“Mobile Homes, Jefferson County, Colorado” – Robert Adams (1973)
‘New Topographics’ are also widely known as photographs of a ‘Man-made landscape’, as they display the contrast of industrialisation into nature. This exhibition was curated by William Jenkins in the October of 1975. Jenkins recruited a group of landscape photographers including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Joe Deal, Frank Gholke, Nicholas Nixon, John Schott, Stephen Shore and Henry Wessel Jr. He also later invited the German couple, Bernd and Hilla Becher. The New Topographics movement projects the beauty of industrialism incorporating into the natural world, the exhibition had very mixed reviews by the public and some saw the art as a juxtaposing, pleasant view on landscapes with the mixing of industrialism and nature, whereas others believed it proved that industrialisation is ruining the natural beauty of the planet.
Examples of New Topographics
‘Pitheads’ – Bernd Becher and Hilla Becher (1974)
‘The New West’ – Robert Adams (1974)
‘Untitled View (Boulder City)’ – Joe Deal (1974)
The movement of New Topographics was created almost in retaliation to the romanticism movement, that was popularised by artists such as Ansel Adams. The group of photographers wanted to photograph against the tradition of landscape of photography, that romanticism made unrealistic to the modern human eye.
For this photoshoot the lighting and weather allowed me to capture the subtle tones that Luigi Ghirri famously represents in his own work, however my work has a much darker tonal palette. Ghirri also takes many of his photos at the beach, so I felt like using him as an artist reference ties in well with the topic of coastal landscapes.
I believe the images highlighted in green are best photos because they capture the simple contrast of colours, shapes and the use of leading lines that is common in the works of Ghirri. To edit these photos I could use Lightroom or Photoshop in order to increase brightness and decrease contrast to make the tones lighter and more similar to those of Luigi Ghirri.
The photos highlighted in red are my least successful images because the horizon isn’t captured at a straight angle and in general I don’t think they represent Ghirri’s work as accurately.
Photoshop Development
Original Image
Edited Image
Original Image
Edited Image
I used photoshop to edit these photographs in order to make them more similar to the work of Luigi Ghirri. I did this by increasing the brightness and adding blue-toned hues to give the image the pastel aesthetic that Ghirri achieves.
How I edited these photographs
Firstly, I used the colour balance adjustment to add the blue tones and make the grey sky slightly more vibrant.
I then added a blue-green hue to the image to further accentuate the blue tones. I increased the saturation to highlight the pastel colours and increased the lightness to make the colours lighter.
Finally, I added a cyan colour filter to make the blue tones even more prominent.
Luigi Ghirri, born in Scandiano, Italy in 1943, was an Italian artist and photographer who gained recognition as a pioneer of contemporary photography. Ghirri began his career in the 1970’s, when he was heavily inspired by conceptual art. He went on to create his first two pieces, ‘Atlante’, in 1973, and ‘Kodachrome’, in 1978. Luigi Ghirri’s work was featured in many exhibitions around the world, as well as being invited to the ‘Photokina’ in Cologne in 1982, where he was acclaimed as one of the twenty most significant photographers of the 20th century for his series ‘Topographie-Iconographie’. He later died in 1992, due to a heart attack when he was 49.
Examples of Luigi Ghirri’s work
“Marina di Ravenna” – Luigi Ghirri (1972)
“Verso La Foce Del Po” – Luigi Ghirri (1989)
“Riviera romagnola” – Luigi Ghirri (1989)
Analysis of Luigi Ghirri’s work
“Campagna emiliana” – Luigi Ghirri (1989)
This photograph titled ‘Campagna emiliana‘ depicts a derelict Italian rural landscape. At first glance, there is a very muted colour palette and a very simple composition. This is an iconic combination for Ghirri’s work, as he captures the juxtaposition of nature and artificiality in a simplistic way. Ghirri’s use of subtle tones create an almost deadpan view of the world, as his contemporary lens produces an anthropological reaction to his surroundings.
The natural, soft lighting in this photograph forbids any prominent shadows or highlights from standing out, there is no true sense of direction to this lighting because of this as the angle of shadows indicate this, whereas there is a lack of this in the photograph. The lighting is evenly distributed for the most part in this image, although there is a slight sense of darkness towards the top right third of the photo.
There is a clue use of lines within this photograph which can be seen as a form of repetition. Due to the cropping of the image, the lining of the beach is very uniformed, as well as the thicker lining of the road and the juxtaposing thin lines of the walls separating the road and the sand. The use of thin lines can also be seen metaphorically as a separation between the natural world and the artificial world, which is shown as a fine line to separate the two. This could be said to prove the almost indistinct segregation between man and nature, and how they begin to merge in the modern world. There alternating lines also create the multiple leading lines for the viewer, to direct their eyes straight forward towards the horizon in the middle third of the image.
Repetition is represented in the form of lines in this image, however these lines are contrasted between each other with different sizes and colours, therefore the use of repetition in this photograph is contradicting. On the other hand, there is no representation of echo or reflection in this photograph.
Geometric shapes heavily influence this image as well as a lot of other works by Luigi Ghirri. This is proven once again by the repetition of straight-edged lines. The photo, for the most part, is made up of long squares that carry the viewers eyes to the horizon in the middle third of the image.
There is a slight shallow depth of field in this image as the image begins to fade towards the middle third of the image. This is due to the distance of the image paired with a lower f-stop of around 1.4. The majority of the image contains empty, negative space. However the bottom third of the image consists of positive space.
There is multiple contrasting textures within this image. For example, the smooth, even road is contrasted against the rough sand, which is then contrasted with the sharp-cut grass.
The darkest areas of the image would be the grey-toned road and the dim section around the horizon. These are juxtaposed against the lighter areas like the light yellow sand and the gleaming sky. Overall, the image tends towards the lightness, due to the muted, pastel colours in the photograph.
The colours in the photo are very muted and subdued, due to the use of natural daylight, which I believe was taken around midday as there is no sign of a sunset or sunrise. The dominant colour in this image, I would say, is the blue sky. This is because the light blue contributes to over half of the image. I think if this image was taken in black and white, the juxtaposing textures and tones would be increasingly exaggerated .
The image has a rather simple composition due to the repetition of lines as well as the image following the rule of thirds, as the leading lines simultaneously stop in the middle third of the image, and the horizon separated the top third and the bottom third. I would say the image is balanced as the positive space in the bottom third is evenly contrasted with the negative space of the top third.
I decided to further experiment with photoshop in this photoshoot so I decided to edit the images in a similar way to the classic romanticism in art. To do this I used colour filters and adjusted the hue and colour saturation to exaggerate the colours in the photo. I think the black and white edits add a more vintage and classic, intense look to the photographs. On the other hand I think that the coloured edits relate closer to the theme of romanticism in art.
I believe the images highlighted in green are my most successful images in terms of Ansel Adams style of photography. I feel like these images have a better sense of romanticism because of the colours, tones or the interesting shape of the clouds. Putting these images in black and white through photoshop would further develop the same style that Adams is widely known for.
In general, these photos would be better quality if they were taken with a camera rather than a phone, however I did not have access to a camera for this photoshoot.
Photoshop development
Original Image
Edited Image
Original Image
Edited Image
Original Image
Edited Image
To edit these images, I used photoshop to give the photographs the same monochromatic theme that is iconically known within Ansel Adams work. I also adjusted the brightness and contrast curves to create more intense shadows and highlights, similar to the ones in the work of Adams.
Comparison between mine and Ansel Adams work
My Work
Ansel Adams work
I believe my work and the work of Ansel Adams have both similarities and differences. In terms of similarities, the use of the black and white filter allows for the tones in both images to be accentuated and there is a sense of the sublime in both images. On the other hand the images are different because Adams photograph is taken on a much larger scale, he also practiced the use of using the tonal values of an image to it’s full capacity, whereas I had to alter the contrast and brightness levels in order to achieve the level of contrast that Adams is known for.
Romanticism in art became a poplar movement at the start of the 1800’s. Romantic art often saw links between the artists view of the ‘ sublime’, or expression of personal feeling and interest in the natural world. Romanticism emerged as a hopeful source on nature after the French Revolution in 1789, and shows the artist’s often exaggerated view on nature in order to create beauty out of the nature that was destroyed in war. Romanticism was shaped largely by artists trained in Jacques Louis David’s studio, including Baron Antoine Jean Gros, Anne Louis Girodet-Trioson, and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.
Examples of Romanticism in art
“Country Road in Winter at Moonlight” – Carl Blechen (1836)
“The Cornfield” – John Constable (1826)
“Cotopaxi” – Frederic Edwin Church (1862)
Romanticism in photography
“Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park,” – Ansel Adams (1937)
Romanticism has converted into a form of photography with the same aim as romantic art, to create an idealistic view of the world. Romantic photography depicts an exaggerated view on nature by which the features are dramatically and positively represented. This is done by editing a landscape image to create extreme contrasts between colour, tone and lighting. Ansel Adams is a perfect representation of romantic photography as his images display an almost magical view on the world’s natural state.
Examples of romanticism in photography
“Vancouver 2” – Lou Reed (circa 2006)
“A farm entrance near my house in Somerset” – Don McCullin (2008)
“Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada, from Lone Pine, California” – Ansel Adams (1944)
Ansel Adams
“Half Dome, Merced River, Winter, Yosemite National Park, California” – Ansel Adams (1938)
Ansel Adams, born in 1902 and died in 1984, was an American photographer and environmentalist who was passionate about capturing nature in it most beautiful and powerful form. Adams was given his first camera at age 12 on a family holiday to Yosemite National Park, and therefore discovered his love for both photography and nature through this. Adams help found group “f/64” which focused on embracing ‘pure’ photography and capturing a photo with it’s complete tonal capacity. Ansel Adam’s is an ideal representation of a romantic photographer as he dramatizes the natural world into an idealistic view.
Analysis of Ansel Adam’s work
Northern California Coast Redwoods” – Ansel Adams (1960)
This photograph taken by Ansel Adams in 1960, depicts the Northern California Coast Redwoods. This image ideally displays romanticism in photography with the use of extreme contrasting tones and juxtaposing levels of dark and light.
The harsh, natural lighting in this photograph both illuminates and darkens sectors of the image in an exaggerated manner. The lightest sections of the image can be seen in the trees in the foreground of the image, these are seen as an almost pure white against the contrasting darkness within the background of the image, as well as in the leaves and bushes of the photograph. As the shadows in the scene don’t fall in a particular direction, it is difficult to tell the time of day or the direction of which the lighting appears.
The white, thick lining of the trees act as leading lines for the viewer, as they direct the eyes to follow from the bottom of the image to the top. These lines create multiple focal points as they stand out amongst the darkness and create an upwards direction to the image.
The use of repetition can be seen within the trees of the photograph as these thick, leading lines are repeated throughout the image. However these repeated lines are contrasting as they vary in thickness and tone. The trees can also be seen as a form of echo as they almost duplicate each other.
There is a variety of both geometric and and organic shapes within this photograph. For example, geometric shapes can be seen in the straight-edged trees, which are juxtaposed against the more natural shapes seen in the leaves and bushes.
The depth of field is difficult to describe as the background consists of mainly negative, empty space. However I can guess that the depth of field is small as the foreground is in distinctively in focus, and the background is rather vague.
There is contrasting textures within the image. This can be seen in the leaves, which have a rougher and more jagged texture when compared to the trees which have a much smoother surface, therefor these are juxtaposed against each other.
There is an extreme contrast between light and dark tones within this image as Adams focuses on the extended use of tonal values in order to achieve a powerful juxtaposition between highlights and shadows. Ansel Adam’s goal in his work is to capture what is seen in the moment by the human eye, therefore this image is an accurate representation of the natural world. The darkest areas of the image can be seen in the shadows of the ominous forest within the background of the image. The lightest section of the image can be found in both in the off-white tree trunks and in sections of the leaves that cling onto the trees. Overall the image tends towards darkness, as the majority of the photograph contains darker tones, and these tones are more intense.
There is a lack of colour in this photograph due to the use of black and white film. The lack of colour allows for the tones in the image to be accentuated, creating a rather intense juxtaposition. If the image were taken in colour, the depth of field would probably be easier to work out as the background wouldn’t be in complete darkness. The contrast of colour would also be highlighted rather than the contrast in tones.
The composition of this image focuses on the use of lines rather than the use of thirds. There is no true focal point as the bright trees contain the viewers focus. I believe the photograph is balanced overall, as the contrasting tones are evenly distributed. The image produces an upwards direction for the viewer, directing their eyes from the bottom of the image to the top of the image.
I decided to use this archived image of Corbiere Lighthouse as I know I already have photographs of this heritage sight and therefore can layer these images in order to show the juxtaposition of the site over time.
I am going to layer this image I have taken of Corbiere Lighthouse because the images have similar angles and both the images have a lack of colour, which I think will add an overall gloomy mood which would be interesting to contrast.
Photoshop development
To juxtapose these images, I layered the archived image over my own photograph to project the contrast of the area over time. I then lowered the opacity of the archived image to create a ghost-like affect, almost representing time fading.
“Large white cloud near Bilsington, Kent” – Fay Godwin (1985)
Fay Godwin, born in 1931 and died in 2005, was a British photographer who was recognised for her intense landscapes, specifically her black and white work. Godwin began her photography career with portraits of well-known writers such as Ted Hughes and Clive James, however she broadened her love for photography when she found her passion for walking and the environment. Her early landscape work was created with the intent of bringing to light the ecological crisis within the late 1970’s to the early 1980’s, where she protested the English countryside being privatised. Later, in the 1990’s, Godwin was offered a Fellowship at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford, where she was pushed further with in the direction of colour and urban photography.
Examples of Fay Godwin’s work
“Fence, Parkend Woods, Forest of Dean” – Fay Godwin (1985)
“The Ridgeway, Uffington Castle” – Fay Godwin (1975)
“Tree with sheep, Alcomden, Calder Valley” – Fay Godwin (1979)
Analysis of Fay Godwin’s work
“Path and Reservoir above Lumbutts” – Fay Godwin (1977)
This image by Fay Godwin, titled “Path and Reservoir above Lumbutts” depicts exactly what it states within the title. At first glance, fields, ponds and moody clouds can be seen, complete with a winding pathway. This image was taken in the late 1970’s, at the prime of Godwin’s project to help preserve British public land from being privatised. This could prove Godwin trying to display both the beauty and the threat that the natural world holds over us. This is not a realistic depiction of nature as Godwin takes tonal values to the extreme to create an intense juxtaposition.
The lighting in this image is gloomy, overcast natural lighting. The lighting suggests the image may have been taken in the late afternoon, perhaps in autumn or winter. The lighting is natural yet harsh, meaning distinct shadows and highlights are created. The most well-lit sections of the image can be seen in the light reflected onto the reservoir water and the illuminated sky. The light is directed further towards the right of the image, as the majority of the left side of the image is in darkness.
There is representation of a leading line in this image, in the form of the path that winds into the distance of the image. This thick, curved line directs the viewers eyes into the left of the image. This provides a forwards movement to the photograph, although when the path comes to an end, the viewers eyes are directed to the other sections of the image. There is also representation of lines within the fields that are separated with subtle, thin lines. The line provided by the horizon also acts as a leading line that directs the viewers eyes from one side of the image to the other.
There is a subtle representation of repetition in this image, which can be seen in the repeated squares of fields in the background of the image, as well as repetition of line within the leading line and also the slightly indistinct lines separating the fields, however these lines do not create any sense of pattern or rhythm.
The majority of the shapes in this photograph are curved and organic, for example the clouds are very irregular with soft edges, also the leading line of the image is curved. The only visual geometric shapes are the square-shaped fields in the background.
There is a shallow depth of field in this image as the foreground of the image is in focus and the background is captured with a slight blur. The shadows produced by the clouds also create the sense of a shallow depth of field as the darkened areas are indistinct and indistinguishable. The entirety of the photograph is filled with positive space.
The aesthetic of this image has a rough texture due to the masses of sharp-cut grass. However this is juxtaposed with the exceptions of the soft, light clouds as well as the calm waters.
The range of tones in this image range from dark to light. The darkest areas of the photograph can be seen in the background towards the left, and also the clouds. These areas are contrasted with the lighter areas of the photo, for example the glistening water and the gleaming sky. Overall, the image tends towards darkness, especially in the top third with the near-black clouds.
There is a lack of colour in this photograph. I think this is because Godwin wanted to show the power and beauty of nature in it’s purest form, and the extreme contrasting tones adds a sense of intimidation to the aesthetics of the image. Metaphorically speaking, as Fay Godwin’s message in her work is to preserve the natural world, the use of the monochromatic filters could signify the death and destruction of the world, as the image provides a gloomy, depressing atmosphere.
There is a complex composition to this image, as it follows the rule if thirds in some sense, yet also follows it’s own unique composition. The rule of thirds can be seen to be used horizontally, as the image almost separates into layers of contrasting dark and light. However, there is no use of the rule of thirds vertically as the focal points, being the footpath and the reflected water are not located in the middle third. I think the composition is fairly balanced as the light and dark tones are rather evenly spread throughout the image.
Satoshi Fujiwara was born in Kobe, Japan, in 1984. Fujiwara is a Postwar and contemporary artist who started his photography career in 2012 after he quit his job in Japan and decided to move to Berlin. Satoshi Fujiwara’s style of portraiture is unique and somewhat abstract to the human eye. He takes extreme close-ups of people and crops them to his desired size, through this method he has created some iconic images. His work has been featured in multiple art exhibitions at key galleries and museums such as the Jameel Arts Centre and the MOCA Toronto. Fujiwara has also had work featured in articles for the ArtDaily, The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.
Examples of Satoshi Fujiwara’s work
From the ‘Code Unknown’ series – Satoshi Fujiwara (2015)
‘Crowd Landscape’ – Satoshi Fujiwara (2019)
From the ‘Code Unknown’ series – Satoshi Fujiwara (2015)
Analysis of Satoshi Fujiwara’s work
This photograph taken by Satoshi Fujiwara, is part of the artists ‘Code Unknown’ series from 2015 that focuses on close-up portraits of everyday people with harsh shadows and highlights.
The lighting used in this photograph is very harsh and is directed from one side of the face. In my opinion, sunlight was used to illuminate the face as there is almost a golden tinge to the image. The lighting creates prominent highlights above the cheekbones and around the nose, and caliginous shadows from the right side of the face, especially around the eyes.
The use of line in the photo are provided mainly by the wrinkles on the woman’s face. These thin, curved lines create a downwards motion that directs the viewer’s eyes from the top of the face to the bottom, which creates emphasis of the lips and chin. These organic lines are juxtaposed with the straight, geometric lines of the woman’s glasses, that are slanted across her face, which also contribute to the overall downwards motion of the photograph.
A subtle use of repetition can be seen in the woman’s glasses, which display a repetitive, geometric pattern
There is representation of both geometric and organic shapes within this image. Although most of the shapes in this photograph are organic and natural, these are contrasted with the minute representation of geometric shapes that are found in the glasses in the woman’s hand.
There is a very shallow depth of field in this photograph, as the highlighted, left side of the face is in clear detail, however the right side of the face begins to blur into the shadows. Nearly all the space in the photo is positive, as it is filled up by the woman’s face, although a small section of the background can be seen as negative space as a black backdrop is used.
There is a strong focus on texture in this image, aswell as a clear focus on juxtaposing textures in the photograph. For example, the woman’s cheek contains the appearance of a smooth texture, which is contradicted by the rough wrinkles that inhabit the chin and forehead. The hair also gives the appearance of an almost wiry texture that contrasts the other textures individually.
There is a range of tones from dark to light in this photograph, as the harsh lighting both illuminates and darkness the face. The lightest areas of the face can be seen on the left side, on the cheek and around the eyebrow, and on the high points of the face. The darkest areas can be seen on the right side of the face, where almost the whole face is in darkness. This is especially seen in the wrinkles of the face and around the eyes.
Although the lighting in the image is rather harsh in the photograph, the colours are rather subdued and natural. The main colour palette of the image consists of beige and brown colours, however this is contrasted with the blackish shadows on the right side of the face. If the image was taken in black and white there would be a stronger contrast between dark and light, however the addition of colour allows for a juxtaposition between tones.
The composition of the image is difficult to interpret as there is no geometrical shapes that can be superimposed onto the image and the photographer has not use the rule of thirds in this piece. The focus on composition in this image lies in the close up method that is iconic for Satoshi Fujiwara’s work.
To edit the first image, I recreated John Stazaker’s method of layering images from vintage actress portraits, however I incorporated my own photography by taking portraits I took for the diamond cameo photoshoot.
For the second image, I attempted to recreate Stezaker’s common use of layering landscapes and portraits, so I used my own photos from my abstract and portrait photoshoots to recreate this.
For my last edit, I noticed Stezaker often crops and layers multiple images to distort the portrait’s original identity. Here I used my environmental portraits project and diamond cameo project to layer over one-another, and cut out some shapes similar to that in the work of John Stezaker.
