Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz, born in 1864, was an American photographer and art promoter who’s carer spanned across 50 years. Although Stieglitz didn’t study photography at collage, his became very successful in the photography world. He was known for the New York art galleries that he ran in the early 20th century, and regularly wrote for The American Amateur Photographer magazine. He won awards for his photographs at exhibitions, including the joint exhibition of the Boston Camera Club, Photographic Society of Philadelphia and the Society of Amateur Photographers of New York.

Analysis of Alfred Stieglitz’s work

The natural lighting of the image allows the natural repetition of the clouds to be highlighted in its most natural form. The brightest areas are the pure, white clouds that separate the darkness of the sky. It is difficult to tell if the light source of the image is the sun or the moon, as the photograph lacks colour, however as the clouds are visibly bright, I believe the photo was taken in daylight.

The clouds act as leading lines in the photograph, as they direct the viewers eyes from the bottom third, to the top third of the image. The organic lines are thick and random, which gives the image an unorganised appearance.

The thick lines of clouds create a pattern of repetition within the image. The scattered lines form an upwards direction for the viewer, it creates almost an echo effect as the lines begin to fade as the ascend.

Although the structure of the image is very organic and natural, there is a sense of geometric lines within the clouds, as the repeated lines are not completely curved.

There is a wide depth of field in the photograph, this suggests a smaller aperture has been used to take this photo, and because of the image having under-exposed lighting. A higher ISO may have been used for this photograph to achieve the pure whiteness of the clouds, and a fast shutter speed may have been used so the movement of the clouds is not captured.

The photograph displays a softer texture because of the clouds. The delicate curves in the clouds lack sharpness, which provides the softer aesthetic.

There is a wide range of tones between light and dark in this photograph even though the image is monochromatic. The varying shades of black, white and grey allow the extreme contrast of light and dark to be highlighted in the photo.

The lack of colour in the image provides a more vintage aesthetic, and further accentuates the juxtaposition between light and dark. This is also provided with the extensive range of tones between black and white.

The composition of the photograph is organic and disorderly, as the clouds provide their own, upwards path. There is no distinct shapes formed in this image, which makes it difficult to understand the composition. However the clouds coincidentally form line shapes which are messy, rather than purely straight.

My response to Alfred Stieglitz’s work

Photoshoot plan:

Alfred Stieglitz inspired photoshoot

The images in green, in my opinion, are the most successful for this photoshoot as they project the contrast of light and dark in the sky as Stieglitz did in his work. They also capture the patterns of the clouds and the warming colours of the sunset.

The photographs in red are the least successful from this photoshoot as they are either under-exposed, or they don’t capture the patterns of clouds as seen in the work of Alfred Stieglitz.

Photoshop developments

I believe my photographs share similarities with those of Alfred Stieglitz, as they capture the natural pattern of the clouds, as well as their bold tones. I used the black and white filter in the style of Steiglitz’s work, and then used curve and level adjustments in order to achieve the significant contrast between light and dark.

Jaromir Funke

Jaromir Funke, born in 1896 in the Czech Republic, was a leading figure in Czech photography throughout the 1920’s-1930’s. He was recognised for his work that focused on the use of light and shadows. He often used glass and mirrors to create patters and echoes in his unique photographs. During his career, Funke published editorials and critiques about photography. He became a freelance photographer in 1922 and two years later he, along with two other photographers, created the Czech Photographic Society. Jaromir Funke headed the photography department at the School of Arts and Crafts in Bratislava between 1931-1935, he then taught at the School of Graphic arts in Prague until 1944.  Funke later became an editor of the journal “Photographic Horizons” for several years. He published a number of works including “Od fotogrameuk emoci” which is understood to be his manifesto.

Analysis of Jaromir Funke’s work

The artificial lighting allows for the contrast between light and dark within the shadows and highlights. The lightest areas include the top corner of the paper and the light surrounding the shadows behind the paper. The lighting is rather harsh, as bold shadows are formed in juxtaposition to the illuminated shadows.

The lines in the image are straight and geometrical. The distinct edges of the paper cast organised and clear shapes into the background, these lines cross over each other and merge into one another.

It could be said that a repetition of line is used in this photograph, as there is a multitude of straight lines and shapes. However, these lines are not organised into a distinctive pattern. The shadows formed by the lighting could be seen as a form of echo in the photograph.

The shapes formed in the foreground image are geometrical, they form echos in the form of shadows onto the background of the photograph. The square-shaped mirrors form merged shapes in the background.

There is little sense of depth of field in the photograph as the whole image is rather grainy and slightly out of focus. However there is no difference in depth between the foreground and background, therefore the photograph has a wide depth of field. The image seems under-exposed, this suggests that a smaller aperture has been used.

Overall, the image tends towards darkness, which gives the image a gloomy aesthetic. There is minuscule range of tone between light and dark within photograph, there is no pure black and white in the image as the photograph has a slightly yellow hue to it, therefore the lightest tone is more of a cream colour rather than white.

There is no colour to this image. This allows the simplicity of light and shadows to be highlighted as well as the aspect of shape. However the artificial lighting provides a yellow-toned hue for the image, which gives the photograph a vintage appearance.

The mirrors in the photograph are organised so that their shadows blend into one another, creating a merged shape of the two. I would say the image is unbalanced as the mirrors are held at an angle, rather than straight on. The composition of the mirrors almost forms a pyramid shape as the mirrors lean against each other. There is no rule of thirds used in this image as the focal point of the mirrors is not central.

My response to Jaromir Funke’s work

Photoshoot plan:

Jaromir Funke inspired photoshoot

The images highlighted in green, in my opinion, are my most successful photographs because the mirrors/glass project contrasting, geometrical shadows onto the surface behind. They also capture the slightly discoloured hue of the lighting, which is seen in the work by Jaromir Funke.

The photographs highlighted in red are not as successful for multiple reasons. Some don’t capture the bold shadows that I wanted to achieve in my images and some are slightly out if focus, so the quality of the image isn’t as sharp as it should be.

Photoshop development

I believe I have recreated Jaromir Funke’s work successfully whilst adding my own style to the images. My images share similarities with those of Funke, for example the simplicity of the objects chosen in order to create geometric echoes and shadows. However my images have an almost yellow hue to them, because of the artificial lighting used. I tried to remove this by making the image monochrome, which is why I believe my last edit is my most successful recreation.