What are contact sheets?
– Contact sheets are a tool that dates back to the days of shooting on film, showing the whole roll of film on one sheet of photographic paper, to help the photographer select which images to print.
– They are now outdated as most photographers use digital camera.
Why are they important?
– You can quickly scan a series of images to find the good photos or the ones chosen to be enlarged. instead of wasting materials one bad ones
Contact sheets are a way for photographers to show proof of their work to clients. They consist of a sheet showing individual photographs with name or numbers of the image. They do this so it is easier to identify which photographs the client wants to produce.
ALBERT RENGER PATZSCH
German photographer Albert Renger Patzsch was a pioneering figure in the objectivity movement, which sought to engage with the world as clearly and precisely as possible.
He focuses on black and white photography and noticed the changes that the world was facing during that period in time. The industrial revolution was still reasonable new at this stage so where lovely views once were, large buildings constantly creating smoke and smog replaced them.
In addition to this, he focuses on repetition of patterns and items so I will try and make sure that if I take a picture of one singular thing, it will have a pattern or texture that is repeated.
His project “the world is beautiful” looks at the way the camera interacts with things in the world. One of photography’s fundamental attributes is its capacity to adopt a range of relationships with its subject. Renger-Patzsch’s approach embodied his belief that ‘one should surely proceed from the essence of the object and attempt to represent it with photographic means alone’ (taken from the national gallery of Australia)
Image Analysis
It looks like this image was taken in a natural light as there is no glare on the buttons from where the flash had hit it. In addition, the buttons have a slight shine from the sunlight.
Some of the buttons have a slightly rough texture causing the light to only make the first half of the button shine as the raised bumps are creating a shadow for the rest of the button.
The image has a playful and nostalgic mood as many people who went to haberdashery shops always saw 100s of buttons lay around in different places. The viewer may have played with the buttons on their shirts or cardigans causing happy memories to flood back.
Image Analysis
This image shows lots of loaves of bread all lined up on a wooden surface. They seem to be uncooked as there is no varying shades on the bread that the viewers can see. However there is a few different textures allowing the reader to focus on the ends of each loaf rather than the middle.
The fact that they are all an equal shape and are all in rows and columns allows the viewer to see that this was taken in a factory or bakery because not many civilians had the time to make that many loaves of bread.
However, the image creates a homely mood because even by looking at the image, the viewers could be able to imagine what the smell of the freshly baked bread would be like once this batch had come out of the oven.
The tones in this image are mainly light, except for the gaps in-between each loaf and also between the wood and the bread, where they block the raised parts of the bread block out the light for the loaves either side of it. This repeats throughout the whole image.
Images by Albert Renger Patzsch
Shoot One
Favourite Images (unedited)
For my First shoot, I went out to St Aubin. I went there because it has so many things that repeat. For example, the boats that are parked in rows in the harbour; the ladders surrounding the harbour so people can get out, the chains attached to the anchors and also chains that are used as a barricade.
Favourite Unedited image
My favourite unedited image would probably be the rusty chain as it shows that they can be used for a very long time ; and was created in mass during the Industrial Revolution when Renger was alive.
Lighting: The natural light allows the copper colour to pop and also highlights the peeling of the corroded metal.
The shadows that are created on the floor by the coiled up chain allows the viewer to focus on something other than the rusty chain, it allows the view to wonder whether the dark patch has anything underneath or whether it is just an empty space.
The links in the chain allow the viewer to see a common pattern; however, the cracks that are created by the rusty chain allow the viewer to focus on the different shapes that the corrosion had created.
Edited Images
Favourite edited image
This is my favourite outcome from this shoot because I love the texture on the chain and how it’s beginning to corrode and therefore has chunks of each link missing. The chunks that are missing from the chain are a way to keep the viewer interested in the image because if it was just a normal chain it would be boring as most chains are the same. One could say the corrosion gave it some character.
The sunlight also hit the corners of each link causing there be be a shadow in the centre of the links as each link blocked another’s light.
The chain is a little off centre because I wanted to keep the drop from behind the chain in shot.
Shoot two
For my second shoot I was inspired by Patzsch’s image of five buttons on a plain white surface. My mum does a lot of sewing, so I took a few photographs of what was in her sewing box. The tape measure is between 80-90 years old as it was my Great Grandmother’s. I used the tape measure in particular because of its age, and the fact that Patzsch’s images were taken in black and white which is often associated with the past.
Successful unedited images
Successful Edits
These are my most successful edits. I prefer some of these images more than the first shoot I did. I loved taking the close ups of the tape measure and thread as individuals rather than in the group with other items.
Favourite Image
I cropped this image to make the tape measure be the focus of this image, however I didn’t make it central because I wanted to keep the end of the tape measure that was lose in the image as well.
I didn’t have the flash on my camera as I wanted the light to be smooth. So the light used was from the window just as the sun was above it, so it created a natural glow on my surface.
The tape measure, because of it age, has some dints in the fabric which creates kinks in the what seems like an infinite spiral. In addition, the tape measure’s paint has worn a bit which links with the main idea of things changing over time. This tape measure is very old, and I think it works well with the black and white filter.
Before and after editing
The man in this photograph is Alfred Krupp. Alfred was as an ammunition and steel manufacturer who supplied products to the German Nazis during the war and was later sentenced to prison for war crimes. The Photographer, Arnold Newman, was a Jewish American who traveled to Germany as he felt he needed to know more about the horrific oppression of Jewish people. The dramatic irony behind this photo is that a Jewish Photographer got a Nazi sympathizer to pose for this iconic image.
In this Image, slightly below the centre of the shot, is a medium shot of a Caucasian man who looks to be in his late sixties. He has a balding head with slight tufts of grey hair sprouting near the back of his scalp. He has fairly dark coloured skin littered with wrinkles. He has bushy brown eyebrows, a long pointed nose and large, deep, brown eyes. He is gazing straight at the lens and has a serious and sinister expression on his face. He is dressed in a dark grey blazer with a white shirt bearing silver cuff links underneath. He is aslo wearing an expensive looking metal watch tucked underneath his blazer. In the background there is two large concrete pillars eaither side of the man. There is a blue train to the left of the man and a rust coloured one to the right. There are two rows of metal beams above the trains running paralell to eachother leading to a set of windows positioned directly above the mans head. There are also multiple columns of ceiling windows running along the roof of the builing. Also in this buidling are a series of moving metal machines/parts.
The lighting in this image is a combination of natural and fabricated light, the natural light is coming from above and behind the subject. The natural light coming from the windows give the subject a glow above his head almost like a halo. The fluorescent light is coming from behind the camera. This light brightens the outside of the subject but creates deep shadows in the centre of the subjects face and body which make him look mischievous. The image has quite a narrow portrait crop on it. Arnold used quite a high aperture as both the foreground and background are very clear. The image is slightly underexposed and has been given a vignette around the edges to create a mysterious feel. The image has a warm tone and a dark tone. the texture of the image is quite rough which is not created by grain but is rather associated with the old mysterious man and his surroundings. There a large depth of field aided by the metal beams running longitudinally down the factory roof in this image. The photographer has also framed the subject between the two pillars.
INTRODUCTION:
Albert Renger-Patzsch was a German photographer who began taking photos from the age of twelve. He mainly focuses on architectural photos, macro photos and object photography which he then puts into black and white adding more tones and details. His famous book which he published in 1928 ‘The World is Beautiful’ inspired several other photographers to start paying close attention to objectivity. Albert Renger-Patzsch also explored all seven formal elements such as: form, light, rhythm, line, texture, and repetition throughout his years.
ANALYSIS:
These photos are similar are different in several ways. The first thing I noticed when I started looking at these two images is that they are both in black and white showing different tones which enhances the textures. Secondly I also noticed that neither of the photographs show nature as one is architectural and the other shows a pattern which has been created by Albert Renger-Patzsch.
However there are also several differences, for example one of the photos have been taken from a close and straight angle whereas the other has been taken from a distance at a looking up angle which adds contrasts to both of the images in different ways. Another difference I noticed was the lighting tones as one of the photos have more of a warm tone compared to the other photo has more of a dark and natural tones.
MY RESPONSE
BEST IMAGES
I personally believe that these are the best images I have took for this shoot, this is because I feel that they reflect Alberts Render – Patzsch as you can see clearly the direction of which the light was coming from. I started of by taking photos from a straight on angle then I later developed the idea of taking photos from a lower angle, which I think make the photographs more abstract.
Additionally I tried to avoid editing my photos in order to make them feel more realistic as this is what Albert Renger – Patzsch did throughout the majority of his photographs. The tones of the images are very different throughout due to the way in which the lighting is coming from which creates different shadows and shades.
The brightest part of the image is the center, the rest of the image is dark.
The background is pure black and there are dim shadows throughout the piece of paper.
The photograph has soft artificial lighting as a flash was used to take this photograph. The light starts brighter at the top and goes dimmer and dimmer down the paper.
The way the paper is set-up acts as a leading line towards the bottom.
There are very scrunched and curvy lines throughout the paper. The paper is rolled into a paper binocular which creates a kind of cylinder leading towards the bottom / the dark “abyss”.
The lines show the image to be still.
The paper in itself forms a circular pattern almost like a scrunched paper binocular or a paper rose.
The space in this image appears quite centered on the subject. It seems as if the photographer took the picture using a wide angle lens as it is close to the subject but seems as if the paper goes into the “abyss” forever.
These circular and wavy texture throughout the photograph create these organic shapes throughout the photograph.
The texture of this image appears to be wavy, curvy and curly. This is evident by the fact that the paper seems to be scrunched up then rolled to form this object.
The image contains a range of tones from very dark to natural lighting. There are harsh and dark shadows and backgrounds but also dim and bright tones. The image is in “black and white” as the only main colours in this coloured digital image are black and white.
The focal point in this image is the paper as the photographer has used the rule of thirds to successfully set the subject in mid-center.
The photographer has clearly balanced the colours in this image so that it is only white in contrast to the black background.
In this image I shot pieces of folded, crumpled and ripped paper.
I shot this image using harsh, unnatural, flash lighting. The light is positioned closely above and to the right of the paper which creates extreme shadows and opposing bright white elements in the composition. This gives the image a lot of contrast and tonal range. I also de-saturated the image to accentuate the negative background and the highlights.
I used a large aperture to make the paper stand out from the background. I used a low ISO to prevent grain and to prevent my image from being blown out sue to the unnatural light. The image has a satisfying repetition of horizontal lines created by the way I folded the paper. I also used pieces of ripped and crumpled paper to frame my image. This framing also gives the image some nice depth of field as it adds layering to the composition. The ripped and crumpled paper used to frame my image has also given the image a horizontal line of symmetry.
Task Practical / photoshoot-homework
We will aim to expand our approach to photographing things around us…whilst responding to influential approaches in the development of modern photography.
By responding to Albert Renger-Patszch and The New Objectivity you will be able to classify a greater range of your images whilst learning more about the Formal Elements and Adobe Photoshop techniques including :
Remember to : Describe, explain and evaluate your process carefully.
Homework Due Date = Wednesday 23 September
