I set out to document the current realities of the pandemic. I researched various ways other artists had documented lockdown and from this I developed my own approach and style. I found, from my own experience, that supermarkets were one of the locations that had completely changed in becoming a surreal experience, one that used to be simple and natural. People wear masks and gloves to protect themselves in an environment that makes them vulnerable, yet it cannot be avoided and is one of the few activities that has been declared as essential. I knew that my choices were limited in locations outside of my house and found the supermarket to be the best accessible and visually pleasing in relation to documenting the pandemic, so I decided that incorporating shoots into my shopping trips was the best and safest decision.
Through experimenting with the kind of images I could produce, from being inside the supermarkets and documenting empty shelves, to photographing empty carparks. I later found through editing images and putting together trial stories that shooting outside the supermarket, using my car in most shots made the story flow better. I found that outside I could frame the shots better, using car doors, windows and mirrors to document the subjects and add a surreal, almost secretive atmosphere to the story.
When creating my final outcomes, I wanted to add to the atmosphere of the style and decided for my slideshow I would add an eery effect with the audio. I thought about various ways of adding audio in a relevant and beneficial way, from the sound effects of trolleys, to an interview with a shop worker, but later found a poem to be more practical and relevant. I found the poem online, which is about the new experience of shopping that the pandemic has brought. I decided to use my younger sisters voice for the audio as after experimenting with various family members, hers best suited the edit.
For my magazine I researched various examples, but later found National geographic to be the most related, so researched it further in order to best portray it. I found that National Geographic’s audience generally consists of men between 30 and 50 years, with high education and high income. They read about space, history, technology, nature and psychology. This audience is quite specific, but I feel that they are a loyal audience that are subscribed to the magazine. They are also the audience that are more interested in Scientific stories, as well as current affairs and history, all themes present in my work. I made sure to keep my article informative, with adding statistics and facts as text, but also simple and as a more photography-based article, keeping it relevant.
There were many aspects of the project that I found difficult. My original idea was to document a young mum and present ‘a day in the life’ styled story and had already started shooting before the announcement regarding the pandemic. This threw me off focus for quite a long time and I found it difficult to get back on track. This also meant that I was unable to access more advanced equipment for shooting and recording audio. The audio was recorded on my phone which wasn’t what I had initially planned but had to improvise with. I also had never used InDesign or slideshow software which was a very difficult process for me to follow, especially when I only had videos to reference from. In order to get over my lack of knowledge and confidence using the software’s I found experimenting was the only way I could get better, but also drew up plans and sketched as a basis to reference from.
During my group critique I also had a problem with audio, meaning I couldn’t hear my peers in order to give and receive feedback. I later sent my work via WhatsApp, where I was given written feedback. My feedback was generally positive, but I did receive several comments about how dark my edits were, which I later re-edited to ensure they were correctly exposed. A lot of the comments praised the way I framed shots and shot through things, adding an alternative view to documenting subjects. I have really enjoyed this project and am pleased with my final outcomes. Even though my initial idea was no longer achievable, I feel that I have adapted and overcome all the negatives and difficulties I have been faced with. If I was to re-do my project I would Definity have started earlier. I found myself putting off re-starting my project and lost valuable time because of this. I would have also completed more shoots in order to have experimented further with ideas and concepts in response to research. I would have also started experimenting with my final outcomes earlier on as this could have led me to be more successful in my outcomes. I do feel as if my outcomes are newsworthy and show documentary photography that is relevant to my chosen subject.
Jodie Tovey PJD blog 