After school I decided to go on a walk in town looking at some construction sites.
I got lucky with some of these when people would walk through, as I feel it adds a point of interest for some seemingly mundane images. I edited them to be mostly black and white because I have been liking monochrome images a lot recently, and I feel it fits the theme with the idea of humanity consuming natural life leaving behind a dull, grey environment.
Ed Burtynsky is a Canadian Photographer who was born in February 1955. he was originally known for his large format urban landscapes. His work shows the rapid industrialisation of out world and humans impact on the planet. `
Burtynsky is an advocate for environmental conservationism and his work is deeply entwined in his advocacy. His work comments on the scars left by industrial capitalism while establishing an aesthetic for environmental devastation, the sublime-horrors discussed in a number of essays on the topic of his work. He sits on the board of Contact, Toronto’s international festival of photography.
“Most of Burtynsky’s exhibited photography (pre 2007) was taken with a , large format Field Camera, on large 4×5-inch sheet film and developed into high-resolution, large-dimension prints of various sizes and editions ranging from 18 × 22 inches to 60 × 80 inches” – Wiki
This image by Edward Burtynsky was taken using a drone. this method of photography gives a wider view in order to show the true Anthropocene that the human race has brought upon itself. In my opinion this image demonstrates Anthropocene better than many other images by the artist. However i feel that it also shows the true scale of the worlds over population which really brings to light how the human race has past the point of no return and can never truly return the planet to its original and healthy state. Relating to the overpopulation of the planet the planet is also forced to industrialise in order to accommodate the population growth with jobs and housing.
I am planning on doing 3 photoshoots of different locations, with 100+ photos in each photoshoot. In each shoot, I am going to take photos at different times of day and different weather conditions, this will give me a wide variety of photos to choose from for manipulation and final photos.
Photoshoot 1
One of my ideas for a photoshoot is to travel to the quarry in St.Johns and take photos from the top of the quarry, the photos of the quarry are inspired by one of the photographers I have studied, Edward Butynsky. I believe the quarry is a really good response towards Anthropocene because it shows the effect of human life on natural landscape. I am going to take as many images as I can and edit them to respond appropriately to my project. These landscapes suit the project very well because it shows a clear effect and response of how nature has been destroyed and used for human advantage.
Photoshoot 2
Another idea for a photoshoot is to photograph abandoned and desolate buildings which have been taken over by nature. I believe photographs of these buildings fit with the topic of Anthropocene very well, as it portrays nature taking back land which humans have built on, and buildings which have permanently changed the landscape. One idea of an abandoned building is St, Saviours hospital, which greatly portrays how nature has taken back an old building built by humans.
Photoshoot 3
My last idea for a photoshoot is to take photos of heavily littered areas around jersey, such as the dump. I believe taking photos of a lot of litter fits with Anthropocene as it portrays how much humanity have polluted the Earth and just the amount of litter and rubbish humanity produces which infects the natural landscapes.
I ended up going to Samares manor around midday, during the Easter holidays. There are various kinds of unique looking plants, as well as a herb garden. I unfortunately did not get to take as many pictures as I wanted because my hay fever allergies made me feel unwell so I had to stop.
I tried to vary the compositions and subjects to give myself enough material for editing.
Troy Paiva
Troy Paiva is an American photographer and pioneer of night photography. Paiva has been using light painted, full moon-lit night photography to capture the abandoned American West for over 25 years. Telling the story of the ghosts of America’s Western Expansion, from a post-wild west, post-Route 66, 21st Century perspective has become a never-ending source of inspiration.
His documentarian, yet surrealist work examines the final days of decommissioned military bases, NASA installations, derelict ocean liners, airliner boneyards, and Hollywood prop graveyards. Paiva also photographs abandoned amusement parks, train stations, factories, hospitals, gas stations, hotels, and even entire towns. He says that it is ‘the intensely exhilarating, yet strangely comforting act of sneaking around in the middle of the night, creating art from their ruins’ which he likes the most from photographing these places. Paiva has also written a few books about his time spent light painting in these forgotten places called ‘Night Vision; The Art of Urban Exploration’ and ‘Boneyard: SoCal’s Aircraft Graveyards at Night’.
Light Painting Artist Troy Paiva | Light Painting Photography
Steven Gallagher and Naomi White
Steven Gallagher is a London based still life photographer who has a graphic and minimal style to his work. His photographs are about showing a single product in its ‘glory’. Colour is a key part of his photography style.
Personal work — STEVE GALLAGHER PHOTOGRAPHY
Naomi White is a visual artist, photographer, and educator based in Los Angeles. Her work investigates themes of consumerism and identity construction in our camera-bound world. Focusing on the transformative power of photography she examines how photography affects materials, memory, culture, and self.
One of Whites’ projects is Plastic Currents where everyday plastic bags are transformed by light, turned from something familiar into something strange. Naomi’s project shows how she can make non-biodegradable, reviled plastic bags into seemingly organic forms, imitating the very nature they threaten.
Image Analysis
This image is from Troy Paiva’s ‘Night Vision; The Art of Urban Exploration collection. I really like how he has illuminated the photo by using neon pink and blue instead of just taking it during the day. The different lighting gives the photo a nice atmosphere, one that you wouldn’t get from taking in white or natural lighting. By having the upper level and stair blue and the pink coming up through the opening it creates a faded purple in the background which I think brings the whole picture together because it helps blend the colours and lets the photo flow better making it more appealing to the eye. I also like how Paiva has kept the abandoned building the same and has either left the rubbish or moved it creating different textures and a more eye-catching foreground. Another feature to look at in this photo is the window in the background which shows the outside world and lets the viewer see the drastic difference between what is in the building and what is outside. It looks like Paiva did his photoshoot while the sun was setting because the sky seems warmer and has more orange tones, by allowing the window to stay in the photos it shows the comparison that I think he was trying to convey to the viewers.
This photo is from one of Naomi White’s collections called Plastic Currents. I like how she has managed to get the bag to look like it is floating on water or through the air, which creates abstract shapes and lines making the photo more interesting. Going from the darker red at the front to a lighter more bright orange towards the back creates an ombre effect throughout the photo adding more elements which relate to her description of her whole collecting, where she states that she wanted to make them ‘seemingly organic forms’. I also really like how the plastic is the centre of attention as she hasn’t used patterns or bright colours in her backgrounds. The position and texture of the bag allow the photo to seem more 3D and that it’s jumping out at the view which helps and gives a more direct message and what White is trying to tell her viewers and supporters. Having a bright and ‘in your face photo’ will catch people’s attention, which is what Naomi wants as she is using her collection and these photos to raise awareness of plastic pollution around the world.
Her work – ‘Plastic bag landscapes 2014’
Analysis –
I think that this photo taken by Vilde Rolfsen as part of her 2014 project called ‘Plastic bag Landscapes’ is quite successful in conveying the message which she is creating of raising awareness of plastic bags through their beauty. She is able to make this effect efficiently through her photography by using the effect of layering two different coloured plastic bags on top of each other which have various crinkles in them to create a messy and ruffled effect to the photo. The blue plastic bag in this photo can be used to symbolise the ocean or other areas of water such as lakes, ponds, etc and how the dangers are hidden underneath as the creases due to the positioning of the bag create a whirlpool effect which can show how everything always falls into each other and links together which have bigger consequences in the long run to humans who will live on in the future. The use of the red/orange plastic bag layered underneath and how many people tend to ignore the dangers of pollution which humans are creating as we don’t want to admit to our mistakes and how we have this hidden guilt underneath as we have all contributed towards this problem in some way. I also like how the bag can be seen to be slightly illuminated in the background which can emphasize the red plastic bag and what it symbolises as it creates a sense of urgency as it is highlighted to be in your face.
In my own work, I will consider how Rolfsen uses plastics bags through layering and how she uses the crinkles which have been created through the coloured plastic bags that she manipulates using the lighting in her photos as I really like the effect which that is created from this as it adds a layer of emotion and sensitivity to the photos as it will create a thought process for the viewers. I also want to experiment with the plastic bags being taken individually, similar to Naomi Whites work because I think that it would be a good way to expand on the beauty of plastic bags theme as well as creating mountains or glaciers which are being affected by global warming.
I have been to ronez quarry and took photos from sorel point which I will use in my exam. I think these photos show the industrial impact of humans on the Jersey coastline. There was also a lookout point that had been graffitied. I photographed this because I think this shows the impact of humans on historical buildings. Around this area I also went to a farm. I think the photos I took link to my artist reference, Ed Burtynsky. This is because there was tires that had been dumped on the farm, something that Edward photographed a lot in his career.
I will photograph the greenhouses near my house as they have been abandoned and are not being used anymore. I think these photos will show the impact of humans on the agriculture environment. I will also photograph the abandoned store which used to be Holme Living. It is now overgrown with plants. There is also building work going on behind Holme grown which I will also take photos of. The origins of Holme Grown was some successful tomato growers opening a store and eventually having a lot of land to grow on. However, in recent years these greenhouses have become unused and the owners are looking to sell the land so that urban buildings can be built. I think these photos will show the area of time between agricultural growers and urbanisation.
Laura Romero, Madrid (Spain) 1976. Bachelor in Fine Arts. Laura is a multidisciplinary artist who works in painting, photography, performance, installation, and recently started with ceramic sculpture.
Her international participation has been outstanding, appearing in art fairs from Hamburg to Istanbul and Paris. Both her individual and her collective work have been exhibited around the world.
“I consider my work to be quite intimate. Under the scope of my own experiences, I elaborate a story about everyday life, I expose situations we all face day to day. My intention is to bait the audience into taking a second, closer, look; it is an invitation to reflect on everything that goes by in our journey unnoticed.” – Laura Romero
Examples of her work:
Laura Romero has a specific style of work ‘Intervals’ where she takes photos of buildings and photoshops them together in a creative way. I have chosen this artist because of how her photos are presented through the way of combing multiple buildings to create one artistic image.
“I have been working with the city for several years. Questioning the territory in which I live and building a new identity, my identity.”
Laura also has a different style of photography named ‘Confinement Diaries’ which is a pretty similar styles as her ‘Intervals’ but instead each image involves some sort of nature such as, leaves, a tree, and branches.
Examples of Confinement Diaries by Laura Romero
In my opinion, I prefer the Intervals topic rather than the Confinement Diaries because it helps understand the topic of Anthropocene through the presentation of such structures and buildings. For my mock exam I am going to try and create images inspired by Laura Romeros intervals work through photoshop.
Image analysis:
This image by Laura Romero is very interesting to me. The main focus of the image is the multiple buildings combined to make one mysterious structure. As you can see, most of the buildings involved throughout the image are presented in black and white with only 2 or 3 buildings displaying colour. The use of a tiny bit of colour makes the image more attractive and vibrant to impress the viewers which represents the idea of Anthropocene. Also, the buildings on the top are not positioned upside down, however there is one building on the bottom half that is positioned upside down to create a peculiar view.
1st Edit:
I edited this image on lightroom by increasing the saturation, contrast and some other settings.
I then took the image into photoshop because I wasn’t satisfied with the result. I duplicated the layer and turned my main one in to monochrome. I used the magnetic lasso tool (on the second layer) to select the star on the can and the bird on the bottle (one at a time) and then I left clicked and chose ‘layer via copy’. I hid my second layer and was left with a black and white image with red accents. At the end, I used the sharpen tool on the can and bottle to make them stand out more.
I did this because I didn’t like the original colours of the image and because black and white was too plain.
I imported all of my images into lightroom and put them in a new collection that I named ‘Anthropocene’. After doing my selections, I used the develop section to edit some of them. I mostly turned them black and white and played with the settings. (contrast, exposure, highlights etc.)
2nd Edit:
I didn’t do much to this image as it was already black and white and I liked the way it looked because of the composition. I just played around with the contrast and some other settings to make the details stand out more. I also straightened the image. Overall, I like this image because of the scaffolding, it makes the image look way more interesting because of all the lines.
3rd Edit
I didn’t like the colour of this image and thought it wasn’t vibrant enough so I lowered the temperature and tint to get this blue colour. I liked it this way as it looked more like glass. I then turned the contrast all the way up to accentuate the the lines and inside of the building. At the end, I turned the shadows all the way down to make it even darker. I like the way it turned out because it kind of reminds me of Keld Helmer Petersen’s work.
4th Edit:
I liked the overall look of this image so I didn’t change it too much. I turned it in black and white because I thought it looked better and simpler that way. Then I played around with the settings to make the lines of the scaffolding stand out more. Turning up the dehaze gave the sky some texture which I liked because it made it look more interesting that just having a plain white background.
Edits:
