The formal elements are used by famous photographers all around the world. They are the parts that create some of the most praised images in the world. They help create interesting and professional images.

In class I took photos of paper shaped and folded in different ways using different backdrops and lighting.

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Analysis

Light – In my second and third image the lighting is quite harsh and creates dark, contrasting shadows. This was done by using downward facing, close lighting. In my fifth image the lighting is softer creating less contrast in tones and fainter lines.

Line – In my fourth photo the lines are quite abstract and unnatural due to the way I crumpled the paper. This contrasts with the sharp, straight lines on the edges of the paper. In my first image the lines are very harsh and impactful. This is also due to the lighting coming from the side.

Repetition – There are repetition of triangular shapes in my second and third image and in my first image the lines repeat and are parallel.

Space – In my third photo there is a sense of depth due to the way it folds behind each other. I think all the photos have a depth to them because of the way they are set out and folded.

Texture – The lines in the photo would feel sharp and flat whereas some of the crumpled paper would feel more rough.

Tone – In all my photos a range of tones can be seen. In my first and second image the tone fades and is not as sharp as the other images. They also don’t contain as dark shapes and lines.

Colour – In my first and last image the dominant colour is black with hints of grey and white. This is different to the other photos where the dominant colour is white and grey.

Composition – In my second and last image the paper has been arranged into a sort of pyramid formation.

What is a contact sheet?

A contact sheet is basically a series of photos the same size and of them same object or thing you have photographed. These photos are small on a page for photographer after a photoshoot to look at and choose the best images from the shoot. Contact sheets can typically be scanned over quickly with are eyes. That way we can selected out the best photos compared to those which ay have not turned out the way we wanted. This is why contact sheets are useful as photographers don’t have to analysis photos one by one though a camera or on a computer.

My contact sheets will be based off Albert Renger’s work.

Contact Sheet One:

This is my first contact sheet of a mini cactus. My images relate to Alberts work as the repetition of the spikes are natural and unique. Some images I have edited to create a stronger contrast between the dark and light elements in the plant.

Contact Sheet Two:

This is my contact sheet two of shells from St.Ouens. Personally this is my favourite Contact Sheet as the shells and are all equal to each other and the lighting is perfect to identify the crevasses and little details on the shells individually. I have edited a few of these photos myself on my phone to bring out the highlights and darker shadows.

Contact Sheet Three:

In my contact sheet three i have roughly recreated the macro photography work Albert Renger does with flowers and plants. These are just flowers and palm trees in my garden. I particularly like the palm tree photos as one I have edited to stand out and have a good tonal range of light to dark.

Contact Sheet Four:

My final contact sheet are photos of basic colour pencils. Lined up evenly and with a back based background these photos came out well when turned into black and white.

Best Photos:

Paper Shoot

Evaluation

Out of all my photos I took from this paper photoshoot this is my favourite as the tonal range from light to dark really emphasises the photo and gives it purpose. The strong shadow created with a torch contrasts well with the white background the scrunched up paper ball is set on. Even though this image is taken on an iPhone, I think the minimal editing such as lightening the highlighted bits of the paper is a pretty good quality photo to admire.

This series of photos is based around waiting and covid 19. I took the photos whilst on holiday in Tenerife where wearing a mask outside is mandatory and I found it interesting how people went about their daily tasks wearing a mask which is why I chose to have my photos as people waiting wearing masks. All photos are taken without the knowledge of my subjects so they are all natural which I liked as it looked less forced than it would if I have if I had made the subjects pose for me. I chose these 3 photos as I feel like they reflected my experience the best. The black and white photos show the discomfort of traveling during coronavirus while the coloured photo shows a balance between the discomfort and the beauty of tenerife. 

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I decided on the middle image as my final photo as I felt the colours were really beautiful and bright and contrasted really well with the grimness of the coronavirus situation. The photo was taken in a harbour in playa de las galletas and is of my sister hiding in the shade. As she was unaware of the the photo being taken, her facial expressions are dull and uninterested which I think makes the photo more poignant .

Next time I do this I will try to take more photos of the same image so that I have more choice finding the best photos. It was hard to do that this time as no one was posing. I took inspiration from artists like Dorethea Lange. 

A contact sheet is a piece of photographic paper on to which several or all of the negatives on a film have been contact-printed as evidence of a photo shoot. They are essential as they help organise photos and make it easier to decide which ones to use.

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This is the start of a contact sheet of my dog which should be 36 images. Some of the photos have been edited and cropped. Narrowing it down, the bottom left and right photos as well as the top middle are my favourites and should be circled.

Albert’s photography is very repetitive and unique as he had a fascination in the light and dark features of nature and man made objects. His black and white work is mostly photographed of close up (macro) plants, interesting structured buildings and natural sites. In his photographs, he recorded the exact, detailed appearance of objects from the human eye. He believed that the untouched object that he is photographing does not need changing when taking the photo , as for not editing or changing the image when taken or being photographed. His eye for angles in photography was what got his work to be famous and unique in his time (1928).

ANALYSIS

These photos from Albert have the similarities of the same object repetitively seen in the image as the trees are placed roughly in the same pattern as each other and there are many of them. As well as the shoes lined up in columns and are identical to each other.

The black and white images connect in similar photography as they both have a high contrast with dark and light in the shadow and highlights in the images.

A difference in these images would be that the shoes have been created by a man to look like that in the image, they have been placed in a particular arranging to create this sequence of identical shoes in repeating lines . As for the trees which have not been touched and are all naturally placed in the snowy surrounding in the image.

INTRODUCTION:

A contact sheet is a piece of photographic paper on to which several or all of the negatives on a film have been contact-printed. Usually it is a positive print of the total negatives from the roll of film or a shoot and often each image is the same size as the negative itself. This is done to help the photographer analysis the images quickly and chose which photos are their best ones out of the shoot.

EXAMPLE CONTACT SHEET:

MY CONTACT SHEET:

Albert Renger-Patzsch and the New Objectivity

Renger-Patzsch has always been involved with photography since the age of 12 when he first started taking photos, after the first world war where he was part of the military service, he then went on and studied chemistry at Dresden Technical College.He then returned to photography in the early 1920s as a press photographer for the Chicago Tribune.

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IMAGE ANALYSIS

Power lines – In the photo of the power lines the lighting of the photo is natural yet the lighting is quite harsh on the object as the tonal range is quite varied with strong shadows defining the outline. The light is coming from the top right corner, you can see that the level of control lacks as he doesn’t control the lighting nor how everything is aligned. The focus point of the photo is the bottom line on the middle circles with a sharp depth of field. The tone of this photo is very controversial as there are a contrast of darks and lights. The texture of the shapes are very smooth with 3D shapes which mainly has two lines going from the top left to bottom right.

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Building – This photo has daylight lighting which you can see coming from the top left corner casting very gentile shadows. The focus of the image are the two front rectangles going from one building to another. the shutter speed must be fast as the image is quite dark in areas showing that it didn’t have a slow shutter speed. The tone of image is very wide as in the sky you can see it’s very white colourless whereas the shadows are quite dark making it harder to see the detail in the shadow. You can see repetition in the photo with the rectangle blocks going from the two building which is repeated behind going to another building.

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SIMILARITIES 

In both these photos they use natural daylight lighting used from everyday, they both have lines going across the image coming from a noticeable centre point. Both of the photos show repetition with the lines going across even though the power line has more repetition and the building has less but they both show repetition. Both the images are man made and not natural objects found in the wildlife showing how he focuses on man made objects.

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DIFFERENCES

 In the power line photo it has sharp deep shadows with a wide tonal range whereas the building photo has very light shadows and a small tonal range. With the photo of the power lines the cables going across the image are to be seen as messy and chaotic whereas the building has a clear set destination for the lines and gives a calm feeling to the person looking at the photo. In the power line photo is has a very smooth texture to it whereas the building photo has a rough texture due to the walls with white and black tones showing there is strong texture to it. The windows also have rough texture where some are missing and some are black.

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My interpretation

Arnold Newman | Portrait of Alfred Krupp | 1963

Background/context- The photographer, Arnold Newman,  was born in New York City in 1918, and attended high school in Miami. He studied painting at the University of Miami on scholarship for two years, before—having run out of financial support for his studies—moving to Philadelphia to work as a photographer.

Technical – the lighting is not natural it looks more focused on Krupp and the background behind him to make him the main focus/subject. The light surrounding Krupp is much darker than the rest of the photo which creates a mysterious atmosphere around him and portrays him as someone evil as the trains and entertainment behind him are very lit up.

Visual- The photograph is in colour. The background around him is quite symmetrical and the photo is taken from a higher viewpoint which shows that the photographer is looking over him. This creates an idea that the photographer thinks he’s better than Krupp. The background behind him is getting smaller as it goes on which draws attention to Krupps face right away .

Conceptual- Arnold Newman was a Jewish American photographer who wanted to tell the world that Alfred Krupp was an evil person as he was very powerful due to being a German Nazis. The angle at which the photo was taken indicates that Arnold Newman wants to create the idea of him being more powerful and in control.