Both images show strong lighting from where the camera is pointing having a tonal range going from light at the front to dark at the back. Both photos use a fast shutter speed at the images are in focus and not blurry from movement, with Albertson’s and Metzker’s photos both use straight lines going across the photo of just making a rectangular or square shapes which all spaces are in a 2D layout making the image look flat. The photos produced by these photographers reflect the year/years these photos have been taken where Albertson’s image looks slightly futuristic whereas Metzker’s igmage looks old and in time frame.
Ray Metzker
Pictus Interruptus series, made between 1976 and 1981
Contrast
In Albertson’s photo he bases his image on colour whereas Metzker uses black and white tones instead, the focus of the photo in Metzker is behind the white lines focused on the wall which is the opposite to Abertson’s as he focuses at the centre at the front. With Abertson’s photo he uses set lighting which he prepares for his photos which is different to Metzker as he uses natural lighting and doesn’t adjust the scenery except with an object to put in front of the camera such as a piece of paper to change the boring streets into something that is irregular whereas Albertson doesn’t block the camera and focuses on one centre object.
Ernst Haas (left) “Black Wave” – 1966 / Nick Albertson (Right) “Rubber Bands” – 2013
Haas takes more identifiable images, for example, a zoomed in shot of horizontal ripples on the surface of the water to create an abstract scene, where as Albertson only takes extremely close up images, to a point where you can identify what the subject is, which makes the image more fascinating as you question what the image is of.
Both images are visually appalling, as they both use circles, which is a clam looking shape as the are no pointy corners or sharp lines.
The lighting is more noticeable in Haas’s image, as there is a lot more definition due to a high contrast in the tones, because the water is at different levels, as it is 3D. On the other hand, Albertson’s image uses a black background so it is hard to tell where the light is coming from and if it is natural or artificial.
The lines on Haas’s image are horizontal and angled at a 45 degrees from the light, to create highlights and shadows in the corners of the images. The repetition adds more depth as you and see the ripples behind each other. Where as, Albertson’s photo was taken from a birds eye view directly above all the rubber bands to create a frantic and rushed mood as all the lines overlap each other.
Both images have little composition, they have a “less descriptive, more creative” approach. Which means that the image is mainly based off of it looks rather that it background and history.
The technology was different in the mid 20th century compared to the early 21st century, which is why Haas’s image has a lower quality as they only had 10mm-40mm lens which is why it is a little bit pixelated.
Haas’s image uses a fast shutter speed to capture the motion in a still frame. It also makes the image a bit under exposed as it isn’t letting in a lot light in as the hole which lets light enter the camera is small and closed up. The image has a cold tone as the colour blue is the most dominant.
Albertson’s image uses a high aperture to keep everything in focus, which makes it more chaotic as there is more to focus on in the image. Additionally, he uses a low ISO to reduce grain to create a cleaner image.
Callahan’s primary subjects were landscapes, city-scapes, and varied, unconventional portraits.
Stieglitz pointed his lens toward the clouds above Lake George, New York. He eventually made more than two hundred photographs in the series he initially called Songs of the Sky and later Equivalents.
While both photographs are in black and white, Callahan’s image has a harsh contrast between a bright white and a deep black, compared to Stieglitz’s photo, where there is a range of grey scale tones.
Stieglitz attempted to awaken in the viewer the emotional equivalent of his own state of mind at the time he took the picture and to show that the content of a photograph was different from its subject, similar to Callahan who once said “The difference between the casual impression and the intensified image is about as great as that separating the average business letter from a poem,” in 1964. “If you choose your subject selectively, intuitively, the camera can write poetry.”Both photographers are implying how you view the image, emotionally, is very different to the subject of the photograph.
Both images are of natural forms in natural day light, both have repetition of the same natural form, Callahan’s being trees and Stieglitz’s clouds.
In Callahan’s photograph, the lighting is the same all over the image, compared to the lighting in Stieglitz’s image, where the clouds naturally create a darker shadow, then they break, letting a burst of bright sunlight enter the captured photograph and reflect against the lens of the camera.
When looking at these two images from afar, the biggest difference you will notice visually is that one is coloured and the other is not, however I chose these two images to compare because one clear similarity to me is when closer, you can see that both images have a similar flow to them. Both look almost as if they are flowing towards whoever is looking at the image.
They both have strong dark points however Ernst’s has slightly less contrast. There are clear shadows and highlights in these two images and they both look more ‘bunched up’ at the top of the image creating a depth of field.
Both images are a form of nature, Harry’s being some type of grass and Ernst’s being water. The different shapes, flows and shadows allows people to interpret different things about them.
A difference between these two images is that Harry’s is much sharper, the flow of the grass/lines is much thinner and stronger where as Ernst’s image, although flows in a similar way, almost shows motion blur and is a lot smoother.
Keld Helmer-Petersen was a Danish photographer who became very popular and internationally recognized in the 1940’s and 1950’s. He was praised for his abstract and colour photographs and his career lasted about 70 years and he had a very strong interest in modern architecture. This included very industrial and structural areas. He contrasted the images to be very black and white which later in the project i will interpret myself.
Original Images
My Interpretation
The vivid and opposing contrast of the black and white in the images creates a very dark and shadow filled world. It seems very ghostly and empty. The way the images have very distinctive edges and empty spaces reminds me of threshold artwork.
Improved Interpretation – Originals
Improved Edit
In my first interpretation, the edited images look very similar and still a lot like the original photos. In my second interpretation of the black light project, I have taken the images in a room in shadow looking at a bright window. This means that the background is more white and the contrast between the background and the object is very visible. This makes both images look very different to my previous images as they look very art like and similar to threshold artwork. In the image above, I have used more of the threshold tool to pick out and show the individual particles in the bottle of the soap bottle. By making the particles visible in the image, I have accidentally created a black patchy surface in the top third of the image.
Minimalism as a combination of these two subjects, and is often used together in most photos.
The surface is important because, it is what creates the shadows and and highlights. It also makes it more unique as it can be dull or shiny, maybe even reflections.
The colour aspect is more about the tonal wheel, as the shadows make a light colour appear darker. This can be used to make a layered like image was depth of field is used effectively.
Julian Schulze
Julian Schulze was born in Hannover and is a Berlin based photographer. He is mainly focused on abstract and surreal genre of photography. He loves bold colours as well as colour combinations and compositions.
Julian Schulze is a master of minimalist photography, as he creates eye-catching and impressive minimalist compositions where each shot is composed using light, shadow, and colour to create a 2D or 3D scene.
Schulze describes himself as “focused on geometric abstraction and minimalistic work”
Kevin Saint Grey
Kevin Saint Grey’s techniques are normally symmetry and long-exposure, and he manages to get amazing, creative photographs, by using camera movements while exploring unique angles while shooting architecture.
Kevin Saint Grey is a primarily black and white LA based photographer with a minimalist approach to his subjects which creates a drastic contrast.
He shoots mostly landscape and architecture, and his work distinguishes itself for the serendipity of black and white, “humanness” and silent images.
My Colour Photos
I like how they are vibrant as they make the image pop. I have used lots of repetition in my images, as I took them at the market in town. The images have a good amount of depth and definition. The light is artificial and coming from above, which is why the apples have a shine on them, and also because they were polished. This makes the subject more appealing.
My Minimalistic Photos
The first two minimalist photos both use the rule of thirds. The image on the left is only focusing on one subject, which is the sign on the pole, the wall behind is very dull, which is why it is classed as minimalist. The photo on the right is of the pattern on the floor in a car park. It uses vibe rent colours the clash together making it more visually pleasing.
The rest of the photos are taken of objects, although not the full object is in the frame as it creates a minimalistic effect. I only focused in on the small simple details.
My Surface Photos
To capture the surface on these objects I used macro lens so I could zoom in closed to get very detail. All the images show repetition of patterns I found most of these patterns on natural objects like feathers and leaves, although I did take a photo of a matchbox to get the image with lots of dots. Then focused on a reflection strip in a cars headlights to get some crosshatched detail.
Keld Helmer-Petersen was a Danish photographer, known for his unique experimentation with black and white images, using not only just a camera, but also flat bed scanners, in order to create dramatically contrasting photographs.
My Images
Before
In order to make my own Keld Helmer-Petersen edited images, I chose to use these four photos from my Albert Renger-Patzsch photoshoot. This is as I believe they would best display a strong contrast between black and white, through bold shapes.
After
To make these edits in the style of Petersen, I used the threshold tool on Photoshop allowing for a clear divide between light and dark, and creating a black and white image. Once I had edited each photograph, I then placed all 4 images on a white A4 background, creating a grid image.
To complete your understanding of The Formal Elements we must look at some more creative possibilities before we move onto selecting final images for the Abstract Unit.
Classwork Blog Post 1
Choose 2 artists from the selection below
Compare and contrast their work by analysing 1 key image from each artist
Ensure you discuss aspects of Technical – Visual – Conceptual – Contextual
Classwork Blog Post 2
Construct a kaleidoscopic / reflected image in Adobe Photoshop from just one image as a starting point…
The task will encourage you to make use of a range of useful methods including layer copy, transform, cropping and other adjustments
Your blog post must show your process and final outcome(s)
Examples of kaleidoscopic / reflected images
Homework (due Thurs 15th October)
Design, plan and execute a photoshoot that responds to one or more of the artists below…remember to create a contact sheet and then select 5-10 of your best images and show clearly in a new blog post…
Paul Strand
Alvin Langdon Coburn
Laszlo Maholy Nagy
Jaromir Funke – the play of light
Funke’s images interest me because he seems very experimental in his approach. He is fascinated by the patterns of shadows caused by the play of light on a variety of objects. This results in abstract compositions where the shapes of the various objects overlap and intersect.
Harry Callahan – natural forms
I love the way Harry Callahan is able to see patterns, textures and repetition. His images have just enough information. He knows just where to place the edges, to leave out unnecessary details, so that we are able to focus on the main idea. He has a fantastic sense of design.
Ernst Haas – water and reflections
Haas pioneered colour photography and is also famous for his images of movement using long shutter speeds. He photographed water throughout his career, fascinated by its ability to reflect light and its dynamic movement. He crops the subject to increase the sense of abstraction.
Alfred Stieglitz – patterns in the sky
These pictures were an attempt to demonstrate how “to hold a moment, how to record something so completely, that all who see [the picture of it] will relive an equivalent of what has been expressed.” The ‘Equivalents’, as they are known, aim to create a sensation in the viewer similar to that experienced by the photographer. Is this possible, do you think?
These images explore the idea of repetition, rhythm, line, shape, texture and pattern. They are all created with everyday objects which are transformed through careful arrangement and photography. The edge to edge compositions help concentrate our eyes on the formal properties of the objects. Contrast is important.
Ray Metzker ‘Pictus Interruptus’
Metzker is known for his unconventional street photographs. More abstract than either Cartier-Bresson and Meyerowitz, Metzker exploits and exaggerates the properties of still photography – odd framing, multiple exposures, deep contrast, and, in this series, the interruption of various objects placed between the lens and the ‘subject’. Metzker seems to want to deliberately disorientate the viewer and question the indexical relationship between photography and the world.
It becomes clearer…that I am looking for the unknown which in fact disturbs, is foreign in subject but hauntingly right for the picture, the workings of which seem inexplicable, at the very least, a surprise. — Ray Metzker
Follow the 10 Step Process and create multiple blog posts for each unit to ensure you tackle all Assessment Objectives thoroughly :
Mood-board, definition and introduction (AO1)
Mind-map of ideas (AO1)
Artist References / Case Studies (must include image analysis) (AO1)
Photo-shoot Action Plan (AO3)
Multiple Photoshoots + contact sheets (AO3)
Image Selection, sub selection, review and refine ideas (AO2)
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