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.

Here are two of my outcomes that are a response to my initial ideas looking at surveillance in terms of breaking the rule of manipulation. I have created these images by combining images of CCTV cameras from my first photo shoot of the ‘political landscape’ project and images of surveillance footage which I have found. This is inspired by my research on photographer Alice Wielinga as she uses a combination of her images and other visual material which she has sourced. The idea behind this was to Photoshop the surveillance images into the lens screen of the CCTV cameras, in order to signify the kind of activity that is picked up by the CCTV cameras, and the effects of this. I find that this makes for a very unusual looking image as the CCTV camera is displaying an image rather that producing an image itself.

Here are the two original images from my photo shoot, I believe that these images are very minimalist and in a way fairly abstract, this means to me that if I was to break the rule of manipulation using these photographs then I would need to produce something that has a significant point of focus and interest, which in this case is the image being projected by the CCTV camera in the images.

Finally here are the two pieces of sourced visual material that I used to help me break the rule of manipulation. I chose these two pieces of security footage in particular as they display criminal activity, one a robbery and the other a gas station arson.

This signifies the positive aspect of surveillance in which it can help to prevent or capture criminal activity, however I also plan to look at the negative and corrupt aspects of surveillance throughout this project.

Who is Edward Burtynsky?

Born 1955, Ontario after his parents migrated to Canada, Burtynsky’s interest for photography came about after a widow sold her camera to his father, from here both of them practiced making monochrome photo prints. They later opened a small portrait photography business with his sister during the 1970s, where he soon started working at a printing press to then joining Niagara College to have a graphic arts diploma, with later in life enrolling into the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1982.  He later started to use digital cameras with higher resolutions in 2007.

Most of Burtynsky’s photography are landscape views that have been distorted by piles of scrap, quarries and tailing mines, presenting nature as altered by the industries around them. Most of his trips were to China, photographic emerging industry settings such as the Three Gorges Dam, the largest engineering project in the world. Most of his influence comes from the works of Edward Weston, Carleton Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge and Ansel Adams, whose work he continual saw at the local Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most of Burtynsky’s work has been shot using a field camera with a large format, using an aerial approach mostly in his work to be able to gain a vantage point.

Following these Burtynsky produced some photo series named: Makrana Quarries in India, 2000; Iberia Quarries in Spain, 2006; Ship-breaking in Bangladesh, 2000 to 2001; Urban Mines: Metal Recycling, Canada Tire Piles, USA from 1997 to 1999; Australian Mines in West Australia. However in 1985 Burtynsky established Toronto Image Works, a rental facility for a darkroom and equipment, with a year later turning it into a gallery opened within the space that displays the work of international and local artists. Here is a mood board of various images taken by him that I thought to be of particular influence:After reviewing some of his works I decided to analyse a photography that I thought summed up his style of work the best. To do this I would be looking at three specific topics: visual aspects, technical aspects and conceptual knowledge. These would allow me to incorporate his working style into my work which I could use as influence. The image I chose was “Densified Scrap Metal” (1997):

Technical: The image itself uses bold colours in a symmetrical pattern as its main means of putting the message of consumerism across. This is done through the use a vignette which boxes in the image to highlight the issue of the image present, whilst also being complimented by a higher saturation which brings out the oranges and silvers which make up most of the cubes. Because of this the majority of the image is more or less stock, with most of the colours and composition being left as it was taken, meaning not much work was done to it, with the only adjustments being the vignette and saturation. The image is more or less taken with a high resolution camera in order to capture the image to the best detail possible.

Visual: Visually the picture uses man-made symmetry as the main form of aestheticism. The use of creating a high definition image creates what would otherwise be ugly beautiful, due to the highlights and shade which accompany it, this present a new perspective towards the landscape with many seeing it as art instead of a scar. Symmetry is hugely present as the floor acts as a way of neutralization for any blank space which could potentially ruin the image and stopping the pattern from becoming too overpowering, preventing the photo from just consisting of scrap metal.

Conceptual: This photo was taken to raise awareness towards the impacts and result of consumerism, looking into how we respond to this overwhelming waste that we produce on a weekly scale. The image itself looks into the aestheticism but also devastation we cause towards our natural environments, attempting to shed light onto how we deal with our consumerism and how we can tackle the increase of waste.

Breaking The Rules / Alice Wielinga

Photographer Lewis Bush has put together an article explaining how breaking the rules of photography can be a great way of working as a photographer. The article covers how breaking the rules of photography can be a way of finding new ideas and exploring areas of the creative subject which you would not otherwise, if you stuck to the rules. He goes on to talk about how the best ideas aren’t clearly visible and in order to find these new and innovative creative ideas, photographers must break the rules and take things to the next level. The article covers 8 rules within photography that can be broken in order to achieve this, these 8 rules are the rules of: Objectivity, Audience, Manipulation, Reality, Technicality, Ownership, Camera and The rule of rule breaking. Of these 8 rules I have decided that I will like to explore the rule of manipulation.

Here is a link to the article from Lewis Bush…

http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/photography-2/eight-photography-rules-worth-breaking/

Within the rule of manipulation sub-section of the article Bush looks into the photographer Alice Wielinga who breaks this rule within her work. I took a particular interest in her work after seeing it for the first time as I found that the aesthetics of it were very individual and intriguing. Here are some examples of her work, the first of which has some context attached by caption…

As Bush’s article talks about, this specific series of Wielinga’s work is executed using a combination of photographs from her visit to North Korea and North Korean propaganda. The combination of these two visual matters creates a brilliant juxtaposition which is very effective at putting across her political points.

Here is a section of Lewis Bush’s article, covering how Wielinga produced this project, including a couple of quotes from the photographer herself…

‘ When Dutch photographer Wielinga traveled to North Korea, she found her ability to photograph in the secretive state severely curtailed. “I felt that, with mere documenting, I wasn’t able to tell the story as I was experiencing it,” she says of the stage-managed excursions to which journalist-visitors are subjected. Her response was to digitally merge her photographs of official North Korea propaganda with her own images of workers and decaying factories. “I see propaganda and reality as two sides of the same coin,” she says. “Propaganda is an essential part of everyday life in North Korea, and because of that a reality in itself.” ‘

When studying methods in which I could use to put across my views of political landscape I found that rule of the camera present me with the most choice and experimentation into how I could photograph intended ideas. Examples of this could consist of methods of photography that went against the usual ways that pictures were taken, such as macro-photography, photo-manipulation and aerial photography. This topic allowed me to explore ways in which I could compose and portray things, occasionally using software to enhance the images using Photoshop and Lightroom.

For this shoot I would need to rely heavily on the way I present each picture to the audience due to conventional methods not producing the same outcome as I desired. Examples of other photographers works regarding the rule of the camera can be seen below which I will be using as a section for my inspiration in the shoot to come:One of the leading inspirations that I came across for the shoot was the photographer Donald Weber. Weber had used rule of the camera as the main focus point for many of his previous shoots, a certain example of this was named War Sand. War Sand used microscopes to identify otherwise undetectable pieces of metal that were left behind from the World Wars, creating abstract and alien like results. This would rely heavily on other technology to produce the outcome Weber desired as it used external software instead of the camera, with the camera itself only playing a small part of the final result. Here are some of the examples I found to be the most effective from Weber’s project War Sand:Once finished with exploring inspirations for my shoot I found that I would need to create a mind-map that would identify areas of focus when taking photographs. This time wise would help loads as it would prevent me from wasting time on the day as to what to look for, instead creating a clear picture from the start into what I should identify as my main points of interest. Here are some of the ideas that I found would have particular importance for the shoot:After creating the mind-map I found I was finally ready to go ahead with the shoot, taking into consideration the ideas recently drawn up and presented above I decided to focus my shoot around areas of historic relevance. This would consist of bunkers, castles etc, which would enable me to photograph unusual structures and landscapes unique to that area, with pattern and abstract being my main aims to achieve out of the entire shoot. Here I would look at how over time certain areas have deteriorated and how the surrounding landscape has adapted to fit in around it, specifically looking at rust and the area around it. Here are the outcomes from my shoot:  From here I will select ten images that I found were the most effective outcomes from the entire shoot. By doing this it would allow a greater insight into what made me select these images and how I would select the final and best picture from the shoot.

After looking over what I deemed to be my best imagery from the shoot I decided to select the best five photos and analyse them. By doing this it would allow me to understand how they could be related to the topic of conventions, whilst discovering what aspects within the photographs made them so effective that I chose them out of the shoot. Here is my selection of my favorite five images: I chose this image because of the broken pattern created by the foam on the waves that fade into the sky, I found this to be particularly effective from how the placement of the foam keeps the sea symmetrical either side of it. This is also complimented by the gradient of the sky which fades the landscape out, both of these relate to the topic of conventions from the use of a higher exposure and clarity to capture the light more vividly, producing a dream like scape as a result. Convention wise I wish to highlight the mass of sea that surrounds us on our island and how the built up areas of bunkers made by the Germans intended to use this to their advantage in their defenses.  What I liked about this image was how it highlighted the rust that now had settled on the metal surrounding the artillery covering the now ruined bunkers dotted around. This is contrasted by the high clarity which creates a particular focus on the rust of the image, portraying it almost as blood whilst making use of the dark backdrop to create a real identity of how much of the weaponry now stands in Jersey. I really like the stained pattern that the rust made on the white paint as it broke up the object resulting in an abstract after math where it’s now harder to interpret what the object used to be. Here I found the use of a predominantly black and white photo to be very effective in the representation I wished to put across of the tide that sweeps the shores of the bunkers surrounding the beaches. By reducing it too mainly two shades I found that it abstracted the piece and instead limited the blues and browns to only the rocks and specific areas of the water. What I really liked was the composition of the wave as it came into shore, travelling from the top left corner into the bottom right spreading out as it does so, I found this to be a great representation of how tides would have looked as the historical events that surrounded it unfolded around it.  The reason I chose this image for my top five was because of the use of a low exposure to create a sinister and looming impression upon the commonly used doors of the German bunkers. The use of a vandalized door to me represented the now forgotten past of certain areas and how overlooked they have now become, with many being the subject of graffiti and writing, defacing what they previously stood for, defense. The composition I thought strengthened this idea as it produces the impression of order and mystery, interesting the viewer to want to understand what went on behind the doors.  Finally the reason I selected this image was because of the aesthetically pleasing result that the sandbags lining the shores of the coast around the bunkers would be positioned and portrayed in. The netting within the picture I found broke up the otherwise boring piece which would have just consisted of brown bags, instead adding an opposing colour of green and blue to it, creating the impression that the nets are almost there to preserve and hold together the remains of the defenses previously present around the beach.

Final Image:
Overall I found that image of the sandbags surrounded in blue and green mesh fencing to be the most effective, this was down to the aestheticism and significance behind it. Composition wise the use of symmetry I found was particularly effective from how it represented the commonly seen formation that many soldiers worldwide would have witnessed where ever they were positioned, whilst the decaying bags would produce grotesque and unusual shapes. I found the contrasting colours of green, blue and brown to be effective from how they broke up the otherwise bland and uninteresting formation, instead adding a visually pleasing element to it as a result. Finally to me the use of a low exposure when taking the photograph allowed for an overemphasize portrayal of the bags which now were shaded almost sinister in looks from the looming shadows produced from the gaps.

Who is Donald Weber?

A Canadian photographer who originally trained as an architect, Donald Weber worked at an urban theorist’s office named Rem Koolhaa’s for the Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Since this Weber devoted himself to the study of how power deploys an all-encompassing theater for its subjects, where secrets are recorded and collaborated with both masters and victims. From this Weber published three books: Bastard Eden, Our Chernobyl, dealing with daily life in a post-atomic world. This won the Photolucida Book Award: Interrogations, about post-Soviet authority in Ukraine and Russia, which was selected to be included in a Martin Parr and Gerry Badger’s seminal photo book: A History, Volume III; and Barricade: The EuroMaidan Revolt which was a collaboration with a Ukrainian photographer called Arthur Bondar.

Here Weber receives numerous rewards and fellowships, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lange-Taylor Prize, the Duke and Duchess of York Prize, two World Press Photo Awards and PDN’s 30. Because of this Weber was named Emerging Photo Pioneer by American Photo and became shortlisted for the prestigious Scotiabank Photography Prize. His photography has been displayed at exhibitions, screenings, festivals and galleries worldwide including at the United Nations, The Museum of the Army as Les Invalides in Paris and the Portland Museum of Art. From this he has now become a dedicated teacher notorious for his lectures and workshops, as well as being a trainer with the World Press Photo Projects, represented by Circuit Gallery in Toronto. Here are some examples of his works:From here I decided to analyse one of Weber’s images, by doing this it would allow me to understand the thought process and concept behind his photography, whilst looking at the different techniques used to produce his work. From this it would allow me to create a more appropriate response for future shoots regarding rules of the camera, as it would enhance my insight into techniques used by the camera to make the desired product. The image I chose is called Vorkuta (2008):Technical: The image itself uses a low shutter speed to capture the snow drifting in the wind, because of this it creates the impression of an almost dreamy and surreal isolated located. This use of shutter speed perfectly blurs the snow-covered ground, making it almost feel like the buildings are coming out of the ground. A relatively normal exposure is used to create contrast against the white backdrop, accompanied with a slightly tinted black border this breaks up the blank space from becoming too overpowering.

Visual: Visually the piece uses composition as its main focus to portray a certain situation to us as viewers. This is done through the use of blank space as snow, with the buildings acting as a separation between land and sky. However this on its own would become overpowering and so the implementation of an electricity pole breaks this up, and instead becomes the main focal point for us as viewers. The use of the darkened border prevents the whiteness from being too overpowering, and can be see as giving the otherwise predominantly white picture other definition.

Conceptual: The piece is meant to represent the isolated communities in Russian society during the harsh winters. Presenting this through a harsh but eerie beauty from a distance, whilst identifying the conditions that many people will live in within Russia’s rural environment. However this does attempt to draw beauty through what would usually be seen as a bleak and ill constructed block of buildings.

What is rule of the camera?

Rules of the camera are the conventions associated with the development of certain imagery depicting weird and unusual methods to take them, by doing so this can create abstract and often realistic products due to it providing varying insights into the perspective of how we perceive things. From this it can bring light to what and how we see as the invisible world around us, not present unless observed, however it does suggest that cameras that demonstrate the main methods of producing photos can be changed with methods such as microscopes etc.

One interpretation of the rule of the camera is the discovery of the human body, here we can use the camera as a relationship between the living bodies, and the representation they hold regarding the situation they’re in. By exploring the means of the process in use, and how our cameras can develop our perspective and expression of how we perceive and think about the world around us, it completely disregards any previous views of methods being used just as a technique and piece of equipment. Some examples of this can can be seen in the mood board bellow:
Above we can see that there seems to be a predominantly abstract and surreal theme within each photo, this is presented through bright and unusual colors composed in odd and unique ways. When studying these photos there seems to be a lot of shutter speed and exposure use, by doing so it can create scenes otherwise invisible to the naked eye allowing for aesthetically pleasing results. To understand what could be interpreted as Rule of The Camera I decided to analyse one of the images related to the topic, by doing so this would expand my stance on how I went around photographing my chosen area of political landscapes, consumerism. Here is an example of one of the many ways the topic can be explored:Technical: The image itself uses two overlapped images, one consisting of a higher shutter speed and the other overlying one being slower. By doing this when overlapped it creates an image depicting the horse in an act of rapid movement, the is emphasized by the blurred backdrop which wishes to capture the horse in the midst of galloping. This blur is also accompanied with a low exposure which defines the figure of the horse more against the trees, on top of this a black gradient border is used to light only the horse and a small radius around it. Due to this a more sinister feel is created outside the center of the piece, as it shrouds the vegetation from further detail.

Visual: Visually the photograph uses the horses movement as the focal point for the piece, evident through the blackened border boxing the horse into center composition. This lightened middle contrasted with the darkness allows for an aesthetically pleasing result, because of this contrasting light it prevents the backdrop from becoming too eye sore to the viewer, instead softening the floor and trees by blending it with shadows.

Conceptual: The photograph is meant to capture the movement of the horse mid run, overlapping different positions the horse takes on whilst doing so. This is an attempt to capture the wild side of a usually domesticated animal, and so by associating it with woods and fields this feeling is created consequentially.