Light Painting
I experimented with light painting in class by putting my camera on a slow shutter speed of around "4 or "5 and moving a light. This created a trail of light and I was able to draw shapes and patterns. In the first picture above I had drawn around a person which I think worked well as it created a luminous glow which made the person appear deified. I also experimented on photoshop by flipping and rotating images to make more complex patterns. Over this I then layered a gradient map in order to create more interesting colours. I like the two images below as they are more complex, however I think it may work better when the trails of light are thicker, like in the image above.
Oliver Hoffmann
Oliver Hoffmann is a photographer that took a series of night time photographs in Sydney. He said "I show great interest in night photography driven by the contrast of night sky and bright lights". He has used a slow shutter speed to create light trails and explored with different colours and contrasts. This can be seen in his photograph of the Sydney Opera House where the bright colourful lights contrast the black sky, and their vibrance makes them stand out. This photo works well as there is contrast between the photo, the top half has harsh block colouring where as the bottom has a fluid texture and warm glow from the lighting. The photograph below of a street shows movement, as light trails have been created from moving cars. It creates an almost surreal image as the buildings and infrastructure remain in focus but then there is a stream of light that penetrates though the landscape. I think the angle used works well as it makes the trails seem cyclical and everlasting.
Response - light trails
Here I have attempted to respond to Oliver Hoffmanns work, I have used a slow shutter speed in a night time, urban environments to create light trails from cars. I also reflected some of the photos to create a more interesting image that converges at a point. I think this could be improved by photographing in a different location that has a better backdrop, such as a specific landmark. The bottom images didn't work as well due to the lack of cars, so I must also ensure that the location is busy enough.
Nadav Kander
He has aimed to capture the destruction of Chernobyl, this can be seen in this photograph ( Kindergarten Golden Key). It was taken in Prypiat of a Kindergarten school. It is of a room filled with rows of empty, rusting beds and peeling walls. There is low vibrance and saturation which shows the abandonment; although this is contrasted by the red-stained pillows. The photo has used balance to show a sense of rigid structure, however this contradicts the dilapidated room as it shows that this has been destroyed through decay. The photographer has also used perspective to shows the scale of the destruction. |
Nadav Kander visited Chernobyl, where he took this picture - Classroom, Secondary School No.1 Pripyat. The photograph shows a dilapidated classroom; the desks remain in rows but they are heavily decayed. The room is deserted which conveys a disturbing sense of silence. The picture shows different textures, mainly flakes of paint, this portrays a sense of abandonment. Chernobyl shows what would happen to a place if all humans left; the brightness of the photo juxtaposes the decaying room showing that nature would still carry on. He has aimed to capture this decay. The photograph has a low saturation and contrast which may show the loss of human life and also portray the innocence of the children which once learnt in this classroom.
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Response - Swimming Pool
After looking at Nadav Kander I completed a formal elements task in which I went to an abandoned swimming pool and looked for various things to photograph such as texture and colour. The images below are my final edits:
I think all the images worked well as they effectively present the formal elements. From doing this task I have developed my understanding of landscape, and I think I might develop this idea further by looking at some specific formal elements.
Walk Task
Depth Of Field
Shape
I went on a walk around my local area looking at the formal elements. I chose to capture depth of field and shape and so I found objects that fitted this. I think the depth of field picture of the wire fence works best as the foreground of the image is in focus, making the metal spikes appear harsh and clear.
The Woods
I also went to Coldfall Woods where I could focus more on the natural landscape and I took these photographs to the right. I mainly focused on the texture of the undergrowth and so I photographed decaying wood and fungi. I also took some landscape pictures of the woods which I think worked well as there was a dense layer of trees. |
The Graveyard
I then went to the graveyard where I took the pictures above. In each image I focused on something different, these included: perspective, balance, contrast and shape.
David Hockney
David Hockney started to produce photo collages or 'joiners' in the early 1980's, one of his main aims to create an element of Cubism. This was achieved by taking photographs from slightly different angles. He also aimed to shows landscapes and subjects from the photographers perspective. He created the joiners by taking a series of photographs and then assembling them to create a final image. The picture on the left is 'Pearblossom Highway' taken in 1986. It shows a cross road in the north Los Angeles which reveals the observations of a road trip, which include roadside litter, signs and cacti in the American desert. The photo is taken as through it was the view from a car.
Joiners
Here I have taken several photographs form one position, I then used photoshop to join up the photos to create a collage that presents one image. The first one I did on the left didn't work that well because the pictures lined up too well. I therefore tried again (image on the right) which was more successful. However, the lighting in the room wasn't ideal, which created an uneven light balance between the photographs. To improve it I might try one outside in daylight to avoid this. The location could also be improved, I could try to capture some more interesting. These joiners only contain about 7 photographs, to more a more complex image I could take a larger series of photos.
Task - My London
Strand 1 - London Landmarks
Contact Sheets:
Edits
Vivienne Gucwa
Vivienne Gucwa explores changing urban landscapes through her photography. This photograph is called 'Two Suns' and is of the New York city skyline in silhouette at sunset, it shows the iconic sky scrapers of the city, with the empire state building as the central focus. The harsh buildings contrast with the warming tone of the sunset and the reflection of this on the water below.
Strand 2- Silhouettes
Strand 3 - Natural London
I decided not to develop these original 3 strands as I thought they were too conventional
Douglas Page
Douglas Page is an advertising and commercial photographer based in Honolulu, Hawaii. His photography has been published internationally and his Fine Art Prints are owned by collectors worldwide. He took a series of Architecture photos, mainly of glass buildings. He explored both reflection and extreme angles, and all the photographs contain only blue, white and black tones, creating a neutral image. The photo on the right is a reflection of the sky in a glass building, it has a high saturation and contrast, allowing the reflection to stand out. The other two photographs are both taken from a low angle which helps present the scale of the buildings. The perspective used makes the buildings appear dominant over the landscape and presents modern urbanisation.
Strand 4 - Glass Architecture
I went into London and wasn't initially looking at glass architecture, but took these photographs and thought it would be interesting to explore.
Contact Sheets:
Initially I took photos of various glass buildings, but then realised that using reflection was much more interesting. I think the photos that are reflections in the gherkin work best as it distorts the reflection, creating a more abstract image. They also incorporate geometry as they have a strong sense of pattern, which helps to balance the picture and make it more unusual. The photographs of buildings were inspired by Douglas Pages work, as I tried to capture the same blue tones and create a sense of scale by taking the picture from a low angle.
Nobuyuki Taguchi
Nobuyuki Taugchi is a Japanese photographer that explores urban street life through black and white photography. He studied Fine Art in Sculpture at University in London and then went on to become a photographer, he first started taking pictures in 1991. He took a series of photographs in London in 2011 which convey the cities street life, he looks at both the landscape and the people within it. In the centre picture (Reading secondhand book, Rupert Street London) he has used a shallow depth of field which helps to highlight the stall, as everything else carries on around it. Although this series of photographs were taken in 2011, they are not dissimilar to his early London photography as many of his images appear timeless. Taugchi manages to convey the natural street life of London.
Strand 5 - Urban Street Life
Contact Sheet:
I walked around my local area trying to capture natural street life. I chose to edit the set of photographs in black and white, as Nobuyuki Taguchi did in his set of London street life .I experimented with candid photography, but discovered that it can be difficult if the subject is close or facing the same way. I particularly like the photograph of the builders in the house, as there is a strong sense of texture and pattern. For the photograph of the bike I used a slow shutter speed, creating a sense of movement, this is effective as the bike remains in focus, portraying how life carries on moving around it. I also think the photograph of the garage works well as there is a sense of balance. To develop this idea further I would like to explore a more interesting area, in order to improve the subject of the images.
Greg Schmigel
Greg Schmigel was born in American in 1969. He is a graphic designer who does street photography and captures the lives of the people that he encounters on the street and in public places. When he goes out to take street photography he takes around 800-1000 photographs a day of candid glimpses of everyday life in urban areas. He doesn't disturb his subjects or ask to take a picture, as he believes that it will change the composition of the photograph and therefore uses candid photography. Although he considers himself as a street photographer, he is most known for being an iphone photographer. He believes that 90% of photography is related to the persons creative eye and therefore the camera is not important. His work was first exhibited in 2010 and shown in multiple cities including New York and Berlin. Greg Schmigel said, "There's something special and unique about shooting street photography. It's real, it's true slices of life as we see it". He has created lots of collections of photographs that capture different areas and people. I particularly like the image on the right as the shadow provides both balance and contrast. The photographer manages to capture mundane actions and areas, while creating interesting photographs.
Contact Sheets
I then went to Brick Lane in order to capture a more interesting location. I looked at the urban decay of the area and the general street life and I think that the majority of the photographs work well as they contain interesting subjects, however I think the street life is captured more effectively if the photo contains people. The composition of most of the photographs is good, as they are balanced. I have used a variety of angles to try and capture the streets from different view points and I may explore this further and to improve upon it I must ensure that the entire subject is in the frame. The photographs containing graffiti work particularly well as a strong sense of contrast is created between the different tones. The photographs of the decaying landscape contain lots of texture that makes the image more interesting.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French born photography that was considered to be highly influential in modern photojournalism. He said, "To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart. It's a way of life." He developed Street Photography through his concept of 'the decisive moment', which was published as a book in 1952. He said "To me photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organisation of forms which give that event its proper expression". This theory is evident in his Street Photography as he manages to capture the imperative moments in street life. Although his pictures have been taken in various locations they all have an element of spontaneity and capture natural street life. He often used 35mm format and was a master of Candid photography, where he would surprise the subject or not disturb them. This can be seen in his photographs of street life as he manages to capture natural events that occur. For example, in the left hand image, the boys appear to be playing in the street without posing, as the photographer has captured the event without them seeing through a hole in the wall. If I take more street life pictures I will use this theory of 'the decisive moment' as I will try out Candid photography to get a natural representation of the area.
Photo Analysis
Henri Cartier-Bresson took this photograph while in Sumatra, Indonesia in 1952. It shows layers of rice fields and woman at work harvesting the crop. He has used reflection to create patterns of palm trees in the flooded fields, which is effective as it creates a more interesting image. Once he had found his ideal composition he waited for a turbaned woman to appear, in order to anchor the image. The photograph manages to convey the natural life and landscape of Sumatra.
Eugene Atget
Eugene Atget was a French photographer that explored the street life and architecture of Paris from 1897-1927. His photographs showed various aspects of the city, from shop windows to decaying buildings and narrow lanes. He tended to use long exposures and a wide view to create a sense of ambiance. He also created a vignette on some of his photographs by re-positioning the lens. I like all three of the photographs above: In the left hand photo he manages to capture the typical, slightly run-down architecture of the area, and this is something I also looked at when exploring street life. Also, the central image has excellent composition and manages to capture an interesting, yet natural event. After looking at his work I used some of his ideas to develop my strand of urban street life.
I went back to Brick Lane to explore my idea of Urban Street Life further:
When I returned to Brick Lane I took into account Henri Cartier-Bresson's idea of 'The decisive moment' and tried to capture significant moments. I think the photograph of the news stand manages to incorporate this theory, as it captures the natural, mundane act. I particularly like the photograph of the fish and chip shop, as it has a sense of balance but also uses reflection to create a more interesting image. Some of the pictures, for example the old sweet and fruit and veg shop may have worked better if there were people in them. However I tried to capture this but due to their old fashioned look, the modern people did not compliment the picture.
Final Edits
For my final outcome I created a book of images from Brick Lane. I chose to present my images in a book because it is a good format for social documentary photographs, this is because, in order to get an overview and good representation of an area, you need multiple photographs. It is then fitting to present them in a book, like other photographers have, for example Robert Franks book 'The Americans':
In this book, Robert Frank conveys contemporary America through his Candid photography. Creating a book enables you to have lots of images, as well as captions and writing, which allow you to give information about the photographs, for example the specific location.
The photographs are a body of work and therefore must be presented together in order to convey the area. I also printed off four A4 images so that I would have some larger photographs to display. |
I was unsure which photographs I wanted to print larger, as some photographs work better as a collection, rather than a singular print. I therefore took another set of observations in order to have a wider choice: