For this shoot I have chosen to photograph rocks and shells as a way to demonstrate ‘variation and similarity’ because there is the opportunity to photograph a wide range of similar objects but at the same time have them differ to each other so much, therefore being a variation of similar objects, objects found on the beach, within nature, rocks and shells. I photographed the same group of rocks and shells on a white backdrop and on a bed of smaller rocks, this also creates variation and also allows me to experiment with what creates a more successful photograph.

Most successful photographs:

I have chosen this as one of the most successful photographs because of the interesting shell, the hole cut through the middle is an eye-catching aspect that makes the photograph less boring, also the contrast of all the smaller rocks against each other and then contrasting against the white shell as well creates a striking effect. I made the large shell the focal point of the photograph by centering it and placing it on top of the other smaller rocks, this also giving it an interesting backdrop. I took this photograph outside in natural lighting.

I consider this one of my more successful photographs and have chosen this photograph because of the sequence that has been created by paring this shell a white backdrop, a sequence/ pattern of white, black, white, black is created going inwards towards the middle of the photograph, I took this photograph in natural lighting at a birds eye angle to create this effect.

For my second photo shoot I want to photograph rocks and shells as ‘objects from the beach’, I have chosen objects from the beach to photograph as part of variation and similarity because there is a wide variety of objects on the beach, meaning my selection of photographs will be larger. I also plan on using a variety of backdrops; smaller stones and a white backdrop, this allows me to create the factor of variation while taking photographs of the same object, creating the similarity. To create a more interesting effect I want to photograph the rocks and shells with the sand and dirt on them from the beach before also washing them and photographing them, I hope this adds more texture and detail to the shells and rocks when photographing them.

Types of shells I hope to find and photograph:

• Mollusks
• Cockle
• Butter cup
• Cardita
• Crossed rib venus

Places to photograph:

• Le Mare Beach
• Le Hocq Beach
• Le Rocq Beach
• Gorey Beach
• St Ouen

Equipment:

• Camera
• White paper (backdrop)
• Smaller stones (Backdrop)
• Shells/Rocks
• Natural light

have experimented in a variety of different ways, creating different shapes and types of lines. I have experimented on all of my photographs because I want to have a variety of options and a large range to choose from, this will make sure there is nothing I’m missing when making my final selection.

I have chosen a select amount of photographs from photoshoot 1, flowers, to experiment on using different processes and methods in Photoshop.

Original Photographs:

Edit 1:

To create this effect I inverted the colours, creating a eye-catching glowing effect.

Best outcome: I have chosen this as the best outcome becuase I like the way inverted colours switch the colours, the purple and white petals turn a vibrant green and the dark green grass turns shades of purple, the glow, this bright colours creates a eye-catching contrast.

Edit 2:

To create this effect, in photoshop I posterized the photographs, popping the colours.

Best outcome: , making I have chosen this photograph as the bets outcome because I like the way ‘Posterize’ creates a cartoon like effect, this also makes the photograph look like a painting, making the colours block together as if they have been painted and this makes the photograph standout and appear brighter.

Original Photographs:

Edit 1:

To create this effect, in Photoshop I used ‘Gradient map’, this creates a spray paint like effect and I chose to group together contrasting colours; purples, oranges and blue to make the images stand out.

Best outcome: The gradient map effect creates a glowing effect, making the flower the focal point of the photograph stand out and the back drop contrast with it.

Edit 2:

I recreated the ‘posterize’ effect in Photoshop to create these images, experimenting with the white backdrop.

Best outcome: this is the most successful image because the bright orange is heightened by the posterize effect and contrasts well with the white backdrop.

Experimenting with similar photographs, ideas and effects is very helpful in finding the best possible outcome for the photographs, for example I used the ‘Posterize’ effect on both sets of flower photographs, white back drop and grass backdrop, experimenting with both allowed me to see that one us more successful then the other, for example the grass backdrop produces better outcomes because it creates contrast and is more colouful, creating a more interesting photograph.

I have chosen to photograph flowers as a way to represent ‘variation and similarity’ because there is the opportunity to photograph a wide range of the same type of something but at the same time have them be very different, therefore being a variation of similar objects, flowers. I photographed the same group of flowers on a white backdrop and in a grass backdrop, this also creates variation and also allows me to experiment with what creates a more successful photograph.

Most successful photographs:

I have chosen this photograph as one of my most successful because I like the movement within the petals and the fact they are curled up and all in different directions, created by the fact the flower is dying. I also like the contract of the bright yellow flower and the dark green grass and the fact the flower is almost being tangled within the grass, this photograph was taken in outdoors in natural lighting, this allows the colours to be more vibrant and also shows off smaller details caught in the light like the water droplets on the grass and the pollen and creases on the petals and blades of grass. Over all I think this is one of the more interesting photographs due to the movement and busyness of the image.

This photograph was taken outdoors in natural lighting, high lighting the colours of the flower, I have chosen this photograph as one of the more successful photographs because I like the way the colours progress through out the petal, how the colour develops from light to dark, white to purple, this is made more apparent by the movement within the petals, giving the impression that the flower is moving with the wind, when really it is wrinkling up, I picked the flowers the previous day and arranged them back into the ground and photographed them over the next couple of days, I did this to create a more interesting effect. The natural lighting high lights interesting features of the flower and surrounding, for example the steam and its details, the detail in the near by blades of grass and leaves, this creates a more successful image because it gives you more to look at.

In my first photo shoot I plan on taking photographs of flowers. I have chosen to take photographs of flowers as my take on variation and similarity because I feel like it is something that is accessible and is something that I can create successful outcomes from, for example I hope to find a variety of colours and types of flowers. I also plan on using a variety of backdrops; grass and a white backdrop, this allows me to create the factor of variation while taking photographs of the same object, creating the similarity. To create a more interesting effect I want to pick the flowers and photograph them the following day, I hope this adds more texture and detail to the flowers when photographing them.

Types of flowers I hope to find and photograph:

• Lily
• Daisy
• Rose
• Lavender
• Anemone
• Amaryllis
• Daffodil
  
  

Places to photograph:

• St Peters Garden center
• The market
• Fields
• Lanes
• Garden
• Public Plant pots
• Town

Equipment:

• Camera
• White paper (backdrop)
• Grass (Backdrop)
• Flowers
• Natural light

2. 2-3 ideas about what you are planning to do; how, who, when, where and why?

1.What I plan to focus on within ‘variation and similarity‘ is nature. For example I want to record the variation and similarities of a number of different places and areas around Jersey; fields, beaches, woods.

Places and areas:

• St Catherine’s woods
• Le mare beach
• Green Island beach
• Gorey beach
• Pontac beach  
• St Brelard’s beach
• St Ouen’s beach   

2. Secondly I want to also focus on specific objects within nature; leaves, clouds, rocks, trees, flowers, etc, I plan to photograph these objects numerous times in a number of different areas and attempt to find a variation of the same type of object.

Objects:

• Rocks
• Flowers
• Clouds
• Trees
• Bushes
• Insects
• Shells

3. I also want to incorporate people into my photographs, for example using hands to to hold objects and act as a backdrop for objects such as leaves, flowers, rocks, also photographing a person stood in the same position, but in different areas, allowing the model to give insight into each area, for example size and scale of areas and the comparison to each other.

I want to focus on variation and similarity within nature, because I feel like Jersey is largely made up and has a lot of nature; beaches, fields, woods, for me to photograph, giving me the opportunity to include a large range of photographs and therefore a lot more chance to show more variation and similarity.

To allow the best possible outcomes I plan on shooting outside in natural light, in the areas and places that objects are found and the areas themselves, but also I plan on shooting inside using lights and a backdrop, to create a more professional finish to my photographs. Shooting both ways will give me the opportunity to experiment and in turn make more informed decisions about my final outcomes.

When presenting my photographs I want to incorporate typologies and the style that Bernd and Hilla Becher used to present their photographs, I feel this is an effective way to show the similarities of objects and areas that would otherwise by them selves appear unalike.

August Sander, born 17 November 1876 – 20 April 1964, was a German portrait and documentary photographer. Sander’s first book Face of our time was published in 1929. Sander has been described as “the most important German portrait photographer of the early twentieth century.”

Sander was born in Herdorf, the son of a carpenter working in the mining industry. While working at a local mine, Sander first learned about photography by assisting a photographer who was working for a mining company. With financial support from his uncle, he bought photographic equipment and set up his own darkroom.

He spent his military service (1897–99) as a photographer’s assistant and the next years wandering across Germany. In 1901, he started working for a photo studio in Linz, Austria, eventually becoming a partner (1902), and then its sole proprietor (1904). He left Linz at the end of 1909 and set up a new studio in Cologne.

In 1911, Sander began with the first series of portraits for his work People of the 20th Century.

His work includes landscape, nature, architecture, and street photography, but he is best known for his portraits, as exemplified by his series People of the 20th Century. In this series, he aims to show a cross-section of society during the Wiemar Republic. The series is divided into seven sections: The Farmer, The Skilled Tradesman, Woman, Classes and Professions, The Artists, The City, and The Last People (homeless persons, veterans, etc.). By 1945, Sander’s archive included over 40,000 images.

Image Analysis

I haven chosen this photograph of Sanders to analyse because this photograph is a similar style to the type I want to photograph in my third photoshoot, a model in a open natural landscape. I like this photograph because the backdrop of the fields creates an interesting effect in the way that the fields create a very nateral backdrop, its very simple and allows as much attention on its self as the model, creating a perfect balance. The model is an interesting factor in the photograph, oppose to being stood still, lifeless, he is stood in an intriguing pose, creating a more engaging photograph. The texture of the mud creates a noticeable contrast within its self and the model and fields, dividing the photograph into sections, allowing there to be more to look at within the photograph. In conclusion this photograph is simple but engaging and similar to what I hope to photograph myself for my project.

Luigi Ghirri, born 5 January 1943, was an Italian artist and photographer who gained a far-reaching reputation as a pioneer and master of contemporary photography, with particular reference to its relationship between fiction and reality.

He started his career in the 1970s. Influenced by conceptual art, he created his first two series, Atlante (1973) and Kodachrome (1978), where his cropped images of the landscape were presented with a deadpan, often ironic wit and a continuous anthropological engagement with his surroundings. The compositions and hues of his photographs suggested subtle emotional tones and a meticulously rich way of viewing the world, as well as the role of images within it.

Ghirri’s work quickly attracted international attention. In 1975 Time-Life included him in its list of the “Discoveries” of its annual Photography Year publication, and he showed at the Photography as Art, Art as Photography exhibition in Kassel. In 1982 he was invited to the photokina in Cologne, where he was acclaimed as one of the twenty most significant photographers of the 20th century for his series Topographie-Iconographie.

Image Analysis:

I haven chosen this photograph of Luigi Ghirri’s because it has all the aspects of what I want to include within my own photographs, for example, a wide natural background and the inclusion of models. I like this photograph of Ghirri’s because of the use of colour and contrast, the swimming costumes the models are wearing are different shades of blues that match the blues in the water but also contrast at the same time, also the contrast between the white sand and blue water progressing to an even darker blue is interesting, linked with the almost orange models wearing vibrant blue costumes, the photograph is very simple and candid but the colouring makes it far more interesting and engaging. In conclusion this photograph is simple but engaging and is a very similar style to what I hope to photograph myself for my project.

I have chosen to research John Baldessari because I like the style he edits and experiments with his photographs, I hope to incorporate factors of Baldessari into my own project.

John Baldessari, born June 17, 1931, is an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images. He lives and works in Santa Monica and Venice, California. His work influenced; Cindy Sherman, David Salle, Annette Lemieux and Barbra Kruger among others.

Initially a painter, Baldessari began to incorporate texts and photography into his canvases in the mid-1960’s. In 1970 he began working in printmaking, film, video, installation, sculpture and photography. He has created thousands of works that demonstrate—and, in many cases, combine—the narrative potential of images and the associative power of language within the boundaries of the work of art. His art has been featured in more than 200 solo exhibitions in the U.S and Europe.

Image Analysis

I have chosen this photograph of John Baldessari’s because the dots he uses on the faces of the subjects in his photographs is something that I want to incorporate into my project and experiment with within photoshoot three. I like John Baldessari’s style of putting dots over the faces of people in his photographs because I feel like this does a good job of creating mystery and adding something more interesting to what normally would be a dull photograph. This photograph specifically is one of my favourites because I like the use of only two colours, black and yellow, and the high contrast between the two and also the contrast against the actual black and white photograph, the yellow dot is an eye-catching factor against the rest of the black and white. In conclusion this photograph is simple but has eye-catching factors that make it great and I hope to incorporate this style into my own project.