In this post I am going to be presenting all my editing and manipulating that I managed to achieve during my Anthropocene mock exam. Most of my edits have been done on Adobe Lightroom however a small selection of them have been edited on Adobe Photoshop. I am going to further present these images through a virtual gallery which will be found further down the blog post.

Lightroom Edits:

Photoshop Edits:

Virtual Gallery link: https://www.artsteps.com/view/628e295e3959903d57540f90?currentUser

Images after mounted:

Evaluation and Critique:

Overall, I am happy with how this whole mock exam went and my final edits. My edits I created are party inspired by artists I studied which I tried to replicate in forms of lighting, angles and photo looks. All of my images fit in well with the idea of Anthropocene because they all involve some sort of story explain the effect of humans on earth. My main aim was to create unique and attractive images with a lot of analysis and research. For preparation I travelled to locations such as, La Collette, the quarry, Gorey, and other industrial areas. I managed to collect around 250 photos overall in preparation for this exam. To improve in my next mock, I am going to make sure I get more photos from different angles, times of day and lighting. I feel as if I had enough photos to successfully follow the mock criteria. Also, I am going to make sure I am fully prepared next time by completing all my artist research before entering the exam. I feel as if I did very good with my edits, research and analysis.

For my third and final main image I decided to head over to photoshop and test out some features such as, invert, find edges, pixelate and vibrance. This idea doesn’t have any inspiration from any artist.

To begin, I tested out features to try and make the house stand out more in the image. Firstly I changed the whole photo to the colour scheme of black and white because it is much more effective on this type of image.

Next, I picked out 4 filters/ features and had to decide which one I am going to work with:

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After trying to decide which one I preferred the most I ended up choosing the colour effect. I chose this because it makes the image a lot more interesting and eye-appealing with a different style of editing. I do really like the colour effect because it creates an unnatural feeling towards viewers.

I also tested out other filters such as ripple but I don’t think it was effective as the colour effect. Ripple experiment:

I decided to try and mix 3 effects together and experiment whether it would look more intriguing. I also, tried to mix just two of the effects together to see the outcome. Here’s how they turned out:

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After making a hard decision I chose to pick the image with only the colour effect with black and white because it looks very clean and basic but stands out very well.

Final outcome:

Evaluation:

Overall, I am very happy with the way this image turned out because I feel this is a very good response towards the topic of Anthropocene. The colour in the image presents a man made structure however the black and white presents how nature has been damaged from human life.

This idea was heavily inspired by Laura Romero and her topic ‘Intervals’ which is a combined image of multiple buildings/ structures to create one main building. I chose to use her ideas because of how aesthetically pleasing all of her work turns out. Also, the buildings she uses presents the idea of Anthropocene through the man made structures all being combined together. For my image I am going to try to accurately replicate one of her images with my own photos of buildings by using photoshop.

To begin I chose out 7 images that involved some sort of building linked to the topic of Anthropocene and made sure they would fit well within this edit.

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After correctly positioning my images I changed the opacity of each layer to try and seem as if each building slightly fades into one another. The use of changing the opacity helped the overall product really come together and link well. I put most layer opacity to 85-90% except for the building that are positioned upside down where I put the opacity lower as the buildings travel down.

I then tried to experiment with different colour backgrounds to try and see if it would make it more effective. Here’s how some turned out:

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After seeing the results I quite liked the background colour being a light blue but still didn’t think it was as effective as the previous white background. Also, I think the pink background creates a vibrant and eye appealing effect towards the viewer due to the pink being the only vibrant colour displayed. I decided to keep the white background because of the blend it creates towards the structures.

Final outcome:

I really like the way my image has turned out through the inspiration of Laura Romero as I think it looks pretty similar to her style of work. I decided to add a black border around the image because it contrasts a great effect onto the main image focus.

Image comparison:

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As you can see, mine and Lauras image have some similar features and some differences. In my image I added a black border around the image (side border has been cut-off by the blog) because it makes the image stand out more compared to Lauras. Also, Lauras image seems to have smooth edges with a slight fixed shape without many rough edges, however mine hasn’t been positioned together the same and has rough and uneven edges. Lauras image has buildings that are faded together nicely with mine only having buildings that overlay each other with a decreased opacity. My image has buildings that are industrial and cause harm to the world and Lauras has buildings that seem to be derelict on unused which can be noticed through the boarded up windows and the state of the buildings.

For my first final piece, I have created an image that is very similar to Hilla Bechers work by presenting my images in the same way. I chose to do work inspired by Hilla Becher because I really like the way she lays out her images and presents them on a plain sheet of paper with multiple angles/ different structures because it gives a full response towards the idea of Anthropocene. My image was done slightly different by each photo being taken further away from the main focus (being the water tank).

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Process of creating image:

To begin with this image process I started by arranging all my 9 images I need and placed them all in a blank photoshop document and made sure I had the right images so I can complete this piece successfully.

After that, I needed to line the images up in 3×3 square/rectangle and change all the images to black and white to create a nice contrast between the images and background.

I was going to keep this as a final image but then experimented to see if a borderline around each image looked better. However, Hilla Becher doesn’t use an outline on her images, so I tried to see if it would be more effective. Also, Hilla usually colours her background either grey or white so I thought to be different and try out black and in my opinion it looks better.

Personally, I believe the use of the ‘Strokes’ (outlines) make the image look more quality. This is because of the contrast between the images and the black background give off a great effect.

After finishing this piece I thought to experiment different colour backgrounds to see if it improves the piece. I changed the background to grey and white to see if it would make the images stand out more but I don’t think it looked any better.

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Image comparison:

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As you can see, my images are taken in landscape and have distance between each, however Hilla Bechers images are taken in portrait and are taken of the same structure from different angles. The use of the white background on Hillas image contrasts a nice effect towards the structure. Also, Hillas image has 15 images within it, with mine only having 9 creating a 3×3 rectangle. My main focus in my image are the water tanks, which as you go down the image the closer you get to them. However, Hillas are all taken from the same distance away from the main focus but from different sides and angles.

Experiment 1:

For this first image experiment I used the software Lightroom to edit and manipulate this original image:

I chose to edit this image because it gives a clear representation of our topic being Anthropocene. Also, I thought that the incinerator and tank below would contrast well due to the different shades of basic colours.

Firstly I decided to change the colour to black and white to bring out more contrast and eliminate the distraction of colour and hope that the final outcome looks good.

After changing the colour, I was happy with the black and white and decided to start changing the different tools such as contrast, dehaze, and shadows. My idea for this experiment was to try make the image very dark and ghastly. To do this I changed tools such as shadows, blacks and dehaze to create a very gloomy effect.

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After changing these the image turned out looking like this:

I like the way the darkness of the incinerator contrasts against the lighter colour of the tank positioned below. Also, I really like how the shadowing of the sky contrasts towards the incinerator and buildings at the bottom by having different shades of grey and white.

I decided to experiment cropping the image to try and make the incinerator be more centred and here is how it turned out:

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Cropping the image makes the viewer focus more on the main attribute being the incinerator which helps link to the topic of Anthropocene because of the pollution these types of buildings cause.

I really like the way this image has turned out because of contrasting throughout the image and the effect it can create towards the viewer being a slight nostalgic feeling, it also focuses viewers on the story of the image instead of the contents in the image.

Experiment 2:

For my second editing experiment I used the software Lightroom and Photoshop to adjust different techniques. I chose to use this image because I am going to try and relate this image to a piece of artist George Mazarakis work.

Georges work all have a similar styles by photographing locations with high temperatures and have dry beige like colours throughout his images. I tried to photograph a similar landscape that has dust and sand like colours to try and be as accurate as possible when linking to Georges work.

This is the original image unedited next to an example of Georges work:

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As you can see, so far there are some slightly similar aspects such as the colour of the landscape excluding the grass. To begin this accurate representation I am going to take my original image over to photoshop and change the colour of the grass to a similar sort of tone as the sandy areas. I am going to do this buy using the adjustment tool Hue/Saturation and changing the lightness, saturation, and hue.

Here is how it turned out so far:

Now I am going to carry this image over to Lightroom and adjust all the basic tools to try and get a clear representation of Georges Mazarakis work.

On Lightroom I didn’t change much other than decreasing the highlights to give the image a more darker effect which I think helps represent Georges work.

My image vs George Mazarakis image:

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Both images have a similar lighting style by using natural light and natural landscape. Also, they both seem to be taken on days with the same weather conditions which helps the contrasting and lighting of the image. The angle I took my photo from was slightly above the main attractions in the image, however Georges image seems to be taken from an angle that’s lower down to try and capture the whole scenery. Both images seem to have the same temperature and colour cast with the use of the sandy like colours to show the natural landscape. However my image seems to be slightly more colourful which I tried to fix on photoshop but didn’t have any success. The diggers in my image link to the topic of Anthropocene by showing the effect of man made structures towards natural landscapes such as the one shown on my image.

Experiment 3:

For my third experiment I will be using the software Adobe Photoshop to edit my image. My aim for this experiment is to present a different style of work by inverting my image.

Here is my original image:

To begin with this edit I firstly started by inverting the image to see how it looks. I did this because I haven’t seen anyone try this style of work yet and wanted to experiment and see if it is effective.

After seeing the result of inverting I started to think of what I could add to the image to try present the idea of Anthropocene throughout the image. I went through all my images from my photoshoots looking for structures that could be introduced into this image. After scrolling through them all I chose 3 images that have objects and structures which I think would fit nicely onto the hills in the back of the image.

These are the 3 structures I will add to my image:

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I started the process of adding these structures by firstly adding the incinerator on the hill. This is how it looks:

Next. I chose to add the water tanks onto the hill next to the incinerator to try and keep these structures close to each other. Here is how it turned out:

Finally, I added one more feature being a digger positioned on dirt tracks below the hills. Shown here:

After seeing how this all turned out I was happy with the outcome of the finalised image. I think the use of inverting makes the image more vibrant and eye-appealing which attracts the viewer into the structures around. This is how the final edit turned out:

Firstly, I exported all my images to Lightroom and put them in specific collections to make it easier to locate the right photos. I first started my editing on Lightroom by adjusting tools such as contrast, texture and exposure.

Edit 1:

This image is the first image I edited on Lightroom. Firstly, I chose to change the colour to black and white because of the effect of the contrast between the green and grey. I then played about with all the different tools and decided how I am going to present this image with the final outcome of treatment looking like this.

Edit 2:

For my second edit I chose one of my favourite images I took whilst out on my photoshoot. I chose this one because I like the way the colour of the sky and water tanks contrast a similar sort of colour. Also, I think that the fuel truck helps portray the idea of Anthropocene showing the use of natural resources next to industrial structures.

I decided not to change this edit from colour to black and white because of the effects all the colours have on each other which I think helps this image look good.

Instead I chose to decrease the exposure, highlights and whites to make the image seem more darker. I increased the contrast, shadows, blacks and texture to try and make the image seem much more detailed and good quality.

Edit 3:

Another one of my edits is taken of the same tanks as the previous image but from a lower and closer angle to the tanks. I like the angle of this image because it makes the tanks seem as they are bigger than natural materials and landscape.

This image is displayed in black and white and has a low exposure to create more darkness throughout the image. I made the texture on this image quite high because high texture images suit the theme of black and white by expressing it’s details.

The use of high contrast on this edit makes the water tanks standout more in the image by shadowing other details and objects in the bottom half of the image.

Lightroom experiments:

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For my Anthropocene mock exam, I managed to complete 3 photoshoots in preparation. I managed to take photos in locations such as, La Collette, the quarry, and derelict buildings. I took a range of 150-200 photos in total and narrowed it down to around 20 possible further edits which I could use for my final images.

Contact Sheets:

To decide which images I am going to further edit I used the flag pick tool to go through my images and choose which images I believe are useable and can be edited. I did this because some of my images came out in either very bad quality or bad angles and lighting.

I then used the rating tool to rate my selected images from a rating of 1-5 to narrow down my images even further. I picked a total of 9 images which I rated 5 stars meaning they are useable for my editing.

Photoshoot Review

My aim was to complete 3 photoshoots which I managed to do gaining around 250 photos. In my first photoshoot I took around 75-100 images, in my second photoshoot I took 50-75 images and in my final and third photoshoot I took around 100 images. With a total of around 250 photos I have enough images to successfully edit and manipulate to create high quality final pieces. My best photoshoot was located at the industrial area next to La Collette because of how many structures and buildings that link to the idea of Anthropocene. There were structures such as an incinerator, recycling centre, car dump and water tanks. On my quarry photoshoot I didn’t manage to take a huge range of photos because of there only being one area that I photographed from the same angles.

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:

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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

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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.

“New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape” was an exhibition that epitomized a key moment in American landscape photography. New Topographics was a turning point in the history of photography, the 1975 exhibition New Topographics signaled a radical shift away from traditional depictions of landscape. New Topographics represented a radical shift by redefining the subject of landscape photography as the built (as opposed to the natural) environment.

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Hilla Becher and Bernd Becher

Hilla Becher was a German conceptual photographer. Becher was well known for her industrial photographs, or typologies, with longtime collaborator and husband, Bernd Becher. The Bechers went out with a large 8 x 10-inch view camera and photographed these buildings from a number of different angles, but always with a straightforward “objective” point of view. They shot only on overcast days, so as to avoid shadows, and early in the morning during the seasons of spring and fall.

These images below are taken by Hilla Becher:

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I have chosen to study this artsits because of the way she displays her images. I really like the way Hilla has taken a range of photos from different angles around the buildings and presents them in a black and white display and placed on a white border. I think the way that they display their images shows the idea of Anthropocene because it presents the man made and industrial areas having an effect towards the natural landscape.

Her husband Bernd Becher has a very similar way of taking photographs and editing by displaying his images in the same way.

These images below are taken by Bernd Becher:

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Image analysis:

These photos taken with a large 8 x 10 inch view camera displays these images in black and white which makes the image seem dark and eerie. These images portray the idea of Anthropocene by presenting the effect of pollution and humans towards nature. Some of the photos displayed are from the same building meaning Hilla and Bernd would photograph industrial buildings from different angles to try and present the full effect. The lighting used creates an effect towards the buildings by making them stand out and making them more dark than usual. The buildings shown give off a bad vibe due to the lighting and positioning of the camera which could of been foreshadowing the future where these types of buildings destroy natural landscape and produce pollution.

My ideas and concept:

One of my ideas is to travel to the quarry in St.Johns and take photos from the top of the quarry because I think it is a really good response towards Anthropocene because it shows the effect of human life on natural landscape. I am going to take around 50-100 images 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.

Another idea is to go to the incinerator and take a range of images from different angles from areas around the incinerator and industrial site. I will use these images and export them to photoshop to carry out some edits.

Photoshoot action plan:
For my Anthropocene photography mock exam I am going to have 3 photo shoots in different locations that link to the topic of Anthropocene. For my first photo shoot I am going to go to the quarry which is located in the parish of St.Johns.

I think that location will be very good for this topic because it shows humans effect on natural landscape. My next location for my photo shoot will be at the Jersey recycling centre because I believe it presents the problems of humanity in a very effective way.

For my final photo shoot location I am going to travel to the dump located near St.Helier and aim to take a range of 50-100 photos.

During my mock exam, I am going to select a range of my best images taken on my multiple photoshoots and decide which ones I am going to edit and use. I will use lightroom to firstly edit my photos and then further develop on photoshop until I am happy with my result. I will create multiple blog posts responding to Anthropocene through the style of my images and analysis.

Anthropocene Location Mindmap

Photoshop ideas:

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