For my second response to Luke Fowler, I decided to take pictures in Mojacar during the day as well as the night. When two images are exposed in one frame, the viewer is able to see the relationship between the juxtaposed photographs.
I captured images during the day under natural light and used flash photography for some of the night time shots when there wasn’t enough light source to capture the image. When returning to the same location during the night, I had to make sure that I was in the same postition to get the exact composition as the day time image.
On Photoshop I included a black frame that surrounds the pair of images to replicate Luke Fowler’s two-frame films. I edited the images on VSCO to create a film effect to replicate his photography style.
Evaluation
Overall, I think the side by side comparison of the two images in day and night was successful because you get to see the same location under different lighting. The black frame helps to link the two images together while the comparative images using different levels of lighting creates contrast to emphasise the juxtaposition.
In order to improve upon my technique, I would change the order of my photoshoot and capture the nocturnal images first of all. A number of my night time images weren’t clear due to inadequate lighting, blurring and the limited range of the flash. After capturing clear images at night it would be much easier to replicate the same composition during the daytime. Additionally I would ensure that I had a tripod available to maintain camera stability and reduce movement that made some of my photos blurry.
For my last photo shoot, in response to The New Topographic, I captured images of the mountainous landscape in Mojacar. However, in many images you can see how vehicles have destroyed the surface vegetation creating dry, compacted patches of dirt. Although the mountains and shrubs create a beautiful landscape, they have been partly destroyed by human actions. The destruction of the natural landscape links to The New Topographic because nature has been steadily degraded by mankind.
Like all the previous photoshoots in response to The New Topographic, the images have been edited on VSCO with filter and grain.
For my third photo shoot in response to The New Topographics, I decided to capture images in Stephen Shore’s photography style. He was known for his use of colour in photographs to increase the sense of detachment. Shore would often photograph intersections and roadside landscape.
I captured several images of the roadside landscape in Mojacar. All the images depict how man has altered the land by damaging vegetation and constructing roads. The combination of nature and urban development emphasise the concept of man having control over the landscape.
Once I selected the best images on the contact sheet, I downloaded them onto my phone and added the filter vivd warm because of the intense warm effect. This replicates Stephen Shore’s use of colour in his photographs and the film effect. The filter also intensifies the blue sky making the image appear vintage along with the grain.
Contact Sheet
Final Outcomes
Evaluation
My final outcomes have been successful because they reflect the control and power humans have over the landscape. The images depict a landscape altered by humans and reflect the growing unease about how the natural landscape is being eroded by urban growth. Works labelled The New Topographic show the relationship between man and nature through the photographic documentation of anthropogenic influences upon the land and scenes of suburban sprawl. The banal aesthetic can also be seen through the simple compositions of my photographs. The barren nature of the landscape in the southeast corner of Spain emphasise the monotonous uniformity of the urban features laid upon it.
I devised a plan for a shorter and slightly less developed photo-shoot based on following the journey of advertisement for a brand. I came to notice a range of stickers placed around the centre of town, and decided to document the stickers, as they all came from the same source (the same brand). I found that in doing so, I was able to record a story of the town, following the journey around town by following the stickers. As a 4th, admittedly less developed photo-shoot, I decided to include these images in order to act as a mini-project, as it links to the “Journeys & Pathways” brief by showing the pathway marked out across town by these stickers, which led me myself on a journey around town. In this way, this photo-shoot had a more personal touch to it, and due to the fact it was taken in a natural, uncontrolled environment, the variety of these images is broad:
After deciding which images I would be using in the final edit (I had to decide on 12 in order to make the 4×3 final montage), I used photo-shop to edit together the images, and finalize the piece:
In order to make the final image, I adjusted the hue and saturation of each of the images in order to make the colors extremely bold. I did this as a way to show continuity through each of the images presented (as they now all have the same colour scheme and style) and also used it as a way to draw maximum attention to the image, and allowing each individual image to stand out on its own, due to its individual overall hue. The final image is seen below:
these images match my chosen artists very well as well as incorporating my own ideas. the black and whites really bring out the line and shadows and are the most effective out of all my photos taken as the portray the emotion i want and match well with journeys and pathways.
I decided that I wanted to narrow down my 23 images that came from the contact sheet down as I didn’t want more than 10 images from this shoot.
The way that I decided which images to keep was if there was more than one image showing the same scene but either with small changes or a different focal point i would choose from them. I would also see some that might not fit the style of romanticism, this means some that are a bit dark and gloomy from the marshlands would be out.
Here are the images that I chose:
1
2
3
4 [portrait]
5
6
7
8 [portrait]
9
10
I selected image one because it was the best exposed image from the few that were taken in the mountain and partly because it has the large lens flares in the top section.
This image just has a nice composition and shows the beach and the sun without having too much going on within it so it doesn’t distract the viewer from the main focus of the image.
I used this image because it has the fallen tree on the top and another below it to create a kind of frame that draws the viewers attention to the center of the photo, the problem that I have is that is was quite dark and I had to use a wide aperture meaning that it doesn’t reflect Adams work amazingly but i still feel that it follows the theme of Romanticism.
This image is inspired by the work that Adams did with close ups of small things like flowers and pine cones, once again I have contrasted Adams work by having a relatively blown out background because it was dark and and I didn’t have space to use a tripod.
This image was taken with the intent of showing the reflection of the trees on the pond that was below it.
This image is the reverse of image 3 (looking through the same hole but the other way) it also has a different style of ‘frame’ as the ivy is drooping down into the center of the image. It also has a shallow depth of field so the background it not perfectly in view.
This image is taken to show the Romanticism in the sea and the coastline, I have achieved this by framing the rock in the front of the frame and having the rough sea and the waves crashing against the rock in the left of the frame. There is also a small development fault in the middle of the frame that can only be seen properly in print.
This image shows the drama in the sea and then there is a lot of detail in the plants in the bottom left of the frame there is also also of groups of rocks in the sea and there are some small development in the empty sea on the right of the image. At the top of the image there is a large area of light leakage which also follows onto the next frame.
In this photo there is a lot going on but the things that are happening are simple and nothing too over dramatic so there is a lot of subtle detail for the viewer to explore. Some of the aspects of the image are: two curved light leaks on the left, rough-ish sea, waves hitting the rocks, small development fault below the light leakage on the left and finally there is a small lens flare in the top middle section of it.
Once again this image shows the waves the rocks and some plant s but what sets this one apart is there is a large scratch in the middle right of the image it helps draw attention to the rocks and the waves. This was also taken with a high aperture so the rock in the front is in focus and sharp and so are the rocks in the distance where the waves are crashing.
Here I will be comparing and contrasting one of my own outcomes and one image created by Cindy Sherman as she is who I feel has influenced me most and would therefore be good to compare my work with.
Cindy Sherman’s History Portrait #209
My Image
Cindy Sherman’s work shows the three-quarter length, Italian Renaissance-style portrait as Sherman takes on the persona of the Mona Lisa. Wearing a 15th-century style Italianate dress, Sherman allies herself with one of art history’s most famous, iconic paintings. I can compare this to my photograph as I have generated an image where my subject takes on the idea and almost persona of Anna Nicole Smith who became one of the most memorable of the Guess Girls. For my recreation I tried to create a recognisable image when placed next to the original but with slight differences, the original is seductive almost and I wanted to place a young ordinary girl in as the subject to produce different ideas of the way women are represented to show my subject in a way that people would normally be against, this idea of sexualising young girls is thought of as bad however a professional model was and sometimes still is okay which is the ideas I tried to take on with showing this advert in a different way. For Cindy Sherman the photograph of her as the Mona Lisa is no true replica, the photo is meant to call to mind the original, without literally copying it which is a little different to what I have done which shows a contrast between my work and Sherman’s. This idea of not literally copying is that Sherman creates a mental distance between the real and the imitation just barely apparent, yet somehow haunting. One might say that Sherman suggests that viewers rethink their familiarity with the original and question how its conventions of depiction continue to condition the way that even we, hundreds of years later, regard every representation of the ‘female’. This is some of the ideas I was trying to put across and as comparing the two photographs can show similarities in the way that they are set out and the production behind them howver also shows the contrasts in Sherman’s work and my recreations in the accuracy in the way they are produced.
Below shows all of my outcomes that I have produced for this series I will be displaying my photographs on black mount board and on separate boards and have them as a collection series. This shows them edited and next to their outcomes and a suggested idea of the individual displays.
GAP 1994
This is one of my two outcomes for the 1990’s, I chose to do two for this era and then choose this specific ad as I feel it represents something different that was happening with the use of more diverse advertising slowly starting to come into play around this time especially for women. I feel this ad has a different tone to the other 90’s one it seems to be aimed at a different age of girls and I feel is showing something to do with the way advertising was developing for women and shows part of the journey that it was on.
I feel that my outcome was successful in that it looks like the original ad. At some points the image seemed to be turning too dull or too dark while editing howver I feel I found a good place and that the writing helps to enforce the ideas I have been trying to show of having a familiar face in an ad give you a different perspective maybe.
My Recreation
GAP 1994
Guess 1993
This was the second ad I chose from the 1990’s and I did this as it was the one era I found had one of the most drastic different types of ads and this was a good ad to represent that, the way that the original subject is lying it’s main representation is sexualising women with what minimal clothes she’s wearing and her position. This is a large difference compared to the GAP advert where the clothes are covering and it is more innocent compared to this which is why I chose those two as I feel it shows a large development and difference that was occurring only 2 years apart.
I feel my recreation is more successful with the full edits in place of the writing, before I think it was an okay image and recreations however it wasn’t perfect due to having the outfit difficulties of trousers and no heels however I feel this in a way does help to enforce that thought of real people, familiar faces in these ad’s and that can create a different reaction, this is what I feel makes this outcome successful.
My Recreation
Guess 1993
Rosie the Riveter 1943
I chose to do this recreation as it is one of the most famous ad’s or posters that I feel exists from this time even though it wasn’t at the time of it’s release I feel it has become a big symbol of strong females and feminism and this is why I chose it, the ad was produced only around the time when men weren’t there to do the work in the early 40’s and then wasn’t seen till feminism movements began and I feel that is important in how to think about how women are portrayed and at what times they are portrayed in certain ways.
I feel that this image was one of my better recreations and one of my most successful images with how it turned out in the camera originally and after editing, I feel it fits well with what I am trying to produce and show and the image works well. If to do it again I would have my subject more towards me however I do feel that it was one of my more successful photographs.
My Recreation
Rosie Riveter 1943
Balenciaga 1983
This ad I chose as I feel it is quite explicit in the era it is representing as the 80’s has quite distinct looks, for me this ad was saying and representing two things which is why I chose it: One that this was the starting decade of the working business women which is empowering but two, it also still has the tight pencil skirts the fitted waist and pouted lipstick covered lips which to me speaks that although moving forward had not moved away from this almost sexual representation which is why I chose this ad.
I feel that my outcome for this was good as it shows similar attributes to the original, I feel if done again I could turn my subject more towards me face on however I feel the tilt in her stand still makes the photograph work well.
My Recreation
Balenciaga 1983
Vogue 1939
This ad I chose as it was quite difficult to find something do-able around this era for me but as well out of those I found I felt this one stood out to me from the year that it was taken and how it looked, the ad was produced n 1939 the begining of the war and women were still being portrayed as having to make themselves up with makeup and I feel it shows a contrast how just 4 years on women were being pushed into overalls to work in factories which is why I felt this should be the ad from this era I recreate.
I feel my outcome worked well in the end with being a good depiction, although I don’t feel it is my strongest image I feel it still works well and has the elements it needs, I had struggles with props and the heights of chairs however I still feel that my image works well as a recreation and in showing the development.
My Recreation
Vogue 1939
Louis Vuitton Modern
This is my final outcome for my modern day recreations, I chose to incorporate this and this specific outcome as I feel it symbolizes something about how women are still portrayed and the role they have. Marilyn Monroe is not just a missed pop culture icon, she is a symbol of what once was seen as the ideal female and continues to be shown as sexual in the modern day by her facial expression and position in the ad. This is why I chose this ad as it shows how even though the journey of feminism has come far, older faces are still used in subtle ways in maybe not the way wanted.
I feel my outcome was successful and worked well with what I had and I am happy to include it into my final series with the last editing I feel it brings it together. I slightly enjoy how the bag and box I have used do not look similar to the ad as I feel it creates a statement as it doesn’t look as expensive and done up which is what is usually portrayed and I feel has turned a difficulty into a slight positive.
My Recreation
Louis Vuitton 2016
Mock Up Displays:
Below shows the mock ups of how I plan to individually present my outcomes as a collection and in a simple manner as I feel they look good and work well almost showing as display posters with just a frame.
