I decided to edit 3 of my favourite photographs from the MINOR WHITE inspired photoshoot, to look similar to his.

photograph one

When editing this photograph, I changed the levels to enhance the blacks, midtones and lights. I did this because MINOR WHITES photographs have intense contrasts, which is caused by dramatic blacks and whites. I then decreased the saturation, could make the photograph black and white. Overall I find this photograph to be very similar to one of MINOR WHITES photographs (shown below), which was what I wanted.

I see these 2 photographs to be similar, because of the light obtruding from the clouds and how it scatters is captured in both mine and WHITES photograph. Also both photograph have intense contrasts too.

photograph two

When editing this photograph, I also changed the levels to dramatise the darks and lights. I made sure that when I changed the levels of the photograph that I didn’t over-expose it or under-expose it either. I balanced the levels so that the photograph looked just right, and that the same structure of the clouds were kept too. I then also decreased the saturation to create a black and white look. Even though MINOR WHITE did not take photographs solely of clouds, I still feel it was inspired by WHITE, because of how dramatic it looks.

photograph three

When editing this photograph, I yet again changed the levels, meaning I could select either the darks, midtones or lights and individually change them to benefit the aesthetics of the photograph. If I were to edit this photograph again, I would definitely increase the lights to make sure that all tones were included, which would make it even more similar to WHITES photographs. I then decreased the saturation to turn it into black and white.

I took some photos on manual focus, with the aperture priority setting. I worked on changing the depth of field and focusing the camera on the items I wanted to be clear and in shot. I also started to change the white balance too, on the last photographs. The white balance affects and changes the colours and tones of the photographs, either making them cooler or warmer.

contact sheet

favourite outcome

I like how the light hits on the metal pieces and how the background has blurred, meaning the draw stands out for the viewer.

white balance example

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In the photos above you can see that they all have different white balances. Picture 1, was taken on auto white balance, so it white mainly. Picture 2, was taken on a greener white balance, so it is greener than picture 1. Picture 3, was taken on a warmer white balance, so it has an orangery cast.

From the contact sheets below I selected 7 photos that I think turned out the best and edited them. I also selected 3 photos that I think related to the photographer I was inspired by, MINOR WHITE, and edited them to look similar to his.

what will i photograph?

• new and modern houses
• the destructive behavior of humans
• building sites

when am i going to take the photographs?

• during the day, in broad and bright light
• sunset

where will i take the photographs?

• st ouens beach
• town centre
• portlet

why am i designing this photo shoot in this way?

I have decided to design this photo shoot in this way, as i am inspired by how new and modern buildings juxtapose with the natural beauty of their surroundings and the way their unusually harsh edges contrast with the freeness of nature. If i can capture these photos well, i think they will look interesting an similar to NICHOLAS NIXONS photographs.

how am i going to produce these images?

I am going to use a PANOSONIC G1 with a 45-200 lens.

Photographers I like:

• Gabriel Basilico
• Sze Tsung-Leong
• Thomas Struth
• Ed Ruscha
• Rut Blees Luxemburg

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I enjoy of these photos, as I like the way they are taken, in the sense that they are very observational and more for documentation, and not very creatively taken. In the sense that they were taken for documenting than being taken for being aesthetically pleasing.

who and what do THE NEW TOPOGRAPHICS do?

THE NEW TOPOGRAPHICS was started by a group of 10 photographers, who are inspired by nature and how it is impacted by man and man-made structures. The group staged an exhibition of all their work which was inspired by the idea of man controlling nature. They have shifted away from the idea of romanticism and traditional landscape photography. They tend to capture everyday scenes, such as car parks and industrial spaces, which contrasts to the photograph MINOR WHITE takes.

the photographers part of THE NEW TOPOGRAPHICS

Robert Adams

 Lewis Baltz

Bernd and Hilla Becher

Joe Deal

Frank Gohlke

Nicholas Nixon

John Schott

Stephen Shore

Henry Wessel

QUESTION: WHAT DID THE NEW TOPOGRAPHICS RESPOND TO?

They responded to how man made and industrial aspects have taken over the natural world.

who is MINOR WHITE and what does he do?

MINOR WHITE was born in America in 1908 and died in 1976. WHITE was a photographer, who took black and white photographs of, landscapes, people and abstract objects. When he died he was hailed as Americas greatest photographer. During WW2, WHITE served in the US army. After the war he moved to New York. Many times WHITE wrote a piece of text, to go together with his photograph, which he hoped would influence the emotions and mood of the viewer. In 1946, he moved to San Francisco, and worked closely with ANSEL ADAMS, and was inspired by his idea of visulisation. In 1952, WHITE moved back to New York and became the editor of the magazine ‘Aperture’. He then became a teacher in 1965.

my favourite pieces from MINOR WHITE

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I chose these as my favourite, because I like how the contrast of the photos. Each photo have interest and parts that I enjoy. MINOR WHITE has captured things I like to take photos of, which has really inspired me to go out and take photos similar to his, and use his style when I take pictures.

analysis of MINOR WHITES piece

technical

The lighting MINOR WHITE has used is natural, as he has taken the photo outside and has used no other artificial lighting. In this photo, the lighting is very intense in the top half, where the sunlight is peaking through the clouds. This particular light enhances the photograph and helps increase the contrast. MINOR WHITES photograph has, very dark darks and very bright lights, which is very enjoyable for the eye.

visual

This particular photo is captured in black and white, and allows for there to be intense darks and lights and therefore a strong contrast. In the distance, you can see the mountains which have a craggy and detailed texture, which also adds interest for the viewer. The light from above allows this texture to be seen. MINOR WHITE has composed this photo well, as he has got a foreground and background, which alludes to a 3D photo. WHITE has used the composition style called ‘leading lines’, which is seen in the river that leads the eye round the photo and towards the mountains and the light from above.

contextual

This photo contextually links to the time in which it was taken, in the sense that WHITE was inspired by nature and how beautiful it is, which contrasts with the time of the industrial revolution. This period of time was particularly important, as it was the time where nature was changed and industrial building were built, which changed landscapes.

conceptual

MINOR WHITE clearly wanted to capture a romanticised landscape that embodied the beauty and awe-inspiring sense of nature. The way WHITE has captured the photograph in black and white also links to the romantised landscapes too.

Below are the contact sheets from my first landscape shoot, in St Peters valley. I took photographs of the pond and the trees, as it related to the romanticised landscape.

what will i photograph?

• beaches
• trees
• rock faces
• skies
• sunsets
• streams

when am i going to take the photographs?

• early mornings eg. dusk
• early evening eg. sunset

where will i take the photographs?

• greve d’lecq
• greve d’lecq woods
• st peters valley
• st ouens beach
• mourier valley
• queens valley

why am i designing the photo shoot this way?

I have decided to take photos in these places, as this is what MINOR WHITE tends to take photos of, and I feel really inspired to take photos like WHITE. I have decided to take photos at those times, as they have the best lighting and will allow me achieve the best photos, which will be similar to MINOR WHITES.

how am i going produce the images?

I am going to use;

• panosonic g1 camera with 45-200 lens
• canon eos 1200d with 18-55 lens
• a mirror
• a tripod
• a wooden picture frame

what is aperture?

Aperture is defined as the opening in a lens through which light passes to enter the camera, measured in f-stops. You can shrink or enlarge the opening to let more or less light into the camera. Increasing the aperture, increases the overall exposure.

what is depth of field?

Depth of field is the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a photo that appears acceptably sharp. You can change the depth of field by changing the aperture.

contact sheet from shoot