Threshold Concept 6:
Photographs rely on chance, more or less. Chance is very important in photography. You can fight chance, tolerate it or embrace it. To some extent, all photographs are the result of chance processes.
What concept and why?
I am interested in this threshold concept because of my preferred photographing style. I think that this threshold concept relates as I like to not have a clear plan of what I want to photograph specifically, as I fear that the image I produce won’t turn out as I want it to. I’d rather just go somewhere and take my camera with me and photograph things I see that interest me.
What was most interesting and why?
For me the most interesting thing that I had found on the website was the section about happy accidents. This was most interesting to me as I don’t believe that I have had many experiences with happy accidents in photography. The only ones that I can think of is when using Photoshop, as I never really know what I want to do to the image I am trying to edit. I think this is because I use digital techniques and processes more than traditional ones and I feel like more happen when you have to deal with negatives and developing images. I think that this is something I may want to work on as I think that continuously controlling the way your images turn out can be boring and considered playing it safe, to a certain extent.
I am interested in this threshold concept because of my preferred photographing style. I think that this threshold concept relates as I like to not have a clear plan of what I want to photograph specifically, as I fear that the image I produce won’t turn out as I want it to. I’d rather just go somewhere and take my camera with me and photograph things I see that interest me.
What was most interesting and why?
For me the most interesting thing that I had found on the website was the section about happy accidents. This was most interesting to me as I don’t believe that I have had many experiences with happy accidents in photography. The only ones that I can think of is when using Photoshop, as I never really know what I want to do to the image I am trying to edit. I think this is because I use digital techniques and processes more than traditional ones and I feel like more happen when you have to deal with negatives and developing images. I think that this is something I may want to work on as I think that continuously controlling the way your images turn out can be boring and considered playing it safe, to a certain extent.
I also found this image by William Klein (Little Italy, 1995) interesting too. I think that this image is interesting to me as it shows a mother pointing a gun at her sons head (which is something that would be taken very seriously now a days even if it is a toy gun) while the two girls are smiling at the photographer. The boys expression is interesting to me as well, I find this interesting as he doesn’t seem to be scared (not even pretending) he seems rather happy that his mother has decided to point a gun at his head. The mother and sons hands look awkward and they could suggest the trust he has that his mother wouldn’t hurt him, or the boy could be pretending to hand his mother something (like people in gangs may do when someone owes them money etc).
Brief summary of what you have learned
After reading through all of the information on the website I have learned that chance can play many more roles in photography than I initially thought it did. I thought that chance was simply being somewhere at the right moment and that chance usually finds you. Ray Metzker’s series titled Pictus Interruptus is a series of images investigating vision, light and shadow and the strange way that photography represents reality and surprise. This may link back to what I mentioned about chance finding you as he has been described as experimental, restless and brilliant but didn’t know exactly what his images may turn out like.
Brief summary of what you have learned
After reading through all of the information on the website I have learned that chance can play many more roles in photography than I initially thought it did. I thought that chance was simply being somewhere at the right moment and that chance usually finds you. Ray Metzker’s series titled Pictus Interruptus is a series of images investigating vision, light and shadow and the strange way that photography represents reality and surprise. This may link back to what I mentioned about chance finding you as he has been described as experimental, restless and brilliant but didn’t know exactly what his images may turn out like.
Tom Hunter: Image Ananlysis
I think that the focus of this image is meant to be the woman slouched over the bed but my eyes are drawn to her surroundings. More specifically the background where the dresser/mirror/ripped wallpaper is. I am more drawn to this because it makes me wonder why she is laying how she is. Is she laying with her arms almost stretched out in the shape of a cross because the photographer wants there to be a relationship linking her to her religion? The bright pink/purple stands out a lot in this image because the rest of the room is a bland brown/black. The stains stand out too as they may suggest she is too poor so she cannot afford to buy new sheets or wash her old ones. The stains may also be there as the photographer wanted the image to have even more colours in it, specifically colours that aren't really shown anywhere else in the image. The light seems to be coming from the left side of the image as the woman is highlighted . However I think that the light may be coming naturally from a window directly in front of the bed as all of the corners we can see seem to be extremely dark. The image seems to be taken in a bedroom in an actual house, not a set. I think this because the room seems to be very worn in and I think that this would be hard to re-create in a set. The image is also taken at an angle where we can only see two out of four walls. This may be because the photographer wants us to believe that she is living in a small house or this could be because the photographer wants us to focus more on the woman than her surroundings. The majority of the space in this image is taken up but the beed, and some by the chest of drawers and the door. The door opening inside the room makes it look smaller as nothing can be put in front of it. There is an empty space next to the woman on the bed and there is a lot of empty space on the walls and what can be seen of the floor. The walls have some images on but they seem to be of religious figures instead of the personal ones most families have hanging up around their home.
William Klien: Stories and Chance
Thought photography would be treated as paintings, that photography was way behind other arts and when he learned painting he was planning to use it in his photography. He went out onto the streets of New York and photographed whatever he saw, he was free to do whatever he wanted and didn't know he was doing anything revolutionary. He would go into crowds and just photographed, point blank and no one would take any notice of him. Only one guy in New York had refused to have his picture taken, no one else throughout New York refused. He is very sensitive to the images with guns especially the children. Said that these images are like self portraits to him. These were the least publishable images that he had taken as they were considered Anti-American.
Peter Fraser
Peter Fraser is a Welsh photographer born in Cardiff, 1953. He received his first camera at age 7 and started studying Civil Engineering but changed to photography at age 18. Summer 1974 saw Fraser temporarily move to New York and work at the Laurel Photography Bookstore. This experience further expanded his interest and sense of 'Photography's expressive possibilites'. In 1982, he began using a Plaubel Makina which led to an exhibition with William Eggleston at the Alofoni. Several series of photographs later, "Two Blue Buckets" was published along with the help and support from the Art's Council. Two Blue Buckets later won a "Bill Brandt" prize in London, 1988.
His work has been described as "Like holding a magnifying glass up to everyday life". This may suggest that Fraser takes a lot of care and consideration when taking images. "His subjects are ordinary objects... that have played a part or simply been witness to his everyday life" I think that this is a good description of the subjects he photographs as he seems to make what some people may find uninteresting become quite intriguing as they make you look at them in a different and intimate way.
His work has been described as "Like holding a magnifying glass up to everyday life". This may suggest that Fraser takes a lot of care and consideration when taking images. "His subjects are ordinary objects... that have played a part or simply been witness to his everyday life" I think that this is a good description of the subjects he photographs as he seems to make what some people may find uninteresting become quite intriguing as they make you look at them in a different and intimate way.
The images that are displayed in 'The Flower Bridge' are quite warm toned, mostly having yellow tones in them. The images are full of lines that look as though they are trying to direct the viewers eyes across the entire image. The majority of the images in this series are of buildings, some buildings made of glass but mostly made from bricks. These images could be showing his journey through the place he is visiting as they are all related by buildings. The images may actually have a proper order so the idea of there being a journey is confirmed. The first image I had seen when I opened the images from 'Mathematics' was very natural - completely different to the first image I saw for 'The Flower Bridge'. Similarly, most of the images shown in 'Mathematics' have a series of lines that make you look across the image and follow it. This series seems to be a lot more natural than the earlier set even though it has a quite "manmade" or "geometric" title. This is quite confusing as the images seen in 'The Flower Bridge' are more like what I would've expected to see in 'Mathematics'.
Analysis of Peter Fraser's Work
This is an image taken by Peter Fraser as part of his 'Material' series taken in 2002. The photograph looks like it may be an electrical circuit because of all of the small pieces of metal that are stuck into the base. The image is in colour and I think that this works well because all of the different colours can be seen clearly as it is an extremely bright image. I think that if this colour was taken or shown in black and white it wouldn't work as well as it does because all the colours wouldn't draw attention to it. However there would be a wide range of black and white tones in it. I can't really tell what time of day this is taken at but I think it may have been taken during the day mostly in natural daylight because almost all of the image has light all over it. I don't think that the image has a main focus but the background seems to be more focused than the foreground. There are many lines in this image but the ones that stand out most are the black and blue/red twisted wires because they are bright and thick. Although these thick lines don't necessarily show or have a direction the twisted wires right at the bottom lead my eyes from the left side to the right and vice versa. There are quite a few repeated patterns in this image. This repetition creates a kind of pattern in the background of this image. These shapes seem to be quite geometric as there are a lot of circular shapes. They also appear to be 3-D. They look 3-D because there are shadows in the background and underneath/around the shapes/objects. There are a few different tones in this image, however there isn't may very dark areas. The lightest part of the image seems to be the largest battery in the middle. The image looks extremely smooth and if you were to touch it I think that it would feel smooth and cold where the metal parts are. This image looks as though it has been cropped out from a larger circuit. I think that this makes the image more interesting as we can't fully see the whole object he is photographing. This also looks as though it has been taken from above (but not directly above or looking over at it). I think that this angle allows most of the objects in this to be viewed.
Initial Response to Peter Fraser
This is a set of images I have taken around my classroom that I have tried to show influence from Peter Fraser, specifically the 'Material' series of images. I think that some of these images look similar to Peter Fraser's work as I have tried to use the flash on my phone to get highlights and shadows in the images. Prior to this I never used the flash as I didn't really like the way that the images turned out but I think that when photographing things up close the images turn out more interesting as there is more to think about. I also tried to photograph things that were as similar to what Fraser photographs as possible but this was a little hard to achieve in school. I think that this would be easier to do while walking around somewhere as other things can be captured such as buildings and people.
Fraser's Image |
My Image |
Second Response to Fraser
These are a few images I have chosen out of a slightly larger set that I have taken at school, again inspired Peter Fraser. I think that these images work better because I have used a digital camera and not my phone. I also prefer the things I have taken images of. I have been inspired by his series titled "Material" because I think that the subjects become more interesting. My favourite images are the ones of the metallic objects/screws. With these images I have also used the flash like Fraser does but instead of using it in natural daylight is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I had to get closer to the things I wanted to take photos of otherwise the flash wouldn't do what I wanted it to do.
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This video is of Peter Fraser briefly explaining the background of some of his image series and images that were being shown at Tate St Ives.
Garry Badger Essay Response
1. How does the author describe his experience of seeing this photograph for the first time?
The author describes his initial response to seeing the photograph for the first time as having ‘a series of mixed emotive moments, surprise then bafflement, quickly followed by pleasure and admiration' as he had realised that Fraser had created a moment of epiphany (a moment of sudden realisation or a great revelation). This may suggest that the author didn’t understand the image at first, and once he had spent some time looking/studying it or had researched it, he was shocked and confused as to what the image is actually portraying. I think that my initial response to the image was similar to the author’s, as I also had a series of mixed emotions about what the image could be of and why Fraser had decided to take it. However, I began to become a little agitated as I couldn’t work out if it was a ship’s reflection or two trucks. After I had found out what it was I think my emotions were again, similar to the authors, I was no longer confused or agitated, but now I was at ease as I knew what it was.
2. According to the author, what is Peter Fraser’s relationship to the objects he photographs?
3. What does the author say about the nature of Peter Fraser’s practice? What interests him?
The author explains that Fraser explores the 'overlooked object', suggesting that things people don't necessarily find interesting, he does. The objects he photographs are described as 'disparate' ("essentially different in kind; not able to be compared.") and that the subjects of each image ranges. One day he may photograph "two pine cones and the next a drinking glass behind a metal table leg". He is exploring and testing Hazlit's famous contention 'all things by their nature are equally fit subjects for poetry'. The author describes his work as bringing 'forensic attention' upon everyday objects, suggesting that he is a little intimate with how close he photographs these everyday objects.
4. How is the final quotation from Charles Eames “Eventually, everything connects” relevant to Fraser’s practice?
I think that this quote is relevant to Fraser's practice because they way in which he photographs his simple, common objects is so intimate and close up in pretty much every single photograph he takes. Quickly looking through his work, links between subjects and style can be seen immediately. Some of the links aren't that obvious and I needed to look and think more about what they could be and could mean. There seem to be bunches of images that are similar in subject matter and also colour. These clearly relate to "Eventually everything connects" as he wouldn't have known when he was taking the images that links could be drawn between most of the images he has taken. Looking at Material 2002 and 12 Day Journey 1984 a common characteristic is material. There are clothes shown, shelves, gates, sofas in 12 Day Journey but in Material, different types such as bike chains, electrical circuits, pulgs and wires are shown. This relates his work to the quote as all of the objects he photographs in both Material and 12 Day Journey are all different types of material, even if they were photographed 22 years apart.
The author describes his initial response to seeing the photograph for the first time as having ‘a series of mixed emotive moments, surprise then bafflement, quickly followed by pleasure and admiration' as he had realised that Fraser had created a moment of epiphany (a moment of sudden realisation or a great revelation). This may suggest that the author didn’t understand the image at first, and once he had spent some time looking/studying it or had researched it, he was shocked and confused as to what the image is actually portraying. I think that my initial response to the image was similar to the author’s, as I also had a series of mixed emotions about what the image could be of and why Fraser had decided to take it. However, I began to become a little agitated as I couldn’t work out if it was a ship’s reflection or two trucks. After I had found out what it was I think my emotions were again, similar to the authors, I was no longer confused or agitated, but now I was at ease as I knew what it was.
2. According to the author, what is Peter Fraser’s relationship to the objects he photographs?
3. What does the author say about the nature of Peter Fraser’s practice? What interests him?
The author explains that Fraser explores the 'overlooked object', suggesting that things people don't necessarily find interesting, he does. The objects he photographs are described as 'disparate' ("essentially different in kind; not able to be compared.") and that the subjects of each image ranges. One day he may photograph "two pine cones and the next a drinking glass behind a metal table leg". He is exploring and testing Hazlit's famous contention 'all things by their nature are equally fit subjects for poetry'. The author describes his work as bringing 'forensic attention' upon everyday objects, suggesting that he is a little intimate with how close he photographs these everyday objects.
4. How is the final quotation from Charles Eames “Eventually, everything connects” relevant to Fraser’s practice?
I think that this quote is relevant to Fraser's practice because they way in which he photographs his simple, common objects is so intimate and close up in pretty much every single photograph he takes. Quickly looking through his work, links between subjects and style can be seen immediately. Some of the links aren't that obvious and I needed to look and think more about what they could be and could mean. There seem to be bunches of images that are similar in subject matter and also colour. These clearly relate to "Eventually everything connects" as he wouldn't have known when he was taking the images that links could be drawn between most of the images he has taken. Looking at Material 2002 and 12 Day Journey 1984 a common characteristic is material. There are clothes shown, shelves, gates, sofas in 12 Day Journey but in Material, different types such as bike chains, electrical circuits, pulgs and wires are shown. This relates his work to the quote as all of the objects he photographs in both Material and 12 Day Journey are all different types of material, even if they were photographed 22 years apart.
Lucien Herve
William Eggleston
William Eggleston is an American photographer known for increasing the use of colour photography during a time where black and white was most popular. His early photographic experiments were inspired by Robert Frank (a swiss-born photographer) and The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson. He first used black and white photography but began playing with colour photography in 1965-66 when William Christenberry introduced him to it. In 1972 Eggleston began creating large prints using an expensive method called 'Dye-transfer'. These prints allow various colours within an image to be printed as separations, causing the colours to be extremely vibrant and they are durable and don't fade.
Most of his photographs have been shot around his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee and they depict the bland and everyday but his use of bold colour and ability to take the photograph at the right time make his 'boring' subjects easier to look at. His work includes various photographs of colourful vintage diner interiors, gasoline stations and portraits of strangers he has seen on the streets. Although these images have the ability to document certain periods of time, Eggleston sees them as something completely different.
Most of his photographs have been shot around his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee and they depict the bland and everyday but his use of bold colour and ability to take the photograph at the right time make his 'boring' subjects easier to look at. His work includes various photographs of colourful vintage diner interiors, gasoline stations and portraits of strangers he has seen on the streets. Although these images have the ability to document certain periods of time, Eggleston sees them as something completely different.
Cars
This is a small selection of photographs taken by Eggleston that show cars. Although he has only taken photographs of cars I think that these are extremely interesting because of the way that they have been shot and what is in the surrounding areas. I would like to try and take similar photographs to these to see how different they look and to see if I can make any of my images look like Egglestons. However, I think that this will be quite hard because the style of cars has changed quite a lot from when these photographs were taken so I think that my photographs will look really different, but the contrast between old and new style cars could be interesting.
These are some images that I have taken of cars inspired by William Eggleston. I found this task quite hard to be honest, I thought it was going to be a lot easier because it's only photographs of cars. I think that these photographs are somewhat successful because they look similar to Eggleston's photographs but I think that I need to look for different cars (maybe older ones) to be able to get the right photos. I think that my images aren't as good as Eggleston's because of the difference in colour, his images are very vibrant and my images are quite dull and boring.
Here I have edited the same photographs as before using Photoshop. I only used the Levels/Curves options to edit as I only wanted to make some parts of the photograph darker and others darker. I think that these images look a lot better because changing the brightness of the colours has made the images look more like Eggleston's as his images include lots of colour. The first photograph is my favourite because of the shadow that can be seen on the side of the white van. I really like the way that the shadows look because they are creating a kind of pattern on the side of the van. I think that I should have tried to take photographs of cars that have a more interesting and vibrant colour like Eggleston does.
Viewpoints
This is a small selection of photographs taken by Eggleston that show viewpoints. I would also like to experiment taking photographs in this kind of way because I think that it will be interesting to see how different my views are to what his views were. I think that these photographs were taken as he was sitting or standing, I don't think that he lowered himself more to take any of these three photographs.
MY SUMMER PHOTOS
My summer images were inspired by photographers such as Lucien Herve and William Eggleston.
My first series of images were taken in and around central London, more specifically Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. I chose to go to Trafalgar Square as I knew that there would be a lot of buildings around there. I had no plan of what I was going to take images of while I was there so I just took images of what I found interesting. I tried to focus on cropping but I realised afterwards that I don't have the right lens to be able to get close up photos of buildings. I think that my images look too similar to each other - there isn't anything different, they're all the same shots of different buildings. I really like the images that include shadows or the ones that have a really high contrast because they look a little bit similar to Lucien Herve's photographs. I would like to further experiment with high contrasting/ shadows in the images because I think that it will make my images look a lot different to what I have already taken images of.
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My second set of images were taken while my family and I were on a day trip to Margate. I really like the images that were taken that day because they are a little similar to my photobook images taken in the arcades, which I really enjoyed taking. I mostly like the images that include any kind of colour in this set because I think that it contrasts with the dull, tourist like images I had taken while I was in London. Again, I didn't have a clear idea of what I was going to take photographs of, other than they had to include colour. I think that the majority of these images could be related to William Eggleston - especially the colour ones. I think that if I took them into Photoshop and changed the contrast/saturation I think that this would further link Eggleston to my work. I would have liked to take more images while I was inside the arcade but as we only went to one, I didn't want my images to be too repetitive.
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Selecting
This is my final selection of images. I have chosen these images because I think that the images I have taken at margate are a lot more interesting and successful than the ones I have taken whilst in London. I think this because I am seeing something almost completely new and extremely different to what I'm always seeing in London. I think that taking some of these photos into photoshop and changing the contrast or saturation etc and changing them to black and white will allow me to relate them back to my chosen photographers.
Selecting and Sequencing
This sequencing and selecting exercise was to further develop our skills in selecting photographs and putting them into sequnces.
This task allowed us to collaborate with others in the class, to practice having a criteria and using that to choose images and to see how changing images in the sequence can also change the context of the images. I think that this task uses threshold concept 7 (photographs are not fixed in meaning; context is everything). I think that these threshold concepts were used because we were constantly changing the way in which the photos were ordered, which also changes the meaning of them.
This task allowed us to collaborate with others in the class, to practice having a criteria and using that to choose images and to see how changing images in the sequence can also change the context of the images. I think that this task uses threshold concept 7 (photographs are not fixed in meaning; context is everything). I think that these threshold concepts were used because we were constantly changing the way in which the photos were ordered, which also changes the meaning of them.
To begin with we had to individually choose between 5 and 10 photographs from a large set that was layed out on a table. This was actually quite difficult becasue there were so many photos to choose from, I wanted to pick ones that were linked together by a common characteristic but also choosing ones that I actually liked. Once we had chosen the 5-10 photographs, we were put into pairs and had to combine our chosen ones. This made a large set of between 10-20, that we had to narrow down to only 5. This part was also very hard as I think that my partner and I chose different but similar photos. We chose to use the photograph with the balloons as our main photo as we could match the colours of the balloons to colours in other photos. I really liked the way that this turned out because the four images around the outside are very different in terms of depth and content. The middle image has a lot of 'layers' (a foreground, a background etc) where as the surrounding images are minimalistic and quite plain. I like the contrast this created but we felt that they were a little too different, so we decided to choose another photo that has the same kind of minimalistic style and that fit in well with the others.
We were then asked to put the images that we decided on as a group on the wall in an order that fit well. When the first 5 images were put up we had to deicide what groups first image looked good and fit well next to the previous groups last image. We did the same for each group so the overall series made up of around 20 images.
Dreamers Awake
At White cube
I visited the White cube gallery to see the Dreamers Awake exhibition and while I was there I took a walk around the surrounding areas to photograph what I saw that interested me. I was particularly drawn to a block of flats as I could capture many kinds of shadows.
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This is a selection of photographs that I have taken while I was visiting the Whitecube gallery of the surrounding area. While I was walking around the surrounding area I came across a few blocks of flats so I decided to walk around them and try to capture any shadows I saw especially where the stairwells were. I really enjoyed looking around the blocks of flats looking for interesting shadows that I could find.
Evidence
1977 by Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel
'Evidence is a key early work made using found photography, claiming and re-contextualising images to create new meanings' - Tate
Sultan and Mandel began collaborating as students and continued working together for 3 decades. 1977 saw them publish a book that features images from the archives of images from the American Institutions such as NASA , United States Department of the Interior and Jet Propulsion Laboratories. They sourced the unclassified documents and made a selection of images produced as documentation of the organisations. Using no text or captions to explain the photographs (or why they chose them) the carefully sequenced images allow the viewer to craft their own conclusions about the selection. They have removed the chosen images from their documentary context and created a new narrative.
I think that these threshold concepts relate to the "Evidence" book because Sultan and Mandel are taking photographs that were used by the government for specific documentary purposes and they are using them in a completely different way, and they are selecting these photographs instead of creating them themselves. |
#shadowart
my chosen Instagram hashtag
The task that we have been given is to decide on a word that relates to your personal investigation and search that as an Instagram hashtag. The images we choose would become a part of a response to the "Evidence" book. I chose the hashtag shadow art because I thought that the Instagram search results would be more interesting than if I used the hashtag architecture or shadow as these would have come up with cliche images.I also chose this hashtag because I think that it relates to what I want my personal investigation to be about. I really like these images because they include lots of colour which I wasn't expecting. I expected to see lots of black and white images because I thought that the shadows looked better with that kind of 'filter'. I was intrigued by the way that these photographers have taken these images because I think that they have captured the light and shadows in an interesting way, such as using house windows and curtains as well as using parts of their bodies as a canvas for the light and shadows to be displayed on. I also really like the way that the dark shadows are contrasting with the colours of the buildings they are being projected onto because I think that it is quite unusual.
Sian Davey
"Martha"
The past 15 years Davey spent as a psychotherapist but her fathers death triggered her interest in photography. The series 'Martha' came about when her step-daughter asked why Davey doesn't photograph her anymore - as the past 18-months saw Davey photograph her younger daughter Alice. The series sees the camera negotiate thresholds and social boundaries of her step-daughters worlds including both within and out of the family. The series is an attempt to draw these two different individuals together more to be able to understand one another.
The past 15 years Davey spent as a psychotherapist but her fathers death triggered her interest in photography. The series 'Martha' came about when her step-daughter asked why Davey doesn't photograph her anymore - as the past 18-months saw Davey photograph her younger daughter Alice. The series sees the camera negotiate thresholds and social boundaries of her step-daughters worlds including both within and out of the family. The series is an attempt to draw these two different individuals together more to be able to understand one another.
Antonio Xoubanova's 'Un Universo Pequeño'
"A Small Universe is my imagination of the universe in 2.5 seconds and 10 linear meters of street." |
For my next photoshoot, I am going to take photographs while walking along a street, attempting to create a journey like sequence. I will try photographing the street I live on but I don't think that the images will be very interesting because they will probably just be cars and houses. I then want to experiment taking photographs while walking up/down Eltham High Street as this is a busy shopping area by where I live and there aren't many shops . I think that these photographs may be more interesting as I would be able to capture people and colours. I am inspired by Antonio Xoubanova's photobook 'A Small Universe' because I like the way that the photographs have been taken - they look like they were taken quite impulsively as the photographer was walking down the street. I also really like the way that these photographs have been displayed in the book, the photographs have been displayed at the same speed the photograph was taken, so some photographs are larger than others because they were taken quicker or slower than others.
First Set of Photographs
Taken in school
This is my first set of images that I have taken attempting to show a journey. I took these in school while walking around the building, I didn't have a specific idea for what I was taking images of so I took a photo every few steps or when I saw something that interested me. I think that these images would be more successful if I had ventured around more of the school instead of staying in a small area. When I take images again I won't focus on a small area as I think that my photos will be more successful if I go further.
Second Set of Photographs
Here is another set of images I have taken in school but I went further around the school to get a more successful sequence. I think that these images are a lot more interesting because they are really different to the ones I took before as I have tried to incorporate more shadows into these images than I did before. I think that when these are put in the right order they will show a journey and they will have a narrative. I think that these images are more focused on lines and shadows as well as focusing on documenting a journey. Next, I want to try and take similar photographs outside of school.
These are some images I have edited in photoshop trying to get an effect like the ones seen on the VSCOCAM application on iPhones. I think that adding the filter has made these photographs look more interesting because there is more of a contrast. I like the photograph that has a black border around it because it frames the image, also making the image look like it was produced on a film camera when paired with the filter I added.
Editing in Photoshop
After opening my image in photoshop I adjusted the curves of my photograph. I adjusted the red, blue and green separately in order to create a filter like the ones seen in VSCO cam. Once the curves have been adjusted I changed the hue (-1) and saturation (+11) and then changed the exposure.
This is a diptych I have made in Photoshop using two of my photos that I took in school. I tried to use two photos that were similar in content but taken at a different angle or in a different style. I think that this diptych works well because the images contrast - the top image has very dark shadows while the bottom image has quite light shadows. It might be interesting to experiment with triptychs, using two photographs with dark shadows and putting one with light shadows in the middle.
Third Set of Photographs
This set of photographs were taken around the Whitechapel gallery, Brick Lane and Bethnal Green. I wanted to capture the shadows that were being projected mainly onto the brick work of the buildings. I think that I was drawn to this because I liked the contrast between the orange/brown brick work and the dark shadows. I chose to go to London to take my photographs because I wanted to see something different and I hadn't been to those places much before.
Editing a Selection in Photoshop
I have chosen some of my images that I thought worked well here and I have edited them in Photoshop to make the shadows a lot darker. To do this I mainly used the Levels and Curves adjustments. I thought that using any other adjustments to do this would drastically change the of my image. I prefer these images when they have been edited because the shadows have been made very dark and all of the images are very contrasting.
Sequencing
Here I have selected twelve images from the set I took in East London. I chose these as they worked well in threes as well as when they were together as a set of twelve. I want to mount these images in sets of threes as this will allow me to change the way I display them as a large set. It will also allow me to choose if I want to use all twelve for my first final outcome.
First Final Outcome
First Final Outcome EvaluationThis is the first final outcome I have created as part of this project. I am pleased with the way that this has come out as I think that all of these photographs work well as threes on their own as well as when they are put together as a set of twelve. I chose these images because each triptych has something in common, for example the second one has lots of lines and shadows in all three photos, and all four sets have things in common. I think that if I had taken more photos I would've been able to make a larger selection then twelve. However, I found choosing these photographs hard because I had many photos that looked exactly the same as other ones. I chose to use triptychs because I like that there is so much to focus on while looking at them. Triptychs allowed me to group images with similar elements together, rather than having a grid of images that wouldn't look right if they were separated. I am unsure about how I want to display these images because I think that keeping them in this format is quite boring.
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Here I have been experimenting with the layout of my final outcome. I really like the third layout because it created two new sets of photographs that work well too. I have also experimented with different ways of adding lighting directly to the image, as my images revolve around light and shadows. This was an interesting task because it allowed me to emphasise certain images, while others were put in the dark so they couldn't be seen.
Photoshop Experiments
These are some experiments I have created using three photos and Photoshop. I have created a collage by editing each layer differently. I decided to use three images per collage as using more would make me confused as to what image I'm trying to layer. I found using three easier as my images were already separated into triptychs, so I didn't have to work out what images work well together. Layering images that had drastic filters over the top worked well when I changed the opacity of the images as the image beneath can be seen. These collages would look interesting if they were mounted together and displayed like a wallpaper border.
Final Evaluation
I began this project by looking into chance within photography because I felt like I used chance in my photography a lot as I never know what I am planning to take photographs of when I am starting a unit. I found a piece of writing about happy accidents in photography particularly interesting because I feel like I haven't really experienced any other than when I am using photoshop as I haven't used a film camera which is where the writing says they happen. I then looked into Peter Fraser, as it seems like he uses chance a lot in his photographs as he always has his camera on him when he goes out. I made a few response sets of images to Fraser but I didn't like how I was trying to make my photographs look exactly like his. I then began to look at Lucien Herve and William Eggleston. I looked at Lucien Herve because I really liked the contrast between the colour of the buildings and the dark shadows. However, I chose to look at William Eggleston because I really liked his use of colour. I found it really hard to get the same kind of colours and interesting shaped cars where I live, I think that I could get similar colours to his if I had taken some photos in London, but restricting myself to only a certain amount of photos. Even when I edited them I still couldn't get the same kind of photographs as him.
These photographers inspired me to take a set of photographs in London and a set in Margate. I think that my images taken in London look very touristy but I think that a few of the look like Lucien Herve's architectural photographs. I think that my photos came out looking touristy because I wasn't limiting myself to a set amount of photographs so I took photos of whatever I saw that interested me. My set that was taken at Margate is quite like William Eggleston's images because of all of the bright colours that are in them. After these sets of photographs I began looking into narratives, selecting and sequencing. I really liked the way that I could tell a story using my photographs. I then began to take photos while I was walking around school. The first set wasn't as successful as I thought it was going to be as I didn't have enough photos to make a sequence that made sense. My second set was taken in school was a bit more successful because I travelled further around the school and produced a lot more photos that made sense as a sequence/narrative. I decided that I was going to edit these photos to make them look a bit more grainy and as if they had been taken on a film camera. After I knew what I was looking for in my photos I went to East London and took photos there. I think that my most successful images were taken at Brick Lane and Bethnal Green because this is where I found the best and most shadows projected onto buildings and the floor.
The theme of my project was inspired by the shadow art hashtag (#shadowart) on Instagram. I was heavily inspired by these photos on the hashtag because I really liked the contrast that is created when the shadow meets the light. I especially like the way that some geometric shapes are projected onto some of the buildings. I am also heavily inspired by Antonio Xoubanova's 'Un Universo Pequeno' ('A Small Universe') because I really like the way that the book shows a sequence that is like a journey, the photographer has walked up or down a busy street, photographing things that he finds interesting.
The images taken in East London became a part of my first final outcome, which was four triptychs. I decided to make four triptychs because I found that a lot of my images could be paired in threes as they had very similar colours or content in them. Triptychs allowed me to group similar images in a different way rather than just having them displayed in a simple grid. I also like that here is so much for the viewer to look at when using triptychs and that I can choose to have one of my four or all four to be displayed. I liked that my photos were of different things rather than three photos of the same thing at different angles, like some photographers have done. When sequencing my images I thought that it didn't really matter what photos were paired with others because they were all taken while on the same journey.
After my first final outcome I began experimenting in Photoshop making digital collages with my triptychs. I did this because I wanted to make something different to my first final outcome. I first made a simple triptych then began to layer up each photo, changing the look of the layers (e.g darken, multiply, colour burn etc). I found editing some of these collages hard because I was trying to make my collages not confusing to look at as well as trying to emphasise certain parts. I think that using geometric shapes in these collages worked out well because I was able to create a contrast between the layers (eg having a really bright triangle layered on top of a dark brick wall). I had the idea to make enough of these strip collages to create a wallpaper border by sticking them all together. This would be an interesting thing to do because I haven't seen a wallpaper border made out of edited/collages photographs before. The geometric shapes also gave me the idea to create a kind of sculpture collage, where I cut out the shapes and stick them on top so they're raised above the initial surface.
My second final outcome was inspired by my collage sculpture idea. I chose three of my most successful collages made in Photoshop using the same photographs taken in East London and built up on them creating a sculpture. I re printed the collages in black and white and cut out the geometric shapes to layer on top. I mounted the cut outs onto mount board and used a small brick to have them higher up. Having the black and white sections raised up allows the viewer to still see the colour version that is beneath it. I chose to put a black and white cut out on top of some of the coloured sections because I thought that some sections looked too bright when they were cut out but I thought that instead of changing the entire image in photoshop again, that it would be interesting to still be able to see the bright underneath.
These photographers inspired me to take a set of photographs in London and a set in Margate. I think that my images taken in London look very touristy but I think that a few of the look like Lucien Herve's architectural photographs. I think that my photos came out looking touristy because I wasn't limiting myself to a set amount of photographs so I took photos of whatever I saw that interested me. My set that was taken at Margate is quite like William Eggleston's images because of all of the bright colours that are in them. After these sets of photographs I began looking into narratives, selecting and sequencing. I really liked the way that I could tell a story using my photographs. I then began to take photos while I was walking around school. The first set wasn't as successful as I thought it was going to be as I didn't have enough photos to make a sequence that made sense. My second set was taken in school was a bit more successful because I travelled further around the school and produced a lot more photos that made sense as a sequence/narrative. I decided that I was going to edit these photos to make them look a bit more grainy and as if they had been taken on a film camera. After I knew what I was looking for in my photos I went to East London and took photos there. I think that my most successful images were taken at Brick Lane and Bethnal Green because this is where I found the best and most shadows projected onto buildings and the floor.
The theme of my project was inspired by the shadow art hashtag (#shadowart) on Instagram. I was heavily inspired by these photos on the hashtag because I really liked the contrast that is created when the shadow meets the light. I especially like the way that some geometric shapes are projected onto some of the buildings. I am also heavily inspired by Antonio Xoubanova's 'Un Universo Pequeno' ('A Small Universe') because I really like the way that the book shows a sequence that is like a journey, the photographer has walked up or down a busy street, photographing things that he finds interesting.
The images taken in East London became a part of my first final outcome, which was four triptychs. I decided to make four triptychs because I found that a lot of my images could be paired in threes as they had very similar colours or content in them. Triptychs allowed me to group similar images in a different way rather than just having them displayed in a simple grid. I also like that here is so much for the viewer to look at when using triptychs and that I can choose to have one of my four or all four to be displayed. I liked that my photos were of different things rather than three photos of the same thing at different angles, like some photographers have done. When sequencing my images I thought that it didn't really matter what photos were paired with others because they were all taken while on the same journey.
After my first final outcome I began experimenting in Photoshop making digital collages with my triptychs. I did this because I wanted to make something different to my first final outcome. I first made a simple triptych then began to layer up each photo, changing the look of the layers (e.g darken, multiply, colour burn etc). I found editing some of these collages hard because I was trying to make my collages not confusing to look at as well as trying to emphasise certain parts. I think that using geometric shapes in these collages worked out well because I was able to create a contrast between the layers (eg having a really bright triangle layered on top of a dark brick wall). I had the idea to make enough of these strip collages to create a wallpaper border by sticking them all together. This would be an interesting thing to do because I haven't seen a wallpaper border made out of edited/collages photographs before. The geometric shapes also gave me the idea to create a kind of sculpture collage, where I cut out the shapes and stick them on top so they're raised above the initial surface.
My second final outcome was inspired by my collage sculpture idea. I chose three of my most successful collages made in Photoshop using the same photographs taken in East London and built up on them creating a sculpture. I re printed the collages in black and white and cut out the geometric shapes to layer on top. I mounted the cut outs onto mount board and used a small brick to have them higher up. Having the black and white sections raised up allows the viewer to still see the colour version that is beneath it. I chose to put a black and white cut out on top of some of the coloured sections because I thought that some sections looked too bright when they were cut out but I thought that instead of changing the entire image in photoshop again, that it would be interesting to still be able to see the bright underneath.
Ameena Rojee
Ameena Rojee is a London-based artist who is currently working for the British Journal of Photography as campaign manager. She is intrigued by people, culture and the land we live on a she comes from a mixed background (half-Spanish and half-Mauritian) and she grew up in South London. This allowed her to experience a variety of different cultures both as a child and as an adult. She has an engaging style, always aiming to participate and observe.
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Laura Pannak
The Walks
Laura Pannak is a London based photographer who was educated at the University of Brighton, Central St Martins and LCC. Her works have been published and exhibited in the UK and internationally, including places like The National Portrait Gallery, Somerset House and the Royal Festival Hall in London. Her photography aims to explore the complex relationship subject and photographer and it focuses on social documentary and portraiture. The photographs shown above are from her ongoing photo series named 'The Walks'. These walks have been described by some as photographic scavenger hunts. She has explained that this series of photos "These images are truth; they were taken with nothing but a desire to take them. There was no pressure, agenda or reason behind them. They each have a tale, a place and a moment, all innocently experienced.This project has no beginning or end. It is the diary of the moments I allow myself to escape, alone or with company. So where shall we walk today?".
“I learn the most when I walk with a camera; about myself and the company I share. I engage. I stop mentally. I listen. True discipline for me is learning to decide when to experience and when to capture”.
- Laura Pannak
Paul Gaffney
"Paul Gaffney has been investigating different ways of experiencing and representing landscape. His research is focused on developing a meditative approach to landscape photography, and explores how the act of image making can enable and disrupt a sense of connection with one’s surroundings."
“That process of walking every day for long periods of time, you slow down, you start to really observe how your mind’s working, get a different sense of the connection between mind and body and your surroundings. It was a very physical process, and the pace was quite meditative, so I wanted to make a series which just used landscape images in book form to suggest this sense of an internal journey.”
- Paul Gaffney
Alec Soth
Alec Soth is a photographer who was born and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has published over 25 books during his career including "Sleeping by the Mississippi" (2004) and "NIAGRA" (2006). 'Sleeping by the Mississippi established him as one of the leading lights of contemporary photographic practice.' The photographs used in this book has come from a series of road trips he had taken along the Mississippi River, capturing America's iconic "third coast". His large format and descriptive photographs present a mix of landscapes, individuals and interiors. His photographs also draw out a mood of loneliness and longing. Sleeping by the Mississippi has no concept or ideology behind it, the book was created out of a 'typical American spirit of wanderlust'.