Introduction to the unit
For this unit, our task was to photograph the environment. Landscape photography refers to photographic scenes that are predominately about the physical landscape and, although this may involve people, the focus/subject is the environment. Throughout this unit, I will upload my own take on the work of professional photographers.
Rule of Thirds
Composition
Framing the environment - John Divola
WWW: I was able to frame different parts of the school environment, ranging from signs, basketball hoops, chairs and the more beautiful side of the school, being the flowers. The frame was helpful as I could hone in on the uniqueness of the subject of my photograph.
EBI: The school environment had more variety; unfortunately the lack of diversity regarding the school environment was a hindrance to my work and left me with very little to work with.
EBI: The school environment had more variety; unfortunately the lack of diversity regarding the school environment was a hindrance to my work and left me with very little to work with.
John Divola
John Divola, born 1949 was an American photographer who said he explored the landscape by looking for the edge between the abstract and the specific. He won awards for his photography.
The first photograph is of John Divola, the inspiration for my project. The photographs beneath are other examples of his work.
Reflected Image 1
Photos for the Reflected image - Andy Yeung
Reflected image 2
For this task we had to travel around the school site and take photographs of different corners of buildings. This was done so that we could invert and photoshop them together, creating a reflected image.
WWW: I was able to photoshop it together making it perfectly symmetrical and creating a shape in the middle. EBI: I went for a more bold and striking shape. |
Formal elements - What are the formal elements ?
Here we have: Perspective, pattern, layers, focus/DOF and negative space.
The formal elements are ways of highlighting the beauty and uniqueness of the environment.
Perspective did not come out so well due to the amount of light coming in from above the stairs.
Pattern shows a fence with beams across it.
Layers shows a building behind a building; this was tricky due to my angle.
Focus/DOF came out very well.
WWW: Negative space was a huge success, the first one has light beaming down from the negative space, the second is very clear and really highlights the beauty that cameras can reveal.
EBI: Patterns were not so basic, as it feels out of place among the other photographs. This is because there were very little patterns in the environment. Perspective was also somewhat weak, as it lacked vibrancy and colour, which is in stark contrast to the other photographs.
The formal elements are ways of highlighting the beauty and uniqueness of the environment.
Perspective did not come out so well due to the amount of light coming in from above the stairs.
Pattern shows a fence with beams across it.
Layers shows a building behind a building; this was tricky due to my angle.
Focus/DOF came out very well.
WWW: Negative space was a huge success, the first one has light beaming down from the negative space, the second is very clear and really highlights the beauty that cameras can reveal.
EBI: Patterns were not so basic, as it feels out of place among the other photographs. This is because there were very little patterns in the environment. Perspective was also somewhat weak, as it lacked vibrancy and colour, which is in stark contrast to the other photographs.
Negative space and colour
Wild Concrete - Romain Jacquet-LaGreze
Lagreze aimed to show the living conditions between plants and humans, how plants grow out of man made structures.
Response
I took pictures of walls which plants were growing out of or where they were coming through a fence as seen in image 4.
WWW: I managed to show the contrast in colour between the concrete and the weeds, the concrete is cold and grey while the weeds are vibrant green.
EBI: If there had been unfavourable weather conditions such as rain, sleet or even snow to further detail the contrast in nature.
WWW: I managed to show the contrast in colour between the concrete and the weeds, the concrete is cold and grey while the weeds are vibrant green.
EBI: If there had been unfavourable weather conditions such as rain, sleet or even snow to further detail the contrast in nature.
Second response
WWW: The photos taken are much clearer and were taken in better light than in the first response; the shadows of the plants growing out of concrete is very visible and improves the photos.
EBI: If the concrete had been more weathered and stained, so to achieve a greater contrast. At the moment it looks too pristine, if it had been more weathered it would have looked less deliberate.
EBI: If the concrete had been more weathered and stained, so to achieve a greater contrast. At the moment it looks too pristine, if it had been more weathered it would have looked less deliberate.
Colin Winterbottom: Close up abstraction
This task includes taking close up images of things like peeling paint, negative space and more.
WWW: I managed to photograph different aspects of the school environment, including the trees and greenery, the ground, the outside of buildings and the inside of buildings.
EBI: If I had photographed other parts of the school environment, including the classrooms, equipment and more.
WWW: I managed to photograph different aspects of the school environment, including the trees and greenery, the ground, the outside of buildings and the inside of buildings.
EBI: If I had photographed other parts of the school environment, including the classrooms, equipment and more.
Strata: Tony Kragg
Tony Kragg explores stratification in sculptural terms. He has an exhibit in Tate Britain where his artwork, a giant square block of rubbish is stored. He collected and used items which he believed had "poetic meaning." These were examples found around the school.
Strata is a well known geographical term for layers or layering in features in landscape. The progressive accumulation of sedimentary layers forming rock formations are the most recognisable examples of strata.
Here we have both layers, patterns and stacking.
Here we have both layers, patterns and stacking.
First response
WWW: I was able to find a few examples of stacking, which ties into the strata theme.
EBI: I had taken the photographs on a lower aperture and maybe a higher shutter speed. It would also have been better if I had found a few more examples of strata.
EBI: I had taken the photographs on a lower aperture and maybe a higher shutter speed. It would also have been better if I had found a few more examples of strata.
Second response
WWW: For the second response, I was able to take better and clearer photographs through using a lower aperture and different settings as opposed to in my first response, where the photographs were hazy and lacked focus. I also found some better examples of stacking to tie into the theme of Strata.
EBI: There were more examples of stacking in nature, unfortunately finding a stack of something natural proved difficult as nature is random and not uniform.
EBI: There were more examples of stacking in nature, unfortunately finding a stack of something natural proved difficult as nature is random and not uniform.
Strand 1: Minor White (photographer)
Minor White is an American photographer born in 1908. I took an interest in his work as I find it unique and something to marvel at. He captures photos of vast landscapes, houses across landscapes and light breaking through the clouds. These photos are black and white and add to the atmosphere. He adds a touch of magic to his impeccable work by capturing a great photo of the wonderful night sky. He died in 1976. I intend to respond by taking photos of sunlight breaking through the clouds or a clear sky. Both are incredible techniques used by the photographer.
Response
This photograph I took follows the black and white pattern of Minor White's work and has an empty backdrop like his pieces but is somewhat different; he mainly takes photographs of black and white skies and buildings with an empty backdrop whereas I took a photograph of a cloudy night sky with the moon peeking through. The moon adds a sense of mysticism to my photograph as its bright presence dominates the scene, becoming the focus.
WWW: I got photos of a clear sky with some trees in the foreground. This worked as the aim for the piece was to capture beauty in simplicity.
EBI: I had different types of weather, as I could have more of a variety with my photographs.
EBI: I had different types of weather, as I could have more of a variety with my photographs.
Developed strand 1
To differentiate the extended strand from the original, I took photos in Spain, where the weather is more suitable for the photographs I wanted to take. Here, the sun shines brightly, leaving its own mark on the photograph. The exotic trees swaying in the wind elevate the quality as it feels natural and realistic. What takes centre stage in this photograph is the clear and warm sky, as skies are a key feature of Minor White's own work. It serves as the main contrast between my old work and this one, as the old photographs feel empty and lifeless, whereas this is warm and welcoming.
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For my extended strand of Minor White, I took photos in Spain.
WWW: I was able to take photographs of vast landscapes, each on different terrain. One was the open sea, one was a sandy beach and one was on land. This created variety within the task and appears somewhat unique.
EBI: If I could have had a more cloudy sky for the sea and have light breaking through those clouds. Unfortunately, the unpredictable weather prevented a more accurate photograph.
WWW: I was able to take photographs of vast landscapes, each on different terrain. One was the open sea, one was a sandy beach and one was on land. This created variety within the task and appears somewhat unique.
EBI: If I could have had a more cloudy sky for the sea and have light breaking through those clouds. Unfortunately, the unpredictable weather prevented a more accurate photograph.
Strand 2: Elliot Porter
Elliot Porter was an American photographer best known for his vibrant, colourful photographs. I find his work interesting because there are times where I can't tell whether his photo is a photo or painting. I intended to replicate some of his work by going into the wilderness.
Elliot Porter response
These were trees and greenery I found in Priory park near Crouch End. I purposefully made my photos vibrant in Photoshop, as Elliot Porter does this to make his images pop and stand out.
WWW: The weather was favourable, it was bright and the light was exceptional. I was able to capture photographs of different types of trees. This was useful as it allowed me to create a series surrounding trees. By using Photoshop to change the colour and light in the photographs, I was able to give the impression that these trees were exotic, when in fact the majority were native to England. Image 2 was the only tree not native to England, however the editing done in Photoshop allowed it to seem as if it belonged in the series.
EBI: I could have used more depth of colour while in Photoshop, as it could have made some of the trees appear more striking while still looking realistic and believable.
WWW: The weather was favourable, it was bright and the light was exceptional. I was able to capture photographs of different types of trees. This was useful as it allowed me to create a series surrounding trees. By using Photoshop to change the colour and light in the photographs, I was able to give the impression that these trees were exotic, when in fact the majority were native to England. Image 2 was the only tree not native to England, however the editing done in Photoshop allowed it to seem as if it belonged in the series.
EBI: I could have used more depth of colour while in Photoshop, as it could have made some of the trees appear more striking while still looking realistic and believable.
Strand 3: Rodney Graham
Rodney Graham was born in Abbortsford, British Columbia 1949. I like how he flips the image, altering the perspective of the viewer and revealing a different beauty.
Rodney Graham response
I decided to go to the parkland walk in Muswell Hill for this as there are lots of trees that have interesting shapes.
WWW: Image 7. When turned upside down, the image was transformed. Instead of looking like an upside down tree, it looked as if it was a completely different object but the right way up. It reminded me of the greenery hanging down over a mountainside. The bottom two images were taken on camera, which ensured that the photograph would look more refined and translate onto this website well.
EBI: I wish I could have found more images of upside down trees that were akin to everyday objects. I also should have taken more of these pictures with a camera.
WWW: Image 7. When turned upside down, the image was transformed. Instead of looking like an upside down tree, it looked as if it was a completely different object but the right way up. It reminded me of the greenery hanging down over a mountainside. The bottom two images were taken on camera, which ensured that the photograph would look more refined and translate onto this website well.
EBI: I wish I could have found more images of upside down trees that were akin to everyday objects. I also should have taken more of these pictures with a camera.
Extended strand 3
WWW: With the second attempt I was able to try different things, including taking photographs of a singular tree. This had an overall better effect, as it stood out and felt more unique as opposed to the original photographs where there were multiple trees being flipped upside down which had a less unique and more uniform feel. With the one tree, my photographs felt more abstract and different. Some of them being a pink blossom tree added some much needed flavour to the project. The clear blue skies also serviced the photograph well as it looked as if the tree had fingers, that were being dipped into water.
EBI: If the trees were bigger, the photograph would have felt more grand and looked as if it was on a larger scale; however that would have been too similar to my original photographs.
EBI: If the trees were bigger, the photograph would have felt more grand and looked as if it was on a larger scale; however that would have been too similar to my original photographs.
Elliot Porter development:
Florian Maier-Aichen:
Florian Maier Aichen manipulates the perspective of locations.
What makes the photographs unique, is the use of a dark red that helps to create a unique environment. For my work, I will go into Photoshop and transform simple photographs of trees into something more vibrant and stand-out.
FINAL PIECE
Elliot Porter Developed strand
WWW: I was able to transform my photographs of trees into something more. Where simplicity thrived in my original strand, the use of abstract yet vibrant colours has transformed them into a powerful and confident force of nature. I achieved this through the use of Photoshop, where I adjusted the contrast to be slightly higher, made changes to the hue and saturation and toned the brightness up ever so slightly. In some of these photographs, I was able to make use of different settings for different parts of the image, such as photograph 1. In the final photograph, I inverted the image on Photoshop, creating an other-worldly look to what is just a plant.