Set 1 is focusing on the idea of being ‘frozen in time’, freezing a living thing in time so we can observe its current state for longer.
Set 2
Set 2 focuses on again preserving something so that it can last longer and be admired for longer.
Set 3
Set 3 focuses on the innocent deaths of rodents who can’t be preserved due to nature being its process at the moment of death, Hence why i wanted to capture them in their frozen moments so that the documentation of the death can be observed.
Set 4
Set 4 shows how both ideas are linked, and both reflect different stages of the life cycle.
Set 5
Set 5 reflects the disturbance of man and nature and how natures life cycle has been broken by man due to fly-tipping and miss-disposed rubbish.
Set 6
Set 6 again shows how humans have disrupted and abandoned a once cared for environment and left it to rot.
For all of these images, I took the same approach when it came to the editing. I increase the brightness and contrast in each of them, to lighten them up but also give them depth and shadows, and then changed the curves and exposure. I then went onto the vibrance, hues, saturation and colour balance and changed them all in the same way, increasing the vibrance significantly, the saturation only a little bit to add bit of a more intensity to the colour, brought the hues into the negative part of -15, and changed the colour balance to the number squence of 10, -5, -10, which in the end resulted out with the images i’ve come out with now.
A4:
To edit this image, I went to increase the colour dramatically. I added an extra layer and used the paint tool with the soft edged brush to add a little bit of orange in the middle of the image, which you can barely pick up when you look at it, but still makes a difference compared to the original image. I then increased the brightness, vibrance and contrast in the image, and played around with the colour balance, hues and saturation to get to outcome I have now.
A3:
After cropping them to my desired length, cutting out anything unnecessary, I went to edit them in the style of Paul Reiffer. To do this, I added extra layers on top of the original image and used the paint tool with a soft edge brush to add colours such as blue, purple, pink, orange and yellow. I then reduced the opacity low enough until I got my desired effect, and then merged all the layers down so it made one layer in total. I did this to add more vibrant colours to the images and make them stand out in a way which Reiffer’s work does. After this, I played around with the brightness, contrast, and vibrance, increasing them all and making the colours stand out more. I then changed the hues and colour balance, having the images have more of a blue, purple and yellow tint to it.
For my final response to the theme of Journeys and Pathways, I chose these images:
A5:
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I chose all of these images because I beleive they relate to the theme of Journeys and Pathways, and each of the places where these images have been taken have a history and have been through a journey. For example, the first image of the rock is from Corbiere, the lighthouse in Jersey, where a groundskeeper drowned while trying to rescue visitors who were stranded at the lighthouse when the tide came in. The second image is from The Sexby Garden in Peckham, central London, where the park was created in 1906 on land which used to belong to the last farm in Peckham. The third image is from Noirmont in Jersey, the floor where German soldiers walked over when they invaded the island and built their bunkers and cannon holders. And the last two images are from Grosnez castle in Jersey, which was created in 1330 to provide local farmers refugee from French attacks, but was mostly destroyed in the mid 1600’s. These images were inspired by The Boyle Family, who go around taking pictures of floors which seem interesting.
A4:
I chose this image alone because I think there can be much done to it which can result in an amazing final image. Although I wasn’t inspired by any photographer when taking this image, I believe that I could distantly relate it to the work which Mikko Largerstedt does. Although this image wasn’t taken at night, it does focus on the aspect of a pathway, which some of Largerstedt’s works do. With some editing and adding of colour and vibrancy, I believe I could relate it even more to his work.
A3:
These images were chosen because I think they were the best out of all the pictures I took for sunsets and sunrises. They both seem dramatic with the clouds and the colours, with the setting and rising suns hidden from view but their light still significantly visible in the images. I also think they’d work best with the photographer Paul Rieffer, who takes pictures of stunning sunrises and sunsets with amazing colours and views. With some editing, I believe I can replicate what Rieffer does.
To respond to The New Topographics, I went along Mojacar Playa a tourist resort located on the coast. I took several pictures of man altered landscapes so when I uploaded them onto the contact sheet I could select the best images to edit on VSCO. I wanted to show how the natural landscape was being eroded by urban development through my images.
Mojacar, in the province of Algeria is officially a desert region and is certainly an arid part of Spain. Mojacar was the perfect location to take pictures responding to The New Topographics since it has lots of white washed houses that have been constructed over the years. Lots of these houses have been constructed on or near natural features such as the beach and the mountains behind Mojacar town.
Contact Sheet
Final Outcomes
Evaluation
Overall I think my photoshoot for my first response to The New Topographics was successful since I managed to capture several images where nature and man made constructions are present in the same place. The pictures I have captured have a similar banal aesthetic to the photographers who were part of The New Topographics such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz. When editing the images on VSCO, I altered the saturation, exposure and contrast. I also added filters and increased the grain to make my images appear like film. Most of the photographs labeled “The New Topographics” were in black and white, so I decided to add b&w filters to a few of my final outcomes.
Jersey is where I have grown up from birth, it’s a beautiful place and I am thankful to call it my home. It may only be small, but it’s coastlines and beaches are breathtaking. As a person who lives on the island I believe I underestimate the importance of Jersey’s surroundings of water and I wanted to explore this as the first part of my final project. Jersey has been an island for approximately 8,000 years: therefore, apart from the last 60 years, the only way for people to come or leave the island has been by sea. Over the centuries the way in which boats have been powered has changed – muscle power, wind power, steam power and now diesel power. Being an such a small island means that the sea was once our only way of migration, transportation of goods and exploration, so it’s easy access to the sea is the only reason why it now has 166,083 people living on it and 726,800 tourists, although some of this tourism is now due to air transportation it’s crucial to note that this hasn’t always been an option and Jersey was a popular holidays destination before planes were easily accessible. Jersey luckily didn’t go through a fatal natural disaster, but it is similar in the way that it had to undergo masses of urbanization in order to make it’s place in the world of tourism. Jersey did it in a different way though, so far Jersey’s natural beauty hasn’t been affected to the extent of Thailand, but with an ever growing population and housing problem we could begin to ruin it. In conclusion I want to capture a series of photos of Jersey’s most popular and busiest beach (St Brelade), to emphasis it’s natural beauty, rather than it’s man made attractions. The beaches are the main influence of holiday makers and I believe as inhabitants we forget that. My concept links to the theme of journeys and pathways because it’s about how Jersey has gone ion this journey on industrialization throughout the years via overseas trade and economic development but the beaches have still to this day remained the islands most prominent features.
Mobile Homes, Jefferson County, Colorado, 1973, Robert Adams
The photograph splits a Colorado environement in two. On the top Adam presents an ominous mountain with clouds similar to the classic nature photograph, while on the bottom he captures the harsh edges of mobile homes blasted with sunlight. The contrast between the angular houses and the smooth edge of the mountains creates an obvious conflict between humans and nature. It is a site of interaction between humans and the inhuman. The photograph works to recognise the American West as a landscape scattered with human development rather than an untouched natural environment.
Landscape, Los Angeles, 1974, Frank Gohlke
Frank Gohlke deconstructs the viewers concept of landscape by depicting an empty parking lot in the foreground with only a glimpse of nature in the mountainous background. All together, the photo feels hollow with centred framing and a lack of human presence. Through the picture, Gohlke provides a negative view of the modern interaction between humans and nature.
Side by side these photos reveal certain aspects of the new topographic aesthetic. They move from a celebration of nature to a critique of humanity’s desire for expansion. At the same time, the images create a sense of despair in their subjects through straight on angles and centre framing.
Stephen Shore is an American photographer known for his images of banal scenes in the United States, and for his pioneering use of colour in photography. He was the only photographer part of the New Topographics who shot in colour. It seemed to increase the sense of detachment in his photographs of intersections and streets. Shore was influenced by Ed Ruscha, the conceptualist of California cool. He trained his lenses on the uniquely banal architecture that was along the roadside landscape.
Stephen Shore, U.S. 1, Arundel Maine, July 17, 1974
In this image the matching colours hold the image together: the red in the Pepsi sign resonates with the red in the “99 cent” hamburger sign. This picture shows the random and blunt effect of humans on the landscape, dependent on conveniences such as long distance communication systems and fast food. The abandoned telephone booth in the middle ground of the photo is one of the aspects showing how man has altered the landscape.
I have narrowed my final selection of images into groups of four, according to the theme into which they fit, all while still being related by the concept of journeys and pathways.
Set 1:
Set 1 is all about the harsh nature of time, and how we are eventually all forgotten. I wanted to use the idea of decay and deterioration to portray the just how insignificant we are really are as humans, and how there is nothing we can do to stop time from taking its course. However, I didn’t want to just go and find a dead animal and use it as a way to show the pointlessness of things in the grand scheme of time and space, etc. Instead I wanted to show the corrosion of something that should theoretically last longer than animals or people. I found that the abandoned tractor managed to convey a slightly stronger meaning and atmosphere of loneliness, even if it doesn’t give you the immediate visceral reaction of seeing a decaying animal.
Set 2:
Set 2 is much more focused around psycho-geography, and the notion of being constantly being watched by something or someone. It focuses on aspects of surveillance and security and the impact it can have. I linked the newspaper found in a hedge with the security cameras because at the angle the photo was taken from, with the main word visible in the headline being “convict”. The idea of being watched is also included as it is much easier to catch criminals due to the increase in cameras and technology, however I also wanted to highlight the impact that this new age of cameras can have on people that aren’t criminals. The idea behind the discarded coffee cup image is that all of your mistakes are recorded nowadays, and even the smallest things that you do in public will most likely be seen by someone or recorded, whether by a security camera, or a camera on a phone, once again showing how little privacy we really have in the modern era. My plan for framing this set it to gather a variety of small computer components (circuit boards etc.) and stick them onto the surrounding frame.
Set 3:
Set 3 is a slightly more overt way of looking at Journeys and Pathways as it focuses literally on the journey of a car going down a pathway. Yet despite how simple the idea is, it is a good way to visually show a “journey” as you can physically see where the car has been as it goes past the camera, and Because of this, light trails are great for literally showing a viewer the journey of a car.
Set 4:
Set 4 was inspired by the work of the Boyle Family’s work, specifically Mark Boyle, who created the group of images known as “The Ground We Walk On”. The concept is fairly straightforward, yet the images are so effective at showing something that we all interact with every day, but put very little thought into. The ground can show so much about the history of a place, with all of the small cracks in the side of a pavement to the small tire indentations on roadside lines, and to emphasize this in my images, I specifically went on this shoot while it was raining so I could get the most definition in different textures, as well as giving the images fairly flat and even lighting, without too many hard shadows.
Set 5:
Set 5 is another example of time changing the environment around us without people really noticing. For instance, the image on the bottom left with a small stream and sand banks either side shows this because there will never be the same formation of sand after the tide comes in. To contrast the freely changing sand, I also included images of Elizabeth Castle to show just how strong it is in comparison, even when the sea is at its strongest, the castle is not changed, yet the sea is still very slowly eroding the stone and rocks, which means in a few hundred/thousand years, the castle could start to lose structural integrity.
Set 6:
This Set of images was partially inspired by photographer John Davies and his work in taking pictures of heavily built up areas to show the repetition in modern life, and just how similar things that are “personal” are. I went on this shoot to originally follow the same style as Davies, but decided to put my own spin on it when I was editing. To show how small we are as people, I used a Tilt-Shift blur in Photoshop to create the sensation of a tiny model town that was taken with a macro lens. I found that this not only helped the images stand out more, but also helped to show how we think that we are in control, when in reality, there’s so much that can’t be controlled (just like how models in a model town are not in control)
Lewis Baltz was a visual photographer who became an important figure in the New Topographics movement of the late 1970s.
His work is focused on searching for beauty in desolation and destruction. Baltz’s images describe the architecture of the human landscape. His pictures are the reflection of control and power that human beings have. Like his contemporaries Robert Adams and Stephen Shore, Baltz focused his camera on architecture of tract housing, office parking lots and industrial parks.
Lewis Baltz documents the changing American landscape of the 1970s in his series, “New Industrial Parks Near Irvine, California”. The project’s 51 pictures depict structural details, walls at mid distance, offices and parking lots of industrial parks. Contrast and geometry are important in these pictures, but what makes them consistent is Baltz’s attention to surface texture and lifeless subject matter.
