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Fay Godwin

Who was Fay Godwin?

Fay Godwin was renowned for her black and white landscape photographs of the British countryside and coast. She also produced a series of portraits of literary figures, with many of them being collaborated in her 1979 book ‘Remains of Elmet’.

Fay Godwin had no training when it came to photography, but rather became interested in it from photographs of her families snaps. From there she went on to produced portraits of well-known writers, photographing nearly every significant literacy figure in the 1970s and 1980s within England.

Later in the years her love of walking led to the inspiration to pursue landscape photography. She often photographed isolated, remote areas of the British landscape and producing many pastoral scenes as well as contrasting urban landscapes. Godwin became president of the Ramblers Association from 1987 to 1990, where she became well-known for her work as an environmentalist.

In 1987 Godwin was awarded a major Arts Council Bursary to enable her to continue her landscape work in distant parts of Scotland. Her work soon started to appear in many public and private collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Council, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and many more. Originally her work began a world tour by the British Council, but later became a Fellow of the National Museum of Photography and in 1990 received an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society.

Some of her work can be seen below:

As seen above Godwin focuses on very much of what is normal in the landscape, however she tends to use the weather to create more dramatic images to what would usually be seen, such as the clouds to create contrast on the land.

Romanticism

What is Romanticism?

Romanticism was from when a new generation of painters to create landscape art for its own sake, causing the form of art in the 1800s to become more hyper-realistic. This first movement was known as Romanticism, it emphasized emotions such as awe and rapture, leading to a deeper discovery probing into human emotion regarding out natural surrounds. Romanticism usually created the perfect conditions for landscape art, which would assume the highest position in the minds of wealthy art collector. Here are some example of Romanticism in photography and art:

Image result for Romanticism photography

Image result for Romanticism Photography

More about Romanticism can be found here.

For further knowledge I used this video below to develop my understanding on what Romanticism really was.

Fay Godwin

Fay Godwin is very much a writer’s photographer, in more senses than one. Poets and novelists are drawn to her work, and she worked closely with several. The work comments on both the romanticism of the British Landscape and the harsh man altered reality.

Godwin’s involvement with photography stemmed from the hobby of photographing her children which led in the early 1970s to commissioned portraits of poets and writers. Her interest in landscape was stimulated by her love of walking. She subsequently co-authored many essays, guide-books and poems on the theme of British landscape.

When photographing landscapes she worked in black & white and her genuine concern for the environment made her a unique figure in British photography.  Her images were noted for their clarity, careful composition and expert control over tonal values. She was known for great tenacity and determination when creating an image. When someone once remarked to her that she had been lucky to catch the ideal cloud formations in a particular picture she quickly replied, ‘I didn’t “catch” it. I sat down and waited three days for it.’
Heptonstall

Image Analysis:

  • The image contains horizontal lines which divides the image into three sections demonstrating the rule of thirds.
  • It contains a hill in the foreground and more hills in the background creating sections within the image that join together to make shapes, similar to three triangles.
  • The placement of the horizontal lines makes the image a good composition as each section is a different tone: the foreground starts off the darkest followed by a lighter grey followed by the white in the sky to emphasise the dark clouds.
  • The darker tones allow for the beams of sunlight to be emphasised coming forward creating a misty effect in the middle ground which is also emphasised by the dark bushes and trees.
  • The main cloud in the sky on the left is the same tone as the foreground making it stand out from the white sky and make a complementary picture.
  • Fay Godwin’s image is an example of romanticism in landscape photography as it shows an interest in the natural world and has a powerful and dramatic composition and provides an expression of personal sentiment.

 

Double Exposure

What is double exposure?

Double exposure is the method of superimposing two exposures in a single frame, most commonly known as double exposure, and to the day is one of photography's most impressive techniques. Using this method of overlaying images on top of each other, you are able to shape an image of nature into the silhouette of a person, to create dream like portraits.
It is easily one of the most creative techniques in photography as the possibilities are endless due to digital photography.

Here are some examples of double exposure:

I found that the use of nature was particularly effective when it came to the images, as the trees could be used for a variety of different things such as fades etc. Through this I found it great how trees could be used to define a certain aspect of the image itself, and so allowed for the silhouettes of the creatures they wished to be highlight.

I decided to make a response to these ideas by mainly focusing around the human body and nature combined. These were the results:
To create these I used the opacity tool, this increased the transparency of the top image, allowing for the lower image to be seen more clearly, creating the desired effect. I then used the paint tool to rub out the excess parts of the image to match the shape of the subjects face, making it seem more realistic.

 

Studio Shoot #2

For this shoot I decided to experiment with a broader variety of lighting types and techniques from my previous shoots within the studio. I wanted to use a variety of filters like red and yellow to allow for more dramatic effects on the subjects.
I also wanted to switch between monochrome and the portrait settings when taking photos to allow for a greater contrast between the lights and darkness of an image. This would allow for a more sinister look when produced due to the emotionless expressions of the subject.
Before the shoot I wanted to create a mind map of the ideas towards this, so that I would have an idea of what and how to take the photos of both subjects.
From there I decided to carry out the shoot, these were my results:
From here I selected the top ten image from the entire shoot, this would make it easier for me to narrow it down to the final image that I deemed best from the shoot. These were the images I selected:
I chose these image because of the composition, lighting and color. I particularly liked the effect created by the shadows behind the subjects, allowing for an emphasis on certain features. What I then wanted to do was narrow the selection down once again to pin point the top five images out of the batch. These were the images I selected:
I chose this image due to how I liked the obviously contrasting shadows from the subjects face, which highlighted particular features. I also found that the huge shadow on the left of the image balanced the photo as the composition of the subject was equally divided onto the other side of the image itself.

What I liked about this image was once again the contrast between the light and dark of either side of the subjects face. Whilst the darkness of the hair added depth into the image, allowing it to be more visually pleasing. The right eye of the person is centered in the top right of the rule of thirds, this allows the viewers gaze to drift almost immediately to the eyes.
I chose this image because of the composition of the subject compared to the rest of the picture. The fact that the person's head lined up once again with the rule of thirds, helped make it aesthetically pleasing.
What I loved about this image was the obvious difference between the light and dark on either side of the face. This to me compared with the light backdrop allowed for a clear definition to the face, drawing out certain feature above others.
Finally I chose this image due to how I liked the link back to the theme of identity in previous shoot, based around idea of blinded by identity. From this I found the darkness provided on one side of the face allowed emphasis towards this, creating a more mysterious tone.
Finally I brought the pictures down to a one photo that I viewed as the most effective out of the selection. This was the image I chose as my final picture:
This was my favourite image because of the composition, lighting and shadowing. I found that the clear contrast between the light and dark of the face and backdrop, allowed for the image to be perfectly balanced, with the dark left side of the face adding definition to the overall piece.

Identity Photography

In this post I will be exploring photography based around the idea of identity loss. I will be looking at the perspectives that we see people in, including the issues that many have to deal with. 
Here are some example of this type of photography:
In response to this I wanted to have a go at trying to create images based around this theme, using images taken by me which I could manipulate into these designs. These were my outcomes:
I explored a variety of techniques such as liquify, layering and separation. This allowed me to have the effects desired as I was able to manipulate the facial features of the subject, which can be related to the theme of missing or lost identity within yourself.
Liquify:
Layering:
Inside:

Tableau Photography

What is tableau photography?

Tableau is the French phrase for 'living picture'. Before photography was a thing it was a popular past time to which people would recreate scenes from famous paintings at parties. These people would dress up and use props to make it as accurate as possible. As photography emerged artists such as Julia Margaret Cameron created fantasy scenes like Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere, which prompted a huge interest in the art form. However this form of photography fell out of fashion with the introduction to realism.

Some of Julia Cameron's work can be seen below:
As seen in her work, she wanted to focus on how the photos were meant to recreate paintings in an innovative and creative way not seen before.
The 7 deadly sins were a popular topic when doing tableau photography due to each one having an important connection. These were Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. I could then link this back to how these all formed their own unique identity and change the individual for the good or worse.

Creative Portraits Homework-part 1

I first created a mind map of photographers that interested me and that I thought related to the concept of identity. The manipulation of paper and the way we perceive the photograph was also important when deciding which photographers I would take inspiration from when doing my photo shoots.

I tried to interpret his style by creating images by layering different sections from different cropped photos.I edited some of the photographs on photo shop and some by cutting the paper and physically sticking on the different angles of the face to experiment which way worked best. I found that the better effect was when i physically stuck on paper on the printed out face as the images edited on photo shop looked too artificial, whereas the stuck on photos looked developed and well experimented.

These are my two final selections that i have chosen to be printed and framed:

Some more examples of John Stezaker’s work:

John Stezaker’s work may, in several respects, be part of the continuity of the collage activities that marked 20th-century art, but they stand out in particular by the way they broach the construction of meaning.

Some experiments:  I tried to interpret John Stezakers work by editing photos onto images of my subject. I tried to select images that would make for an interesting photo and tried to connect lines in the attached photo to lines and sections on the original photos. For three of the images i edited my own photographs onto the image and the forth one i used a picture of an postcard I found online to interpret John Stezaker’s work the best i could as he used postcards in his photos, which i think is the most effective out of the four.

When experimenting with Brno Del Zou and John Stezaker’s work i found that my experiments did not have a clear meaning behind them and decided to explore more to find a different photographer more suited to my point of view.

Tableau, and Identity

Tableau Photography

Tableau is French for ‘living picture’ and is a style of artistic presentation. It most often describes a group of suitably costumed actors, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. By extension, it also applied to works of visual art including painting, photography and sculpture. The characters are arranged for picturesque or dramatic effect and appear absorbed and completely unaware of the existence of the viewer.

Sarah Jones, ‘The Dining Room (Francis Place) I’ 1997

The term was first used in the eighteenth century by French philosopher Denis Diderot to describe paintings with this type of composition. Tableau paintings were natural and true to life, and had the effect of walling off the observer from the drama taking place, transfixing the viewer like never before.

Related image

Sir John Everett Millais, Bt, ‘Christ in the House of His Parents (‘The Carpenter’s Shop’)’ 1849–50

In the 1970s, a group of young artists began to make large format photographs that, like paintings, were designed to hang on a wall. As a result these photographers were compelled to engage with the very same issues revealing the continued relevance of the tableau in contemporary art.

Image result for tableau photography

Identity

Identity is the way we perceive and express ourselves. Factors and conditions that an individual is born with—such as ethnic heritage, sex, or one’s body—often play a role in defining one’s identity. However, many aspects of a person’s identity change throughout his or her life. People’s experiences can alter how they see themselves or are perceived by others. Many artists use their work to express, explore, and question ideas about identity.