Unit 1:Visual Recording

Observing, comparing, and photographing the natural and constructed world.

We are surrounded by the natural and constructed world, many photographers have created work evidencing their natural and manufactured surroundings. For this activity you are to photograph your natural and constructed surroundings you will also research two photographers that have created work concerning the subject.

You should aim to ultimately have four final images, two regarding nature and two regarding man-made. 

Research into two photographers in the natural and constructed world.

Ansel Adams Pictures The Natural World

A picture of Ansel in quite a built up area. Born in san francisco February 1902 he was a photographer and environmentalist, he has taken a large amount of pictures in and around the American West and definitely in the Yosemite Park. he used certain techniques and developed a great style, he chose to use large format cameras for their high resolution and the total sharpness to the final pictures. His pictures are so well taken and the effect he uses almost turns it into something else when you concentrate on certain areas. 

Dogwood Blossoms, Yosemite National Park, negative about 1938; print 1941, Ansel Adams

This is an incredible picture taken in Yosemite Park, the peak of the large mountain is a fantastic central pint and is an amazing view, showing the great size and different rock formation. the different combination of tones on the mountain help so much to bring out the texture. The tree lines from the left and right of the image create such good depth and do bring you towards the mountain itself. The bridge over the river and the lighter trees on the right and left side really do stand out nicely against the darker tree line behind. the mirror type reflection in the water is almost a symmetric type of effect, which really does play with your eye when looking at the photograph.   

The colour of the clouds in this image stars quite dark at the top of the image and the different tones show the the cloud shapes so well, the diagonal lines bring your eye towards the mountain area in the background which has a slightly lighter tone but still stands out so well. i really do like how a lot his photographs are taken in black and white because it tends to make different areas of light stand out so well and it gives such a good texture to the picture.

 Ansel adams photograph frameless painting dead wood near the lake.

In this picture the foreground sits so well against the darker water and the set of hills but the clouds in the sky bring the top over the picture to the front as well. The ground and rocks work very well and create a good combination with the tree itself. the light is caught all along the top of the tree trunk and it lies so well on the ground.

Ansel Adams Tree Dsc_0126

This picture has worked so well in colour the combination of the sky and the mountain range in the background make the tree stand out so well, the small parts of the tree timber and bark that are from dark orange to lighter tones of yellow bring it right to the front of the picture and it sits so well no the rock beneath it. The sharpness of the picture really does make you look right into the tree and it almost becomes like a large bush effect and you can see kind of a crouched down body on the left of it in some ways.

The tree in this photograph almost makes you think it is a lying figure when you focus in on it. The shadow below the on the rock work so well. Bark at the lower part of the tree looks like what could be an abstract painting, similar to other of Ansels pictures. I really do like this effect and it does give the photograph another edge and turns it into something else very interesting whilst your looking.

Ansel Adams, Rushing Water, Merced River

This picture works so well and i like how the water running surround the tree in the centre the dark, what almost looks like black tree is an excellent focal point. Again the water almost looks like it could've been done in the style of an abstract painting and it really does give such good texture to the image, the movement makes you really follow the picture around and different shadows help to brake it up so well.  

Ansel Adams-Half Dome, Apple Orchard, Yosemite

A lot of the images i have chosen have been of trees in different places and in different conditions i find some of the shapes, shadows and how the light is cast into certain areas. Some pictures actually look like could almost be some kind of an abstract painting 

Andreas Gurskey The Constructed World

This is a good picture of Andreas he is a german photographer and also a professor who was born in Germany January 1955. he is well known for his architecture and landscape colour photos and these pictures always do have a large point of viewing. Andreas has shared a studio with three other people in on the Hansaallee in Dusseldorf. This building was an electricity station but was made into an art studio and an area to live around 2001- 2002, with also a gallery in the basement which was designed by to Architects well known especially in the art world.     

Copan, 2002

Photograph: Andreas Gursky/VG Bild-Kunst/DACS/Sprüth Magers

This is such a good picture of large tower blocks, the middle building has so many different coloured shapes on what seem to be flats. The curved building helps with the depth of the image and draws you towards the lower building on the left which is a slightly darker tone. the shape of the building on the left and the large white side of the flats matches the colour of the sky which help to split up the buildings as well  

Hong Kong, Island via Artnet.

b. 1955

The tower blocks in this picture are different colours and also different tones, the shadows between the buildings and the dark windows help to split the picture up and the work site on the ground draws you to the centre of the image. The colour of the ground what looks like sand does link up with the lower plain building near the centre. the building area makes you realise that construction of even more buildings will happen amongst the very close buildings already. 

Andreas Gurskey, Los Angeles, 1999

Ongoing flats witch have made a slanted line from the right hand lower part of the image help so much with the depth of the picture, also the repetitive colour of the buildings really do combine well with the amount of buildings. A slight fade in the background into the sky helps to make the flats seem almost endless.  

Andreas Gurskey Chicago Board  of Trade 11

Colours of the clothing people are wearing in this picture really do split this up although what seems to be seating or desks where people are working give the effect of a certain shape to the picture. Despite this the image really does have the effect of an abstract painting and an almost circular movement of the brush. I do like this very much but again you can see the shear amount of people within the photograph, this seems to express Andreas's message of the high amount and mass consumerism and commercialism.

99 Cent 1, 2001

this picture of a large supermarket type store in America has quite a geometric style with all the different colours of produce staked on shelves. the white colour of the wall which runs along the centre of the picture and the grey colour of the ceiling separates the top third of the picture so well, also the four upright poles helps with the perspective and also separates the rear half of the image, they also draw you into the centre. it really does allow you to realise the shear amount of produce these places can hold.

Andreas Gursky 99 cent

This is what looks like a close up image of the of the lower right hand side of the picture above, the colours work so well and also the darker tones of the shelving behind show different lines from right to left in combination with the small white lines of the shelves.

  

                                          

Chicken processing plant

What a fantastic photograph of this chicken processing plant, the pink outfits and blue aprons worn by the people working really do stand out so well. The classic theme of endless repetitiveness of Andreas's work show in this image very much and the colour of the walls and ceiling split the picture in half, although the lights and workers decreasing in size and also the the two lines almost meeting each other show you how many many people could be working in the plant.  

Genoa 1991.

This picture was taken back in 1991 and you really can see this from the cars, also the picture itself and the camera that was used to take it with the light and colour in some ways. i like how the sky is almost white and it helps to make cars and boats standd out so well. Then colours, blue, orange, red to name a only few on the roof racks make the cars stand out form the sky.  

This picture taken in black and white in what seems to be a factory of some kind is very interesting and the slightly darker tone of the chimneys makes them sit so well against the lighter sky tone. Also you really can see good texture from them, the darker grass area below works really well in combination with the steel frame work and shadows between them.

My own development and final Photographs

Mind map

Initial photographs of both areas

Some pictures i took and ideas of certain areas i will think about in both types of surroundings

i really do like how you can se the modern architecture against the older style of wall below and also the road and pavement. The shadow works nicely against the blue of the sky and the light tone of yellow of the building, the blue rectangle on the building and the blue sky make an interesting combination.

the sun hits the cobbled road and wall nicely, the clouds in the sky collect well in the centre but also in other areas as well.

The steps go up to the left which have worked well against the light on the top left. the wall on the right stands out well against the light and is good to show the foreground.

This picture has some really good shapes and the arch in the middle of the image is such a good central point, especially with the lighter tone of blue to the darker tone in the sky above which is split up by the arch.

1/20 F14 ISO100

this area of small trees makes in the fore ground work very well and because they are quite thin in areas make it almost seem like a hand drawn line in some places, also the lighter tone of green on the grass and hedge split the bottom and top in quite a subtle way.

1/60 F22 ISO400

This picture almost has a slight circular shape and the light is really good at the top right hand side, when you look from a distance your eye is drawn to so many different areas because of the shape and the light as well.

  

1/3 F22  ISO 1600

I did really like the split of the still and fast flowing water from the rocks in the water. the reflection of the trees has made a nice dark shadow and it raises up with the tree trunks as well, although i think the sunlight is a bit to bright on the left.  

1/40 F3.5  ISO100

1/40 F3.5 ISO125
These two pictures came out really well the sky has so much texture, the pink colour is amazing against the blue and the dark houses and tree lines, it would be good to see what they might look like in black and white. I could have almost created something similar to the skies in in Ansels photographs.


Constructed World Images i have chosen.

1/40 F5.6  ISO400

I chose this picture because i really do like how the composition brings you right into the centre of the picture, also the line of the steel fencing helps with this and the gloss back paint catches a good hi light. Also the green weathered floor stands out well against the walls of the buildings. the stone and window reveals make for interesting texture and also draw you towards the centre and the light is quite bright which allows you to see right to the end of the buildings   

1/5 F5.6  ISO400

I really liked this photograph because of the darkness within the tunnel although the light has a nice gradient from the end. The electric street light on the right hand side helps, its casting on the left wall and showing all the texture of the stone and venting above. the road brings your eye to the centre and is a good combination with the upper part of tunnel. 

These two images i chose i was pleased with and the idea i had was to try and find a pathway or a tight space between buildings, i think i have achieved this and the composition has definitely been something i have thought about very much, both of these images you are drawn into the centre but with texture from buildings and walls leading you in through the left and right.

Natural World images i have chosen 

2" 22F ISO100

This picture has come out well and the small branches and leaves from the left stand out against the darker water below, the reflection just to the left of the branches joins well with light in the background. The water is not so still at the rear of the picture and helps to split it up from the still water at the front. Lighter tones of green at the front into darker in the background of the image help you to understand the distance. 

1/50 F14  ISO100

I chose this photograph because i liked how the the morning mist made the background fade out really well, the concrete gate pillar on the left has worked nicely right at the forefront with a small light strip of grass right against the edge, its a good combination with the small tree branches on the right which is a total opposite of the post and the small leaves almost meet the top of the post at the same level of the light tone hedge in the background.

I Chose both of these for natural world photographs because of the colour and also the fact that there is know sign of any construction anywhere. Green is such a good colour that seems to sit so nicely especially if its against a shadow or darker tone. I think the composition works very well on these two images and it helps to make you focus into the picture really well.

Reflection on the finished work and processes 

This was a great unit and it really did make you experiment and test a lot of different techniques, it was fantastic to go around in both types of areas and discover interesting places and times of day or night to take a picture. The time of day really does effect the picture as it depends on how the sun is cast and also the weather conditions. Controlling how to use the camera in certain light conditions is something you really do need to know how to do and what settings should be used in different lights. I think doing this again i would explore more areas in each different surrounding, this would give me more options in what i would want my final image to be, although i am still very pleased with the pictures i have chosen and i think they do what has been asked. 

Activity 2:

Exploring time through still images.

Research into the photographers Micheal Wesley, Francesca Woodman and Alexey Titirenko. Looking into their work and the techniques they have used to create pictures which show movement and long exposures as well as the use of certain backgrounds and different types of light. Also, tell us about your own thoughts. Can you begin to work out how the image was made technically? What do you like or find intriguing about the image? Have you noticed more within or about the image since you've first been aware of it? Has your research influenced your own image making? You should aim to write 300 – 500 words per photographer.

I have chosen to research the work of the two photographers Micheal Wesley and Alexey Titirenko here are some Photographs, some were taken back to the 1990s. Both of them have used quite a long shutter speed to show the movement of people light and also vehicles in the city 


Micheal Wesley




Canadian Embassy, Leipziger Platz, Berlin (5.2.2003 – 28.4.2005)

The way how the light has been shown in this photograph is incredible, it almost looks like they could be shone from spot lights or even lasers and they are in exact slanted lines coming down from the right to the left. darker buildings still do show these light traces, the building on the left seems like it could be the front by itself. 

Open Shutter Projekt was created from exposures over a three year period from 2001-2004.


The effect in this photograph is amazing with how the light has created such a bright area at the top of the image the shape of the buildings has made some clean shapes, the lower part  has a lot of movement which has such a combination with the buildings as you can see what was happening inside. This was again achieved by having an exposure for three years, its so interesting to see how the building on the right is very clear as nothing has happened to the front of it.  

The Museum of Modern Art, New York (7.8.2001 – 7.6.2004)
This picture was taken using colour and it really does work with how the light is caught on the buildings in the centre also the sunlight which is slanted down from the top left hand corner brings these buildings to the front. The building on the left is a very dark tone and it makes the sunlight almost a highlight, the composition is fantastic and it helps you to see all the different layers of the buildings, also the different tones of light and textures show angles and depth, you are kind of drawn into righthand side of the image. 

 The area where this photograph is taken is not as well built as some of the other pictures but the smaller buildings still make an amazing picture, there is more space in the sky which does give more area for the sunlight beams to slant down from the left leaving such amazing lines going into the centre. The composition of the building on the left brings it to the foreground and it really does work with how the road draws you into to the smaller building in the centre which helps so much with the depth. 

Alexey Titirenko

City of Shadows City of St Petersburg 1994

The road markings which start from the lower right corner of the picture are a fantastic part of the composition and draw your eye into the background. Moving figures on the left and right have such a good effect especially as they are walking on the hard shinny surface of the road. the way he has managed to capture lighter tones of light from the centre up to the sky also the white top of the person helps this. 

St Petersburg series 1993

City of Shadows was a series a photographs taken between 1992-1994 these pictures would capture kind of ghostly souls around the city win all kinds of different areas, they do seem quite blurred but you really can see faces and bodies when look closely. it really does capture such incredible images and in the way you can see people moving around really does help you to realise the movement with in a city, and also the shear amount of people are there.

Ciy of Shadows

 The light within this picture has split the image up so well, you have the light light tone of the steps that are crossed with a slant to the left which does match with the slanted handrail, Some lighter tones of peoples jackets do separate them in a subtle way. The cars and buildings behind are a lighter tone but do combine well with the steps below which do make the moving people the main focal point.  

City of Shadows

White Posters on the wall behind the three ladies do give such a good texture and also match well with the bags the ladies on the right has in her hand. Darker tones of the clothes they are wearing do bring them away from the wall and they are stood along the same street and on the same level. The lighter tone of the bin sits right in the middle of the of the lower part of the picture in front of the middle person.  

My Own Photographs  Exploring Time through Still images 

First thoughts/ideas, mind map.

photographs i have taken to show different settings I've used to show movement through a still image its an amazing effect that's created, it actually shows the movement so well but also shows in this case my face in different positions as i move my head around. You are still able to to get a focused picture as i turn my head from left to right.  

3"2 F14  ISO100

3"2 F14  ISO100

3"2 F14  ISO100


You do need to use a slow shutter speed to catch the movement and using and quite high light exposure F14 but using a low ISO100 as the the light that used in the room by the lamp is sufficient. How the the light is cast helps my figure to stand out against the dark background. 

6" F16  ISO400

5" F13  ISO200

10" F13  ISO100

I think these last three pictures I've taken have worked out really well, i would begin sat down on the left chair stood up moved to the right, stood and then sit back down. This has made four images of myself as i moved from chair to chair, the parts while I'm sat down have come out a bit more in focus as I'm sat still. It makes a better picture because I've pulled the camera on the tripod back so you can see the top of my body and head when I'm stood up.

The last three photographs have come out a lot better and it was much better to use the curtain in the studio instead of using the black plastic i had used before, as it does reflect the light from the lamp. this is such an amazing technique and it does help to show the movement so well and it allows you to add so much to a still image. Taking photographs using this technique does show you why Wesley and Titirenko used this technique within built up areas and cities where there is so much movement of traffic, building and people moving around and also changes of light and weather especially with the long exposures they used, some being as long as three years.    




Activity 3:

Interpreting a painting.

19.10.15

Your aim for this project is to create three A4 prints that you have made in response to a painting. You will choose a painting and interpret it photographically; you need to discuss the painting you have chosen with your tutor. The series of images you make should be selected carefully from other images you have shot and edited. Please evidence the process of your work on your Visual Recording Blog.

Jean Michel Basquiat

Jean Michel Basquiat is the artist i will chose, his paintings are quite abstract and colours used are always qute bold and bright and they make a really good combination. Text is normally used and there is sometimes parts that look like he has crossed out, or scribbled over parts he's wanted to change or doesn't like, this always is a good addition though. 

Some of Basquiats work i have looked at to help with the development of the final images that i will use.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Blue Heads 
acrylic and oilstick on canvas 
72 x 117 in. (182.8 x 297.1 cm.) 
Painted in 1983. 

I really do like this picture it is quite clear in areas but the heads have been brought forward with dark and light tones of colour the composition works very well with how the heads have been spaced apart the black figure on the left combines well with the two heads and almost flattens the image.  

Charles the First by Jean-Michel Basquiat

The lines and the colours used in this make a picture where there is quite a lot happening, black line work and the two squares with the areas crossed out in the centre and on the left make such an interesting composition, he has used white shapes on the lower part and they are in almost the same position which balance it out very well. 

Jean Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol: Zenith 1985, acrylic on canvas, 

This is such a good combination of printed text, what looks like advertisements and price reduction from a wrapper or sign. Colour works so well in this painting and the  green car is fantastic against the white and the red Zenith text. there is quite a lot to this painting and your eye is drawn towards all of it with certain elements.





Jean Michel Basquiat: Untitled 1981

This one of the main paintings that were provided for us to make a response to the painting with a photograph. i really like this triptych and even though they are separate pieces of work they still join together well, with the combination of similar colours but you can see how the centre piece stands out  on the edges of the lighter cream colour.


Plans towards final photographs

I think when i make the response to the painting i will try to use the technique of how he has not separated the three pieces to much and especially at the top near the hand, black combines well with the two pieces either side. it will give a good effect with three photographs and almost joining them in certain areas.
The plan is that i could be using the combination of advertisements similar to the painting he did with Warhol, it is was a good combination as Basquiat had used free hand brush with marks and shapes made quite quickly. This was totally different from the sharp advertisements, discount signs and skull and cross bones on the left Warhol had printed, its made such a good painting how the two styles and colours are so different. Also i will try and use my own art work and hand style within the picture, going over the top of certain areas especially tight formulated text or pictures, i will be able to achieve this using Photoshop or maybe some work i will do or have done recently. I could also by using Photoshop cut one photo i have taken, split it into three parts and use different effects on each one.          



My own work 

These have been made buy using photographs I've taken of adverts from shops takeaways and signs on the side of the road, I've added them together and drawn over the top of them and tried to combine them to create one image. i think they've worked quite well although i might have to possibly use only a few other colours with the free line drawing i put on top.  

These are the photos i took of a takeaway, bar/restaurant and a for sale sign on the side of a building in Bristol around the Hotwells area.

1/10 F5.6  ISO100

1/8 F5.6  ISO100

1/10 F5.6  ISO100

I combined the pictures together and drew over the top of them with a black marker which makes them into one  image, the black I've used i similar to the painting by Basquiat - untitled 1981. i have also tried to recreate the parts of the painting he did with Warhol  in 1985, Warhol had printed an advert a 50% off sign and even a skull and cross bones Basquiat had used his free hand brush style over the top of this and almost try to cross it out with shapes and figures. i like this combination of harp printed text and images with Basquiats free brush work.  

1/10 F4.0  ISO 3200

1/3 F4.0  ISO3200

1/4 F4.0  ISO 1600

This picture has worked quite well by adding line drawing on Photoshop as well, its good to add some lighter tones over the top of the black, i think i might add a larger space with a lighter tone.

I think I've created a really good combination of the photographs and areas I've drawn in  myself, i did try to add more larger areas and different shapes of lighter colour to split up the black marker, I've drawn over the signs and adverts so its not just the whole photos next to each other and it's blended them together well making one single piece.  

Activity 4:

Breaking the Rules.

Your aim for this project is to create three final images which break conventional photographic rules. 

You can choose which photographic rule you want to break.

Part of your research is that you need to shoot some images that CONFORM to the rule, then shoot your images that break the rule.

Research one of the images. Find out about the photographer, but most importantly tell us about how you think it challenges a photographic rule. What do you like or find intriguing about the image? Aim to write 200 words.

Don't Shoot into the light

I have chosen to break the law of don't shoot into the light the photograph was taken by Saul Lieter, it is also taken through a window.

Saul Leiter, Snow, 1960 

Saul Leiter was American Photographer, with a great interest in art and at an early age moved to New York to start a career in painting. He did begin to focus on photography and was working with quite contemporary photographers in the 1950s, he later became a fashion photographer and well known for this.  

I think this photo does break the rule as it is taken towards the snow covered ground on which the man in the centre is standing on, the snow is very bright as it's white and the day light helps with this. I like how it was taken from behind a window inside which is causing the condensation on the glass and has created an effect that could make it look like a water colour painting, the old sign writing in vinyl on the window stands out so well against the snow in the background and in combination with the drops of water and smeared glass it makes the figure seem quite abstract. The yellow vehicle helps to make the mans head and shoulders the main focal point just above the centre of the picture. Although it was taken right into the light its works so well with the dark colours of the people and grey shadows standing out from the white snow colour. The composition works great and the snow does take away any sign of where it could be, possibly a street but the dark figures and shadows help to break the image up so well.

My Own Work

This photograph of mine doesn't break the rule but it was taken in the same place i took some of my pictures that were straight towards sunlight, i think this did make such a good photo with the sun shining through the branches of the tree it really does show the texture of the bark leaves and branches.  

1/13 F13  ISO400

Photographs that I've taken that break the rule of taking into the light, it is towards the sun but as it was only just rising i didn't think it was to bright.

A picture that i did take from behind a window in the morning, i did like how the morning mist has faded the background a bit and you can see a good tone change.

         

I have gone against taking directly into the sun but its not directly into it, the colours and different tones from the foreground right up to the hill in the background split different up so well. 

1/50 F13  ISO800

I took this photo in the same place as the first picture, it was taken from behind facing the sunlight and it has made such a good effect with all of the branches being so dark against the light sky. 

Activity 5:

Do It Yourself.

Your aim for this project is to create three final images for your own project.

This is your opportunity to create a series of images in response to your own ideas.

Please evidence the process of your work on your Visual Recording Blog.

Tasks;

1. Write a project proposal of the project you intend to complete. This is your project research.
2. Discuss your project with your tutors.
3. Shoot, edit and review your images.

Project Proposal;

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

What is your idea?

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

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

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

Project Proposal

Photographic Journal of some ones day.

Follow Some bodies day and take pictures at certain times, where you go during that day, this will give you the chance to shoot in different surroundings, inside, outside with different weather and light, time of day. 

This will then allow the person looking at the final photographs to get an impression of who they are or what they are doing during their day.

I will be looking to have 4 or 5 final pictures that are taken throughout the day, beginning in the morning and the final picture in the evening.

Pictures taken are to be not in any particular style and don't need to have the person your following in  but should give a good narrative

They do need to taken at different times and at different places so you can get more of an idea of what the person is doing or where they're going for example.

It will be a good chance to use different styles and settings to capture what you're looking for.

    

For research and a photographers work ill be looking at I've decided to look at the work of Vivian Maier, she was a very private person who didn't really engage with the people she was shooting. She used a box shaped camera known as a Rolleiflex and the eye piece you would have to look down instead of looking directly at the subject, so people would not always know she was taking a picture.

This really is an incredible picture taken in New York during the 1950s and its quite unbelievable how big the city already was, the sidewalk and subway line go straight into the centre which helps with the depth of field so well also you can see the Empire State in the background.

This is a fantastic picture with the different positions the three of them are stood, there are no other people behind or to the sides which draws you towards them.

This is another great piece of Maier's work she's caught the the lady waiting on a bench for maybe a train or a bus with a quite relaxed expression on her face.

This really is quite a photo with the man on the left in some shorts or even just pants and the man on the right does have a bit of a confused facial expression. Its so well taken and the composition works very well and it's good that there's not to many other people about. 

I really do like how these pictures have been taken and you can kind of tell that they were not asked to pose in any certain way and they do look very natural, which i think is a really good way to records some ones normal day. All of these were taken in black and white and it works really well with the light, they are all in such good focus as well.