Mystery and Imagination
Brief
To carry out my prepatatory studies through the exam theme title of 'Mystery and Imagination' by presenting my work across this site to show progress towards my final outcome
Initial Ideas
After creating a mind map of all the different areas of Mystery and Imagination I chose three starting points to develop and experiment with.
- The Body: Making the Familiar Unfamiliar
Not being able to see someone's face leaves no identity, becoming unknown. - Beauty and Mystery in the Everyday - Collections, Obsessions
How? Why? Tim Walker is someone who photographs not nesscicerly collections but things in large quantaties e.g balloons and cakes. - Heightened Reality - Little People Street project
Slinkachu plays with heightened reality by photographing small plastic figures amongst every day objects.
Research - Back of Heads
I first came across this photo when looking at Tim Walker's work related to collections and obsessions however I thought it tied in more with my idea of The Body: Making the Familiar Unfamiliar. The fact that you cannot see the woman's conceals her identity and is therefore unknown and furthermore a mystery to any viewer. Tim Walker photographed the actress and Her Suitcases in London, 1997 for Italian Vogue. This lead me to thinking about photographing people yet not revealing any of their facial features or personal image. I thought photographing people from the back shows more of who they are through their surroundings, hair and clothing rather than covering their faces with large objects but still not revealing too much of their identity as they are not captured from the front or even in a profile.
Analysis
Form: The image shows a blonde girl who is fairly centered in the frame and is facing away from the lense. The photo has been taken of the back of her head quite close up as she looks out of a window as she stands in what appears to be a kitchen. The camera focusses on her only with the rest of her surroundings out of focus. As the sun light shines through the big window in front of her it catches all of the yellow stray hairs from her tied up hair which illuminates her head and really captures its detail, surprisingly from the back yet not the detail of what is outside which adds to it's mysteriousness. |
Process: The photo has been taken in colour under the natural light but indoors looking out. You can tell this as the light shines through her hair and is probably ;ate afternoon or early morning as the light shines sideways through the window. The photographer has used manual focus to highlight her image so that everything else is blurry especially what is outside as it is such harsh light and everything beyond the window becomes over exposed. It has been taken from the shoulders up quite close rather like her viewpoint. Content: I really like this photo as it's similar to a silhouette in that you are unable to see the woman's facial features and identity, yet not everything is hidden as you still capture some of the detail from her hair and clothing. I think the photographer was aimed to shoot the photo in the natural light so it would light um her hair and make her glow almost as her blonde hair catches the rays. I also like shapes the window forms as the light streams through as it is so out of focus yet the top half seems more unreal and couldn't be seen in this way by the human eye. I found photo on flickr and really thought it displayed what I wish to capture in my own photos. |
Set 1: Backs of Heads
Aim: This is my first set where I have photographed people from the back so you are unable to see any of their facial features. Not being able to see someone's face or identity makes their image become very mysterious.
Process: I captured the shots in natural light, trying to have the light before the subject yet still capturing detail at the back of their head. Critique: To improve this set i think i would have to focus a bit more on getting more light on the backs of their heads and also play with a wider variety of backgrounds and obstacles to look through. I could also trying playing with the focus and capture light spots. Further development: Another improvement to develop further will be photographing people who are not recognizable such as strangers or out of school friends to add to how mysterious and odd the pictures can really be if the subjects are truly unknown. |
SS 1/50 f/3.5 FL 18mm ISO 200
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Research - Collections
Tim Walker is a British fashion photographer born in 1970 whos photographs have attracted the readers of Vogue for over a decade. He has created many extravagant and romantic motifs which portray his unique style. I really like how many of his photos include alot of one certain thing weather it be a plant, an object or an animal, when there are a large number it looks so crazy and wonderful.
I started off by thinking about things that people collect and why, plus how they looked when photographed all together we made me think more about things which come is masses and varites and when captured all together amounst many others also transforming rooms or scenes into something completely different, how mysterious and imaginative it is... almost dreamlike.
I started off by thinking about things that people collect and why, plus how they looked when photographed all together we made me think more about things which come is masses and varites and when captured all together amounst many others also transforming rooms or scenes into something completely different, how mysterious and imaginative it is... almost dreamlike.
Analysis
Englingham Hall, Northumbaland, England 2000
Form: This photo displays a very large house/mansion straight which takes up most of the frame and appears to have balloons dripping from the many windows. The are five main sets of bright, multicolored balloons across the front of the house as well as some floating around the plush, green land in front of the house.
Process: The image seems to be taken in the day due to the natural light as every part of the house outside is clear and in view. I think Walker would have attached many balloons together in bunches and had them weighed down on the inside of the house and maybe even attached to the outside so they unable to move about or float away. He has used a wide range of coloured balloons seeping from the house as well as dotted around on the lawn where they also may have been weighed down. This photo was taken digitally and possibly on a tripod to capture the balloons so still also quite a few meters away.
Content: I think that the balloons are so outstanding as they really pop off the hall's texture and dull colour. They add noise and energy to the old, traditional structure and really liven up the scene. I think the installation is so weird and wonderful and i love how Walker transforms this area from something so simple to something so much more inviting and weird but still remains so simple and funny, enigmtic.
Englingham Hall, Northumbaland, England 2000
Form: This photo displays a very large house/mansion straight which takes up most of the frame and appears to have balloons dripping from the many windows. The are five main sets of bright, multicolored balloons across the front of the house as well as some floating around the plush, green land in front of the house.
Process: The image seems to be taken in the day due to the natural light as every part of the house outside is clear and in view. I think Walker would have attached many balloons together in bunches and had them weighed down on the inside of the house and maybe even attached to the outside so they unable to move about or float away. He has used a wide range of coloured balloons seeping from the house as well as dotted around on the lawn where they also may have been weighed down. This photo was taken digitally and possibly on a tripod to capture the balloons so still also quite a few meters away.
Content: I think that the balloons are so outstanding as they really pop off the hall's texture and dull colour. They add noise and energy to the old, traditional structure and really liven up the scene. I think the installation is so weird and wonderful and i love how Walker transforms this area from something so simple to something so much more inviting and weird but still remains so simple and funny, enigmtic.
Set 2: Collections
Aim: I wanted to take photos of things which come in large quantities and display them all together to show their variety. Alsoto present how they link and differentiate through what they share and how they contrast.
SS 1/25 F/4.0 FL 18MM ISO 500
Process: I decided to start with things which people collect as they usually differentiate and also could ask the questions of why and how when an image is shown displayed of a lot of the same thing.
I started with rubber ducks and set them all up in one large group across and by the window so i had natural light hitting them so i could play with changing angles. In one of the images I focussed on a large duck using manual focus to display its importance and also emphasise the large quantity of the smaller ones. With the magazines and CDS I again shot them in natural light using an average shutter speed to get them at the right level of exposure.
Critique: I think I could take photos of objects which are more 3D which people collect such as the rubber ducks rather then flat things such as magazines and CDs. That way i could play more with angles and emphasizing the quantities and set them up in more interesting arrangements i.e 'covering a room' like the photo above of a bathroom covered in vegetation.
Development: Focus on more 3D objects with interesnting shapes and in more busy arangements maybe hanging, or placed on different levels rather than across the floor. I could also come away slightly from collections and play more with obsessions such as cakes, shoes or animals which people dont nessarserily collect, mainly things which just come in big numbers e.g flowers, balloons, dresses, doors.
I started with rubber ducks and set them all up in one large group across and by the window so i had natural light hitting them so i could play with changing angles. In one of the images I focussed on a large duck using manual focus to display its importance and also emphasise the large quantity of the smaller ones. With the magazines and CDS I again shot them in natural light using an average shutter speed to get them at the right level of exposure.
Critique: I think I could take photos of objects which are more 3D which people collect such as the rubber ducks rather then flat things such as magazines and CDs. That way i could play more with angles and emphasizing the quantities and set them up in more interesting arrangements i.e 'covering a room' like the photo above of a bathroom covered in vegetation.
Development: Focus on more 3D objects with interesnting shapes and in more busy arangements maybe hanging, or placed on different levels rather than across the floor. I could also come away slightly from collections and play more with obsessions such as cakes, shoes or animals which people dont nessarserily collect, mainly things which just come in big numbers e.g flowers, balloons, dresses, doors.
Photos I have taken previously not necessarily to do with obsession but things which come
in large quantities...
in large quantities...
Research - Little People
Slinkachu Little People Street Project
28/m/Uk
28/m/Uk
"My 'Little People Project' started in 2006. It involves the remodelling and painting of miniature model train set characters, which I then place and leave on the street. It is both a street art installation project and a photography project. The street-based side of my work plays with the notion of surprise and I aim to encourage city-dwellers to be more aware of their surroundings. The scenes I set up, more evident through the photography, and the titles I give these scenes aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed. But underneath this, there is always some humour. I want people to be able to empathise with the tiny people in my works."
Sugar High 2011 - Analysis
Form: Here Slinkachu has photographed one of his little plastic people as they have blown a bubble using pink bubble gum and the bubble which would be quite small to a human being is ten times the size of the little figure. As it is so big they are floating away off of the ground leaving the 'giant' wrapper behind on the grey street floor.
Process: This photo has been taken in daylight on the side of a brick laid street. Close to the ground and wall Slinkachu may have stuck the wrapper to the ground to insure it doesn't fly away and also either hung or dropped or even edited in the small figure attached to the bubble in mid air. The shot is in portrait and in colour using a digital camera probably shot in macro mode to focus on the objects close up.
Content: I think Slinkachu is trying to display a sense of perspective with these small figures when they interact with certain objects in relation to our perspective on the world and how we interact with everything around us. Our perspectives and viewpoints would be so different and maybe we should look at and interpret things differently in the city by noticing all of the little things and pay attention to small detail. This portrait photo helps to emphasise height and presents a funny and clever installation which is so minor yet really creative and across a huge scale.
Form: Here Slinkachu has photographed one of his little plastic people as they have blown a bubble using pink bubble gum and the bubble which would be quite small to a human being is ten times the size of the little figure. As it is so big they are floating away off of the ground leaving the 'giant' wrapper behind on the grey street floor.
Process: This photo has been taken in daylight on the side of a brick laid street. Close to the ground and wall Slinkachu may have stuck the wrapper to the ground to insure it doesn't fly away and also either hung or dropped or even edited in the small figure attached to the bubble in mid air. The shot is in portrait and in colour using a digital camera probably shot in macro mode to focus on the objects close up.
Content: I think Slinkachu is trying to display a sense of perspective with these small figures when they interact with certain objects in relation to our perspective on the world and how we interact with everything around us. Our perspectives and viewpoints would be so different and maybe we should look at and interpret things differently in the city by noticing all of the little things and pay attention to small detail. This portrait photo helps to emphasise height and presents a funny and clever installation which is so minor yet really creative and across a huge scale.
I want to focus on playing with heightened reality like Slinkachu by using small plastic figures and placing them in and around fairly small objects to depict scale, angles and perspective as though there are imaginary little worlds within ours, right at our feet.
Set 3: Little People
shutter speead 1/800 ISO 400 appature f 9.0 focal length 40mm
Aims: To capture little figures amounsgt everday objects, playing with colour and scale.
Process: When taking this set of photos I had to rally zoom in and make the appature quite small meaning the 'f stop' was a big number. This allowed the little people to be completly in focus and center of the photo as well as what they were closely surrounded by. Most were taken during the day so flash was not needed and the sun helped thw colours to pop.
Critique: Photos seem to feature nature alot, and are in one specific area. Figures are also quite blank and stiff, they are not in the most interactive positions.
Further Development: Taking the figures around town abit more interacting with objects on a bigger scale and playing with perspective more. I could also buy some more detailed figures in more intresting positions to create more creative and realistic scenes i.e sitting, running, eating.
Process: When taking this set of photos I had to rally zoom in and make the appature quite small meaning the 'f stop' was a big number. This allowed the little people to be completly in focus and center of the photo as well as what they were closely surrounded by. Most were taken during the day so flash was not needed and the sun helped thw colours to pop.
Critique: Photos seem to feature nature alot, and are in one specific area. Figures are also quite blank and stiff, they are not in the most interactive positions.
Further Development: Taking the figures around town abit more interacting with objects on a bigger scale and playing with perspective more. I could also buy some more detailed figures in more intresting positions to create more creative and realistic scenes i.e sitting, running, eating.
Film Noir
Features of film noir photography:
shadows and silhouettes high contrast diffused light existing light sources low key lighting extreme camera angles expressionist distortion
shadows and silhouettes high contrast diffused light existing light sources low key lighting extreme camera angles expressionist distortion
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is began in the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionistcinematography. Much of the unique attitude of classic film noir evolved from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression.
Set 4: Film Noir Task
Aim: Use the studio or areas around the school to create film noir inspired images. Capture subjects with background lighting and edit to black and white.
shutter speead 1/60 ISO 600 appature f4.0 focal length 27mm
Process: When shooting this set we used the studio with a grey backdrop with a fairly harsh spot light hitting it creating a diffused circle of light in the backgraound. We first worked with the OHP and used strips of card to create the impression of blinds. We then also shon the light onto one side of Holly's face as she held a gun out towards the left of the lens. I then used a small f stop to make the gun in focus and Holly out of focus with a low focal length as well.
Critique: Not enough experimentation, quite limited set ups more models and poses should be used. I could create a more contrasting light like the last two photos which seem more secretive and give a sinister mood. I could also focus more on forming shadows in the back ground.
Further Development: Create a scene using two or more models creating a more dramatised scene as well as playing with one model and shadows cast against the backdrop.
Critique: Not enough experimentation, quite limited set ups more models and poses should be used. I could create a more contrasting light like the last two photos which seem more secretive and give a sinister mood. I could also focus more on forming shadows in the back ground.
Further Development: Create a scene using two or more models creating a more dramatised scene as well as playing with one model and shadows cast against the backdrop.
Set 5: Studio set
Aims:
Movement Silhouettes Dress Up
Movement Silhouettes Dress Up
SS 1 f/4.0 FL 28mm ISO 200 SS 1/320 f/4.0 FL 27mm ISO 800 SS 1/100 f/4.5 FL 30mm ISO 400
Process:
movement - harsh spotlight, long exposure for 1 seconnd to create weird and ghostly figures and movement of the head only.
silhouettes - spotlight hitting the grey back drop with Holly wearing a mask at a closer distance to the camera, not lit up forming a silhouette as she is backlit.
dress up - For this shoot we dressed Elly up using weird fabrics that were quite over the top and esentric and shone the spotlight straight onto her face creating shadows on her face and the backdrop due to such harsh light.
Critique:
movement- I think I could make the movement photos less orange by lowering the saturation or by diffusing the light.
silhouettes- could be more in focus and sharp to capture the outline of the figure.
dress up - Finally for the dress up shoot a wider variety of angles are needed plus maybe more sets of costumes minimun three, all dull colours or all bright colours.
Further Development:
movement - By lowering the saturation or even diffuse the light abit more the photos will not seem so orange as well as playing with movement in black and white and full body shots.
silhouettes - For the silhouettes I could experiment with a range of poses and more than one model, aswell as getting the figure to be more in focuss.
dress up - Here I could play with ange more and get some from high up or low on the ground. I could eve take some from the back so that she bloks the bright light and weird outlines are formed. Shadows can also be made against the backdrop to create weird figures.
movement - harsh spotlight, long exposure for 1 seconnd to create weird and ghostly figures and movement of the head only.
silhouettes - spotlight hitting the grey back drop with Holly wearing a mask at a closer distance to the camera, not lit up forming a silhouette as she is backlit.
dress up - For this shoot we dressed Elly up using weird fabrics that were quite over the top and esentric and shone the spotlight straight onto her face creating shadows on her face and the backdrop due to such harsh light.
Critique:
movement- I think I could make the movement photos less orange by lowering the saturation or by diffusing the light.
silhouettes- could be more in focus and sharp to capture the outline of the figure.
dress up - Finally for the dress up shoot a wider variety of angles are needed plus maybe more sets of costumes minimun three, all dull colours or all bright colours.
Further Development:
movement - By lowering the saturation or even diffuse the light abit more the photos will not seem so orange as well as playing with movement in black and white and full body shots.
silhouettes - For the silhouettes I could experiment with a range of poses and more than one model, aswell as getting the figure to be more in focuss.
dress up - Here I could play with ange more and get some from high up or low on the ground. I could eve take some from the back so that she bloks the bright light and weird outlines are formed. Shadows can also be made against the backdrop to create weird figures.
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman was an American photographer who was best known for her black and white pictures which would feature herself and other female models. Woodman spent the most part of her childhood in Italy in the Florentine countryside. The charm of the old house had influence on Francesca’s unique style; the high-ceilinged rooms, the crumbling walls, the old decorations are all felt to be surfaces like ‘skins’ in which to cover oneself. Many of her photographs show young women in motion and blurred over long exposures. They merge with their surroundings or or sometimes their faces are obscured. Her work still continues to draw much attention.
Transforming bodies in the space of femininity.
"untitled" - 1979, New York Woodman leans upon a chipped wall with her back facing the camera, exposing a skeletonlike pattern. She has on an old dress decorated with horizontal bands of a skeletal leaf pattern as her right hand holds a big fish skeleton against her bare back. |
Contempory art
"untitled" - 1975, Providence, Rhode Island Woodman appears as Alice, in a Victorian-looking dress. She looks directly into the camera and gestures oddly with her hands and arms toward a door opposite her which is half open displaying a dark room behind as if she is inviting us in. |
Typically with my last set of photos, I think I could really develop them by applying some of Woodman's techniques to my photos. Maybe taking them with a manual camera helps to emphasise the edginess and creepiness of the photos as they become a bit patchy and add to the scratched detail. I also like show she frames her subjects to the left and the right which is what i have done but the shots are taken from a further istance so more of the model is seen as well as their surroundings.
Barbican
We visited the Barbican before our gallery visit at White chapel and used it as an opportunity to capture some of the shapes and angles formed by the many modern and slick architecture of the buildings near by.
here I found that many shapes of different sizes and textures were set amongst one another. I focussed on how so many can be caught in a single frame whether it be a large or small area. The Barbican was surrounded by so many individual shapes of not just buildings but tables, chairs and even fountains creating a envision manifold of ideas.
here I found that many shapes of different sizes and textures were set amongst one another. I focussed on how so many can be caught in a single frame whether it be a large or small area. The Barbican was surrounded by so many individual shapes of not just buildings but tables, chairs and even fountains creating a envision manifold of ideas.
Set 6: Shapes - Angles and Silhouettes
Aim: photograph interesting set ups of buildings from different angles creating new forms of complimenting shapes. Also ranging with shapes through reflection and how something is altered through glass as well as silhouettes forming dark and eerie shapes.
SS 1/125 f/16.0 FL 18mm ISO 400
Shapes: Silhouettes
SS 1/40 f/4.5 FL 32mm ISO 400
SS 1/40 f/4.5 FL 32mm ISO 400
Process: I used a average shutter speed to capture the buildings in daylight and played with angles from high and low points of view to view different lines and curves. I really like the photos reflecting the surrounding buildings as they are seen to be in a different form or not in that place at all but trapped on the other side of the glass. For the silhouettes and darker pictures the shutter speed was fairly slower and even so slow that figures seem elongated and blured which i made them more sureal and ghost like.
Critique: Shapes formed from different viewpoints could vary a lot more and be even more compelling, maybe even rotating an image would make certain angles more intriguing. Find darker places, where peoples faces are not so lit and then focussing on silhouettes being more in focus or using a sloer shutter speed to create bodies captured over a long exposure.
Further Development: Visit more complexed buildings in the city which will display drastic perspectives at different angles i.e shapes, vanishing points. When focussing on silhouettes or dark areas indoors find intricate light sources that are unusual and focus on back lighting and the movement of the camera when creating distorted figures.
Critique: Shapes formed from different viewpoints could vary a lot more and be even more compelling, maybe even rotating an image would make certain angles more intriguing. Find darker places, where peoples faces are not so lit and then focussing on silhouettes being more in focus or using a sloer shutter speed to create bodies captured over a long exposure.
Further Development: Visit more complexed buildings in the city which will display drastic perspectives at different angles i.e shapes, vanishing points. When focussing on silhouettes or dark areas indoors find intricate light sources that are unusual and focus on back lighting and the movement of the camera when creating distorted figures.
Eugene Meatyard
Ralph Eugene Meatyard, born May 15, 1925 – May 7, 1972, was a successful, American photographer during the 60's. Meatyard's death in 1972 came at the height of the "photo boom", in the contest of reputation, dying in 1972 meant leaving the race early. But while he lived Meatyard's work was shown and collected by major museums, published in important art magazines, and regarded by his peers as among the most original and disturbing imagery ever created with a camera.
"In short, Meatyard's work challenged most of the cultural and aesthetic conventions of his time and did not fit in with the dominant notions of the kind of art photography could and should be. His work sprang from the beauty of ideas rather than ideas of the beautiful."
"In short, Meatyard's work challenged most of the cultural and aesthetic conventions of his time and did not fit in with the dominant notions of the kind of art photography could and should be. His work sprang from the beauty of ideas rather than ideas of the beautiful."
Set 7: Response using Masks
Aims: Respond to Eugene Meatyard by taking photos of kids around the city in everyday, regular places wearing odd, distorted masks.
Process: I took these photos using a digital camera with a fast shutter speed as it was a very sunny day so lots of natural light was provided. Some of the shots taken inside may have been on a slightly slower speed due to the blurryness and ghost-like figures in the background.
Critque: Masks are not scary enough or that distorting and weird. The shots have also just been taken upon arrival and are not previously set up to achieve the most scary and disturbing atmosphere possible compared to Meatyard's work.
Further Development: Arange shoots to be taken in more creepy places i.e the woods or old houses and maybe even convert the photos to a black and white format. I could try to find masks that are a little more distubing and frightning to make the pictures look as weird as possible like Meatyard's above.
Critque: Masks are not scary enough or that distorting and weird. The shots have also just been taken upon arrival and are not previously set up to achieve the most scary and disturbing atmosphere possible compared to Meatyard's work.
Further Development: Arange shoots to be taken in more creepy places i.e the woods or old houses and maybe even convert the photos to a black and white format. I could try to find masks that are a little more distubing and frightning to make the pictures look as weird as possible like Meatyard's above.
Set 8: Backs of Heads continued
SS 1/80 f/22.0 FL 18mm ISO 400
Aims: Focus on the sun light shining infront of the subject aswell as playing with distance, angles and backgrounds.
Process: For the top four i played around with framing the subject to be on the left and right sides on the photo making them in focus but also adding an antique effect to them as I felt that this highlighted colours more but also added a soft texture to them as the sun shines through their hair. Four the bottom four I altered the focus abiot more by using manual focus and DOF to make the subject out of focuss consentrating more on the background then what is in the foreground.
Critique: I don't like how the backgrounds do not range enough, as they all have similar detail and shapes. Further Development: I think the backgrounds should be completely different to one another for example, the city, the woods, the beach, a bedroom, a park etc. This would also help to create more detail when taking the photos where the subject in the foreground is out of focus and the background is in foucus as the background would stand out more and be more effective adding to the imagination and mystery of the image.
Critique: I don't like how the backgrounds do not range enough, as they all have similar detail and shapes. Further Development: I think the backgrounds should be completely different to one another for example, the city, the woods, the beach, a bedroom, a park etc. This would also help to create more detail when taking the photos where the subject in the foreground is out of focus and the background is in foucus as the background would stand out more and be more effective adding to the imagination and mystery of the image.
Norman Parkinson
Norman Parkinson has taken photos which can relate to mine as he focusses on capturing people's identy whilst they stand infront of other obstacles. He also plays around with the focuss and depth of field where one or the other is completly out of focus and blurred. Here he has photographed a women standing infront of a very detailed wall with unique texture. He has chosen to make this in frocuss whilst the woman in the foreground is not. This is quite odd as usually you would expect the model to be the main source of the picture and be clear, having all the attention drawn to them. Here however, it is not the case as we are more interested in what the background holds. Maybe having the model out of focuss helps to conceal they're identity, not so much as photographing the back of their head but this way a stronger connection is made between the background and the person allowing me to create a personal link between the model and the background.
Blur - Hiroshi Sugimoto
He creates this effect by setting his large format focal length to twice infinity as he searches for "superlative architecture” shown in all his works.
Hiroshi Sugimoto looks at architectural studies, created between 1997-2002 and purposefully uses blur when photographing. One of his most famous images is of a very blurred black and white image of the World Trade Center. The images seem so simple but are yet so busy as it confuzes he reader as they are puzzled into seeing something which is usually wrong instead of a sharp, clear image. However Sugimoto eases this by making his photos black and white adding greater contrast allowing the strustures to rise of the page and be more striking.
Set 9: Blur Task
SS 1/50 f/5.6 FL 33mm ISO 200
Aims: To respond to Hirochi Sugimoto in the Blur task set and take photos around school in a smilar style. Photograph buildings that have strong lines and a modernist design. Have small details slipping out of shot on one or more sides of the image.
Process: When taking these photos I had to experiment with different shutter speeeds as I was taking photos indoors and out. This meant making the shutter speed wuite fast when outside as it was a bright day yet making it slower when inside the music block as I liked how the light diffused everything it hit such as the windows for example. To create the sense of 'blur' i had to use manual focus to insure that all fine lines and clear detail was erased and smoothed over in order to mimic Barth's technique. |
Critique: Things should not be so bright and colourful, maybe distracts too much away from blurriness as things are able to be seen more clear. Maybe don't photograph people as it is also too obvious and uneccesary.
Further Devlopment: Focus more on pastel and mellow colours like Urta Barth does, deacrease saturation or fade colour which gives a more lonley and empty effect. Or even make them black and white like Sugimoto. Only photograph structures and at the same time create interesting angles which kead on to forming diffused shapes. When it came to responding to Barth or Sugimoto I felt my photos refleted more of Sugimoto's style of architecture. |
Whitechapel Gallery - John Stezaker
We visited the Whitechapel gallery on the 8th of March to look at the works of John Stezaker. Stezaker is a british artist fascinated by the lure of images. His images consist of classic movie stills, vintage postcards and book illustrations from which he makes numerous collages giving old messages, new meanings. He creates creative yet puzzling works of art by inverting, adjusting and slicing separate pictures together forming his unique form of found images.
Stezaker has four famous series'. He has made portraits which he has slit and overlapped the same photo making a ripple effect usually across the eyes of the model. Stazaker also produced a series where he uses two photos and places them together. He has taken two separate photos and cut them in half not always straight down the middle and form the two together creating a new image or person usually using a male and a female to create a contrasting yet similar image. He has also created a 'Mask' series which fuses the profiles of glamourous sitters with caves and waterfalls forming images of eerie beauty.
Stezaker has four famous series'. He has made portraits which he has slit and overlapped the same photo making a ripple effect usually across the eyes of the model. Stazaker also produced a series where he uses two photos and places them together. He has taken two separate photos and cut them in half not always straight down the middle and form the two together creating a new image or person usually using a male and a female to create a contrasting yet similar image. He has also created a 'Mask' series which fuses the profiles of glamourous sitters with caves and waterfalls forming images of eerie beauty.
Marriage I 2006 Collage 23.5 x 28.5 cm
Form: The piece of Stezaker's work is two photos forming one, of half man half woman. It is a portrait of them lying down with the left side of their face facing up as they look into the camera. The image is black and white and seems to be from an old film because of the dates clothes that they are wearing. The left side of their face is the man and the right a woman, however their face meets up perfectly at their facial features as thought their faces are one.
Process: Stezaker would have taken two photos previously taken using a manual camera. He would have cut both in half roughly at the same angle so the two faces match up perfectly. However he slit the photos in half not equally and not down the middle, more to towards the bottom left and corner at a fairly slanted angle.
Content: I think Stezaker is trying to create something weird and wonderful not just with this piece but with all his other work too. He takes two simple portraits and fuses them together in such and easy way, which anyone can do and they create such a peculiar and sophisticated effect. The talent is finding two photos which will compliment each other so well, which must be difficult when looking for opposite sexes yet he places them together so accurately with everything in line, which makes every photo give off a serial and mysterious feel as the two stare you back in the eye.
Form: The piece of Stezaker's work is two photos forming one, of half man half woman. It is a portrait of them lying down with the left side of their face facing up as they look into the camera. The image is black and white and seems to be from an old film because of the dates clothes that they are wearing. The left side of their face is the man and the right a woman, however their face meets up perfectly at their facial features as thought their faces are one.
Process: Stezaker would have taken two photos previously taken using a manual camera. He would have cut both in half roughly at the same angle so the two faces match up perfectly. However he slit the photos in half not equally and not down the middle, more to towards the bottom left and corner at a fairly slanted angle.
Content: I think Stezaker is trying to create something weird and wonderful not just with this piece but with all his other work too. He takes two simple portraits and fuses them together in such and easy way, which anyone can do and they create such a peculiar and sophisticated effect. The talent is finding two photos which will compliment each other so well, which must be difficult when looking for opposite sexes yet he places them together so accurately with everything in line, which makes every photo give off a serial and mysterious feel as the two stare you back in the eye.
The Everyday - Barry Lewis
Noise can presented in images. Barry Lewis' work centres on the idea of transformation, of subtly altering and juxtaposing everyday objects which, in turn, fundamentally changes the way we perceive the world around us. He observes how this occurs in the everyday life. Sometimes noise is added to images through colour or noise is used to create the subject matter itself.
Set 10 - The Everyday Task
Aims: Take photos of objects representing the everyday through visual noise.
Process: Capture objects in macro mode as most are taken close up as well as working with things you spontaneously come across focussing on texture.
Critique: Colour pretty vague in some shots, also very busy.
Further Development: Try and work with softer textures and bigger objects play with a balance of busy and quiet.
Process: Capture objects in macro mode as most are taken close up as well as working with things you spontaneously come across focussing on texture.
Critique: Colour pretty vague in some shots, also very busy.
Further Development: Try and work with softer textures and bigger objects play with a balance of busy and quiet.
Set 10 Silhouette shots response
John Stezaker's forth most well known series his 'Dark Star' work. This is wear he turns publicity portraits into cut-out silhouettes, creating an ambiguous presence in the place if the absent celebrity. In class we tried out responding to this series with silhouettes and portraits of our own.
SS 1/125 f/6.3 FL 42mm ISO 600
Aim: take photos of simple and unusual silhouettes.
Process: To do this we used a bright lamp and places it behind a piece of material which is rarely opaque allowing light to shine through yet be diffused and toned down. I then had the models stand in front of the screen and pose with the only light source coming from behind them forming a silhouette. Photos were taken using a digital camera using quite a fast shutter speed.
Critique: Some light is still hitting the models faces plus the models look fairly up to date and not in the same style of time period at Stezaker's photos.
Further Development: Have the model stand further from the light, closer towards the camera or use a faster shutter speed. Have models dress up in vintage clothes from previous decades unless taking a modern approach on his work.
Process: To do this we used a bright lamp and places it behind a piece of material which is rarely opaque allowing light to shine through yet be diffused and toned down. I then had the models stand in front of the screen and pose with the only light source coming from behind them forming a silhouette. Photos were taken using a digital camera using quite a fast shutter speed.
Critique: Some light is still hitting the models faces plus the models look fairly up to date and not in the same style of time period at Stezaker's photos.
Further Development: Have the model stand further from the light, closer towards the camera or use a faster shutter speed. Have models dress up in vintage clothes from previous decades unless taking a modern approach on his work.
Concealing identity
Aim: I wanted to use my previous photos of numerous objects with the idea of cealing identity by adding pictures in and not just having th model turning away. I worked with things that they can realte to but also worked with the opposite aswell as including specific colours which also relate.
Process: In all of these photos i used the bodies/silhouettes of different people to either be surrounded by or filled with the things that they are technocally obsessed with which in come cases it appears to be quite odd such as the football manager for example.
Critique: I wanted to surround them or either cover them in what they love and are maybe known for liking and at the same time hide their identity not revealing who they really and what they appear to be. I also incorporated colours to some which realte to those of the pbjects. Colour is also another thing in life which portrays peoples feelings, moods and personalities all of the time.
Further Development: Take a wider range of photos of the objects to add to a wider range of photos of people ranging in age and height. Maybe in places you wouldnt expect them to be due to what they are filled in... Such as a man filled with people at a football match sitting in a womens clothes shop.
Process: In all of these photos i used the bodies/silhouettes of different people to either be surrounded by or filled with the things that they are technocally obsessed with which in come cases it appears to be quite odd such as the football manager for example.
Critique: I wanted to surround them or either cover them in what they love and are maybe known for liking and at the same time hide their identity not revealing who they really and what they appear to be. I also incorporated colours to some which realte to those of the pbjects. Colour is also another thing in life which portrays peoples feelings, moods and personalities all of the time.
Further Development: Take a wider range of photos of the objects to add to a wider range of photos of people ranging in age and height. Maybe in places you wouldnt expect them to be due to what they are filled in... Such as a man filled with people at a football match sitting in a womens clothes shop.
Sarolta Ban
Sarolta Bán is a self-taught photographer/photo manipulator from Budapest, Hungary. She is 27 years old and was originally a jewelery designer. Sarolta usually works on an image from a few hours to a couple of days and uses up to 100 different layers for one picture to create sense of fore ground, background and perspective.
Her unique photography shows much creativity scenes that look like they are out of this world, nothing that you would see in everyday life yet look so calm and sureal.
Her unique photography shows much creativity scenes that look like they are out of this world, nothing that you would see in everyday life yet look so calm and sureal.
Form: This photo by Ban displays a picturesque landscape in a field of yellow corn. In the bottom, left corner is a bald man dressed in a black suit facing away from the camera. You can only see him from the shoulders upwards. On top of his head is a crow who is looking up into the sky at a group of grey, trilby hats as though they are all floating or falling even, from the sky.
Process: Sorolta Ban would have taken at least 4 different sets of photos to create this photo. This is because this one photo is made up of many layers such as the background, the hats and the crow for example.
Content: The image is very surreal much like Ban's other work and is very mysterious. One reason is because you can't identify with the man and see his face another is that this would never be seen in real life which makes it all the more odd. The colours in the photo are very minimal and quite cold meaning there is no warmth in the photo and the black border adds to the texture.
Process: Sorolta Ban would have taken at least 4 different sets of photos to create this photo. This is because this one photo is made up of many layers such as the background, the hats and the crow for example.
Content: The image is very surreal much like Ban's other work and is very mysterious. One reason is because you can't identify with the man and see his face another is that this would never be seen in real life which makes it all the more odd. The colours in the photo are very minimal and quite cold meaning there is no warmth in the photo and the black border adds to the texture.
“I like using ordinary elements and by combining them, I can give them various stories, personalities. I hope that the meanings of my pictures are never too limited, are open in some way, each viewer can transform them into a personal aspect. So I’m happy if different people find different meanings in my images.”
Sorolta Ban responce
I have chosen to use pictures like the one below I made using Photoshop for my final piece. Here I am responding to Sarolta Ban by using 3 different layers to form one image. I have chosen to include photos relating to my idea of back of heads and also images of peoples obsessions. Maybe I could think about what people love and hate such as cakes or spiders , always with them in the foreground turned away.
For the backgrounds of the photos I have taken a set of images which are of picturesque landscapes which then I could edit on Photoshop to enhance colour and make them more imaginative and dreamlike like the one below with pink sky and swirling clouds. The image below is just an example of an image outcome where i combined 3 separate photos into one creating a surreal and dawning scene of mystery and imagination. |
Final Pictures set
For my final set of photos I had to take three sets in oder to create three layers for each final image.
Set one-
Aims: To take photos of different landscapes with large areas of sky.
Process: All taken in daylight with the sky starting half way up the picture. The scenes had to be just of scenery withno other people in.
Set two-
Aims: Photos of people from behind ranging in age and hair colour, length etc.
Process: All taken from behind from the waist up meaning the subject was standing quite a distance away from the camera and at different angles.
Set three-
Aims: Photograpgh objects from a range of high and low angles as they will be floating in mid air relating to imagination and obsession.
Process: Using macro mode photograpghing the objects close up aswell as trying to capture them in natural daylight so all of each object is clear and illuminated.
Set one-
Aims: To take photos of different landscapes with large areas of sky.
Process: All taken in daylight with the sky starting half way up the picture. The scenes had to be just of scenery withno other people in.
Set two-
Aims: Photos of people from behind ranging in age and hair colour, length etc.
Process: All taken from behind from the waist up meaning the subject was standing quite a distance away from the camera and at different angles.
Set three-
Aims: Photograpgh objects from a range of high and low angles as they will be floating in mid air relating to imagination and obsession.
Process: Using macro mode photograpghing the objects close up aswell as trying to capture them in natural daylight so all of each object is clear and illuminated.
I chose to do 6 final images as each one is quite busy alone so there doesn't need to be very many presented alltogether. I also chose to print them quite small for this reason aswell making them look and relate to postcards. For each final photo I have mergered three photos together e.g a landscape, a person and numbers of the same object in response to Sarolta Ban's photos. The objects realte to imagination and obession and with the person in the photo. I created shadows for the objects and also added a black border to each photo to make them look more like Ban's photos aswell. The photos vary in colour scheme and age such as the teddy bears and money but all carry a theme of mystery of the person and imagination and obsessions with the objects they are seeing.
For my final outcome I decided to present my photos with postcards/ as postcards each with their own written postcard. I decided to have them all falling through a letterbox in a door amoungst eachother to capture the sense of when you recienve mail or letters not knowing who they are from straight away. Also because anyone can post letters trhough your door or send you mail. The photos are pretty lonesome and each one is sending a snapshot to a person of have they wished they were there with them. But without seeing their faces or knowing they're name speople with not know who they are and the real postcards amoungt the photos will seem very secretive and much of a mystery.
For my final outcome I decided to present my photos with postcards/ as postcards each with their own written postcard. I decided to have them all falling through a letterbox in a door amoungst eachother to capture the sense of when you recienve mail or letters not knowing who they are from straight away. Also because anyone can post letters trhough your door or send you mail. The photos are pretty lonesome and each one is sending a snapshot to a person of have they wished they were there with them. But without seeing their faces or knowing they're name speople with not know who they are and the real postcards amoungt the photos will seem very secretive and much of a mystery.