I’ve had a good look at all your work so far regarding the exam. Here are some suggestions about how to continue to develop your concept around flowers and there symbolism of feminity etc.
Research: artists references – to develop ideas
In the photo-archive at Societe Jersiase we have recently acquired a major collection from Roger Long and his wife which contains 26,000 images of flowers and fauna,
I can arrange with Patrick (photo-archivist) that you can come and have a look at some of the original colour transparencies (slides) They have digitised quite a few and you can also have a set of digital images to use in the project. It could be interesting to include – especially if you are making a photobook (see my comments at the end here)
In addition you should research and analysis (produce a blog post) with other images from the archive of early colour photography by Emile Guiton (founder of the archive) who experimented with the technology Autochromes and made images of flowers too. See more here and other ideas from blog post last year on still-life photography, esp point 3.
You can experiment with your digital images and try and adjust them in Photoshop to look like Autochromes, add grain, blur, change colour balance etc.
Experimentation:
1. Still-life: Flowers in vase.
Simple composition about shapes using chiaruscuro lighting (strong contrast in light/ shadows). Use window from the side both on strong sunny days and overcast soft light.
Shoot in colour and adjust for monochrome afterwards
Set up a still life studio at home using Black and White card as backdrop – see me in class for sheet
See Robert Mapplethorpe and Josef Sudek
2. Flowers in the landscape
Photograph flowers in the wild, gardens how you find them in nature, both close-up and also more open, wide landscape views
3. Cyanotype. With a selection of images already made produce a series of cyanotype prints. Buy a set of 20 prints online and experiemnt.
See former students Megan Woolsgrove who made a book. Again also experiment wit making digital cyanotypes using blue filters etc – see Megan’s work for more details
4. For presentation I think you should consider making another book with a careful edit of your images. See this new book by Zara Carpenter as inspiration you should be bold with using strong colours on some pages as background. Her images are made using polaroid chemigrams which ties in nicely with cyanotype which is also using chemicals
Hi Aimee,
I’ve had a good look at all your work so far regarding the exam. Here are some suggestions about how to continue to develop your concept around flowers and there symbolism of feminity etc.
Research: artists references – to develop ideas
In the photo-archive at Societe Jersiase we have recently acquired a major collection from Roger Long and his wife which contains 26,000 images of flowers and fauna,
See a few here on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMPtcUyDPvF/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMPrtuTjVZk/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMPlV8-jb6R/
I can arrange with Patrick (photo-archivist) that you can come and have a look at some of the original colour transparencies (slides) They have digitised quite a few and you can also have a set of digital images to use in the project. It could be interesting to include – especially if you are making a photobook (see my comments at the end here)
In addition you should research and analysis (produce a blog post) with other images from the archive of early colour photography by Emile Guiton (founder of the archive) who experimented with the technology Autochromes and made images of flowers too. See more here and other ideas from blog post last year on still-life photography, esp point 3.
https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo20al/2019/09/29/objects-planner/
Here is a pdf of a text written by Patrick and a selection of his images (flowers in garden and in a vase)
https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo20al/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/09/The-Autochromes-of-Emile-Guiton.pdf
On Autochromes in general
https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/autochromes-the-dawn-of-colour-photography/
You can experiment with your digital images and try and adjust them in Photoshop to look like Autochromes, add grain, blur, change colour balance etc.
Experimentation:
1. Still-life: Flowers in vase.
Simple composition about shapes using chiaruscuro lighting (strong contrast in light/ shadows). Use window from the side both on strong sunny days and overcast soft light.
Shoot in colour and adjust for monochrome afterwards
Set up a still life studio at home using Black and White card as backdrop – see me in class for sheet
See Robert Mapplethorpe and Josef Sudek
https://www.anatomyfilms.com/robert-mapplethorpe-flowers/
https://www.phillips.com/detail/josef-sudek/UK040112/85
For further experimentation with Sudek still life see this.
Photogame 7, extension 2
https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo21al/2021/03/10/photo-games/
2. Flowers in the landscape
Photograph flowers in the wild, gardens how you find them in nature, both close-up and also more open, wide landscape views
3. Cyanotype. With a selection of images already made produce a series of cyanotype prints. Buy a set of 20 prints online and experiemnt.
See former students Megan Woolsgrove who made a book. Again also experiment wit making digital cyanotypes using blue filters etc – see Megan’s work for more details
https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo19a2e/author/mwoolsgrove08/
Here are details of her cyanotype experiments/ photograms
https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo19a2e/2019/04/20/photoshoot-6-photograms/
https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo19a2e/2019/04/16/cyanotypes/
Here are details of different Cyanotype kits you can purchase on Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacquard-Cyanotype-Sensitizer-Kit-Langnickel/dp/B07XLS7BX1/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3VICV0BWUCAVR&dchild=1&keywords=cyanotype+kit&qid=1616407018&sprefix=cya%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=AUXFUVG4IDFKZ&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRFNaU0tPWkFVUVJYJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjA0MTYzMVdHMlpaSTU1Wk1NVyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUExMDE4MzYwRVVTVFdQVkdaTlFaJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baker-Ross-Print-Paper-print/dp/B00D3GS9EW/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3VICV0BWUCAVR&dchild=1&keywords=cyanotype+kit&qid=1616406967&sprefix=cya%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-8
– make artist references/ contextual links with Anna Atkins and her seminal book British Algae – considered first photobook
https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo19a2e/2019/04/27/photobook-analysis/
4. For presentation I think you should consider making another book with a careful edit of your images. See this new book by Zara Carpenter as inspiration you should be bold with using strong colours on some pages as background. Her images are made using polaroid chemigrams which ties in nicely with cyanotype which is also using chemicals
https://photobookstore.co.uk/collections/recent-arrivals/products/flowers-signed
See more of her work here with flowers
https://www.zaracarpenter.com/