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ANTHROPOCENE, Controlled Conditions, Independent

Anthropocene – Andrew Moore Photoshoot

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Why Andrew Moore?

Andrew Moore’s work depicting the effects of time on natural and built landscapes has greatly inspired me while researching for this Anthropocene project. I really enjoy the way Moore captures his images from a different perspective to Burtynsky and how he demonstrates the way nature is trying its best to overcome the effects the human race is having on the environment. I wish to reflect this element of Moore’s work through landscape photography of overgrown scenes while also capturing images showing areas of nature by the side of industrial buildings. I believe this will further the Anthropocene idea on society’s impact on the world by showing the impending modernization creeping into each photograph. Additionally, Moore’s use of saturated colours and natural lighting allows the observer to understand the subject better, for example letting them acknowledge how nature; when left alone and undisturbed by humans, has the ability to form beautiful natural landscapes and areas that are not overwhelmed by industrialized structures.

Photoshoot Plan

What – I plan on capturing images of landscapes which have been impacted by humans with buildings, greenhouses, ruins and industrial sites – however with nature still trying to make an appearance, fighting back against the urbanisation. I wish to capture elements of the natural environment juxtaposed with modern structures to represent the imminent world industrialisation.

Where – I aim to produce this photoshoot around many locations on the island; the first, where I wish to photograph the difference between nature and industrial structures, is at Le Quesne Barracks, Mount Bingham in St. Helier. I also plan on walking down to the beach at Halve Des Pas to capture the natural landscape with tall structures from La Collette in the background.

When – My plan is to conduct this photoshoot on Friday 21st of May due to the forecasted sunny weather, as I am taking my images inspired by both Edward Burtynsky and Andrew Moore on the same day. The bright weather will aid my photoshoot as it will create harsh shadows and emphasise natures vibrant colours, symbolising the beauty in the untouched natural environments around us, which are slowly being destroyed and forgotten.

How – Similar to my shoot inspired by Edward Burtynsky, I will use natural sunlight to capture my images. I also plan on standing from a lower eye-level point of view and getting closer to the main subject of my photos to reflect Moore’s more grounded style of photography.

Why – My aim in producing this photoshoot is to mirror the work of Andrew Moore by capturing natural landscapes which have been effected by the human race with buildings and structures creeping into each photo. Additionally, I want to photograph areas of landscapes that have been tampered with by humans however where nature is retaliating against the urbanisation of it’s natural habitat.

Contact Sheets

Selected Images

Image Analysis

I have chosen to analyse this image from my Andrew Moore inspired photoshoot as it represents the idea of nature fighting back against industrialization. I captured this photograph at an abandoned greenhouse in Grouville, during mid-day using natural lighting to reflect Moore’s style of photography. The first element of my image that I really enjoy is my capturing of straight leading lines, creating direction in the photograph and guiding the observer’s attention into the center of the image. These thin abstract lines create geometric patterns from the mid-ground to the background and symbolize the rigid systematic way that humans are impacting natural environments. These artificial shapes contrast greatly with the organic pattern formed by the cluster of bushes and leaves which are reflected throughout the image. The texture created by these brambles is rough and spiky which gives the impression that nature is having to fight for its environment through force as society’s modern architecture will not let it thrive. Furthermore, the actual location of where this image was taken links to the Anthropocene idea even more as it is planned to be destroyed in order to make room for new housing and apartments. The context of the location shows how little humans are caring about the natural world, connoting the idea that they will let their beautiful landscapes become abandoned to make profit on industrializing and destroying them in the future. Additionally, the high saturation of colour in this image helps the observer to understand the value in our natural environments as it connotes the idea that when nature is left to thrive on its own it can create beautiful surroundings – however the vibrancy is juxtaposed with the dull monochrome greenhouse structure which symbolizes how nature is trapped behind the industrial bars of man-kind.

Natural Landscapes

During my Andrew Moore inspired photoshoot, I captured elements of the landscapes that I was in which showed nature, untouched by man and thriving in its natural environment. I wanted to photograph these landscapes to link to my initial idea of presenting the three different stages of industrialization, showing nature unharmed, nature fighting against man-made structures and nature destroyed with urbanization taking over – in my final presentation of images I wish to use these natural landscape images as the first photo in the sequence of three. I wanted to highlight the beauty of nature through vibrant colours and the use of negative space in the skyline – I believe this gives the impression of a clear clean future of surviving natural landscapes, which contrasts significantly with the other two elements of my Anthropocene project.

ANTHROPOCENE, Controlled Conditions

Final images and display ideas – Darian Mederos inspired photographs (Anthropocene)

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Final Images

Image Gallery

Ideas for displaying

To display these photographs, I can also use the idea of burning the edges of the paper to create an intense contrast between the muted tones of the photograph and the intense black of the burnt edges.

Alternatively, I could incorporate juxtaposing textures in my display by using real bubble wrap over sections of the photograph. I can also use this idea as a form of physical editing rather than editing my images purely using photoshop.

ANTHROPOCENE, Controlled Conditions, Independent

Jeremy Carroll

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Portrait of Jeremy Carroll (from Facebook)

Jeremy Carroll is a photographer and artist who wants to change the world and by doing this he must change how people see things.  In order to illustrate what plastic pollution is doing to fish and sea mammals, he created an exhibit called “Entanglement.” It shows humans entangled in the waste that is most commonly found in seawater and along beaches.

Famous Images

Jeremy Carroll focuses on sharing the impact plastic has on the environment and sea creatures through images of humans facing the same problems. Humans often feel more remorse when they see arm done to things they view as their equal.

Image Analysis

The red rope and plastic around the models neck is central and is what draws the viewer in as soon as they look at the image. The colour red could have been used to emphasise the fact that the person is now in danger or it could represent the blood that is drawn from the tightness of the plastic around the neck. In the centre of the model’s neck, you can see signs of struggle with the wrinkles that have formed and the fact that you can see the model’s hands trying to loosen the items that are currently shortening their life right before their eyes.

Carroll used a white background to ensue that the model was the centre of the viewer’s attention. The model also takes up a lot of the image which helps direct the viewer to look at the different materials and textures restricting their airflow. The different textures also emphasise the smoothness of the models skin and how it looks like it can easily be broken. This helps show the innocence of the creatures that get caught in these kinds of traps daily.

On the model’s neck, there is bits of yellow rope which had fallen. This helps emphasise how easy it is for plastic and debris to get into the ocean. It just shows that not every bit of plastic was put into the ocean on purpose. The shadows on the model’s neck look like marks that have been left there from how tight the plastic was wrapped round.

ANTHROPOCENE, Controlled Conditions

Comparing Darian Mederos’ work to my own (Anthropocene)

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Comparison between Darian Mederos’ work and my own

Portrait of Camilla by Darian Rodriguez Mederos on artnet
“Portrait of Camilla” – Darian Mederos (2020)
My work

My work is similar to the work of Darian Mederos in the sense that bubble wrap is used to create a sense of enigma, as the face is not fully revealed or has a slight blur. Cooler tones with muted colours can also be seen within both images as well as the use of slightly harsher shadows and highlights. There is also a sense of depth of field in both photos as particular sections of the image are in focus. For example in Mederos’ work, the bubble wrap is in focus which blurs out the entire face, whereas in my work the holes in the bubble wrap allows for areas of the face to be in focus.

However there is also prominent differences between the photographs, such as my photo being a close up images rather than a full portrait. Furthermore, the bubble wrap in my work has been ripped, so sections of the face can be seen in focus, in contrast to Mederos’ work in which the whole face is blurred. An obvious difference between my work and the artists work is that Darian Mederos’ work is a painting, however I am using his work for inspiration rather than to recreate exactly.

Overall, I believe I successfully created my own work with the influnce of Darian Mederos as my inspiration for the theme of Anthropocene. I thought Mederos’ work represents Anthropocene in a unique and subtle way although it can carry a deeper meaning.

ANTHROPOCENE, Controlled Conditions

Further Photoshop experimentation – Darian Mederos (Anthropocene)

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Experimenting with Photoshop

Original Image
Edited through change in exposure and curve levels.
Edited using polygon lasso tool, image layering and black and white filter.
Edited using iris blur and altering curves and exposure.
Edited using polygon lasso tool and editing colour hues of sections.
Edited using magnetic lasso tool and cutting shapes from Naomi White inspired photoshoot.
ANTHROPOCENE, Controlled Conditions

Darian Mederos inspired image editing (Anthropocene)

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Original and Edited Images

Original Image
Original Image
Edited Image
Original Image
Edited Image

How I edited my Images

I began with altering the brightness and contrast of the image, I increased the brightness and lowered the contrast of the image to make the tones more subdued.
I then altered the curves of the photograph to further mute the tones and increase the overall brightness of the image without getting rid of the distinct shadows and highlights.
I lowered the exposure and increased the offset of the photograph to add brightness to the photo, but also keep the contrast of shadows and highlights.
Next, I added a slightly blue hue to the image as some of Mederos’ work have a cooler tone, which I thought would suit the theme of Anthropocene more than a warmer tone as it creates a more chilling atmosphere to the image.
Finally, I added a cooling filter to enhance the darker tones of the image and further the slightly menacing feeling to the image in order to keep to the theme of Anthropocene and create a deeper message and undertone.
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Anthropocene-Plan

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Ideas

Inspiration

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.

ANTHROPOCENE, Controlled Conditions

Shoot 1-domestic waste

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Plan

What: Soil pollution: The most common type of pollution caused by household waste, industrial waste and agriculture. Knowing the causes of pollution on earth will require us to be a better guardian of the world that we are living on. #

Why: On this shoot i decided to focus on the domestic waste left behind because i want to make people aware of the waste that they leave and is contantly causing damage in our planet.

When: Like Troy Paiva, I chose to do this shoot in the evening. Troy Paiva takes pictures around the evening, using openings of a few minutes to catch the discernible time entry on a lonely edge.

Where: I chose to shoot in a place that is derelict and that represents the things that have been left behind because they no longer have or can find any utility.

Contact Sheets

My First Selection

Comparison

  • Troy Paiva
  • Carmen Kirchner 





Both of the images let you guess that they are taken in the evening   because the colours effect are more efficient on the image and there’s use of flash. The lights are obviously artificial lights since they are colours effects. I decided to use strong colours (blue / red) while Troy Paiva use lighter colours (pink / purple) which have less impact on objects. In Troy Paiva’s photography purple is the dominant colour and in mine is red.  The tones are almost the same in both of them we can dark parts around the objects that’s what makes them stand out however mine shadows are darkest than in Paiva’s image. The lightest parts are on the objects. This contrast creates a mysterious atmosphere on both of them. We can see on both of the images different geometric shapes like the tv, table and some organic shapes like the curtain, the waste… The object that can be found in the two photos is the old tv who is not from this generation however Troy Paiva’s tv looks more old and damaged. On the image of Troy Paiva the photo is taken from further away so the Tv is in foreground on the middle and the lights are exposed on the background this creates a lot of space on the image while I decided to zoom in so that the TV is not the main object on the foreground but also the waste and the lights are on the objects  
as my image is taken from very close and the objects are stacked on top of each other there is no space.





 





  

	

	
	




	
	

				

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shoot 2- ingrained in nature

		

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Plan





What: This shoot represents the view of abandoned places  how they are merge with nature, and how nature can always find the way to fight and continue growing .
When: I decided to do the shoot in the middle of the day to full appreciate nature in all its glory.
Why: As in my last shoot, Im trying to make aware of the damage we are doing to the planet and especially show how nature is wise and we dont know how to respect it.





Contact Sheets










First Selection

























Comparison





  • Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre
  • Carmen Kirchner 





Both of the images are taken from the outside so there’s use of natural lights, the light is soft. The main thing on the two images are the buildings covered in green, the nature that continues to grow on these buildings. The shapes are not the same, Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre have geometric shapes on their image since the building is a repetitive pattern of rectangles mine on the other hand there more organic shapes since the rocks on the building are curvy. However in my picture, the contrast between the lights and the shadow on the building create straight edged so geometric shapes. In Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre’s image we can see shade in the building which creates depth and creates more space. There’s also negative space above the building since the photographers decided to take picture of the sky as well on the contrary of my picture in which we do not find a lot of negative space. On both of the images we can find to types of texture one soft (plants) and the other as strong as a rock we can recognize these textures by the soft lines on the plants while the buildings and the stones have stronger lines. The colour pallets are roughly the same we find grey, different types of green, blue, brown, yellow… 





 

	

	
	




	
	

				

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Anthropocene case studies

		

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Darian Mederos 





Darian is a painter and visual artist who is known for his unique and abstract approach to painting. He is best recognised for his signature bubble wrap style where he paints a bubbles over a portrait giving the image added texture and effect. He attended an art school in Cuba for 2 years and then finished his degree at San Alejandro in Havana. 










Nick Fancher 





Nick Fancher is a photographer, author, and educator who specialises in dramatic lighting, where he often employs the use of bold colours and experimental camera techniques. He is particularly known for his efficient method of working, which is with the use of minimal gear, often in unconventional locations. Nick graduated from Ohio State with a BFA in photography in 2005 and has authored several books on his techniques















Hendrik Kerstens and Vika Pobeda





Hendrik Kerstens is a Dutch photographer who photographs his daughter Paula. He began a series of photographing his daughter’s life, initially capturing her in everyday poses and attire, documenting intimate moments. He gradually expanded his photography to create carefully composed portraits that refer to the works of the Dutch Old Masters and the Italian Renaissance. These images use everyday items as props, such as a dishtowel or cream standing in for a maiden’s cloth and wig, and still rely on Paula as his primary subject

Vika Pobeda is a photographer and videographer who is known for her commercial work for different companies. She is known for her portraits and colourful advertising work. 





Vika Pobeda 





Hendrik Kerstens