This shoot was because skating is a form of travelling, without harming the environment and often one see’s travelers with skate boards when exploring new places nearby to their camp set-up.
The reason for capturing the model driving, is because I didn’t just want to capture the moment, but I wanted to capture how we got to that place, the journey that happened to live these moments. This represented how I went from one shoot to the next, as if it was a journey I went on, and not staged shoots.
The image below works well as the focal point is on the models head/hat, this shows his long hair which he’s covering by the hat, but also focus’ on the tye-dye which is on the hat, both of these aspects tend to be associated with people who are free spirits etc. therefore representing the people on the journey to the viewer subconsciously. The negative space on the windows, caused by the over exposure from the lighting outside, creates a frame around the model and therefore isn’t too distracting from the image.
This image works well as he’s skating along the white line in the middle of the road, therefore drawing your eyes to him immediately as he’s in the center third and he’s breaking up the white line which your eyes are drawn to. For this image, I love the style as he’s doing a skating trick and therefore showing that this is a hobby of his and he’s not just got on a skate board for my shoot. He’s the most detailed subject in the image, and he’s the most important, which was hard to capture as he’s the subject which is moving in the image yet the road and the banks are the aspect which are out of focus.
The image below is one of my favorite photographs from this shoot, this is due to the composition, as I was sat down on the bank on the side of the road I was taking the images from below. Therefore it made the road look more interesting, as it looks as if the white lines are merging into the sky, and therefore looking as if the road takes you into the sky, this is just due to the angle I’ve taken the photograph and the way the road goes up and then down. Also the image works nicely, because of the composition the models head is against the negative space (the sky) and therefore making one focus on his face almost immediately as the brightest space is where you immediately look which is the sky and then your eyes go to him.
My next topic of documenting our islands pollution will be focusing on our beautiful, yet tainted beaches and seas. With 45 miles of coastline, Jersey beaches are considered to be some of the best and most varied throughout the British Isles. However, we are no exception to the growing worldwide issue of beach pollution produced by the gross amount of waste dumped into the ocean each year. These next few shoots documenting this problem will be a straight photography style approach to expressing and representing our islands beach pollution.
Beach pollution is a persistent problem, in 1995 alone nearly 4000 beach closings and advisories were issued by the state and local governments. The litter that is swamping our oceans and washing up on beaches kills wildlife, looks disgusting and is a hazard to our health. It is estimated that there are nearly 2,500 items of rubbish for every kilometre of a beach. These items mostly consist of plastic waste which has increased in amount 140% since 1994. This is especially hazardous since plastic will never biodegrade and will eventually break down into tiny microplastic particles investing the water. The main types of beach pollution include wet weather discharges, the public, discarded fishing equipment, and sewage runoffs. The biggest source of pollution in the ocean (and therefore on beaches) however, is directly from land-based sources, such as oil, dirt, septic tanks, farms, ranches and motor vehicles. Even though much of the trash and waste dumped into the ocean is released hundreds of miles away from land, it still washes up on beaches and coastal areas and affects everything in between. Every marine animal is affected by man-made chemicals released into the water. — Below are some examples of my previously taken photographs showing beach pollution, and below that is a contact sheet of the kind of images I am hoping to create in my first section….
Although I do like a few of my images shown in this small collection above, I do not feel they show beach pollution ‘on a whole’ as well as they could. This shoot was not planned and was simply aimed to experiment with what kinds of objects I can expect to find, and how to get across my message by photographing them. The results have taught me that in order to show the scale of common beach pollution I must come at this from a different angle. Since then I have been inspired to complete my own beach clean-ups, showing what I find, collected together in one powerful photograph. When looking at ocean pollution I will visite one of these same beaches a few weeks later, using the trash accumulated there to create interesting underwater photographs.
Although the fact I am tampering with the subjects, compromises this next shoot as a part of documentary photography, the truth of how much pollution is on just one beach will be evidently clear. To complete this first beach pollution section I will begin by simply visiting some of Jersey’s popular beaches to determine wich will be the best to get across my message. Although I am unsure of which beaches will be featured, I plan to look at smaller beaches to emphasise how such a confined area can demonstrate so much pollution. All I will need to do this shoot is my camera, some trash bags, gloves and natural light from the sun. It will be interesting to see how much of this waste I can find to support my point of this being a massive and overlooked pollution issue. For the ocean pollution section, I will be trying to create meaningful photographs of rubbish found in our beautiful seas from an underwater perspective. This will hopefully emphasise the issue of beach pollution and how it affects marine life and the environment. To do this I will simply be using real props found on location and my iPhone with and underwater phone case. Below is a contact sheet of the kind of images I am hoping to create for the first section of these shoots (minus the people). For the underwater photography, looking at ocean pollution, I will be exploring my inspirations with a couple of artist researches before I complete the shoot.
This shoot was inspired by the photograph taken by Juergen Teller of Kate Moss in the wheelbarrow. However, we got to the location with the wheelbarrow, and I ended up being more intrigued by the log pile behind it. The reason for this is because I was trying to represent with these photographs how humans are such consumers, as one can see the trees in the background which perhaps will soon be knocked down and made into this piles of logs – like the ones the model is sat on – this is us ( the consumers) can use them to our advantage, therefore destroying the beautiful land around us. This is why the trees are slightly out of focus in the background as we put ourselves before the world we live in and believe we’re more important than nature, which isn’t true as we need trees to breathe. This is what I wanted to represent through the use of the model, as one can see she’s dressed in a ‘hippy’ style, and hippies are referred to as tree huggers which is kind of a metaphor as she’s sat on a pile of logs, the message I was trying to get across is we’re destroyed the world that we live in.
“I’m not a political artist in any way, but if an idea takes me somewhere or something is emotionally impactful, I find a way to make a painting that encapsulates it.” Idris Khan
Even though I preferred the log idea, I still managed to caption some photographs of the model in the wheelbarrow, inspired by Juergen Teller. As shown below;
I love this image below, because the way the models looking directly at the camera, smiling but showing a bit of tongue making it look a bit provocative, also by the way she’s bending over in a low cut top. It makes it look slightly suggestive without intentionally doing this. The way the foot on the left is slightly blurred actually gives it more of an effect, as it looks as if the photograph was taken on a old film camera, which is the same style as Juergen Teller.
The composition of the image below works well as I have taken it from below angle, therefore creative negative space behind the models head and therefore not having anything in the background which is distracting. The model and the log pile appear clearer than the background of trees, this works well as they are the main subject and what I want the viewer to look at more.
This shoot was initiated because it was to represent how the travelers would go on adventures and would end up doing something peculiar like climbing up old derelict buildings. Their adventurous exploring sides would come out, and they’d get the best views and sights because they were high up on the roof of somewhere remote.
The image below reminds me of the series of Kate Moss by Corinne Day, ‘The Third Summer of Love’. This is due to the model being smiley and squinting her eyes, very similar to how Kate Moss posed before becoming a Super-Model with Day. It also reminds me of that shoot by the use of accessory’s such as the hat and the necklaces. It is also taken in black and white like Days.
I like the image below due to the compositon, as the camera is looking up at the model, which usually tends to be an unflattering angle. However this technique works well here, as it creates negative space in the background, making the model be the main focus of the image. The color tones for this image also work well, as all the colors are a blue or brown, for example the rust on the container brings out the necklace and highlights in the models hair. The use of the natural lighting also creates and interesting shadow on the models neck, which makes the image look more fascinating.
The reason for this shoot is because genuinely people associate spring with positivity, because it’s going from the end of the bad weather to the start of the good weather. Therefore I thought I’d use the season to help bring positive vibes to my photographs, another prop I used was the daffodils in my shoots, these are an important aspect as they are one of the most typical spring flowers, and therefore what represents spring in my photographs.
The image below works well as it looks like an image which may have been taken in the 60s when it was the decade of hippies, it looks like this by the use of the outfit the model is wearing, the use of the guitar and also the field of flowers, it also looks like its taken on an old film camera and looks like its been developed. This works well as with this shoot I was trying to represent peace and happiness and thats exactly what hippies are about, also it tends to be ‘free spirits’ / ‘hippies’ who tend to do a lot of travelling. Which works well as my photographs are all about a journey.
I love the photographs below, as they are capturing movement of the model, giving the photographs energy. The focus is on the model and the guitar, even though they’re both in the midground they are the focus and the foreground such as the daffodil is even slightly out of focus. The composition works well as the white daffodil is what your eyes are immediately drawn to therefore you look at that which shows you the season, making it positive before you even see the main subject, one then looks up to the model holding the guitar. The use of facial expression on the models face also creates a positive atmosphere and feeling to the photographs.
For this shoot, I wanted to represent a musical journey combined with a travelling journey. I wanted to represent a girl who was on the move, but would take her music with her everywhere, but not someone who would just use their IPod and headphones to listen to music, but someone who makes their own.
The reason for the location at the start of the shoot was because it shows a beautiful environment with the sea and trees in the background, but it also shows a road which represents movement and travelling. It’s as if the girl is following the road to the sea. This is why she ends up sat in front of the sea, because its representing her journey.
For this image below, I made her face away from the camera, and then I would count down to free and she’d turn her face around and I’d capture the moment. This technique is done to capture a moment which doesn’t look as posed and make it not feel as posed for the model so they don’t feel as awkward in front of the camera, and also to create movement in the photographs. In the image below, due to the position and natural lighting there is a loop lighting technique created on the models face. The thing I would change about this portrait is I should of waited a few more minutes for the cars to pass in the background, because I find they take away from the portrait, and I should have positioned the model slightly different so she wouldn’t be blinded by the sun and her eyes would be more open. However, I think the use of focal point worked well in this image, as I wanted the model to be the main subject, yet showing the important aspects like the sea and the road.
In the image below, there is a split lighting on the models face produced by natural lighting. The model is slightly positioned to the right however she is what immediately look at, due to her skin colour being pale. The composition works nicely as one can see the road which looks like it takes you directly to the sea. The way the model is higher up than the level of the road, makes her look adventurous and takes risks to appreciate natural beauty, and views like this inspires her to write new music. In this image there is a lot of depth, except in the background behind her upped body, where there is negative space, i think this works well as you focus on the mode more and aren’t distracted by a busy background. When editing this photograph I referred back to Theo Gosselin, as he tends to have a cinematic/vintage effect which I chose to use on this image.
I love this image, as it looks so natural and in the moment, as if I just picked up my camera at the perfect time. When in reality it was staged to look the way it does, for example I wanted her to sit in this position so I could get the trees, on the right, and the wall on the left to frame her and the sea in the background. For this image I also used the technique where I would get her to turn around so it wasn’t looking posed.
This image works well due to all the different elements, such as the birds in the background. The way the models got her arm bent, holding onto her hat, the carve of her elbow almost works as an arrow therefore your eyes follow the direction the elbows pointing in, which makes your eyes focus on the birds in the background. Normally one associates birds with peace and freedom, which is what i wanted to represent in this shoot. When i think of birds, i think of fleeing the nest, which is what these young people have done, they’ve taken their vans and have gone travelling away from home. I also like the fact one quite often hears the term ‘a songbird’ which is a bird with a musical song, like what the girl in this shoot has, as she’s got her guitar with her in most photographs.
I wasn’t entirely sure how these pictures were going to turn out when i headed to the beach with an industrial light. Overall they actually went so much better then i expected them to! I really loved in Toroptsov’s photographs how the light had a very eerie quality to it and i wasn’t entirely sure i would be able to create the same effect myself in my images. I decided to start with the umbrella den as the easiest and quickest to create in case the idea of photographing the dens at night wasn’t going to come together and really work. I think overall these images achieve exactly the same effect as Toroptsov’s work. The best images are the ones in which the light is behind the material which creates a soft glow to the light which makes it look a lot less industrial. I photographed the den just as the sun was setting and then as the sky turned from blue to black. I think these images work really well overall.
To capture these images i had to use a very low shutter speed of 2 seconds and a tripod to avoid camera shake.
The above and below photographs are both very similar compositions just taken at different times of the night when the light was different. This difference in light interestingly creates completely different impressions of the photographs. I think i prefer the above image as the bluish sky highlights the colours in the umbrellas more. I composed the photographs so as to take the photograph of the den almost straight on. The den fills the entire frame as i was close enough to the den that the front umbrellas are out of the frame as it appears as if i am just walking into the den. I then composed the light to the left of the den so as to use to rule of thirds with the light. The light is the brightest point of the images and therefore your eyes begin at this point and then travel around the rest of the den. I quite like how by having the light source as it is it casts the outer areas of the den in shadow and only illuminates certain elements. This causes like in Toroptsov’s photographs for your eyes to try and decipher the outer areas of the dens and adds mystery and intrigue. This works even better in the below image as the sky is so dark that the den could be anywhere. The lack of light in the background also causes the light to create straight lines, beams of light outwards from behind the den. I think i also prefer the composition of the above image as it is from slightly further away then the below image.
The above image is really interesting as it is one of the few images which i actually liked which had the light shinning directly onto the umbrellas rather then behind them. In most of the pictures the light from behind was softer and therefore more eerie but in this images the reflection of light on the umbrella in the foreground works really well. The light shines directly onto the umbrella in the foreground which is composed according to the rule of thirds to the right hand side of the frame. The light from this harsh bright point right in the center of the umbrella then spread outwards to the rest of the den so you can see the shadows and silhouettes of the rest of the composition. The sky in this image is also fairly early on in the night and so it is a blueish colour and this light in the background i think helps to soften the light in the foreground. I think the angles of the umbrella in the foreground also helps to guide your eyes around the frame as your eyes travel off the umbrella and into the rest of the frame. The beach and sand itself is fairly dark and therefore the umbrellas do stand out vividly against it.
The above photograph is a more abstract composition of the den, with the umbrellas composed to all be at odd angles pointing inwards within the frame. I composed the light source to be dead in the center of the frame shinning right through the windbreak rather then an umbrella. The light source looked brighter in shinning through the windbreak as the material was thinner then the umbrellas. I then haven’t included the entirety of any of the umbrellas, instead including elements of most of them in an abstract manner. I did however think about having my composition so that the handles of all the umbrellas pointed inwards at odd angles to create an interesting arrangement. This was one of the photographs that i took later on so the sky around the umbrellas is really dark and therefore conveys contrasts more between the intense colour of the light and the darkness around it.
The above photograph has exactly the same contrast, it may even be more intense as the light source in this image isn’t directly behind the umbrella.
The above and below photographs are then some of the images i took from further away from the dens so as to capture the whole structure. These ones worked really well the darker it got to have such a vivid contrast between the light behind the dens and the darkness surrounding them. Both images i used the rule of thirds to composed the dens at an angle within the frame. I really like in these mages how your eyes are drawn to the brightest point on the image in the center and then your eyes travel around the composition trying to work out the rest of the structure which is in partial darkness.
The above and below images are ones which were taken with the light shinning directly onto the structure rather then behind. Overall i defiantly prefer the other images for generating images with a softer and more eerie light.
These images are then more photographs which explore taking pictures of the dens at different angles and from a distance. I like how as the night got darker the beams of the light across the sand became more and more prominent, so that in these images the den is radiating light out into its surrounding.
Continuing to explore options for the presentation of my final images in this project, I would like to explore the process of creating post cards as a way to link to my theme of leaving home. The images I have made come in two different forms. I have the ‘home images’ which feature a single figure in their home environments in a relaxed but stylised portrait. I also have a set of external environmental photos which show the same set of people in a landscape of their choice. There are questions asked to each participant which link the two places together and the choice of location was ultimately their choice. By presenting these images as postcards, I could explore the contextual themes of writing home, family and connections to the island. To start the process of deconstructing a postcard in order to make my own designs.
There is an extensive variety of postcard designs available worldwide fitting into a range of genres and themes. The example images I have selected here are all minimalistic graphic designs which make use of negative space and heightened simplicity.
To create my own postcards, I will need to form a template for the front and back of each card separately and have them printed together – or manually attach them by hand. For the front of the images, I intend to use the images I have shot in the external environments featuring a character facing the landscape of their choice. This might be a full image, or one with a white boarder depending on the experiments I carry out. The back section of the postcards will likely be a minimalistic design with an address space – probably with light lines – and a large blank area for either typed or handwritten responses to the survey questions given to each of my models.
To start this process of graphics and development off, I made a rough mockup of my own using Adobe Photoshop. This involved creating the postcard shapes, guidelines, adding backgrounds, adjusting my own images to fit my templates and finally applying effects such as filters and shadows. I used an image of my first model, Maya, for this postcard and used a white boarder to frame the photo. Yes the mug and background are pretentious but I like how to shadows came out across the image on the postcard. The point of this mock up is to show a minimalistic layout which could ultimately be printed as a final piece. I would aim for a minimalistic backing which could be printed or handwritten with the responses given from the survey I set out before each shoot.
I could create a small series of stamps using other images which could reflect the home environments of each character. These could follow a more graphic layout with block colours and maybe feature colour block editing to contrast with the slightly washed images on the front of the post cards. To do this, I would edit the images in photoshop and print them onto thick sticker paper. They could then be cut or pressed with a cutter to create the stamp-like edges and applied to the postcards in place of a traditional postage stamp.
Normally when trying to achieve abstract results on photographs I would use different images or textures as layers to do this but after a little bit of trying it was difficult to find anything that worked well so I decided to use different colour and effect layers to see what kind of effect they could give to my images. There are lots of different options that photoshop has for me to use like this, the first of which is the Posterize Tool.
Full Posterize
Part Posterize
These two images were created by using the posterize tool. The first one is just the posterize layer placed on top of the image and the intensity reduced a little. After I had created the first image I decided that I liked the effect but there was something missing from the image, it felt a little too disconnected from the original image but I still really liked the effect of the reflection on the water’s surface. To try and overcome this I used a layer mask to remove the posterizing effect from the model’s body, head, chin and arms. This does not make it look that different from the previous image but on its own I much prefer having the slight posterization effect on the water but still being able to have the model looking normal.
Full Posterize + B&W
B&W
Even Though the shoot was meant to be based around colour while editing this image I decided to try out the black and white tool to see what kind of effects I could come up with. The first experiment with black and white was to just add a black and white layer to the posterized image layers in Photoshop. This gave an unusual effect to the image, the posterization is particularly noticeable on the subject’s neck, the solid blocks of dark grey make the image lose some of its feeling of reality, the image looks overly fake I think. Insite of this I still liked the B&W and wanted to pursue it further on this image, so I started again with the original image as my base. The first step was to add the black and white layer, but when I added this layer I did not just leave it as it was, because doing this it just made the image much more boring.
Final Image Settings
Un-Edited B&W Settings
Instead I changed the levels of the different colours to change how dark all the different colours were represented. The image on the right above shows what the image looks like with just a regular B&W layer added and the image above on the left shows the final settings that I used to create the final B&W image. In addition to this I added a gradient map layer that only had a little effect but really helped to make the watershine on the model’s chest show up better and drew the dark background in around him more. I also used the sharpen tool to help with the general softness that comes from shooting underwater and the dirty condition of the pool.
The other image that I decided that I wanted to try and experiment with is this one. It does not look very clear in this state but after editing it I got a really abstract effect to it and it became much sharper. The screenshot below shows the layers used to create the image.
For this image I first tried to use just a black and white layer to do the same thing as before but this ended up just like the first B&W attempt for the previous image and even adding the gradient map layer it did not look how I the other image did, because of this I decided to take a different approach. This mostly involved just randomly adding different effect layers and playing around to see what would come out. This image was one of these random experiments.
By adjusting the channel mixer and B&W layers I managed to get really unusual effect whereby all of the model’s makeup which was a light blue colour turned to a very stark black and really stands out where it had not before. This, combined with the reflections behind the model really make this an unusual image to look at, there is lots going on and yet the viewer’s eye is drawn to to the model’s face still through the regular shapes of the dots of his makeup which starkly contrast the flowing irregular patterns of the water’s reflections. An element that was not very easy to see in the original image was the bubbles in front of the model’s face which show up really well in this version. Having the dark background to the image with its tentacle like lengths of darkness that almost seems to be drawing the model under the water and into its depths, combined with the model’s pained expression (he could not stand getting water in his eyes, hence the squinting) really add a sense of drama and feat to this image. The image lends itself well to the notion of fear and mystery that surrounds water that I have already looked at. The image is not exactly how I would like it to look though, the model’s chest and arms are kind of lost into the background, they do not stick out from the background, in a way this is good because it does not detract from the model’s facial expressions that are the main feature but I would have still liked for them to be a little more visible. I am also not too keen on the vignetting at the image’s corners. This element, although it does not take much away from the image, draws in too much from the bottom left and the top right of the image, making it seem like the “drawing in” effect is overdone. I was oping that I would be able to obey the rule of thirds for this image a little better too but this did not work out perfectly ether. The background over the model’s right shoulder while taking up a large proportion of the frame does not take up two thirds and so does not fit well, I tried cropping the image so that this would work but it could not be done at the same aspect ratio without losing too much of the background of the background, and I did not want to change the aspect ratio. Overall though I really like this image, it is abstract and involves the ideas of colour and water by replacing what would be grey and white in a B&W image was blue, the traditional colour of water in a very non traditional image.
Unlike the previous image this one managed to follow the rule of thirds, with about a third of the image being a dark mass overseeing the model it works quite well I feel. I really like how the reflections on the underside of the water’s surface worked out, they act as a sort of set of leading lines almost that lead towards the model’s shoulders and alluded to something more existing above the water but by not showing his face removes this reality. The empty spaces on the right of the image are not completely empty, I think this really helps the image in not being an uninteresting image, the slight ripples and the fading out arm fade the image away and ease the viewer out of the scene instead of having a solid cut. The idea of mystery and power is also conveyed through this image because of the low angle of the photograph, the model’s face being obscured makes you wonder who they are and why we cannot see their face. The B&W really helps with the abstraction for this image, giving it a wholly unnatural look to it making the water seem murky and asif the subject is being pulled back into the darkness or if he is emerging from the darkness towards the viewer. I do wish that this images could have had the same kind of effect in color because this was the original intention of the shoot, but sometimes things don’t work out as planned and you need to adapt to what you have to be able to produce something.
This video is not important to the blog post but the reflections of the waves reminded me of the results that came from this shoot so I thought that I would just put this here.
“Night came but the darkness didn’t last long. The eyes of all the skulls on the fence around the house of Baba Yaga began to gleam and the forest became as bright as day”. -From “Vassilissa The Beautiful” Russian fairy tale
Yury Toropsov was born in 1974 in a rural community near Vladivostok. His project which i’m going to be considering is called “The House of Baba Yaga” and was his first project to get him noticed within the photographic industry. Toropsov in this project returned to his family home and photographed the daily reality of life while considering the children’s story “Baba Yaga”. His project creates a contrast between photographs of portraits of the family currently living in the house taken during the day to photographs at night of the houses exterior. The result is an eerie set of images which create a very strange impression of the house. The night time photographs are going to be my main focus though i do really like the concept of having a contrast between day and night photographs in my work. The night time photographs are filled with long shadows from bright sources of light which illuminate elements of the house but not all of it. This contrast between the saturated colours of the house and then the darkness of the shadows creates an otherworldly appeal to the photographs which is also heavily influenced by the association with the Russian fairy tales. Toroptsov’s influence from his native fairy tales is really significant within his work as it influences how we view the photographs and gives an overall atmosphere to the photographs.
The tale of Baba Yaga is very similar to the English tale, Hansel and Gretal. It is a Slavic tale which centers around an ugly old women who lives in a house surrounded by skeletons of the people she has eaten. Baba Yaga has been used to instill fear into people for centuries, with various variations of the tale depending on the exact town or country. It has been said however that this tale is symbolism for the fear that people feel towards the elderly. The elderly, particularly older women have been either despised or feared by some for generations as they signify all things that are undesirable to us. They are ageing, with wrinkles that question vanity and they signify the eventuality of death. In the 1600’s and in many other periods older women were often condemned as witches because of this fear. I feel like Toroptsov is questioning with his photographs a persons perceived reality of people; almost suggesting how people are not always as they seem and could indeed be hiding something like witchcraft. He takes these photographs of people who look perfectly normal but then juxtaposes them besides this eeire photographs he takes of their house at night which suggests a hidden layer to the people. By only photographing the house from outside at night is suggests something is going on, that there is something that we as a viewer are missing about these people by simply considering just their portraits. The link to the Baba Yaga tale influences us to think along more sinister routes though Baba Yaga also has a warmer side to her and is believed to help lost travelers and those who seek her wisdom and advice. She seems to represent the dichotomies present in humans, the good and the evil, real and the imagined co-existing. I think that she symbolizes both is really significant in considering Toroptsov’s project as he is seemingly presenting us with both the real and the imagined but then causing us to question both in relation to each other. The real photographs of the people are questioned by us as we view the creepy night time photographs and believe that there is more to the story.
Toroptsov’s photographs explore very cleverly a use of light that creates an ethereal atmosphere to his images. It is his use of light as well as his juxtaposition that i want to consider closely. The cottage he has photographed seems very far removed from the modern world with the use of lighting as the lighting all appears very natural. The light from the moon is very prominent in lighting the photographs as well as an intense bright light from within the house which seeps into the surroundings. Toroptsov in creating his photographs so as to be able to capture all the tiny bits of light used 30 second exposures. In creating some of my dens i want to take influence from Toroptsov and his work in having a juxtaposition between night and day. I want to photograph my dens at night time to show a completely different side to them. I think it will be interesting to consider how in the day time dens appear to be a place of safety and warmth and how these structures might look very different and many slightly sinister in a different light. I could then also have the people photographs i am planning on taking contrasting like Toroptsov’s with the night time dens. Like Toroptsov i am going to use very long exposures to create my photographs and a tripod. I will be experimenting with using both natural lighting of the moon to illuminate the dens but i think i will probably need to use artificial light in many locations due to their remote locations. I will therefore also be experimenting with having a light inside the den shinning out or having light shining from behind and in front onto the den to see which effects work best. I think i am also going to be exploring how nature and man made objects come together to create structures which is similar to his work. I also really want to explore the influence that stories can have over my photographs of dens, like the influence of Baba Yaga.
IMAGE ANALYSIS
As light is the key element of Toroptsov’s photographs it is important to begin by considering how he has used it and what effect it creates. Within the frame below the foreground is in shadow, as well as the far background, there being a small section in the center which is illuminated. The light in the photograph spills into the frame from around the corner of the building and from a source that we can not see. The brightest point of the photograph is to the left hand side of the frame where this light directly shines onto a reflective material of the building. Your eyes therefore work their way from this point furthest from the light source at the left hand side of the frame to the right side of the frame but intrigue is created by us not being able to see where the light source is coming from. The photograph is essentially divided into three segments of light, the photograph having been taken in the blue hour after the sun has set which gives the far backgrounds darkness more depth and distinction between the trees and the sky. The items in the immediate foreground are interesting because they are cast in such dark shadows that they are only silhouettes and therefore exactly what the objects are is questionable. This creates further intrigue in the images. The photograph then also has another dimension apart from the interesting light which is how nature and man-made objects are merging. Green plants are in all elements of the frame. growing over the objects and buildings. This creates even more of an ethereal sense to the photograph as it causes us to question the context to the photograph further and the location. The interesting light does create an atmosphere but then the random objects and over grown nature begins to add a story the photograph and raises questions. The pram right in the dead center of the frame is the most significant element in creating a story as it suggest a family, linking perfectly to how this is a family house. The pram becomes the center element to the photograph as we question what has happened to this family, where they are and the absence of people becomes even more noticeable. All all of Toroptsov’s photographs the lack of people is so striking as objects are left seemingly abandoned as if people are going to return to use them. This more than anything links with the Baba Yaga tale and we question if something sinister has happened to these people due to the association. Overall i think the most significant part of the photograph is how the foreground lacks light but we can not see the light source which leads you into noticing the other elements about the photograph.
The above photograph is perhaps the simplest of all of Toroptsov’s photographs as it doesn’t feature so much of the household clutter which dominants in the other photographs. This photograph is taken in very different light to the above photograph. The above photograph being taken in the blue hour and this photograph having been taken when the sky is black. The darkness of the sky in this photograph is what creates the eerie quality to the image. The light in the photograph shines directly onto the plant in the center of the frame from the right hand side, interestingly with shadows in the foreground and background. The light shines directly and pretty much only onto the plant. This causes the plant to be surrounded by the black sky and shadows in the foreground, it therefore standing out vividly within the frame. The plant is the only focus in the image and so has been composed right in the center. In this photograph we once again have the coming together of man made and natural objects though in this photograph it appears more intentional. The plant has been planted within a tire and grown into a patch of flowers. Due to the intentionalality of this the photograph doesn’t have the same quality as the above photographs in raising questions. I think this photograph works well as an accompanying photograph, rather than as an explanation Toroptsov’s whole project. It doesn’t have the same impact as the other photographs as it singles in so exclusively on a small element of the house rather than showing the bigger picture.
