Unit 1 Visual Recording

Activity 1 - Observing, comparing, and photographing the natural and constructed world.

Research - 

NATURAL : ANSEL ADAMS

FACTS
- Born February 1902 , Died April 1984

-  Famous work: Yosemite National Park (Moon over half dome)

- Style: All his photo are in black and white as he thought colour is distracting. He uses a big depth of field so everything is in sharp focus.
- Influences- Ansel Adams was influences by Paul Strand and Edward Weston who were straight photographers.

FEELINGS - I like he has chosen to use black and white as I think this makes the photo more dramatic. Most of his photos have clouds in which is effective as it adds extra depth and texture to the image. He has used a high contrast, this shows more of the detail of his subjects. Also in a lot of his images the mountains are the background. This works well as makes the photo more interesting to look at. 

This is my favourite one of his photos as it is very interesting to look at. The river leads in to mountains in the background. The river is a lighter shade which is effective as otherwise the photo might appear too dark. 

CONSTRUCTED : AARON SISKIND

FACTS
- Born December 1903, died February 1991
- Famous work: Terrors and Pleasures of Levitation, Harlem Document
- Style- Abstract Expressionist, He takes pictures close up of constructed areas, his work is  abstract combined with straight photography. 

-Influences - Mark Rothko who was an abstract expressionist painter. 

FEELINGS- Aaron Siskind's work is interesting as he uses unusual subjects to photograph. Also its not always clear what the photo is of. He uses black and white although his photos would probably normally contain a lot of colours, for example graffiti. 

I like this photograph because it shows texture. This has been done by the different tones used, it also gives a 3D effect. It not obvious what the image is of which would make the viewer spend more time looking at it.











Constructed - Shoot 1 

I planned to capture old structures but I don't think the shoot was successful as I don't think the pictures are interesting. They are quite dull because they don't show much texture or pattern. I think focusing on the detail like the chains and the screws were effective but to improve I will reshoot similar photos in different settings. I will use different angles to capture texture as seen in some of Aaron Siskind's work.

Constructed - shoot 2
For the next shoot I visited an abandoned hotel. It had tiles falling off and peeling paint, so this was good for capturing texture.

FINAL IMAGES

This photo was inspired by Aaron Siskind  I used a low angle to make the photo mote abstract. I chose it for one of my final photos because it shows texture and hints at decay and the passing of time. 

This is my other final photo. It is a different perspective as the previous photo. This was effective as although it's not abstract it shows the theme I was trying to capture. There's lots of different bricks which makes the photo more interesting to look at. Also 

Natural

While out I captured photos of natural objects and settings. I am happy with the results because I had a variety of different types of nature.

I decided to edit my best photos by adding a black and white filter and increasing the contrast. I did this because I was inspired by Ansel Adams work. The use of black and white was effective in his photos.

FINAL IMAGES

This photo was successful as it is quite abstract. The stems of the flowers disappear into the black background which makes it harder to tell exactly what is going, this might make a viewer look at it longer. 

This photo was effective as it has a shallow depth of field in the centre of the photo. The black and white worked well as it lets the viewer imagine the colour. Ansel Adams said that colour could be distracting, this is another reason this photo is effective in black and white. 

Evaluation

The pictures I took in this project were successful as they went as planned. Aaron Siskind and Ansel Adams inspired me a lot by the way I took and edited the photos. In the constructed shoot I first found It hard to find things to photograph as I didn't really have a plan. Once I saw what was successful for that shoot I could then develop that idea. I went for the theme of old and broken/ worn. I was very happy with how the second shoot turned out. If I did it again I would make sure I had enough memory on my camera as I had to use my phone which isn't as good quality. 

My plan for the natural shoot was to simply go out and photograph natural objects, the ones I got were effective as I got a variety of different photos. If I did this shoot again i would focus on one type of natural object.

Activity 2- Exploring time through still images

Research- 

FRANCESCA WOODMAN

FACTS
- Born April 1958, died January 1981

- Style: Black and white pictures of herself or female models. Many of her photographs show young women who are nude, blurred as she uses long exposure merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured. 

FEELINGS- I like Francesca Woodman's photos because its as if they tell a story. The movement of the person gives a ghost like effect. The surrounding of her photos are also interesting, for example the photo on the right looks as if it was taken in an old, maybe abandoned, house. This adds more of a story to the photo.

This is my favourite photo of hers (left) because it looks very random. The movement could be from her falling. Her feet are not blurry which means they are not moving. The whole picture would make the viewer wonder what is going on. The location it was taken looks empty and plain, drawing more attention to the person.

ALEXEY TITIRENTO

FACTS

-Born November 1962

-Famous work: City of Shadows
-Style: long exposure, black and white, normally of crowds of people with a still subject in the foreground.

FEELINGS- I like Alexey Titirento's work because it shows a different perspective of crowds and people. This is because of the slow shutter speed, it has shown the movement from the people. The use of a still object is effective as it makes the image more interesting to look at.

I like this photo most because the man stood still in the middle makes you question why he is. He's stood still while the world is rushing past him, I think this is really effective.






Plan
Im going to experiment with different shutter speeds to see which is best to capture movement. I then plan to use glow sticks and capture the light trail left. I will also photograph the movement of people. I will try different techniques to do this. 

Shoot 1 - trying out different shutter speeds

I am going to set up my camera and take pictures but using different shutter speeds. I can them compare how it affects the image.

0.5 Seconds 

2 Seconds

8 Seconds

10 Seconds

15 Seconds

30 Seconds

In this shoot, I think the longer the shutter speed the better the photo was. This is because there are more car light trails. Shooting in the dark was easier than in light as it wasn't as easy to overexpose the image. Using 30 seconds shutter speed in the light would be harder as you would a really high aperture.


Shoot 2-

For this shoot I used a 4 second shutter speed. I moved glow sticks around, the slow shutter speed capture the movement and left a light trail.

I am happy with the result as the photos are quite abstract. I used different colour glow sticks to make it more interesting. I wanted to give a feeling of movement

Shoot 3-

For this shoot I aim captured the movement of people. 

To begin I decided to keep an object still in the foreground, this would make it so not everything in the photo is blurry, then i asked the person behind to move for the 2 seconds the shutter was open.

 I then experimented with moving the camera while it was taking the picture. I moved the camera round while it was on the tripod

This photo was unsuccessful as I had the camera on the table as i took the picture, this meant the whole photo went blurry.

To improve my photos I decided to shoot in the dark, I had a 4 second shutter speed. Each time the person moved I set off a separate flash. This captured each movement one picture. Some photos were unsuccessful because of the lighting and background. Im going to reshoot these photo outside when its dark so I don't need to worry about the background being shown.

Reshoot

These photos were more successful as only the person is shown not the background.

Final Images

Evaluation
I enjoyed this project as it was fun experimenting with shutter speeds and lights. The photos using the glow sticks were successful as the photos are really abstract and looked unique. The first final photos with the model were also good as they are quite creepy but also interesting to look at. If I did this project I would experiment with more light such as sparklers.

Activity 3: Interpreting a painting
Research-

HANNAH HOCH
FACTS
Born November 1889, died May 1975
Hannah Höch was a German Dada artist. Known for her work of the Weimar period, when she was one of the originators of photomontage.
A lot of her work criticised topics in media such as the beauty industry. Other themes that is shown in her work include politics, racial discrimination and same sex couples. Women where often a central theme. 

I like Hannah Hoch's work because it's very original. They often give a strong message about issues from the past. The way she has fitted part of different images is interesting as they don't normally fit together but still are effective. It makes the overall image more interesting to look at.

The Multi-Millionaire 

This is the piece of work by Hannah Hoch that I am going to interpret. 

CINDY SHERMAN

FACTS- Born January 1954

She is an American photographer best known for her portraits. Cindy Sherman's work is often linked to feminism, because her photos show the objectification of women in the media. Sherman works in series, typically photographing herself in a range of costumes. She shoots alone in her studio, which means she takes on the roles as author, director, make-up artist, hairstylist, wardrobe mistress, and model.

Her most well known work is 'complete untitled film stills'. 

I like Cindy Sherman's work because its very unusual. I like how she can completely change her look to appear like a different person. I also like how in her recent ones the background looks as if it matches the character she is dressed as. In her older pictures she shows the character look scared and vulnerable. In the left photo the camera is at a low angle which normally suggests the person is powerful, however the buildings are towering over her which makes her appear smaller. The collection of work 'complete untitled film stills' is her response to some films, I find them interesting as they have there own story.
Her more recent photos are represent stereotypical women character. They sometimes have exaggerated features. 

TOM HUNTER

FACTS- born 1965
His photos are often linked with classical paintings, for example the photos above are similar to the paintings 'the milkmaid' and 'girl opening letter at an open window' by Johannes Vermeer. His work documents life in Hackney, including local issues and news headlines. He is the first photographer to have a one-man show at London's national gallery.

I like Tom Hunter's work as I think its clever how he's interpreted older paintings into more modern photos. In the paintings the main source of light is from the window, Tom Hunter has used the same light. In each photo there is a lot of objects in them, this makes you wonder what is going on in the photo.                                                                                       

Plan

From my research I have seen how photographers create images based on painting and represent different topics and issues. Hannah Hoch's work has inspired me to create my own collages, her work The Multi Millionaire is what I will base my own work on as it effectively shows a topic, using the photomontage technique. 

I will first create collages using images in magazines, this is so I can get more ideas into to themes I can include in my final piece. I will then take my own photos and put them together in a collage using photoshop and printing them out. 

Magazine collage

Hannah Hoch's work is made up from different images. I practiced the collage technique using photos from magazine and putting them together. This one above I made, the main picture was of a quite natural looking women. I then added parts of other photos of what people see as ideal features, such as the big eye with makeup and bold eyebrow. I added the word perfect as these magazine set and unrealistic image of what women should aim to look like.

 These are 2 others magazine collages I made, there quite simple but I think they work well. If I made anymore I would use different magazines. I used fashion magazine which was hard as they mainly had photos of women and clothes, this made it difficult to find an interesting composition.

Photo collage

Im going to take my own photos, print them out and make them into a collage. The magazine collages inspired some ideas of themes I could use in this. I will take pictures of people and objects.



Photoshop collage

This was my first try at layering images in photoshop. The idea is random, I simply moved the face forward and filled the gap with flowers. I am happy with this as my first image as I think it fits together well, although the flowers are very bright compared to the rest of the photo. On my next photo Im going to plan it more to make the picture have a meaning. 

This was my next photoshop collage. I made it slightly differently as I used the smudge tool to blend into the camera lens, I think this was effective as it makes them blend more into the photo and not look like they are just pasted on.  I think this photo shows how varied photography is and who you can take pictures of anything. I did this by having random objects coming out of the lens.

Evaluation 
I enjoyed making the collages out of magazines as it was fun putting random parts of different images together. I found it harder creating the photoshop collage as I had to take the photos first and didn't really know what to do. To begin with I experimented on photoshop with photos of flowers I had already taken. I then created another collage using the techniques I had learnt from the other collages and research.


Activity 4: Breaking the rules


OUT OF FOCUS IMAGES

RALPH MEATYARD
- Born May 1925, died May 1972
-American photographer

Ralph Eugene collection 'No focus images' goes against the rule that images should be in sharp focussed. This makes his work more abstract. Its really hard to tell what the picture is of, the viewer partly has to imagine what is going on. I like how the pictures create the feeling of the subject being just out of reach. The black and white is effective as it disguises the true identity of the subject.


Try out images

These are some experimental photos I took out of focus. The photos are of candles in coloured candles holders. I thought this would be effective as the colour would be the main feature in the photo not the composition. I like them because they are abstract but I don't think they are that interesting to look at.
Im going to do a reshoot but try the bokeh technique.






Reshoot

I used some multi coloured fairy lights, this photo (left) is what they looked like with my camera in focus. Its an unsuccessful photo as you can see the wires and the lights aren't very effective.

I used a aperture of 3.5 to get the bokeh effect. I then made it so the photo was out of focus.

I am really happy with the results and I prefer it when the photos were out of focus compared to in focus. To make the photos more interesting I cut out shapes in cardboard and put them in front of the camera lens. This meant the lights went the shape of the template.

The final photos were successful and I think they would make good background.

BREAKING THE RULE OF THIRDS

Research

The rule of thirds is a photography rule that normally you would follow when composing a photo. It means placing your main subject not in the centre but at one of the one of the white dots on the grid (in the picture below). The white dots are what the viewer is automatically drawn to when looking at the photo.

RINEKE DIJKSTRA

Born June 1959, she lives and works in Amsterdam. One of her famous series' is beach portraits.

Rineke Dijkstra concentrates on single portraits, she focuses on different groups in each series of her work, such as adolescents, clubbers and soldiers.

Rineke Dijkstra's photography goes against the rule of thirds as all the subjects she uses are placed in the centre of the photo. Most portraits have the model to the side to follow the rule of thirds, this leads you eyes to wear the person is. Dijkstra's work is interesting because of how she has positioned the people. I think this could improve the photos as it makes them more symmetrical. The background in a lot of her photos  is quite plain, making the main focus on the model. 

Plan 
I am going to set up some still life subjects. Normally in a still life shoot you would position the tallest or main objects to the side so that the viewer is drawn to that object. I am going to not use the rule of thirds and place the main object in the centre of the frame.


                            Using the rule of thirds                     Not using rule of thirds

 The composition of this photo is quite boring but I think the photo not using the rule of thirds was better. As a still life photo neither are very successful as they are too set up, not natural looking. 

These photos are the same as the fruit ones as I think they are quite boring. But these in these ones I can see how the rule of thirds is better. Although the left ones looks quite staged, the right one looks too organised. 

In these photos the one not using the rule of thirds is the best one. I positioned 2 lights towards the centre of the set and this created the 2 shadows behind which give the photo more depth. 

Final Images

 From this project I have learnt that breaking the photography rules can improve a photo. Even though using the rule of thirds is sometimes better, I will now try other composition when setting up my photos. Also in this shoot the out of focus lights were a lot better then when they were in focus. It exaggerates the lights which improves the photo.

Do it yourself

'A proposal is a document that all photographers and artists will use when they need to present work ideas to a client (commercial context) or apply for funding / present to a panel (art context). It can be hard to put down what you intend to make before you have started working on it, but the most important thing to remember is to try and keep language clear and simple, and to keep your proposal as a live document'

What is your idea?

My idea is to take unique photos using reflections. I intend to use water, window, glass and mirrors to get the reflection. 

What are you intending to make? What will outcome be?

I intend to capture interesting photos where the focus will be of the the reflection. Therefore the outcome will be for the reflection in each picture to be the focal point.

Who are you intending to research and how do they relate to your idea?

I'm going to look more into Tom Hussey's reflection work. His photos are providing inspiration for my own reflection photography. Also Ira Fox's work which shows a different way of photographing reflection. They both show ways in which reflection of water and mirrors can be photographed.

What are your technical needs and requirements? How do they relate to your idea?

For this project my technical needs and requirements were not great. As far as props were concerned all I needed was a willing model and a mirror. 

How are you planning your time?

Firstly I am going to research photographers and get inspiration from photos online. I will then go out and take my own pictures. Afterwards I can go through the photos I have taken to edit and improve them. 

Research

TOM HUSSEY

Tom Hussey is an American photographer specialising in commercial advertising and lifestyle photography.

I really like Tom Hussey's reflection work as it shows the story of the person. Its very clever how he has angled the camera so you can see the person and their reflection. I also find the images quite sad as you see the old man looking into the mirror, reflecting on his earlier life.    

IRA FOX

Ira Fox is a photographer that specialises in wedding and portrait photography.

Ira Fox's work is really intriguing to look at. When you first look at the pictures its hard to tell what it is of.  Its clever how he's made it so the entire image is the reflection, this is really effective.  

Shoot 1 

For my first shoot I focused on reflection of windows. Some were really effective and I think this is partly by the weather. The blue sky reflected on the silver ball really well. In some photos the reflection isn't clear so they weren't as successful.

Shoot 2 

I decided to try to photograph reflection from mirrors. I took 2 mirrors into a wooded area where you wouldn't normally expect to see them. 

The photo's I got from this shoot are a bit random but I think they are interesting to look at. The main problem I had was getting a photo at a good angle without me being shown in the reflection. 

Final Images

Evaluation

I prefer the photos from the second shoot because of how random they look but they are really effective. In the first image the picture would appear very dull and dark without the mirror. The mirror adds an illuminated focal point. The second and third photos are opposite to the first one as the mirror blends in with the background and rest of the picture. I like the third one as the mirror looks more like looking through a window because of how well it matches the background. This is good as it makes the photo more surreal. On the last image I increased the contrast to make all her features appear darker which gives it a mystical effect.