Rut - Blees Luxembourg 

Rut Blees Luxembourg is a photographer who primarily works at night to capture her photographs. These two photographs were taken from an East London Block of flats off of City Road. Image one was taken from the opposite flat on the sixteenth floor to create the view as if we are standing on the balcony watching the opposite block. The  view we see in the image give us an impression that there was not a lot of high rise buildings yet in London. The visual choices Luxembourg has applied to her work are the use of Long exposure photography particularly a ten minute exposure for this image. She used a large format camera and only Ambient lighting. The focal point is obviously the main block due to it being in complete focus where as the background starts to lose its focus as it drops to the background. The grid effect created on this image was broken from the use of the lights in the flats being turned on when people returned home from work. The use of the lights gives us an insight into the lives of the people living there the stronger the light the longer the people have been home. 

This image is of various blocks of flats found in the East - end of London. In this image Luxembourg is showing the viewer the style of housing found in the suburbia of London and how uninviting and uncharacteristic it is. She used the same style of photography and visual strategies found in image one. I especially am fond of image two  gives us a sense of scale in which blocks of housing is created in London you don't get the idea of a friendly neighbourhood but a dark environment 

Vera Lutter 

Vera Lutter was commissioned by The Museum of Contemporary Photography to turn offices into Camera Obscures and capture down town Chicago. Lutter as captured this photographs using a camera Obscures to create her photography where you use a aperture which passes through to the small dark chamber and the light is reflected onto the photographic paper to recreate the scene. Due to her small aperture the exposures are normally long a few hours or a day depending on the weather conditions of that day. This photographs are unique and changes the way we see this view due to everything being in opposition and objects in motion do not appear. 

 

Lutter has again used the Camera Obscure to create her photography she has used the same visual strategies as image one.  It gives the look of trail light photography the way the light trails across the streets. This city scape shows a lot of nature which makes the foreground of the photograph seem very flat which compositional wise works well for this image the flat space leading onto the sky scrappers of the city. 

Deconstructing Environmental Photographers

Alfred Stieglitz, The Flatiron, 1903

Stieglitz has portrayed the Flatiron as if the building is not an important aspect of the photograph but we all know that its supposed to be the focal point as the Americans celebrated the building in the same way the French celebrate the Eiffel Tower it also portrayed the idea of modern America. Stieglitz portrayed the building as towering over the city as if it’s out of place surrounding Madison SquarePark but does this image show the growth of New York City and what will be coming of the city.

Stieglitz has composed his 1903 photograph in a similar way to the other photographers of the time capturing The Flatiron building as well this idea of the trees surrounding the city finding nature still existing in the city the use of the tree maybe also used to portray the idea of height to the viewer and the size of the building in the city and what New York is becoming the idea of Skyscrapers being built in New York. They all used natural day light lighting conditions maybe the photographers were trying to portray the mood of New York City in the nineteen hundreds.  

The Intention of Alfred Stieglitz was to capture the Flatiron in a new an innovative way due to the excitement of the Flatiron this new and incredible building. Stieglitz wanted to take the focus away from the building but onto the landscape surrounding the building the weather conditions also helped this and created this misty view covering the building and turner the focus onto the nature found in Madison Square Park.

Visual Strategies incorporated in to the work of The Flatiron were, an array of tones a lot of tonnage was captured in the twigs you can see the groves of the branches and the different textures found on the tree in comparison to the Flatiron itself where you cannot find too many tones just the brick work tones and the grain effect created from the type of film used. The camera was situated left of the building in line with a row of trees facing the building.  The image has been focused on the upper third of the image where the tree splits into two parts. Stieglitz has used a small aperture to allow only a small amount of the image to be in focus.

                                Alvin Langdon Coburn, The Flatiron Building, 1911

            Coburn Portrayed the Flatiron building in a different way than other photographers did for the early nineteenth century style of photography. Coburn wanted the building to be the focal point so he has everything surrounding the Flatiron is out of focus so the viewer concentrates on the building. The Flatiron in this image is represented as a mighty building towering across the rest of the city. From the people captured in this image it gives the building a different significance it portrays this idea that this was a wealthy area of the city men in suits and top hats which allows us to believe that this building had to be in perfect condition adding a quality to the New York Skyscrapers which had to be seen to keep the reputation of the villages of that area and era of the time.

 Coburn has composed his photograph in a new innovative way for that era of time he has captured the whole environment of the Flatiron District the class of people found in that area the style of cars and the grandeur of the buildings. Due to the people having a less important impact on the image they are blurred this maybe also because there was movement in the image. This photograph has a natural not composed style about it I believe Coburn was trying to portray the lifestyle of the people in the Flatiron district.

Coburn’s visual strategies for this photograph were a small depth of field due to the top half of the photograph being in focus. The camera position was straight onto the people walking towards the camera the people are in line with the camera but was taken at a great distance from the building to enable him to capture the whole building and the sky. Coburn used mainly natural lighting with the help from the street lighting to light up the middle ground found in the photograph. The tones found in this image are two very distinct tonnages the buildings people cars and trees are very dark shadowed tones where as the sky, pavements and lights are very light tones which may be classed as a highlight.

            

                                      Edward Steichen The Flatiron, New York, 1905.

Steichen portrayed the Flatiron in a way that makes it appear less important in the context of the photograph due to the fact that it was taken early morning where it was still misty and dull looking outside you can hardly see the detail of the building just the outline.

The image has a feeling of a fine art painting, the top of the building has been cut out of the shot showing the large scale of the building. The use of the silhouettes created depth between the building and the foreground. The Flatiron showed the modern New York City in comparison to the Horse and Carriage found in the foreground.

This was a Platinum print capturing picturesque environment. Steichen used a shallow depth of field to allow only a small the image to be in focus 

Walter Gropius – The Flatiron Building, New York, 1928

The building is portrayed in a similar way to how the leaning tower of Pisa is photographed The composure of this photograph is very different to all the other photographs I have analysed of The Flatiron the whole photographic space is consumed by the building and the sky surrounding it. The intention of the photographer was to make sure that the viewer understood the composure and of the building and what it represents the coming of modern New York. Gropius creates something innovative for its time. The camera position was situated to the side of the building leaving a great distance to allow the whole building to be captured in the frame. Everything captured in the photograph is in focus which means Gropius used a large depth of field to allow this to happen. This allowed there to be a huge amount of tonnage in his image to allow the viewer to see the detail of the brick work.

                Walker Evans, Flatiron Building seen from below, New York City, 1928-29

Evans captured his image from a different angle compared to the other photographers. He decided to capture The Flatiron from underneath this portrays a more documentary style of work showing the building for what it is. It also portrays this idea of importance to the American history.  Evans positioned the camera underneath the building which has created an a ray of tones from midtones and shadows found in the architecture.

                                        Bernice Abbott, The Flatiron Building, 1938

The Flatiron in Abbotts photograph is portrayed as a new innovative documented piece of photography. Abbott seems to portraying this image as documenting the scene in history rather than creating a piece of art work like some earlier photographers have done. Natural lighting was used, the camera was situated low down to capture the whole building in the frame a large depth of field was used to allow the whole image to be in focus.

 From these six images the first three showed this iconic building as a fine art picturesque painting. Where as the last three photographers showed the Flat iron building as a documentary photograph recording the American icon in the century it was created.

Interim Review - Environment

Concept

My  idea was to look at the idea of mans intervention on land. Looking at constructional work that is always going on especially as I am from London I see this on a greater scale. I wanted to look at areas of Land closer to home, I have decided to go home and photograph this forested area which has been intervened by man the use of steel metal fences and swings for children to play on and the maintaining of the land itself. 

Influences

Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian Photographer who works with Large Format Photography. Burtynsky looks at the manufactured Landscape. He creates images that will go through the whole life cycle for example his process of oil he starts photographing from the rig Image one to the oil in pumps in petroleum stations. I am really fond of his way of creating photography and the way he represents landscape. I feel his work particularly shows true human intervention on the landscape and how much land space we use up to produce oil.


Joe Deal 

Joe Deal was an American Photographer specialising is depicting how the landscape was transformed by people. I feel that Photograph two portrays his specialism perfectly this idea of human intervention on land. I feel this image portrays what you think of the deep American south and how they live in the middle of know where nothing for miles. Looking at the image in the 21st century gives the viewer and different feeling than when it was created in the 1970s. The feel you receive from this image is a Ariel view due to the use of black and white photography even though this was all what was available at the time.

Stephen Shore

Stephen Shore is an American Photographer he took his photographs whilst on a road trip. These two photographs are my favourite out of Shore's work I like how different they are but both represent this idea of Human Intervention on the landscape. Photograph One gives this insight into a surreal moment it doesn't seem realistic. Shore has used an obvious way of representing the theme by photographing people surrounding this lake at a National Park. However I really like photograph two  like how he has photographed a petrol station for this theme as it portrays this idea of the Western Worlds love for oil.

Robert Adams

Robert Adams is a photographer that has influenced and inspired me to look into the subject of Our intervention onto the land. Adams is truly inspired by the F.64 group and particularly Ansel Adams which is notable in his landscapes through the use of forms in his images. I especially like image two I like that fact how different image this is and depicts the idea of human intervention on the land so easily and gives the viewer this idea of what where doing on our land building and re building homes and decreasing the idea of space.

Notes

Due to living at the moment in Maid stone I thought I would do some test shots of abandonment and below are some test shots.Looking at the Idea of mans intervention on the landscape. Will look at the idea of vast Intervention buildings combined with the traditional landscape. Building sites new life in progress. Small scale Intervention like the work of Jem Southam ' Rockfalls River Mounts and Ponds' not notable intervention by man. looking at maps where and how much land is in use in the Medway area. Experimenting with digital and medium format final image will be medium format. Final 3 images will portray this idea of different landscapes in the Medway Kent area and how different intervention has caused different problems to the land.

Test Shot Photographs - Maidstone

These three images are from my first idea of looking at human intervention on the landscape. Image One's photographic settings are an Aperture of f.32 the film speed is ISO 100 and the shutter speed was 0.6th of a second. Even though I am incredibly found of photographic one I feel that it doesn't portray what I am trying to get across this idea of Human Intervention due to boating the effect it has on the water. 

Image three is the correct photographic settings I was looking for in order for the whole image to be correctly exposed I used an Aperture of f.13. 

Even though these photographs do not portray this idea of Human Intervention I still thought it was important for you to see my photographs and the development throughout this project.

Test Shots - Dulwich

These four photographs were captured in my home town of Dulwich.  I used long exposure with flash photography I wanted to capture the idea of human intervention through the use of fences. The use of the bright lights really emphasises this idea of human intervention which works effectively on this set of photographs.

Tutorial Notes 
After my tutorial on Wednesday the 26.10.11 I found that my images of Abandonment and human Intervention were not represented or photographed correctly to portray this idea. Due to photographing greenery found in London for my original idea my tutor showed me the works of Eva Strenram where she photographed  greenery found in central London and have now diverted away from the idea of Abandonment and Human Intervention and I am now looking at Nature in the City and how it has become ordered and has to look a certain way in parts of the city centre of London.


Influences

I am really fond of her work I love the way she has positioned the camera in a way that makes the viewer think she is observing this style of life. I feel her work portrays the idea I want to portray minus the animals. The fact that everybody represents the town houses with cities and the use of the controlled greenery and how  beautiful it looks. Strenram's images appear to be surreal as if this view is not possible in London.

Andreas Gursky 

Gursky's work also has the idea of nature surrounding man's made structures. As if this isn't a real scene. I am really fond of Image one I like the fact that you can see that this structure is in the middle of nowhere unlike Strenram's idea of nature in the City centre Gursky has photographed structures in the middle of nowhere people having to drive for miles to find this hidden location two different idea's linking nature and structure together.

Test Shots Digital 

The above Images are digital back up images of my film contact sheet, due to not being able to print them all I have uploaded so you can get a brief idea of what these idea is surrounded by.

Contact Sheet Film

Pastiche 

Along side creating the Still Life Project I have also been ask to create a project based on the Environment. I will be creating firstly a Pastiche which Imitates the photographic language and the image by researching and reproducing compositional form camera settings lighting conditions depth of field and scale of one of the above photographs.
I especially am fond of image two by Jem Southam ' Seaford Head' 1999. I am fond of how he has caught the pale colours in the Cliff but has left the darkness in the surrounding floor area. Also the tones which have been captured in the sky creates this gloomy British beach effect.                 

Pastiche Image Analysis

The Image I have decided to re-create is of Jem Southam's Sea ford head 1999. Southam captured the photograph in East Sussex,using a large format camera to allow the negative to capture detailed representation of this view.The darkness of the rocks surrounding the Cliff allows great emphasis and draws the viewers to the Cliff's face.The use of the tones and shadows brings a natural view and feeling to the Image          and portrays a British seaside feeling.The Positioning of the camera has been situated low to the ground and situated close to the Cliff to give us an insight into the size of the Cliff.
A large depth of field has been used in this Photograph which allows the whole image to be in focus portraying that everything in the image is of equal importance.


Further research Jem Southam 




http://seesawmagazine.com/southam_pages/southam_interview.html





Seminar 3 Deconstructing Environmental Photographers 

I have decided to study Jem Southam for this exercise as I thought it would help me further in understanding his work and assist me in creating a Pastiche of his image.

Jem Southam's work portrays this message of man's input onto Nature and the idea of Decay and Renewal. The three images I have decided to study are from the 'Rockfalls River Mounts and Ponds' series created year 2000. After looking into Southam's work I found a historical connection with his work due to him going back to the original site of his work years later and re photographing maybe to see the extent of the decay of that site.

In this image there is a limited amount of human interference with nature and this isn't what the normal viewer would depict from this photograph. This place appears to be somewhere that has hardly any human interaction apart from the council or owner who keeps the area maintained. Due to the cold colours portrayed in the image this makes one think that this image was created in late Autumn which maybe why I get the feeling of no human interaction. If this image was re created in the summer I may depict different characteristics of this image. Due to different parts of the image being in focused this suggests that Southam has priorities of what he wants the viewer to see and feel. This image was shot at mid angle making us the viewer feel as if where there with Southam creating the image.

The above image creates a different feeling in comparison to image one. This image makes us feel that there is a sense of human interaction with the land, this is due to the fencing surrounding each  field. This gives us the viewer an insight and maybe the owner of filed created this pond or maybe nature created itself with a heavy rainfall one year and is now being kept by the owner of the land. The positioning of the camera is very different compared to image one this looks like it was taken from above land but to the side of the land so we can get the sense of scale of the pond and its surroundings.

Image three is the most unique image out of three due to the fact that  there is human beings standing in the background of the image taking in the beauty of this picturesque landscape. The colours of the sky are very different to image one and two, this image has a sense of life from the blues in the sky instead of the dull greys found in the other two images. The fact that everything in our view is in focus gives us the sense that Southam wanted everything to be of importance value. The camera was positioned above land most likely in a helicopter this enabled the viewer to get a sense of scale of the landscape and the presence of the people.

From looking at the works of Southam I have found that the smallest detail  can suggest this idea of human intervention on nature without there being a large trace of the human  interference. Also the use of colour creates and makes the mind feel a certain way and the use of people also changes our perception of an image.

Test Shoot Digital 

Even those these images do not look like Southam's image I thought it would be worth showing as I wanted you to see the progression of my project and that I have actually been creating photography and will now learn from my mistakes.

Test Shoot Film Contact Sheet 

                                                                                                                                                                                    

The Object

Concept 




The brief asked me to create a Still Life based upon something that concerns me. I didn't find anything in the media that addressed an issue that concerned me, so I decided that I would pursue a personal issue which is really important to me. I decided that I would look at my Mum's health and especially her addiction to extreme pain killers. I Know it will be hard to portray and represent these objects correctly as I want the viewer to understand that my Mum's addiction is medical and not personal.

Mind Maps




                                            

My minds maps outlined what a still life was and how I would represent a current issue that concerned me. From these mind maps I decided on the theme and for me I was looking at my mums medical addiction to tablets and also looking briefly into her other addiction of cigarettes. 

Influences


Traditional Still Life Paintings

These two photographs are a style of painting in the 16th and 17th century called Vanitas its a style of  a Still Life Painting  associated with the Northern European art scene. Common symbols in this style of painting was the skull which represented death. Unlike today death was not feared it was just a life cycle.

F.64 Group

Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham and Willard Van Dyke were the founders of the F.64 Group which was created in the year of 1932. Between these Californian based photographers they created photographs which enabled the viewer to see how clear the lens was. Ansel Adams's Invention of the tonal system enabled him to create photographs with large amounts of tone. This allowed his photographs to show great detail.

Sophie Calle and Laura Letinsky

The above two images are to different styles of photography but the aim of the photographer seems to be very similar. Image one by Sophie Calle ' The Hotel Series Room 28' the aim of Calle was to show items which people have left behind at a hotel and then photographed. In comparison to Laura Letinsky where she photographed left overs of a party at the scene not moving anything or repositioning which Calle did as everything looks neatly styled. Letinsky doesn't its a snapshot of a finished celebration.

Taddeo Gaddi

This is a Still life painting created by Gaddi he was a eighteenth Century painter. I am especially inspired by his work as this is is the location where my mum stores her medication and his work will help me in the arranging of my objects for my final outcome. I would like to use other objects which are found in the cupboard alongside the medication. 

Irving Penn

 

After looking at the work of Irving Penn and the still life's he created of cigarettes I decided that I wanted to create a project surrounding the idea of smoking. Smoking has always been a issue that concerns me. Growing up around cigarettes I hated the feeling that I got when I saw my mum smoke and the fact that my nan died from lung caner. Its a if there a slow killer I now call them cancer sticks. Since coming to University I have  found that so many young people smoke why is this? Are more and more people giving in to peer pressure is it the cool thing to do. You would think that people would listen to Health teams. Many old people smoke as back in the 1950s it was cool to smoke as many of the Advertisements showed. The Marlboro man showed living a care free life as a cowboy. The use of the campaign saw sale figures rise by a 300% increase over two years from  1957 the ads lasted until 1999. All of the three man who modelled as the Marlboro man all died of Lung cancer showing  Controversy to the cigarette business. The Below advertising image glamourised the cigarette industry which resulted in the boom of sales.

Andy Warhol 

Andy Warhol's still life photographs are taken from above the objects (Birds Eye View) which gives the impression that they are being watched due to the angle of the camera.  I decided to do some test shots using the same technique that Warhol used to see if this is the style of narrative I want to reveal in my final image. 

Test Shoot's

Cigarette Photo shoot 1

My Mum smokes very differently to how she takes her tablets she takes her medication routined unlike smoking which is very random, she has to take 32 tablets or more a day if she wants to mask the chronic pain but she lives every day feeling the pain she will feel until the day she passes. Unlike smoking my Mum smokes at least thirty plus a day trying to take her mind off of the pain.

I have started this project by developing my idea of Addiction. I am looking at the addiction my mum has in counted due to her disability. I have photographed the cigarettes that she smokes the reason the butts are scattered  is because the amount of cigarettes she smokes is not consistent in the way she takes her tablets. My Mum has to take her tablets at a certain time each day or she will be in chronic pain something I do not understand. 

Research - Mum's Daily Medication Consumption  32 Tablets consumed a day. Plus more if needed to mask the pain further. 

Morning AM                                  

Morphine 30mg - 1 Purple small Round

Gabapentin - 3  yellow Capsules 

Nefopam - 2   Small white 

Duloxatinee - 1 Yellow small 

Paracetamol - 2 Red and white Capsule 

Afternoon 

Diazapan - 1

Gabapentin - 3

Nefopam - 2

Deluxatine - 1

Parcetamol - 2

Evening 

Diazapan - 1 

Gabapentin - 3 

Nefopam - 2

Deluxatine - 1

Paracetamol - 2

Night 

100mg Morphine - 1 Small Grey

Diazapan - 2

Paracetamol - 2

Medication Shoot 1

In this set of test shots I wanted to portray to my audience the fact that these tablets are for medical use and not drug abuse. For this test shot I have played around with the use of lighting and exposure to decide on the effect I want to use for my final Image. I especially am fond of image three I like the fact that pile of tablets shows the amount of tablets my Mum has to take to stay out of pain but the lighting portrays the idea of clinical use.

Further Research 

Gareth McConell

After Attending the studio workshop on Depth of Field I decided to go back over my notes and I Came across  Gareth McConell's name which I Googled. I really loved his work and I am now thinking this is a style of work I am going to test out on my Images. Prior to looking at his work I was dead set on this idea of my images looking clean and crisp suggesting hospital-ism, I now feel if I carry on photographing with bright white lights  it may become or be portrayed as less personal something which I do not want the viewer to feel. Using a shallow depth of field will portray the darkness of the narrative and will focus on the tablets which my Mum is addicted to and draw the viewer into the image.

Test Shoot towards Studio Shoot

I have moved away from photographing the tablets as a scattered object and instead have decided to include an element of hospitality by placing the tablets in tumblers. Also I have used a shallow depth of field of f.8 to allow the tablets to be the focal point but  area there stored in will have an importance as keeping tablets in a cupboard where you keep your personal objects is pretty strange and anybody looking in would find this ad normal but to my mum it seems to be the norm.

Francis de Zurban 

Francisco de Zurbaran was a seventeenth century painter. The above painting in particular inspired and helped me in the process of deciding how I would arrange my objects from my final Photograph. I wanted to portray the location of where my Mum keeps her medication. So, I thought I would use for my final image the medicaiton and other objects found in the cupboard where the medication is stored. I would like to use a similar technique to Zurbaran, where he has placed his objects clearly centred to the frame of the imagery.

Drawing of studio Layout 

This image is the drawing of the layout of my set in the studio. I decided to do a drawing as I thought this would be the best way to re-create the set if my negatives didn't turn out the way I wanted them to visually look. I am not the best drawer as you can see but this image is basic and will be helpful if i need to re shoot my objects.


Final Image 

The above image is my final outcome for the Object Project I feel this image works well for this project and clearly demonstrates my ability to control colour, focus and exposure. This image portrays what I wanted my final outcome to visually represent and gives the viewer an insight into the amount of medication my mum takes a day.