Creed’s work takes everyday objects, throwaway materials and playful subversion of familiar spaces and asks its viewers to divine meaning through the experience of their viewing. He uses familiar objects, materials, or actions in unusual ways, this includes arranging objects by size, height or volume to create sculptural installations.
His work contains a crumpled piece of paper, tightly packed into a ball. The piece evokes the possibility and anxiety of a blank page.
contact sheets
final images
I experimented with paper, light and colour to capture these photographs. I folded, scrunched and tore paper in different ways and tested strong and weak lighting to create different shadows and I reflected colours onto the paper. I like how these images turned out as they have a variety of light and dark tones, colour and greyscale, I liked capturing the different shapes the paper created.
I particularly like this image due to the different tones of black and white and how they deeply contrast against each other. I used artificial lighting to achieve the shadows and highlights and positioned the lighting at different angles to create sharper or weaker shadows. There is repetition in this image in the folded parts of the paper between the lights and darks. The positioning of the paper combined with its folds could represent an architectural structure of a sky scraper, this relates to how Creed uses familiar, every day objects to create sculptural installations.
First I opened the image and made it black and white, pressed select all and copied the image, then I adjusted the canvas size. I then pasted the image and flipped it horizontally, then I flattened the image, selected all and copied the image, adjusted the canvas size again and copied and flipped it vertically.
For this I experimented with folding paper in different ways and tearing paper to create different shapes and patterns. I then experimented with different lighting by using the flashlight on my phone to create different shadows. The shadows add more depth to the photo , it also creates contrast with the tonal difference between the light and dark. All the photos of the paper was taken up close to the paper so that u can see all the lines and shapes created from folding the paper in interesting ways. Taking the image up close also enhanced the shadows and depth in the paper. Also it created a sense of mystery as it was not so obvious that what I was photographing was paper as it looked more intriguing.
Stieglitz was an American photographer in the early 20th century. modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form. Stieglitz espoused his belief in the aesthetic potential of the medium and published work by photographers who shared his conviction.
Photos by Alfred Stieglitz – Patterns In The Sky
Photo shoot plan
For my photo shoot, I will carry it over a few days, in small chunks during the day. this is so then vary my outcomes as the clouds would have moved and created new patterns to photograph. I will take these photos in different locations, again to help vary the patterns and shapes of the clouds. For this project, I can carry out my photo shoot independently as I will not be needing a model.
Final Edits
original photos
For these photos, i uploaded them into photo shop and experimented with the exposure levels, brightness levels and contrast, this was to enhance the ripples and the texture i saw in the clouds to bring them more to life.
Final Photo
When I first look at this photo, my eye is suddenly drawn to the 3 similarly shaped clouds following a diagonal line through the photo, this is due the composition of the photo. When taking the photo, I used a fast shutter speed in attempt to capture the texture and liveliness off the clouds, a fasted shutter speed meant that there was no time for movement from the clouds. However, a faster shutter speed also meant that there was less time for light to reach the lens, this made the unedited version darker. To change this, I uploaded the brightness and contrast to lighten up the photo. I also increased the exposure as the unedited photo was under exposed due the high shutter speed and low lighting.
I especially like the contrast between the orange clouds and the blue sky. In this photo, the two colours heavily compliment each other, making the photo more visually appealing.
Ralph Eugene Meatyard (1925–1972) lived in Lexington, Kentucky, where he made his living as an optician while creating a wide variety of photos. Meatyard’s creative circle included mystics and poets, such as Thomas Merton and Guy Davenport, as well as the photographers Cranston Ritchie and Van Deren Coke, who were mentors and fellow members of the Lexington Camera Club. Meatyard’s work spanned many genres and experimented with new means of expression, from dreamlike portraits—often set in abandoned places—to multiple exposures, motion-blur, and other methods of photographic abstraction.
Frederick Sommer
Frederick Sommer (September 7, 1905 – January 23, 1999), was an artist born in Angri (Italy) but raised in Brazil. He earned a Masters of Arts degree in Landscape Architecture (1927) from Cornell University where he met his future wife Frances Elizabeth Watson (September 20, 1904 – April 10, 1999). They got married in 1928 and they had no children. The Sommers moved to Tuscon Arizona in 1931 and then Prescott, Arizona in 1935. Sommer became a citizen of the United States on November 18, 1939. In the 1950’s, Sommer began to experiment with camera less negatives. He drew with soot, dirt and grease on pieces of glass. Below you can see two images of Sommer’s, one of a very deep and vast landscape of Arizona which includes rocks, hills, small and large shrubs and many cacti. The image is focuses close but gets less detail as it goes further back in the photo. The second image is that of his experiments in the early 1950’s with camera less negatives on a piece of glass. It includes a very random but human touch as the light comes through the drawing he made on the glass.
My Ideas
My Finalised Images
My Favorite
I like this image the most because the vibrant colours of the paperclips go well with the plain wood background. I also like how the image turned out after editing it on photoshop. I edited the brightness down and the contrast up to bring out the colours. I also adjusted the levels, curves and exposure to give a glow and contrast with the neon paperclips. I finally edited the vibrance so that the background had a richer and warmer tone.
Ralph Eugene Meatyard ( 1925 – 1972 ) was an American photographer from Normal, Illinois, U.S. Meatyard’s work spanned many genres and experimented with new means of expression, from dreamlike portraits – often set in abandoned places – to multiple exposures, motion-blur, and other methods of photographic abstraction. When he turned 18 during World War II, he joined the Navy, though he did not have the opportunity to serve overseas before the war ended. Meatyard purchased his first camera in 1950 to photograph his newborn first child, and worked primarily with a Rolleiflex medium-format camera. He took up membership of Lexington Camera club in 1954, and at the same time joined the Photographic Society of America. Much of his work was made in abandoned farmhouses in the central Kentucky bluegrass region during family weekend outings and in derelict spaces around Lexington.
ZEN TWIGS
In this series of photographs, Meatyard has experimented with the different aperture settings on his camera in order to create the blurry background whilst still keeping the main subject in focus. The harsh black and dark tones of the subject contrasts to the white and brighter range of colours that can be seen in the background. Meatyard has avoided photographing rough and straight lines, instead choosing to look at the naturally occurring shapes that appear in the trees. This gives the images a softer look and feel, even though the contrasting tones could suggest otherwise. The blurred branches present in the background also adds to this effect. The fact that the main subject of the photograph is the only thing which is in focus draws the viewer’s eye to it, creating a focal point. Additionally, most of the subjects appear to be in the centre of the image, creating an equal amount of space on all sides, therefore making the photograph more aesthetically pleasing to the viewer’s eye.
I plan to take photos of the reflections on water at Bouley Bay and, in my sink the create bubbles in the water. There is also a small waterfall at Bouley Bay, so I plan to take photos of that using a long shutter speed to capture the motion in a blurred way, I might also do this to the waves and splashes on the rocks. I will need to make the shutter speed not to long, because it will be overexposed, as there is more light going into the camera, but it needs to be long enough to get the water as a smooth texture. I want to take the waterfall photo as it demonstrates my practical skills using a camera. I was inspired by Ernst Haas’ water and reflections photography.
Final Photos
This contact sheet shows my semi-good images. It helped me choose which images to choose as my final images. It is a method of sub selection.
The photo of the waterfall is my favourite, because it shows the silky smooth water, fall over the rock. It has a wispy texture as the shutter speed is longer, which allows motion to be blurred. I was difficult to take as I had to hold the camera still so I didn’t get any camera shake, as it would blur the image.
The photo of the rock with the water splash mid-air is also one of my favourites. The long shutter speed makes the water droplets have a trail whilst were falling. I had to time it so when a big wave crashed into the rocks; I had the camera pre-focused, then I would press the button to take the image as soon as the splash came above the rock. The sun created a lens flare, as I was shooting into the sun. It created definition to the water droplets as they became lit up which meant you could see each individual one clearly.
Ernst Haas was an Austrian-American photojournalist and colour photographer. During his 40-year career, he bridged the gap between photojournalism and using photography for expression and creativity. He was a photographer for many big companies such as Vogue, Life and Look. Haas received the Hasselblad award in 1986, the year of his death. Haas has continued to be the subject of museum exhibitions and publications such as Ernst Haas, Color Photography(1989), Ernst Haas in Black and White (1992), and Color Correction (2011).
The photos above are abstract but vibrant and have a strong reference to the human world compared to natural photography. Some of his photos contain a very strong theme of reflections showing the real subject of the image. Also he takes photographs with a low shutter speed letting in more light and visualizes motion. In my interpretation of Haas’s method of taking photos i will include colour paired with low shutter speed and reflection to show subjects of the image.
Contact Sheet
My Finalised Images
My Finalised Image Edits
For the image above, I slightly increased the brightness and contrast to give the image an extra warm glow. Finally I adjusted the curves slightly make the background slightly darker.
For the image above, I cropped the image so that the plate and candle in the middle of the frame (rule of threes). I decreased the brightness and increased the contrast so that the image is in contrast with the theme of darkness and light. It also gives the candle a starlike visual and a warm glow. I also increased the exposure and gamma correction slightly to make the subject of the image clearer and decreased the offset.
Fo the image above, I cropped it to be in line with the rule of thirds in the centre of the frame. I also increased the brightness and contrast to warm the light from the candle.
For the image above, I increased the contrast between dark and bright and increased exposure and gamma to make the line of light and the different colours distinguishable.
I cropped the image above to the rule of threes so that the lit up logo on the glass bottle was in the centre of the frame. I increased the brightness and contrast to bring out the outline of the logo and writing with a white light and a warm tone either side of the bottle.
I cropped the image above to the rule of threes so the plate and candle were visible and centred in the frame. I decreased brightness and increased contrast to bring out a very bright and warm set of colours that bring out the pattern on the edge of the plate. I increased the exposure and gamma to brighten and make the colours and light warmer.
For the image above I did not have to crop the image as I took it originally as a close up in the middle of the frame on my camera. I turned the curves down which made the tone and shadows decrease. I lastly turned the vibrance and saturation up to bring out the neon like colours.
For the image above, I didn’t have to crop the image as I believe it looks better from a medium shot distance. I turned the brightness and contrast up to bring out the bright colours. I also increased the exposure which really brings out the contrast between the neon blue and pink.
I cropped the image above using the idea of the rule of three to centre the subject. I increased the saturation and vibrance to bring out the glowing colours and make them contrast each other and the pitch black background.
Finally, I cropped the crystal to the rule of three and increased the vibrance and saturation to make the colours really ‘pop’. This is effective because the background is blurred and the camera when taking the image focused on the reflection of the canon logo on the camera.
Both photographers work in black and white. Both images were taken in the early 19’s. Harry uses repetition of lines and symmetry in his image , similarly Harry uses the repetition of the trees to create his effective image using objects.
Differences:
Harry would use commonplace objects and scenery for his focus in his photographs whereas Alvin was known for taking nonobjective photographs meaning he created the symmetry and lines himself. Another difference between the 2 photographers is Callahan chose a subject for his photos , photographed it for a while , left the subject and moved onto a different subject. Wheres Coburn focused on abstract photography and creating abstract lines and flattening the perspective to emphasise abstraction.
