He was born in London, started taking photographs as a teenager, and has been involved with photography ever since. In 1979 he set up Science Photo Library, a picture agency specializing in science and medicine. In 2003 he started a new career as a landscape photographer, with a focus on exploring natural change in the world around us. Sea Change, a series taken over 10 years, compares identical views at high and low tide around the coast of Britain. Sea Change won the LensCulture portfolio grand prize in 2011 and has been exhibited in Britain, Italy, Denmark, and the United States.

From 2003 to 2012 Michael Marten traveled to different parts of the British coast to photograph identical views at high and low tide, six or eighteen hours apart. His beautiful and surprising photographs reveal how the twice daily rhythm of ebb and flood can dramatically transform the landscape. This links to my previous studies of the depiction of light and how this can transform a familiar landscape. I have also focused on the sea within this and therefore looking at the sea in another way and the way in which it changes a landscape really appeals to me and connects perfectly for my project.

“I am interested in showing how landscape changes over time through natural processes and cycles. The camera that observes low and high tide side by side enables us to observe simultaneously two moments in time, two states of nature”.

Recent landscape photography often focuses on human shaping of the environment – urbanization, globalization, pollution. Even when critical and committed, this approach can emphasize and glamorize humankind’s power over nature. “I’m interested in rediscovering nature’s own powers: the elemental forces and processes that underlie and shape the planet. The tides are one of these great natural cycles. I hope these photographs will stimulate people’s awareness of natural change, of landscape as dynamic process rather than static image. Attending to earth’s rhythms can help us to reconnect with the fundamentals of our planet, which we ignore at our peril.”
— Michael Marten

“… a sense of threat as well as one of miracle attends Marten’s images. The people who fill his beaches at low tide seem often still to be there at high tide, invisibly in their fixed positions, fatally swallowed by metres of sea.”
– Robert Macfarlane

With one of the fastest moving tides in Jersey I think taking inspiration from Marten’s sea change project will be a very interesting subject matter. It will be especially appealing for local residents to see the dramatic change that they often overlook everyday when driving past. The difference between low and high tide creates a completely different mood similar to lighting which i have previously looked at. With this focus on how a place feels, the mood and atmosphere, as appose to the detail of a certain subject matter I am going down a different route to the stereotypical type of photography.

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.

Mood Board

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The focus of German photographer Micheal wolfs work is life in mega cities. He explores and documents the archaeology and culture in cities
such as Hong Kong, Tokyo, Chicago, and Paris and address issues such as population concentration, mass consumption, privacy, and voyeurism.

In Michal Wolf’s ‘Architecture of Density’ he has used natural light from the city of Hong Kong to catch the repetitive and colourful high-riser apartment block. A shutter speed of 1/60 would have been use as it is the usually one for people and slow moving object an ISO of about 100. this has lead to a visually appealing image. Natural lighting has been able to capture the natural tonal ranges of the building which I think depicts the city of Hong Kong well. A deep depth of field would have been used this is because all parts of the photograph are in focus.

So far I am following my project specification very closely are taking inspiration from the artists, photographers and movements which I have researched. I have stuck to my aesthetic plan of a chaotic look, and this is something which I believe is particularly working very well. Although I am taking inspiration from my research as I said, I don’t feel like this is to the point where the pieces I am producing so far aren’t original, since I personally feel like the aesthetic of the work is something which I have come up with myself. Aside of the 15 responses to the work of Dexter Navy which I made…

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…I have also begun to use my initial two shoots to begin creating some photo-montages, here is what else I have made so far…

I am so far satisfied with how my techniques of photo-montage are working, using cutting out and double exposures to combine images with subtle links. From these further 4 montages above my favorite is the fourth, this is because of the carefully considered colour palette and the open spaced elements of the piece. Whereas with the other three although I think they are successful maybe they are overly chaotic and don’t actually look controlled. Therefore I plan to make a post on my editing process of the fourth photo-montage so that I am able to follow the process and hopefully continue to produce successful pieces.

Definitions:

Commercialism-

• the principles and activity of commerce, especially those connected with profit rather than quality or doing good [Cambridge Dictionary]

Consumerism-

• the state of an advanced industrial society in which a lot of goods are bought and sold [Cambridge Dictionary]
• – the situation in which too much attention is given to buying and owning things[Cambridge Dictionary]

For my theme I wanted it to be about Commercialism and Consumerism. I wanted to focus on products and brands, looking at how people consume these products and how we are influenced by certain brands more then others. I also wanted to potentially create a pop art sense in my photography after looking at Andy Warhol. With my photography i wanted to produce work that makes the viewer think about when they are shopping questioning whether or not they need these things but also looking at Consumerism in a less negative light seeing how the shapes and images in the products can create an almost art form with its typology and illustrations.

21 Creative Self Portrait Photography Ideas You Should Try

Above is a link, which allowed me inspiration for the following ways I could access a performance of self portraiture. As spoken about previously, I intend to experiment with the emotional vulnerability of the beauty within others and ideas of what my being could or should mean to myself and others. Due to much of my project being surrounding the beauty , opulence and sense of visceral within what people see to be valuable and what we are surrounded with on the daily and take for granted, also discussing the topics such as haiku, and the effortless of betray found within nothingness. I belive I could experiment within many techniques of self portraiture, however, This is mostly done for experimental purposes and I will not as a project to be led into my self.

Below I have found some examples of self portraiture from many artists which I believe could fit the the within.

I belive this shoot is a-lot more classical within the presentation of black and white, and too the conceptual positioning of the body, in order to evoke a sense of artistry, further linking within fine art. This shoots elements of self portraiture, as a whole has a clear connection between fashion photography, and a much more tablo presentation of ones self. This is my personal favourite shoot of self portraiture within here, although I believe It would change the aim of my whole project narrative. This also explores the ability to perhaps focus on sections of my body, and perhaps be taken in a more abstract close up manner, to become abstract lines, discussing the fact that nothing is more valuable or unique than our own dna and our lives.

I chose this image as inspiration as there is clear connection between the narrative construct of the haiku within this photo. The composition and use of the blur to the left side draws the viewer into the image and creates a more abstract interest within the image itself. I believe if I were to do a self portraiture elements to connect within my project, this perhaps might connect more with the beauty. I belive I could create a shoot here which is a possible reflective of emotional state within myself, and too an experimentation within possibility how others too me. After thinking about the relation between variation and similarity and the use of self portraiture, I could develop the outcomes of how visible different emotions. Additionally, the use of the lighting and more interesting composition, has clear denotes to that of opulence and creating a visceral section of intrigue. The shapes forming on the face, creates tonal lines, creating interests within the eye and create a personal connection of artistry.

I also chose this artists work, due to the more conceptual thought, focusing on sections of different elements of yourself, that you might belive are either the most beautiful, or perhaps you belive, these elements of yourself, focus on the most self conscious appearances of yourself. I also belive the use of blur, is an interesting concept as it almost communicates through the ability of the lens, how people can see an view themselves under different circumstances and scrutiny. I believe this shoot too could be a combination of the other angle of self portraiture above, as I could develop this more conceptual composition. Forming a demand of attention of specific features, creates an invitation for scrutiny, but this vulnerability is what I want to access within my own work. I belive their is a way which I could develop a combination of all of these three many angles of self[ portraiture within my work, and then within the development of the narrative of my book, I could use the one which flows with the narrative concept the best. As I want this new project to have a personal relation to myself and my own attitudes towards beauty and how I view myself, both using an involvement of emotional venerability and the fine art sense of haiku. But perhaps I could also attach in what others belive is the most and least beautiful about people, and segregate myself into these sections. I have come to the conclusion after much of this development, that it is just simply what we see is the truth, but it is possible to see the beauty within the pain of the world, and find something within the chaos of the world around us, finding beauty within the reality of life, knowing it is happening, and being able to accept this. Like loving yourself, is an acceptance of who you are.

For my last shoot I wanted to use urban man made structures as my base to contrast my other shoots in the edits I will make. I used the same subject again and asked him to do the same sort of actions.

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.

The running theme throughout my project is photo-montage, The main use of photo-montage is to see the many ways in which you can manipulate an image. Photo-montage has its roots in the Dadaism movement. Dada was an artistic and literary movement that began in Zürich, Switzerland. It arose as a reaction to World War I in around 1916 and the nationalism that many thought had led to the war. Its output was wildly diverse, ranging from performance art to poetry, photography, sculpture, painting, and collage. Dada’s aesthetic, marked by its mockery of materialistic and nationalistic attitudes, proved a powerful influence on artists in many cities, including Berlin, Hanover, Paris, New York, and Cologne, all of which generated their own groups. The movement dissipated with the establishment of Surrealism, but the ideas it gave rise to have become the cornerstones of various categories of modern and contemporary art.

Dada was the first conceptual art movement where the focus of the artists was not on crafting aesthetically pleasing objects but on making works that often upended bourgeois sensibilities and that generated difficult questions about society, the role of the artist, and the purpose of art. So intent were members of Dada on opposing all norms of bourgeois culture that the group was barely in favor of itself: “Dada is anti-Dada,” they often cried.

One of the key figures in the Dada movement was artist was Hans Arp. He made a series of collages based on chance, where he would stand above a sheet of paper, dropping squares of contrasting colored paper on the larger sheet’s surface, and then gluing the squares wherever they fell onto the page.  The technique arose when Arp became frustrated by attempts to compose more formal geometric arrangements. Arp’s chance collages have come to represent Dada’s aim to be “anti-art” and their interest in accident as a way to challenge traditional art production techniques. 
The lack of artistic control represented in this work would also become a defining element of Surrealism as that group tried to find paths into the unconscious whereby intellectual control on creativity was undermined