Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Brainstorms
I created two brainstorms, one being inspired by words which relate to the chosen topic and the other inspired by pictures. All are rough ideas which will help me to develop my ideas further. The mood board has photographs which inspire me and also has pictures which could be used as a good starting point or theme for me to develop ideas from.
I created two brainstorms, one being inspired by words which relate to the chosen topic and the other inspired by pictures. All are rough ideas which will help me to develop my ideas further. The mood board has photographs which inspire me and also has pictures which could be used as a good starting point or theme for me to develop ideas from.
Alberto Seveso - Water
Alberto Seveso is an Italian photographer, he has taken several series of images which use the effect of putting ink in water. I really like this style of photography as it has an interesting subject matter and the quality of his pictures are very clear and link to the idea of nature being destructive and out of our control. His idea helped to inspire some of my images to be taken in a similar style by trying to focus on capturing that high quality moment when the ink and water mix together.
Practical Task Class - Water
In class we did several practicals involving a glass jar and pouring coloured paint into the water to cause a pattern and design. There were many unique formations formed and it was interesting to see how they relate to the elements. I also experimented using washing up liquid which produced a slightly different yet nice result.
In class we did several practicals involving a glass jar and pouring coloured paint into the water to cause a pattern and design. There were many unique formations formed and it was interesting to see how they relate to the elements. I also experimented using washing up liquid which produced a slightly different yet nice result.
Practical Task Home - Water
At home I completed a follow up to the task we did at school, I used food dye and also experimented using oil and vinegar as they create a unique emulsion.
At home I completed a follow up to the task we did at school, I used food dye and also experimented using oil and vinegar as they create a unique emulsion.
Chemical Reactions - Water
In class we participated in an experiment involving pouring milk onto a plate and then putting food colouring in to cause a pattern, using cotton buds helped to blend the colours and create interesting designs. We also did an experiment using vinegar and bicarbonate of soda which caused a bubbling reaction, we also added red food colouring to create the colour.
Catherine Yass - Fire
Catherine Yass is an English photographer who worked on on a project which involved exposing a photograph to the elements, she exposed it to fire by burning the image. I like the idea of exposing a picture to a natural element, which links into combining nature vs man made.
Stephen Gill - Earth
Stephen Gill is a British photographer, his earlier pieces of work show an interest in birds, animals and music. He exposed his images to the natural elements such as burying them or leaving them outside.
I like Gill's idea of leaving an image to be taken over by nature as if nature is creating the image. It shows the power of nature over everything else and presents a unique idea. His idea helped me have the idea to expose a personal image of mine to the elements e.g rain by leaving it outside for a short period of time.
I like Gill's idea of leaving an image to be taken over by nature as if nature is creating the image. It shows the power of nature over everything else and presents a unique idea. His idea helped me have the idea to expose a personal image of mine to the elements e.g rain by leaving it outside for a short period of time.
Exposure to Elements - Earth
One of the tasks set to help me get started on thinking about the different elements was leaving a photograph to expose to them. I chose to leave my picture in the rain for 3 days to see how it was effected. It changed to the paper being thin, soggy and having some dirt and creases on it.
Class Practical Lava Lamps - Water
In class we made lava lamps by using an empty bottle, filling it around 1/4 of water, a few drops of food colouring and the the rest filled with oil, we then placed an Alka Seltzer in the bottle which caused a fizzing and used a light underneath the bottle to hence produced a re-creation of a lava lamp.
Uta Barth - Air
Uta Barth is an american contemporary photographer whom worked on a project which focused on blurring images, and not having the subject in focus or using the effect of depth of field. It creates the effect of rain, mist and fog by using the blur. Her images at first glance appear very simple and don't seem to have a subject however this can lead the viewer to interrupting the images meaning. The fact that there is no subject yet you are looking at where there would be one and hence the viewer becomes into the subject. Her use of the blur make is focus on not just what our eyes want to focus on but also the small details in which we normally miss over.
I think that her images are cleverly done by using the simplicity of the light and the blur. It is an usual technique which makes her images unique. They can leave the reader to interpret the image as they want and create a meaning for themselves as there is no in - focus subject. Her creation of using light cleverly make the first two images seem as if they are drawn and not a photograph. Her blurred images helped inspire me to take my own out of focus pictures which created a similar effect of there not being a main focal subject matter.
I think that her images are cleverly done by using the simplicity of the light and the blur. It is an usual technique which makes her images unique. They can leave the reader to interpret the image as they want and create a meaning for themselves as there is no in - focus subject. Her creation of using light cleverly make the first two images seem as if they are drawn and not a photograph. Her blurred images helped inspire me to take my own out of focus pictures which created a similar effect of there not being a main focal subject matter.
Hiroshi Sugimoto - Air
Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese photographer who is a Japanese photographer who worked on taking photos such as taking photos of buildings and focusing on the lines and then blurring them in Photoshop. His work features modernist architecture.
I like Hiroshi's images as compared to Uta Barth there is a subject to the image and it's only just slightly blurred. I like how he's taken pictures of famous landmarks or big buildings and then artificially blurred them. This adds a unique twist to the image being normal, I like the effect being created as there is a question as to why he has done it and what he wants the reader to interpret it as. His images helped me to create mine in a similar style of making them black n white, taking them of buildings which fill most the frame and then blurring them on Photoshop.
I like Hiroshi's images as compared to Uta Barth there is a subject to the image and it's only just slightly blurred. I like how he's taken pictures of famous landmarks or big buildings and then artificially blurred them. This adds a unique twist to the image being normal, I like the effect being created as there is a question as to why he has done it and what he wants the reader to interpret it as. His images helped me to create mine in a similar style of making them black n white, taking them of buildings which fill most the frame and then blurring them on Photoshop.
Rain - Water
To link with the theme of water I took photos of raindrops through a window to show it as an element. I also decided to have some with depth of field and some out of focus.
Elegant Erosion - Earth
I took some photos around our old school pool which has not been in use for a few years, since this time much erosion and rust has developed and hence created an interesting subject to photograph. It has an abandoned and old eery feel to it as so much of the surrounding area is old and fading away. I focused on small details such as rust on a bar, erosion of the fence and small erosions in wood.
Development Ideas - Air
For my ideas for my development strands I was influenced by the idea of blurring an image such as in Hiroshi Sugimoto and Uta Barth's photography. I decided for my developments to go to my local woods, for my first development I focused on photographing it as a landscape and keeping the vast scale in it whereas for my second development I decided to focus on small details of the woods. I also wanted to make a development of not always blurring the entire image but instead focusing on just blurring parts of the image. To create the blur on all my images I used a mix of a slow shutter speed, manual focus and the blur effect on Photoshop. The reason I decided to stick with the idea of having an image blurred is because I think it adds an effect of the natural elements effecting the picture such as fog or mist. Also I think the idea of using the blur makes it seem as if nature doesn't stand still and is constantly moving and changing around us. My other photographs which I had taken with a blurred effect were not focusing on a small scale or of a naturalistic landscape making me want to try these ideas for development.
For inspiration for these developments a photographer called Christopher Martins uses much of the effect of a blur in his images. I really like his images and use of blurring them and how he doesn't blur the entire image and hence it is visible of what the picture is of. As many of his photos are of vast beautiful landscapes I think his use of blur softens the image slightly and makes it a little less dramatic. The blur also adds texture to the image and makes it different to the surrounding textures of the landscape. The mood of his images are quite uplifting as they're so vast and empty and hence seem quite peaceful. The blur helps to create this peace as it softens the image making it less harsh, for example in the photo of the beach it seems peaceful and quiet as the water is blurred and there are no crashing waves etc, whereas if the image wasn't blurred it could create a completely different image. His work inspired me to develop my own ideas by wanting to create a softer look to my images and enhance nature's beauty and create an effect of nature on my image.
For inspiration for these developments a photographer called Christopher Martins uses much of the effect of a blur in his images. I really like his images and use of blurring them and how he doesn't blur the entire image and hence it is visible of what the picture is of. As many of his photos are of vast beautiful landscapes I think his use of blur softens the image slightly and makes it a little less dramatic. The blur also adds texture to the image and makes it different to the surrounding textures of the landscape. The mood of his images are quite uplifting as they're so vast and empty and hence seem quite peaceful. The blur helps to create this peace as it softens the image making it less harsh, for example in the photo of the beach it seems peaceful and quiet as the water is blurred and there are no crashing waves etc, whereas if the image wasn't blurred it could create a completely different image. His work inspired me to develop my own ideas by wanting to create a softer look to my images and enhance nature's beauty and create an effect of nature on my image.
Another photographer named Peter Bargh helped inspire me for my second development of photos. He uses the idea of blur and depth of field in his closeup photography. I really like his images and how he's focused on such small things and created a blur of the bigger things in the background. I think his focus on small natural things show how they can be equally just as beautiful as a vast and stunning landscape. I think the effect of photographing small details of nature up close and in focus make them seem that they stand out amongst the vast landscape they are in.
Development One
For my first development following on from the idea of using blur on images I decided to experiment photographing a more naturalistic landscape e.g the woods, to experiment the effect that blur would have on the image. On some photos I tried using blurring with a manual focus and on others I experimented with using it on Photoshop. I feel the effect of blur also seems to combine with the theme of air and having everything merge into one and looking the same.
Development Two
For my second development I decided to focus on photographing elements of the woods up close and focus on the small scale elements to it such as leaves, parts of the stream and bark on the trees. I also wanted to focus on the patterns and the textures of the wood and hence that's why I decided to photograph up close. I also experimented with trying a more depth of field approach by having there be more focus to the image but still leaving some blur, I wanted to create an effect of there being small details of the woods that we normally wouldn't see. I wanted a contrast of the small things in the woods being contrasted against the big landscape of all the trees. I achieved this by using a mixture of manual focus and shutter speed (used when photographing water). I also found Christopher Martin's idea of blurring the water useful when photographing the small stream.
Photography Trip - Harry Callahan
We visited the Tate Modern on a school trip and viewed the Harry Callahan exhibition who was one of the most influential figures in post-war photography. Much of his work is very diverse but all have are linked by line, composition, depth of field or multiple exposures they also focus on the relationship between photography and abstraction.
Task 1
My first task to focus on was the four links he uses to discover how he alters the viewer's relationship with familiar subjects.
I feel this photograph represents lines as he's carefully captured the lines of the trees evenly and I feel he has payed close attention to where he has positioned his wife. He could of just captured the trees singly however I feel he has chosen to photograph them in quite a pedantic way making them all in line. He's altered the relationship between familiar objects by giving the trees such structure to the composition and being the background to the picture and having the woman as the focus.
I think this picture represents the link of composition, I feel he has composed the picture of the woman to be central of the picture. The photo has an element of being very abstract as it seems very posed, it seems quite mysterious as the trees and naturalistic background are fairly light creating a strong contrast against the figure.
This photo has a clear depth of field with the child being in the center hence being the focal point. The narrowing of the houses coming together enhance the depth of field because it comes closer together where the girl is. This creates an unique effect of her being in the middle of it.
This photograph shows the link of multiple exposures, there are two distinct layers to the photo which overlap one another. I think it is interesting how he's used a specific closeup photo and overlapped it with a general photo of people. I feel he's merged two busy scenes of people into one.
Task 2
For the next task I looked into the idea of how Callahan uses his wife and main model Eleanor in the composition of the photograph. The first image uses the woman as a key feature to the image as it creates a scene of peace and serenity, the effect of her eyes being closed and simply floating also create this calm vibe. This links to nature and being at peace with it. The second image uses the woman to create an element of mystery as she is standing alone in the woods dressed in black, she contrasts with the background and makes the picture seem slightly scary and intriguing.
Task 3 - Harry Callahan
In the third task I tried linking different images of Callahan's work into the exam themes of air, earth, water and fire.
For fire I used an image of a silhouette, I thought this created a link to fire in the way of a silhouette in the fire and it being dark contrasting with the light.
For air I used a picture of grass which was blowing in the wind, I felt the way the grass was slanted represented how the wind had an effect on it.
For water I used a picture of a crumpled parts of paper on a wall, the reason I chose this is because I feel the way it is crumpled and peeling off is down to rain water.
For earth I chose a picture of marshland, this represents water, grass, mud and plants which are all natural and earthy things. It also shows power stations in the background which link to earth that despite not being natural they were created by people who make up the earth along with nature.
Review - Harry Callahan
The Harry Callahan exhibition was held at the Tate Modern and lasts from December to May. The images were mainly in black n white and varied from being of landscape to people to lighting techniques. A common theme was using either his wife or his most used model Eleanor who were in many of his photos. His work seemed to have a meaning of being quite original and abstract and not following the norms of that time perhaps. I feel the order of his work has a theme for how they were grouped, for example a collection of some of his photos taken of nature blowing in the wind were all grouped together and pictures using light were also placed next to each other. There were three pieces of work I really liked. The first being the photo of the silhouette I felt this showed an interesting contrast when it came to lighting. I think it's clever how he's linked Eleanor into the photo without being a direct photo of herself and just being an outline, the simplicity of it makes it a lot more powerful. It links into other photos as she was a commonly used subject for his work. The second photo I really liked was the multiple exposure example of the woman's face being blurred over the street setting of people. I think this idea worked really well as I feel the woman's face was taken when she was walking on the street, so I feel the idea of the closeup of someone on the street contrasted with the overall street from afar is a clever concept. The third picture I liked is of the girl between the two houses in the alleyway. I feel the use of focus in this picture is effective and how she is placed in the center of where the houses narrow. Overall I think the exhibition was good in the way he uses abstract photography with diverse subjects and how he merges the two. I think some of his pictures such as ones which merge his wife are difficult to understand why he is doing it but I like his images of the grass in the snow blowing as I feel they capture the elements effectively. I also like his use of using light in photography which almost came across as if it was artwork that had been drawn.
Southbank Walk
While on the trip we also took a walk around Southbank to capture part of the scenery but apart from the typical tourist attractions, there were also places with amazing graffiti as well as run down council places contrasted right next to the modern offices by the river.
Final Development Ideas - Water
I have several ways in which I want to develop my ideas, I like the idea of focusing closeup on an image and capturing the little details of it to show high quality, also carrying on from the idea I had of shooting water up close. I decided as a starting point to focus on high speed photography on objects and then discovered high speed photography of water, I want to try using high speed photography with dropping objects in water and then want to try using ink and paint and furthermore trying to develop capturing water droplets. I also like the idea of fire being captured at such close detail. I also like the idea of this type of photography as it captures things at such closeup detail which otherwise wouldn't be seen. Some of the high speed photography links into photographer's I've already studied such as Alberto Seveso.
Martin Klimas
Another photographer who is inspiring for my idea is a German photographer Martin Klimas who photographed paint at high speed and captured the detail of the paint. It again follows the theme of detail being captured closeup. I like the contrast of the black background with the bright colour of paint. For the flower pictures I really like the contrast of the colours of the flower used, for the speaker pictures I like the contrast of the dark background against the bright colours as it makes them appear with more clarity. My favourite picture is the one of the paint where is fills the whole frame as creates a more dynamic image. He also focused on capturing explosions at high speed, his work really links in with ideas I want to develop and is very inspiring.
First Response - Flower Explosion
In the style of Martin klimas I attempted trying to smash a frozen flower in order to capture the explosion. It was difficult to do as the flower was either too frozen making it too hard to smash or not frozen enough meaning there was nothing to smash however some pictures turned out okay and captured the explosion to some degree.
Second Response - Speaker Paint
I next wanted to develop my idea of high speed photography by capturing paint which makes amazing patterns from being blown up by speakers. This idea is inspired by Martin Klimas. The setup is fairly easy in the sense that paint is placed on a sheet on old speakers and then loud music is played causing the paint to expand into droplets going upwards. The symbolism of the bits of paint up close reflects the look of rain drops and water droplets which link to the theme of water. There is also a video explaining the process that Martin Klimas used to create his images.
Third Response - Speaker Paint
For my third response I tried blowing paint up on the speaker again but this time using a different colour. I liked some of the end results, however I would of liked to have had music with a heavier base and drop to have bigger pulsations to create bigger droplets and clearer images. I also edited the pictures by tinting and editing the colour levels/temperature.
Scott Dickson
Another photographer which experimented with capturing explosions at high speed is Scott Dickson, he popped water balloons and produced quirky images from the idea. I like his images because they have such high definition and the splash is so perfectly captured. I also like the the add of fun props which create a unique image. The way the picture is framed with the main splash being in the centre and then having the spray around the edges creates a focus on the props and main balloon popping. The use of the black background against the colour of the ballon creates a more impressive image. The lighting of the image creates the splash to have higher definition and quality.
Fourth Response - Balloon Popping
Martin Klimas's idea of capturing an explosion at high speed inspired me to try my own. I decided to capture a balloon popping with water in it at high speed on a video and then converted it into a gif. I liked the outcome however it was difficult to get enough water in the balloon to make a bigger splash.
Fifth Response - Dropping Objects In Water
For my next development I experimented with dropping objects in water and then photographing it at high speed. I tried using an orange, apple and a penny, I found using the orange and apple most effective as they created a bigger splash. I used a very fast shutter speed of 1/200 to capture the splash as closeup as possible. I feel the photos came out okay however the lighting was difficult to adjust as the high shutter speed allowed only a small amount of light in hence meaning artificial lighting made it seem slightly overexposed at times. Another difficulty was capturing the splash fast and closeup enough which became easier over time.
Martin Waugh
One photographer who I feel has inspired me is Martin Waugh. He's combined the use of science and photography by carefully developing images that been specifically captured at high speed to show their intricate detail. I really like his images as not only are they astonishingly beautiful but also I like the level of detail captured and how precisely planned it is to capture just one image. I like how he's also used colour in the water it definitely adds to the beauty of the image. The image is so carefully done that it almost looks photoshopped, the lighting is soft which works well with the bright colours used to create a stunning contrast. The focus of the images goes from the main pattern to the little droplets at the side of the picture.
Heinz Maier
Another photographer which I really liked which I came across when researching Martin Waugh is Heinz Maier. His images are pretty similar, and again capture the high quality beauty of the water droplets very closeup. He again has a use of colour in it which presents it so seem non-human as it's unable to be seen at such detail by the human eye. It makes the image become almost mysterious in the way that you can't see what the camera can. I again like the the lighting used and the softer use of colour which works really well together. I like the softer edges to his patterns as they have a definite focus on the design as a whole.
Sixth Response - Water Droplets (No mirror)
I attempted to interrupt both Martin Waugh's and Heinz Maier's work by creating my own water droplet high speed photography. I used a set up of attaching string above a large glass dish filled with water and then attaching a small baggie with a pin sized hole through it which in turn produced a constant flow of droplets which landed in the same position. I set my camera to a shutter speed of 1/200 to capture the droplets as fast as possible. At first it was challenging to capture the droplets but after practice it became easier. I also added blue food colouring to add a pop of colour to the water. After several attempts it became slightly easier and I decided to experiment with some droplets colliding, this was very hard to capture without an extra flash however there were some images which came out alright. Some problems included the baggie leaking water which meant the regularity of the droplets was not in a rhythm and made it hard to capture the splash in time. I liked some of the outcomes though and felt rewarded after a long time of trial and error. It was too hard to capture images in such a way that Martin Waugh and Heinz Maier have due to having less technical equipment and a less professional set up. I also tried experimenting with using a mirror underneath, to help reflect the image. I liked the outcome of these images as I felt they produced slightly clearer images and captured the droplets with more clarity.
Final Piece
For my final piece I've decided to print our three pictures from my favourite water droplet pictures, I've printed them in a large size to create an impact. This links to the final theme of water and capturing it at a closeup in high detail.
For my final piece I've decided to print our three pictures from my favourite water droplet pictures, I've printed them in a large size to create an impact. This links to the final theme of water and capturing it at a closeup in high detail.
Conclusion
I feel my work has developed from focusing on high speed photography and capturing things closeup in high detail to adding in the theme of water with photographing water droplets. I am happy with my final pieces as I liked the closeness and quality of them and how they captured the droplets at good exact moments. However I would of liked to have been able to create images to the complexity of Heinz Maier and Martin Waugh. I would of also liked to have payed more attention to lighting and the background, and would of edited more of the water ripple. I would of also like of experimented with different colours and tried to create different formations. Overall I am happy with how this final piece turned out and the exam unit as a whole.
I feel my work has developed from focusing on high speed photography and capturing things closeup in high detail to adding in the theme of water with photographing water droplets. I am happy with my final pieces as I liked the closeness and quality of them and how they captured the droplets at good exact moments. However I would of liked to have been able to create images to the complexity of Heinz Maier and Martin Waugh. I would of also liked to have payed more attention to lighting and the background, and would of edited more of the water ripple. I would of also like of experimented with different colours and tried to create different formations. Overall I am happy with how this final piece turned out and the exam unit as a whole.