Final Major Project // Project Development // Exploring Trails near Jamestown.

I have had time this past week to start exploring areas close to home. The National Parks have begun offering a timed entry-permit system, and I was able to book a slot so we could hike to Sky Pond in the Rocky Mountain National Park, which is one of the most visited national parks in the country. This would actually be the first time I have hiked in the park; As we have dogs and the park does not allow them to hike with you, we tend to go elsewhere. However, I have been keen to explore the RMP for a while as it is a large beautiful area close to home with a lot of wilderness to offer.

The sky pond trail is 9 miles round trip with a 1780 Feet elevation gain ( Trailhead Elevation: 9240 Feet ) and a very popular trail.

All the trails are well travelled and maintained, which makes the trial feel very curated and takes away some of the wildness to replace it with a sense that is a human-made experience. For the number of people that visit the park and may not spend much time hiking, camping, I understand why there is a curation of the trials in this way; it makes it easier to navigate and provide a sense of safety and direction. However, I begin to question how much we curate these spaces. I want places such as national parks to be accessible all, but I find I want to question/examine how we treat the landscape by doing this.

As I move forward with these thoughts, I don’t want the negative aspects or thoughts to be the main theme, I want them to be a starting point and look at how we do preserve and use the land, as its inevitable that we will have an impact on it.

Figure 1 : Mae Sky Pond Rocky Mountain National Park, 2020 Stevi McNeill

I would also like to reflect on counting to experiment with different types of black and white film. I’m really enjoying using the Fomapan Retro 100 ISO as high contrast and has beautiful mid-tones. It also caters to the mood and aesthetic I wish to continue to develop in with the project.

I am still very interested in experimenting with pant based developers and on this hike, I started to consider how I could use plants I find from my hikes, that will not disrupt or take away from the environment… something to think about more as this project continues.

Figure 2 : Sky Pond Rocky Mountain National Park, 2020 Stevi McNeill

Figure 3: Sky Pond Rocky Mountain National Park, 2020 Stevi McNeill

Figure 4: Sky Pond Rocky Mountain National Park, 2020 Stevi McNeill

Final Major Project // Contextual Research // Catherine Hyland

Why is that search for meaning so alluring? Hyland believes that it’s woven into our contemporary search for authenticity. “So much of our lives are based around reproductions and mass-manufactured illusion,” she observes. “I think people constantly try to escape our mediated world because it’s very difficult to find something truly authentic…we start to get that gnawing feeling that we are all occupying the same space, and so we seek out new experiences as a remedy to that feeling.”

I find Catherine Hyland’s approach to examining our need to step outside and discounted from our “mediated world’’ inspiring. The way she produces images of vast landscapes, often people are not noticeable right away, but the traces and marks made are apparent.

Her images are wide open for you as the viewer. First, see how beautiful the location she is and drawn to it, then you start to notice little details of human traces on the land, and how we curate to our needs and pleasures.

When it comes to my own work, I want these themes to be apart of what the audience interprets. I want to draw awareness to our influence and interactions we have with our wildness.

Figure 1: Universal Experience, Catherine Hyland

Figure 2: Universal Experience, Catherine Hyland

Figure 3 :Lithium Mining | Atacama Desert, Catherine Hyland

References :

Hyland, C., 2020. Catherine Hyland. [online] Catherinehyland.co.uk. Available at: <http://www.catherinehyland.co.uk/work/universal-experience/> [Accessed 20 August 2020].

Hyland, C., 2020. Catherine Hyland. [online] Catherinehyland.co.uk. Available at: <http://www.catherinehyland.co.uk/work/lithium-mining-bloomberg-chile/#chile_-0726-001-1_v1.jpg> [Accessed 20 August 2020].

LensCulture. 2020. Universal Experience: Truth, Authenticity, And Tourism - Photographs By Catherine Hyland | Lensculture. [online] Available at: <https://www.lensculture.com/articles/catherine-hyland-universal-experience-truth-authenticity-and-tourism> [Accessed 20 August 2020].

Final Major Project // Wildlands Restoration Volunteer Work //

For the past couple of weeks, I have been reflecting on why I am so interested in focusing on the land. Looking back at my personal work and volunteer work, it's with and about land management and care.

As someone who has a connection and cares for our environment and people committed to helping better our world. I want to create work that inspires kindness not only for our planted but for each other, and this project is a small reflection of that along with processing and discovering my life here in the US and how I want to tell these stories as a photographer.

Figure 8: Mt Elbert Trail maintenance, 2018 Stevi McNeill

Figure 1: Breckenridge buck and rail fence construction, 2017 Stevi McNeill

Figure 6: Mt Elbert Trail maintenance, 2018 Stevi McNeill

Figure 7: Mt Elbert Trail maintenance, 2018 Stevi McNeill

Figure 2: Breckenridge buck and rail fence construction, 2017 Stevi McNeill

Figure 3: Breckenridge buck and rail fence construction, 2017 Stevi McNeill

Figure 5: Breckenridge buck and rail fence construction, 2017 Stevi McNeill

Final Major Project // Contextual Research // Angela Blažanović

When it comes how I want to approach my still life images Angela Blažanović ‘s work comes to mind.

When it comes to how I want to approach my still life images, Angela Blažanović ‘s work comes to mind. Her frank and straightforward style was what initially caught my attention, but as continued to observe the images, I began to appreciate how she constructed the objects that she found into beautiful and temporary sculptures, which give them a new sense of life and brings awareness to how much in our life comes and goes and how much we discard at our convenience when it does not suit us. She also draws attention to pollution and how we influence the landscape with it. Speaking of how the project develops she sates;

During this first visit I came across all these random objects; things people had either lost or thrown away. This litter had seemingly become part of the landscape itself. I felt a strong fascination for those objects and started imagining the stories that lay behind them. The project really developed from there; I started experimenting with ways of shooting the objects that would put them in a new context and make the viewer revaluate their existence.

And, although it was not my initial intent for the project, the theme of plastic pollution and environmentalism naturally came up very quickly. I started doing more research and learned about the Anthropocene, the theory that humans have introduced a new geological era on earth. I became interested in the idea that a landscape could speak of the humans it inhabits.

It made sense to let the project dictate the message, to research this current issue further and incorporate it in the work; and possibly even have a positive impact on it.

Two points that resonated with me is how she wanted to present the found object in a way that would bring awareness and make the viewer reevaluate their impact on the planet— something I wish to highlight in my work. The Other point is that she brings up Anthropocene also something I think is already a theme in within my work, but feel I could bring it forward a little more within my still life.

Fig 1 : Fragments of a River, 2019 Angela Blažanović

Fig 2,3,4 : Fragments of a River, 2019 Angela Blažanović

Reference:

Hamada, J., 2020. Booooooom X Capture Photography Festival: Angela Blažanović Interview. [online] BOOOOOOOM!. Available at: <https://www.booooooom.com/2020/05/15/booooooom-x-capture-photography-festival-angela-blazanovic-interview/> [Accessed 5 August 2020].

Final Major Project // Contextual Research // Lucas Foglia // Human Nature

Today, nature both heals us and threatens us. As we spend more time than ever indoors looking at screens, neuroscientists demonstrate that time outside is vital to human health and happiness. Yet, we are vulnerable to the storms, droughts, heatwaves, and freezes that result from climate change. Human Nature is a series of photographic stories about how we rely on nature in the context of climate change. Each story is set in a different ecosystem: city, forest, farm, desert, ice field, ocean, and lava flow. The photographs examine our need for “wild” places—even when those places are human constructions. - About Human Nature By Lucas Folia

Fig 1: Kinley Holding a Bag of Bull Testicles during a Branding, Texas 2019 // Lucas Foglia

Fig 2: Alicia Clearing Land for Farming, California 2012 // Lucas Foglia

Fig 3: Michael Gleaning Cotton, Texas 2006 // Lucas Foglia

What draws me to Folia's work is how he examines our deep desire and need for nature as part of our wellbeing alongside our vulnerability to the elements and the changing climate.

I enjoy how he explores different regions and our search to find the wilderness in them.

As my work develops, I also want to explore the effects the areas I am investigating have an influence on us, why are we drawn to this area or land? What do we gain from being here, and do we have a positive or negative impact by being there?

Reference:

foglia, L., 2018. Lucas Foglia | Human Nature. [online] Lucasfoglia.com. Available at: <http://lucasfoglia.com/human-nature/human-nature-statement/> [Accessed 28 July 2020].

Final Major Project // Project Development // Still Life

I started delving into still life during my last module, Informing Contexts and wanted to continue into this one. I have been collecting objects I find while on my hikes were I am making most of my images. I have also gathered scrapped stone from a landscaping company in boulder. At first, I was not as excited about these results as I was for the ones I did in the greenhouse a few months ago while I was in the UK, and was not sure if this was something I wanted to continue. However, over the past few days, they have grown on me and will be exploring new ideas here and there when I get more objects to add into the mix.

I have not been using film for these, yet as I wanted to become a little more familiar with what I am doing with this series…though I think in the next few weeks I will try a few setups on 35mm and 120.

Figure 1: Stone & Brush, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 2: Stone & Brush, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 3: Stone & Brush, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 4: Stone, Brush & Glo Coat, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 5: Stone, Brush & Glo Coat, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 6: Stone, Brush, Bullet, Stone, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 7: Stone, Brush, Bullet, Stone, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Final Major Project // Contextual Research // Jess Gough

As I have been focusing on topography more these past few months, I have noticed the work of Jess Gough. I found that I relate to her approach to examining our relationship and experiences concerning nature. She states;

"My recent work concerns our experience of nature and the representation of its presence. I use my camera almost as a navigational tool, a means of studying the textures and kinaesthetic qualities when wandering through new landscapes. 'Topographies' is an ongoing series of publications I'm producing, each volume takes a different printed form and explores a particular landscape. Volume II is in the process of emerging from reams of negatives." - Jess Gough

Figure 1: Etna, Jess Gough

Figure 2: Etna, Jess Gough

Much Like Gough, I find myself using my camera as a tool to navigate my way through the landscapes I am exploring. In many ways, I have been doing that for a long time. Only recently have begun to understand how properly utilize my camera to expand my explorations and distil them into a cohesive body of work that reflects that.

I find myself drawn to the colours and patterns in most of her work, and this has made me consider to sprinkle in a few colour images in my final body of work. I think these images will be from the red rock areas, as they have such beautiful, reds, oranges and whites. Photographing these areas in black and white would work just fine, but I think I should at least try and see what these areas would look like in colour compared to black and white.

Figure 3: Topographies I, Jess Gough

References: 

Gough, J., 2020. Jess Gough. [online] Palm Studios. Available at: <https://palmstudios.co.uk/feature/jess-gough/> [Accessed 26 July 2020].

Final Major Project // 1-2-1 //

I received positive and encouraging feedback on my Final Major Project proposal this week. Wendy did say that the project direction was not completely clear, which I agree with as I do feel I have an overall direction that I am aiming for, but not yet sure how to clearly present my intent. This may be because I have a few layers/Ideas that I need to experiment with, so I can refine my overall direction.

Below are my meeting notes.

Date of Supervision Meeting

07.07.20

Start time of Meeting

 2pm GMT 

Length of Meeting in minutes

30mins

Meeting Notes & Action Points

• Received feedback of proposal. 

• Start to clarify my intent.

• Explore shooting in different light.

• Don't shy away from exploring different directions... start constructing my still life photos. 

• Research work from 

• Matthew Brantd -https://matthewbrandt.com/

• Thomas Joshua Cooper.

• Watch Jack Latham guest lecture and looking into sugar paper theories.

• Investigate Rewilding. 

• Revisit the work of Susan Lipper.

• Bring PDF of images to the next meeting.

Date of Next Proposed Meeting

Final Major Project // Project Development // Washington

Figure 1 : English Camp, Friday Harbor, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020.

The week that I was in Washington I able to spend a day on Friday Island and explore parts of the English Camp which Great Britain occupied in 1859. The US also had a camp at the other end of the island. Both counties had an agreement to occupy the island until the water boundary between the two nations could be settled.

Figure 2 : English Camp, Friday Harbor, 1860 National Park Photo.

The marines that settled on the island quickly cleared and built a commissary, Barracks, cooking houses and other vital structures as well as a garden, ( which is still there). By 1867 the camp got a major overhaul and has not changed much since then.

"We may remark here that the neatness, cleanliness and good order observable throughout the entire camp were the subject of general observation." - A visitor to the camp in 1866 - Nantianl park website, 2015

The marines left in 1872 after the Treaty of Washington were the island was declared as an American territory. In 1876 the camp was homesteaded by William Crook, a farmer and carpenter and added little to the property. The wood family owned until the 1950s when the state bought the land and in 1966 turned both the British camp and American camp into a national park.

What interested me about this area was the fact that there has been little done to the land and its buildings since the 1800s. The garden and the formal garden are well kept and the buildings are in almost pristine condition. Due to COVID we were not allowed to enter the buildings, but there was enough space to wander most of the camp and image the life lived my the marines when the camp was first built.

View fullsize

Figure 3 : The Block House, English Camp, Friday Harbor, Stevi McNeill WA 2020.

Figure 4: Lime Kiln Lighthouse, Whale watching, Friday Harbor, Stevi McNeill WA 2020.

I also made a stop at the Lime Kiln functioning Lighthouse that was built in 1914, which is on a 36-acre day-use park where people gather to whale watch.

Figure 5: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

During this week, I spent time on about 20 acres on private land. Since I was staying here, I had a lot of time to wander the property and discover how it was used and what for. Compared to the English Camp, it was not that much different... It has formal garden and vegetable gardens, grass has been cleared to make pathways, trees removed and wood used to burn, waterways used for pleasure and maintain the land.

We have not made many changes the way we homestead and use the land for our survival and comfort.

While on this trip, I was also shooting on medium format, and black a white compared to 35mm colour that I have mostly been working with this past year. Overall I think I am getting more comfortable and excited to branch out beyond 35mm. The results and details that come from shooting this format is allowing my work to been seen in a broader sense and allow the images to a little more talking for themselves.

View fullsize

Figure 6: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

Figure 7: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

Figure 8: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

Figure 9: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

Figure 10: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

References:

NP - 2015. [online] Available at: <https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/historyculture/english-camp.htm> [Accessed 9 July 2020].

Final Major Project // Contextual Research // Raymond Meeks

As I have been making black and white images more than colour recently and I have found myself drawn to others that produce work mostly or entirely in black and white, such as Raymond Meeks. Furlong; adriana dreaming {the dark blue ocean of pictures} the second chapter to furlong; blue evening has been a source of great inspiration to me these past few months. His images and presentation are very similar to what I want to be creating. They are very fluid, yet well thought out and depict an interesting narrative, emphasized by a well thought out edit. Meek States

“The edit and sequence are formed as a reflection on place and atmosphere—the natural environs combined with man-made structures that serve as the setting for this new body of work. "

I often struggled throughout this project to get an edit that I am truly satisfied with, so it was nice to hear Meeks reflect on his editing process, especially as it relates so closely to my work.

Figure 1: Furlong; adriana dreaming {the dark blue ocean of pictures} / Raymond Meeks

Figure 3: middle air / Raymond Meeks

I have also found some of his work that depicts human influence in domesticated areas. Such as his images of someone mowing their grass. Again, very much like is sequencing a layout showcasing a simple task that most people with garden do. And if I can work with others in their garden for part of this project, I too would like to capture simple garden activities that are done in the garden, showcasing how people use the land they have compared to public areas...if there is much difference.

Figure 2: Middle Air / Raymond Meeks

References:

Meeks, R., 2020. Raymond Meeks. [online] Raymond Meeks. Available at: <http://www.raymondmeeks.com/> [Accessed 30 June 2020].

Final Major Project // Project Proposal

A link to my Proposal for my Final Major Project. Stevi McNeill Final Major Project Proposal.

Utah // Stevi McNeill , 2020

Final Major Project // Project Development // Utah

This week I spent four days just outside of Moab Utah camping in dispersed campsites. I am always in awe when in such places. The environment can be very harsh and sparse; the beauty and scale of the land are breathtaking and vast. I could have spent a lot of time focusing on the vast landscape around me, but on this trip, I wanted to focus on the small details, like how people mark the Jeep roads (figure 3) and how small amounts of the land are used when camping, such as campfires and tent placement and people set up a temporary place to live in, even if it is for a few days.

Figure 1: Tent at Campsite 1.

On this trip, I also wanted to experiment more with 35mm and black and white. As I was not making the grand landscape my main priority, I felt that 35mm would be the most straightforward format for this, as well as allowing to get a feel and understanding for how I want to approach my project overall.

The questions I wanted to explore where;

1. Do I want to create images that are more intimate in such a vast and beautiful area rather landscape images portraying the grand landscape? 

2. Will I be able to convey the beauty of these places still?

3. Will I be able to show how the land is used, show the marks and traces of people?

4. What will this look like on 35mm film, should I consider using a different format? 

5. Should I include more black and white images in my work overall?

Figure 2: view from our first campsite. / Figure 3: Jeep road marked with rocks / Figure 4: Jeep road / Figure 5: Campfire.

Answers:

1/2. Yes, I enjoyed paying attention to my immediate surroundings, and I felt I was able to represent the beautiful landscape, just as well.

3. I was able to show how people used the land, especially in areas that have structures built near campsites (figures 8 and 9) as well as campsites, where people have left a lot behind (figures 6 and 7). However, I feel I need to figure out how to represent more subtle marks that are found, such as areas flattened tents and trials used to explore.

4. I think for the first exploration 35mm was the right choice. It helped me explore freely and more compared to using 120 or a larger format. I was also able to start to understand how to approach these spaces and how to photograph them, and seeing the results I do think that larger formats will convey my intentions more directly and will have more of an impact. So moving forward, I will start to experiment with 120, and 4x5 images on areas that I know will benefit from these formats. I will also continue to use 35mm throughout the project.

5.I am very pleased with the black and white images. I think its helping move more towards the aesthetic I want. I also believe that mixing colour, along with black and white images, will also advance the overall aesthetic of my project, something I wish to experiment within the coming weeks. I did take two rolls of colour film with me, but when I came to develop them, I had a light leak in my changing bag all those photos were lost. 

Other thoughts:

I am Not super happy with the scan quality of the images and will try and figure out a different method moving forward.

Since I started my MA I have named my project High Desert as I was focusing on areas in the high desert; however, as I enter my final module, I realize that my project is more about land use and people, in more areas than just the high desert. So moving forward I will be using the working tile Common Grond.

Overall I am happy with the results from this trip and excited to apply what I have learnt from it to work moving forward.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Figure 6: found campsite / Figure 7: Swing bench at found campsite

Figure 8: Public bathrooms near the second campsite. / Figure 9: Public bathrooms near the second campsite. / Figure 10: Petroglyphs opposite second campsite. / Figure 11: Tent spot.

Final Major Project // First 1-2-1

Date of Supervision Meeting

 02.06.2020

Start time of Meeting

 1:30pm GMT /5:30 MST

Length of Meeting in minutes

 30mins 

Meeting Notes & Action Points

• Look at the work of Lucas Foglia, Claire Richardson, Awoiska van der Molen.

• Watch Jack Latham guest lecture.

• Start connecting and refining my constants in my work-  The artefacts/objects used on the land. 

• Consider my shooting format.  Use more medium and large format over 35mm.

• Write up FMP proposal were I defined ideas and processes. Be realistic.

• Watch Lua Ribeira guest lecture on 22.7.2020

Date of Next Proposed Meeting:

I had my first meeting with Wending today, which I really enjoyed and feel motived and confident to write up my project proposal. Above are some key points that I took away from our first meeting and will be working on over the next few weeks.