Here is a link to a digital version of my photobook.
I think that this project and the final pieces I got out of it are a good note to end my coursework on. This project has shown me ways in which I have improved as a photographer since my first few projects on the course, such as the Hamptonne and Identity projects, I feel like my photographs now are of a much higher quality than they were then, due to my improved knowledge on camera handling/techniques as well as a refined aesthetic style. I have also learned new skills and explored new techniques on this project, such as night photography. In particular, I think the best part of this project was experimenting with night photography; it was a completely new way of taking photographs and using coloured gels and artificial lighting to light up the scene I photographed worked well with my interests (this and previous projects makes it quite clear that colour is one of my main focuses when it comes to photography). I also enjoyed constructing the photobook, I had some experience with zines in the past having made two previously, but this gave me the freedom to use as many images as was reasonable.
What went well:
To me, I think my photobook was a success, I was able to create intriguing page spreads which (most of them) have a connection to another page spread elsewhere, making the whole thing feel connected together. I feel like my night photoshoot was successful in the end, despite the first shoot not going as planned, I feel like the way I was able to learn from my mistakes and make even better images, which only made me enjoy the outcomes from that specific shoot even more.
How I can improve:
In terms of how I can improve to prepare for the final project, I feel like I could improve on how I plan photoshoots that link with the concepts that I have on the project better, I don’t feel like I did a particularly bad job at planning in this project, but I can always improve it to make better links within the project as well as the final piece.
Comparison to my other project:
It would be worthwhile comparing this project to my previous Anthropocene project, as it has a very similar theme to this current one, as well as the fact that the final outcomes are fairly similar aesthetically (and thematically as a result of the similar prompts). I think this project has a greater variety of the types of images I took than the Anthropocene project, in this project I was able to capture natural and urban landscapes, still life/object and night photographs, as such my final pieces and photobook are more interesting in that regard. I also feel like my images from these shoots, after looking back on the Anthropocene project (which I consider to be one of my strongest), were of a higher quality, I felt like the framing in particular gave my images a more professional look.
Here you can see the similarities between the two final images, in this project I wasn’t as focussed on the colour of the image, but it does have a lot more colour than the original image.
These are the images I consider to be the best from this project, I will be using these images to create my final pieces that are separate from my photobook:
Final Pieces
I will be making three final pieces out of those images, one of them will have a sequence of four A4 images, and two will have a sequence of two A5 images, both pieces will be on a black backing.
These final prints were inspired by the image on the cover of my photobook. I edited the images in the same way that I edited that image – using the ‘cutout’ filter on Photoshop and increasing the saturation to make it pop.
These are the images that I edited:
This is how they look after I have edited them (using the cutout/saturation method):
For my final piece using these images (including the image I used on the cover of my photobook) I would like to arrange them into a sequence:
This is how I would arrange them, I think this arrangement works as the lines in each image point towards the centre of the page. I put the two similar leaf images together as I thought it would make the sequence less erratic.
This is what the sequence would look like with a black backing, I think I will try to create something similar with my final piece. Unlike the next final piece, I don’t think using white foam board will ne necessary as these images are far brighter than the ones used in those, so it will reduce the effect of using the images with the black background to create contrast.
My next two final pieces will be laid out with one image above another in a sequence.
This is how this piece will be laid out
Here is what I would like the final piece to look like – I have decided to use black as it allows the bright parts of the image to stand out more.
This is an example of the layout with a white boarder on the images to separate the images from the black background – I think this will make my images clearer, so I will use foam board as a primary backing for my images and then mount that on a black board to create the image.
For the third piece I will do the same as the last piece:
Here is the layout of the images
This is what the sequence looks like with a black backing
This is what the final piece will look like, once again using foam board to separate the image from the black background.
Virtual Gallery
Here are some screenshots of my final image depicted in a virtual gallery setting
These are the settings I ended up using for my photobook, I like the feel of hardcover books and the image wrap will allow the image to appear on the front cover. I chose portrait as it fits the resolution of my images (especially on a double-page spread) better.
I started designing my photobook layout by first creating each page spread individually, without proper concern as to what went where at that point in time. However, I did take into consideration what spreads had already been made, so I could create a pattern of symbolism/motifs and the layout of the pages (for example each spread with a pigeon on it is made up of two images – the pigeon and a landscape from a Bhamra shoot, as a way to contrast them).
In this image you can see the final layout of my photobook. I tried to make my layout as symmetrical as I could (in terms of what images are placed where), which is something I have done for each zine/photobook I have created, as it allows me to visualise the sequencing of my images and ensure consistency.
I eventually decided that black pages on my zine would be more effective than white, as it will allow the brighter points in my images (for the night images especially) to contrast better. The three grey page spreads at the end is where the essay will go (shown below).
Key Page Spreads:
Here I will explain my thought process behind the key page spreads (those which have repeating motifs/meanings – one from each).
These spreads came from the symbolism with tree branches and scaffolding poles. To me they both look similar, the branches and the way they point towards the sky shares a resemblance with scaffolding. The two could also represent similar things, but in different contexts, such as growth, construction, etc., as well as support (for us scaffolding acts as a way to get to the top of buildings to help fix or build something, while a tree branch could be the location of a bird’s nest as an example). At the same time, they represent very different things, scaffolding – the growth of humanity, and a tree – something which is often destroyed to allow that growth, this dynamic was interesting to me so I decided to visualise it in my book.
The spreads involving images of pigeons and a colourful landscape setting represent the contrast between the organic and synthetic in a nutshell. To me the pigeons represent isolation within an unwelcoming and unnatural world, as well as a dependence on humans as a result, while the image of the natural world is depicted as being free and safe from disturbances. You would expect these birds to live within the natural setting, however, as shown here that is not the case – there are no animals to be seen in that landscape. I have also used colour symbolism to represent this, the pigeons within their urban setting are black and white, while the natural world is depicted as colourful to an almost exaggerated extent.
Here I have juxtaposed a scene that was not tampered with by myself (which involves elements of the natural and man-made), with an image of a scene created by me, comprised of synthetic plants and materials representing nature. Both images could represent the same thing – the contrast with the natural and synthetic, however paired together it could be taken to another level: the scene I found could represent something organic, while the scene I created could represent the synthetic.
Implementing the Essay
Having created the photobook, I will now put my essay into the pages at the end of the photobook, so that it does not disrupt the flow of the main photographs. The essay was separated into 3 page spreads, each page translating to one paragraph, this is how it looks in the photobook:
For the front cover (and back) I will be using this image from the Bhamra-inspired photoshoot as a wrap around:
As the image is fairly detailed with lots of lines and details, I want to edit it to make it easier on the eyes. To start I used the ‘Cutout’ filter on Photoshop to make it softer. I like the way this filter makes the image makes the leaves more angular and sketch-like, to me it blends the idea of the organic leaves becoming like synthetic, angular leaves seen in decorations.
Here are two variations of this, each with a different level of detail (I chose to use the more detailed version):
More detailed
Less detailed
Next I increased the saturation and contrast of the image slightly to make the colours and shadows pop more, making it appear more lively:
Here are some experimental edits of this image using different colours:
I will be using the original version (with pink leaves and green flowers) for my photobook.
This is what the cover looks like within Lightroom:
Title and Text
Next I decided to focus on the title for the cover – where it would be on the page, the colour, the text, etc. I decided that white would be the most appropriate as it looks professional and is easier to see with the image behind it than black.
After searching through the fonts on Lightroom, I found this font called ‘OCR A Extended’ which I think fits with the front cover aesthetically, as well as the theme of my project, as the font reminds me of a classic CLI (computer) font.
I experimented with the ‘tracking’ slider on the font settings, which increases the spacing between each letter.
Here is where I experiment with the placement of the title on the cover:
I think the version with the text being right aligned at the top of the page fits quite well (I will use this as the final layout for my book).
I don’t think that putting the text at the bottom of the image will be as effective, as that is the point in the image where it is the lightest.
Next I worked on the spine of the photobook:
I used the same font as the font used on the front cover, this time I used full-caps as I think it makes the font easier to see and makes it different. The title of the book is aligned to the left (top) while my name is aligned to the right (bottom).
Final Cover:
Front Page
For my front page I put the title of the book in the centre of the page, using the exact same font and sizing as the front cover.
Here I have added a black and white version of the image on the front cover at 7% opacity so it is not fully visible, which I think gives the front page a nice effect.
A sentence – A book detailing the conflict between the organic (natural) and synthetic (unnatural/man-made) elements of the modern world.
A paragraph – The relationship between (conflict, co-existence, integration into…) the organic and synthetic, capturing the ways they combine and simultaneously oppose one another, creating an otherworldly and unnatural relationship. Using colour, shape as well as meanings behind each image to create links between the two in order to visualise them easier.
Design: Consider the following
How you want your book to look and feel – I think a slightly rough-feeling book could work nicely with my project, as my book is meant to show the rough contrast between organic and synthetic. In terms of looks, my book will be, like most of my other work, on the colourful and vibrant side.
Paper and ink – I think the ‘Premium Lustre’ paper that Blurb offers will be good for my photobook as it offers a good quality. I might experiment with black-coloured pages as it might fit nicely with the aesthetic of my images, especially the night photographs.
Format, size and orientation – I will be using a portrait orientation, as it could be a good format to use as it will fit with the dimensions of my images better. My book will be 20 by 25 cm, which is the standard Blurb portrait sizing.
Binding and cover – An Idea could be to place an image on the first page of the book and cut a hole out of the cover to reveal some of that image underneath (which I would like to contrast with the rest of the image), like a window.
Structure and architecture – I think organising my images into a structure representing a day – night cycle could be effective, to do this I would make use of my photographs taken in the day at the start (or middle) and put my night photographs in at the end (or the start/end as I have two night photoshoots). I will organise my images based on shapes and colour as opposed to a linear narrative, as this will allow me to formulate the structure and layout of the page spreads much easier.
Design and layout – I would like to use a range of double/single page spreads, along with some pages having 2 or 3 images on them at once. I will have ‘repeating’ page spreads – which have a similar pattern or meaning others.
Editing and sequencing – I have edited my images to have as much colour as is reasonable, as well as some black and white images to create a juxtaposition. I will sequence the images in a way that juxtaposes the key themes of organic and synthetic (and perhaps night and day, which is an afterthought idea).
Images and text – I will likely only include my images and the essay within the photobook, with no additional text or captions. This will allow the photobook to flow slightly better
Title (This is subject to change) – Something along the lines of The Plastic Biotic – a juxtaposition between words representing my key ideas.
This my second attempt at a night photoshoot, this time I took images of a different location and made sure that my camera was in focus before I took the images (after moving the camera).
To start with my selection process I used the ‘Pick’ and ‘Reject’ tool to narrow down my image selection to the strongest images, or the images that I can manipulate. As this was a night photoshoot, some of the images were too dark, too blurry or out of focus, so I removed those in favour of the highest quality images.
Next I put a star rating on each image to select which images I think are the absolute best (and will be using in my final print/photobook) and those which I may use in some way at some point.
I next gave each image a colour to show which images I will, might and won’t use in my photobook.
This is my selection of final images I will 100% use in my photobook:
Final Edited Images:
I have made four versions of this image, each with a different colour, I think this will be interesting as a montage on a double page spread:
I have made three black and white images to experiment with how these would look, they turned out better than the black and white images from the first night photoshoot as they have more contrast:
Comparison to Lawrence’s work:
As this was my second attempt at responding to Lawrence’s work, I was still using this (and the image from the last comparison) as inspiration, because of this, I focussed on natural subject matter such as trees and grass. My use of light (specifically the brightness of it) resembles that of Lawrence’s work (however this particular image was rather dark compared to others in the shoot), giving both images a sense of artificiality due to the harsh coloured lighting. The moon during my photoshoot was particularly bright, making the background (the sky) in my images brighter than a normal night shoot, a similar thing can be seen in Lawrence’s image, as the sky has a yellowish light coming from the distance. My images are once again overall darker than Lawrence’s, giving mine a bigger contrast between the light and dark parts of the image compared to Lawrence’s.
Evaluation
I am very happy with the way this photoshoot turned out, it was a direct improvement from my previous attempt at a night photoshoot. My images are not slightly out of focus like the last one as I learned from my mistakes and made sure the images were focussed, so the images look a higher quality. I also think compositionally, the images are stronger and my use of artificial light and colour is far better implemented here. I decided to move to a different location from the last shoot to give my images more variety when it comes to the photobook.
What went well:
As said above, the mistakes I had made in my previous attempt at this shoot were considered during this one, so I did not make those mistakes this time around. As a result, my images are more in-focus, making them more appropriate for use in a photobook, as well as just giving them an overall better quality. My use of light was better in this shoot as well, in the previous photoshoot my exposure times were up to four minutes, this was due to my camera settings not being 100% correct, however this time they were better, which cut the time down to a max of 30 seconds.
How I can improve:
I possibly could have photographed more things to give the shoot a better sense of variety, perhaps next time I could photograph things other than trees and grass. I also could have used more colours when taking the images, as I gravitated towards mainly red, blue, pink and purple.
To start editing my images, I started by narrowing my image selection down using the ‘Pick’ and ‘Reject’ tools on Lightroom, which will help me decide which images I think are usable and which are not. Due to a technical mishap during this photoshoot, a lot of images have been rejected due to them being out of focus.
Next I gave each of these images a star rating out of 5, to further narrow my selection down and label which images I will 100% make use of (the strongest images), and others which I may use at some point.
I then used the colour filter tool on Lightroom to further narrow down my selection, making the green images the usable ones.
These are the images I thought were the strongest from this photoshoot. I have 3 images that could be used to create images inspired by Helmer-Petersen. I like the pigeon images as the movement shown by the slow shutter represents life in the otherwise still urban environment.
Final Edited Images
These are the coloured versions of each image, I made these images slightly colder and more green to give them a more industrial and unwelcoming feel. I like the inclusion of pigeons and trees in some of the images as it provides a nice contrast between the organic and urban.
Here I have made some black and white versions of each image, which I think is effective as it mirrors the greys and blacks of a stereotypical urban setting. I think these images will give my photobook a nice contrast as the other images are far more colourful.
These are my Helmer-Petersen inspired versions of the images which include scaffolding, I these turned out to be successful interpretations of his images.
Evaluation
I am happy with the way my final images turned out, I think they are strong images that will be useful and effective in my photobook. However in terms of actually taking the images, this was not a massively successful shoot; a lot of my images were dark/fuzzy as I had a slowed shutter speed, some of the images weren’t too aesthetically pleasing either. If I were to do this photoshoot again, I would take both of these into consideration and hopefully take higher quality images. I think the places I found to take these images are interesting (like the place with the tree and light) and I think it would be interesting to re-visit those at a later date.
What went well:
Some of the images I captured were interesting and unlike other images I have taken during my A-Levels, such as the pigeon images. The black and white images are especially effective within an urban setting, with the Helmer-Petersen images providing a nice contrast with the other images from the shoot.
How I can improve:
As stated earlier, I think my camera handling skills can be greatly improved from this photoshoot. I am now more knowledgeable on how a camera works and I aim to implement that into future shoots. I think a more dynamic time of day could give my images more depth and ‘pop’ such as during sunrise/sunset, unlike this shoot where it was later in the day (dark) with overcast clouds.
In class, prior to making our own, we were tasked with choosing a photobook to research, so we can gain a better understanding of how they work, feel and look, giving us the knowledge to make ours as good as they can be.
I decided to look at Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration by Troy Paiva as Paiva’s work has inspired me for some time as I have studied his work prior, and I feel like it links to my current focus within this project.
Front cover of Night Vision
1. The photographs in this image fit within the genre of night photography, and what Paiva calls ‘Light Painting’ which uses artificial light to add colour to the subject. In addition, the photographs could be considered urban, as the subject matter includes chiefly derelict buildings and vehicles. Paiva’s approach likely involves finding the locations and returning to them at night, figuring out how he’s going to light up the scene (in the cover’s case, he decided to light the outside of the van to be green and the inside to be red) and then he finally positions the camera to capture the scene he wishes to capture (so in the cover he decides to involve the two posts, some of the landscape and the night sky). The story here is likely the journey Paiva took while exploring each of the areas where he took these images.
2. My interpretation of this story is that Paiva is trying to give life back to these derelict locations and vehicles by giving them a new light he has painted on them, perhaps protesting the idea of leaving things to waste. I don’t feel like there is any particular audience Paiva is trying to adhere to, as the images are fairly art-focussed, as opposed to having a booming political statement attached to them. Generally, the book has received praise for Paiva’s ability to use ‘light painting’ as a way to give the images more depth and life, with people considering him one of the ‘acknowledged masters within the small cadre of professional night photographers’ (link).
3.
Book in hand: The book is smooth, due to the paperback cover.
Paper and ink: The book uses coloured ink due to his photographs primarily involving colour. The paper on the cover has more of a card-like feel, while paper with the images on are more like standard printing paper.
Format, size and orientation: The book is 9.75 x 0.5 x 9 inches, making it a landscape oriented book (however it retains a close resemblance to a square orientation).
Binding, soft/hard cover: The book has a softcover with a normal, spine-bound binding.
Cover: The cover is an image taken by Paiva, which is a dark image with light painting on a car. The text has a green colour, is small and is positioned at the top.
Title: The title ‘Night Vision’ links to using technology to see things that would not normally be seen at night. The typical understanding of night vision is that it involves a lot of colour (green with goggles or other methods such as infrared which uses multiple colours), mirroring Paiva’s style.
An example of an image with ‘night vision’ applied
Narrative: The narrative involves the journey that Paiva has experienced over the years of taking these images in this way and exploring the places that he has.
Structure and architecture: The book involves work made from 1999 to 2007, likely from multiple projects with a similar focus.
Design and layout: The layout of the images is not regular, with some page spreads having two or more images present, however a lot of the pages involves a classic style with one picture on a page and a caption on the other (each image has a caption). Each page is black where there is no image.
Editing and sequencing: The book is sequenced likely by the area Paiva has photographed, likely mirroring the journey Paiva took through them.
Images and text: There is usually captions next to each image, and some text detailing the history of a place he has visited.
(As this was my first ever attempt at a night photography shoot, a lot of the images were blackened out).
To start editing, I selected the images that I could use for potential final images by using the ‘Pick’ and ‘Reject’ tools on Lightroom.
I then narrowed my selection down further by using the star rating tool, these are the images 4 stars or higher:
This is my final selection of images:
Final Edited Images:
I also made black and white versions of each image, this wasn’t the most effective however:
Comparison with Lawrence’s work:
I was inspired by this particular image taken by Lawrence, the bright red in Lawrence’s image was what I was going for with this image, however I did not have the knowledge and skill at night photography than I do now, which meant my photographs weren’t as bright as Lawrence’s. Both mine and Lawrence’s images depict a tree under artificial lighting, the tree photographed by Lawrence has a more ethereal and open shape, while mine is a more angular and enclosed shape. My images likely had a far longer exposure time than Lawrence’s (due to my lack of knowledge), however as a result, the stars in my images take the form of lines instead of dots, creating a unique and otherworldly appearance. My light source likely having a smaller radius than Lawrence’s made my photograph have a large amount of shadows that contrast wit the bright reds, unlike Lawrence’s image in which the tree is almost fully lit-up.
Evaluation
As a first experience to night photography, I think this shoot went well. I enjoyed the process as it is very different to regular photography as there is a sense of surprise as to what the images will turn out like. I think my use of light was effective and I got the hang of the exposure times the more images I took (in this case the exposure times were up to 3-4 minutes). I enjoyed experimenting with the gels as they gave each image a different tone and execution, due to the varying exposure times they require.
What went well:
I think the images good compositionally, with the tree being the central focus of the image, mixed with the slightly upwards facing viewpoint to include some of the sky and stars (which created a nice effect due to the longer exposures). I think the use of coloured lighting gives the image an otherworldly effect, which matches with the main idea behind this project, meaning I have stuck to my ideas well.
How I can improve:
While the images have nice lighting and colours, they are slightly out of focus, giving the images a noticeable blur. I could still use these images for a final piece if it involves heavy editing or distortion. This is simply inexperience with this genre which caused this mistake, if I try a photoshoot like this I will aim to make the focus correct so the images look as high quality as possible.
How do photographers such as Rut Blees Luxemburg and Naoya Hatakeyama tackle the tension between both the organic and synthetic world?
‘Photographs confuse as much as fascinate, conceal as much as reveal, distract as much as compel. They are unpredictable communicators.’ (David Campany, On Photographs, 2020).
The divide between an organic, natural world and a synthetic, man-made world has widened since, and very much because of, the technological advances of mankind, creating a parallel between what is considered natural and unnatural, or organic and synthetic. Photography as a medium and an art form represent this shift from the earlier techniques such as the Heliograph and Daguerreotype processes, to the far more recent digital era of photography representing the advances of technology. In recent years especially, it has come to light in the mass media, as well as the photographic community, that the synthetic has begun to bleed into, and perhaps replace or destroy, the organic. By analysing the work of Rut Blees Luxemburg and Naoya Hatakeyama, I aim to highlight this damage, or alteration, nature has received by interpreting the meaning behind the otherworldly, synthetic aesthetic and methods their work adopts. Luxemburg’s night photography especially creates a sense of otherworldliness, something she describes as a ‘transformation’ from the ‘mundane, everyday experience’, (Campany, 2018) perhaps highlighting the cities she photographs as being unnatural, or even from another world. While Hatakeyama’s photographs take a similar stance, some images blatantly detailing the destruction of natural landscapes, while others are more discreet, both are equally thought-provoking.
Naoya Hatakeyama, Blast #5707, 1998.
An otherworldly representation of a piece of nature (landscapes; objects such as plants; etc.) indicates a form of corruption or damage, perhaps mirroring society’s growing concerns of the Earth’s change of climate. What has led me to this topic would likely be some of my earlier work, involving themes of the Anthropocene and Islandness (where I opted to focus on the natural side of that subject), both of which had a similar concept to this project. In those projects I mainly focussed on using colour and pattern to make my images appear more vibrant, inspired by artists such as Andy Warhol and Troy Paiva whose work emphasises colour also. By focusing on artists such as Luxemburg and Hatakeyama, I will experiment with night photography, both in a city environment like in Luxemburg’s work, but also in a countryside setting, which will provide different perspectives from the same genre.
It could be argued that the very creation of the photographic process was inspired by nature, with the pioneers of the creation of the medium, such as Nicéphore Niépce, Louis Daguerre and William Henry Fox-Talbot searching for not only a process that would be capable of what photo-historian Geoffrey Batchen describes as, ‘what they had created was something far removed from natural (and human) conventions, yet it was nature that was forefront within the process, something, to them, which was otherworldly (Batchen, 1997). In addition to the process of photography being otherworldly, the images created during their experimentation could be considered ‘of a different world’, especially by today’s norm. Each of the inventors of photography struggled to define in human language what they had created, as it was in itself a contradiction, ‘For Niépce, nature was central to photography, but he could never resolve with any precision how to articulate the relationship between the two’ (Batchen, 1997).
Nicéphore Niépce, View from the Window at Le Gras, 1827.
The first photograph taken, a Heliograph image created by Nicéphore Niépce in 1827, presents the viewer with the visage of curiosity and awe; we are looking into the birth of a medium that was likely considered a fantasy at the time. This otherworldly depiction of Le Gras was captured for purely scientific purposes, yet from an art perspective, it does not stray far from a typical pencil sketch from an aesthetic standpoint. This image does not stray far from the images created within the pictorialist era of photography, with the images depicting dreamlike, romantic scenes. The images created using Heliography do not have the clarity of the Daguerreotype that came after, giving them that nostalgic aura. ‘Light in the state of combination or decomposition reacts chemically on various substances. It is absorbed by them, combines with them, and imparts to them new properties.’ (Niepce, 1833). This scientific description of what he named ‘Heliograph’ can be taken as a literal description on how his process works, however it could conceptually represent the dilemma he (and the other scientists) faced upon trying to truly define their creation. Their processes used nature (not only light and resources, but the image of nature itself) to ‘combine’ with and ‘impart’ the image onto a plate, as if it was nature herself taking her own picture (Batchen, 1997).This definition links with the tension between nature and man-made:was the process chiefly a natural or synthetic phenomenon? This paramount interpretation of the process led to a confusion regarding the true name of what is now photography.
While Luxemburg’s images are indeed visually appealing and provide a unique aesthetic within the genre of night photography, Luxemburg seems to be more focused on the ‘transformation’ of the scene she records on her camera, relating closely to the mindset of post-modern artists. In her own words, she describes this ‘transformation’ as ‘something other than what you can see during your mundane, everyday experience of the city’ (Luxemburg 2018). Focusing on the meaning of her photographs makes Luxemburg approach to image-making more postmodern, with a focus on meaning rather than appearance. This post-modern approach to her work leaves room for the viewers to speculate the true meaning and purpose behind the ‘transformation’ created by Luxemburg. This ‘transformation’ links with the conflict between the organic and synthetic. The synthetic ambient lighting, straight and ordered lines and patterns seen in many of her images gives them a very otherworldly aesthetic, despite being images of a scene we as humans have grown accustomed to. To me, this focus on the synthetic environment of a city highlights the conflict between the natural and unnatural. While searching for places and scenes to photograph, Luxemburg identifies that she is ‘looking for something that is sort of dismissed, marginal, but has its own luminosity somehow’ (Luxemburg, 2017).
The title of this photograph describes it as being exciting and thrilling, which is definitely a valid interpretation, as the viewpoint and likely the process of making the image (having to dangle the camera over a ledge for at least half a minute due to the longer exposure times required for night photography) gives a sense of danger, of falling. However, on the other hand, the softer, almost painterly lines and colours gives the image the dreamlike, otherworldly feel described earlier, coming across as being almost calm and unmoving. The viewpoint is interesting as it is looking directly downwards, from a considerable height, in addition to suggesting danger, this could also give the viewer the feeling of being trapped within the setting. The lines are also almost always straight, similar to Luxemburg’s other work, creating the man-made and synthetic aesthetic. The colour palette in this image is fairly limited, being made up of mainly yellows and greens with a small amount of red on the cars, this reinforces that painterly aesthetic, while simultaneously giving it a more urban atmosphere. As a photograph taken at night, with no additional lights used specifically for that photograph, the use of ambient light makes the image appear more synthetic.
Naoya Hatakeyama, similar to Luxemburg, has produced a range of work involving both the synthetic and organic as their subject matter. As a Tokyo-based photographer he has developed a work which ‘has a focus and relationship between dual themes of rural and urban, city and countryside, man and nature’ (Hutchison 2010), using the city to capture the synthetic aspects of human life. The ‘relationship’ he captures differs between each of his projects, some involving quarrying and the destruction it causes in the organic, natural landscape, or how little parts of nature (such as trees or rivers) can be found within a city environment. Hatakeyama’s work could be said to have a post-modern approach, as he focuses on the duality between the organic and synthetic rather than the aesthetic appearance of the image. Most of Hatakeyama’s images use line and pattern to differentiate the natural and man-made, with the natural elements having softer lines to represent their organic aesthetic (for example, his ‘Slow Glass’ project uses the raindrops to give the image those soft lines), while other images embrace the straight lines and patterns found within a city or quarry.
Naoya Hatakeyama, Slow Glass (#63), 2001.
The title of the image has a literal meaning, likely reflecting the main process he used while taking the images, using a slow shutter speed to allow enough time for the streaks of light to be made and positioning the camera behind a window (likely a car window) and focusing the camera on the raindrops to blur out the background. This gives the image an otherworldly effect, almost forcing the viewer to make sense of what they are looking at and how Hatakeyama managed to capture it.The streaks of light could have been made in many ways, he could have positioned the camera behind the window and shone a light into them to create the lines manually, or he could have positioned the camera in a car and had someone drive around while he took the image so he could capture the light on the road signs. The colours in this image are vibrant, in a similar way to Luxemburg’s work, while still having darker areas due to the image likely being taken at night time, however this image appears more organic due to the raindrops and streaks of light having a softer form, as opposed to be far more rigid and angular lines and patterns seen in Luxemburg’s work. The image has a rather calm tone, much unlike Luxemburg’s images, likely as a result of the softer shapes and colours.
The organic world has evidently colliding with the man-made world since the advances of human technologies, including those which are not inherently damaging such as photography, creating great tension. Artists such as Luxemburg and Hatakeyama highlight using their work the unnatural aftermath of the collision of the two worlds, either as a statement of protest and awareness, or a way to inspire other artists and photographers to do the same. The early processes of photography, having been invented to allow a way for nature to paint her own self portrait (Batchen, 1997), being man-made, ironically produces questions; is photography an organic or synthetic representation of nature? To what extent is it a natural or man-made process? The irony in taking pictures of what man has created using a medium reserved for nature’s use is the very reason why images such as Luxemburg’s and Hatakeyama’s (especially when compared to pictorialist images) are so effective in conveying their message, despite being silent, ‘unpredictable communicators’ (Campany, 2020).
In response to Luxemburg and Hatakeyama, as well as other artists, I have created images that aim to capture a sense of ‘otherworldliness’. To achieve this, I experimented with night photography to record scenes people are already unfamiliar with due to the darkness. Using artificial lighting (both light shone by me and ambient light from buildings) to create normally unseen shapes from the shadows, in addition to using coloured gels to give the images more colour, which adds to the unnatural and synthetic aesthetic of these images. Images that include organic subjects (plants, birds, etc.) change them in a way that represent the changes to nature and humanity’s attitudes towards it, for example placing a red light on a tree may be aesthetically appealing, however was it necessary to use it to truly capture its natural beauty? I made use of synthetic replicas of plants in my still life photoshoot, to mimic the style of a classic still life painting, the plants being synthetic perfectly symbolises the growth of human technologies at the cost of natural resources and landscapes.
Bibliography:
Campany, D. (2020), On Photographs. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.
Batchen, G. (1997), Burning With Desire: The Conception of Photography. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abel-Hirsch, A. (2019), ‘ Blackwater River’ in British Journal of Photography. Issue 7890: 50-67
Company, D, Blees Luxemburg, R. (2018), So present, so invisible. Via Nizza: Contrasto
Niépce, N. (1833), ‘Memoire of the Heliograph.’ In: Trachtenberg, A (ed) (1980), Classic Essays on Photography. Connecticut: Leete’s Island Books
