Jamie Johansen
Photography Portfolio 2009
This is the first page Isn’t it lovely? Let’s not put anything else here.
Salisbury Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture. The main body was completed in only 38 years. The cathedral has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom (404ft). The It also has the largest cloister and the largest cathedral close in Britain (80 acres). The Cathedral contains the world’s oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and has one of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta. History combined with architecture has been a recent joy I have discovered. I have gone form wanting to see a building because it is famous, to appreciating the art, history and the work that went into creating such a marvel. Just thinking of how a building such as this can be built without modern technology is amazing in itself. This little door appealed to me because of the Gothic detail shown. Since the main portion of the cathedral was completed in just 38 years it is purely Early English Gothic. Having one era of influence is rare in such buildings. The doorknob is also particulariy lovely with all its metal curls. Everyone was taking a picture of the more grand main entrance on the West Front I wanted to give this one a chance to shine. I think it does that quite well.
Door on the West Front 2007 16 x 24 inches Chromogenic print Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England
Nanaksar Satsang Sabha is a unique religious, non-denominational, secular world (international) organization. It is committed to spreading the message of our most reverend “Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Nanak Dev Jee”, the founder of sikh religion. He preached and promoted universal brotherhood, selfless love, peace, harmony and serving all people. The organization has built seventeen Nanaksar Sikh Temples (Gurdwaras) around the world. These Gurdwaras operate in very strong cooperation with one another and have fully functional Maryada (Rituals) of Kirtan (Singing of Hymns) services in early hours of morning and evening. This Gurdwara is functional but after 5 years of knowing of its existance it is still not fully completed. The way it stands alone on highway 15 like a huge white landmark is quite incredible as you can see it long before you pass it. The exterior colours on this beautiful piece of architecture are hand painted. It really is a marvel to just gaze at. It is also so strange to think an amazing building is out in the middle of no where between Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan. I happened upon it by chance after an awful evening driving back to Edmonton at 4 in the morning. It was illuminated with huge spotlights and it had a very eerie ambiance. I haden’t noticed it on the way to Fort Saskatchewan so it was as though it suddenly appeared in the night. Having one of only seventeen temples like this in the world, in Alberta for my viewing pleasure makes me feel lucky to have something straight out of India in my back yard.
Gurdwara NanakSar (detail) 2009 27 x 41 inches Chromogenic print Horse Hills Road (Along HWY 15), Alberta
Being from Alberta the prairie is something that has always held an odd special place for me. Seeing horizon to horizon is something I take for granted and miss when I’m in a concrete jungle such as New York City, NY. Less than ten minutes from my house in Edmonton, Alberta is this little storage house on a farm. Old farm houses and storage sheds are a new interest I have been trying to capture as best as I can. Driving along farm roads I happen along a lot of them that are still in tact or with the roof caved in. I find it interesting that the farmers have not taken down these leaning buildings as they are probably hazardous to enter, but the history is there. Even more so if its a family farm that has been run for generations. I used to dislike these little houses in feilds thinking they were old and ugly. But as I have grown I have come to appreciate them more as little staples of the farming community. Just as the grain elevators are dissapearing these little structures are popping up in my eye line everywhere.
Untitled, 2009 9 x 10 inches Chromogenic print TWP 510 91st street SW, Edmonton
I have a bad habit of taking photos while driving. Though driving Highway 2 as many times as I have it becomes even more of a dull drive than it already is. This photo was taken just as the sun was setting driving Northbound to Edmonton. Arm extended, camera pointed out the passenger window, the exposure was long enough to blur most of the detail while surprisingly retaining the powerlines that line that side of the highway as well as some cloud detail. I also really enjoy the colour tone. It sums up the plains.
Power Lines 2008 8 x 8 inches Chromogenic print
It seems that everytime I want to take a picture of something on a farmers feild there are “no tresspassing� signs plastered everywhere or barbed wire that I am in no way going to try and climb over. This photo to me brings back nostalgia of driving along farmers feilds dutifully lined with barbed wire fences. I had never gotten so close to one until this point and I found this twisted detail quite pretty. We see different types of barbed wire frequently. Wether on farms on on prisons its designed to keep things in or out. Such defensive measure becomming alluring? Who would have thought.
Twisted Wire 2008 20 x 18 inches Untitled 2009 8 x 8 inches Chromogenic print on metallic paper
Apart from this shot being visually pleasing I really wanted to capture all the different colours of sediment that can be seen near Drumheller, Alberta. Millions of years of history all in this one little spot in Alberta is very fascinating. Not just the fossils and skeletons that make this region famous but all the plant and other natural life that has been worn away into sand. Each layer representing a different period of the water flowing and earth changing through the centuries.
Pretty Badlands 2007 8 x 8 inches Chromogenic print
Three images for a “Manufacturing Landscapes” project. The images left to right are a meat packers smokestack, cranes building new high rises and a Sikh temple. These images represent how our landscapes have changed over the years. The smokestack has been on a vacant lot in Edmonton for many many years making the place where a meat packing plant used to be. The new development is a new occurance where a shopping mall used to stand and the Sikh temple (as seen in a previous image) Is a massive building in the middle of no where that is incredibly beautiful which has changed the landscape beside the highway. These images are printed on soup can labels making the manufacturing sense of the project double. hundreds of thousands of cans of soup are produced a day, all the same process. When construction is looked at on a technical level it’s all very much the same process from structure to structure.
Untitled 2009 3 images 3 x 7 inches printed on Cambell’s Soup labels
This image and the one following are paired together. Another set of images taken while driving. Driving back from Banff one night where there was happily a full moon left the mountains looking very dark and eerie. Looking out my car window I could just make out the outline of the mountains against the very dark blue sky. There was something so powerful about seeing that, that I couldnt get over. I stuck my camera to face out the window and took a few long exposure shots. They did need some help in photoshop with levels. Pushing them to the extreme I found these lovely grained blurred mountains.
Untitled 2009 8 x 8 inches Chromogenic print on burlap
Untitled 2009 8 x 8 inches Chromogenic print on burlap
This photo and the two following are part of a series I am currently working on and expanding. The objects are all toys I used to play with while at my Oma’s (Grandmother’s) house. I recently became the owner of them. The series is one I am currently expanding to include other objects that were a focal point in my childhood. Toys I played with numerous times. Or items given to me that for some reason I have kept for many many years. What I would like to do with this series is try and recreate the setting of these three shots and properly light them. I don’t want to take the story away from them. The fact that all three were shot in my Oma’s basement on a book cabinet against that pink wallpaper speaks so much. This is something I want to continue with each object. They may not all be photographed in a recreated set, but I want the environment they are shot in to reflect the history and where they came from. This “tea party” set was played with in the tub. I used to line up the cups and pour water into them serving them almost barista style to my Oma or Opa (Grandfather) or whomever was keeping watch on me in the tub.
Tea Party 2009 12 x 12 inches Chromogenic print Tupperware pitcher and cups
I used to run circles around my Oma’s house with this pull toy. Dragging it behind me through the kitchen and living room, the mother duck occasionally getting a nip at my heels. The noise it makes when you pull it across the floor, the squeaky wheels and the wings spinning still bring back memories when i pull it today with the string that is much too short for me now. Technically speaking, I would like this shot to be much less cropped so it would fit into the dimentions I would want to be ideal.
Wooden Ducks 2009 12 x 12 inches (ideally) Chromogenic print Wooden duck pull toy
Another toy that frequented the bath at my Oma’s house. This train can be dissasembled. I don’t know why but i could never get it together once i had it taken apart. I haven’t tried recently for fear i may need to get my Oma to help me put it back together again. This train can also be made into a pull toy as well and has passengers who can ride in the carts not pictured.
Train 2009 12 x 12 inches Chromogenic print Plastic toy train
The focus behind this portrait was trying to capture a friends personality on film. I want people to look at these portraits I am experimenting with and get a grasp of the very basic personality of ther person. Most of the focus would be on the person but using wardrobe, expression and background would all come into play to exentuate the personality. Idealy these would be candid shots. The person would know they are being photographed but the photos taken in moments where they are slightly off guard and not as posed would be the best for this series.
Chris 2008 20 x 30 inches Chromogenic print
This image and the one following were taken at Ground Zero, New York, New York. The thing I found odd about this site was that if you didnt know why there was a massive lack of building at the edge of Manhattan, you would most likely assume it was just an average construction site. As it wasnt very glamourous, not that I was expecting it to be. I had to keep reminding myself that it had been seven years since that fateful event, there wouldnt be any rubble or other dramatic things to see. Walking around the construction site there were these green sheets of fabric draped over the fence. No doubt to keep debris as contained as possible. I’m still unsure why there were these little windows slashed into them. My guess is that people want to see the site from ground level so to prevent climbing on the fences there are holes cut for peering in.
Looking into Ground Zero I 2008 10 x 5 inches Chromogenic print
Looking into Ground Zero II 2008 10 x 5 inches Chromogenic print
Inspired by Marc Johns’ series of “Fashion Brands Gone Wild” I decided to expand the series on my own to be “Fashion Brands Gone Wild in the Kitchen.” I don’t fully grasp consumerism of high end fashion labels. I understand it is meant to show off some sort of status and you have money to afford these brands but apart from that I don’t understand the mentality or want of gaining this status. This series of drawings pokes fun at what extremes some people would go. To claim that their whole set of kitchen accessories is by one designer would be brag worthy to some. I know that if these objects were actually created someone somewhere would put down the cash to buy them. Which in a way is funny. But it is mostly pathetic and scary that this is where some peoples priorities lie.
Fashion Brands Gone Wild in the Kitchen 2008 series of 16 3 x 3 inches marker and pen on post-it note
“Currently in the US there are 26 699 678 square feet of empty Wal-marts. Enough room to build 29 666 classrooms and educate 593 326 kids.� Wal-Mart - The High Cost of Low Prices. This empty Walmart is in Edmonton. It is vacant because a Wal-mart Supercentre was built two driving minutes away from this site. The Supercentre opened November 7th 2007. Wikipedia claimed that this building is now a T&T supermarket as of August 2008. These photos on September 21st 2008. As of late April 2009 it still sits empty.
Wal-Mart 2008 60 x 44 inches Chromogenic print Two photos juxtaposed together.
I bought a Holga recently, one thing I’m starting to play with is trying to replicate the effects the Holga gives in Photoshop. The vintage style with the random happenings of light leaks and multiple exposures are really quite lovely. This reminds me of Gainsborough’s work after veiwing it over a period of time. One quote of Gainsborough I’m particularily fond of is “I’m sick of portraits, and wish very much to take my viol-da-gam and walk off to some sweet village, where I can paint landskips (sic) and enjoy the fag end of life in quietness and ease.” I do like working with layers. There are so many messages or visually pleasing things that can be done with layering images in such ways. Changing the colours digitally help echo the season these photos were taken.
Ch-ch-ch-changes! 2008 12 x 12 inches Chromogenic print
The assignment was to take a picture of a place that you have memories with. They didn’t have to be positive memories so I chose the cemetery. The headstone belongs to my father Jim who passed away from Leukemia eight months before I was born. In this picture I’m trying to represent the confusion I have with myself because I have never met or will get to meet the person who makes up half of my being. Unfortunatly Jim didn’t meet me either. The out of focus headstone portrays that confusion, the different layers are also all the little stories of Jim I have heard from people which I try to piece together to get some sense of this man. I hear these stories when I’m brave enough to ask about him. I still feel like it’s too hard of a subject to bring up with my mom and my nan to talk about 23 years after his death. I feel torn with loyalty at times. I want to care about Jim, but it is difficult with my dad, Mike, who I consider to perhaps not be my father, in the literal sense of the word, but my dad. He has raised me and brought me up to be the woman I am now. There is an odd sense of loyalty to this cemetary. Visiting it on certain dates that would be celebrations of Jim’s life, are reflective times with just flowers on a head stone. As I have grown older I have come to appreciate all of this and reflect on it more while trying to search for answers to questions I have about myself. Place 2008 16 x 10 inches Chromogenic print on metallic paper
The assignment for this piece was to be paired up with someone in the class, interview them on how they felt about nature and then capturing it during the time that was set to shoot it. My partner, Stacey, said she feels very at home in nature. Despite being more of a girly girl, she quite enjoys going camping, hiking and just being outdoors in general. The duration of the shoot had her hanging the clothes on a clothesline strung between two trees, while I was trying to capture this from different angles. Eventually it turned to posing which is where this shot occured. It was one of my favourites but unfortunatly the tree that was in the original shot looked like it had the bra on. Working aound this I layered shots, while erasing the majority of the original shot. Lining her up to look like she was reclining on a bed of leaves. This is one of the most challenging edit I’ve done to date. It wasnt the quality or quantity of photos I had to work with, it was capturing mood. Trying to express how someone else feels about nature, someone you barely know and going on a couple things they said in a short interview was very very challenging for me.
Stacey 2008 25 x 18 inches Chromogenic print on metallic paper
1. What do you expect from the Photography Program? I expect to learn the skills I need to develop my practice as an artist as well as the technical knowledge to be able to pay the bills so I can continue the personal practice. Making money is important to the point shere one needs to eat and pay rent. Apart from that, to me, it is not the money that is most important. It is being able to do the things I want to be doing and having the freedom to be able to do them. I expect open mindedness and constructive feedback to help me learn and develop the skills I already posess and make them into something even more profitable. 2. What do you have to offer the Photography Program? Being a conceptual artist I feel I have a wide range of views and ideas that are waiting to be expressed woth fellow students. Working from the angles I am currently may be a way another student has not considered and can learn from. In turn I am willing to learn from other students who are working from different approaches. Being a little older might bring wiser opinions and experience to the table during conversations about topics. Also having another year at ACAD will bring the language needed to clearly articulate thoughts and opinions that may not have been developed by students who are returning to ACAD as a second year stuent. 3. What would you like to be doing with your photography in 5 - 10 years? I would like to be taking the skills I have learned in the program as mentioned in Question 1. Developing a commercial business, not nessesarily advertizing, but being able to sell work so I am able to focus on the personal and keep it personal as much as possible. I always want to be exploring new ideas. While the ones I have now are valid for where I stand I think that the ideas I will be running with in 5 - 10 years will be just as exciting. Just more advanced.