Final Outcome

Here is my final layout, I have experimented a lot with different ideas, but in the end this is the one I like the most. I like the overlapping of the images to show close ups of the cameras and how easy it is the hide them. No one in my house has figured out that there is a camera pen in the pen jar as of yet, the teddy bear still has the camera in it and my nephew was cuddling it, without knowing, obviously I have turned them all of, and do not intend to take images without anyone’s consent, but the principal is that they are unaware of these cameras in the house. Which I am not a fan of, but it is quite fun to see how easy it is to hide cameras, even when doing a project on Hidden cameras.

I wanted to get the element of childhood in here as this is where my feelings started to come out, hence why I used the teddy bear and the camera hidden in the lego. I had a warm atmosphere and lighting around the camera as these are in private ‘safe’ spaces where you would never expect to have a secret camera filming you or taking your photo, especially with the bear and the lego images.

I am mostly happy that I managed to get some great shots of people looking straight into the camera without even knowing it was there!

Layout

Surveillance is something which was extremely covert until fairly recently but now it is quite obvious everywhere.   CCTV cameras in shops, banks, offices and on streets – seemingly accepted by all and sundry as necessary to keep us “safe” in this age of automation and high tech gadgets.

 When I was 9, and my sister was 4, my mother’s then-partner placed a security camera in our bedroom, claiming that it was to “keep an eye” on us because my little sister had cut a hole in the carpet!  However, it created a sense of insecurity in both of us to different degrees – it was a literal example of “big brother is watching you” as expressed in George Orwell’s 1984 about a dystopian society where everybody was watched and monitored to the nth degree.

 I do not think that everybody understands this feeling of being watched – although it is a very real sensation.   The brain is such a powerful tool – one can begin to feel that one is being watched even when this is not the case.   Just as a dummy camera can be as powerful as a real one.

 The powers that be promote surveillance  - as a form of keeping us “safe” and preventing theft in retail establishments and generally ensuring that people conform to the basic rules of our society – preventing homes being burgled.  However, the tables can be turned and it can be used by people to spy on their neighbours or other people.

 In this body of work, I have included a number of different cameras – small, hidden cameras – motion sensor wildlife cameras – DSLR cameras which have taken images and self-made hidden cameras using tiny apparatus hidden within objects to disguise their use.

 Although one could argue that the feeling of being watched can make people sometimes conform to the rules laid down by our society – one can also argue that the brain can become so confused by this thought that it may at the time, not realise what is actually happening.

 I have often experienced such a sensation.

Evaluation & Bibliography

This project has been nothing but experimentation for me; I have never used photography to determine and understand my own feelings and to validate them, I managed to use the practice to help myself and others understand why some people may feel this way, which was the aim of my project!

I have learnt things from completing this project that I never thought I would understand; the main thing is that all of the horrible stuff that went on in my childhood can be turned around and I can move on from it all. This project has only been a small aspect of how far my anxieties and insecurities go, but I know now that I have to take things to step by step to be able to depict and understand things a lot more. The one thing I have learnt the most from the project though is that my feelings are real and I shouldn’t have any shame in speaking about them out loud!

When I first started, I was so lost in how I was going to turn the idea of ‘Surveillance’ and ‘The feeling of being watched’ into photos, however, I discovered that I wanted to learn just how easy it is to spy on people, especially children as they are vulnerable and do not necessarily have a clue what is going on. After our 2nd tutorial and having a great chat with my coursemates and tutor, I realised just how much fun this project could be, so straight after the call ended I went onto Amazon and bought some secret cameras which could be hidden around the house. At first, I did some research into what sort of weird things people have hidden cameras in, and even though it was creepy, I wasn’t disappointed! I was so shocked; people hid them in tissue boxes, water bottles, lightbulbs, screws, all sorts of weird shit!

When I first started taking photos, I went out with my cameras to try and get some hidden shots of people. I first hid a camera in my coat pocket and pulled the camera through the buttonhole so that it was well hidden but was able to see out at people properly. Unfortunately, when I got home all excited to see what I have got, the camera turned itself off!! I was distraught, but this is what gave me the idea of making the teddy bear camera! Although, I knew I would have to get a camera that doesn’t turn itself off if I am going to be sewing it into a stuffed bear. Thank goodness for Amazons extended returns!

I was very proud of myself, going out into a park and sticking a 1 pound coin to the floor as I am normally very anxious about what people think of me, although I did and I did get a lot of dirty looks, I still did it! I used a hidden wildlife camera for this scene which captured the images really nicely. After getting these images, I used the teddy bear to capture some images in my sister’s room. Then I stuck my little square camera in the Photography Kitchen Area of Locksbrook to capture images of people, and no one even noticed it was there! So I was able to get lots of images of people off guard.

I created a mini studio with a white backdrop to get some image of the hidden cameras, however, due to low light and a lack of studio equipment, there was a lot of shadows which were very off-putting and unaesthetic, so after the crit I decided with the help of the people around me, to photograph the cameras in different places which match up with where the photos were taken, but then I also decided to photograph them in different locations in my nephew’s bedroom to add that element of childhood to things, having the cameras hidden in child toys and different secret places are what it felt like having the camera in our room. I am thrilled I was able to bring in the childhood feeling as this is where it all started for me! These images also work a lot better colour wise and just in general aesthetic.

I feel the physical outcome of this project could have been slightly improved however I am not unhappy with it, I am happy that I experimented with printed big with different shapes and sizes as well as overlapping images and that I didn’t go down making another book just because I feel more comfortable doing that, so I really pushed myself out of my comfort zone!

This project has left me with so many questions about everyday life, my childhood and just my general well-being.

What was the real reason for putting a camera in our room? Was it a weird way or a controlling way? Or both?
Was it only the one time and not others without us knowing?
How many people actually use spy cameras?
What is the main reason people do? - It can be used for blackmail, evidence, a project, and many other random reasons.

In terms of research, I have looked into so many topics, hidden cameras, the beginning or spy cameras, surveillance and theories behind it, but I have learnt a lot as well, including that being watched may not always be a bad thing, without these surveillance mechanisms, we may not be as safe as we are, it would allow more criminals to steal, there would fewer forms of evidence in court cases, and many other things. The only place I am not too keen on the idea now is when I am in my private spaces, where unfortunately it seems there is not much that can be done if someone wants to watch you, which is why I always have a cover over my camera.

References

Cade, D., 2013. Minox Riga: A Subminiature Spy Camera From The 1930S. [online] PetaPixel. Available at: <https://petapixel.com/2013/08/10/minox-riga-a-subminiature-spy-camera-invented-in-the-1930s/> [Accessed 20 November 2020].

Dodgson, L., 2020. Shane Dawson Just Terrified Everyone On The Internet With A New Video That Shows How Tiny Cameras Hidden In Everyday Objects Could Be Filming You At Any Time. [online] Insider. Available at: <https://www.insider.com/shane-dawson-conspiracy-video-hidden-cameras-could-be-everywhere-2020-2> [Accessed 6 November 2020].

Emily Dixon, C., 2020. Family Finds Hidden Camera Livestreaming From Their Airbnb In Ireland. [online] CNN. Available at: <https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/05/europe/ireland-airbnb-hidden-camera-scli-intl/index.html> [Accessed 10 November 2020].

Gallery.milim.com. 2020. Kate Peters | Milim Gallery. [online] Available at: <https://gallery.milim.com/print_photographer/kate-peters/> [Accessed 6 November 2020].

Garrett, J., 2015. Portraits Of Sex Cam Girls, Captured Through Skype (NSFW). [online] Wired. Available at: <https://www.wired.com/2015/04/kate-peters-cam-girls-nsfw/> [Accessed 6 November 2020].

Gotthardt, A., 2020. How This 1970S Photo Series About Public Sex In Japan Became A Cult Phenomenon. [online] Artsy. Available at: <https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-photographer-kohei-yoshiyukis-the-park-cult-phenomenon> [Accessed 21 November 2020].

Jules-spinatsch.ch. 2020. JULES SPINATSCH. [online] Available at: <https://jules-spinatsch.ch/> [Accessed 15 November 2020].

Kate Peters. 2020. Cam Girls - Kate Peters. [online] Available at: <https://www.katepeters.co.uk/work/cam-girls/> [Accessed 3 November 2020].

Met.police.uk. 2020. Photography Advice. [online] Available at: <https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/ph/photography-advice/> [Accessed 3 November 2020].

Metmuseum.org. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/289035> [Accessed 21 November 2020].

Rufus, S., 2018. Do You Feel Like You're Always Being Watched?. [online] Psychology Today. Available at: <https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/stuck/201808/do-you-feel-youre-always-being-watched> [Accessed 6 November 2020].

Spycam Sex Criminals. 2020. [video] Directed by S. Buonajuti. South Korea: David Metcalf, Lucy Tickell.

Taylor, J., 2020. South Korea: Woman Reportedly Kills Herself After Being Secretly Filmed By Doctor. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/02/south-korea-woman-kills-herself-after-being-secretly-filmed-by-doctor-reports> [Accessed 3 November 2020].

Warner, M., 2019. The Pillar By Stephen Gill | 1854 Photography. [online] 1854 Photography. Available at: <https://www.1854.photography/2019/07/the-pillar-by-stephen-gill/> [Accessed 4 November 2020].

Zhang, M., 2020. The First Photo Of An Execution By Electric Chair. [online] PetaPixel. Available at: <https://petapixel.com/2015/04/11/the-first-photo-of-an-execution-by-electric-chair/> [Accessed 18 November 2020].

Bertrand, A., Bridle, J., Frigo, A., Holert, T., Koskela, H., Mäkinen, L., Magnet, S., Östlind, N., Weibel, P. and Wolthers, L., n.d. Watched! Surveillence, Art And Photography. Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig, pp.8,9,86,260,261.

MINOX. 2020. Walter Zapp | MINOX. [online] Available at: <https://www.minox.com/en/about/walter-zapp/> [Accessed 20 November 2020].

Phillips, S., 2010. Exposed. London: Tate Pub. in association with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, pp.11, 13, 143,.

Tralla.net. 2020. Protected – Mare Tralla. [online] Available at: <https://www.tralla.net/gallery/protected/> [Accessed 20 November 2020].

Title - Step Father

I realised my project does not have a set title, which is a very important aspect. So here are my current thought.

I called my project Big Brother after watching 1984 and looking at Louis Quail’s work, although it feels quite unoriginal due to being used so many times, so I was sort of thinking, why not call it ‘Step Father’ as this is technically another member of the family who in my case was the one watching our every move, the only issue is that it does not hold the same connotations as ‘Big Brother’ although it could be understood once people read my project statement, so I do quite like it.

Step Father.

Exposed, Surveillance in the camera book

Another book which was recommended to me which has given me so much inspiration due to a few essays and photographers.

‘We cannot blame the camera for what it has done to us; nevertheless, it has made certain human predilections much easier to satisfy. True, the elders in the biblical story did not need special equipment to spy on the unknowing Susannah—they simply concealed themselves and peeked at her as she undressed for a pleasant bath. Today, however, they would use cell phones to grab a picture of a young woman in a compromised position and send it to friends, having located her garden through Google Earth. Human hunger for seeing the forbidden has not changed.’ (Phillips, S., Exposed, Surveillance in the Camera, 2010, pp.11)

I have always related to the idea of whatever has been forbidden to me, I have wanted more. A lot of things were not allowed when I was a child; I wasn’t allowed to mix with other English (Growing up in France), I was told to stay away from certain people, (so of course, I fell in love with someone under a forbidden family name, on multiple occasions), I was never allowed to invite my father to my school plays, I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup to school etc…. We had very strict rules and if we disobeyed them, we would get in a lot of trouble, although this idea of the forbidden feels so exciting. I couldn’t agree more with this statement due to these feelings. If we do something that is considered bad, but we get away with it, it can make us feel so powerful! Getting a picture of someone or something that is not meant to be done due to the situation they are in or if that something is protected, it can feel so empowering because it is not meant to be done. Even if it is not morally correct.

‘Indeed, many of these early cameras, and the later "spy" cameras of the 1950s, were designed more as toys than as useful instruments. It is probably significant that few negatives from them survive. Among the most practical was the early "vest pocket" camera designed to be worn on a man's chest: the lens was located in place of the stick pin, leaving the hands relatively free (usually there was a shutter-release cable that extended from the body of the camera down a sleeve into the operator's hand, where it was inconspicuous). Such a camera was used by an amateur in rural Pennsylvania named Horace Engle.’


(Phillips, S., Exposed, Surveillance in the Camera, 2010, pp.13)

I found this statement within the essay to be rather interesting, mostly because it states that this ‘vest camera’ was designed to be worn on a ‘man’s’ chest.. Anyway, I suppose that is off topic. I do however find it interesting how not that long after the invention of photography, these ‘spy’ cameras were invented as toys, but I find it almost impossible that when the idea came to the inventors head, that they were merely thinking about creating toys from these. I guess my question is, how would this be used as a toy without breaching someone’s privacy? During these times, there was no mobile phones or technology which could potentially spy on people, so they didn’t really have to worry so much about them being seen with the evidence of a photograph, obviously it is just a bit of fun to go out and photograph people when they are unaware of it, and it has got that that element of innocence to it when this is all that is going on, but I suppose someone somewhere must have realised just how easy it would be to actually spy on people when in their own space, where they wouldn’t necessarily feel the fear of being watched, and to have picture evidence of it.

This photographer Horacle Engle, clearly did not mean any harm when photographing people, he seemed to photograph the ‘upper class’, I suppose this allows those who wouldn’t necessarily see these scenes to be able to, so he is creating evidence of the atmospheres that he is a part of.

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‘Another amateur, Paul Martin, a British illustrator, made many of his early photographs with a camera disguised as a package (the Facile, by Fallowfield). His joyous, sometimes guileless pictures are rich with the pleasures of seeing what was considered simply ordinary, like a group of people listening to a concert, unaware of his presence. Martin also watched Victorian ladies in cumbersome bathing costumes with obvious glee and spied on couples in private conversation on the beach. ‘

(Phillips, S., Exposed, Surveillance in the Camera, 2010, pp.13)

‘Shizuka Yokomizo's richly unsettling photographs investigate the idea of voyeuristic seeing with the subject's consent. She makes pictures of people looking out of their windows into the night: they have received the photographer's written invitation to appear thereat an appointed time, and have had no other contact with her (those who do not accept close their blinds). She sees them, but they see only her shadowy presence outside their window (pls. 155–56].’

I found this body of work to be absolutely fascinating and stunning! I absolutely love how the photographer sent out letters to these people with a time and date of when to stand by the window, I really think this is great! There are so many mixed emotions about the project and that’s why it’s so fantastic. The subjects have no idea who this photographer is, and yet she is photographing them in their homes, with their consent to do so. All they can see if the shadow of the photographer whilst she can see the subject very clearly and softly. Is it voyeurism if the person on the other side of the camera has agreed to it? This project asked so many questions which is what makes it so interesting. The pictures themselves are very romantic as the subject is just standing straight looking out of their window into the camera without questioning the intent of the photographer.

‘In 1946 Life magazine photographer Yael Joel used a one-way mirror to trick people into posing for him (pls. 148, 150]—a kind of static version of the television series that would shortly become popular called Candid Camera, where a hidden camera would photograph people's amusing mistakes.

(Unknown, Exposed, Surveillance in the Camera, 2010, pp. 143)

This is another project which I adore! I really would love to try this, in a way this is capturing people at their most vulnerable as the last thing you would expect is to have someone watching you through a mirror, this is where most people will just double/triple check they look suitable for their occasion, checking their shirts and tucked in, their hates are on properly, there makeup is good, they haven’t got any food on the face or in their teeth, etc… These people are completely unaware that they are being photographed yet they are just pulling the perfect poses and faces for the camera! Funnily enough, if you asked them to do the same thing actually in front of the camera, without the mirror, the chances of them being able to recreate these exact looks are almost impossible, because the camera being in front of you, creates that feeling of being watched, which is proving, through this project, to have a much bigger effect on people than I first realised.

‘Sophie Calle has used the camera to explore surveillance with tenacity and originality and has made the inversion of public and private spaces her special territory. While her work of photographing people at their most vulnerable—asleep—was anticipated in the (very obscure) work of Ted Spagna (pl. 146], Calle has devoted a great deal of her creative energy to exploring the idea of voyeurism and its implications. She followed an unsuspecting man to Venice and trailed his activities; she requested that her mother hire a detective to follow her and documented that experience; and most notably and aggressively, she served as a maid in a fashionable Venetian hotel, opening up the guests' luggage, photographing the contents, and divining their lives from the evidence she found [pl. 154).’ (Unknown, Exposed, Surveillance in the Camera, 2010, pp. 143)

Sophie Calle has clearly dedicated a large amount of her time to explore this sense of surveillance, but the body of work she produced through photographing other people’s possessions is the one that interests me the most, this is a whole other sense of voyeurism, these people probably had no idea she was photographing their private items, and through this, she was able to imagine the sort of life and characters these people were, I found this so interesting as we live in a world where your clothes or the brands you wear have a massive impact on how society sees you, and so if you have expensive items, it is stereotypically thought that you must be of an upper class and have higher standards. I absolutely love how she did this, I think it’s very interesting, although I am sure if the people knew she was, they would not necessarily be happy.

‘These early portable cameras were soon given a name: "detectives."4 The detective was used not by police (who were much more interested in seeing the physical traces, the "evidence," in a crime scene) but by the amateur. The design of detective cameras was usually more fanciful than useful-one was designed as a stack of books, another, a parcel; one fit into a cane, another, an umbrella head or the heel of a man's shoe (fig. 2). An improbable invention was a camera disguised as a revolver; while this made accurate sighting easier, we can imagine the swift escape it’

(Phillips,S., Exposed, Surveillance in the Camera, 2010, pp. 13)

It’s so interesting to see all of the possibilities of where the camera’s can be hidden, a cane is so unusual as well as a parcel, but these just go to show how easy it is to hide cameras in these small places.

Crit Display

I put together a few ideas of what I could have for my Crit display, but I was lacking inspiration and motivation, I wanted for it to look quite messy and confusing as that it sort of what it feel like when you feel as if your being watched, however I just did not feel that the images worked that well together, the shadows from the white background images were very disturbing and off putting and they were not very great pictures in general.

This is why I decided to re-shoot some of the camera images as I felt they could look a lot better!

Eventually I decided on the layout below, as I felt it had the most potential out of the lot of them, it was busy, and I decided to print the images quite large to make them feel more meaningful. I printed it on PF Lustre 175 to give it a nicer finish, but unfortunately, my largest image came out very dark and gloomy which I was very upset about, but that is mostly because I rushed it and I should have exposed the image a bit more. I am not too happy with the overall display, I feel as if it does not show the true potential of this project and it is a bit boring if anything for a project that is meant to be fun. As well as the images being bad quality and not great.

Although it was definitely an experiment, I haven’t printed images of all different sizes for a layout before so it was definitely something to try out and learn from.

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Statement to go with images

Things that should be added to the statement.

  1. Reasons for feeling this way

  2. How surveillance can be used in both good and but also very bad ways

  3. Some people may not understand this, but that’s ok.

  4. Different types of surveillance

Surveillance is a very large topic which takes place every day without us even knowing about it, but even when we do know about it, it does not mean we can do much to stop it. Most people will have a reason as to why they feel they are being watched, although others may be lucky and not feel this way at all.

At the age of 9 and 4, my stepfather placed a security camera into my sister’s and my room. He claimed this was to keep an eye on us as my sister had cut a hole into the carpet.

Not everyone understands this feeling of being watched, however, it is real. The brain can be such a powerful tool to make you feel as if something is real when it may not be. This is similar to the way that dummy cameras can be just as powerful as real cameras.

Our government tends to promote surveillance as a form of safety for the community and for retail as this is people’s way of making sure people are conforming to the basic rules of society, or to prevent a burglary of ones home, although when this is used as anything other than this it has many negative connotations, people may use it in ways other than keeping themselves safer but to breach others privacy.

This body of work includes a number of different cameras, small hidden cameras, motion sensor wildlife cameras, DSLR cameras which have taken the images and self-made hidden cameras using tiny cameras and hidden them within objects.

This ‘feeling’ can be so powerful that it can make people conform to societies rules but also mess up as the brain can be so overruled by this thought that it might not realise what it is actually doing, I know I have had this experience on multiple occasions.

After writing this, I asked on Facebook if there were any creative writing students or people who were able to read through this and reword it to sound a bit more professional and better written as I am definitely not a writer.

My Nan, who has written several books said that she would give it a go, and I am quite pleased with the outcome, I feel it has a good informative touch to it and it is easy to read so that the audience will understand my project clearly.

Surveillance is something which was extremely covert until fairly recently but now it is quite obvious everywhere.   CCTV cameras in shops, banks, offices and on streets – seemingly accepted by all and sundry as necessary to keep us “safe” in this age of automation and high tech gadgets.

 When I was 9, and my sister was 4, my mother’s then-partner placed a security camera in our bedroom, claiming that it was to “keep an eye” on us because my little sister had cut a hole in the carpet!  However, it created a sense of insecurity in both of us to different degrees – it was a literal example of “big brother is watching you” as expressed in George Orwell’s 1984 about a dystopian society where everybody was watched and monitored to the nth degree.

 I do not think that everybody understands this feeling of being watched – although it is a very real sensation.   The brain is such a powerful tool – one can begin to feel that one is being watched even when this is not the case.   Just as a dummy camera can be as powerful as a real one.

 The powers that be promote surveillance  - as a form of keeping us “safe” and preventing theft in retail establishments and generally ensuring that people conform to the basic rules of our society – preventing homes being burgled.  However, the tables can be turned and it can be used by people to spy on their neighbours or other people.

 In this body of work, I have included a number of different cameras – small, hidden cameras – motion sensor wildlife cameras – DSLR cameras which have taken images and self-made hidden cameras using tiny apparatus hidden within objects to disguise their use.

 Although one could argue that the feeling of being watched can make people sometimes conform to the rules laid down by our society – one can also argue that the brain can become so confused by this thought that it may at the time, not realise what is actually happening.

 I have often experienced such a sensation.

  • Cassiopeia, 2020

Final Shoot with cameras - Better lighting

For the crit, I printed out the images where the I had the cameras on a white background, however due to the shadows created they were not great quality and made my display look very messy, so I decided to change the background, instead of having a plain white background, I thought it might be interesting to have the cameras in hidden environments but with a closer view so the audience can see them, this way they sort of match the environment in which I used them to take photographs and so they will fit with the Footage images a lot better.

I much prefer these environmental shots as they feel a lot more real. I was truly inspired by Viktoria Binschtok’s work with the street view images and then her high-quality ones, I felt they worked very nicely together and so this is why I decided to try and produce these sorts of shots. I am happy I did, next I just need to see how they work next to the footage images. And of course, I had to add a gorgeous picture of my gorgeous nephew, seeing as he is the one who allowed me to photograph his exquisite toy collection with my cameras! Also because he has a cute squidgy face.

Whilst making the contact sheets, I am not too sure what happened, but I got this! And weirdly, I quite like the overlapping idea, so thank you Photoshopping for fuking up my contact sheet; it may just be an idea for my display!

I will experiment with this overlapping idea as I feel it might just work!

Watched - Book

I went onto the Library online and typed in ‘Surveillance’ and I couldn’t have received a better outcome than this book! I have found an infinite amount of inspiration through this book alone with a number of photographers and theoretical essays which I will be analysing through this blog post.

Watched! Surveillance, Art and Photography by Verlag der Buchhandlung and Walter König.

‘The 175th anniversary of photography was recently celebrated in a world in which cameras, photographs and the act of photographing and distributing images now dominate everyday life and spaces, and where, moreover, we live in a full-blown surveillance society in which the medium of photography plays an inextricable role.’ (Wolthers, L., Watched, pp.8)

In this day and age, it seems we are being watched from all angles of our lives, through social media, CCTV, photography and many other methods. But there are just some times when it seems very unethical to be watching someone, when they are getting dressed, going to the toilet, washing, or just in their private spaces. Of course, photographing or ‘spying’ on someone when they are considered to be in a private environment is a crime, but how easy is it really to do this without being found out?

The majority of us use social media every day, we post pictures of ourselves, we tag people, we share our location, it is very easy to locate someone and to know what they are doing and where they are, based on their social profiles or even using different applications through their phones, there are some people who are able to hack into computers and webcams, and so a lot of people feel the need to cover their webcams when they are not using them.

‘Today the concept of surveillance is applied to a wide range of practices, techniques and discourses. Watched! focuses on surveillance as a visual phenomenon, not necessarily in the concrete, literal sense of the act of viewing optimized by optical devices, but as a socio-political 'overview', or what the visual culture theorist Nicholas Mirzoeff calls a complex of visuality. Rather than being solely perceptual, Mirzoeff sees visualization as an imaginary practice. As he writes: 'Despite its name, this process is not composed simply of visual perceptions in the physical sense, but is formed by a set of relations combining information, imagination, and insight into a rendition of physical and psychic space'. (Wolthers, L., Watched, pp.9)

‘Modern life takes place on screen. Life in industrialized countries is increasingly lived under constant video surveillance from cameras in buses and shopping malls, on highways and bridges, and next to ATM cash machines. More and more people look back, using devices ranging from traditional cameras to camcorders and Webcams. These forms of visualization are now being challenged by interactive visual media like the Internet and virtual reality applications.

Let’s take a few examples from the constant swirl of the global village. The abduction of the toddler Jamie Bulger from a Liverpool shopping mall was impersonally captured by a video surveillance camera, providing chilling evidence of the ease with which the crime was both committed and detected. At the same time, despite the theory that constant surveillance provides increased security, it in fact did nothing to help prevent the child’s abduction and eventual murder.’ (Mirzoeff, N.,https://americansuburbx.com/2008/11/theory-nicholas-mirzoeff-introlduction.html, 2008)

This is such an interesting theory, we are being watched however what does this change really? I suppose in the extremely sad instance of Jamie Bulger, it was such a random act by the abductors that no one could have known what they were going to do, even though it may have been caught on camera, it did not change what was going on in their heads. This sense of being under constant surveillance seems to not always be a bad thing, I suppose it completely depends who you are being watched by.

On June 22nd 2020, the Sky News published an article revealing that from the 2017 Westminster attack until around that date, 25 terrorist acts had been prevented and counter-terrorism police were currently undergoing 800 live investigations, so I suppose in this instance, it feels good to know we are in a society where we are able to watch what others are doing and put this knowledge to good use by saving lives. (https://news.sky.com/story/25-terror-plots-have-been-foiled-since-2017-westminster-attack-minister-reveals-12012317)

It’s when people use this power of voyeurism over someone, for example when I was a child, I would so scared to do anything, just in case my stepfather or mother found out about it, I had this constant thought that they were watching me, no through cameras or phones, but just in my head, but that feeling was enough to scare me into not doing anything that would annoy them, although I was never too sure what would be bad or good in his mind.

Viktoria Binschtok - World of Details

In World of Details, Viktoria Binschtok uses Google Street View shots as the starting point for her work. These authorless, automated images showing a specific location in New York City are contrasted with her own high-resolution colour photos. Travelling to the same places, the artist attempts to plunge into the surface of the locations depicted by overcoming distance and getting physically closer to the objects. The result is two perceptions of the same place, reflecting today's use and perception of photography in the internet age. (Watched, pp.44)

I found this project to be quite funny, not because of the content but because whenever my boyfriend and I say we would like to go abroad somewhere, his dad says (in his strong Worcester accent) ‘Why don’t you just G’l’earth it to save money!?’ Meaning we should just Google Earth these places instead of spending our money on going to see them for ourselves! Funnily, I find this project almost counteracts his point, as it’s clear to me here that the Street view pictures are nothing compared to the beauty to the high-quality images!

The main reason I was so interested in this body of work, (other than my boyfriend’s dad being silly) is the contrast between the images; I really love how they work together, the low-quality street view images compared to the high-quality images that Binschtok has taken of the place. I also love how you can see these are the same places. I think it gives it a really nice feeling. I always love to go and see things that I have seen online or in pictures, and when you see it in real life, it makes it so much more pleasurable.

In my body of work, I will have a similar outcome using both high quality and low-quality images, so this photographer has really helped me to visualise how my final display will look.

Jules Spinatsch - Surveillance Panorama Projects 2003-2015

Jules Spinatsch's panoramas are hybrids of nineteenth-century panorama paintings and today's lens-based surveillance technologies. Created with computer-controlled network cameras, they track a site over several hours, recording thousands of single images which are then combined chronologically to form a large panorama. The result is a paradoxical combination of precise planning and chance.

I found Jules Spinatsch’ work to be extremely interesting, I really like how he used computer controlled cameras and creates a large image using loads of small images. This just goes to show, how much some cameras can actually see in one shot, they can zoom in so far and still have a good enough picture quality to distinguish people’s faces. This is great for crime, when security need to identify someone, however when it comes to an individual spying on someone, it can get quite creepy.

The prison images are fascinating as personally, I have never seen the inside of a prison, and I don’t think many others have either, so to be able to see it in this light, where it is visible that they have CCTV within the building to show that these people have to watch all of the time is really intriguing.

Mare Tralla - Protected 2007-2011

Mare Tralla's series of performance-based works address issues of security and protection from a feminist and post-Soviet perspective. The artist emphasizes the hypervisibility of subjects in general, and women in particular, by appropriating surveillant gazes, practices and technologies. The security camera as a manifestation of the all-seeing eye in the sky is brought down to earth, materialized and disarmed. (Watched, pp. 86)

When I first read Orwell's 1984 as a teenager living in Soviet Estonia, I compared his Big Brother to the Soviet regime and the constant surveillance of its citizens, or rather the fear of surveillance that the KGB had generated. In the meantime, contempo- rary capitalist societies have managed to move much have provided the tools and created a paranoia leading to closer to an Orwellian reality. Technological advances a permanent need to protect citizens and their property. controlled surveillance. Most surveillance is sold to citizens This has introduced us to a life under Big Brother's constant with the promise that it is for their own security and benefit. According to statistics, the United Kingdom has the most extensive CCTV camera network in urban Europe. When first arrived in London in 1996, I was surprised by how many signs I saw warning me of CCTV, and indeed where they were located. It was not uncommon to find one next to the toilet door in a pub. The question arose: how much private space do we have and which private space is actually under observation? Do they really need to have cameras in the toilets? Since then, the number of CCTV cameras in London has certainly multiplied. CCTV cameras are no longer omnipresent in the public domain only in the UK, most developed urban areas in the world are well equipped with surveillance technology. Furthermore, it is cheap and easy to buy such equipment and everybody can put up a surveil- lance system to protect their own property if they wish. It is impossible to live in a contemporary urban setting without being observed. We do not pay much attention to where cameras are and what they are recording, and we usually do not question what is done with the recorded material. We believe there are laws and regulations protecting us. Protected consists of several works which are interlinked, commenting on the obsession with protection. The works were produced over four years and may continue to evolve- The first project was produced for a solo exhibition in the Medienkunstlabor, Kunsthaus Graz in April 2007. (Tralla, M. 2011)

I found Mare Tralla’s work to be exceptionally compelling! She has proven to me how easy it is to relate to Orwell’s 1984 when you have been in a similar situation, in my case growing up with my stepdad being present, but also how important it is to realise that CCTV in today’s society is used from every angle.

Her work is extremely admirable, and her ways of provoking conversations about her work are fascinating! Wearing a t-shirt of her own naked body with the text ‘This body is protected by both visible and invisible CCTV cameras’ is a courageous thing to do and a very interesting topic as, as far as we are aware, we cannot always know when we are being watched, so she has almost made sure she is being watched, this way she can be sure that she is and does not have to have that anxiety of the unknown. It is interesting that more people responded to her naked body image being too ‘provocative’ than they did the cameras she was wearing. I suppose this is where the feminism side of things come in, but that’s a whole other story!

I also found it intriguing how you are not allowed to photograph the CCTV cameras; however painting them is fine, which seems very odd to me.

Essay extracts from book

‘While Evans' photos were more accessible for a relatively select public, namely one interested in art, Salomon's photographs catered to a larger public's desire for a kind of substitute life through the vicarious visual participation in events that they could otherwise not access. His gaze became the gaze of millions of people craving sensation. And it is here that a shift takes place: Whereas Walker Evans strove to find unguarded moments, Salomon was on the prowl for the naked, which no longer indicated vulnerability or authenticity, but rather traitorous exposure.’ (Bertrand, AC., Watched, pp.260)

It seems that Salomon became slightly addicted to the power of capturing images through secret cameras, which it is very easy to become, but the images he would capture would as stated ‘catered to a larger public's desire for a kind of substitute life through the vicarious visual participation in events that they could otherwise not access.’ as obviously there are some places and something that not everyone can see and so being able to see them through his imagery is quite exciting. It seemed that Evans would, even though capturing images, be a lot more careful of where and when he would be doing so. Evan’s project ‘Subway Portraits’ seems to have quite a relaxed tone to it as even though these people have no idea that are being photographed, anyone can use the subway and so anyone would be able to see the scene he is capturing, I feel this gives a beauty to the images as he has captured everyday candid shots. Salomon however, would photograph in areas such as the Embassy of The Netherlands and the Members of the Special Committee on Tax buildings in Washington, these are both scenes which everyday society would not see, and so it has a very exciting feel to it as it’s almost like we shouldn’t be looking at this images. This reminds me of Jack Latham’s image ‘Viewing Platform, Monte Rio’ where he photographed 2 men standing in the secret location - Bohemian Grove.

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At the moment in which something that we are not supposed to see – because it belongs in a private realm – has been made visible with the help of photography, the photographic gaze is lost and crosses a line, showing that gaze's lack of respect for the depicted person's right to privacy. The Japanese photographer Kohei Yoshiyuki examined precisely this moment in which the photographic gaze transgressed a boundary, as well as the close connection between the medium of photography and voyeurism, in his series The Park, created in the early 1970s. The artist photographed couples clandestinely having sex in the parks of Tokyo. However his shots which he took unnoticed using a Kodak infrared flash, not only reveal the couples but also - even more importantly - the numerous voyeurs who were watching the couples make love.(Bertrand, AC., Watched, pp.261)

I suppose the idea of sex is almost always going to cross someone’s mind when it comes to voyeurism, but the interesting this about Kohei' Yoshiyuki’s - The Park project is the question of ‘What he always in on the voyeurism of these couples?’ It’s interesting how he takes images of the people who are watching yet he is also technically watching. I find this interesting in the sense of there is basically evidence of the voyeurs here, but no evidence of him, apart from obviously him publishing the images and claiming them. Did the couples know they were being watched?

“My intention was to capture what happened in the parks, so I was not a real ‘voyeur’ like them,” (Yoshiyuki, K. 2007)

“But I think, in a way, the act of taking photographs itself is voyeuristic somehow. So I may be a voyeur, because I am a photographer.” (Yoshiyuki, K. 2007)

Interestingly, it is both illegal to have sex in parks in Japan as well as watching people have sex, so really Yoshiyuki has captured two crimes in one, even though this was not his intention. In an article by Alexxa Gotthardt - How Photographer Kohei Yoshiyuki’s “The Park” Became a Cult Phenomenon it states that ‘He became friendly with them, joining their ranks. But when he took pictures, his focus wasn’t the lovers who came to fool around, but the Peeping Toms themselves. Yoshiyuki was stalking the stalkers.’ (Gotthardt, A., 2019) I found that last sentence quite amusing, not entirely sure why.

I found this work to interesting, as it original although it feels unoriginal due to it involving the idea of people watching others have sex, but the fact that Kohei' Yoshiyuki’s managed to make it about him watching the watchers is what intrigued me the most.

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Panopticon Theory

‘The Panopticon (“all-seeing”) functioned as a round-the-clock surveillance machine.

Its design ensured that no prisoner could ever see the ‘inspector’ who conducted surveillance from the privileged central location within the radial configuration.

The prisoner could never know when he was being surveilled.

It was this mental uncertainty that in itself would prove to be a crucial instrument of discipline of surveillance.’ (Martin, M.J, 2018)

‘Therefore, modern CCTV systems can apply this panoptic power and coerce people to comply.  Even if the CCTV camera hanging on the wall in a big box store is a fake or dummy camera, the shoppers do not know that it is fake.  They dutifully comply to civility and refrain from pilferage because they are concerned that they are being observed.  They feel the risk of getting caught.  It is real and powerful within them.  They believe that they will not get away with the theft of the store’s inventory.  The dummy camera is applying a panoptic pressure demanding that they conform to societal rules.

Even if the camera is made from wood with a metallic-looking paint job and a built-in red light suspended from a bracket on the wall to suggest that it is recording their every action.  It exerts a strong power over the would-be thief.  This assumes that the perpetrator sees the fake camera and believes that they are being surveilled.

Even if the CCTV camera is real, the power that it imposes is the same as the dummy camera.  Again, it is this mental uncertainty that in itself would prove to be a crucial instrument of the discipline of surveillance.’ (Martin, M.J, 2018)

I found this theory to be extremely interesting, I have thought about this idea for a few years as my mum and stepdad used to own a security shop and they would sell dummy cameras to people, it’s that idea that even if it was fake, people wouldn’t know so they would still feel as if they are being watched even if they are not.

I asked my boyfriend a few questions about this.

‘C - Do you think it would have been different if my stepdad had put a fake camera in our room?

J - Well it depends on if you knew it was fake.

C - Say we didn’t know

J - Then no, it wouldn't have made it different.

I thought this was interesting as obviously if we didn’t know if the camera was fake we would have still had that feeling of being watched, but he may not have got any footage of us getting changed or anything like this, so it’s a complicated topic but an interesting discussion. The thought that you are being watched is enough to stop someone from committing any sort of crime or anti-social behaviour as the majority of people are scared of being told off.

Walter Zapp - Founder of the 'secret camera'

Walter Zapp was a Latvian inventor born on the 4th September 1905.

In 1936, he invented a prototype camera which was smaller than a Cigar and weighed less than lighter, this was quite a revelation and was considered to be the first ‘spy’ camera.

‘This camera was developed into a revised version, which later became known as the so-called Riga MINOX, named after the capital of Latvia.’ (https://www.minox.com/en/about/walter-zapp/,2020)

It’s so interesting to see where the idea of surveillance through hidden cameras began, as in a way this is where it started for the public to able to surveille others, before it was almost like only the governments were able to do that, but not anymore.

Tom Howard - The First Photo of an Execution by Electric Chair

In 1928, Ruth Snyder was charged for murdering her husband with the help of her new lover. She was sentenced to death by electric chair. A month before Snyder’s execution, ‘editors in New York enlisted the help of Chicago Tribune photographer Thomas Howard to prepare for their news coverage’ (https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_875015, 2020)

Howard strapped a secret camera to his ankle to capture an image of the scene, the situation was extremely carefully planned as all witnesses to the electrocution had to be searched by security upon entering, but Howard was granted access successfully with the camera attached to his ankle. He ran a long cable release through his trouser leg up to his jacket so that he would be able to press it without difficulty and without suspicion when in the room. He arrived in New York a month before the date to get ready and to practice making pictures wit this hidden ankle camera.

The Camera contained a plate which holds a single exposure, so there was a lot of pressure on Howard to get this one shot! He pressed the shutter as the electrocution began.

The image was then published by New York Daily News the next day with the headline ‘DEAD!’

Considering the idea and scene for the picture taking, Howard managed to capture an extremely well-documented image, it was quite blurry which only adds to the horror of the situation.

I found this whole idea to be very disturbing but it just goes to show what can be achieved through hidden cameras, and once an image has been published, that is it, it will out forever. The fact that this image came out the way it did must have brought a lot of joy to Howard and the editors in New York, however it is a very sensitive subject which, really should have remained unphotographed, or unpublished, however the idea that it has been is both exciting and terrifying as now the general public are able to get a brief understanding of this situation.

Adding text?

I know that with any publication I create for this project, I am going to need some sort of explanation and meaning towards it else people may not understand where the project is coming from.

I was thinking of potentially using some poems such as this by Natasha N Koucoules

Being Watched

Ever have that feeling like someone's watching you?
That feeling you get when you feel eyes on you all the time?
It makes you feel scared, like they want something.
And when you look, they don't look away, they just stare.
That sense of someone wanting something, but not speaking.
It makes you feel like you want to disappear, not be seen.
Until finally, they walk away, leaving you alone again.
And though, you feel better, it still leaves you wary.
Wary of why that person wouldn't stop staring.
Wary of thinking they might do the same thing again.
Thinking they may come back to stare at you again.
It just makes you feel so wary, like they want your attention.
Being watched is something you don't ever want to be.
Because it's a horrible feeling, that leads to being paranoid.

In this case, the idea of ‘someone watching you’ to me would be my stepdad and then when he put the camera in our room even though he took it out, we didn’t know if he was going to put it back or hide one somewhere, so it makes a lot of sense to have something like this alongside my images, however, I feel it lacks information in the meaning of my project so I am not quite sure it is the right one, even though I am able to depict it and understand it personally, others may not be able to.

This is why I am thinking of writing a personal statement to explain my project and the meaning behind it, however, I do worry that from this it may not sound very professional or creative and it may be too long for the audience to read. I need to give it more thought.

The Circle - Do you behave better when being watched?

After watching the film ’The Circle’ with Emma Watson and Tom Hanks, I realised something very interesting.

The character Eamon Bailey played by Tom Hanks asks the question ‘Do you behave better when being watched?’ which really made me think more about the meaning of my project.

My personal answer to this question is Yes, I do believe that I behave better when being watched, however I do not feel that I fulfill my true potential as a human being as I am too worried about doing doing something wrong or stupid when in reality if I was not being watched I may be able to perform a lot better in certain situations.

There are a lot of ethical issues with the idea The Circle gives off, where they have cameras all over the world and they watch all of their employees very very closely. If we knew everything about everyone, then life would not be interesting, we wouldn’t need to converse with others or become friendly with anyone as we would already know their every move.

When I worked at Superdrug, they would be watching the cameras throughout the whole shift and that feeling of knowing you are being watched can be really scary when working, I constantly felt as if I was doing stuff wrong and from this I would be so preoccupied in my thoughts that I would make so many mistakes.

I feel that when I am being watched I am unable to think about anything else other than that and where I am being watched from. Meaning I find it extremely difficult to get on with my life.

There is however the aspect of, maybe people would commit less crimes, less murders, less assault, which would be amazing, but this also means our justice system would change and would almost give a lot more power to those in charge meaning our laws could become extremely strict to the point where we would basically live under a dictatorship.

This is what it felt like living with my step dad, he would somehow always know everything we did at all times and so we were so scared to do anything bad (even though sometimes, when I think about it now, it wasn’t necessarily bad, they just made us believe it was), because of this we had extremely strict rules, we had to ask if we could eat or drink, we were only allowed 1 hot meal a day which we would get at school, we had a very strict curfew where if we were late by just 5 minutes we would get grounded, we had dedicated chores which had to be completed to an extremely high standard, etc etc, many things and because we felt we were constantly being watched, we had to do all of these.

So in general, yes I do believe people behave better, but I believe that no one should hold the power of being able to watch people with everything they do and say as this takes away the humane aspect of things and takes away people’s freedom and lives.

Jack Latham

Jack Latham is a British photographer who is best known for his passion for Conspiracy theories and documentary styles photography. For this project - Parliament of owls, he photographed Bohemian Grove and anything that has connections with this subject.

Bohemian Grove is situated in Southern California first established in 1878. During both World Wars, the area was extremely difficult to infiltrate as politicians began to meet here, even the media are unable to enter or get any information from here.

I found it extremely interesting as to why he decided to call the project ‘Parliament of owls’ which he explained very clearly in the lecture he gave us at the University in 2019; in the 2700 acre piece of land, they’re several different species of owls which are secluded from the public due to this being a restricted area, and so he researched the species of owls available here, and he found some that were accessible to him and started to photograph them.

The way he photographed these owls is what attracted me the most as I am looking into photographing certain cameras with this aesthetic.

I would like for my images to fit in my display in a similar way to these with a clear background so the focus is on them.

When he came to the university as a visiting speaker in 2019, I remember him saying that he managed to find a spot where he could see into Bohemian Grove and he was able to get an image of some of the men on the inside, they did see him unfortunately as he was using Large Format camera, however, I found this to be a sort of voyeuristic scene as he was technically trying to get footage without them knowing. It was interesting to see the men inside wearing shorts and a t-shirt when you would sort of expect them to be wearing more formal wear.

Jack Latham - Viewing platform, Monte Rio, 2018

Jack Latham - Viewing platform, Monte Rio, 2018

It is interesting how he managed to capture an image of a location which has been kept secret for so long and he did so with a large format camera, so in reality this just shouts to me that no matter where you are, people will always be watching. Even if you are in a highly secret location.

Starting to think about how to present it

I am still unsure as to how I wish to present this body of work, I feel I need some more imagery before I can be fully sure. However at the moment my top ideas are

  • Printing 3 large images (roughly A0) of the cameras (either teddy, can, air freshener, light bulb camera fidget cube camera, pen camera or screw camera) next to the images they have taken of random people in the streets, in my sisters room and of people at Locksbrook. With some of the cameras in the setup to add extra to the scene.

  • Making a book out of the images with the same concept, camera next to images taken

  • Having a sort of crime scene Evidence board with the difference cameras linked to different locations and the images with a sort of Cluedo theme.

Currently I am edging towards printing large images with the images next to them as I feel this will give a good display of my project along with a statement to explain the meaning behind it all. I also feel this may work as this has a sort of ‘crime’ mugshot vibe with the white background.

I may also create a book out of it as well, but I am just worried I will not have the content to complete enough pages. I will come back to this idea once I have enough images.

I was thinking a lot about the Evidence Board idea and so I decided to make a few staggered ideas of how I could present the images, I quite like the design with the most images as it no linear at all as so have a lot of unpredictability about it, which I like. It also shows off the cameras and the images well and I find it to be quite creative! I think I might stick with this idea and print it for the crit.

Making a teddy bear camera

I had great great difficulty with making this camera, mostly because my Nephew was very upset by the idea of cutting into a teddy bear, so I had to make sure to hide it from him as I did not want to upset him more. I first cut a small hole in the back of the bear and took out the filling and the right eye so that I could replace it with the small camera. At first I wanted to put the camera into the eye itself but that didn’t seem to have a solution, I am very luckily to have a boyfriend who has a 3D printer, he was able to 3D print a small plastic part which went on the camera to make it easier and more hidden once inserted back into the bear. After making sure the camera was all inserted properly and secure, I sewed it back up and placed it in my sister’s bedroom (of course, I let her know I was doing this) and took pictures throughout the day when she went in and out, again of course making sure she was not revealing anything she didn’t want to be on camera. But I am happy with the outcome of the images.

I quite like the aesthetic this camera gives off with the rounded ‘fisheye’ look and it gets a good view of the whole room which is both great and scary! Either way, I am happy with these images as the teddy bear fits well in her room, if she didn’t know about the camera already, I cannot imagine she would have figured out that there was one in there. The Bear was in her room to begin with and was only taken out to put the camera into and then put straight back, so in reality, nothing could have changed.

How can I explain the purpose of this project and what i have gotten out of it so far?

When I began this year, I realised that I wanted to use it as a sort of Phototherapy year to help express myself through photography, and so I started to analyse myself and figure out what I could turn into a photographic project and something that is not too intense to ease myself back into university after Lockdown. After talking to my sisters, I realised that one thing we all have is severe paranoia, that feeling that we are being watched constantly. Whenever I do something embarrassing, silly, funny or private, there is always a little voice in our heads saying that someone saw us doing these things. After our first crit, I was told that it would be a good idea to figure out why I feel this way, and it made me realise that once again, it was due to my stepfather who has made all of our lives very difficult to due mental abuse. When I was just 9 and my sister was 4, he placed a camera in our rooms to ‘watch over us’ I thought it was for only a day but it turns out it was actually for just about a week. I tried to block out a lot of memories so I didn’t realise it was this long. He also worked for a security company, which sold cameras. So who knows how many times he put cameras in the house. I realised this was the main reason for feeling this way, as well getting told off for every little thing I did, and every time I did something that he didn’t like, even if I was extremely discreet about it, he would always find out.

I wanted to create this project to sort of explore this feeling and to see how the feeling of being watched is very closely related to Hidden Cameras and surveillance and so I sort of wanted to create a project to help people who do not feel this way to understand those who do. Even though this was my intention at the start, it has faded a bit since and is no longer so much about making people understand but about understanding the feeling myself. This project has helped me in ways that even I don’t fully understand, but mostly by depicting small things that he did to make our lives difficult and trying to understand them. So after all of the research and understanding, I have gained from this project, I know am aware that feeling this way is not abnormal, especially in this day and age where technology is everywhere we go. But it is also not necessarily a bad thing, as though feeling like this, I am more aware of my surroundings and I am more careful about the decisions I make. Even though, it is a horrible feeling during most times, is completely normal and understood by many more than I first believed.

Can camera

I placed a camera inside of an energy drink can, first off to just see how visible it was, and even though I did an extremely rough job, it was really hidden and hard to see even when I knew it was there!

I placed it on the floor in a high street to see what i could get, obviously due to it being a can I wasn’t expecting it to catch much and also as it was on the floor. But it was quite interesting to see people’s shoes!

I was playing around to see where I could hide cameras and this is probably amongst my favorite as no one would notice a can, there are cans all over the place as so many people litter, and no one would dare to touch it, especially at the moment as who knows who would’ve touched it beforehand. So I am happy with the outcome of these ‘feet’ images with this can camera. ‘Can’did shots….

Airbnb hidden cameras Scandal

‘Once the family had unpacked, Andrew Barker, who works in IT security, scanned the house's Wi-Fi network.

The scan unearthed a camera, and subsequently a live feed. From the angle of the video, the family tracked down the camera, concealed in what appeared to be a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector.’

‘Next, Andrew Barker called the owner of the property. When confronted with the family's discovery, Nealie Barker said, the host hung up. Later, he called back, insisting the camera in the living room was the only one in the house.

"We didn't feel relieved by that," she said, adding that the host refused to confirm whether he was recording the Livestream, or capturing audio.’

‘According to Nealie Barker, Airbnb did not contact the family again. After she got through to them two weeks later, the company told her that the host had been "exonerated," and the listing reinstated.

It was only after she posted about the incident on Facebook and local New Zealand news stations reported her experience that the host was permanently banned, she said.’

‘In a statement, Airbnb told CNN: "The safety and privacy of our community -- both online and offline -- is our priority. Airbnb policies strictly prohibit hidden cameras in listings and we take reports of any violations extremely seriously. We have permanently removed this bad actor from our platform."'

I remember hearing about this incident a few years ago and was always very wary of this happening to me and so since have always checked for cameras every time I go to a hotel or BnB including Airbnb! (https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/05/europe/ireland-airbnb-hidden-camera-scli-intl/index.html, 2019)

It’s interesting as this statement from the articles says ‘‘In a statement, Airbnb told CNN: "The safety and privacy of our community -- both online and offline -- is our priority. Airbnb policies strictly prohibit hidden cameras in listings and we take reports of any violations extremely seriously. We have permanently removed this bad actor from our platform."‘ although now it is actually legal for Airbnb hosts to have cameras in their property as long as they list them in the description.

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Here are some tips to look for hidden cameras if you feel the need too!

‘'One of the easiest ways to detect hidden cameras is by checking around the environment carefully. An inch-by-inch search would be helpful to spot ”obvious” hidden cameras at the first step.

Most Common Places to Find Hidden Cameras Indoors
• Smoke detectors
• Air filter equipment
• Books
• Wall décor
• Electrical outlets
• Desk plants
• Tissue boxes
• Stuffed teddy bears
• Couch cushions, table tops, and shelves
• DVD cases
• Lava lamps
• Digital TV boxes
• Wall sockets
• Hairdryer holders
• Wall or alarm clocks
• Clothes hooks
• Pens

Most Common Positions to Locate Hidden Cameras & Microphones Outdoors
• House plants
• Holes on the doors
• The roof the house
• The doorbell outside your home

Some objects may reveal suspicious wires, lights or lenses that are hallmarks of hidden spy cameras. If you find some unusual power outlets or adapters, unplug them immediately.

Listen as you walk through the entire room. Some hidden motion-sensing surveillance cameras would make an almost inaudible buzz when in operation.’

Here are a few links with some step by step guides on how to find hidden cameras!

https://reolink.com/how-to-detect-hidden-cameras/

https://www.senteltechsecurity.com/blog/post/how-to-find-hidden-cameras/

You can also buy a hidden camera detector!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hidden-Camera-Detector-Wireless-Scanner/dp/B07T1H6QG1