After looking more closely at the work of Richard Misrach I wanted to change the ratio of my images into something more square so I picked 5×7. I wanted to make all of them the same ratio to give them more continuity as a large series. I also feel this worked for the photographs composition. In the original edits I wanted to bring down the highlight levels which gave the shy a darker appearance, I did this to add depth and make the photographs appear more realistic as the light grey overcast sky made the photograph appear more flat, darkening gave them more life. Looking back on many of these I have made them too dark and over saturated, making them look unnatural, I increased the highlight levels in the sky and decreased the saturation levels to make them more natural.
I also made black and white images. I made the images dark to give a sense of what the light was like during the time. This gives them a whole new eerie sense of ambiance. This also leaves more emphasis on the variety of textures created in the land such as the tire tracks in the mud as well as the overcast sky. This also gave the photographs a new sense of life as the images appeared flattened by the darker overcast sky. This gives the photographs more of a narrative with the dark tones.
I explored the environment and area of where I lived to stat the project. This also links in to a depiction of my own environment that i am surrounded by. As I discussed in my specification, I was looking out for land and areas that showed the conflict between man made changes and the natural landscape. I picked a late time of day where the lighting was soft and natural, I didn’t use flash at all to keep the lighting as natural as possible, but with the overcast weather it made the images more flat. For my next shoot I will pick a time where the weather is sunny to evoke a brighter more intense lighting. Above is a contact sheet of the photographs. I tried a variation of landscape and portrait photographs.
In the above photographs, they were all taken in the same area, you can really get the sense of human presence in these photographs but with an eerie absence of people. I wanted to focus on roads and paths that have eroded thru ought the soil but still featuring the rich green grass growing on the sides, showing the regrowth nature creates. The overcast lighting makes the pictures appear very straight forward, leaving the viewer to focus on the physical features of the image, similar to that of a documentary image, the flat lighting stripped the photographs of any creative narrative, they work well as a series, but do not leave any mystery or sense of poetic ambiance. The photogrpah top right reminds me of the photograph by Richard Misrach ‘Abandoned Trailer’ which depicts a selection of rubbish and abandoned debris surrounding a lake. Similar to Misrach’s photograph, my photographs portrays the dramatic effects on the land caused by society. I brought the highlight levels down to bring out the texture in the sky as well as evoke a more eerie ambiance similar to that in the work of Richard Misrach.
Abandoned Trailer, Mississippi River, Near Dow Chemical Plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana, 1998, by Richard Misrach
In the above photographs I wanted to look at the harsh difference between the smooth road and the rural landscape. The above photographs work well as a series as well as evoke a narrative of travel, where the viewer follows the photographer’s journey.
The above photographs all share a romantic influence such as with the use of flowers in the last two photographs and the focus on vast landscapes. Similar to the first few photographs, there isn’t really a narrative evoked in these photographs, the photos focus on the more obvious features as opposed to a deeper narrative and meaning.
I tried a selection of very straightforward compositions that allowed for lost of information and captures the whole landscape. I used the rule of thirds such as in the first photograph above, the electricity box if focused in the third section of the photograph. I have also placed the horizon in the centre, making the photograph more straightforward similar to the genre of new topographic, which is often described to have a very formal or banal aesthetic.
The photos above show a slightly romantic influence with the use of flowers. I like the influence of people in these photographs, the tractor marks in the mud and the boxes reflects the agricultural side, the flowers add a very poetic influence. These are my favourite photographs of this shoot for the juxtaposition and connotations between the mud, which shares negative connotations of dirtiness and unpleasantness and flowers which share positive connotations such as passion and beauty.
The highly experimental work of Ibris Khan and Stephanie Jung uses overlaying techniques to add a strong energy into their work. The strong use of texture give both artists work a very crowded effect. Their work evokes a very intense form of energy. The huge amount of layers creates a very provocative sense of texture. I have used my own photos to recreate something in the style of their work.
I took a photograph from my AS exam coursework that fitted with the theme of environment, it also incorporates the contrast of man made with natural. The above first image is me working in Photoshop. I first duplicated the layers and re positioned them slightly. over each other. I then brought down the opacity of each photograph. This created this blurred effect. I found I needed to make the above layers opacity lower to let layers underneath show through.
After this is found another image from my AS coursework featuring a long exposure of town overlooking buildings. I started by duplicating the layers and repeating the process for the second. I then cropped the image to hide areas that weren’t covered by another layer. I then changed the layer options such as to ‘subtract’ or ‘overlay’. I made different variations using the layer modes available to give different effects. I also changed the opacity of different layers to make others show through more. For the first one featured below I used the divide feature which created a grey feature over the top of the layer. Colour burn on the last photograph created a very rich red colour as well as darkening the photograph. Underneath these three images is where I used a variation of changed layer modes but in particular exclusion to create an intriguing textured effect. This is probably my favourite out of the selection for its subtle variety of colour in the background and unusually texture from the roofing in the foreground. It is also a lot more disjointed and out of rhythm compared to the first few for example how the moon in the first three all follow one after another and in the last one there is a lot more energy and sense of disruption instead of the neatness of the first few.
Ibris Khan is a London based artist who focuses on an array of techniques and mediums from photography, painting to sculpture and film. He takes photographs from other sources as well as entire books and overlays them to create these compelling and abstract black and white images. His work evokes a very intense form of energy. The huge amount of layers creates a very provocative sense of texture. His photographs also reflect something spiritual with their use of movement and ambiguity.
Stephanie Jung
Stephanie Jung is a photographer based in German who as a passion for experimental photography using overlay and montage techniques. She takes her own photographs of places shes traveled and overlays them together. She picks places that stand out to her where she is really compelled by the ambiance and environment. Her work is a reflection of lost moments that cant be taken back as well as capturing the energy of somewhere such as a bustling city or eerie country road. Her work really emphasizes a sense of energy created by city environments which is also emphasized by the vivid colours used. Similar to Khan’s work, her use of overlay techniques gives a new sense of life to the image evoked by the intense textures that run through the image.
“My work is a lot about everyday scenes from a city, I take the images during a walk through the cities. I do not plan to take images from a special motive, it happens very spontaneously, I find beauty both in calm and busy moments, as I think both represent life at its best.” – The Phoblographer interview
Another view of Paris
I was really drawn to the photograph above by Jung which features a view overlooking the city in Paris. For this photograph she took various photographs moments apart, which evokes the movement of the cars as they drive up and down the road. The photographs features a very artistic colour scheme with its intriguing grey and yellow sky line contrasted with the blue buildings and vivid streak of red from the lights.
This was taken in 2009 on top of the Arche de Triomphe, watching Paris at night with my friends. The view was amazing, the La Defense district at the back, and the road in front with all the cars rushing from one place to another. It’s my favorite image because of the warm lighting and the coloured lights of the cars. –COOPH interview (2014)
Both artists use this technique to add energy into their work. The strong use of texture give both artists work a very crowded effect. Jung’s work evokes the atmosphere of her environment with its use of scenery and vivid colour and bold use of colour scheme, her work also reflects a romantic influence with the use scenery and colour, which evokes beauty. Khans work on the other hand is a lot more conceptual, the often indistinguishable shapes evoke something eerie or ghostly, his work is a lot more subtly compared to Jung’s chaotic landscapes. I like Jung’s use of rich colours and textures to make her work evoke a sense of energy and an exaggerated ambiance into scenery of her photographs which is something I plan on incorporating into my own work.
The Wall, Jacumba, California an image Misrach captured in 2009.
Shoot Idea 1
After looking at the work of Richard Misrach I wanted to explore the effects of people on the landscape band rather focusing on the strongly political, physical effects, focus on the beauty evoked by these shifts and changes. I also wanted to look at my own environment that I live in which will add a more personal effect in my work. I would also like to look at the diversity of where I live such as in between the different parishes in jersey and how they are different, but still showing the influence of Richard Misrach’s work and his focus on human effects.
The photos will be of country landscapes such as fields as well as roads and houses where there is a clear mix of nature and urban. The photographs wont feature any people, only the effects of people on the environment, similar to the work of Misrach. I will also focus on open spaces and areas that feature an interesting sense of diversity. For my first shoot I plan on taking my camera through the roads around my house and focusing on the effects of agriculture and transport, which is a big part of the landscape and how it is shaped where I live. Agriculture is naturally a big part for the more suburban areas of jersey which is shown by the vast amount of fields through the island. I plan on focusing on how this has shaped the land and how the surrounding nature and environment works and fights against it.
I plan on picking a time of day which would give softer light, similar to that of Richard Misrach, possibly either early morning or early evening so the lighting isn’t overly harsh. Another part of Jersey is the focus on beaches in the island, which I also plan on looking at in a alter shoot. These will all be taken during day time when there is sunlight.
I plan on also looking at techniques such as long exposure for areas with low light which may be the case as working with natural light can be tricky and I often only have a short time to work with. Inspired by the work of Misrach, I want to convey a sense of mystery and narrative based around the landscape and how it has been changed as evoke a very poetic aesthetic similar to a romantic painting.
Tanja Deman is a multimedia artist born in Croatia. She works with various mediums such as photography, collage as well as physical statues and art pieces which explore the concept of the environment as well as its sense of space and dynamic effect.
Collective Narratives
In some of her most recent work she has created compelling black and white photographs where she uses digital tools such as Photoshop to combine images reflecting the natural and urban landscape to evoke a compelling narrative. This contrast and tension of urban and natural forces is something I plan on exploring and incorporating into my own work.
Dust Storm (2010)
The above image depicts a very surrealist scene featuring a tall building surrounded by dust overlooking a large quarry in the foreground. The photograph features very few components, which adds to the dreamy, surrealist style. There is an intriguing contrast between the very formal, congruous vertical shapes of the building in contrast to the jagged, dusty shapes of the quarry.
After looking at the work of Tanja Deman I wanted to experiment and explore how Photoshop could be used to combine two or more images to create something innovative and intriguing.
I wanted my photographs to portray the contrast in landscapes such as the idea of a busy city landscape contrasted with the calmness of the countryside. I picked landscape photographs taken for my AS coursework, I has a selection of seascapes as well as urban landscapes which I could use. I wanted to create a series rather then a single image so I could use different landscapes. I picked a photograph of my brother looking blankly at the camera to emphasize the effects of human presence on the environment. I used the same image over layed onto the landscape backgrounds to create a sense of consistency as well as develop a series.
I started with these two landscape backgrounds. I liked the variation of light in the first from the sky and dark in the second which makes an interesting contrast. I also wanted to make these both black and white similar to Deman’s work. I also think it is easier to edit in black and white as the lighting varies in the two separate images, making them appear less fitting. I then increased the contrast and put down the brightness to make the two photographs blend together better. I also like the contrast of high energy in the second photograph which was a long exposure of the tunnel in St Helier and the calm and softness of the first landscape.
I wanted to show a contrast of texture in the top two images. I also picked images where the horizon was at the same level, giving more continuity to the images, making them work better as a series as well as enabling a narrative in the photograph. I also kept a colour version to show the contrast in the backgrounds, I feel they don’t work as well because of the colour difference between the background and the superimposed image.
“My sky photographs in 1988 were a play on color field painting: Reinhardt, Rothko, et al. But my photos were not trying to emulate painting – they were exploring the nature of the (profound) differences between photography and painting”
Richard Misrach is an American Contemporary photographer and also one of my favourite photographers from the New Topography and social landscape movement. He is from California and he specialized in landscape photography where colour was often a prominent and relevant feature in his photography, he is also well known for his photography of the American West with his photography series ‘Desert Cantos’. In his early year before he gained a passion for photography, he studied psychology in the Los Angeles University in California where he studied Psychology and also pursued a degree in mathematics. He then went onto looking at homelessness in Los Angeles where he published ‘Telegraph 3 AM’ which were black and white photogrpahs. This was done to help raise awareness and improve the lives of the people who lived there, after this we went to southern California to take a very different approach, moving away from photographing people and focusing on the land around us.
People on Raft with Oil Derricks, Santa Barbara , 1984 Kodak, Donna, Debra, Jake, Oregon Coast, 1984 Oil Derricks, Santa Barbara, 1984 Battleground Point #41, 1999 Battleground Point #2, 1999 Pyramid Lake (Orange), 1997 Battleground Point #2, 1999
Don and Barbara, Salton Sea, 1985
Mono Lake #2, 1999 Don and Barbara, Salton Sea, 1985 Tourists, Utah, 1994 Aerial Target ( Road Blockade and Pyramids , 1989 San Gorgonio Pass, 1981 Cloud #005, 1987 Aerial Target (“Dart”), Wendover Air Base, Utah, 1990
“I’ve come to believe that beauty can be a very powerful conveyor of difficult ideas. It engages people when they might otherwise look away”
Desert Cantos
This series of photographs were taken over a number of years and is an ongoing series of photographs which focus on the american deserts which started in 1979, four years after the New Topographic’s exhibition, which Richard Misrach wasn’t part of, although there are allot of similarities between the his work and the movement. The use of the word cantos comes from the word ‘canto’ which refers to a section of a long poem, which refers to ‘The Cantos’ which is an incomplete poem by Ezra Pound. This series was a big step from his earlier work, in both aesthetic style and the fast it was such an ambitious series. To me the series shows a certain softness but also sublimity from something desolate, I think the simplicity and the colour schemes such as the morning/evening sky and how it softens and creates an unsaturated appearance to the photographs reflects a deeper, abstract and more poetic meaning and concept in the same way that a poem would. It also shows a clear and obvious sense of how we live in such a desolate environment.
The conclusions offered are multi-faceted: human use and habitation of the desert have resulted in a great deal of destruction of a fragile environment, but at the same time the human intrusion seems small and ultimately of little consequence – Essay by Reyner Banham.
Border Cantos is a sub project to accompany his ongoing Desert Cantos series where he worked with composer Guillermo Galindo. This project focuses on the border between mexico and the United states which was started in 2004. It is also a statement on the environment and our effects on it such as with the use of transport and waste. I like how this project captures the variety of the American/Mexican border.
from Petrochemical America, photographs by Richard Misrach, Ecological Atlas by Kate Orff (Aperture 2012).
Petrochemical America
These photographs were taken as part of a commission in 1998 on wards to document the surroundings and the areas where people live around the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, where the area had become a heavily industrial area, where petrochemicals and factories were everywhere, this has lead to chemicals, waste and other toxins to ruin the wildlife and quality of the water. This series ties in very well with that of Ansel Adams in the way that it wants to evoke a sense of environmentalism and how we need to protect and be aware of nature but instead of focusing on the beauty of the untouched natural landscape, it looks at how we have changed and destroyed the land into something many would consider unsightly but instead appreciating the beauty and aesthetic qualities of the desolate and degraded landscape. Overall I find these photographs sort of ominous, they share the same softness of the Desert Cantos, but with a very different eerie tone and ambiance with grey, blue and green tones as well as the fact that they often feature gloomy and overcast skies, they are a clear example of how people go and leave an area, leaving marks and belongings behind, they show a clear sense of how unwanted the area is and how something that once carried potential can be ruined and then left.
“I’d never heard of this area, and when I finally saw the landscape, I was shocked. It was really extreme, the amount of industry along the river and the poor communities living there, I couldn’t believe it actually existed”
The two series both reflect the variety of changes we have created to our environment as well as the unique change and regrowth of the climate, this is seen to struggle and adapt to our effects. The changes of Border Cantos were often a lot more subtle compared to the decaying appearance of Cancer Alley for example the landscape of Border Cantos shows lush grass that grows around borders and clear skies whilst on the other hand the deteriorating and over littered land displayed in the Cancer alley series depicts decay and the lands inability to cope with mans careless disposal of waste.
Abandoned Trailer, Mississippi River, Near Dow Chemical Plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana, 1998, from Petrochemical America
I was really intrigued by the representation the destruction and deterioration of the natural land due to of waste in this photograph. The fogginess adds to the eeriness of the photograph. This is quite an uncomfortable photograph to view, the stillness of the water accompanied by the vast amounts of rubbish emphasize a sense of abandonment, even with the array of waste, there is still a sense of barrenness thru ought the photograph. The photograph depicts a sense of lifelessness from the effects of human consumption and the effects of how society carelessly uses the environment until it is no longer useful. I think this is one of his most jarring photographs which is a honest reflection of the effects of people on the environment.
Night Fishing, Near Bonnet Carré Spillway, Norco, Louisiana, 1998
In this photograph, we can see a fisherman fishing along a seemingly quiet lake in the foreground, onlooking a bustling and almost chaotic appearing industrial city, which the lights reflecting off of the still surface of the lake. I like the contrast of energy and colour on the different sides of the lake, one being calm, natural, uneven and dark in contrast to the bright and industrialized city view in the background. As in many of Misrach’s photographs, this photograph has a very simple colour scheme of light grey, pale pastel colours as well as dark greens and browns as well as a soft clear sky. The blurry boat and an interesting and abstract effect. Overall I think the message that Misrach wanted to illustrate was both political and social, the fact that the person is so small in comparison to that else is in the photograph such as the immense size of the boat and the city in the background as well as the vastness of the lake is an example of our insignificance but also our power and ability to create and change the landscape in such a compelling way.
Outdoor Dining, Bonneville Salt Flats – Utah, 1992
This photograph was taken on the salt flats in Utah, which is a vast flat area of salt which goes for miles and miles. Similar to the first I like the simple yet memorable colour scheme and the minimalist components, such as how the ground is so similar to the sky in colour and texture, which makes the photograph appear more abstract. As a while the photograph appears unusual and almost surreal, as if someone had photo shopped furniture from a restaurant into and already unusual landscape, the mountains also look very out of place, the perfect line and contrast between the salt lake and the mountain makes it appear as if the the mountain hovers over the horizon.
His work is a reflection of the Americans peoples relationship with the landscape. He has done this by focusing on land where there is a clear depiction of the effects of humans such as waste products, building materials, but instead of most environmental photographers who focus on the more political message, he emphasizes the beauty of these landscapes, his work reflects a very intriguing aesthetic with his use of colour and hues. This focus on beauty and aesthetics emphasizes the romantic element in his work. There is also something very poetic about his work, the photographs are never overly cluttered and leave focus on the colours and composition. Also the most astonding feature about his work is even though it is a focus on the effects of people, there are very rarely people present in his photogrpahs, refelcting a certain uncanniness in his work.
Culture Development Uniformity Monotony Decay Robust Disposition Conflict Diversity Society Architecture Destruction Formation Technology Agriculture Synthetic
The word environment can be interpreted in many different ways but basically reflects ‘The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates’. The discussed in class how we could interpret and use this word in a our own work as well as given suggestions by the exam board. the main focus was the theme of the ‘natural world’ such as everything that is not man-made. We also discussed how this project could be based around our own social and cultural environment and even mental where we could explore our thoughts and emotions.
After looking at the environmental landscapes of photographers Richard Misrach and Michael Marten I was inspired to focus on the environment for my Exam. they focused on changes in the environments as well as how people changed the landscape. I plan on exploring the juxtaposition of the industrial and urban with the rural environment and how they effect and fight with each other. Above I have given a list of words, the first section feature words relating to the natural landscape and the second portray how we have changed it. I also plan on focusing on how the earth re grows around and fights against man made structures, such as ivy growing over wall windows and cracks in concrete where mud and foliage has come through. I also plan on looking at the work of Joel Sternfeld who looks at abandoned and overgrown locations such as train lines thru ought America.
I plan on revisiting these photographers as well as exploring the work of photographer and artist Tanja Deman who explores the environment and the buildings and architecture of today. I think this project would be interesting to explore in jersey and the variety and culture thru ought each parish as well as explore how we have changed our island, this adds a more personal element to my project.
Richard Misrach
Richard Misrach
Tanja Deman
Tanja Deman
Joel Sternfeld
Joel Sternfeld
Physical – observed and recorded environment
I plan on focusing on the physical alterations and effects of the landscape rather then the psychological (constructed and imagined environment). These physical changes are what is presented visually to the viewer, where everything is in front of them.
Exploring Binary Opposites
I plan on looking at binary opposites between the rural and industrial environment, I also plan on emphasizing this in over ways such as light/dark, east/west as well as colours and textures.
Natural and Synthetic Light
I plan on exploring the mix of natural and synthetic lighting in my work as an interesting example of this clash of environments.
