All posts by Jamie Cole

Co-ordinator of A Level Photography at Hautlieu School, Jersey

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AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, Case Study, Coursework

Week 4 | Altered Landscapes | Cut-N-Paste | Composite Images

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This week we will be looking more closely at the concept of altered landscapes.

You may choose to employ a range of creative techniques (digital and traditional) to create your environments…

  • Photographing changed, changing or altered landscapes
  • Creating altered landscapes by combining a range of images in Adobe Photoshop
  • Using cut-n-paste techniques and printed matter (from photos, magazines, print-outs, newspapers etc)

You may already have a range of suitable images to start your designs…but will need to conduct a range of photo-shoots to ensure that you have enough high quality images to work from:

Here are some examples to help inspire your ideas…

Tanja Deman

Beomsik Won

Jesse Treece
Sammy Slabink

Krista Svalbonas

 

CLICK HERE to research Vassilis Konstantinou’s “unintentional sculptures”

CLICK HERE to research “new landscape” photography

CLICK HERE to find more examples of cut-n-paste ideas…

Essential Blog Posts This Week…

  • Research Altered realities,
  • Hannah Hoch and the early pioneers of photo collage  / montage
  • A Case Study on your chosen photographer (plus analysis of a key image)…show how this has inspired your ideas and process
  • Your images, process, editing, selection, final outcomes and evaluation

HANNAH HOCH INTRO CLICK HERE

EXTENSION TASK

Research the work of Joan Fontcuberta…

One of Spain’s most prominent artists, Joan Fontcuberta is best-known for his exploration of the intersection between art, science, and illusion. In Landscapes without Memory, an exhibition of forty large-scale works made between 2002 and 2005, Fontcuberta harnesses a piece of landscape-rendering computer software designed for the military, which creates photo-realistic three-dimensional models based on two-dimensional sources. For his Landscapes of Landscapes series, the focus of the Aperture exhibition, Fontcuberta feeds the software images of famous paintings and photographs by Turner, Cézanne, Rothko, and Carleton E. Watkins, among others, forcing the program to interpret the landscape masterworks as “real.” The contours and tones of the pictures are transformed into three-dimensional mountains, rivers, valleys, and clouds—baroque, fantastical landscapes void of human existence that tap into our desire for unattainable paradise. Thumbnails of the original images are shown next to Fontcuberta’s work.

Through his artistic process, Fontcuberta creates new landscapes that, despite their “postcard perfect” resonance, are purely fictional­ and can never be experienced in nature. The result is “landscapes without memory.”

  • Why do you think Fontcuberta creates “photography” in this way…?
  • How does Fontcuberta’s work compare to the work of James Casabere ??? (below)
  • “The photographs that put artist James Casebere on the map are chilling. Like an architect, he builds a highly detailed model. But instead of turning the model into a life-size construction, Casebere zeroes in on the nano-details of the space and then photographs it to create his “constructed photography.” In the past, he has built and then photographed empty spaces, from miniature prison cells to flooded rooms to suburban homes that recall the housing crisis. To call these sparse, meditative images haunting, with their careful placement of light and shadow, is an understatement.”

    James Casabere (after Friedrich)

 

 

 

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, Coursework

Week 3 | Psycho-Geographies | Landscape Unit

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Psycho-geography is a hybrid of photography and  geography that emphasizes playfulness and “drifting” around urban environments. It has links to the Situationist International.

Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by Guy Debord as “the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals.”

Another definition is “a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for exploring cities… just about anything that takes pedestrians off their predictable paths and jolts them into a new awareness of the urban landscape

The originator of what became known as unitary urbanism, psychogeography, and the dérive was Ivan Chtcheglov, in his highly influential 1953 essay “Formulaire pour un urbanisme nouveau” (“Formulary for a New Urbanism”).

It has roots in Dadaism and Surrealism.

The idea of urban wandering relates to the older concept of the flâneur, theorized by Charles Baudelaire…and is similar to STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

PETAPIXEL definition of PsychoGeography CLICK HERE

What will you see on your journey…and how will  you respond and adapt to it ???

Koyaanisqati : Drawing its title from the Hopi word meaning “life out of balance,” this renowned documentary reveals how humanity has grown apart from nature. Featuring extensive footage of natural landscapes and elemental forces, the film gives way to many scenes of modern civilization and technology.

Superflux : explore over-surveillance and the prospect of intrusion in our everyday lives…has the concept of psycho-geographies evolved into something dystopian-like and Orwellian (1984- “Big brother”)…governments, town planners and the authorities design how we live, where we live and essentially control popluations of towns and cities.

Marcus Desieno creates de-humanised landscape photography by hacking surveillance camera networks…but avoids privacy problems normally associated with urban and residential areas…

What you need to do…(3-5 blog posts)

  1. Research thenDefine, describe and explain what Psycho-Geography is…
  2. Choose an (urban) area of Jersey that you are interested in exploring
  3. Find the area on google maps and zoom in so that you can make a screen shot to add to your blog post.
  4. Add the “street view” too if you can
  5. Find as much information and images online as you can about the street / area you are exploring and include these in your blog post
  6. Add any archival information that you can too (see below)
  7. Then go to the area and explore on foot…photographing everything you can, and all that appears of interest to you at that time. Photograph up, down and across…creating a film or time-lapse is good too as is drone footage / imagery…
  8. Record the time, date and place of your journey in your blog post
  9. Add any thoughts, feelings or emotions you can about the place your are exploring…and as you develop a connection and familiarity with the place/ people / buildings etc.
  10. Refer to Mishka Henner and Edward Burtynsky (aerial photographs) and The Boyle Family in your blog post…and discuss how they interact with an area and create art / photography inspired directly by the location and its uses / functions.
  11. Analyse and evaluate your process…show your selection, editing and presentation of final images.

What Are Archives?

In the course of daily life, individuals and organizations create and keep information about their personal and business activities. Archivists identify and preserve these documents of lasting value.

These records — and the places they are kept — are called “archives.” Archival records take many forms, including correspondence, diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and moving image and sound recordings. All state governments as well as many local governments, schools, businesses, libraries, and historical societies, maintain archives.

 

 

Your task

The images above are Archival Images from iconic areas of Jersey…and these areas have changed over time.

  • Find archival images that correspond to your own landscape photography and contrast and compare. Include any info you can find about the image itself / photographer / time period etc
  • OR…you may find that you are intrigued by a particular landscape image and want to respond to it and create a comparison / composite image. For this you must conduct a photo-shoot aiming to document the area from a similar viewpoint and edit your images accordingly
  • OR…you may want to explore the concept of JUXTAPOSING Old and new buildings / parts of Jersey…either by photographing them in situ, or creating a composite image using photoshop

i-combined-old-and-new-photos-of-paris-to-bring-history-to-life-5__880

Public archives in Jersey

Jersey Archives:  Since 1993 Jersey Archive has collected over 300,000 archival records and it is the island’s national repository holding archival material from public institutions as well as private businesses and individuals. To visit click here

Jersey Archive can offer guidance, information and documents that relate to all aspects of the Island’s History. It also holds the collections of the Channel Islands Family History Society.

Societe Jersiaise: Photographic archive of 80,000 images dating from the mid-1840s to the present day. 35,000 historical images in the Photographic Archive are searchable online here.

Societe Jersiaise also have an extensive library with access to may publications and records relating to the island’s history, identity and geography. Click here

Archisle: The Jersey Contemporary Photography Programme, hosted by the Société Jersiaise aims to promote contemporary photography through an ongoing programme of exhibitions, education and commissions.

The Jersey Evening Post Archives CLICK HERE

The Archisle project connects photographic archives, contemporary practice and experiences of island cultures and geographies through the development of a space for creative discourse between Jersey and international practitioners.

Link: http://www.archisle.org.je/

Extension Task

  • Research and explore how Lewis Bush  engages with and photographs the city and its development  / over-development.
  • Click  here to check out an interview as he explains how he uses aerial / satellite imagery to home in on secret data stations used in the Cold War and produce abstract imagery influenced by the radio waves of secret information being mysteriously broad-casted.

 

 

AO1 Develop Ideas, Coursework

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY | WEEK 2 | THE NEW TOPOGRAPHICS

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New Topographics was a term coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar banal aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape…
LEWIS BALTZ
Many of the photographers associated with The New Topographics including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Nicholas Nixon and Bernd and Hiller Becher, were inspired by the man-made…selecting subject matter that was matter-of-fact. Parking lots, suburban housing and warehouses were all depicted with a beautiful stark austerity, almost in the way early photographers documented the natural landscape. An exhibition at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York featuring these photographers also revealed the growing unease about how the natural landscape was being eroded by industrial development.
STEPHEN SHORE

The new topographics were to have a decisive influence on later photographers including those artists who became known as the Düsseldorf School of Photography.

WATCH THIS …New Topographics

Photographing Urban Landscapes

  1. Research and explore The New Topographics and how photographers have responded to man’s impact on the land, and how they found a sense of beauty in the banal ugliness of functional land use… 
  2. Create a blog post that defines and explains The New Topographics and the key features and artists of the movement.
  3. ANSWER : what was the new topographics a reaction to?
  4. Choose from…ROBERT ADAMS, STEPHEN SHORE, JOE DEAL, FRANK GOLKHE, NICHOLAS NIXON, LEWIS BALTZ, THE BECHERS, HENRY WESSEL JR, JOHN SCHOTT ETC to write up a case study that will inspire your own photography.
  5. Analyse some key imagery carefully and show your understanding of the  TECHNICAL / VISUAL / CONCEPTUAL AND CONTEXTUAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE IMAGES YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO DISCUSS
  6. Here are some other suggestions that may stimulate your imagination  / Starting points for YOUR OWN photo-assignments THIS WEEK…

    • Scrapyards, building sites, cranes, restoration yards, derelict ruins
    • Stadiums, floodlight arenas, staircases
    • Motorways, railways, runways, dockyards
    • Circuit boards, pipework, telephone poles, towers, pylons, skyscrapers
    • Shop displays, escalators, bars, libraries, theatres and cinemas
    • Gardens, parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, man-made beaches

    Possible titles to inspire you and choose from…

    Dereliction / Isolation / Lonely Places / Open Spaces / Close ups / Freedom / Juxtaposition / Old and new / Erosion / Altered Landscapes / Utopia / Dystopia / Wastelands / Barren / Skyscapes / Urban Decay / Former Glories / Habitats / Social Hierarchies / Entrances and Exits / Storage / Car Parks / Looking out and Looking in / Territory / Domain / The Realm / Concealed and Revealed

EXTENSION TASK

Look at how the New Topographics approach has inspired landscape photography and we document our surroundings / the way we are using and transforming the land.

You should look at photographers such as…

Research a selection of these photographers and respond with…

  • similar imagery from your own photo-shoots / image library
  • analytical comparisons and contrasts
  • a presentation of final images

Stephen Shore, Beverly Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California, June 21, 1975, 1975, chromogenic color print

Analysis starters

  • Foreground vs background | Dominant features
  • Composition | low horizon line | Square format
  • Perspective and detail / cluttering
  • Wide depth of field | Large Format Camera
  • Colour | impact and relevance
  • Nationalism vs mobility vs isolation
  • Social commentary | The American Dream ?

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas, Coursework

Landscape Unit | Schedule | Jan / Feb 2018

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AS PHOTOGRAPHY MOCK EXAM

THEME : LANDSCAPE 

DATES…

MONDAY 26TH FEBRUARY 12 A PERIODS 1-5 IN PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY 12 B PERIODS 1-5 IN PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY 12 C PERIODS 1-5 IN PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

THURSDAY 1 MARCH 12 D PERIODS 1-5 IN PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

PRINT DEADLINES

FEBRUARY 20TH for ALL GROUPS

(You can add abstract, formalist, portrait and landscape final images to this print run too)

You may have other opportunities to explore architecture, and make links to what you studied in ABSTRACT AND FORMALIST photography…

 

Formal & Contextual Analysis

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, Case Study

Landscape Photography | Week 1 | Natural and Romanticized Landscapes

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Week 1

The focus of your study and research this week is natural landscapes and the notion of ROMANTICISM in Landscape  Art and then later, Photography.

Working Title/Artist: Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck
Department: European Paintings
Working Date: (1830)
RESEARCH

The Age of The Enlightenment (1700-1800ish)

VS

The Age of Romanticism (1800-1900ish)

“Writers and artists rejected rationalism for the same reason that rationalism was rejected by the movement as a whole- it was in rejection of Enlightenment, which had sucked emotion from writing, politics, art, etc. Writers and artists in the Romantic period favored depicting emotions such as trepidation, horror, and wild untamed nature.”

“The ideals of these two intellectual movements were very different from one another. The Enlightenment thinkers believed very strongly in rationality and science. … By contrast, the Romantics rejected the whole idea of reason and science. They felt that a scientific worldview was cold and sterile.”

Blog Post 1: Define, describe and explain Romanticism (in landscape photography). Include a mood-board of appropriate images. Include at least 1 x hyperlink to an appropriate and relevant website. Embed an appropriate and relevant video / podcast.

Blog Post 2: Create an in-depth case study that analyses and interprets the work of a key landscape photographer…

Ansel Adams / f/64 group / Edward Weston / Fay Godwin / Hiroshi Sugimoto / Minor White etc

Remember you MUST use TECHNICAL / VISUAL / CONTEXTUAL / CONCEPTUAL to analyse effectively a key image…

Blog Post 3: add your contact sheet / select your best 5-10 images / 1 x final image / include edits and screen shots to show process

  • analyse and evaluate your images and process
  • show your understanding of composition, exposure, control of light, and effective use  of lenses to create NATURAL landscape images that range from wide angle to telephoto as a response to how your choice of photographer(s) developed the genre…

Use your research to help guide you when taking your own photographs…

  • create a mind-map / mood-board of potential locations around Jersey that you could record and create romanticized landscape photographs of….look for extremes (either calm or wild, derelict, desolate, abandoned or stormy, battered and at the mercy of nature)
  • use the wild and dynamic weather and elements to help create a sense of atmosphere, and evoke an emotional response within your photo assignment
  • aim to photograph the coastline, the sea, the fields, the valleys, the woods, the sand dunes etc
  • photograph in the “golden hour” before dark, at sunset or during sunrise…and include rain, fog, mist, ice, wind etc in your work
  • look for LEADING LINES such as pathways, roads etc to help dissect your images and provide a sense of journey / discovery to them

EXTENSION TASK: EXPOSURE BRACKETING AND HDR IMAGERY

 

Exposure bracketing means that you take two more pictures: one slightly under-exposed (usually by dialing in a negative exposure compensation, say -1/3EV), and the second one slightly over-exposed (usually by dialing in a positive exposure compensation, say +1/3EV), again according to your camera’s light meter.

High Dynamic Range

HDR stands for high dynamic range, and it essentially takes a series of images, each shot with a different exposure from darkest to lightest. HDR combines the best parts of the three overexposed, underexposed, and balanced shots to create a dramatic image with beautiful shadowing and highlights

HDR adjustments in Adobe Lightroom click here

HDR adjustments in Adobe Photoshop click here

Task : try a few variation of exposure bracketing and then try using HDR controls to create the exposures that you want…you may already have pre-sets on your phone or camera to help you do this, but experimenting manually will help your understanding!

Ensure that you include the following key terms…

  • Composition (rule of thirds, balance, symmetry)
  • Perspective (linear and atmospheric, vanishing points)
  • Depth (refer to aperture settings and focus points, foreground, mid-ground and back-ground)
  • Scale (refer to proportion, but also detail influenced by medium / large format cameras)
  • Light ( intensity, temperature, direction)
  • Colour (colour harmonies / warm / cold colours and their effects)
  • Shadow (strength, lack of…)
  • Texture and surface quality
  • Tonal values ( contrast created by highlights, low-lights and mid-tones)

Atmospheric Perspective

VS

Linear Perspective

Good Luck!

 

 

 

 

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, Coursework

Landscape Photography | Coursework Unit 3 | Getting Started…

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YOU WILL HAVE 7 WEEKS JAN 3 -FEB 26 TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT YOUR FINAL UNIT OF COURSEWORK.

Christmas Break : you should aim to produce a range of landscape inspired images, focusing on natural environments, evocative and atmospheric settings.

Try to get out in the morning / evening light or even at night and capture interesting light effects, colours, mist, fog, and shadows too…

Possible locations include : woods, forests, sand dunes, beaches, fields, valley settings, cliff and coastal areas, sea-scapes (looking out to sea), church-grounds etc

We will be looking at Romanticism as a starting point and if you click here you will have a better understanding of some of the roots of landscape in contemporary photography….

Caspar David Friedrich 1832 Germany
Ansel Adams 1942 USA
Don McCullin 2000 UK
Fay Godwin 1985 UK

 

AS PHOTOGRAPHY MOCK EXAM

THEME : LANDSCAPE 

DATES…

MONDAY 26TH FEBRUARY 12 A PERIODS 1-5 IN PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY 12 B PERIODS 1-5 IN PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY 12 C PERIODS 1-5 IN PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

THURSDAY 1 MARCH 12 D PERIODS 1-5 IN PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM

PRINT DEADLINES

FEBRUARY 19TH 12A, 20TH 12B, 21ST 12 C, 22ND 12 D

(You can add abstract, formalist, portrait and landscape final images to this print run too)

You may have other opportunities to explore architecture, and make links to what you studied in ABSTRACT AND FORMALIST photography…

Link to BBC Website feature on Architectural Photography

 

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas

Week 12 + 13 Completing The Portrait Unit

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You now have 2 weeks to complete…

  • FINAL photo shoots as a direct response to your chosen photographer Re : Case Study (AO1 + AO3)
  • get out “on location” and explore tableau approaches in depth
  • explore a wider range of editing techniques (AO2)
  • blog-based presentation of final outcomes (AO4)

Ensure you have enough evidence of…

  1. moodboards
  2. mindmaps
  3. case studies (artist references)
  4. action plans
  5. photoshoots + contact sheets (annotated)
  6. appropriate selection and editing techniques
  7. presentation of final ideas and personal responses
  8. analysis and evaluation of process
  9. compare and contrast to a key photographer
  10. critique / review / reflection of your work

By Friday 8th December we should have your final prints (x3) ready to mount and frame

  • you will learn how to cut window mounts using a bevel cutter
  • you will learn how to group  / sequence your images
  • you will learn how to present your images using foam-board

Alternative Presentation Techniques

You should explore other possibilities and show on your blog a range of ways that you could present your work

such as…

Tanja Deman…using screens or backdrop to display images and present an alternative context
Experiment with alternative-shaped images….try circles

 

Remember to pay careful attention to…

  • your lighting
  • exposure control
  • composition
  • focus

Add at least one sequence of images to your blog to show the layout / framing of your final images

 

Use Photoshop to place your images within a document and add screen shots to show your process…

Tableau Ideas and Starting points

  • re-create an existing story-based photograph or painting, or scene from a film
  • illustrate a poem, story, song lyrics, dream etc
  • one or more of The Ten Commandments
  • one or more of The Seven Deadly Sins

Tableau Photography is staged. Think of it like theatre. Include props, backgrounds, costume etc that connects to your theme somehow.

Tableau Photography makes use of symbolism and metaphor.

Allegorical paintings / photographs contain metaphor and symbolism

Pictorialist Photography has connections with Tableaux Vivant.

here are some examples that could inspire your own ideas…

American Gothic by Grant Wood
The Last Supper by David LaChapelle
Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth
Disney’s Snow White

Critical Analysis of the story of Snow White CLICK HERE

Extension Task

  • Visit the Constructed Narratives Exhibition by Hautlieu A2 Photography Students
  • Berni Gallery—Jersey Arts Centre
  • Open 9am-5pm
  • Document your visit with photographs
  • Create a blog post with a review of the exhibition
  • Analyse a key image / set of images that interested you.

 

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas, Homework Assignment

Week 11 | Tableau and Constructed Portraits | Get Creative!

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You will now have 2 weeks to explore a range of ideas and techniques that demonstrate a creative understanding of identity and self portrait…

D e a d l i n e   =    F r i d a y    1 st   D e c e m b e r ( your 3 strongest images will be sent off for printing and then we will mount / frame your work)

How to order your prints :

  1. choose your images
  2. copy the jpegs into M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\PRINTING AS Nov 2017
  3. Label the files with your name

Example Of Portrait Blog from last year…

You must provide ample evidence of the following…

  • a mind-map that shows your ideas and influences
  • a mood-board to show your visual influences
  • a definition and examples of tableau, self-portrait and identity in photography
  • a case study that shows your understanding of an influential photographer, including analysis and interpretation of a key image
  • a range of photo-shoots to underpin your mini-project, inspired by your chosen photographer
  • a selection of the most successful photos from your initial photoshoot(s) including SELF PORTRAITS
  • formal analysis of your strongest image
  • a range of editing and presentation techniques
  • a final image ( or group of 2 , 3)
  • an evaluation of your entire process, including screen shots and comparisons to the work of others…

HOMEWORK = 1-3 photo-shoots (50-150 images per shoot)

Themes you could choose from…

  • gender identity
  • cultural identity
  • social identity
  • geographical identity
  • lack of / loss of identity

 

 

Make sure you refer to the powerpoint we have used in class to discuss a range of artists and their approaches to identity / self-portrait…

Then…

research and explore ways to present your work and create a blog post that articulates this clearly…

  • A5 / A4 / A3 PRINTS (colour or b/w)
  • in mountcard
  • on foamboard
  • structurally / 3-d
  • other ?…think about composition, groupings and “clusters” of images

Keywords to use for this unit…

  • perception
  • viewpoint (POV)
  • genre
  • context
  • composite image
  • collage
  • montage
  • signs
  • symbols
  • metaphors
  • codes
  • juxtaposition

You may want to explore personal possessions or personal spaces like in this link…

PERSONAL POSSESSIONS

 

Photoshop Tip of the Week

Using the dodge and burn tools to adjust exposure…

 

photoshop-burn-tool

Burn = darken (check your exposure % and size of brush!)

Dodge = Lighten  (check your exposure % and size of brush!)

 

Demonstrate a range of editing, manipulating, enhancing and presentation techniques.

You can explore Adobe Photoshop , Adobe Bridge and also Lightroom (extra class on Tuesday 21st LUNCHTIME)

You can explore manual editing techniques….like this

scan objects in photography

You should  experiment with a range of presentation ideas.

You should exploit a range of editing apps and Instagram filters.

W e  w a n t   y o u   to   s h o w   y o u r

                     c r e a t i v i t y…

Photoshop Key Skills | 1 x blog post per skill
  • Double exposures / opacity control / Look at Adam Goldberg)
  • Blending options and overlays, textures, frames
  • Cut and paste (Look at Hannah Hoch) and Free Transform (Ctrl T) to create composite images (Photomontage) inspired by “Dada-ism”
  • Layer Via Copy (Ctrl J)  (see Christopher Relander) and Paste Special commands ( Selection Tools + Layer Mask to reveal)
  • Joiner portraits (see David Hockney)
  • Juxtaposing portraits (see John Stezaker and Joachim Schmid)
  • Blurring techniques (motion, lens, gaussian etc)

Remember >>> Use your own photographs <<<

Soon you should have 3-5  carefully edited responses…clearly displayed as “Personal Responses” (AO4) and these will be printed for you ready to display.

EXTENSION

  1. Choose 1-3 examples from “CREATIVE IDEAS” on the side bar.
  2. Create your own version of the examples using the same technique as described and as used by your choice of artist
  3. Add to a new blog post with comparison and evaluation
AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas, Coursework

Week 10 | Studio Lighting | Creative Portraits

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Concept : Rankin on “beautiful portraits”

Rankin : Joe Strummer : Destroy Project

Exploring Technique

Natural Light

Remember >>>Photography is completely dependent on the availability of  light.

In most cases we can make use of natural or available / ambient light…but we must be aware of different kinds of natural light and learn how to exploit it thoughtfully and creatively…

  • intensity of the light
  • direction of the light
  • temperature of the light and white balance
  • Using reflectors (silver / gold)
Hard light vs soft light
  • Using diffusers , tissue paper, coloured gels, tracing paper etc
  • Front / side / back lighting
  • High Key / low key lighting
  • Shadows / silhouettes
Casting shadows across the face / body

Studio Lighting

Using artificial lighting can offer many creative possibilities…so we will explore

  • size and shape of light
  • distance from subject to create hard / soft light
  • angles and direction…high, low, side lighting
  • filtered light
  • reflectors and diffusers
  • key lighting, fill lighting, back lighting, 3 point lighting
  • softboxes, umbrella lights, spot lights and floodlights
  • chiarascuro and Rembrandt lighting
  • high key and low key lighting techniques
  • backdrops and infinity curves

An example of “bouncing” the flash to soften the effects and create a larger “fill” area…try this wherever there are white walls/ ceilings

Using Flash

Flash units offer a range of possibilities in both low and high lighting scenarios…we will explore

  • flash “bouncing”
  • fill-in flash
  • TTL / speedlight flash
  • remote / infra-red flash (studio lighting)
  • fast + slow synch flash
  • light painting c/w slow shutter speeds

Evidence of Your Learning

During this weeks we would expect all students to complete 2-3 blog posts  detailing how you are experimenting with various lighting techniques eg CHIARASCURO / REMBRANDT LIGHTING

Rembrandt Lighting

Add information / links showing how Chiarascuro has been used since the Renaissance in painting…but also how it used now in photography and film

You must describe and explain your process with each technique…add your images to your blog as you progress, print off your successful images and evaluate your process using technical vocab and analysis skills. Think carefully about the presentation of your ideas and outcomes…compare your work to relevant portrait photographers as you go eg

Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn, Rankin, Richard Avedon, Yousef Karsh, David Bailey, Mario Testino, Steve McCurry, Jill Greenberg,  etc

Expected Final Outcomes this Week

  • Case Study and Practical Responses to Rankin
  • 1 x Final Portrait using natural light + analysis and evaluation
  • 1 x Final Portrait using artificial light (1, 2 + 3 point lighting) + analysis and evaluation
  • 1 x Final Portrait using flash + analysis and evaluation

Make sure you ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR BLOG

  • Why do we use studio lighting?
  • What is the difference between 1-2-3 point lighting and what does each technique provide / solve
  • What is fill lighting?
  • What is spill lighting?
  • What is Chiarascuro ? Show examples + your own experiments

Try a range of techniques…like this to adapt your lighting

Bouncing the flash to soften its effects

Or use light painting techniques…

  • Slow Shutter speeds (1/30th sec or BULB setting)
  • Illuminate an area / person with a torch , car headlights etc…

HOMEWORK

Refer to your tracking / planning sheet

  1. You must complete a range of studio lighting experiments and present your strongest ideas on a seperate blog post
  2. Remember to select only the most successful images
  3. You should be aiming to produce portraits that show clarity, focus and a clear understanding of a range of lighting techniques
  4. Editing should be minimal at this point…we are looking for your camera skills here

 

 

Analysis, AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas

Week 9 | Mon 6th Nov – Fri 10th Nov | Street Photography | Candid Portraits

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Street photography is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.

Street Photography is a sub-genre of photojournalism…

Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. The concept of the “flaneur” or people watcher is often referred to…as is the candid portrait.
Henri Cartier-Bresson

Blog Post 1 : Define, describe and explain street photography.

And what is a candid photograph?

Include images, moodboards, hyperlinks to relevant articles and URLs and add a video or two on street photography…

Blog Post 2 :

Henri Cartier – Bresson and The Decisive Moment

Create a blog post / case study about Cartier-Bresson that includes…

  • Brief biography
  • Mood-board of key images
  • Select one image and apply Technical | Visual | Contextual | Conceptual analysis
  • His contribution to MAGNUM Photo Agency
  • Add any other relevant research / insights

Homework Due in Monday 13th Nov

  • Take 150-250 photos as a response to the STREET PHOtoGRAPHERS you have researched and analysed
  • Choose a small group of images to edit / enhance
  • Present as final outcomes, include evaluation and analysis

Then Compare and Contrast Cartier- Bresson to one (or more) of the following street photographers…

  • William Klein
  • Diane Arbus
  • Vivian Maier
  • Robert Frank
  • Bruce Gilden
  • Martin Parr
  • Saul Leiter
  • William Eggleston
  • Gordon Parks
  • John Bulmer
  • Trent Parke
  • Garry Winogrand
  • Raghubir Singh
  • Lee Friedlander
  • Joel Meyerowitz
  • Tony Ray-Jones
  • Bill Owens

Discuss in detail the differences / similarities / intentions / outcomes and of course the photographer’s technical and visual approach.

Bill Owens

Technique : Taking street photographs

  • Be more aggressive
  • Get more involved (talk to people)
  • Stay with the subject matter (be patient)
  • Take simpler pictures
  • See if everything in background relates to subject matter
  • Vary compositions and angles more
  • Be more aware of composition
  • Don’t take boring pictures!
  • Get in closer (use 50mm lens or less)
  • Watch camera shake (shoot 250 sec or above)
  • Don’t shoot too much!!!
  • Not all eye level
  • No middle distance
William Klein

Watch this clip about Bruce Gilden…

TOP TIP : ANNOTATE YOUR CONTACT SHEETS!

This technique helps you to identify key features in your contact sheets AND helps you make your selections for final outcomes. This is vital…producing the “killer image” or the decisive moment during an event / happening. William Klein was well know for his use of contact sheets as an essential, and visual, part of his process…
Annotated Contact Sheet 1
Annotated Contact Sheet 2

Extension Task

1. What Is Photojournalism?

Robert Capa D Day 1944

Photojournalism really started to take shape when photographers could easily transport cameras into war zones. The “Golden Age of Photojournalism” is often considered to be roughly the 1930s through the 1950s. It was made possible by the development of the compact commercial 35mm Leica camera in 1925, and the first flash bulbs between 1927 and 1930, which allowed the journalist true flexibility in taking pictures.

For the first time, ordinary citizens could see the impact of the fighting right there in their newspaper. It was a pivotal moment in photography and it became more and more real between the Civil War and World War II.

Yet photojournalism is not just about war or photographers working the beat for a local newspaper. It’s much more than that. Photojournalism tells a story and it often does so in a single photograph. They evoke a feeling, whether its astonishment, empathy, sadness, or joy.

That is the mark of photojournalism; to capture that single moment in time and give viewers the sense that they’re part of it.

Shell-Shocked U.S. Marine, Tet Offensive, Hue, Vietnam, 1968
© Don McCULLIN (CONTACT PRESS IMAGES)

2. The Story in a Single Shot

Eddie Adams Saigon Execution 1964

Put simply, photojournalism is about capturing verbs. This doesn’t mean simply taking an action photo. Communicating the verb is much more than that.

 Stories are captured in slices while photojournalism strives to convey what is happening in one shot.

Although it is great when it happens, photojournalism isn’t about the best composition, or the best technical details, or a pretty subject.

Photojournalism is about showing the world a story of something that really happened.

Photojournalism allows the world to see through the eyes of the photographer for just a moment.  When photojournalism is done right, that one moment conveys volumes of time.

Conveying the full story is part of environmental portraiture where the setting tells us as much about the subject as the subject themselves.

The emotion is often raw in photojournalism. The photographer is not directing the scene as a portrait or commercial photographer would. Instead, the best of them blend into the background and become a shadow figure (unlike the paparazzi). They are there to observe and capture, not become the story or interrupt it.

The photojournalist has a different attitude than other photographers and it’s necessary to capturing those memorable photos. And quite often, that single photo can become a call to action for the millions of people who see it.

3.The Picture Story / Essay

Picture Story | Magnum

3. Representation, Standards and Ethics in Photojournalism

Kevin Carter
Starving Child 1993

Another vitally important part of photojournalism is accuracy. This means that what is in the frame is what happened.

Power lines should not be cloned out. More smoke must not be added to a fire scene. What was captured is how it should be. Sadly, the era of digital photography has made it easier than ever to manipulate reality.

The image should be a window into the event. At most, lighten the shadows a touch to see faces or sharpen the image a bit for clarity but do not change the essence of what you capture in the photo. If you do, you change the story.

4. What is meant by “The Camera As Witness”?