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
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.
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
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
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