Gorey, St Catharine’s, Noirmont
My aim is to use a tripod and long exposure/ shutter speed to get a calm still image where the sky meets the water over the horizon, Similar to how Shiroshi Sugimoto works. I will be experimenting with different times of day and weather conditions.
What I used for reference –
Research –
3 Key quotes –
1. “In this set of photographs Parr used flash and an underwater camera to create eerie scenarios of snowflakes and driving rain,”
I have chosen to use this quote because I think that it successfully describes the technique which Martin Parr uses within his photography to create his photos. This shows the simplicity of the technique and how easy it can be to make the weather look more extreme, creating that eerie feeling of this weather which seems as if you can’t escape it, than it already does through the use of flash photography and using an underwater camera to give the photos a distorted view within them.
2. “the feeling of claustrophobia experienced towards the end of it.”
I have chosen to use this quote because it represents how in Parr’s work he wanted to capture this feeling of claustrophobia which is created through the use of flash and underwater lens in his photography. Therefore this effect enhances that feeling of isolation as this type of weather which he explores within his photography can be linked into ties where people are unable to go out and see friends/family due to bad weather conditions and how this can make others feel.
3. “it was a reassertion of independence and a declaration that, from now on, photography was to be a solitary occupation.”
I have chosen to use this quote because I agree with how it states that photography can be seen as a solitary occupation because many photographers work is done by themselves, where they go out and produce sets of photos on a specific theme which they have thought of and wanted to create by themselves and avoid influence or plagiarism from other photographers. I also agree with how the quote states that it is a independence declaration which adds a level of freedom to being a photographer, and in a way Martin Parr’s work can be seen as the beginning of the movement of independence and representing photography as a solitary occupation which people do alone as it can be refreshing and calming.
Image analysis –
For this image which I have selected to use for my image analysis, is called “Three kinds of summer” which is a photo taken by Martin Parr apart of his ‘Bad Weather’ project. This photo shows how the techniques which have been used and described in the quote above that states “Parr used flash and an underwater camera to create eerie scenarios of snowflakes and driving rain,” and I think that this technique has been successfully used throughout his work. This is because it gives the photo this effect that the weather is almost unbearable to be in as the rain has been transformed through the use of the underwater camera to look heavier and as if the raindrops are bigger. The other focus point of this photograph is how the lady who is seen to be further back in the photograph does not have a coat on, which can suggest that the weather was unpredictable and unexpected as she put up an umbrella in a rush but doesn’t have a coat, therefore this successfully sows how Parr captures the theme of ‘Bad Weather’ throughout his work as he shows how terrible and unpredictable it can be.
A crown dependency is territory that is self-governing under the authority/supervision of the British Crown meaning they have their own legal systems, legislative assemblies etc however are not a part of the UK. There are multiple Crown dependency’s in the modern day such as Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
Jersey first became self-governing in 1204 after King John lost the Battle of Rouen against the French King Philippe-Auguste. At the time, the Channel islands were expected to have aligned themselves with France, however they decided to side with King John instead as it would grant them the right to be governed by their own laws, create the Jersey Royal Court [by allowing Jersey to choose their 12 best men to sit alongside the Bailiff] and a warden [which later became Governor] who was appointed by the King to organise the Island’s defence.
I went to my mum’s part time job and decided to photograph certain areas around the building that I thought would look interesting with my projects topic. I took these images on my phone as I wanted to take some test shots before bringing my camera to take better quality images as it would allow me to take quick photos and start thinking of some compositions along with some lighting issues that I could have [due to how dark the building can get] so next time I’ll be prepared to take better quality images with little to no issues.
Contact Sheets:
I didn’t take too many photos as I was aiming to see what was achievable with the limited/dim lighting which led to some basic compositions that I could later improve when I go back with my camera to reshoot the location. I tried to photograph areas that I thought would make interesting photos so that I would waste less time scouting interesting photos and more time photographing next time I return.
Best Shots: Post-editing
I think my mock images look really interesting already, especially due to the different types of lighting I’ve managed to achieve with a limited source. When I go back to take new images on my camera, I’m going to try and get more perspectives and take my time to make sure my images are in focus so I get a bigger selection of images that I can use in different ways throughout my project especially as I now have a better idea of what I can achieve and how my images will link together.
Josh Nice is a London based photographer who bases his work as a film-focused photographer who’s printed and self-published a number of zines, often depicting his friends and community in black and white images. Josh creates many different photo-zines and releases them on his website for sale.
Josh shoots all his photos on film and when he shoots a body of work he prints it out in his darkroom to then turn his photos into a project such as a photo-zine, photo book or some sort of print project. Nice states that, “My work interprets the theme of ‘print’s not dead’ very strongly because I ALWAYS turn my work into print. I love the tangibility of my work and love holding it in my hands.”
Josh Nice won a prize and earned a publish in a magazine after submitting his ‘Prints not Dead’ project zine.
“I love physically holding photos or something that I’ve created, looking at your photos in a publication is way more satisfying than looking at them on a computer screen” – Josh Nice
London-based skateboarder and photographer Josh Nice first met the Bordeux-based Perdu skate crew in 2015 whilst they were in London checking out Southbank’s skate spot, a shared love of skateboarding smoothed over the language barrier cracks and an instant friendship formed.
Nice’s latest trek with the French skate crew took him to Berlin for a week. Camera in hand, the photographer documented the group as they rolled around the German capital, hitting up hidden skate spots and exploring the city’s renowned architecture. These candid, black and white images come together to form Nice’s latest zine, titled Berliner Perdu.
Postmodernism derived from modernism, around the 1960s, as a nihilistic response to modernism, criticising all its ideology and values.
Modernism was a global movement in society and culture, originating in the 1940s evolving through to the 1960s. It sought a new alignment with the experience and values of modern life, by focusing on industrialisation, urbanisation, new technologies and war. It was a rejection of history, conservative values and institutions that were thought to be oppressive and inefficient. It was believed they should be replaced by rational values and institutions. Artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georgia O’Keeffe build on the ideology by creating original artworks that best reflected the realities and hopes of modern societies. This often included innovation and experimentation with form, a tendency to abstraction and emphasis on materials, techniques and processes.
Postmodernism is an objection to modernism influenced by disenchantment brought on by the Second World War and failure of Liberal, Capitalism and Stalinism to deliver the promise of wealth and freedom. “It’s an attitude of scepticism and irony towards rejection of grand narratives, ideology and universalism, criticises objective notions of reason, human nature, social progress, absolute truth and objective reality” – Jordan Peterson. It’s based on the reason that we categorise to marginalise; in order to obtain political and economic power. The collapse of tradition ultimately lead to a societal breakdown where meaning was difficult to discern, and the questioning of the humankind’s place in the universe. Individuals, therefore, ceased to believe in the one unique meaning of art and literature and alternately believed in deriving their own meanings. Artists such as Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol deliberately used traditional styles, recycling, parody, irony and collaboration amongst many other techniques in order to portray that individual experience and the interpretation of our experience was more concrete than abstract principles, embracing the complex and contradictory layers of meaning.
This is a black and white self portrait of Cindy Sherman in New York, USA, 1978. The main focal point of this photograph is the shot of Sherman framing her head to shoulders. Her expression is rather one of disgust aimed at someone off scene. In the background we can see blurred office buildings. The artist started an Untitled Film Series in 1977, in her apartment using her own interior for setting scenes. The collection presents us with images of generic female film characters. Shareman liked to play with the idea of recording fiction with fiction, by playing a character of a character. This plays on the idea of irony, one of the postmodernist ideologies. In this particular photograph she plays the character of a young professional girl, in smart clothing on her first day in the city. This strikes a resemblance to the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s with the core message of the film; trying to make a new identity and exploring one’s femininity. In her interviews Sherman explains, “I’m trying to erase myself more than identify myself or reveal myself. That’s a big, confusing thing that people have with my work: they think I’m trying to reveal these secret fantasies or something. It’s really about obliterating myself within these characters.”
PICTORIALISM
time period :
1880-1920s
Key characteristics/ conventions :
Photography wasn’t being taken seriously as an art form as it originally derived from the need to document science, as a result artists started mimicking paintings through their photography to add on an artistic element.
Artists associated:
Key works:
Methods/ techniques/ processes:
Vaseline on lense, madrk room image manipulation, scratching and marking print.
REALISM / STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
Time period:
1904 – 1930s
Key characteristics/ conventions :
Attempts to depict a scene or subject sharply, in detail, just like the camera sees it without post manipulation.
Artists associated:
Key works:
Methods/ techniques/ processes:
Producing sharp images without manipulation.
MODERNISM
Time period:
1840 – 1960s
Key characteristics/ conventions :
focused on industrialisation and new issues rather than victorian values, producing original abstract or surreal images.
Artists associated:
Key works:
Methods/ techniques/ processes:
Photomontage, experimentation, abstraction.
POST-MODERNISM
Time period:
1960s – 1970s
Key characteristics/ conventions :
Reaction and criticism to values and ideas of modernism, sceptism, irony, phylosohical creteques of the concept of universal truths and objective reality.
Artists associated:
Key works:
Methods/ techniques/ processes:
Deliberate use of traditional styles, recycling work, parody, collaboration and many other.
Academic Sources:
Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video .
Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages
Write down page number, author, year, title, publisher, place of publication so you can list source in a bibliography
Bibliography
List all the sources that you have identified above as literary sources. Where there are two or more works by one author in the same year distinguish them as 1988a, 1988b etc. Arrange literature in alphabetical order by author, or where no author is named, by the name of the museum or other organisation which produced the text. Apart from listing literature you must also list all other sources in alphabetical order e.g. websites/online sources, Youtube/ DVD/TV.
Quotation and Referencing:
Why should you reference?
To add academic support for your work
To support or disprove your argument
To show evidence of reading
To help readers locate your sources
To show respect for other people’s work
To avoid plagiarism
To achieve higher marks
What should you reference?
Anything that is based on a piece of information or idea that is not entirely your own.
That includes, direct quotes, paraphrasing or summarising of an idea, theory or concept, definitions, images, tables, graphs, maps or anything else obtained from a source
How should you reference?
Use Harvard System of Referencing…see Powerpoint: harvard system of referencing for further details on how to use it.
Movement
Speed
How can movement be represented in still images?
How did Eadweard Muybridge show the speed of objects in still images?
What was the impact of Eadweard Muybridge’s images showing the speed of objects in photography?
Lawrence’s work features harsh shadows that often completely obscures some parts of the image, creating a stark contrast between the otherwise bright and colourful images he produces. Lawrence’s work ranges from landscapes that delve into the surreal and abstract to heavy portraits that symbolise beautifully the subject Lawrence is portraying. Most of Lawrence’s work features nature and/or the church, sometimes linking them together, giving each of his images a powerful message, in particular, his ‘Blackwater River’ project clearly depicts themes of nature, culture, politics and religion, with most of the images featuring heavy shadow and bold colours.
This image was taken in Lawrence’s ‘Blackwater River’ project, which involves both landscape and portrait images. This acts as the cover for the photobook, and it seems to encapsulate Lawrence’s style greatly; using harsh shadows (the version of the image above is lighter than the original print) to contrast with the lit-up red flowers. With regards to shadow, Lawrence says ‘I am fascinated by how shadow can construct a narrative’ which outlines Lawrence’s reasoning for producing his images the way he does, as being dark, almost chiaroscuro in some images. I like the effect the flowers create as it not only gives colour to the image (which Lawrence also frequently uses), it also gives the image a sense of mystery and perhaps artificiality. The use of a shallow depth of field puts further emphasis on the branch and gives the image a more otherworldly feel. Similarly to Rut Blees Luxemburg, Lawrence allows ‘light to dictate some of the form or the context’, which is the idea that, when using a low shutter speed, the image you create will not be fully in your control, as the lighting will not be exactly as you imagine it.
Source:
Abel-Hirsch, A. (2019), ‘ Blackwater River’ in British Journal of Photography. Issue 7890: 50-67