the car park at tesco. The car park and
scene look the exact same as it would have 2/3 years ago
before COVID-19 was a thought in our minds. That makes
this a powerful image in the sequence, it shows that you
could look at certain places and forget the pandemic exists.
It shows that not everything has changed because of the
virus and some parts of life remain the same as they did pre
coronavirus. There was not any conscious decision made for
the composition of this shot, I just took it as I drove past, its
all flat in line with the landscape orientation of the image.
the contrast between the brightness of this image and the
dark nature of the other shots is important to the outcome
of the whole sequence.

My favourite image of all is this one. I think it perfectly

captures the feelings I was trying to show about my
personal experience with lockdown and the pandemic.
There is darkness around me in the image, the sun strip on
my windshield, mirror and the dark of my car seat and
interior. I am wearing my mask, ready to go into the
supermarket and am looking out the window. There
however is light surrounding the darkness around me, which
can parallel with the feelings I’m having. Struggling and
finding this pandemic very dark, but there being changes
and brightness in the future.
 Analysis
As the images are digital representations you cannot tell the size, however if I
did print these images, I would just print them the standard 5x7 size. As I feel
like them being larger would not add to the image in anyway. They were shot
landscape and in colour. I think the colour is important as it shows how bleak it
is outside, you would not get the same effect if it were in black and white. There
is not a high contrast in the images, they do not have any big changes in colour,
the images are all equally bleak.
I used a fast shutter speed to capture a crisp image as I was driving, so there was
movement. I used a low f number so as much light as possible could get into the
image, this was due to the weather being dull, me being in my car which makes
the image darker and the fact the shutter was fast, so it was not exposed to the
light for long.
The intention of the photos was to show my life during the pandemic and going
to the supermarket is the task I do for my family. I go twice a week and it is the
only time I leave the house. I wanted to portray how bleak life has become since
the pandemic.
My favourite photo is the final one. This is because I think it is a rather
powerful image, if I had been shown this image 2 years ago, I would have
laughed. It would have seemed like a ridiculous thing that we would be wearing
masks and stuck indoors because of an invisible enemy. However, that is the
reality and what has happened, our lives have all been completely flipped
upside down and it is a strange thing to think about. I like the slightly off-centre
composition of myself in the image and I like the dark tones. I also like the
contrast between the outside, which is slightly bright compared to the darkness
in my car where I am. I wish the sky behind my sun strip was not as
bright/vibrant though.
 Duane Michals – ‘things are queer’ (1973)
This is a photo essay by Duane Michals. At first it starts off simple and mundane, a shot of a
bathroom. The next image is where it takes a turn however, the next shot has a foot in the
frame. This gives us an idea of scale but completely throws off the whole image, as its not
what you would expect. Each shoot links to the last and shows a continuous journey from one
photo to another. It is a loop, the first image is almost identical to the last, it shows there is a
cycle and insinuates that the next image after the last would be repeating the cycle. Each
frame makes us question what we thought was going on, as each frame it changes to
something to something different. when you look at the first image in detail you can see
above the sink, the man in the alleyway reading the book. It was given away in first image,
but we do not pay attention to that small detail till after. I really like this sequence as it is so
unusual, and it makes you think. Every image change what you thought you knew about the
photo, which I think is very cool.

Shoot Plan no.2

- I am going to take pictures of my journey to the pharmacy. One
of the other journeys I do repetitively in lockdown.
- I am going to shoot in my car along the journey.
- I would like the photos to show another journey I routinely do in
lockdown, but a different angle than the last shoot. So, either
shot from the backseats, looking out the rear window or of the
view from my wingmirror.
- Ideally, I would like it to be overcast to show the emotions I
have through lockdown and then the sun will not interfere and
create a reflection on my windscreen.
- Equipment list is small as I will just need my Nikon D3300,
Myself and my car and possibly my tripod and some tape for
these shots.
- Techniques I will use I will use a fast shutter speed to get a crisp
image, I will use a small f number as it is quite dark in my car
and overcast on the day I intend to shoot.
- My inspiration for this shoot is Duane Michals. His series of
images I researched showed a journey as such through the
photos. They all linked together and showed the passing of time.
I also like how his images are taken from creative angles and
certain way to engage your attention. I want my images to flow
and show the passage of time, as his have.
The first image in my sequence of photos. I set my
tripod in the back of my car stuffed in-between some
pillows and duvets to keep it sturdy and set up a
timer. So that every couple minutes it would take a
photo. This was after I had pulled over and set it all
up in the car park. The focus of the image is on my
car interior, the aperture was set to the lowest it
could f3.5 and the shutter speed was on 1/60. This
was so the image got enough light as it is dark in my
car and as it was held by a tripod it would have a
clear image still. I like this shot as there is high
contrast between the dark interior of my car and the
red detailing and out the outside world.
As you can see in this image, due to the long
shutter speed the image outside of the window is
not crisp. This is as I am moving. This works in my
favour though slightly as it helps to show
movement and the passing of time. Yet again
there is high contrast between the green outside
and the red details inside my car, compared to
the dark interior. Like this shot, it makes you feel
as if you are really sat in the backseat of my car.

This is my least favourite of the photos, you can

see my hand in the frame moving, I think I was
pushing my hair out of my eyes. It distracts me
from the actual point of the image, which is the
blurred road ahead and the interior of my car. I
used the same aperture, ISO, and shutter speed
for all the shots. This is due to the fact it was just
left on a timer a I was driving. I think this photo
could have been improved if I had not of moved
my hand, as this just distracts me too much in
the image.
The scenery in front me is really blurred for this
shot and it makes it quite unappealing to look at.
if I had slightly changed my aperture, I could
have increased my depth of field and if I had
sped up my shutter speed the image would have
been crisper.
For this shot I leaned over to the backseats and
fiddled around with the focus. I focused on the
scene in front of me as opposed to the car
interior. I wanted to see how this changed the
shot and how you view it. I like how it came out,
everything outside my windscreen is clear
however, I do not like how blurred the interior of
my car is. It makes the image slightly visually
unappealing.

My favourite image out of the sequence. I am

adjusted the tripod, so it was more to the side
rather than facing straight on. This meant that
view changed, you could see more of me driving
and the other side of the road was more in focus.
I like the composition and I think it makes it more
realistic with the theme of someone siting in the
back of my car. as if you sit in the back of
someone’s car, you do not sit in the middle, you
choose one of the side seats. This is what
someone in my car would see, a mix of me
driving, my car interior and the road. The
aperture was just perfect for this shot, the depth
of field is ideal. The shutter speed was set
correctly as well. very happy with how this image
came out.
 An experimental
shot, from a different
angle. Looked quite
cool but I do not
think it worked with
the other sequence
photos.

Shoot Plan no.3

- I am going to take pictures of a different journey to the other
two I have photographed so far.
- I am going to shoot a walk I have gone on.
- I would like the photos to show something different to the other
two sequences. I would like these images to show the positives
of lockdown. How its allowed people to spend more time in
nature, has been good for the environment (due to less people
driving around) and how it has not all been bad for people’s
mental health.
- Ideally, I would like it to be light outside/sunny but would be
happy with it being overcast if it does not rain!
- Equipment list is small as I will just need my Nikon D3300.
- Techniques I will use I will use a fast shutter speed to get a crisp
image, I will decide on aperture when I do the shots.
- My inspiration for this shoot is Mark Powers again, purely since
his images for his photo essay were mostly featuring nature and
the colours that I expect I will be photographing. The autumn
colours- brown, red, amber, etc…
The first image in my sequence is where I start of
my walks, inside my house at my front door. I
used a shutter speed of 1/60 and aperture of
f3.5, so it would let the most eight in as possible.
it is very dark in my hallway. I like how this shot
came out, the off-centre composition and how
the only source of light is behind the stained
glass. It looks quite cool. There is high contrast
between the colours of the glass and the dark
surrounding the door.
This is a sign from the footpath behind my house
where I usually walk, it is covered in moss and is
slightly rusting. It is a sign that has been there for
a while, I like the contrast between the dark
green of the sign and the yellow arrows, making
sure people know what way they can go.

The view from when I’m walking through the

woods. Apart from the fresh green grass
outlining the path, it is all very monotoned. All
dark browns or very dark greens, a dull looking
scenery. Normally when you picture the woods,
you think of pretty nature yet in my images it
looks dull. I used a aperture of f3.5 to let enough
light in and a shutter speed 1/1000 so I could get
a crisp image. As I took most of these photos
while still moving.
I have taken inspiration from Duane Michals
and started my sequence and finished it in
the same place. However, in my mine images
I started on the other side of the door and
have finished on the outside. This image is
bright in contrast to the dark of the door on
the first shot. This could show how getting
some fresh air and getting some exercise has
lightened up my mood and subsequently the
place I am living.