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




Eva Strenram 

 I am especially fond of Strenham's work, I like how she has included an artificial feel to her work. It makes us the viewer want to know why are the animals included in this imagery are they  being used as a metaphor a way of portraying to the viewer the sense of lifestyle the people of this community live like. I have decided that I want to look into the idea of nature in the city and small communal gardens and what it reveals about that community of people.  

Andreas Gursky 

 Gursky's images look closely at the man made and nature surrounding it. I especially like image one and the narrative which is portrayed in the imagery. These images show the input that human intervention does to land and what we do to be entertained. I like the fact that Gursky has included the trees surrounding the swimming pools it gives us the viewer an insight into the location where these people are it feels as if there in the middle of nowhere only if you know about the location are you told about the fun filled swimming pools which exist.

Test Shots: Chelsea Gardens 

I decided to start this section of the project by starting to take digital photographs to indicate if this is the area of city nature I want to look at and portray to the viewer in this setting or something less obvious when related to city nature. I especially like photograph two I like how the trees replicate the alinement's of the housing this image shows how controlled the nature is in the city when found in wealthy areas such as Chelsea everything has to look perfect to represent the wealth of that area.

Joel Sternfield 

Sternfield's work really fascinates me and how he has been able to find so much nature in the city of New York. Sternfield was able to find an old train line which is now out of use and photograph what it looks like now even though cities are controlled and have to look a certain way this shows that nature still exists in cities.   The use of the buildings surrounding the rail line lets us the viewer understand that we are situated in the city which allows the viewer to understand the narrative that Sternfield is trying to reveal.   

Martin Parr

I wanted to move this project further and move away from Nature in the City and move onto Nature in the suburbs of London as humane outside of London do not believe London has nature in their community which I however disagree with coming from London. We have small gardens, allotments national parks and other forms of nature. I especially liked Martin Parr's work of Prefabs I liked the look of the traditional middle class family portrayed  in this image I like how controlled the garden is revealed in this image. 

John Davies

Looking at Davies's work is very different to looking at Parrs work of nature in the suburbs. I feel this above image portrays suburbs nature perfectly.  The use of black and white photography works perfectly for this image the use of colour would have just distracted the viewer.  The nature in this photograph gives us the viewer an insight into how much nature there is around us in the suburbs.

Test Shots - Allotments 

The above photographs are test shots towards the idea of looking at nature in the city and allotments is a source of nature you find a lot of. My photographs represent controlled gardening found in the city of London these images may not portray London as a busy city but show the amount of land found. I am especially fond of image five I like how the gardening portrays a vast amount of order and hoe controlled nature is in the city you don't have the freedom of nature in rural areas. 

Stephen Shore 

This image by Shore replicates the style of photography I would like to create for this project I want the viewer to understand the narrative I'm trying to tell but I also don't want it to be so obvious that the work doesn't seem interesting to the viewer. I like how the use of the gate interprets to the viewer that we are located in suburbia. The use of the gate doesn't stop us from entering the photographic space but allows us the viewer to understand the photographic story Shore was trying to portray. 

Mitch Epstein 

Epstein in this image may be looking at global warming and how it is situated in our back garden, but I am looking at the nature found in this image and how he has constructed the nature in this imagery.  I like how Epstein has created these small controlled gardens for each house which feels like something you would find in London or the view of inner city homes belonging to small pieces of Land no room to breath. 

Larry Sultan 

Sultan takes a very unique approach to looking at the idea of garden photography.  He look at the traditional idea of a garden and the home embedding it which makes it  feel like the garden was constructed around the structure of the house. The use of the man at the window makes one understand the family life surrounding the garden and the suburbia style of life it puts a face to the creation of the garden.

Final Images 

For my final three photographs representing the idea of controlled nature I wanted to show it through my eyes from growing up in the city of London. I wanted to show the controlled nature through the use of allotments and controlled land surrounding homes found in the suburbs.