When presenting my final images once printed I decided to experiment with a variety of different ways in which I could do so. To do this I would use Photoshop to manipulate my images and develop them into the style of presentation I wanted before the actual thing, however when doing this I would need to come up with a mood board first to see if I could develop any ideas.

After looking over these ideas, I decided on presenting all of my shoots in selections of three, each three images would be presented in descending size order on a black or white foam board. The biggest image would be the picture I thought was the most successful from that specific shoot, with the other two being close runners-up. If done on black card I would include a white border to add emphasis and bring out the piece to make it more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. To do this I would need to firstly use Photoshop to gather frames and edit them into this order, whilst imposing my pictures into each one. These are the outcomes:This is a diagram of the general layout of how I wish to stack the white and black card on top of each other to create a white border around the image as seen below, I am also going to experiment with a variety of different coloured backgrounds to see which presentation I liked overall: In the end I settled on using a white backdrop because I think it contrasted best with my mainly dark images, allow them to be more the center of focus. When stitching the images to the frames I found that keeping the images in descending order with the worst image as the smallest was the most effective method to use, this enabled the main focus point to be the best image and the worst the least. For the biggest image I will print that in A3 size, with the other two in A4 and A5, these sizes are the best for me to frame them in the desired style.

For this shoot I will be looking at the idea of recently abandoned areas where evidence of humans are most evident. I intend to go to abandoned areas to capture the aftermath and the lighting created by untouched places. This hopefully would allow me to capture deterioration of the building which would emphasize aspects associated to the topic. Composition wise I would like to especially focus on the food and drink present within the rows of seats around me as this it what I want to be the main point of the shoot. Inspired by Roman Robroek, an urban photographer who specializes in recent abandonment of buildings, and the presence of humans and memories left behind, I intend to take ideas from him to put into my own workings.

Here are some examples of his work:After researching some of his pictures I wanted to make a mind-map consisting of various ideas I had for the shoot, such as lighting, angles and objects. This would make the shoot more efficient as I would know what to do when there and not waste time trying to figure something out. These are some of my ideas:

After finishing my mind-map on ideas that I could use to compose images when taking them I decided it was time to move onto the actual shoot itself. When doing the shoot I would take into account these ideas and use them as inspiration for the results wanted, whilst stopping me wasting anytime trying to think of ways to take each picture. Here are my results:

After completing this I decided to whittle down the shoot to a top ten images from the shoot. By doing this it would make it easier to figure out which is the best picture from the entire shoot, and why I chose that image. These were my top ten pictures:

Once I had selected the top ten images of the shoot, I decided to narrow them down again to only five. By doing this it would allow me to analyze each image and what I liked about them individually, whilst making it all the easier to find the best photo of the shoot. Here are the images I have chosen to analyze:

I chose this image as one of my top five because of the clear contrast between the darkness of the curtains and the light present through the window. Due to this lighting on the curtain it creates a feeling of neglect and emptiness from how the curtain seems almost forgotten, this also contributes to the aestheticism of the picture as the dark and the light half balance each other stopping it being too overpowering. This relates to the topic of conventions from how the curtain has obviously been left for a while and is now forgotten and unused, this is also evident through the dusty window opposite which looks neglected. One of the reasons I chose this image as one of my finals was because of the silhouette creates from the outline of the flower, this instantly become the focal point of the entire image from how it is the most heavily contrasted object against the light. I found that the yellow lighting from the window matched my theme in shoots where abandoned areas are illuminated by eerie lights, casting an uncomfortable feel to them. The picture was taken at a low exposure to emphasise certain features like the flower and floor boards, this really help to home in on the details like dirt and other features found in places like this. What I liked about this image was the symmetry of the overall piece. This was down to how the green walls contrasted the ripping and tearing of the paint, and alongside with the window casting a bright light in the middle really emphasized this. I found that the clarity in the image really defined the detail of the ripped paint, along with a relatively low exposure really balanced the photo as not to be too overpowered by the window. I used this image as it really related to the idea of conventions and the hidden story of what happened in the room, due to it not being common to see this in homes.  The reason I chose this as one of my top fives was because it is a typical scene associated with abandoned areas, rubbish on the floor, dirty walls, and a generally creepy light cast onto the objects highlighting this sense of rejection. The contrast in the image creates a great focus point within the center of the piece from how it makes a dark border, boxing what I intend for the viewer to mainly look at in the middle. The cracks and overall dark tones of the picture really emphasize a lack of human activity, as can be seen through dark shadows cast on nearly everything. This relates to conventions from how the bathroom is not being used for its original design and rather has been left to rot.What I loved about this image was overall the clarity, this really defined the individual pattern of the curtain, removing your attention from the rest of the picture which is surrounded by darkness. This contrast created by the black border on either side really shrouds the image in mystery from how it makes you wonder where it was taken, what the room is used for etc. The slight highlights of red and orange either side of the light source adds more depth to the picture as it removes certain aspects of the overall really dull colour scheme.

FINAL IMAGE:

The reason I chose this image as the final piece was due to the depth of field and composition of it overall. I found that the depth of field allowed for the silhouette of the actual flower to pop out more due to any sharp details being removed as a distraction, it also created more emphasis on the dirt in the doorway and how it looks neglected with background graffiti backing this. The dark border that envelops the piece in my opinion ties the image together from how it draws specific attention once again to the flower, doorway and backdrop, and allows a smooth transition for the light to emerge from. It relation to the topic of secrets, codes and conventions I found that the flower adds mystery the image, creating thoughts of why is it there etc. This it also helped through the dirty walls illuminated by the windows creating an unnaturally quiet feeling as a room is not conventionally seen in this state and so removes all elements of comfort that usually would be present at home.

Who is he?

Robroek is a 31-year-old urban photographer born in the South of the Netherlands, who as a child was surrounded by empty, abandoned and decaying buildings. Further into his life curiosity struck him and he wanted to know the story behind the reason for the state of each building, who used to live there? This led him to travel the world looking for places like these, allowing him to witness areas closed to the public eye. His aim is to create the memories and images that may once have been provided by these rooms, and wants to improve the perspective of those who look at the images.

Robroek specializes in uniquely capturing interiors and exteriors of a wide variety of buildings, cultural heritage sites and monuments, working only with the natural light provided. It is evident in his work that he wishes to highlight what is not usually seen to the public, and how there is a beauty in the untouched nature of it all. His photos range from a variety of locations, from tombs to churches, to mansions, each image showing as little human intervention as possible, creating eerie but beautiful landscapes through the use of natural lighting from the deteriorating landscape.

After researching the background of the photographer I decided to make a mood board and then analyze one of his images, this would help me in my next shoot to be inspired by composition and lighting in location. Here are some examples of his work:One of his images I decided to analyze was ‘Sitting in a church’, I chose this because of its relevance to the topic of chairs that most of my shoots have within them. Technical: Within the image Robroek uses a low exposure to capture a contrast between the lights and darks illuminated through the windows of the chapel. The idea of abandonment is portrayed drastically by how Robroek has used people covered in old blankets to bring together the time when the church was and wasn’t used by people, this as a result creates eeriness to the piece as the hidden bodies and faces creates a haunted uneasiness to the overall picture.

Visual: Visually the photo is well composed, this is mainly brought about through the implementation of symmetry which highlights the ghostly figures sat in the furthest corners of the church whilst also creating aestheticism as well. The center window is used as the focal point of the entire image which puts emphasis on not just the light sources but also the figures illuminated by them, from this it allows a more uplifted perspective of the entire image as it does not cast the figures in a dark light, rather than just a forgotten one.

Conceptual: Conceptually the image is meant to focus on the contrast between the building before and after it was abandoned, by doing this it creates an image from two different time frames and almost freezes it capturing the past in a modern image. This highlights hidden beauty that would not usually be seen in a church being used or just an abandoned one, rather instead a contemporary one.

Here I will be exploring the use of blur effects on Photoshop, by doing this it will allow me to further develop my images and editing process when doing future shoots. Here I intend to use iris and tilt blur to create a focus on any part of the image I want so that it becomes the focal point of the image. To do this I will be going to the cinema to photograph empty chairs, to which I will be attempting to make the center of focus the scattered food or drink. My inspiration for this comes from a general use of depth of field used in my camera, I found that this when taking other imagery really helped pinpoint certain aspects, and so wanted to incorporate this into my topic of secrets, codes and conventions. Here are my outcomes:

Here is my editing process for how each image was done: I used Photoshop because it allowed me a variety of different blurs which could be used to change the perspective of how each image would be viewed, by giving me more choice it really allowed me to try with different method to find what I wanted. By controlling the depth of blur and what I wanted blurred, it gave me full control over everything as it made it possible to pin-point certain details in the image I wanted to remove or be unnoticed, whilst giving me the outcome desired.

Within this shoot I will be particularly focusing on the idea of abandonment in areas such as opera houses which reveal the hidden beauty of the overall design. Inspired by Johnny Joo, I will be mainly focusing on composition to emphasize desertion through the use of symmetry and contrast which hopefully will produce dark seating but a high contrast of lighting, showing the lack of human activity usually seen in such areas and the uncomfortable feeling that is related to such imagery. Joo chooses particularly a technique of composition combined with an effective use of contrast especially on lighting to create dramatic photos centered around seating etc and areas people used.

Here are some example of Johnny Joo’s work:Once researching some of his work to draw inspiration from I decided I would make a mind-map from various ideas I had for the shoot, this would include things like angles, lighting and what to take. By doing this it would reduce the time needed on the shoot as I would know specifically what to do when there and how to take the images needed. Here are my drafted ideas for the shoot:After I had completed my mind-map I thought it would appropriate to go ahead with the actual shoot itself whilst taking into consideration the ideas I had planned in advance. For the shoot I had gotten access to the abandoned opera house in town, these were my results:

After this was done I started to whittle down the shoot to a top ten images, by doing this it would enable me to more easily find the overall best image of the shoot with in the process taking into consideration the aspects of each image that made it effective and how it could be related to the theme of secret, codes and conventions. These were my choices for my top ten best images of the shoot:

Once I had selected the top ten images I thought reflected the intention of the shoot and the were technically the best out of the rest I then wanted to drop that to only a top five. By doing this it would allow me to individually analyze each image to further know what photo would be the best result from the shoot. These were my results:

I chose this image because of how I really think it emphasized the ghostly effect created by the use empty seats. This is because of how the area it not usually seen without human interaction, and to see it devoid of anyone makes it feel unnaturally deserted, this is great for linking it to the topic of conventions as it’s not a place usually seen in this state. I found the composition great from the use of symmetry which I found particularly effective as it makes the picture aesthetically pleasing to view, with the seats having the lighting reflected and a depth of field used, it seems that the seats go on forever as if forgotten and unused. The orange lighting that surrounds the seats creates an even more ghostly effect from how it breaks the otherwise bland selection of colours present in the image. What I liked about this image was the use of a depth of field and the contrast of the shine on each seat. The use of a depth of field creates a sort of gradient that fades the lights away into the almost deserted distance, this is linked to conventions from how seats are usually linked to people sitting, and to see them abandoned in such a large-scale seems uncanny due to not usually perceived like this. The use of contrast between the lights of the shine on the chair and the darkness I found effective from how they provide enough light to define the objects but enough to make each chair into a silhouette.I loved how in this image there was a really clear contrast between the lightness of the stage and the darkness of the seats only defined by the shine on the wood. By doing this and through the use of symmetry I found it to be very aesthetically pleasing from how it the stage breaks the pattern that otherwise would only consist of dark chairs. The shine created from the chairs brings the image together from how it stops the stage from being too dominant in the picture and overpowering the rest of the image, this is helped by the black space between the stage and the chairs which stop the two different contrasts from colliding and ruining the symmetry and pattern. The image also reflects a ghost audience that is no longer there due everyone being long gone, thus creates an eerie effect of abandonment of the unusual. I chose this image purely because of the silhouettes and defined shine created by each of the chairs, this in my opinion combined with symmetry allows for an aesthetically pleasing result that is balances the darks with the top of each chair. This could be linked to conventions by how you could say each chair represents a former shell of what they use to be used for creating an atmosphere of desertion. The sheer darkness between each seat creates a symmetrical pattern with nothing displacing or ruining it to the eye making the piece as a result easy to look at. Finally the reason I chose this picture was because of angle and emphasis on abandonment from the amount of chairs present. I found that this image put particular emphasis on desertion from how the rows of chairs create an arc like formation throughout the image, with each one lacking people sitting in them. This conventionally is unusual, as seeing this amount of seats would usually indicate that people are present which is what the photo lacks. There is also a clear contrast present between the blues and browns of the seats which break up block colours to make the piece more visually appealing.

After analysing each image and how it related to the idea of conventions, whilst taking into account the technique each image used to create a visually pleasing result, I found it enabled me to decide the image I wanted to choose for my final and most successful image of the shoot. This was my decision:

Final Image:

The reason I chose this image as my final and most successful image of the shoot was because of the clear contrast and pattern present within it. The use of the stage’s white against the darkness of the chairs I thought really made the image pop and draw the eye to it, with the indents of the stage stopping the white from being too consistent. However this is contrasted by the patterned symmetry made by the rows of seats present, with the definition of the shine creating a ghostly and empty feel to the image, completely opposite to that of the clean and plain stage. It also I thought related well to the topic of conventions as the empty seats and stage are usually seen full, especially in theatre, and to see them abandoned creates an eerie and unnaturally spacious feel to the overall photo.

Who is he?

Johnny Joo born in Cleveland Ohio focuses on photographing places that have been forgotten through his camera. Joo is an urban explorer but aims to highlight the effect and beauty of places left behind that are not often seen without human intervention creating eerie effects whilst reminding viewers that all things must come to an end. His photos are meant to make the viewers aware of how humanity’s waste impacts society and nature when left behind through the destruction present throughout each image.

Joo photographs a range of abandoned areas from malls, stadiums, schools, hospitals etc with many images going world-wide. His work has been at the attention of many media outlets, much of his work is inspired by Salvador Dali from how the colours used pop out and wants to incorporate this into his own to create a realistic surrealism. Most of his work consists of the influence nature has over human structures and how eventually they will be re-claimed, but much of it has to do with a lack of human influence in an area and how this creates haunted and eerie images as a result due to it not being conventionally normal.

Here are some examples of his imagery:Once looking over his images I decided I should analyze it to see what made it effective as an image, to do this I would take into consideration the technical, visual and conceptual aspects of the photo. By doing this it would enable me to direct it to my own images and how I could relate this specific style into various shoots. The photo I chose to analyze is called Silent Hill:

Technical: The piece uses a high shutter speed to create a broad overview of everything in the theatre and capture the whole picture. Joo has used a higher exposure to capture parts of the shadows around the seats and ceiling to emphasize the sense of  eeriness around the idea of abandonment, by doing this it removes much of the sense from a light-hearted area. The use of including part of the floor before the seats creates the impression of long-term abandonment due to the rubble present throughout.

Visual: Visually the piece uses symmetry in its composition to not only create aestheticism through the use of patterned seating arrangements, but also to make the viewer understand the scale of the effect of abandonment in areas left behind or forgotten. The focus points consist around the entrance door lights which instantly draws the viewers attentions to the seats surrounding them.

Conceptual: The piece is meant to highlight the issues regarding forgotten places and how damage and neglect can ruin areas completely, however it is also meant to focus on the hidden beauty that arises from these areas in the process as the places photographed are rarely seen by the public eye. Joo also wants to make evident how nature always takes back what was built on it and the effects of it doing so.

Here I will be exploring the effect of tinted lighting through the editing of images, for example I will be changing the colour produced by lights and the contrast they have against the backdrop. My inspiration comes from Todd Hido who uses coloured lighting to empahise a certain feel in a room, to which I want to use so I can emphasise the idea of lights in empty areas which conventionally have people in. I will be showing my process on how I get to the current result with the software used, and how I manipulate it. First I will be starting with regular lighting imagery of areas around my house, next I will apply a saturated filter etc over it to change the colour and the outcome produced. Here are my outcomes and process:

Here is the process on how I got to the current stage in each image:Within Lightroom I used the adjustments tab located on the right to change the saturation and exposure etc. By doing this it enabled me create more dramatic images mixed with coloured lighting to maximize the effect wanted, whilst the highlights, shadows and white effects created and took away any shadows or unnecessary parts of the lighting that ruined the image. By experimenting with this it opening photographing abandoned areas up to new techniques to fully emphasize the message I wanted to get across of conventions related around public areas and the way they are perceived.

In this shoot I will be using abandoned spaces and their hidden beauty beneath to photograph, when doing this I will be looking at symmetry and lighting to create colour and pattern that makes an aesthetically pleasing result. A photographer that focuses on this is Todd Hido, Hido focuses on the secret beauty of household spaces that have been left abandoned and disregarded, I will be using him as the basis of my ideas for my shoot. To do this I would visit empty spaces such as cinemas and opera houses whilst closed, doing this would make use of the minimum lighting available whilst creating an aesthetically pleasing result.

Here are some examples of his work that inspired this shoot:After deciding on what I wanted to focus on I made a mind-map, this would enable me to channel my ideas to specific topics that I should focus on in my shoot. This would remove all unnecessary time-wasting as it would allow me to get straight to what I wanted. Here are my ideas for the shoot:Once done I was ready to move onto the shoot itself, I had gotten access to the local theatre and was now able to know exactly what I wanted to focus on whilst there. After that I would take the image count down to a top ten photographs that I thought stood out from the rest, from there I could then take them down again to the best image of the entire shoot. Here are my results: After previewing my images I decided to pick ten images from the shoot which I could later narrow down to five and then one overall image that I think best reflected the topic of secrets, codes and conventions. By doing this process it would allow me to analyse and really think through each decision I made regarding each of the images. Here were my choices:

I next went on to bringing my top ten images to only five, from here I would analyse and describe the technical aspects of each picture furthermore allowing me to find the one that I incorporated the best to the topic title. These were my picks for the best five images:

I chose this image because of the effective use of lighting and the symmetrical composition of the piece. I found that the more dominant light created an orange gradient that transitioned as it went across the seats, this produced an effective balance throughout the picture making it aesthetically pleasing as a result. The blue lighting the trims either side of the seats disrupts the other wise dominant use of red, but at the same time does not overpower or look out-of-place compared to everything else, I really liked this from how it added other elements into the picture creating greater contrast. The symmetrical composition adds to the aesthetics of the image with the two lights being focus point of the piece since they highlight the seats and are the first things the viewer looks at. This allows this idea of abandonment to be emphasized from how the gradient and lighting adds eeriness as it is meant to resemble an area that is currently unused by any human presence.   What I loved about this image was the use of a depth of field contrasted by the use of light. Because of this it divides the image into two sections, a light and a dark, with as a result contrasts the darkness of the ceiling and the two lights either side of the picture. The depth of field emphasizes the idea of abandonment through how the seats seems to go endlessly back but contain an absence of people, this fits into the category of conventions as it highlights a should be full area that is now unused and left behind until taken notice of.    In this picture I found the composition to be most effective due to the angle at which it was taken at. The slant which the image was taken creates a broadened sense of desertion seen through a depth of field that blurs out the bottom rows, this makes the image seemingly unsettling from how the area should contain people, but instead lacks it. However the use of a highlight produced by the overhead lights breaks the dull red colour range of the image adding oranges into the mix by breaking the otherwise purely dark colours.
I found that the depth of field in contrast to the dark colours of the rest of the image produced a nice gradient breaking the otherwise bland colour scheme as a result. The faint use of blue streaks used in the far distance of the picture add other elements into the picture when looked at closer, this is also provided the dark border of the image which the chairs seemingly fade into existence from, creating the impression that the place is now deserted and is also forgotten (seen from the hazy darkness).
Finally I chose this image due to the overwhelming use of the white screen projecting a ghostly light onto the seats facing it. I found that this produced an almost mesmerizing effect, whilst creating the result of the seats fading into darkness as they went further left to the photo.  As a result I found that this created the impression of minimal human influence over the area hence the ghost like product from the contrast.

After looking at these images I was happy with how they reflected the topic I wanted to focus on of conventions, I thought this was done effectively from each images use of darkness to create a contrast between the little light available portraying an eerie effect onto each row of seats that were occasionally broken by hints of orange.  Once this was complete I went on to decide the final image of the shoot that I think best portrayed this effect. This was my final result:

Final Image:

What I loved about this image that made me choose it as my final piece was overall the contrast, this was because of how it allowed for a black border that the chairs seemingly fade into existence from, and with minimal light available creates a very eerie impression onto it. The symmetrical composition of the photo makes it aesthetic through how everything is an equal distance away from each other, this also divides the piece into both a light and a dark side highlighted by the use of orange shades on the far left. In relation to the topic of conventions I found that it really emphasized how usually crowded areas when empty, create an almost haunted feel to them due to the norm of not being able to see them like this.

Who is Todd Hido?

Todd Hido was born 1968, America, Kent. Hido’s work is of suburban and urban homes shown in galleries and business throughout the world. In 1991 he was awarded a BFA from Tufts University and a MFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts, currently he is the professor at the California College of Arts and Crafts in San Francisco. Hido is most famous for images taken of home areas across the US using lights to create detailed and luminous imagery. These show the despair and loss of the falling housing market.

Hido’s images are used worldwide, this includes The New York Times Magazine, The Face, and Vanity Fair, with other instances that can be seen in museums in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Hido makes it evident in his photographs that he branches out to other styles of photography such as portraiture, with all his works receiving critical acclaim. Each of his images are meant to resemble the hidden beauty that hides beneath the surface, with each image having its own story of memories and failed dreams.

Hido has won several awards, including the Barclay Simpson Award in 1996, and the Best First Monograph in 2002 for 2001 photo-eye books and prints.

Some examples of his works can be seen below regarding the topic of hidden beauty:After looking over his style and influences I decided I should analyze one of his pictures to find what made it so effective as a piece, to do this I would look at the technical aspects etc to determine what made it the way it was.Technical: The images makes use of the little available to the room creating a gradient along the wall, this emphasizes the shadows and dark coloured floor and walls, creating an almost eerie effect to the room itself. The use of a half opened door breaks the otherwise dull looking room by adding some yellows into the picture, to a viewer this creates an aesthetically pleasing result from that disruption of  pattern. A low exposure can be seen being used from how the contrast between the lights and darker areas almost pop out at you due to the emphasis of colour.

Visual: Visually the image is aesthetically pleasing from how the range of colours used compliment each other as a result.  The composition of the image itself it photographed at an angle, but still keeps intact elements of symmetry between the far left and right walls, allowing for an effective interpretation of what the rest of the room is like. The dramatic used of the gradient light in the center of the wall probably made by a small dusty window creates a break between the dark theme of the room, however this as well as the door, pose as the center of attention within the image, instantly drawing our eyes towards it.

Conceptual: The image is meant to highlight the remains of dreams that were previously there but abandoned, whilst basing the idea around the concept of the hidden beauty in objects and areas left behind or currently uninhabited. The piece is also meant to be surrounding a controversial issue of the failing market at the time and in a way is voicing his opinion about the topic.

What is brutalist architecture photography?

Brutalist architecture started in the early 1950s, the term brutalism refers to its dynamic geometric like appearance seen as massive, monolithic and blocky. The style itself was popular until the mid 1970s and was first introduced by Le Corbusier an architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter who liked design in its simplest form. Interest arose around the concept when his street building in Chandigarh, India which was long, with horizontal concrete slabs forming composed six eight story blocks that are separated by expansion joints.

Originally the term ‘brutalist’ was used by Le Corbusier to describe his own work, but was later coined by British architects Alison and Peter Smithson, leading to the eventual use of the now common term when Reyner Banham used it in his book ‘New Brutalism’. Brutalism has been criticized for its uncommunicative and ugly style, but also has been attacked for ignoring historic architecture as well as lacking empathy for its surrounding environment. However, Banham says through his book that the qualities of the style are plain and comprehensible, with no mystery, romanticism or obscurities without a function and circulation. Really brutalism is summed up as an architectural style with no sense.

Here are some example of brutalist architecture below:Once looking over the images I decided to analyse one of them to identify common features or styles that each possesses.When looking at the style of architecture I found that all the buildings were based on a geometrical structured design, by doing this the outcome would look artificial and almost surreal to images and passers-by due to how these houses and offices would not match the environment surrounding them. Each building was made to look displaced and abstract, whilst many incorporated nature into the designs. Symmetry, pattern and randomness I found was the most common influence over the structures, due to how it gave the place an aesthetically pleasing look. As a result to this many viewed this style of architecture as a form of art.

After looking over this I found that I would be able to incorporate brutalist architecture into my photography through the use of harsh photographs taken in concrete jungles within urban areas. This form of exaggeration combined with possibly singular light sources could be used to emphasize the idea of abandonment within certain areas of choice, allowing me to present a more brutal representation of buildings that are perhaps abandoned or deserted.