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Developing, Experimenting, Planning, Recording, Research

Contact Sheet | Tiny Planet Photoshoot

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For my attempt at producing tiny planet images, I went to two locations, Les Landes and Grosnez. This is my first attempt so I am not sure how it will pan out when I put them into photoshop to create the planet.

The above shoot was Grosnez, a full 360 degree panorama (not yet stitched). I had the camera on a tripod in a portrait angle so I could capture a better height. I then used full auto setting to best get the land setup best. I took the images overlapping the last by 1:3 to ensure no bits are missing and the stitching works well.

The shoot below was at Les Landes, I did the same concept, 2x 360 degree on full auto. I used ,y hand to mark the start and stop of each panorama

I now have to put the images into photoshop, create panoramas then bend the images into a circle.

Analysis, Developing, Evaluating, Experimenting, Extension, Recording

Experimentation With Images – Cutouts

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After my initial experimentation with images, using color to respond to John Baldessari, I decided to create another response in which I would become more practical with my ideas and actually cut out parts of the image itself. To do this I would need to use a small circular object which I could proceed to cut around as an outline for the areas of photo I wanted to take out. Using a Stanley knife and a small cup I traced the outline and cut around the outskirts of the edge trying to be as neat as possible, after cutting out wanted areas on all of the photos I went onto experiment with their presentation, linking areas and using the off-cuts to put back onto the photos. Once I had create four different layouts I photographed them against a black piece of card so that more definition could be created. Overall I decided to do this because I wanted to become more practical like Baldessari who would go out of his way to make certain scenes happen, and so by me creating a response like this it would allow me to be in control of the image taken completely, warping it so that it links into my intended outcome. Here are the final developed cut-outs of the photos taken and their various experimentation’s:

For my first edit I decided I wanted to make use of the parts cut out, this is because I loved the idea of placing parts of an environment that would not typically be seen in any other location elsewhere. I chose to use the circles as a theme because of how their repetition linked into Baldessari’s work that centered around figures and form, and so by placing things in usual ways presented aestheticism for the viewer who is drawn to how the locations don’t fit into where they are placed.

For this image I wanted to layout the basis for branching various ideas for designs off on, this could consist of various linking techniques towards each circle and where they could start and end. I selected the areas with the photo which I thought captured the essential patterns and textures seen such as trees, card, sky and fields. These three different areas of the environment make up the piece and so by taking a section of it out impacts the outcome much more than it initially did.

Firstly for this image I decided to link together each circle to one another, giving each three links with the exception of the middle one having five in order to connect it to every other one. The idea behind this was to essentially link together each of the different sections of the landscape together and present the piece with an abstract and unusual object within, making the viewer think about how each area impacts the next.

Finally for this last experiment I tried to randomize how the layout of the cut-outs experimentation look completely. To do this I randomly linked together various circles making sure that two circles had a link to the border of the photo. I tried to make sure the path of the links was completely uncoordinated leaving me to cross over various paths to make a form with no actual structure in the photograph.

Overall I found that my experimentation using the four images went well due to it pushing me to create more edits outside of software, making me more practical with my photographs whilst involving me more with the actual process and outcome of each piece. I chose to use this image as the experiment because of how I thought it presented the most diverse textures and patterns within a landscape found in most of my photos.

Analysis, Developing, Experimenting

Building Faces Shoot 3 – St. Peter

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In this shoot I have developed on my previous shoots in which I have looked at the faces of housing blocks, office blocks, houses and other types of commercial buildings within Jersey. In my previous shoot I explored the area of Havre Des Pas and took photographs of houses in the area to demonstrate how the houses can have similar features and materials used due to being in the same geographical area whilst also having these features changed slightly in each house to make each house unique and different. In this shoot I have photographed an estate in St. Peters to show how similar the houses in estates can be – they are often designed in bulk to create a quick and easy building process and so leads to lots of similar houses with the same style and layout. Of course, even when looking at how similar these houses all are, there are lots of features which make the houses individualistic, such as the paint colour or the style of window or the curtains. All of these features go towards emphasising how factors such as personal taste can create something ordinary into an individualistic feature that can make the house stand out from others. The essential idea behind this shoot is to reinforce the idea of variance and similarity in previous shoots and to show how even though something may be produced to be similar, there will always be differences.

Below I have continued to edit these photographs in a sharp black and white in order to emphasise the individual features of the houses and apartments. I originally decided this due to inspiration from Tim Booth who, when photographing portraits through hands, found that the black and white prevented the viewer from just focusing on colour and rather focusing on the deeper features and shadows that are brought out when using a strong black and white. I believe that it is important for me to continue to use this contrasting colour scheme as it makes it effective for when I make edits with these photographs later on, such as with GIF’s or with double exposure edits. With some of these edits I am going to experiment cutting out natural frames and layering it over photographs of natural rock faces as I begin to study geology and granite in Jersey.

Developing, Experimenting, Planning, Research

Photosoot Plan | Tiny Planet Photography

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The first place I will try to shoot is Grosnez. I hope to get the castle in the planet which I think could be very interesting. The second place I would like to shoot is Les Landes, you can get a few farm houses and trees on the planet which would look good adding the houses to the rural landscape yet not over-crowding it.

The Les Landes shoot will be at the green dot and the Grosnez shoot will be at the orange dot.

Image result for tiny planet photos
Image result for grosnez castle
Contextual Studies, Developing, Research

Jasper Johns |Artist Reference

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In the mid-1950s Jasper Johns was searching for a way to move beyond Abstract Expressionism. He took the radical step of destroying his previous work and began painting a set of motifs that included numbers, the American flag, and the alphabet. These instantly recognizable images allowed him to reintroduce subject matter into his work, freeing him to explore other painterly concerns. One of the found images that Johns employed was the target, and from 1955 to 1961 the artist produced several dozen paintings and drawings that explored this device.

Initially, Johns chose a palette of primary colors, a preexisting schema as found as the image itself. The artist’s use of oil and encaustic (pigment mixed with hot wax) created a quick-drying medium that recorded each drag and drip of the brush in almost sculptural terms. Indeed, these gestural nods to his Abstract predecessors allowed him to investigate the subtle nuances between form and material. There also exists a tension between the idea of the representational (a target) and the notion of the abstract (the geometry of concentric circles).

Image result for jasper johns target with four faces
Target with Four Faces (1955)

In this work, Johns merged painting and sculpture as well as engaging the viewer with “things which are seen and not looked at.” Johns relied upon newspaper and fabric dipped in encaustic (pigment mixed with hot wax) to build the surface of the painting. He also made plaster casts of the lower half of a female model’s face over four successive months and fixed these out of order in a hinged, wooden box that he attached to the top of the canvas. By incorporating the sculptural elements in the same space as the painting, Johns emphasized the “objecthood” of the painting. This merging of mediums reinforced the three-dimensional object-ness of the paintings.

Beyond the material surface of the work, the concentric circles of the target imply the acts of taking aim, as if you were shooting in archery for example. However, Johns excluded the model’s eyes from the plaster faces, and therefore prevented any chance of an exchange of gazes between the viewer and the faces in the work, this forced the viewer to examine the interactions between the painted target and the plaster faces. Viewed through the lens of the Cold War era, the seemingly benign images can imply the targeting of the anonymous masses by global political powers as well as by corporate advertising and the mass media.

In connection to my own project, Johns’ work follows an abstract genre and incorporates circles in the simple design of the painting and this is what my project follows, circles. I would like to incorporate this idea by perhaps using the image as inspiration for images of targets in the modern day, archery for example. These targets are circular yet serve a different purpose to Johns’ art.

Developing, Evaluating

Reviewing and Reflecting

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How well have ideas developed?

In my project I still feel as though I need to develop the concept and meaning behind my images in more depth. I started my project exploring ideas related to nature and beauty as it is something that interests me personally. My first idea for the project Variation and Similarity was to look at repetition in nature and planned to explore that in my first shoot. I then backed this up with research into photographers. As I’ve continued in my project I found that I wanted to add another concept to the project to make my images have more of a story behind them and to feel more conceptual. I think that exploring the use of videos in my work has developed my work well as it gives my project another element.

Are they sustained and focused?

I think that my blog posts are sustained and focused so far, exploring and researching different photographers styles and the concepts behind their work to inspire me. I still feel as though I need to explore more photographers to find a definite concept behind my project. My blog posts are not as focused as I want them to be and can only become sustained when I find another concept. I also want t add my photographers analysis to understand in more depth how various photographers take their image, and also analyse how they display their work i.e in a photo book.

Are they reviewed and refined?

I think that my blog posts are reviewed and refined as I explore the concepts and meanings behind how the photographers take images the way they do and why they do it. I also explain why I chose those photographers to look and and how they link to my project. For my photo shoots I think that I review my work well by analysing my images technically and conceptually and also evaluating the shoots, stating what I could work on and develop further in my project. To make my work more reviewed and refined I could explain more throughout my project what I am doing, and evaluate each week how my ideas are developing.

How many responses/ shoots?

I have done two shoot of my own so far where i have and gone to natural areas. In the first shoot I visited St Catherine’s woods and looked at repetition in pattern and shapes in nature to start generating ideas for my project. I also took some inspiration from Rinko Kawauchi in some of the images looking at light and exposure. I think that the images from this shoot were successful at starting off my project and leading me into my second shoot. For the next shoot I visited Queens Valley Reservoir and looked at the beauty in nature and took videos of aspects I found interesting in the landscape. For this i wanted to capture the movement in nature that wasn’t portrayed in a still image i.e the movement of water, the wind blowing leaves. I think that both these shoots were successful, but i still want to push my work to develop it further. I have also done responses to photographers in class such as John Baldessari, inspired by his book ‘Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line’, representing Baldessari’s interest in language and games as structures. I also created a response to typologies at the start of my project, taking inspiration from Hilla and Bernd Becher and Andy Warhol to start generating ideas.

Command of camera skills/ photographic techniques and processes
Understanding of composition/ considering quality of light

In my photo shoots I have tried to focus on light and negative space, inspired by Rinko Kawauchi. I feel as though my work is inspired by her, but doesn’t directly interpret her work which is something I wanted to do. In all my images so far I have consider the composition of the natural objects and how the patterns are portrayed. For example, some of the images in my first shoot i made the patterns fill the entire frame as I thought it made the image most effective and the markings stand out more. So far when I have gone out to take images the lighting has been over cast and cloudy, in my future shoots I plan to go at different times of day like early in the morning or later in the afternoon towards dusk. This way I could play with the lighting more and experiment with different exposures.

What are the overall quality of the images?

I think that the overall quality of the images are good and I feel as though they continue on from my last project where I looked at a natural area as well. This means I have a good understanding of photographing natural objects and landscapes. I have tried to make interesting compositions ie. making the shapes symmetrical or using the rule of thirds. I think so far that my images are taken well technically but not conceptual enough meaning that they aren’t the best they can be. Moving forward I plan to do shoots towards a particular concept to refine my work.


How do they respond to research andrelate to artists references ?

My shoots respond to the research I have done on different art movements, like the romantic era looking at sublime, pastoral and picturesque in the 19th century. They also respond to the research on abstraction as I’ve focused on negative space and bold colours within the natural landscape. My earlier responses respond to typologies ie. Hilla and Bernd Becher where I photographed different versions of the same object to create series of images. My videos are responses to my research into video art and performance art, as well as the work of Edward Muybridge who was important for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion and in motion-picture projection. I did my own interpretation of this, looking at nature and movement.

How do they interpret exam theme?

My images and videos so far interpret the exam theme as they were inspired by looking at similarities and variations in nature. From this point I developed my idea to explore beauty within the natural landscape. Also looking at fragility and femininity when photographing. In my photo shoots I have focused on emphasisng the light in the images, looking at negative space and exposure to create the right appearance.

Contextual Studies, Developing

Geology and Vernacular Architecture

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Geology (coming from the greek gē, meaning ‘earth’, and -logia meaning ‘study of’) is an earth science which is concerned with the solid aspects of the Earth, the rocks which make up the Earth, and the processes of how they change over time. Geology is not specific to the Earth – it can be applied to any planet or moon. The evidence for processes such as plate tectonics, past climates and evolutionary history come through geology. There are three main types of rock – igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

The word ‘vernacular’ in terms of architecture means the structures and buildings that are built in a functional way that is unique to that geographic area and which suits the area by using the main abundant natural resources available. Vernacular architecture can reveal the culture of the society slightly through showing the patterns, materials and elements that are unique to the area. The origins of vernacular architecture came from the design skills and tradition of local builders, who were to use the particular materials indigenous to the region and would use the local traditions and cultural practices that they are used to.

Granite is a key part of Jersey’s vernacular architecture. It is completely abundant in the island and is a common type of feslic intrusive igneous rock that is granular and phaneritic in texture. The fact that it is igneous means that it is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava, also because the granite is rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz it is described as ‘felsic’. The word ‘granite’ comes from the Latin granum. Granite is used as a base structure for the majority of houses in Jersey but is covered by plaster and paint in most cases. The exposure of granite in houses comes and goes as fashion changes – an example of this is my own house. Below is a set of photographs of my house over a period of time. The first photograph shows my house in 1862, the second one in the 1950’s and the third one taken this year. As you can see in the first photograph the house is plastered and painted as doing this was seen as a sign of wealth, but in the second photograph the granite has been exposed due to it being a trend at the time. In the third photograph the plaster and paint has been reinstated leading to the house looking more like the original photograph than the second photograph because the trend of using plaster and paint has come round again but the whole time the granite had been present.

I want to explore granite in Jersey by photographing the large formations of it in our beaches all around the island as it is such an abundant and important resource to the island. I will be planning on photographing the rock to fill the lens to create a slightly abstract composition that focuses on the shapes and formations within the granite rock. I will then explore exposing the variance and similarity within this rock by comparing them side by side or along with the building faces that I have been photographing.

Analysis, Developing, Experimenting

SHOOT 2 – NATURAL FORMS

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My second photographic shoot to gain a wide collection of primary source to furthermore develop and edit, was focused on natural forms. I captured images of plants, leaves and flowers, concentrating on the intricate detail and pattern of these forms. Adrienne Adam, a photographer I have studied has created sublime photographs of specifically the patterns of nature, therefore making her my main basis of inspiration for my second shoot. Adrienne Adam usually works in colour to highlight the vivid, bold colours of her photographic subjects, so I also did so, furthermore enhancing the contrasts, saturation, tones and vibrancy of my primary source.