What will I photo graph?

• beach
• sunsets
• trees
• dams

When am I conducting the shoot?

• evenings
• early morning
• sunset

Where am I working?

• green island
• sand dunes
• woods

How am I going to produce The images?

• cannon 600d
• photoshop

OUTCOMES, CONTACTS:

I think that my first shoot was successful, and I managed to capture a couple photos that I will be able to merge to HDR later in editing. However, many photos are out or focus due to strong winds. The photos from my contacts that are crossed out will specifically not be used in further editing stages, and photos circled will be. Any other photographs maybe used to create HDR images in editing later on.

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In this page of contacts I changed my plan slightly by stopping off at Le Pulec at the west of the island to take photographs. This was because the waves where rough and the cliffs provided great composition. The first couple of photographs taken are my favourite and I will use them in my edits. The second half on the photographs from this contact sheet do come from Plemont, following my original plan. However many of these photographs where not in focus and did not have a large depth of field.

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PHOTOSHOOT EVALUATION:

I think that my photoshoot was a success, however many changes could be made, for example the weather conditions where windier than anticipated, so many of the photographs where blurry or out of focus. I enjoyed using the different ISO setting to produce photographs with different exposures however I think that I could have changed the shutter speed to that the photos I took are in better focus and objects such as plants and bushes are not blurry.

SELECTED IMAGES :

Image 1:

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Image 2:

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The two images I chose where actually singular photographs with different exposures. Here are an example of using exposure bracketing from under to overexposed, these photos can be used to create a HDR image on photoshop.

Image 3:

Image 4:

CREATING HDR

During my first photoshoot at Plemont, I experimented with different ISO’s in order to be able to create HDR images in photoshop later on. I used a tripod to keep the camera still while changing the settings (ISO number) between different photos. The ISO’s ranged from 400 to 1600. Later, using photoshop, I automated 3 photos with different exposures; over exposed, under exposed and normal, into a HDR photograph.

The New Topographics

New Topographics was a term coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar banal aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape…

The beginning of the death of “The American Dream”

Many of the photographers associated with The New Topographics including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Nicholas Nixon and Bernd and Hiller Becher, were inspired by the man-made…selecting subject matter that was matter-of-fact.

New Topographics inspired by the likes of Albert Renger Patszch and the notion of The New Objectivity

Parking lots, suburban housing and warehouses were all depicted with a beautiful stark austerity, almost in the way early photographers documented the natural landscape. An exhibition at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York featuring these photographers also revealed the growing unease about how the natural landscape was being eroded by industrial development.

The New Topographics were to have a decisive influence on later photographers including those artists who became known as the Düsseldorf School of Photography.

History and Theory

1. Research and explore The New Topographics and how photographers have responded to man’s impact on the land, and how they found a sense of beauty in the banal ugliness of functional land use… 
2. Then : create a blog post that defines and explains The New Topographics and the key features and artists of the movement.
3. ANSWER : what was the new topographics a reaction to?
4. Choose from…ROBERT ADAMS, STEPHEN SHORE, JOE DEAL, FRANK GOLKHE, NICHOLAS NIXON, LEWIS BALTZ, THE BECHERS, HENRY WESSEL JR, JOHN SCHOTT ETC to write up a case study that will inspire your own photography.
5. Analyse some key imagery carefully and show your understanding of the  TECHNICAL / VISUAL / CONCEPTUAL AND CONTEXTUAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE IMAGES YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO DISCUSS

Practical Responses…

1. Here are some other suggestions that may stimulate your imagination  and provide starting points for YOUR OWN photo-assignments THIS WEEK…
2. Scrapyards, building sites, cranes, restoration yards, derelict ruins, car parks, underpass, harbours and dockyards, industrial centres, retail parks
   • Stadiums, floodlight arenas, staircases
   • Motorways, road systems, railways, runways, dockyards
   • Circuit boards, pipework, telephone poles, towers, pylons, skyscrapers
   • Shop displays, escalators, bars, libraries, theatres and cinemas
   • Gardens, parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, man-made beaches
3. Possible titles to inspire you and choose from… Dereliction / Isolation / Lonely Places / Open Spaces / Close ups / Freedom / Juxtaposition / Old and new / Erosion / Altered Landscapes / Utopia / Dystopia / Wastelands / Barren / Skyscapes / Urban Decay / Former Glories / Habitats / Social Hierarchies / Entrances and Exits / Storage / Car Parks / Looking out and Looking in / Territory / Domain / Concealed and Revealed

Urban Photoshoot Due Date Wednesday 23rd October

150-200 images that reflect your understanding of The New Topographics ( reference at least 1 x artist)

You may choose to focus on areas that have a direct link to Occupation / Liberation

Look at how the New Topographics approach has inspired landscape photography and the way we document our surroundings / the way we are using and transforming the land.

You should look at photographers such as…

• Joel Sternfeld
• Gabriel Basilico
• Andreas Gursky
• Edward Burtynsky
• Richard Misrach
• Sze Tsung-Leong
• Thomas Struth
• Peter Mitchell
• Paul Graham
• Donovan Wylie
• Ed Ruscha
• Rut Blees Luxemburg

Research a selection of these photographers and respond with…

• similar imagery from your own photo-shoots / image library
• analytical comparisons and contrasts
• a presentation of final images

Stephen Shore, Beverly Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California, June 21, 1975, 1975, chromogenic color print

Analysis and discussion… starting points and key features of The New Topographics

• Foreground vs background | Dominant features
• Composition | low horizon line | Square format
• Perspective and detail / cluttering
• Wide depth of field | Large Format Camera
• Colour | impact and relevance
• Nationalism vs mobility vs isolation
• Social commentary | The American Dream ?
• An appreciation of the formal elements : line, shape, form, texture, pattern, tone etc

Remember to use this

Follow this 10 Step Process and create multiple blog posts for each unit to ensure you tackle all Assessment Objectives thoroughly :

1. Mood-board, definition and introduction (AO1)
2. Mind-map of ideas (AO1)
3. Artist References / Case Studies (must include image analysis) (AO1)
4. Photo-shoot Action Plan (AO3)
5. Multiple Photoshoots + contact sheets (AO3)
6. Image Selection, sub selection (AO2)
7. Image Editing/ manipulation / experimentation (AO2)
8. Presentation of final outcomes (AO4)
9. Compare and contrast your work to your artist reference(AO1)
10. Evaluation and Critique (AO1+AO4)

This week we will be looking more closely at the concept of altered landscapes.

You will be developing a set, sequence or group of final images to print and display

You can choose from natural, romanticised, urban and altered landscapes for your final outcomes

You may choose to employ a range of creative techniques (digital and traditional) to create your environments…

• Photographing changed, changing or altered landscapes
• Creating altered landscapes by combining a range of images in Adobe Photoshop
• Explore panoramic landscapes
• Using cut-n-paste techniques and printed matter (from photos, magazines, print-outs, newspapers etc)

You may already have a range of suitable images to start your designs…but will need to conduct a range of photo-shoots to ensure that you have enough high quality images to work from:

Here are some examples to help inspire your ideas…

Paint directly onto photographs, as in these works by Gerhard Richter:

Combine paint and photographs digitally, like Fabienne Rivory‘s LaBokoff project:

Overlay multiple photos from slightly different angles, like these experimental photographs by Stephanie Jung:

Cut out shapes and insert coloured paper, as in these photographs by Micah Danges:

Make an photography collage using masking tape, like Iosif Kiraly:

Photograph a single scene over time and join the pieces in sequence, like these composite photographs by Fong Qi Wei:

Inset scenes within other scenes, as in these photographs by Richard Koenig:

Take close-up, tightly cropped scenes, creating abstract photography from surfaces and pattern, like these works by Frank Hallam Day:

Experiment with slow shutter speeds at night, blurring lights, as in the abstract ‘Sightseeing Tunnel’ series by Jakob Wagner:

Essential Blog Posts This Week…

• Research Altered Landscapes…
• Develop a Case Study about a chosen photographer (plus analysis of a key image)…show how this has inspired your final ideas and process
• Your images, process, editing, selection, final outcomes and evaluation

Click this link below for more resources…

Remember to follow the 10 Step Process and create multiple blog posts for each unit to ensure you tackle all Assessment Objectives thoroughly :

1. Mood-board, definition and introduction (AO1)
2. Mind-map of ideas (AO1)
3. Artist References / Case Studies (must include image analysis) (AO1)
4. Photo-shoot Action Plan (AO3)
5. Multiple Photoshoots + contact sheets (AO3)
6. Image Selection, sub selection (AO2)
7. Image Editing/ manipulation / experimentation (AO2)
8. Presentation of final outcomes (AO4)
9. Compare and contrast your work to your artist reference(AO1)
10. Evaluation and Critique (AO1+AO4)

Psycho-geography is a hybrid of photography and  geography that emphasizes playfulness and “drifting” around urban environments. It has links to the Situationist International.

Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by Guy Debord as “the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals.”

Another definition is “a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for exploring cities… just about anything that takes pedestrians off their predictable paths and jolts them into a new awareness of the urban landscape

The originator of what became known as unitary urbanism, psychogeography, and the dérive was Ivan Chtcheglov, in his highly influential 1953 essay “Formulaire pour un urbanisme nouveau” (“Formulary for a New Urbanism”).

It has roots in Dadaism and Surrealism.

The idea of urban wandering relates to the older concept of the flâneur, theorized by Charles Baudelaire…and is similar to STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

PETAPIXEL definition of PsychoGeography CLICK HERE

What will you see on your journey…and how will  you respond and adapt to it ???

Koyaanisqati : Drawing its title from the Hopi word meaning “life out of balance,” this renowned documentary reveals how humanity has grown apart from nature. Featuring extensive footage of natural landscapes and elemental forces, the film gives way to many scenes of modern civilization and technology.

Superflux : explore over-surveillance and the prospect of intrusion in our everyday lives…has the concept of psycho-geographies evolved into something dystopian-like and Orwellian (1984- “Big brother”)…governments, town planners and the authorities design how we live, where we live and essentially control popluations of towns and cities.

Marcus Desieno creates de-humanised landscape photography by hacking surveillance camera networks…but avoids privacy problems normally associated with urban and residential areas…

What you need to do…(3-5 blog posts)

1. Research thenDefine, describe and explain what Psycho-Geography is…
2. Choose an (urban) area of Jersey that you are interested in exploring
3. Find the area on google maps and zoom in so that you can make a screen shot to add to your blog post.
4. Add the “street view” too if you can
5. Find as much information and images online as you can about the street / area you are exploring and include these in your blog post
6. Add any archival information that you can too (see below)
7. Then go to the area and explore on foot…photographing everything you can, and all that appears of interest to you at that time. Photograph up, down and across…creating a film or time-lapse is good too as is drone footage / imagery…
8. Record the time, date and place of your journey in your blog post
9. Add any thoughts, feelings or emotions you can about the place your are exploring…and as you develop a connection and familiarity with the place/ people / buildings etc.
10. Refer to Mishka Henner and Edward Burtynsky (aerial photographs) and The Boyle Family in your blog post…and discuss how they interact with an area and create art / photography inspired directly by the location and its uses / functions.
11. Analyse and evaluate your process…show your selection, editing and presentation of final images.

Using Photo-Archives

In the course of daily life, individuals and organizations create and keep information about their personal and business activities. Archivists identify and preserve these documents of lasting value.

These records — and the places they are kept — are called “archives.” Archival records take many forms, including correspondence, diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and moving image and sound recordings. All state governments as well as many local governments, schools, businesses, libraries, and historical societies, maintain archives.

Your task

The images above are Archival Images from iconic areas of Jersey…and these areas have changed over time.

• Find archival images that correspond to your own landscape photography and contrast and compare. Include any info you can find about the image itself / photographer / time period etc
• OR…you may find that you are intrigued by a particular landscape image and want to respond to it and create a comparison / composite image. For this you must conduct a photo-shoot aiming to document the area from a similar viewpoint and edit your images accordingly
• OR…you may want to explore the concept of JUXTAPOSING Old and new buildings / parts of Jersey…either by photographing them in situ, or creating a composite image using photoshop

Public archives in Jersey

Jersey Archives:  Since 1993 Jersey Archive has collected over 300,000 archival records and it is the island’s national repository holding archival material from public institutions as well as private businesses and individuals. To visit click here

Jersey Archive can offer guidance, information and documents that relate to all aspects of the Island’s History. It also holds the collections of the Channel Islands Family History Society.

Societe Jersiaise: Photographic archive of 80,000 images dating from the mid-1840s to the present day. 35,000 historical images in the Photographic Archive are searchable online here.

Societe Jersiaise also have an extensive library with access to may publications and records relating to the island’s history, identity and geography. Click here

Archisle: The Jersey Contemporary Photography Programme, hosted by the Société Jersiaise aims to promote contemporary photography through an ongoing programme of exhibitions, education and commissions.

The Jersey Evening Post Archives CLICK HERE

The Archisle project connects photographic archives, contemporary practice and experiences of island cultures and geographies through the development of a space for creative discourse between Jersey and international practitioners.

Link: http://www.archisle.org.je/

Extension Task

• Research and explore how Lewis Bush  engages with and photographs the city and its development  / over-development.
• Click  here to check out an interview as he explains how he uses aerial / satellite imagery to home in on secret data stations used in the Cold War and produce abstract imagery influenced by the radio waves of secret information being mysteriously broad-casted.

APERTURE refers to the opening of a lens’s diaphragm, which allows light to pass through the camera. It is calibrated in f/stops and is generally written as numbers like 1.4, 2, 2.8 etc. The higher the f/stop, the less light is allowed to pass through the camera.

DEPTH OF FIELD refers to the distance between the nearest and the farthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus in an image. The depth of field can be calculated based on focal length, distance to subject, the acceptable circle of confusion size, and aperture. The more depth of field, the more focused the camera is to the foreground and the more blurred the background is.

Shoot 1-

Shoot 2-

Explanations for some images-

Humans vs Cameras: 

Simultaneously, the human eye can detect and process a larger range of light than any camera could at a single exposure. Longer/shorter exposures and the combination of multiple frames can bring cameras, and the images they produce, up to the similar complexity of the human eye and in some cases, can even have an advantage over human eyesight. 

Definition: 

Bracketing is the process of photographing a group of the same image, changing a single setting (such as exposure) for each shot. This can result in a range of images like the ones below 

Why?: 

This process can prove to be extremely useful in photography as the range of images provides the option to choose which exposure worked the best in the image or to even combine them together, creating a photograph with ‘high dynamic range’, otherwise known as HDR images that typically have a large tonal range. 

How?: 

(manually) 

Exposure bracketing is typically carried out by adjusting the shutter speed of the camera, which in turn allows more or less light through the lens when taking the image. Manually, exposure bracketing is best achieved with the use of a tripod due to the risk of camera shake when using a slower shutter speed, which can result in blurry images. Tripod also make sure the camera’s view is static, preventing trouble later if you want to combine frames 

HDR: 

HDR can be done in using various software, such as Lightroom, Photoshop or other third-party software. A benefit of using HDR is that it’s a fast process, allowing for the completion of bulk work at a fast rate. It also involves the technique of ‘tone mapping’, which allows you to control the range of shadows and highlights. Landscape photographers often rely on and benefit from HDR. However, if HDR is done incorrectly it can result in images that look harsh with garish colours. The finished product may also be lower quality than images produced through compositing. 

Compositing: 

Compositing produces images that are much more realistic, high quality and provides more control over the range of tones within the image. A downside is that it’s extremely time consuming and requires a basic understanding of layers and layer masks. 

TECHNICAL

Adams uses grayish colours ranging from deep, dark blacks to more forgiving natural whites as was created with help of his own light grading system in order to implement a grey-scale image. He uses natural lighting extensively, accompanied by a high tonal range to present a highly contrasted image that highlights the darker areas with use of low exposure, however still retaining detail throughout the image, even in the dark shadows as a result of the dull, overcast skies above.

This contrast/tonal range as perceived in the photo helps add an intense, fierce tone, adding to the idea of the mountains seeming rather formidable which in turn gives the landscapes an austere and intimidating perception, helping demonstrate its size and beauty to the observer effectively. The high tonal range additionally causes the sunlight reflecting off the river to stand out due to its bright grayish colour, as well as the abrupt increase the shadows in the dark rock on the mountains and the darker trees in the foreground which create this extraordinary contrast.

To achieve this, he has most likely used a tripod to help keep his photos stable in order to avoid blur and loss of focus in his images, which we can see has worked wonders. As well as this, he probably used a slow shutter speed in order to capture the significant detail and to be able to focus the entire image with both the foreground and background being of high resolution, creating the high tonal range that can be distinguished here.

VISUAL

This image has a plethora of different textures as can be observed from the bright, glimmering water in the river to the dark, rugged, hard rock mountain range in the background as well as the trees and scrub-land which subtly break up the contrast. Furthermore, the overcast skies made up of grey clouds, just like the trees, create a balance of colour and shades throughout the image and is a perfect example of the theme of nature and its beauty which is what Adams as well as many other romanticist photographers strove to photograph.

CONCEPTUAL

The ideals of Romanticism in art and photography are that nature is powerful, beautiful and unpredictable. This is highlighted by the sky with occasional breaks where sunlight pierces through as well as the angelic light coming from behind the mountain, which imposes over the whole scene and creates a sense of superiority, emphasizing it’s bold and striking appearance.

CONTEXTUAL

In context, Adams himself spent a large portion of his life taking photographs in the West of America, especially in Yosemite and other parts of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. This was the core to what inspired him to excel in his photography, representing the untouched landscapes and the power of nature found in these places through his unique photography and his desire to show others, as best he could, the true essence and awe he felt when in such areas by capturing what he saw through his very own eyes.

Adams was also the co-founder of Group f/64 for which he invented the Zone System, (a technique of translating light into specific densities onto negatives and paper), giving photographers better control over their finished photographs. Adams is also known for promoting the idea of ‘visualization’, in which the photographer ‘sees’ in their mind’s eye the final photo before it is taken. This helped the photographer to achieve all of their desired aesthetic and mechanical effects in his photography as outlined previously.