I want to explore the themes of Simple and Complex through more abstract, lighting focused images, similar to the work of my artist references.
I want to use these images to explore the themes of self representation and identity through more abstract less person based images. I feel like this would create a unique set of work while still being aesthetically pleasing.
I wish to develop my project by taking inspiration from my artist references for my photoshoots, and trying to take more creative risks with my images and being more experimental in the shooting stage.
I will begin my study by looking at the work of photographers Jiayue Yu and Rinko Kawauchi, while still keeping an eye out for any future references that could fit into the project as well. These two artists explore the ideas of identity through more abstract images, which I like a lot. They photograph a variety of subject matters, from flowers and insects to buildings and the sea.
Gabriele Basilico was an Italian photographer, who defined himself as a measurer of space. Born in Milan, after studying architecture Basilico began his profession as a photographer devoted to landscape photography and more particularly to architectural photography. His work was characterized by a rigorous composition, precise geometry, and a focus on the interaction between people and their environment. To give him international fame in 1982, it was a photographic report on the industrial areas of Milan. In the mid-80s he was part of the group of photographers committed by the French Government to document the transformation of the Transalpine landscape. In 1991 with the celebrated Beirut 1991 he documented the war effects on the Lebanese capital. His last work was showed in December 2012, at the inauguration of new square Gae Aulenti in Milan: a series of photographs that portrayed the Porta Nuova Project from its inception. He worked mostly with a view camera and film in black and white.
City of Milan, Italy
One of Basilico’s most well-known projects is his documentation of the transformation of the city of Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. His photographs of the city’s abandoned buildings and empty streets capture the sense of uncertainty and change that characterized this period of German history.
I chose to look at Gabriele‘s work as I think they fit very well into the theme of simple & complex, plus my focus on architecture. I have already come up with some locations to capture similar images.
Image Analysis 1
‘Napoli 2004’
I chose to look at this image as it represents the theme of complex through a shot of the center of Naples, Italy. Taken from on top of a high-rise building, it has a cool birdseye view of the intricate buildings as well as the roads full of cars. There is a lot going on in this image, and it includes various different types of buildings with different architectural styles varying from old buildings to modern designs.
This is a good example of monochrome photography as it turns a more complex photo into one that is more simple to digest and interpret visually. This is something I will be including in my project as I believe that a mix of monochrome and polychrome pieces as it will add more depth and variety to the project – further contributing to the theme of complex.
While I wasn’t able to find much information with regard to the context of the image, I can assign it some context with that during 2004, Naples was enduring frequent turf wars between Mafias, causing dead bodies to be discovered frequently. I feel that. the angle of this photo gives a slightly unnerving feeling as when combined with the birdseye angle it could be the view of an eagle swooping in to catch its prey, as the cars and people in the street sit so vulnerable beneath.
This is a good contrast to my other analysis of photographer Matthieu Venot with regard to my assigned theme of simple and complex as obviously, the images are on opposing sides of that scale with Matthew’s work featuring simple shapes and block colours to generate ‘reaction’ or please the viewer, whereas Garbriele uses scenes and subjects such as cityscapes or war-torn buildings filtered through black and white in order to have the viewer think more about what they’re seeing and why the photographer has chosen to present it to them – in term adding complexity to a normal image.
How can I reference Gabriele’s work in my project
I will be referencing Gabrielle’s work in some of my pieces not only through the use of similar shots, angles, and filters but also through the context of the scenes I’m shooting. For example he has some images of broken buildings from places where the war has ruined entire towns, and so by shooting the remains of a building, it adds complexity to the images as the viewer is either presented with the context/ backstory which makes the photo deeper than a photo or they are left to imagine what could be the story behind the picture.
This is an idea I can pick up on as there is now a few POI’s in Jersey where there is major architectural changes happening and while it may not be as dramatic as the subjects covered by Gabrielle, they will still be following the same idea of photographing a scene which holds a deeper meaning when given context therefor creating some form of complexity.
Photoshoot Locations
2 Viewpoints at fort regent give a view inland over townAlternative viewpoint at fort regent gives view in/outland over towards St ClementsViewpoint up by the castle birds eye view of harbourHill has view over Gorey VillageView from top of flats overlooks town (can access via work)Spots along this path to capture industrial estatePOI’s at the harbour for intricate photos of rows of boats
Response 1 – Fort Regent + Gorey
For my first photoshoot I will be visiting Fort Regent to take advantage of its prime elevated viewpoints looking out over town.
I will be taking photos for both sides of the project as from these points I will have angles on the roof of Fort Regent, and La Collete flats as well as the intricate streets of St Helier.
Conditions
In order to create images with the same looks as those of Vernot and Gabriele’s I will need to ensure the weather (more specifically the sun) is at the right point . This means for my simple shots of the sides of buildings I would ideally want clear skys with no clouds, and for the sun to be in a position directly above the subject building so it isn’t creating shadows however this is something I could potentially fix in editing (Photoshop / Lightroom).
For my complex series, the weather doesn’t matter as much as I will likely be making the images monochrome anyway. A clear sky would be ideal however I will also be looking for some clouds to add to the images.
My first photoshoot is going to be in the style of Richard Avedon. I will be photographing two of my friends who are a couple. This will be done outside using natural lighting. It will be on a cloudy day in order to get a soft lighting to get an even light on my models faces and prevent shadows. My models are my friend who is a car enthusiast and part of my car based friendship group along with his girlfriend. My models will be wearing casual clothing as that is what they wear when we go on drives. This ensures that the photos are natural as possible as well as sticking will the style of Richard Avedon who photoshoots his models in the environment where he finds them in exactly what they are already wearing. I will be taking another friend with me who will assist me in taking the photos by holding a portable backdrop so i can get a plain background to keep the main focus of the photograph on my models as Avedon does. Additionally, to stick to the style of Avedon i will be doing half body shots meaning i will only be photographing my models from the waist up. To keep with the theme of Richard Avedon the images will mainly be in black and white however i will shoot in colour and put the photos in black and white in photo editing software afterwards.
Where – Noirmont point
When – ???
Who – Rhys Barrot + Holly Valois
Weather – Overcast
Style – Richard Avedon
Noirmont point
Richard Avedon photographs
Photoshoot 2
My second photoshoot is going to be in the style of Danny Lyons. I will be photographing some of my biker friends in front of their motorbikes. I will do the photoshoot on a cloudy day also as that will give me even lighting as well as no shadows. I will be photographing my models both in in their bike gear such as helmet, jacket and gloves while on rides as well as without their gear on. Some photos will be of them stood next to their bikes, riding their bikes past me, sat on the bikes as well as some without the bike. Most of the photographs will be in black and white to stick to the style of Lyons however i will shoot in colour and make in images black and white in editing software afterwards. These photos will be a mix of full body as well as half body shots. This will ensure that the portraits are environmental as well as showing the features of my model. The photos will not be taken at pre-planned times rather we will all go out on a ride as we do most weekends. While we ride around and go places such as garages and carparks to stop and work on and talk about bikes i will walk around with my camera to get natural photos as Avedon did while during his time photographing hells angles which is what i want to recreate.
Where – ???
When – ???
Who – Bike People
Weather – Overcast
Style – Danny Lyons
Danny Lyons photographs
Photoshoot 3
My third photoshoot will be styled in a combination of Richard Avedon and Danny Lyons. I will be photographing my friend in front of their car which applies to Lyons’s style however i will be doing half body shots to show aspects of Avedon’s style. The photos will be in colour to provide some contrast from my other shoots. The model will be wearing their natural clothing however my model has an interesting fashion sense which will make the photos very interesting and show aspects of Avedon’s work as he photographs interesting people rather then people who have a regular look. Due to the half body shots most of the car will be cropped out which i believe will make a very interesting as different parts of the car can be used in each image to give the shoot some variety.
For my first photoshoot I would like to take some images in the style of John Maclean. I’m going to go to town after school and photograph things like: buildings, benches, cars, people etc. from two different angles or a few hours apart, in order to achieve images similar to Maclean’s in ‘Two and Two’. This will allow me pay more attention to my surroundings and look at the world differently as I will have to explore different angles of the same thing. I will experiment with low and high angles because I’d like my images to look slightly abstract and show things that you only see if you look hard enough. My aim for this photoshoot is to take around 200-300 images.
Where? Town
When? after school or on the weekend
Time? 4pm to 6pm ???
Weather? Rainy
Subjects? Buildings, cars, people etc.
Style? John Maclean
Angles? Low and high
example of John Maclean’s work
example of John Maclean’s work
Photoshoot 2
For my second photoshoot I would like to focus on photographing a specific item around town. In ‘Small Victories’ by John Maclean, a hose can been seen in almost every image, sometimes it’s easy to spot and sometimes it’s not. I could focus on benches, trash, couples etc.
Where? Town
When???
Time???
Weather???
Subjects? something specific (to be decided)
Style? John Maclean and Wing Ka Ho ???
Small Victories – John Maclean
Small Victories – John Maclean
Small Victories – John Maclean
Laundry Art – Wing Ka Ho
Laundry Art – Wing Ka Ho
Laundry Art – Wing Ka Ho
Photoshoot 3
For my third photoshoot I would like to take images in the style of Robert Adam’s ‘Summer Nights, Walking’ because I really like the simplicity of the final images. I will take my camera and go on a walk around my neighbourhood, at night. I could also take the bus outside of town and photograph the rural areas. I could juxta position these images to ones I’ll take on my other shoots and show the difference between day and night. I will experiment with taking my images in black and white instead of colour first so that I don’t have to edit them later on. This is because I’m certain I want the final results to have no colour. My aim to spend around 2 hours and take a good set of photographs.
Where? town and outskirts of town. Maybe Gorey or St Brelades ???
