Wynn Bullock: Sea palms

Keywords: atmospheric, mysterious, illusion, calming, moody, dystopian, monochromatic, eerie, contrast. Form: This landscape photograph taken by Wynn Bullock in 1968 in the US depicts sea palms on rock forms, shrouded in mist which creates an eery atmosphere. This image is very monochromatic tones of black, grey and white. The lack of colour in this image adds to the drama and it is difficult to decipher what the scale of the image is, adding to the mystery of the image. Most of the sea palms in this image seem to be leaning to the left as if they are dying or have been blown over by strong winds or a storm. I feel that this image depicts a dystopian society that has no human connections/ has only been touched by the elements. Process: This photograph has been taken either looking across or slightly down on the landscape. The image was taken in daylight using strong light to enable the photographer to capture a strong range of tonal shades. Utilising Ansel Adams ‘zone system’ 1-10. I sense that Bullock would have waited for a specific time and weather conditions to capture his vision. Another process could be that he utilised a slow shutter speed to create the image. This could explain the lapping rock pool water becoming smoke/haze like in appearance due to its movement and some sea palms being blurred. Content: Bullock talks about how his photographs serve as visual metaphors for larger ideas, such as the passing of time and the inevitability of death. This particular image was taken in 1968 and during this time the US was going through a state of shocking assassinations, a much hated war and a spirit of rebellion through violent rioting and the dawn of the television age. Perhaps the drooping, dying sea palms in this image are a reflection of society at the time. The sea palms could also depict the US citizens at this time, or the US soldiers fighting in the war, with the surrounding fog and mist representing tear gas and the ruins of battlegrounds.

Inspiration

For this photo shoot I am going to explore rural scenery on the Island which I can take successful landscape imagery of. I am going to stay away from taking photographs of the obvious, touristy places such as the towers, St Brelades beach, sunsets at St Ouens, etc. Instead I am going to take inspiration from photographers such as Fay Godwin, Richard Misrach, Eliot Porter and others. I am going to go to places such as: the sandunes, St Catherine’s woods, Plemont caves, Dolmens, Greve De Lecq, Cliff paths, Bouley Bay and green lanes.

What is Romanticism?

Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement which took place in Europe between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. Understood broadly as a break from the guiding principles of the Enlightenment – which established reason as the foundation of all knowledge – the Romantic Movement emphasized the importance of emotional sensitivity and individual subjectivity. For the Romantics, imagination, rather than reason, was the most important creative faculty. Nature was also a source of inspiration in the visual arts of the Romantic Movement. Breaking with the longer tradition of historical and allegorical paintings, which took scenes from history or the Bible as their principle subject matter, Romantic artists like J. M. W. Turner and John Constable – as well as print-makers and engravers like Samuel Palmer and Thomas Bewick – chose instead to depict the natural world, most notably landscapes and maritime scenes. Romantic artists depicted nature to be not only beautiful, but powerful, unpredictable and destructive. This constituted a radical departure from Enlightenment representations of the natural world as orderly and benign.

Romanticism in Landscape Photography

Photographers tend to idealistically portray the natural world. Turning ruin and poverty back to landscape, images of the natural world currently depict an almost surreal, fantastical world that we imagine is more like that of a CGI movie than the stuff of real life.

Fay Godwin

Fay Godwin (17 February 1931 – 27 May 2005) was a British photographer known for her black-and-white landscapes of the British countryside and coast. She produced portraits of dozens of well-known writers, photographing almost every significant literary figure in 1970’s and 1980’s England, as well as numerous visiting foreign authors. Fay said, ‘My way into photography was through family snaps in the mid-1960s. I had no formal training, but after the snaps came portraits, reportage, and finally, through my love of walking, landscape photography, all in black and white. A Fellowship with the National Museum of Photography in Bradford led to urban landscape in colour, and very personal close-up work in colour has followed.’ After the publication of her first books, she was a prolific publisher, working mainly in the landscape tradition to great acclaim and becoming the nations most well-known landscape photographer. Her early and mature work was informed by the sense of ecological crisis present in late 1970’s and 1980’s England.

Image Analysis

In this image Godwin has used the natural lighting as the image has been captured in an outdoor environment. In this particular image there are a range of tones, varying from dark shades in the grass and bright, almost white tones in the sky and clouds. In addition, the photograph being taken in black and white sharpens the contrast between colours in the image. Although this image has dark and light tones in it, neither are exactly black or white they are just darker and lighter. This leaves the image feeling more natural and untouched, where as if it was edited where the dark parts of the image were fully black it wouldn’t look like an image of nature. To capture this image Godwin has positioned herself in the middle of the path, which has lead to the leading lines that are presented to the viewer, creating a singular focal point. The focal point in this image is very clearly where the pathway meets the hill in the background and looks as though it ends. The way she has positioned herself to take this image also places the end of the path in the middle of the photograph , which again draws the viewers eyes to this particular point in the image.

Rural landscape photography is in many ways similar to photographing urban landscapes. The difference is rural photography is about capturing the ‘life’ in the countryside. The term ‘rural landscape’ describes the diverse portion of the nations land area not densely populated or intensively developed, and not set aside for preservation in a natural state. The rural landscape provides natural resources, food and fiber, wildlife habitat and inspiration.

Mood Board

Mind Map

Composition in Rural Landscape photography

Main subject: often, in a not so good composition it is hard to tell what the main subject is. The image has too many elements, creating chaos. Isolate your main subject and let the rest of the landscape compliment it. Create depth: in rural photography one of your challenges is to create depth in the photographs. One way to give a sense of three dimensions is to make sure to include a foreground a middle ground and a background in your composition. Most successful landscape photographs are captured in this way. Different Angles: Move around and look for better angles to photograph. The first vantage point you pick at a given scene is rarely the best. Always look again. Include the sky: An interesting sky with clouds gives dimension to an image. If it is an overcast day with a white boring sky, you should consider not including the sky at all as it doesn’t add anything to the image. Weather: Don’t let the weather stop you. Stormy clouds can be beautiful. A dramatic sky over an abandoned house can take your rural photo to the next level. Go out in different weather and make the most of it. After rain comes sun – within minutes the sun can break through the clouds and create some beautiful sun rays. Create Mood: On the countryside, with fewer people, it can be quiet. Try to create loneliness or a mood that makes the viewer feel you are photographing far away from the city. Rural landscape photography is about reflecting the less busy everyday life in the countryside compared to the busy life in the cities.