Objectivity in Photography

Objectivity in photography is a genre that features more of the reality of life and focuses on objects without a sense of expression or emotion. These images tend to show different plants and objects and even as they are found and un-manipulated.

Some people think that this genre of photography is a bland and uncreative art form; however, some believe it to be highly interesting by exploring the idea that even the simplest of images can fascinate the human mind.

Karl Blossfeldt

Blossfeldt was a German photographer famed for his monochrome images of dried plants. These sound and look boring but at the same time fitting into the idea of objectivity by simultaneously sparking a curiosity and interest within his audience.

Albert Renger-Patzsch

Renger-Patzsch was also a German photographer but well associated with the idea of New Objectivity; a concept that adds to the drabness of the original idea but monochrome images of more than just plants and small inanimate objects. His images consist of landscapes and buildings but among them some plants and small objects, reverting back to the original idea.

Formalism describes how the visual elements of a piece of art work is the most important aspect of that work, not the narrative content or relationship to the visual world.

The Formal Elements

The formal elements are the different aspects that are involved in a photographic image. These include:

• LIGHT – Which areas of the photograph are brightest? Are there any shadows? Does the photograph allow you to guess the time of day? Is the light natural or artificial? Harsh or soft? Reflected or direct? How does light fall across the objects in the photograph?
• LINE – Are there objects in the photograph that act as lines? Are they straight, curvy, thin, thick? Do the lines create direction in the photograph? Do they outline? Do the lines show movement or energy?
• REPETITION – Are there any objects, shapes or lines which repeat and create a rhythm or pattern? Do you see echoes or reflections within the image?
• SHAPE – Do you see geometric (straight edged) or organic (curvy) shapes? Which are they and how do they relate to each other?
• SPACE – Is there depth to the photograph or does it seem shallow? What creates this appearance? What is placed in the foreground, middle ground and background? Are there important negative (empty) spaces in addition to positive (solid) spaces? 
• TEXTURE – If you could touch the surface of the photograph how would it feel? How do the objects in the picture look like they would feel?
• TONE – Is there a range of tones from dark to light? Where is the darkest part of the image? Where is the lightest? Are the tones in the photograph balanced or does the image tend towards darkness or lightness overall. How does this affect the mood or atmosphere?
• COLOUR – What kind of colours can you see e.g. saturated, muted, complementary, primary? Is there a dominant colour? How would this image be different if it was in black and white? Does the use of colour help us understand the subject or does it work independently?
• COMPOSITION – How have the various elements in the picture been arranged? Does the image seem balanced or unbalanced? Is it possible to superimpose geometrical shapes on the image to better understand the composition? Has the photographer used the Rule of Thirds?

This monochrome image taken by Shomei Tomatsu in 1964 shows three people playing cards, hence its title “The Card Game”. You can see what seems to be natural light from the sun coming in from the left side of the image and by the brightness of the monochrome imaging I can infer that the photo was taken on a sunny day. “The Card Game” shows the organic shapes of the human body coupled with the straight geometric edges of the cards. Because of these organic shapes there isn’t really any repetition as the composition of the image seems to be very natural showing how each person is different. The image is quite shallow in the regards that all we can really see is one person’s face and the cards being dealt. The framing of the image also adds to this effect as the audience can only see the bottom half of the two subjects in the top of the photograph, outlining the cards as seeming to be the main focal point of this photographic image.

The objects that I decided to photograph each have a personal connection to my way of life. My primary interest and the career I want to pursue is in stage performance and tap is my favourite style of dance. These charleston style tap shoes also show my admiration of the past both recent and distant. The powder horn that in image 1 coincides with my passion for history and professional reenactments within the Georgian era. Finally the photo album maintains my connection with my grandfather and his time in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

These are the best images from my most recent photoshoots experimenting with aperture, depth of field, different lighting techniques and gels.

These images that I have taken of still life show the theme of nature due to their naturalistic shapes that are formed by the sea in its rough and calm states and how nothing is exactly the same.

Still Life is the term used to describe the capturing of a still image within a moment of life. These tend to have hidden stories or meanings within them; including connotations of death, nature and the passing of time.

“Memento Mori” coming from the latin for ‘Remember that you must die’ ultimately describes the third image shown. The skull symbolises this reminder and subconsciously makes people braver to thought of death. This image also shows other symbols of still life including the passing of time. The flower pictured could show the beauty that life can bring, the candle almost entirely burnt up could show the ending of life’s light before the darkness and the compass could be used to describe the inevitable direction that humanity must follow to find everlasting peace.

Themes and symbols used in Still Life could be as follows:

• Death (eg. a skull or burnt out candle)
• Passing of time (eg. a watch or sand timer)
• Nature (eg. plants or animals)

Still Life Artists

Paul Cézanne was a French artist that shaped the ideas of still life imagery and impressionism as it changed from the 19th to 20th century. His artwork consists of paintings depicting these typical themes of still life. (shown below)

This style of art has evolved through history from sketches, to oil paintings and now in the modern era within photography. Jonathan Knowles is a modern photographer specialising in still life photography. He uses a unique lighting technique and style to create images similar to what is shown below. Despite the clear differences in clarity and style of art, both Cézanne and Knowles return to the typical symbols of still life (nature and death)