I have chosen these photographers to emphasise the fact that plastic will soon be in us and this is only at fault of our own.
All these photographers have used the theme of nature or plastic in their images. Some photographers like Naomi White focus on the beauty; others like Mandy Barker and Jeremy Carroll focus on the negatives of plastic and how it is tearing apart our world ; while Alexandra Bellissimo focuses on the relationship between nature and humans, where nothing is more important than the other.
For my images I want to focus on the fact that plastic is a very large problem in our world. However, I also want to show the fact that we can live in harmony with plastic and it can be a huge help in our everyday lives.
I want to take a closer look at Jeremy Carroll’s work since he sends a very strong and powerful message to the rest of the world by explaining things in a different, maybe more traumatic way.
I also want to look at Alexandra Bellissimo’s work in more detail. This is because I like the way she expresses her opinion through a more positive and calm approach. She focuses mainly on the harmony between nature and humans however still manages to show the viewers how we are harming our planet.
Mandy Barker is a photographer who found plastic in the ocean and then waned to show how much there was by spreading it all out onto a worktop and taking images of it. This helps show the extent of how much we litter, and how so many creatures get killed.
Naomi White focuses on taking images of plastic bags but manages to show them in an aesthetically pleasing way. She manages to make them look elegant. She focuses on different coloured bags, rather than just black and white which helps make her images more appealing.
The current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.
This is an important topic to focus on due to the fact that the decisions we make in our everyday lives can have a major impact on our planet without us even noticing until it’s too late. For example buying things that are made from non-biodegradable plastics which then causes landfills to grow and they then burn it releasing harmful chemicals in the air. Even some plastics end up in the ocean which harms the aquatic animals. Some fish eat micro-plastics which then kill them because they thought that they were eating; however they never got nutrition so they therefore die of starvation. They may also get caught by fishermen, this then leads to the micro-plastics that could have been in the fish, going into the human who is eating that fish. The world of plastic is a vicious cycle which may end up killing us all.
A group of photographers, Union of Concerned Photographers, are trying to spread the word around the world about how we are endangering ourselves and destroying our planet through selfishness and greed. This links to deforestation, where humans are destroying rain forests and woodland areas so that we can build new houses or shopping centers on them. Again, we are essentially shortening our own lives by doing this. Trees produce oxygen through photosynthesis which is what we need to survive. Through photosynthesis they also take in carbon dioxide which is what we breath out during respiration. So plants and trees help us live and we are removing them, meaning we are getting less oxygen in our body.
Not only are we hurting ourselves by doing this, we are also endangering animals by taking away their homes; for example Orangutan’s homes are being destroyed because people want to use the palm oil in their cooking.
I went onto the front just after sunset. I wanted to show that even on the coast there is signs of man-made products ‘destroying’ our landscapes.
I focused on taking images of the lights from St Helier which reflected on the ocean. Some would argue that it ruins the scenery and is an eyesore to the landscape. I personally believe that it enhances the beauty of the ocean. The lights that reflected on the sea from the city emphasises how calm and peaceful the ocean was at that time. In addition the lights bring a certain warmth to the image as the sea has connotations of being cold and isolated due to the vastness of it. The lights that are visible show the viewer that people live round there and get to witness its beauty everyday. I also believe that the lights create a nice contrast to the images; since I took the images at night without them the viewer would not be able to see where the ocean finishes and where the sky begins.
I also focused on the lights that were hung along the walkway on the sea front from St Helier to St Aubin. Although they are wires attached to metal poles, In the evening they bring a beauty to the darkness of night. During the day they may seem pointless, since the sun is beaming down on the island; but in the evening the whole of the front has a whimsical feel to it, as well as providing light for those walking down it in the dark.
I took images facing towards St Aubin and wanted to focus on the walls and piers going onto the beach. Not only are they an easy access to the beach, they carry a lot of historical moments on their shoulders. For example when Germany Occupied Jersey during the second world war, those piers would have been prepared for the Soldiers to leave the island should an attack be attempted. So, even though the concrete structures may look ugly along the sandy beaches, they aren’t necessarily just piers/walls/towers. They can be reminders of history.
Final images
Havre De Pas
For these images, I went to the incinerator in Havre De Pas. I thought this would be a good place to go because everything is very grey and dark. I also thought that it would go well with the new topographics work that we looked at earlier in the course.
I put the images in black and white to emphasise the monotone colours of the incinerator and to also fit in with the new topographics work which the majority of the time was in black and white due to the time period it became popular. The black and white also emphasises the general view on the building. Many people think that it is an eyesore, however this eyesore is needed for recycling and also helps the world with climate change just by existing.
This emphasises that even though the industrial things in our world can be ugly, we need to appreciate that they are made to make everyone’s life easier. This shows that we need to move with the times and focus on making our planet a safer place to live for all.
Final images
Favourite Images
These are my favourite images because I believe that they show the difference that industry has brought to our world. I particularly like the bottom left image because it is at a worm’s eye view; which I believe was a good way of showing off all the manmade things surrounding our coast line.
For this shoot, we went around the sports block and round highlands.
While walking around the sports building I focused on the grids and vents on the side of the building. The sports block is very monotone which relates back to New Topographics, where images were taken with the main subject of man made buildings rather than natural landscapes.
Definition: Artwork that is created in a public space, typically without official permission
Street art is very common in urban areas. It is also done for multiple reasons;fun, advertising and they can also have a political message behind them.
For example, the image on the left was made as a mural after the Manchester Bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in 2017. The bees around the heart represent the 22 victims of the attack.
The middle image is an image of David Bowie that was painted onto the side of an abandoned outhouse in the middle of Manchester.
The image on the right is of an advertisement for Adidas painted on the side of two shipping containers.
Images
Architectural Images
Often, industrial photographs show people building and making things – the aim is to capture the manufacturing process and the laborious jobs that are performed by workers.
Contact Sheets
Rated Images
Final Images
I put all my final images in black and white, I feel like this went well with some of the new topographics work that we looked at before. It also emphasises how all the colours are monotone and dull.
I focused on the man-made aspects of the buildings and the surrounding areas. I took images of things that had repeating patterns and symmetry to emphasise the fact that only man made things have perfect lines. Straight lines do not exist in the natural world.
Margaret was born in America in 1904 and died in 1971. She was a photographer and documentary photographer. Being a documentary photographer allowed her to see the changes in the world in terms of technology and industry. She also took pictures during the second world war, meaning she had to witness the horrors and torture that people were put through. Bourke-White was the first known female war correspondent and the first woman to be allowed to work in combat zones during world war 2. In 1941, she traveled to the soviet union just as Germany broke its pact of non-aggression. She was the only foreign photographer in Moscow when German forces invaded.
She is best known as the first foreign photographer permitted to take pictures of Soviet industry under the Soviet’s five year plan,the first American female war photojournalist, and having one of her photographs (the construction of Fort Peck Dam) on the cover of the first issue of life magazine.
Margaret Bourke-White lived the life most of us only dream about. Well, maybe only photographers dream about. But to live life as fully as she did, could only inspire the uninspirable.
Image analysis
Margaret Bourke-White
The image is in black and white which could highlight the fact that the air is polluted because of the smoke coming out of all the factories and trains. The fact that there is very little contrast in the whole image emphasises the fact that there is little light visible to those that live in the house in the centre of the image. The lack of contrast also emphasises the lack of change in people’s lives each day. All they did was work, go home and work again. This is what happens now, however, working conditions were much poorer in the 1930s compared to nowadays.
Wynn Bullock was an American Photographer from Chicago, who was born in 1902. Bullock’s images often have a political meanings behind them. This image alone could have many meanings.
Sea palms are small plants that are often found near rock pools or small crevices by and/or on beaches. The image was taken at an angle to make the sea palms look like large palm trees that are on the edges of a cliff. The mist from the sea looks like a fog bank which helps further give the impression that the photographer took the image from a height.
The mist also is in the shape of a cross, and during the 1960s religion was a major part of society. However, religious views caused tension as many things that are accepted now were seen as inappropriate then. The image is quite sinister and the fact that the image is in black and white could highlight the fact that religion wasn’t always as it seemed. Christianity
The image was taken in America in 1968. During this year, America faced lots of civil unrest.
For example, America was in its 12th year of the Vietnam war. America was loosing and the number of fatalities was the highest out of the whole 20 years.
The Sea Palms could be seen as a representation of the fallen soldiers from the Vietnam war or they could be seen as the family members of the fallen men and be representing praying figures.
Both these images were taken at the bay in Plémont. One was taken between 1784-1786 by Earnest Baudoux and the other was taken in 2021 by me.
The main difference between both of the images is the rock face and how over time it has become more smooth due to the rock face falling and erosion.
Edited images
Plémont
For this edit, I noticed that I was stood near where the Baudoux was stood when he took his image. This is why I lined up both images so the cliff lines up with each other to make it look like one mountain. The tides are linked together as an attempt to make a clean line.
Ansel Adams was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West.
He was born in San Francisco, California, and lived between the years 1902 and 1984. During his life, he helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advocating “pure” photography which favoured sharp focus and the use of the full tonal range of a photograph.
For more images and information about Adams click the link below.
The photo was taken from a vantage point known as the Diving Board, a rock section that drapes 3,500 feet over the valley floor. Adams had been looking for a perspective on the Half Dome that likewise passed on his feeling of marvel. When he arrived at the Diving Board, Adams had just two glass plate negatives left in his bag. The first of the two was uncovered with a yellow channel that he knew would obscure the sky somewhat. With the second, Adams utilized a dull red channel that fundamentally obscured the sky and consequently underlined the white snow and sparkling rock of the half dome.
“New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape“
New topographics was a term created by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose photos had similar banal aesthetic, in that way they were formal, principally black and white prints of the urban landscape.
It was created to highlight the fact that the usual landscape photography which showed the beauty of nature without any human disruption was fake. So, photographers went out and started taking pictures of things that were man made with the usual natural landscape in it, just not as the main feature.It allowed people to understand that humans and nature can live in harmony, without destroying views etc.
In the 1970s, cars were being used by more people.As a result of this, more roads,car parks and petrol stations were being created which meant that fields were being covered with concrete which some people saw as an eyesore.
John Schott
Robert Adams
Frank Gohlke
Frank Gohlke (born April 3, 1942) is an American landscape photographer. Gohlke′s photographs have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; the Amon Carter Museum; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In 1975, he was included in the influential exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-altered Landscape, organized by the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House. His photographs are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House; the Canadian Center for Architecture; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Amon Carter Museum; and the Walker Art Center.
Grain Elevator and Lightning Flash, Lamesa, Texas, 1975
This image by Gohlke is a good example of New Topographics. The image includes the industrial side of Texas, however you can see a lightning bold in the top right hand corner of the image. Some could say that its nature reminding people it is still there. However, some could say that no matter what we put onto this earth, nature will almost always be present.
Landscape photography shows spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. Landscape photographs typically capture the presence of nature but can also focus on man-made features or disturbances of landscapes.
Minor White was an American photographer known for his meticulous black-and-white prints of landscapes, architecture, and men. White’s interest in Zen philosophy and mysticism permeated both his subject matter and formal technique.
“At first glance a photograph can inform us. At second glance it can reach us,” -Minor White.
Road and Poplar Trees, Vicinity of Naples, New York, from “Sequence 10: Rural Chapels
San Mateo County Coast, California
Point Lobos (Vicinity “North Wall”), California
Devil’s Slide, San Mateo County, California
Rural Photography
Contact Sheet1:
Shoot 1: High Contrast Black and white
For these images I went into a forest that had very little light coming in through the trees. This allowed my images, when put into black and white, to have a high contrast with the shadows being very dark and the lighter areas then look a lot brighter than they were.
I think these images look better in White’s style. This is because the high clarity allows the viewer to see the details in the bark. The chips in the bark could emphasise the fact that as you get older you get scars but nothing changes who you truly are.
Coloured Images
I took this images at an angle looking up at the trees to emphasise the height of them. I also went into Lightroom and edited them in there. For the first image, I used a cool temperature filter to highlight the fact that the forest was dark and cold. The dark green/blue hue emphasises this further. The ground looks bare and there are no leaves on the trees till you get to a certain height. This could mean that nothing survives without light. We need to focus on the positives in life otherwise life will be boring and pointless.
The second image however has very warm tones. There is also a path in the centre of the image leading upwards. These leading lines can be used as a metaphor of life showing that what has been down must go back up .
Contact Sheet 2:
Shoot 2- Coastal Images(final images)
Black and White Coastal
Before and after editing:
I edited this image in light room and focused on making the texture of the rocks at the front of the image more prominent. I did this by increasing the contrast and reducing the ‘whites’ in the image. I also reduced the shadows in the image to further enhance all the cracks and crevices of the rocks. Doing this also enhanced the cliff face in the background. The sun has shone on half of the cliff face which highlights the rough texture of the rocky cliff face. The other half of the rock however is covered by shade which makes it look black and gloomy. This could be an interpretation of the dangers of walking near a rocky cliff face and that the dark shades of the rock represents death and sadness.
The coloured image has a very positive and summery feel to it. This allows the viewer to see that the image was taken on a clear day. However the black and white image has a more sinister mood. The darkness of the ocean and clouds could make the viewer feel intimidated and think that the beach was a dangerous place to be. Whereas in the coloured image it looks like the beach in the image is a lovely place with a gorgeous blue sea to swim in. The black and white image makes the sea look rough because you can see that in the distance, as the sea hit the rocks under the water, the white foam that is created. This makes the ocean look choppier than it actually is.
Image Comparison:
My image
Minor White
editing tools used:
I chose this image for a comparison because it was similar to White’s. My image however focuses more on the landscape as a whole, whereas White’s image focuses on the rock and tide.
This is shown through the contrast in his image. White often used infrared lenses which allowed the image to look very sharp in terms of shadow and light. You can tell that he used an infrared lens for this image; if you look at the ocean and the foam it created due to the impact of it hitting the rock and the shoreline you can see the individual bubbles that had formed.
I used Lightroom to edit my image. I increased the contrast to make the highlights that were on the rocks stand out more. I also increased the clarity to make the whole image sharper and more refined.
To improve this image, I would crop it to make it more condensed like Minor White’s images and focus more on the rocks and the patterns they have.
