Initial Ideas

Peter Mitchell / Typology

Creating a map of Leeds and highlighting the places he photographed. Could photograph them on film and compare and contrast. Possibly too 'guide book' like. Could make a book inspired by his documentary photography but do it in another city - Hull? 

Focus on repetition of the same subject and the way that he formats his photos (typology). Very contrasting composition and subject matter. The former being very formal and rigid, the latter the crumbling and decaying North of England. Working Title idea: 'Rave On' based on Mitchell's photo of Buddy Holly graffiti that sparked debate about the origins of the term and whether it was photoshopped or not. 

Nostalgia plays a big part in this. Mitchell's photos are memory triggering, safe feeling, like you've been there before. Perhaps focus on memory - produce a photo album? Using personal family photos or new ones. Family photos would be sincere, but could play on that humorous juxtaposition by using informal photos in a formal setting. Working Title idea: 'The Family Photo Album' 

Perhaps have a series of photos that become more and more over exposed so as you look through them, they mirror time moving on and memories fading. 

Lomography 

Could produce a document going through the 10 golden rules of Lomography. This would include image and text and would make an interesting photo book. Could perhaps design a symbol for each rule?

The physicality's of a publication based on Lomography would have to be playful, plastic and colourful - like the cheaply produced cameras that are made for having fun. This could include a plastic spiral binding and colourful pages. 

Could produce a photo book of personal pictures documenting student life in response to how Lomography began (in a student flat). Or could produce a book of student film submissions. 

Key Words

Personal 

Physical 

Nostalgic 

Tangible 

Intimate

Controversial 

Playful 

Experimental

Publication or Screen Based? 

At the moment I'm leaning towards producing a publication because film is so physical and a tactile experience, so it makes sense to produce a physical object. When I think about film I think about holding a weighty photo album and carefully turning the pages or flicking through a stack of 6 x 4 photos I just picked up from the shop, ready to slide them into place behind little plastic covers. All in all it's a physical experience for me, and that's what makes it so different to digital photography online.

However, to make a case for digital, every time I take photos and pick them up from being developed, the first thing I do is scan them in. Despite almost dying multiple times, film has managed to co-exist alongside the developing digital world. It could be very interesting to merge them.

This could actually work really well for Lomography. The Lomographic society began in the early 90s and was primarily for students and to encourage them to have fun with photography. Now, however, because Lomography doesn't have a big online presence the teenagers of today don't know anything about it. It could be really interesting to create a website for the Lomographic Society that is primarily focused on engaging with students - with a section outlining the rules and a gallery etc.  

It's actually mad that Lomography don't have a bigger online presence. Rather than producing an app, they decided to double down on the analogue side of things. However, with film photography becoming so trendy it's surprising that they haven't really tried to engage with young people who are getting into it. The most I've seen is a TikTok of someone who previously only used disposable cameras, explain how they switched to the Lomo Simple Use Camera (which they called a 're-usable disposable camera') to cut down on plastic waste. - This just goes to show that young people are interested, but they don't understand what Lomography is because they aren't making themselves known.