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Analysis, Developing, Evaluating, Planning, Research

Book Specifications

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My topic in 3 words: Styles of abstraction

Topic described in a sentence: I will be exploring how three different categories of abstraction, colour, texture and pattern compliment and contrast each other when put together.

My Topic described in a paragraph: I will be looking at the topic of abstraction regarding three of the more dominant areas of it. I will firstly look at colour and the use of heavily saturated photography to isolate the subject from its surrounding environment. Texture is another theme I wish to explore through the almost unseen world present when looked at closer inspection and how natures pattern often are aesthetic and in huge variety. Lastly I will be looking at pattern and the idea of isolating once again a subject from its surrounding environment so that it becomes up to the viewers to interpret what it could be in regards to surface and look.

Design:

  • Look and feel: I would like a matte cover which would produce a photographic but card like feel which would really compliment the material being used for my overall design and theme.
  • Paper and ink: For the sleeve I would probably use printing ink to produce the title and author name, but within the book I would use glossy paper due to it producing a more detailed outcome.
  • Format, size and orientation: The format would be three portrait books due to me wanting them to be able to fit into sleeves, I would probably make the size of them relatively small just below the size of A4 paper.
  • Binding and cover: The cover would be the title of that topic of abstraction within the book such as saturated.
  • Title: Each book will have a different title regarding the contents which can be found inside.
  • Structure and architecture: The page layouts will mainly be one or two images to a spread with the occasional three images if I want to create the impression of a triptych.
  • Design and layout: Once again the pages will mainly have one to two images per spread with the occasional three or four
  • Editing and sequencing: I will be ordering the images into each book regarding which title they best fit into, saturation, texture or pattern. Each book will have the photos ordered into a way in which each compliment each other or have a greater overall theme.
  • Images and text: I would like to keep the book very minimalist and so possibly would just have the location or word saturation with its number such as #1 or #2
Analysis, Contextual Studies, Developing, Experimenting, Recording, Research

Deconstructing The Narrative of ‘Tal uf Tal AB’, ‘You Would’ and ‘Park Sleep’.

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Book in hand: How does it feel?

The book’s cover and sleeve are created from card giving it a textures surface which feels dry to the touch, however the book itself is a more matte card surface giving it a smoother feel whilst adding a slight tint to the cover. This card texture is carried on throughout the layout of the book. The textured surface of the sleeve and book covers are repeated on each book.

Paper and ink: Use of different paper/textures/colour or B&W or both.

All of the paper inside the book are glossy matte textured being about the same thickness of ordinary photography paper. Within the book there are a few blank pages so that it adds breathing space when working your way through which adds to the overall effect of the photographers decisions. The only text is the ink which is in a small font in each corner of the pages to highlight what the title of each image is. The book overall is very consistent as there is a strong theme regarding composition and focus of the photographer throughout.

Format, size and orientation. Portraiture/landscape/square/A5, A4, A3/ number of pages.

The book itself it is a A3 size, slightly smaller than an A4 sheet of paper with an effective use of negative space throughout due to there being borders to each image boxing them in a result. This compliments his photography as the photos become easier to focus on especially as there are more dominant portraits within. Its hard to say how many pages there are due to there being no page numbers, but I would guess there are about 50 pages per book.

Binding, soft/hard cover. Image wrap/dust jacket. Saddle stitch/swiss binding/Japanese stab-binding/leperello.

The books use a paper card cover without any dust cover on due to there being no need through the use of sleeves. This as a result makes the book more visually pleasing as when opening it it directly links the cover page into the photography.

Title: Literal or poetic/relevant or intriguing?

Overall the titles seem to be more poetic rather than literal due to how the content inside each hardly reflects what the title suggests, instead being more around a different theme of family or location life in specific locations.

Narrative: What is the story/subject matter: How is it told?

There seems to be no narrative in the books but rather small sub sections where a few page spreads will be portraits with the next ones maybe be landscape shots or images about home life. This theme continues throughout the three individual books.

Design and layout: Image size on pages/single page, double-spread/images/grid, fold-outs/inserts:

Each photo inside the book tends to be the same size regarding whether it is landscape or portrait, with portraits tending to take up the entire page and the landscapes taking up about half of a page.

Editing and sequencing: Selection of images/juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process:

The images inside each book seem to have little editing done to them as each seems like they have come straight from the camera with in-camera editing techniques like low or high exposures. As a result of this the results seem to be more literal, portraying the photographers vision literally.

Images and text: Are they Linked? Introduction/essay/statement by artists or others. Use of captions (If any).

The books lack text as there are no page numbers or information about where the photographs are taken. However in each bottom corner of every page there are the titles of the photos present on each spread, this is complimented by the very occasional use of speech dialogue which can be seen on some pages which seem to depict a conversation between two random people.

Analysis, Contextual Studies, Developing, Recording, Research

Triptik Photo-book Inspiration – Robert Frank

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Before going a head and creating my three photo-books I decided to look at a photographer who had produced work in a style that was vaguely similar to the outcomes I desired. The books I found to be particularly inspirational were ‘You Would’, ‘Tal Of Tal AB’ and ‘Park Sleep’, what drew me to the designs in particular where how each was encased inside a brown cardboard folder which fitted the dimensions of each book perfectly. For me this was an idea I wanted to explore as I previously had aimed to produce the three books and store them in a hand-made sleeve so that could be viewed collectively but viewed individually. When looking over the books I found what drew me to them was their minimalist covers which only contained the title and authors name against a predominantly plain backdrop of textured grey card, this was very effective in regards to the book cover being a darker version of the grey which compliments the actual cover which as a result produces the impression of the binding of the sleeve being different. Some pictures of the books can be seen below:

Who is he?

Robert Frank, born November 9, 1924, Zurich, Switzerland, Swiss American photographer and director who was one of the most influential photographers of the mid-20th century, noted for his ironic renderings of American life. Frank became a professional industrial photographer at the age of 22 and in the 1940s became a successful fashion photographer for Harper’s Bazaar magazine in Paris. He felt, however, that the scope of the work was too limited. He abandoned fashion photography about 1948 and went to the United States and then to Peru to explore the expressive possibilities of the 35-mm camera. After photographing in Europe in 1950 and 1953, Frank returned to the United States. Between 1955 and 1956 he drove across the country, taking a number of photographs. Of those, 83 were ultimately published as The Americans, 1959, a French-language version, Les Américains, had first appeared in 1958. Photographs such as Chicago, 1956 in The Americans revealed Frank’s mature style, which was characterized by bold compositions and ironic, sometimes bitter, social commentary. Their publication established Frank as a major creative photographer, and the book was widely hailed as a classic. Examples of his photography can be seen below:

When making my books I would like to explore the use of composition carried about by using singular images over a two page spread which add to the overall effect of any image you want to exaggerate or over-emphasize. For me personally I would like to incorporate mono-printing to produce the cover of my sleeves, this is because of how it would create a newspaper effect where the font thickness and size would be inconsistent and slightly faded, which as a result produces an ink collage effect.

Before ordering and making the book I would need to consider the colour of both the sleeve and books front, this is because of how I want them to be colour coordinated so that they both compliment and contrast each other which creates a more aesthetic result.

Analysis, Contextual Studies, Developing, Planning, Recording, Research

Abstract Texture Shoot #2

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For this shoot I wanted to focus on the idea of abstraction through pattern especially in nature and the urban world. I really liked the idea of basing my photography around capturing everyday scenes of subjects in a new light which highlights the unseen patterns which are present in our everyday lives and the structures of things around us. A photographer I have looked at which I have got particular inspiration from is Brett Weston, someone who has devoted to focusing on natures pattern and the unseen world around us. The images that I found to be more inspiring were his images based around plantation and occasionally the effects of humans on the landscape such as footprints and man made intervention into the natural environment. His skills that I wanted to be able to transfer were surrounding his effective use of a low exposure to create a more dramatic scene surrounding everyday things through exaggeration of shades and tones. Some examples of his work can be seen below:

Once I had looked over some of his photos that I found were particularly inspirational for my shoot and its aims I then decided to go onto produce a mind-map. By making a mind-map it would allow me to jot down ideas and aims for the shoot and what I wanted to over achieve, this would also cut down on time wasted on the shoot as I would have a goal of what to produce on me and how to take it with it all the time directing my aims. Here are some of my ideas that I wish to use on the shoot:

The place I have decided to take the images is called Val De La Mare due to its variety of different textures which can be found alongside the water and the trees. A map of the location can be seen below:

Here are the results of the shoot:

After finishing my shoot I decided to go onto edit the shoot down to only ten images, by doing this it would allow me to identify which were the images that were most effective from the shoot and reflected my intentions the most. Here are my decision on the top ten images of the shoot:

Once I had selected the ten images I then decided to go onto whittle them down once again to only five, by doing this it would allow me to further identify the images which were most effective from the shoot due to analysis in more depth, whilst also making it easier for me to choose an image which best sums up the entire shoot. Here are me selections:

I chose this image because I loved the overall sense of the browns which came through the decaying grass. For me the crushed plants added a cool texture which highlighted the contrasting yellow stalks compared to the rest of the brown leaves. What I particularly liked was how the leaves all faced one direction, allowing for a smoother look to the overall image due to how it all seemingly moves in continual way. Overall I found that the piece did relate to the topic of texture, however I was not too pleased with the outcome as I didnt think it carried enough contrast to emphasize the darkness.

What I really liked about this image was how the green leaves overlapped the darker grain of the wood below. When looking over the image I really liked how the leaves almost presented themselves as a frame for the grainy texture of the wood, preventing it from becoming a present throughout the image and turning into a eye-sore for viewers. As a result of this I found that the contrasting yellows which are emphasized in the wood through saturation really brings more tone into the photo due to it add variation to the texture and overall colours present in the photograph.

I chose this photograph because of the unusual line which had been cut across the base of the tree trunk. For me this added an extra sense of abstract to the piece due to the surface texture of the wood being disrubted by the cut mark making its way across the entire composition. What I found complimented this was the dying ivy growing down the side of the trunk, for me the lighter brown from this added that bit extra to the piece as it prevented a continual same colour presence throughout, instead breaking it up and adding variety. Overall I was really happy with the composition of the piece due to its unusual element through the cut, with the ivy and the different bark textures adding a much needed variation to the overall piece.

The reason I selected this image was because of it high contrast which highlights the grain and unseen colours really well. For me personally I really liked the variety of different browns and yellows present within the photo as it presents viewers with a different perspective regarding cut wood on a wet day as textures not previously seen are revealed when more closely observed. The grain knot I found broke up the composition and prevented it from becoming too overpowering and generic due to how the added black becomes an instant focal-point for anyone looking at the picture for the first time. As a result of this I am quite happy with the result due to how it provides an unseen insight into the textures present on trunks which previously would be unseen unless further inspected.

Finally I chose this because I think it really well summed up the idea surrounding the topic of texture through both its green and brown leaves branching out. Because of this I really liked the contrasting dead and lives leaves together as the texture stays the same but rather the colour changes, as a result of this I think it adds a much needed extra bit of texture due to it stopping the otherwise dominant green from becoming too much and detering the viewer. When looking over the image in regardings to the topic of texture, I found that it related well, however I was not too pleased with the overall outcome due to it lacking contrast behind the leaves which would have made it more defined.

Once I had looked at each image in more depth I decided it was time to move onto picking one image to sum up and represent the entire shoot. To do this I would have to consider looking at its visual aspects whilst also its conceptual ones and how well it related to my intentions and overall aims:

Overall when looking over all the images I found this one to be most effective regarding the topic of abstract textures. This was mainly due to the unusual cut mark made across the base of the trunk which for me added an extra sense of abstraction due to it looking a bit surreal and mysterious. This was complimented by the dying ivy which I definitely thought added that needed break between the continual texture and colour of the wood and the dark cut. For me I thought this image was executed the best due to how it represented my initial aims of the shoot whilst also taking into consideration my topic title of abstraction through texture (seen through isolating the subject from its surrounding environment).

Analysis, Developing, Evaluating, Planning, Research

Artist Reference – Brett Weston

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Who is he?

Brett Weston war born 1911, Los Angeles, the second son of photographer Edward Weston. Brett was removed from school at a young age to become his father’s apprentice in Mexico, this surrounded his by revolutionary artists of the day such as Tina Modotti, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, not only did this influence his but also presented his with a striking contrast to life in Mexico but as also where he first started taking photos with a small Graflex. This introduction that Brett was shown and the work of the painters unintentionally influenced his sense of form and composition, this quality of design was evident in Brett’s early images of organic and man-made subjects. Here he started to appreciate how the camera transformed subjects close up and how the contrast of black and white altered further the recognition of the subjects. Overall it is not hard to understand his attraction to focus on abstraction dye to the characteristics he was influenced by would allow him to be uniquely identified with throughout the rest of his career.

Weston later returned to California in 1926, and Brett continued to assist him in his Glendale portrait studio whilst exhibiting and selling his own photographs at the same time. From the age of seventeen a group of his images were included in the German exhibition ‘film und Foto’, considered to be one of the most important avant-garde exhibitions held between the times of the two World Wars. Because of this his received great recognition which brought Brett international attention and inclusion in various photographic exhibitions in the following years. Although his art will always be linked with his father’s it is unfair to say that his photography is imitative of Edward’s beyond the early years as he produced an enormous body of work over the seven decades. Some examples of his work can be seen below:

After looking over some of his images I decided that I would go onto look at one specific image that I thought would best reflect my intentions for my future shoot based around abstract patterns. The image I have chosen is called ‘Mud Cracks’ and was taken 1966 highlighting the patterns found in everyday things such as mud. Here I will go onto look at things like visual, technical and contextual aspects which would allow me to further my knowledge regarding techniques used and the style of photography created.

Visual:

Visually the piece is quite simplistic in the sense that the photo is of a piece of mud, however its when upon further inspection that there are cracks which form patterns across the mud, something the every-day eye would miss unless focused upon. For me the piece is extremely aesthetic due to how the tones used across the composition are varying grays with the only real shades coming from the cracks which allow separation in the image which prevents the outcome of pure mud becoming too overpowering. To stop the mud becoming too much Weston has made sure to include smaller cracks within the cracks of mud to add variation to the photo whilst stopping a continual generic surface from occurring across the entire image.

Technical:

When looking across the image it is clear to say that a slightly lower exposure has been used so that the darkness in between the cracks is highlighted above the rest of the image which due to sunlight is a lot lighter and therefore becomes the focal point. It looks like a higher shutter speed has been used to capture crisp detail of the mud as you can clearly see the lumps and grooves present on each slab of mud whilst there being no evidence of motion blur whatsoever. Weston has made sure to include a clear fifty fifty ration between mud and cracks which stop one or the other from becoming too overpowering and stopped the effectiveness of the other.

Contextual:

The aim of the piece is meant to create the subject and present it in an unrecognizable fashion, devoid of sentimentality. There is meant to be a sense of a lack of human presence and narrative making it unclear of what the photographer is trying to express. The composition is not amazing and the angle is wrong, however this is the aim of the photographer who could argue that the aim of modern photography is so that the image is only partially aesthetic. These concentrated images share the high-contrast and graphic qualities of Weston’s panoramas while emphasizing his affinity for “significant details” and the unprecedented attention to form, texture, shadow, and light that he explored throughout his nearly-seventy-year career.

Analysis, Contextual Studies, Developing, Evaluating, Planning, Recording, Research

Abstract Colour Shoot #2

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For this shoot I wanted to create a response to the work of Engleston due to his focus around the idea of tone and colour within urban and natural environments. What I found most interesting within his photography was how in most of them there is an overall sense of a single colour such as yellow or red, this has inspired me to create work that relates through the use of incorporating an overlay which can be vaguely seen in each picture. As a result of this I hope to achieve a new style of photography where I can this underlying saturation to produce outcomes for the photos and possible photography book in the future. Using Eagleston as my main source of inspiration I have decided to have a look at some of his works which I found to be of particular interest:

After I had looked over some of his more inspirational work I decided it was nearly time to go ahead with the shoot itself. Before doing this however I would need to create a mind-map, by doing this it would allow me to express my ideas and intentions of what I want to achieve in the shoot. Creating a mind-map not only would help direct my aims of the shoot but also reduce time wasted from deciding there and then what to do and take. Here are some of my ideas on what I want to produce during the shoot:

Once I had completed my mind-map I then decided that I would move onto the shoot itself. Using this my ideas noted above as the basis for my goals in the shoot I decided to photograph the area of Les Creux Millenium Park due to the huge range of landscape it possessed in the surrounding area, ranging from houses, fields and woods. A map of the area can be seen below:

Here are the results of the shoot:

Once I had completed the shoot I then decided to go onto whittle the selection of images down to only ten. By doing this it would make it easier for me to identify which images reflected my intentions for the shoot the best and which ones had the best relevence for my topic. Here is my selection for the ten best images of the shoot:

After I had selected the ten best images I then decided that I would move onto choosing fives images that out of the ten reflected my intentions the most and had the best overall sense of aestheticism. To do this I would have to look at technicality, visual aspects and context. Here are my choices:

I selected this images because I really liked the defined contrast between the overly blue sky and the unusual shape of the tree. For me the green and dark browns contrasting the sky made the image the most effective due to how they are complimentary colours and so work well side by side producing an aesthetic reault. Composition wise I found that the tree being slightly on the left allowed for the end result to be more impacting because of the way it arches over the landscape filling more negative space in a more unusual way. In relation to the topic of variation of abstraction the image related well as I separated the tree from its surroundings allowed for a unique perspective to be viewed of it where it becomes isolated from its surrounding environment.

For this image the reason I selected it was because of how the blue sky and tree were complimented by the cloud which sort of transitions into the tree itself whilst merging into the blue around the corners. By the clouds taking over the negative space for me it allowed for a more effective use of the sky due to it otherwise being a bland and boring picture, however the inclusion of clouds prevents this and instead allows for an aesthetic result which could work well in a set of three. In relation to the topic the image goes well as it is evidently saturated too much which as a result produces a more abstract effect which in a way prevents viewers from seeing the tree as it once was, instead looking at it in a new light.

What I liked about this images was the contrasting overly saturated colours that overpower the image. For me this works really well as the image in a way is divided into two sections, one being the sky and the other nature, however I really liked the implementation of the cloud which breaks up the two dominant colour from becoming too overpowering and ruining the piece. As a result of this the cloud enhances the two colours creating an aesthetic result due to both the tree and the sky being in proportion to each others saturation. When looking at the image in regards to my topic of abstract variations I think that it goes well with the rest of the images taken due to how they all present a similar vision where there is a sense of overpowering colour which seem too surreal to be real.

What I loved about this image was its overall simplicity. This is done through a very minimal way where there are only three small aspects to the piece being the cloud, trees and sky. For me they all compliment each other nicely due to how the green and blue contrast with the symmetry of the cloud being in the centre adding too effect from a sense of artificial aestheticism that is created. Overall once again symmetry is the key aspect to this photograph as the cloud be placed directly in the middle adds to effect as its almost as if it was placed there from its unusual position. For me this links greatly to the topic as the colours are so enhanced combined with the weird composition which as a result ends in a abstract portrait of the sky in a block minimalist way.

Finally I selected this image because of the huge contrast between the pines and sky which create a silhoutte of the leaves, isolated it from its environment and portraying them in a way that makes them seem as if they were something else. This contrast for me works well with an image in the previous colour shoot which I think when looking towards planning a photo-book would work well due to its similar qualities. As a result this image relates well to the topic but has been selected really in relevance to how it can be linked to the previous shoot in which silhouette of trees can be seen against a harsh blue backdrop.

After looking over all five images it allowed me to come to a conclusion to which images worked well in relation to the topic of abstract variations (this shoot being colour). By looking in depth at each image it allowed me to sum up its qualities as a reflection of my intentions not only to the shoot but the overall topic. This is my final choice for the image that best represents the entire shoot:

The reason I chose this image as the best reflection for the overall intentions of the shoot is because of how I loved the way the composition of the piece induced a sense of an artificial landscape in which it seems almost too surreal to be real. For me the vivid colour combined with the symmetrical composition of the tree really tie the photo together as each aspect of the piece compliment each other which preventing the others from overpowering and ruining the picture from becoming too eye-sore.

Analysis, Contextual Studies, Developing, Evaluating, Recording, Research

Artist Reference – Eggleston

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Who is he?

Since the early 1960s, William Eggleston used color photographs to describe the cultural transformations in Tennessee and the rural South. He registers these changes in scenes of everyday life, such as portraits of family and friends, as well as gasoline stations, cars, and shop interiors. Switching from black and white to color, his response to the vibrancy of postwar consumer culture and America’s bright promise of a better life paralleled Pop Art’s fascination with consumerism. Eggleston’s “snapshot aesthetic” speaks to new cultural phenomena as it relates to photography: from the Polaroid’s instantaneous images, the way things slip in and out of view in the camera lens, and our constantly shifting attention. Eggleston captures how ephemeral things represent human presence in the world, while playing with the idea of experience and memory and our perceptions of things to make them feel personal and intimate.

Color has a multivalent meaning for Eggleston: it expressed the new and the old, the banal and the extraordinary, the man-made and the natural. His non-conformist sensibilities left him open to explore the commercial printing process of dye transfer to see what it could contribute to picturing reality in color rather than the selling of lifestyles, concepts, and ideas. His brief encounter with Warhol exposed him to forms of popular photography and advertising, contributing to his experimental attitude toward the medium. Eggleston’s use of the anecdotal character of everyday life to describe a particular place and time by focusing either on a particular detail, such as an object, or facial expression, or by taking in a whole scene pushes the boundaries of the documentary style of photography associated with Robert Frank and Walker Evans’ photographs. His insider view allowed him to create a collective picture of life in the South, capturing how it transformed from a rural into a suburban society. Some examples of his work can be seen below:

The snapshot aesthetic provided Eggleston with the appropriate format for creating anecdotal pictures about everyday life. Its association with family photographs, amateur photography, as well as Kodak’s Brownie camera (which was useable by everyone) lent his work the proper proportions and personal attitude toward the impersonal everyday. I wanted to make colour one of my main focuses when photographing the selected areas, here I found that looking and analyzing an image would prove to be most effective as it would allow an insight for me into the technical, visual and conceptual aspects of the photo that make it so aesthetic through over-saturation. The image I have chosen is called “Cannon’s Grocery, near Greensboro, Ala” and was taken 1972:

Visual: Visually the image is very aesthetic from the amount of warm colours that are present within it such as the oranges, yellows and blues. For me these colour provide us with a sense of uniqueness as all supposedly contrast each other, however instead it compliments with the colours of the building reflecting the surrounding environment like the desert and sky. Overall the piece only consists of about four to five different colours making it very simplistic regarding what can be seen, however a filter has been used to enhance the yellows and blue and create an almost artificial environment of something that may be seen on a movie set. What draws me in is how out of place the building seems as it vibrant colours are perhaps the opposite of what the desert could be seen as, giving the impression for viewers of something that could be seen for miles due to it being so out of place from its surrounding environmental landscape.

Technical: When looking over the photograph it is clear to say that a filter has been used to create an artificial feel to the overall piece due to certain colours like yellow being implicitly present through the image. A regular shutter speed and slightly lower higher exposure has been used to create a crisp and in focus shot being devoid of overpowering shadows or motion blur. The photographer has obviously made the building the focal point of the piece due to how it instantly draws the viewers attention due to its randomness regarding the surrounding environment with the yellow sand being used as a way to stop the building from dominating the composition and being too overpowering. Finally the colours have definitely been taken into consideration due to how each one contrasts another colour within the photo providing an obvious sense of old school aestheticism due to how they aren’t as crisp as they could be.

Conceptual: The image was taken at a time when the art world shunned colour photography. The solo show the Eggleston but on at the Museum of Modern Art in 1976 broke through this black and white barrier as it paved the way for wider acceptance of art and making it the preferred medium. The photograph itself represents the exciting time period in photograph when an image’s tone was more provocative than its subject.

Analysis, Contextual Studies, Research

Kodachrome and Autochrome

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What is Kodachrome?

Kodachrome became the first colour film that made use of a subtractive colour method successfully mass-marketed. It was the successor of Autochrome and Dufaycolor which had been used for screenplating methods. Kodachrome has become the longest living brand of colour film due to its manifacture for 74 years in various formats to suit still and motion picture cameras including 8mm, super 8, 16mm. As a result of this Kodachrome can be appreciated due to its archival and professional market regarding dark-storage and longevity making its qualities desired by many professional photographers.

The brand name itself is for a non-substantive, color reversal film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935, becoming one of the first successful colour materials used for both cinematography and still photography. Over years Kodachrome was widely used for professional colour photography as the images produced were intended for publication in print media. However the film started to be sold process-paid in the US until 1954 due to legal ruling which prohibited this. Due to its growth and rising popularity of alternative photographic materials and complex processing requirments, widespread transition to digital photography resulting in Kodachrome to lose market share eventually leading to it becoming discontinued in 2009 with its processing ending in December 2010.

Some examples of Kodachrome and its photographic results can be seen below:

Over the years Kodachrome became a registered trademark of the Kodak company, with its method of colour transparency becoming more commonly known as a type of colour film the company started marketing in 1935. “Kodachrome” might sound familiar. Kodak eventually had at least three different processes that went by this new trademark, the first in 1914. In the early years of the twentieth century Eastman Kodak pursued the development of a simple color photography process that could be used by amateur photographers.

What is Autochrome?

Autochrome, also known as Autochrome Lumiere was invented in France by the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere. Originally they presented their research into colour photography to the Academie des Sciences in 1904, with commercial manufacture of autochrome plates soon starting 1904. This led to the first autochrome process taking place on the 10th of June 1907 at the offices of the French newspaper L’Illustration. The process works by covering autochrome plates in microscopic red, green and blue coloured potato starch grains. When the photo is eventually taken the light passes through these colour filters to the photographic emulsion, with the plate becoming processed to produce a positive transparency. As a result this creates a full colour image of the original subject.

These processes were undertaken at the Limiere factory in Lyon, and included a complex process. Transparent grain was first passed through a series of sieves to isolate the grains between ten and fifteen microns in diameter. These grains are then separated into batches and dyed red, green and violet which are then once again mixed together over a glass plate coated in a sticky varnish. Charcoal powder is the spread over the plate to fill in any gaps between the grain and a roller is used to pressure the grain and flatten them out, and finally leaving the plate to be covered in a photographic emulsion.

Here are some examples of autochrome:

Overall the photos did not require much special apparatus as photographs could use their existing cameras, however they did have to remember to place their autochrome plate in the camera with the plain glass side nearest the lens so that light passed through the filter screen before reaching the sensitive emulsion. To view the image autochromes could simply be held up to the light, however for ease and comfort they were usually viewed using special stands called diascopes which incorporated mirrors. These gave the image a brighter result and allowed several people to look at the plate at the same time, they could also be presented using magic lanterns.

Analysis, Contextual Studies, Developing, Research

History Of Colour Photography

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When photography was invented in 1839, it was a black-and-white medium, and it remained that way for almost one hundred years. Photography then was a fragile, cumbersome, and expensive process. In order to practice, photographers needed a lot of extra money and time, or a sponsor. In that early period, the people advancing photographic technology tended to focus not on achieving color photographs but on making improvements in the optical, chemical, and practical aspects of photography. For many, the goal was to make photography more suitable for portraiture—its most desired application. For that, photographic technology needed to be more stable, portable, and affordable, not more colorful. But people wanted color photos. (Portraits before photography were paintings—in full, glorious color.) By 1880, once the early technical hurdles had been overcome, portrait photographers began experimenting with color. They employed artists to tint photographers’ daguerreotypes and calotypes by hand.

British photographers introduced hand coloring photographs to Japan, where the practice became widespread and Japanese artists further perfected the technique. The refined, delicate hand coloring became a defining characteristic of Japanese tourist photography, the results of which were carried back to the West, influencing the art of hand coloring there. This wildly popular technique persisted in Europe and the Americas until twenty years later when Autochrome plates arrived. In Japan, hand coloring lasted yet another twenty years beyond.

When first attempted in early 1840s people were trying to find a sort of chameleon substance which would be be able to assume the colour of any light falling upon it. The first results were typically obtained from projecting a solar spectrum directly onto the sensitive surface promising an eventual success, however a comparatively dull image would form in the camera required exposures lasting for hours or even days. The quality and range of the image colour were sometimes severely limited mainly due to primary colours, such as the chemically made ‘Hillotype’ process invented by America Levi Hill in 1850. Many others tried to experiment with other methods that prevented colours from fading over time such as Edmond Becquerel who achieved better results to some extent. Over about seven decades there was continuous experiments along these lines which would occasionally raise hopes but having no value at practical level. Here are some examples of early coloured photography:

Regarding the first ever colour photograph it was taken as early as 1826 by Nicephore Niepce, however it took until 1861 to be developed by technology which could incorporate very basic colour. Overall though it was the Scottish Physicist and poet James Clerk Maxwell who produced the first true colour photograph that didn’t fade immediately or need colour adding afterwards by hand. The image can be interpreted as sinister and mysterious, this is because the colours red, green and blue have been used to take a still image of some tartan ribbon which had to be taken three times using different coloured filters each time. The technique itself was developed because of the theories about how the eye can process colour. This is the first non-fading coloured image:

The three-colour method, which is the foundation of virtually all practical color processes whether chemical or electronic, was first suggested in an 1855 paper on colour vision by Maxwell. It is based on the Young-Helmholtz theory that the normal human eye perceives colour because the retina is covered with millions of intermingled cone cells of three different types: In theory, one type is most sensitive to the end of the spectrum we call “red”, another is more sensitive to the middle or “green” region, and a third which is most strongly stimulated by “blue”. The named colours are somewhat arbitrary divisions imposed on the continuous spectrum of visible light, and the theory is not an entirely accurate description of cone sensitivity. Nevertheless, it coincides enough with the sensations experienced by the eye that when these three colors are used the three cones types are adequately and unequally stimulated.

In his studies of color vision, Maxwell showed, by using a rotating disk with which he could alter the proportions, that any visible hue or gray tone could be created by mixing only three pure colours of light red, green and blue in proportions that would stimulate the three types of cells to the same degrees under particular lighting conditions. To emphasize that each type of cell by itself did not actually see colour but was simply more or less stimulated, he drew an analogy to black-and-white photography: if three colorless photographs of the same scene were taken through red, green and blue filters, and transparencies made from them were projected through the same filters and superimposed on a screen, the result would be an image reproducing not only red, green and blue, but all of the colors in the original scene. Because Sutton’s photographic plates were in fact insensitive to red and barely sensitive to green, the results of this pioneering experiment were far from perfect.

Analysis, Contextual Studies, Developing, Evaluating, Experimenting, Recording, Research

Style EXPERIMENTATION – Long Exposures

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What is a long exposure?

Long exposure photography is when we are using a much longer shutter speed, and it’s usually used as a specific technique to achieve a certain effect.  There’s no defined transition point at which a shutter speed becomes slow enough to define your shooting as ‘long exposure photography’.  Generally speaking, I tend to think of it as when we are talking about our exposure times in terms of seconds, rather than fractions of a second.  These kind of long exposure times (shutter speed is the same as exposure time), are often used to blur something in a photo, for example running water in stream, or the movement of stars across the night sky.  A long exposure helps us to trace the pattern of time and render things in a different way to how we are used to seeing them.  When we see things differently, it naturally fascinates us and that’s a significant factor in creating a compelling image.

In order to achieve long exposures during the daytime, it’s often necessary to use neutral density filters on a lens, which cuts down the light entering the lens.  With less light entering the lens, the shutter speed needs to be much longer to achieve the same exposure.  Neutral density filters can allow you to shoot exposures of several minutes long, even in bright daytime situations. Here are some examples:

For this mini shoot I wanted to explore how the twisting roads of Jersey would create long exposure by focusing on cars and the variety of coloured lights that are created from them. I want to particularly look at the different textures and patterns I could make out of moving the camera whilst keeping the camera still. However when taking some of the photos I may try at experimenting with a monochrome filter to see if it would effect the outcome of the light trails looking at whether or not they blend the colours together. Here are some of the results from the shoot overall:

Once I had finished the shoot I decided to select ten images that I thought represented the shoot best whilst also reflecting my overall intentions behind what I wanted to achieve and have the outcome of photos look like. When doing the shoto I made sure to try a variety of things such as using a monochrome filter to produce some of the pictures, my aim behind this was to experiment and see whether by devoiding the image of colour if it would provide a smoother transition between shades. Here is my selection of my ten favourite images:

From here I wanted to then go onto whittle the selection down to only three images out of the mini shoot, by doing so it would allow me to analyse each of the image to more detail and understand the visual, technical and coceptual aspects behind the photos and my thought process behind selecting it. Here are my favourite three images:

I selected this image because of how I really love the contrasting colours of red and white which also complimented each other against the emerging floor underneath. The image itself is of a moving car taken going over a speed bump during a long exposure, I really liked how its movement of bumping was captured through the pattern created with no actual goal of where its going. Overall I liked how the image relates well to long exposure as it creates an abstract pattern of the lighting, removing the car completely and leaving me with a series of lights with no coordination.

The reason I chose this image was because of the coordinated composition of the colours against the black backdrop. Personally for me I found that the lightings approach from the bottom left to top right of the photo created a great sense of aestheticism due to how the black space left behind in certain areas leaves enought room so that neither the lights or the darkness becomes too overpowering for the viewer. By mixing together a variety of different colours into the light sequence I found that it really stopped the lighting from becoming repetative and boring, as a result for me the added blues and reds emphasise the movement in the image.

Finally I selected this image because of its simplicity, here I loved how the use of black negative space to highlight a smoke like effect created from a swaying lamp on a boat. What drew me to the image was the symmetry created from the light and how by using a monochrome filter on the image it puts arcoss the impression of smoke filtering down the screen. For what the image lacked I found it made up for it in contrast against the black backdrop with the ghost like lines presenting the viewer with a great sense of aetheticism.

Overall I found the shoot to go quite well as it highlighted the movement in our everyday lives but instead by removing the subjects and leaving on the light sources they have left behind. As a result of this all textures lights and landscapes are a direct reflection of our everyday transport to and from work or school.