Psycho-Geography Shoot

For this shoot I will be focusing on the topic of psycho geography. For this shoot I think I will be mainly working around the areas of town such as Liberty Station and the International Finance Centers, to which through my photography I will need to explore how the place makes you feel and behave whilst exploring and navigating the urban environment around me to examine its architecture and spaces. Some of the photographers that I will be using to help guide me along to adapt to the style of psycho geography are the Boyle Family and Mishka Henner, the style of their work can be seen below:

From here I thought it would be appropriate to come up with a few ideas in order to help me along the shoot and guide me in what I should be doing. Here are my ideas:

Once I had gathered my ideas I decided it was time to move onto the shoot. Using this mind map to produce the imagery desired I covered the area of town that I had concluded that I would explore in the previous post. These are my results made into contact sheets:

Once all the pictures of the given area had been taken I decided that I should whittle the selection down to the top ten overall images. This would allow me to come to an easier conclusion on what I thought was the best image taken in the shoot. These were my selected images I thought had the best outcome from the shoot:

Once I had selected my favourite images from the shoot I decided to make it easier to select the final image by cutting the ten images into five. By doing this I could closely analyse the images in further detail and decide from there which is the best. These were my choices:

I selected this image because I loved the texture created by the shades of rust on a pole. I found that this allowed heavy but effective contrast between the overall piece as all the colors complemented each other making an almost molten scene.

In this image I found that I particularly liked the contrast between the silhouette of the statue and the dim-lit sky, with the composition of the pole and string balancing out the image as a whole creating a visually pleasing overall piece.

Once again I loved the use of the colors created by the rust to make an almost volcanic landscape with shades of red overlapping each other. I found the composition of the piece eye-capturing as the more rusted black areas looked like a mountain range captured from a bird’s eye view.

In this image I tried to capture the way certain streets were looked after within my given area. What I liked about this one was how it incorporated everyday objects as almost ruining and breaking up the pattern made by the pavement through the composition of the paper and cigarettes.

Finally I chose this picture because I loved the symmetry created by the textures of the floor surrounding the lights making an aesthetically pleasing image. This use of composition I found was most effective from how it drew the eye to the areas wanted through a clear contrast.

Once analysing the images I had decided which image I thought was the most effective out of the batch. This was my outcome for the final image:

I chose this particular image because of how I adored the pattern created by the overlapping colors of the rust. This clear contrast of the blacks against the reds allowed for an almost landscape look effect upon the photo, making it look almost as though it was taken from a plane. The composition I really liked through how the black snaked its way across the image as if it was molten whilst the reds and yellows covered the areas around it.

 

 

Altered Realities,Hannah Hoch ans photo collage/montage

Altered Realities ideas

Altered realities to me is experimenting wihtin naturally beautiful or more urban landscapes and creating a new scene of nature and directional aspect of stature.I want to take a large array of images changing from the dynamic city scale and light capture to more forest areas and the nature aspect as a whole with the edition of editing. I want to show somewhat abstraction within the reposition and change of the images but also a new composition of interest and create a successful overall image.

I Chose this due to there is something strangely captivating about landscape photograph,I want to connect with the fundamental theme of abstraction and a reflection of altered impressionism to the photos,I think this artists above has so much interesting composition and also the way in which they use landscape to be inventive and capture the importance in the light and show the diversity of the world.

Hannah Höch

Is a German artist, she is well known for work of the Weimar period and when she was one fo the originators of the photomonage,she uses a type of collage ion which she pasted the images are actual photogohers and reproduction pulled press and widely ordocudec media. She was one of the originators of  Photomontage, this  is a type of collage in which the pasted items are actual photographs, or photographic reproductions pulled from the press and other widely produced media. Höch’s main aim throughout her work was to show fable and dichotomy that existed in the concept of the “New Woman”,she was one of the first females to start a feminist movement within her artwork.That movement was called the Dada movement or when in Dada,Her interest in the topic was in how the dichotomy was structured, as well as in who structures social roles.she aimed to dismantle the political discourse within the social roles of men and women.

Mind map

I chose many fo her politically icon works of her presenting women as equals to those of men in power, it shows how femininity is not a sign of weakness and how Male and patriarchal dominance is corrupt in the world in which we live today.

Image Analysis

Her work has a clear and development of presenting women as all equals even when presented against each other.There is also a strong sense of collage and a melding to presents a mixture of time and generation within the structure of ht apiece itself. Although many of the segments contrast the piece contextually makes sense as a whole. The colour are complimentary to the sense and blue is used to promote her self reflection of feeling of sadness to the way in which women are treated different to that of men.

Overall I could express some of her formats of creative collage into my work due to the interesting repletion of composition,but also try and use implication of themes of dominance within society throughout my work.

Experimentation of first altered realities idea

I decided to start off my experimentation with using my previous romanticised  landscape ideas and turning them into a basic square rotation;

Urban landscape image edited

additional edits:

Again this is experimenting. within panoramic images and also the composition in which an image itself is to be formed.

 

Mishka Henner, Edward Burtynsky and The Boyle Family

Mishka Henner

Mishka Henner is a Belgian artist living and working inManchester, England. His work has featured in several surveys of contemporary artists working with photography in the internet age. He has been creating image-rich technologies by the use of Google earth, Google street view and YouTube.

Image result for Mishka Henner

Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer and artist known for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes. His work is housed in more than 50 museums including the National Gallery of Canada. He uses subjects that are rich in detail and have a large depth of field and a great use of leading lines. It would appear he focuses on capturing images by using a drone or perhaps from a helicopter which gives an interesting and unique perspective which really creates an abstract theme within his work.

Image result for Edward Burtynsky

Image result for Edward Burtynsky

 

The Boyle Family

The Boyle Family have worked across a wide range of different media (including painting, photography, sculpture, film, projection, sound recordings and drawing), they are perhaps most well known for their Earth studies. They are a group of collaborative artists based in London.

Image result for The Boyle Family

Image result for The Boyle Family

Developing Your Own Ideas | Planning for the Mock Exam | Landscape Photography

You now have 2 weeks + half term to complete this unit, and prepare for the Mock Exams : Mon 26 Feb 12A / Tues 27 Feb 12B / Wed 28 Feb 12 C / Thurs 1 Mar 12 D 2018.

Final images must be in the print folder (M : drive) by 20th Feb at the latest…

In this time you must produce a range of carefully designed and thoroughly researched blog posts that tackle…

A01 : Develop Ideas

A02 : Explore Ideas

A03 : Record Ideas

AO4 : Present Ideas

In the exam you will be…

  • framing and mounting your final outcomes
  • completing any unfinished blog posts
  • adding any extra editing / experimental designs and images

You must look carefully at the following blogs…

  • pay attention to the layout, structure and content of each student’s approach
  • what did they do more of / less of?
  • how did they finalise their ideas and present their work?

Oliver Stockwell Landscape Photography AS (A grade)

Adam Seal Landscape Photography AS (A grade)

Charlotte Dance Landscape Photography AS (A grade)

Lauryn Sutcliffe Landscape Photography AS (A grade)

Maddie Lee Landscape Photography AS (A grade)

Alex Le Put Landscape Photography AS (A grade)

Joshua Twohig-Jones A2 Coursework 

Beomsik Won

Beomsik WON takes photographs of urban buildings from different times and spaces, breaks them down into segments using digital techniques, and constructs collages to create familiar-looking, yet imaginary buildings. To make these “Archisculptures” as it is called, he carefully combines the segments taking into consideration the architectural size, space, and formative elements; he then places them against simple backgrounds, and lastly adds people or birds for the viewers to guess the size of the building. Although these strange buildings are products of the artist’s imagination, they show various styles of architectures throughout history.

  • In the Archisculpture series, WON collaged the images of politically or socially important buildings in order to present a new interpretation of a city that operates like an enormous organism.
  • He shows not only the history of the city but also the history of its people by revealing the surface of buildings that have been damaged due to natural weathering or historical incidents and then subsequently repaired.
  • The Archisculpture, essentially a collage of history and people, is how the artist collects, classifies, and preserves the collective memory.

His images are digitally manipulated photographs of non-existent, fantastical buildings that appear to be real.

“You have a photography and arts background. Where did your interest in architecture originate from? What inspired you to launch the Archisculpture photo project?

My interest in architecture stems from its gigantic size and pragmatic functions. Whenever I see buildings of grand scale or interesting design I usually take photos, so I’ve got thousands of them. However, I couldn’t use those photos because even though I took them I thought it’s not my work but the architects’. Thus I decided to use them as material for my artworks.”

At first, he only made images in black and white, but then he realised that the real world is not b&w but coloured. So since then he has been making two version at the same time. He believes the black and white version is more surrealistic than colour one.Beomsik Won, Archisculpture 003, 2010. Archival pigment print, 50x50cm.

Image Analysis:

  • Beomsik Won digitally manipulates and constructs buildings, compiling them together to create a completely new building. In this image he has combined an industrial machine, office buildings and  a cafe together.
  • The layout of the image is very aesthetically pleasing, with many straight lines within the windows and walls, as well as the straight horizon behind the buildings.
  • The buildings are placed to emphasise their different architectural sizes, levels and shapes, each level complementing each other.
  • He combines the different types of buildings and structures to show the contrast between them and compiles them together into one structure to make it appear real and to show various styles of architectures throughout history.
  • In the Archisculpture series, Won collaged the images of politically or socially important buildings in order to present a new interpretation of a city that operates like an enormous organism.
  • He emphasises the history of the buildings  by showing the surface of buildings that have been damaged due to natural weathering or historical incidents.
  • He took photos of the buildings from the same angles, or digitally manipulated them, so that they all fit together and face the same angle so they connected easily.
  • He uses a simple background of a cloudy sky and a cobbled pavement to emphasise the building he created  and the present it in a place where a normal building wouldn’t be, not surrounded by anything.
  • He takes the photos at different times of day so the lighting is different in each image. The glass window on the office building is reflecting white light , whereas the other buildings are not, emphasising how it is from the present-day as it is modern.

The Boyle Family

Who are The Boyle Family?

Boyle Family is a group of collaborative artists based in London. Mark Boyle and Joan Hills met in Harrogate, Yorkshire in 1957. Joan studied art and architecture as well as bringing up her first son Cameron whilst running her own business. Mark was in the army writing poetry. Wherever Mark and Joan lived became their studio. After a period of working separately on visual art pieces, they moved into a  collaboration whilst also agreeing that art should not exclude anything as a potential subject.  Originally the work went under Mark Boyle’s name, largely because Mark and Joan were more concerned with making their work than attempting to fight the stereotype that artists were solo and usually male. Labels never mattered to them. It was the work that was important, not their image or personal recognition.

Examples of their work found on Google.

Image result for Boyle FamilyImage result for the boyle familyImage result for Boyle Family

Contact Sheets

My Favorite Images

psychogeography

Psychogeography - the exploration of urban environments to explore and examine the architecture and spaces in an area, anything that takes pedestrians off their predictable path. The term was invented by Guy Debord, he wanted a revolutionary approach to architecture that was less functional and more open to exploration.
Psychogeography gained popularity in the 1990s when artists, writers and filmmakers such as Iain Sinclair and Patrick Keiller began using the idea to create works based on exploring locations by walking.


I want to explore Kensington place and lewis street because most of the buildings on the streets are run down but still functional.

Photoshoot - I planned one afternoon to go out into town and photograph as much as I could. In my chosen area i didn't find as many interesting places to photograph so I carried my photo shoot out even further around town. However, from my chosen place I did find a few interesting places to photograph.  
my three best images - 
 
These images were based on The New Topographics while I didn't document everything in the area, only what i found interesting and ultimately, avoiding the point of psychogeography.

	

Hannah Hoch and the early pioneers of photo collage/montage

Hannah Hoch (1889 – 1978) was a German Dada artist. She is best known for her work of the Weimar period, in which she was one of the originators of photo-montage (a type of collage in which the pasted items are actual photographs, or photographic reproductions pulled from the press and other widely produced media).  Key themes in Hoch’s work include androgyny, political discourse, and shifting gender roles. These themes all interacted to create a feminist discourse surrounding Hoch’s work. Hoch constantly promoted the idea of women working creatively more generally in society.

Image result for hannah hoch

Image result for hannah hoch

Paul Strand

Paul Strand (1890 – 1976) was an American photographer and filmmaker who helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century. His work covers numerous genres and subjects throughout America, Europe and Africa. Strand was an early icon of the “straight photography school”. In contrast to Pictorialism, “straight photography” was a move to “pure photography” which was loosely defined as having stylistic traits that were not manipulated heavy to mimic other art forms such as painting.

Image result for paul strand photography

Image result for paul strand photography

My Favourite Photograph

Image result for paul strand photography

In this photograph it appears that Strand has used and manipulated natural light in order to capture this photographed. He has used the structure of man-made structures against the daylight to create contrast and shapes within the photograph. It appears that a deep depth of field was used as the whole of the photograph is sharp and in focus. A shutter speed of 1/20-1/80 will have been used for this photograph along with an ISO of 100/200/400 to allow enough light to enter the lens whilst keeping the photograph as high-quality as possible. There is a slightly warm and old-fashioned undertone to this photograph.

There is not colour in this photograph – only a warm black and white undertone. This gives an old-fashioned, industrial feeling to the photograph and makes it feel more dramatic. There is lots of contrast between the shadows and the ground which creates a wide range of tones, this adds more drama to the photograph. There is a dirty/dusty texture in this photograph which adds to the industrial feeling of it. It is a flat 2D image mostly due to the focus being the 2D shadows. The shadows create lots of patterns and shapes in the photograph making it more interesting to look at.

Location For Psycho-geographies

My Location I Have Chosen

For my location of interest, I have picked to explore fort regent which will not only allow me to capture the historical factors of the buildings surroundings but shall allow a great view over the urbanised area of St Helier. Although built originally as a Napoleonic fortress, Fort regent has been transformed over the years from a defunct military parade ground and coal storage depot into a wet weather venue for tourists and local visitors to become the largest sports and leisure centre in the Island. Overlooking St Helier the site offers spectacular panoramic views of the south and east coasts as well as the urban area linking directly to the theme of Psychographics.

I think my main focus will be Elizabeth harbour and trying to convey how it has been developed over the years. Fort regent allows a great view over the marina which will help to give an accurate view of it rather than up close shots where you cannot see the most parts of it.  The best part of Elizebeth harbour is man made and would be interesting to try and compare today’s harbour with what it used to look like.

Related image

Related image

My Response