Étienne-Jules Marey, born 5 March 1830, in Beaune, was a French scientist, physiologist and chronophotographer.

To study the flight of birds, he invented a camera in 1882 with magazine plates that recorded a series of photographs; the pictures could be combined to represent movements. In 1894 he adapted the motion-picture camera to the microscope.

His work was significant in the development of cardiology, physical instrumentation, aviation, cinematography and the science of laboratory photography. He is widely considered to be a pioneer of photography and an influential pioneer of the history of cinema.

Marey’s chronophotographic gun was made in 1882, this instrument was capable of taking 12 consecutive frames a second, with all the frames recorded on the same picture. Using these pictures he studied horses, birds, dogs, sheep, donkeys, elephants, fish, microscopic creatures, molluscs, insects, reptiles, etc. Some call it Marey’s “animated zoo”. Marey also conducted the famous study about cats always landing on their feet. He conducted very similar studies with a chicken and a dog and found that they could do almost the same.

Although Marey was a man of science, one cannot ignore his profound contribution to photography.

Image Analysis

I have chosen this photograph of Étienne-Jules Marey to anaylse because I like the effect of sequencing and want to incorporate it within my project in a way. This photograph is extremely old and the outcome and effects on the photograph are not intentional but a product of the time and camera, but I like the contrast of blacks and whites/creams and the almost border that is created by the white circle surrounding the two people, the focal point of the photograph. The blur adds an interesting abstract effect to the photograph. In conclusion this photograph is complex and interesting and has factors that I hope to photograph and include in my own project.

Inspired by John Baldessari, and his use of circles, we conducted a game; flipping a coin and cutting around where the coin landed on the photographs we were given. We then experimented with both of the photographs and the cut outs, firstly, using a black piece of paper under the first photograph that we have cut into, allowing the black paper to fill the empty cut out areas, this created a similar effect to John Baldessari’s work and his use of block coloured circles. We then also experimented with the second photograph, combining the two, using the cut out circles from the first photograph and sticking them to the second, placing them where they originally would have been on the first, creating more of an abstract effect.

In response to John Baldessari’s ‘Throwing three balls in the air to get a straight line’, we attempted to recreate similar photographs using tennis balls.

For these photographs, we experimented with movement and had the subject try and dodge having their photograph taken. This experiment resulted in a series of blurry photographs that suggest that the subject is moving quickly, this is evident from how blurry some part of the photographs and the movement in the hair.

• 5. Present your outcomes
• 6. Evaluate your process, and critique your outcomes

Photographs that I directly worked from:

Edits:

Evaluation: I feel that the photographs I have taken and the way I have edited them resemble the artists that I was inspired by and it is clear that I have taken inspiration from them, I feel like this shoot was successful because of the fact that my photographs are clear and executed what i planned in the plan and specification that I previously made.

Inspired by Hiroshi Sugimoto, the Bechers’ and typologies, for this shoot I plan to take simple seascapes, similar to Hiroshi Sugimoto and to incorporate the idea of typologies, I plan on taking the same/similar photographs of seascapes in multiply locations, also like the Bechers’, I will present my photographs clearly and in black and white, comparing and contrasting all the different locations when presenting the final images, presented like Bernd and Hiller Bechers’ photographs.

Typology: A classification according to general type, especially in archaeology, psychology, or the social sciences.
Study or analysis using a classification according to a general type.

The Dusseldorf School of Photography refers to a group of photographers who studied at the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf in the mid 1970’s under the influential photographers Bernd and Hiller Becher.

Definitions:

Similarity–
The state or fact of being similar/
A similar feature or aspect.

Variation–
A change or slight difference in condition, amount, or level, typically within certain limits/
A different or distinct form or version of something.