IDEAS AND INSPIRATION:

These are possible layout ideas for my final images which I selected previously. They range from full image layout, to cropping it parallel and arranging them with additional photos. I have a total of 6 images that I am able to combine and put into a layout. It will be a difficult arrangement as each image comes in a different format, some being more panoramic, some rectangular and some in a regular A4 or A5 format.

This is another possible layout idea which could work for my final piece, but it is difficult to determine whether this will be the right way to do it as the sizes of the photos are not relative to their actual sizes (A3, A4, A5). I like the overlapping of the images as they harmoniously blend into each other. The simple color pallet of all the images means that they can be easily grouped together without clashing or looking out of place, it also allows me to group the images without having to crop any of them which makes the whole process a lot simpler and easier.

These three images I have chosen to print are my favorite and most successful photos over the abstract project. My A3 print is a combination of three separate photos taken from the same shoot which was about exploring blur motion, focal points and negative space. The first photo situated on the left hand side was taken in the intention of having the plant  in focus and the background as blurred negative space as i wanted emphasis on the vibrant red and detailed stalk, as i felt the contrast between the dull murky background and the bright plant would fit well together. The second photo in the middle is similar to the first but I made it black and white, to match with Ralph Eugene Meatyard’s Zen Twigs work. ISO 200-39mm-1/50-ƒ/5.6, these were the setting I had my camera set to to take this photo, I ensured my camera has a middle focus, in order the capture as much detail as possible from the plant as well as being able to display that I can use negative space effectively within my photos. The third image on the left is completely blurred the background and the plant, this is also inspired my Meatyard’s work. I chose to place them in a repetitive structure to extenuate the similarities of the three pictures. I felt that the black and white worked well as a contrast in the middle between the colourful pictures.

My second print is a combination for two photos from my pre AS summer task. The shoot was inspired by Jan Groover an American photographer who was among the very best still life photographers since the medium’s invention. Her Kitchen Still Life photographs were first exhibited at Sonnabend Gallery. She received a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1979. In 1987, Groover had a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art which subsequently toured the United States. Her work has been exhibited and included in the collections of most major museums worldwide, and continues to influence a new generation of artists. Groover moved to France in 1991, with her husband, the painter Bruce Boice, who still lives there. I cropped both photos in order to focus on the detail in the pipes, the reflections from the natural light and the cobwebs. The layout of the photos are overall messy, which to me made sense as i was trying to recreate the work of Groover in which she focuses on catching things in the moment. In the two photos there isn’t a clear focal point, I want the viewer to be able to work there way around the photo as their are several different elements to them.

My final print is my favourite photo from my shoot which was inspired also by Ralph Eugene Meatyard but a different collection of his with is called ‘No focus’. Meatyard made his living as an optician. He was a member of the Lexington Camera Club and pursued his passion for photography outside the mainstream. He experimented with various strategies including multiple exposures, motion blur, and other methods of photographic abstraction. Two of his series are particularly concerned with focus and depth of field, both stretching the expressive potential of photography, film and cameras when looking within the ordinary world. My camera was set ISO 200-34mm-1/40-ƒ/5.6.  In order for this blur affect to be achieved the aperture must be wide (smallest f-value) so that the blurred area is harsher. A long focal length and a reasonably far distance from the subject would have also been techniques that Meatyard would have used. In all this photos of this particular collection he used a colour balance of black and white, which creates cold tone. The black and white goes well with the motion blur as it creates a mirroring effect for instance the people are walking, everything is fast pace and blurry, you can see no expression from anyone, this is similar to how there is no colour expressing the atmosphere, everything is gloomy and dull. I wanted this photo to be isolated as its own as I feel it was my successful over the abstract unit.