Albert Renger Patzsch was a German photographer associated with the New Objectivity movement, a photography movement focusing on the detail of the world around us formed in Germany during the aftermath of the First World War.
The new objectivity movement believed that photography was all about capturing the vividness and detail of the world around them and presenting an object in its true form.
Patzsch worked as a press photographer for the Chicago Tribune before becoming a freelance photographer in 1923. In 1925, he published his first book, The Choir Stalls Of Cappenbourg and in 1927 he had his first museum exhibition.
Patzsch chose to focus upon both man made and natural structures and creations, from skyscrapers to animals while focusing on the reality and vividness of his pictures.
Patzsch focused a lot on the lighting and shadows of his subjects as well as the contrast and white balance.
Photo Analysis
FAVOURITE PHOTO
This image depicts a dead cow in a bleak wasteland,possibly an old battlefield. The cow is up a tree, potentially the result of a bomb blast The image is well structured due to the minimal background and the very un-ordinary image of a cow up a tree and the messages it can convey about life and death. The Photo has been taken in daylight against a clear sky and the photographer has angled himself in order to pick up on the shadow and the hills in the background.
My Response to Patzschs work
I decided to focus on the title of his book, Nature is Beautiful for my idea development and I chose to use the sea as my main subject due to the power of it as well as the natural beauty it posesses. Here are my best images from my most recent shoot
In each photo, I have experimented with different ways of emphasizing the sea and making it the subject. I have desaturated rocks, altered the white balance and enhanced blues across every picture in order to capture the vividness of the sea as well as its beauty.
