Recently, I visited the Andreas Gursky exhibition at the Southbank Centre. The exhibition explored the work of Gursky through photographs he has made over the past four decades. I found the contrast in moods between each photo to be very interesting. This is because Gursky captured a range of different settings; vast landscapes, teeming crowds, massive man made structures etc. The exhibition was helpful as it enabled me to mind map a range of ideas for my current project. Gursky mentions 'My images are always interpretations of places'.
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"Rhein II"
I can also appreciate the photographer's impressive scale and precision throughout his work. I felt he successfully accomplished the idea of making the audience feel a certain way throughout the different images. The photograph above conveys a feeling of emptiness and isolation especially due to the negative space in the top half of the frame. On the other hand, Gursky's photo of the hundreds of houses in a city suggests the impact of over population and tight and compact spaces.
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"Kamiokande"
In my opinion. in contrast to "Rhein II" a feeling of congestion can be noticed as the frame feels very busy as the (what appear to be lights bulbs), seem compact into a tight space. This contrasts with the image on the left as there is an element of closeness which makes the audience feel more included in the photo. The artist often represents architectural structure in many of his pieces. The use of perspective creates a rounded wide angle view of the subject- it is almost as if it is coming towards the camera.
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Both images feature a natural vignette effect due to the direction of the flash. This makes the pieces look as if the subjects in the foreground are disappearing into the black background. In contrast, Rogers uses vibrant colours although, I have used more subdued tones.
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In both my photograph and Grant Simon Rogers' (left), I found the use of flash almost gave off a studio light kind of feel and ultimately made the photographs look like studio photoshoots. It was as if the subjects were captured on a black backdrop. I found the flash emphasised the varying textures throughout the frame ie- cracks in the bark of the tree compared to the seemingly smoother branches. The difference in texture add a sense of depth to an image and essentially make it more interesting to view. The subject stands out against the negative space as the flash is only focused on what is in the foreground.
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The photo above was made by Maykel Lima. Here, she liquified or smudged her portrait by dragging sections. This was the inspiration for my image on the left. I wanted to achieve the same liquified look as the artist. Unlike the artist, my photo is portrait and captures more of the model's body (head and shoulders) rather than a headshot style closeup. I felt this was effective as I was able to stretch the image extremely far to almost create the effect that it was going off the page. I dragged a selection from my model's eyes much like Lima did. I experimented with dragging from different points of the model's face to see what effects I could achieve. Maykel Lima's piece uses a more soft light with a white backdrop. However, I used a black backdrop with a more of a hard and harsh lighting style.
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There are similarities and differences between my image on the right and Amie Dicke's work on the left. Amie Dicke has sanded out all but a handful of parts of the faces and bodies of fashion models, taking the image out of context. This is similar to what I have worked towards in my work. My aim was to portray the idea of destroying a person's identity. On the other hand, I used a different method to create my work which I have explained in the above section. Dicke's piece does not contain any facial features which could suggest nothingness or emptiness. In contrast, facial features still remain in my photograph. It presents more of the idea the model is hiding a secret.
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Irving Penn was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. From the 1930s onwards, he arranged everyday objects to create assemblages, which transcended their origins context and original purpose to become conceptual works of art. His 'Cigarettes' project focused on minimalist compositions of objects he found on the street which he then brought them into the studio and photographed. He challenged the conventions of art and transformed one of the most widely consumed and discarded products of consumer society.
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Robertson is an American photographer born in 1975. Some of her work include dust marks, light leaks and scratches which were traditionally seen as blemishes that impede a photograph’s depiction of reality. However, some photographers (like herself) have taken advantage of creative opportunities to explore the relationship between these unforeseen elements and the image captured by the camera. Thus, a style of photography considered to be unconventional and perhaps not explored very often. I like the abstract aspect of her work, we as the audience can only speculate what was of the original image. There is no sense of structure to the art which I find intriguing.
The Process:
In her work 11 Mariah Robertson creates both a photograph and a sculpture, 11 is made on a single roll of commercially available photographic paper, one hundred feet long and thirty inches wide. Robertson makes her pictures using analog darkroom processes—combining and enlarging negatives, placing objects directly on the paper and then exposing them, dripping or painting chemicals onto the paper, and exposing it to coloured gels (sometimes with a flashlight) and to other lights. |
Nadav Kander is a London- based photographer, artist and director, known for his portraiture and landscapes (born 1961). In his series "Half Life" shot in Chernobyl. Chernobyl’s Nuclear Power Station exploded in 1986 leaving the surrounding area uninhabitable for many hundreds of years to come. It happened to be the 20th Anniversary since the explosion when Kander gained access as an artist to visit Chernobyl, photographing the deserted spaces in what was once a model Soviet City. I like his use of composition throughout his work. Where he positions his subject within the frame is extremely important to create a sense of isolation or particular emotion. I have noticed throughout this series of images that he tends to use wide angle shots. Perhaps this is to capture as much of the environment as possible. I can also appreciate the fact that the images show 'Evidence of Human Presence'. It is evident that humans had once occupied this area. It is interesting to see that was once a lively town has become a detached and unusual no-go zone.
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"We all know atmosphere is there but it is something that is overlooked. However, in a photo, you can immediately tell whether that sense of atmosphere is created."
Nadav Kander (when the artist gave a photography lecture at my school). |
Petra Collins is an artist working in New York. Here, she photographs her model next to a neon sign. I can appreciate the fact that the majority of the image is in a shadow, except the sign in the centre which highlights just the tip of the model's face. I like how the green and yellow lights match the colour of the walls in the background. Your eyes are automatically drawn to the pink neon light due to the colour contrast. It seems as if the photo holds some sort of mystery or secret. The light creates a silhouette-like effect on the model (similar to what I have captured below.
"Light effects are just about as versatile as the imagination. The possibilities are endless" |
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Much like the image on the left, my aim was to produce a cyber looking hologram over my image. I felt this was achieved successfully. I experimented with opacity levels in photoshop which made the diagram look more 3D and essentially more realistic. The artist's image has a circular shape over the eye of my model. This could suggest she is being analysed or targeted. On the other hand, it could be interpreted that she is a robot undergoing scientific procedures. Similarly, I have achieved this effect in my image also. I chose to include random text over my image which could be interpreted as data or coding. The artist's work has captured more of the subject's body than I have in my image. I felt the need to use a closeup to present a sense of intimidation in the eyes. The black background helps to portray this feeling of mystery and darkness.
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Sami Emory is a freelance writer and editor based in Berlin. In this task he explores the intersections of surveillance agencies and operations with civic rights and privacy. I took this as inspiration as it made me think of what text I could use in my own work as well as the font. Graphics play an important role in my images as they add more depth and meaning behind the frame. The phrase 'Unknown' is mentioned in the artist's work on the left, which inspired me to use the word in my own pieces.
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Esther Hovers |
As soon as I looked through Hovers' project, I immediately noticed her constant use of wide angle shots. I found this interesting as I have used mainly wide shots for my final pieces (ie. the above image). I felt this was necessary as the audience are unable to gain knowledge about the people in the frame as it is hard to tell their facial expressions, in some cases hard to tell what they are doing or where they are going/whether they have good intentions. In my photograph above you cannot see the subjects' faces clearly at all. This adds tension and promotes the idea of hidden identity. This links to Hovers' idea of surveillance and deviance. Similarly, both images present a bunch of people in every day places (street/by a river). In my piece, the effect of this brings elements of reality to what looks like a seemingly unreal setting (due to the holograms).
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