breaking the rules of reality:possibilty, dependecy and circumstances

After much research I believe personally that reality is the form of three situations, possibility, dependency and circumstances within action.

Possibility to me is the chance of reality. Reality is not a given or something you are able to predict. Such as being older than someone does not stop the younger person from dying first. These harsh truths show the possibility of we do not know what effects, illness or situations we will come through during our life. Possibility is also a large part of chance, chance is something uncontrollable, and no one can know what the chance of something happening is. Because of this I think it would be interesting to capture some scenarios that capture how everything in life is a risk and matter of timing. this could be a balloon before it burst or perhaps the weather before a storm or even adding my concept of political emotions showing a narrative of something getting evicted or possible literally falling down. When I researched It come up within many fast shutter speed shots in order to cpature the action a apiece has. However I could focus on the side of nature and the beauty nature holds, And the chance something incredible would happen in nature, this could be a sun set or rise, people having twins and many occasions that would not be expected to happen in peoples realities. 

This has forever been an ongoing concept, because of this I believe using achieve pictures and editing them in such a way to demonstrates the circumstance of reality would be incredibly interesting.Dependency is the relationships people have within each other and how their actions cause a dependent reaction which causes the reality. This is a sense of action and reaction. dependency also has strong implementations of a weight. This weight could be the cause of emotional trauma, political instances or a literal weight and harsh imapct. This is a clear demonstration of the balancing of nature and the relationship of trust. I could use this narrative to track people and one person calling and showing clear demonstrations of trust and someone being dependent. however I could enlarge this through a large political instance of who everyone in the world is infact dependent on eeach other. We as a society cannot and will not be able to functions without eachers, as they help with medicine ,housing, money, economy but most importantly we need ot look after other. I think a large ignorance of dependency and a fault at our core is ignorance. How the western world ignorances the cries of those in need in the south and east.

circumstances. This is the godly benefit of being born in a circumstance better than others. Circumstance is also the determinate of where you are when and how this could lead onto the causation of what happens to you. No one has the ability to control who their family is or where stye are born and raised. Because of this many negative an unhappy relationships are formed,this could be caused but he environment people are in or they way in which people treat them.  Circumstances comes into the attitude of nature and fire very well into political landscape as it is an area governmentally controlled differently as you would like. Because of this many people, including some people in my family feel as though this is where they are not meant to be, Is this fate or a disappointing circumstance of action.

plan for shoot:

I want to create a alternate reality. To do so I will create an atmosphere that does not really exists, and capture actions that only happened for a s second and not what people would usually focus upon. tThe editing will be highly conceptual and forms ways in which is unconventional to portray the landscape itself. I will use my idea of circumstances by taking images where I was raised,This is my home, which I did not have a choice over but luckily the circumstances was not negative. However I think dependency goes hand in hand in capturing a reality of a place.  trust and dependency is usually something seen within people, however I think I could relate this t landscape and nature and also further expand this to the power if nature of man itself. lastly I want to capture possibility and capturing rare photos us using fast shutter speed and such. This will be very different from my family shoot, however still based in my family home, but will relate more to political landscapes through these conceptual ideas and editing processes.

Political Landscapes Shoot #2

After researching rules and conventions of photography I finally thought that I was able to proceed onto the actual topic of political landscapes and how I could go about exploring the idea behind it. I really like the idea of surrealism and the use of conventions that I had previously used in various shoots and so thought it would be interesting to relate it to people, landmarks and landscapes. The artists I found to be of particular influence towards my interests are Edward Burtynsky and Donald Weber. By using these photographers as my primary influences for my political landscape shoot it would allow me to process the outcomes through different software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, creating differing outcomes due to the new range of possibilities that the apps presented.

For the shoot itself I wanted to look at the topic of consumerism, looking at things like: waste, shops, farmland and people. I thought by researching this topic it would perfectly define how the process of consumerism leads to its impacts regarding all aspects of society and how we live in Jersey. What I will be looking at in this shoot are how the use of consumerism changes and warps the outcome of the landscape around us. To get some ideas here is a mood-board to reflect various perspectives regarding the subject:Leading examples of the certain photographers shown above interest me by looking at the subject of political landscapes in a more both a documentary and abstract approach than I would usually do. By doing this I could present my views and perspectives in a more implicit way rather than explicit, here are some mood-boards I have previously used in certain posts presenting the various photographers work:

Before actually proceeding with the shoot itself I thought it would make sense to create a mind-map with the topics and points of interest that I wished to explore when walking around looking to take photos. By doing this it would enable me to quickly focus and identify what to look for, whilst also prevent time from being wasted during the shoot itself by not knowing what to do. Here are my ideas regarding the topic: After I had created the mind-map I finally decided I was ready to go onto the actual shoot. Using the ideas above as a basis for my shoot I chose to focus on political aspects of the outcome of consumerism and how they shaped the landscapes around us. Here are the results from the shoot that I took on the topic of political landscapes:

Once I had finished with the shoot I decided it was time to select ten images that I thought best reflected and represented the photos overall, and how they related to my chosen topic. By doing this it would allow me later on to select an overall best image using the method of deduction. Here are my favorite images from the contacts sheets:

From here I then chose five of my best images out of the selection of ten, by doing this it would then allow me to analyze and study each image to greater detail, looking at the aspects that made me choose each picture. Here are my best five images from the shoot that I believe to reflect my intentions the best: I selected this image because of the clear contrast between the green grass and the now disposed of fridges. I found that this contrast really produced an insight into how the landscape had been changed due to the process of consumerism, and how careless we have become in the outcome of out waste. I particularly liked how the concrete block broke up the generic pattern created by the sky, fridges and grass, adding a new perspective into the landscape rubbish is dumped into. This is complimented through the use of the darkened sky which casts an overlying grim tone across the entire image, preventing any chance of vivid colours coming through.  My list the first image I found that the pattern created by the sky, fridges and grass made not just an aesthetic result but also produced insights into our islands waste industry. What made me select this photo was how the blue cooler in the center of the image really broke up the symmetry and became the initial focus when skimming over the piece. I found that the wall of fridges really appealed to me as not only was it unusual but how it also reflect the sheer mass of items that have become unwanted to us.
This image to me produced an impact through how the knowledge of what they are used for. The machines here are in the process of digging new landfills to dump rubbish in, in which the surrounding area is covered in seagulls living off the excess waste produced from of consumerism. The rest present in the image appealed to me through how it looked menacing and large compared to the rest of the landscape, but also how the wildlife such as the gulls centered their lives around the actions of how these machines operated.   I selected this image because it shows the outcome of the machinery used above, where dirt has become mixed in with rubbish, completely changing the landscape through the piling of rubble carelessly thrown around abandoned areas. I really like the contrast between the dark colours of the dirt mounds and the clear sky, this is because of how it presents how out-of-place and unnatural the placement of the piles are, essentially scarring the landscape in the process. Finally I chose this image because it had the clearest contrast between man-made structures and nature in the entire shoot. This is represented through how the overwhelming pile of rubbish is overflowing across the road and only the green common, where a strip of dirt is seen as the only boundary holding back the tide of waste from flowing elsewhere. I especially like how the piece had been composed, as the majority of the picture is taken up by rubbish and the smallest section is filled with green grass, providing an insight into how we have treated out environment.

Best Image The reason I selected this image as my favorite photo from the entire shoot was because of its composition and symmetry, whilst explicitly putting across my view of how we are treating certain areas of Jersey. What drew me in was how careless the fridges were thrown on top of each other, however at the same time creates a pattern that suggests each fridge was placed with purpose to produce this wall of white. I also really like how certain objects in the wall broke up the white pattern such as the cooler, rust and holes which pop up from time to time between the fridges.

Photoshoot- Breaking the Rules

To interpret Stephen Gills style of work I visited Le Hocq beach and found an area that was surrounded by rocks and sea and focused on close up on certain sections with interesting patterns. I used pieces of red string in front of the lens to break the rule of manipulation by physically manipulating the lens so what the image is portraying is not what’s there in real life. I purposefully made  some photos out of focus to create a blurry effect that some of Stephen Gills work has where he dipped his lens into the pond water he was documenting. I think this was effective in some images like the images where I experimented with string, but not others where I used plastic in front of the lens which is why I haven’t displayed them down below or edited any.

I displayed these two images together as the string is a similar shape in both,  but the different backgrounds make them contrast one another. The photo on the left has a darker background making the red in the foreground stand out more than the right image. Both of the backgrounds of the images are slightly out of focus which i did to try and interpret the blurriness in some of Stephen Gills work. In my next photoshoot i will experiment by focusing the camera to see if the images are more effective. I chose these two backgrounds to photograph the string against as i like the different detailed patterns. The right image has yellow/brown tone grains of sand and rocks out of focus which is contrasted to the left image with the darker brown tones of seaweed that represent the flow of movement. The movement of the seaweed is similar to the string creating similar shapes and lines making a more interesting image. In the right image the shape of the string is contrasted to the background creating a more juxtaposed image.

 

Experiment

 When  first experimenting I edited some images in black and white to see if they were more effective. This emphasises the darker and lighter tones in the image and eliminates the mismatch of colours in the background.

Stephen Gills images:

I think this is a good interpretation of Stephen Gills work, especially to the images displayed above, as it has a similar flow of movement with similar lines and curves. Although Stephen Gills photography may have more details in the layering of the different materials and the way the materials fit in with the background, I think I captured his style of work and made it my own.

I also experimented by changing the main colours of the string to see if another colour was more effective. I chose to change red to yellow as in Stephen Gills images above there are many yellow and green tones. On the right image i edited the background even more out of focus as in some of Stephen Gills images he uses a blurred effect. I still kept some of the rocks on the edge of the image in focus so only the water blurred so there is contrasting patterns.

I think this image is more effective edited in black and white as the red colour of the string isn’t as overpowering and it fits in more with the background making a more aesthetically pleasing image.

I edited these images in black and white to create a more formal appearance. This makes it harder to tell what the photos are portraying and emphases the combination of detailed patterns.I displayed these two images together as the shape the string is making in both are very similar, but the different patterns in he background makes them juxtapose one another. In this edit, the darker point in the seaweed in the left image are darken and creates a bigger contrast to the string in the foreground, making the lighter points stand out more.

Evaluation:

I will revisit this area again for my second photoshoot and try different way of experimenting like adding different colours of string in front of the lens and maybe placing materials into the landscape making the image in focus to try a different approach. I will work on making the images where plastic is placed in front of the image better as well. I also want to look at my personal archive and interpret some of Stephen gills portrait work from the series ‘Coexistence’ where he dipped the lens in the pond water before taking the portrait creating a blurred effect.

I also want to further manipulate the images in my next shoot by printing them out and adding objects on top to create a collage like image that has aspects that weren’t there when the image was taken.

Photographer Research

 ‘TTP’ by Hayahisa Tomiyasu

Hayahisa Tomiyasu was born in 1982 Kanagawa, Japan. After studying photography at Tokyo Polytechnic University, he moved to Leipzig, Germany to study under Peter Piller. He currently lives between Leipzig and Zurich, where he now teaches.

Winner of MACK’s First Book Award : http://www.firstbookaward.com/2018/

Between these pictures, it’s difficult to place the table in time and space. The pictures aren’t ordered chronologically or by people or activity, but there is a rhythm to them that appears in the small references between pictures – short series that play off one another. Time passes too, but this is marked only by the randomly changing seasons and light of day; slightly longer shadows, browner and fewer leaves on the trees, melting snow, puddles that appear and evaporate. The table is a strange place, there are no pictures outside of the frame just person after person, table after table. The restricted view of Tomiyasu’s lens and the variety of people and their generic European fashion makes it difficult, if not impossible, to know exactly where the table is. The table is a secluded world, one that attracts but doesn’t hold people.

In 2011 Hayahisa Tomiyasu started photographing a ping pong table located in a public athletic field across from his dorm in Leipzig, Germany for a series titled TTP. Tomiyasu had first noted the location after observing a white tailed fox perched near the legs of the table, and after waiting several days for the animal to return, he began to photograph the other life forms that congregated or paused near the outdoor game. Rather than spotting the fox, he captured families and daydreamers using the area as a bench or even a bed. I think it’s very interesting how this whole thing occurred from a something that was almost a  coincidence; if not for the fox, Tomiyasu would probably have never thought of photographing that exact tennis bench.

“At the time I had been living in a student doom in Leipzig and it was possible to photograph from window the table tennis table, how people from different countries use it in their way,” Tomiyasu had said in an interview. “And it could be the message of this work that the place could be everywhere.”

Although the whole concept happened out of pure coincidence, I still want to take inspiration from Tomiyasu’s work and have it influence my project; I like how he explores linear story telling in his images. The setting doesn’t change in his photographs but the subjects and models do. They tell their own story in their own way, those stories intrigues the audience as they provide very little and the rest is completely up to the imagination of the viewer. I like the mystery and minimalism that Hayahisa Tomiyasu has established in his work and want to include elements of that in my photography.

Sources:

https://petapixel.com/2018/04/04/photos-of-the-daily-life-of-a-public-ping-pong-table-in-germany/

https://rocket04.jeron.je/access?OQ9IAAH3UTPU3XJJVW684LAAGDF1Q0HV

‘Bench’ by Yevgeniy Kotenko

Similarly to the work produced by Hayahisa Tomiyasu, Tevgeniy Kotenko created a similar collection of photographs observing a bench from the comfort and safety of his home.

Starting in 2007, Kotenko began to shoot a local park bench outside the window of his parent’s fourth-floor kitchen window in Kiev. Sandwiched between a children’s playground and a walking path, the area proved to be a hotspot of colorful characters. Alcoholics, families, and lovers all congregate on the exact same bench during different times of the day, and when observed with Kotenko’s patient eye an almost Shakespearean drama begins to emerge over a decade of photo.

“I wasn’t thinking of making a series or a project,” shares Kotenko, “I didn’t select any particular time frame or set of situations to capture. Not until 2012 did my friends tell me that I should put together an exhibition of these photos.”

The  Ukrainian photographer Eugene Kotenko, has photographed the same bench for years, each shot is a little secret stolen from its subjects’s lives. We see the bench painted of blue and then not, covered by snow in winter, with some green around in spring and under the sun in summer, surrounded by yellow leaves in autumn, near the bin and then far, etc… but the real subject is never the bench, it’s the people who live that place. For this reason we are intrigued, for the intimate and social portrait than each photograph reveals.

There are some strong differences between  the photographs taken by Hayahisa Tomiyasu and the ones taken by Tevgeniy Kotenko. Although they both essentially photograph the same thing (people and a public object) their approaches are very different. Photographs taken by Tomiyasu are all taken from the exact same angle; the only thing that really changes is the people and the things they bring with them. On the contrast, Kotenko focuses a lot more on the subjects at hand; he clearly shows the changes that occur to the surrounding and the bench. He shows the physical changes and includes a lot more of the surrounding to give context to his photographs. This doesn’t break the mysterious illusion of not knowing why the subjects is there or what it’s doing but it adds comfort to the photographs.

Sources:

https://weburbanist.com/2018/02/20/dramatas-urbanae-photographers-10-year-study-of-a-single-public-bench/

http://blog.grainedephotographe.com/yevgeniy-kotenko-photo-on-the-bench-banc-public/