In conclusion, I really liked how it turned out; I think the contrast between the lights and darks work very well together and adds a sense of depth and shape to the image. There are also lots of different textures and shapes which is what makes the picture different from just a simple image. The colours all work well together without them blending into each other too much.
SECOND PHOTOSHOOT
BEST SHOTS
EDITING
The edits I made (using photoshop):
Result:
Comparison (left edited, right original):
Evaluation:
Overall, I really like how it turned out, I think that making the background lighter and making the objects in the image really took it to the next level. What I really liked about the original picture was the depth of field and the focus only being on the clip in the background, causing the objects in the foreground to be blurred out, which was what I wanted to enhance I the edit and really show off. I think I did that successfully and it added more depth and life to the picture.
Overall, I really like how to edit turned out, I think it adds the pop the image needed. The original had a lot of potential with the array of colours inside the lenses compared to the simple white background which is what I wanted to use to my advantage and make them stand out even more. What was once a simple picture of a single object now holds a lot more power and effectiveness
I held down the shift key while clicking the ‘P’ key on the pictures I like and the ‘X’ key on the ones I do not. Now, the ones that I liked have a white flag in the top left corner and black flag for the ones I do not.
Next, in the bottom right hand corner, use the drop down to change the filter to flagged instead of filters off.
This gets removes the images that I don’t like from being seen.
Now I will use the star rating in the bottom left hand corner.
The ones I know I definitely want to use/edit I give 5 stars and the ones I like but are either very similar to others or there is just something slightly off I give 4 stars. Then no stars to my least favourite.
Then, using the drop down again, select the rated filter.
Now only the pictures with over 1 star will be shown.
Then, after right clicking, you can colour label each picture, green being your favourite and yellow being your lesser favourites.
Now, when you select those certain colours.
Only those pictures that are colour coded to those colours will show.
EDITING PHOTOS
Then, you can go into the develop area (top left of screenshot) and use the tools on the right side to edit the pictures.
EXPORTING
EXPORT LOCATION: set the folder to the same folder as original photo, name it either print (or blog depending on where you want to use the picture).
IMAGE SIZING: check resize to fit and select short edge, set pixel size to 4000 (or 1000 for the blog).
Formalism is when “The Design, Composition and Lighting are dominant over Subject Matter.”
When exploring a picture in a formalist way, you would analyse the style and form of this image by examining the choice and use of lens (and the depth of field), the type of camera used, the cropping, framing, composition, tone, light, the arrangement and contrast or juxtaposition of elements within the frame, and the object/person chosen. The use of shapes, lines, repetition, texture, and colour can also play a big role in reading into the photographs. These are known as the ‘formal’ elements of the image.
In this picture, the first things that stands out is the colour combinations along with the choice of angle. The yellows and greens work very well together while still bringing a sense of depth and dimension. It’s from a birds eye view and the strong structure is not centred in the middle, making the photography feel slightly off. There is a lot of repetition and pattern with the building and cars making it seem more organised. However, this is juxtaposed by the cars on the ground, the uneven floor and odd placement of cars makes the image look messy and thrown together. The only light source is the artificial light in the top left corner and towards the floor, this allows the darker areas to hold a lot of power as they add the shape needed while still creating a strong comparison.
New objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) was an art movement that originated in Germany during the 1920s against the expressionism movement. It tries to focus more on the objective world than the abstract and idealistic world the expressionists created. The photographs usually contained objects or plants in a plain and simple way, removing any conceptual ideas.
A photomontage is a collage constructed from photographs. Historically, the technique has been used to make political statements and gained popularity in the early 20th century (World War 1-World War 2).
Artists such as Raoul Haussman, Hannah Hoch, John Heartfield employed cut-n-paste techniques as a form of propaganda…as did Soviet artists like Aleksander Rodchenko and El Lissitsky. Photomontage has its roots in Dadaism…which is closely related to Surrrealism.
“Photographs confuse as much as fascinate, conceal as much as reveal, distract as much as compel. They are unpredictable communicators.”
– David Campany in ‘On Photographs’
Photography is the art and application of capturing light to create images, often known as “writing or drawing with light”, often using a digital sensor or film. The word “photography” was originated from the Greek words φωτός (phōtós) and γραφή (graphé) “representation by means of lines” or “drawing”. The first photograph was taken in 1826 by French scientist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, and it was titled View from the Window at Le Gras.
Photography is a diverse way of communicating without using words, that is what makes photography a universal language; anyone can interpret it in anyway. You don’t need to speak the same language to understand or relate to what the photographer intended. This means that people from all ends of the world could share a feeling and experience. However, what shapes the viewers response to photography includes experiences, culture, beliefs, and opinions. For example, if an apple is used in the picture, many would link that to fruit, nature, and good health whereas others may perceive that as a sin (Adam and Eve) or a teacher pet, etc. the possibilities are endless.
Photography is also a way of capturing moments in time, sealing them forever and allowing memories to never fade. It freezes a point in time perfectly in this fast paced world. When you record a memory, you are not only capturing a scene but also feelings and emotions that could have a deep connection with many people. They show off every blemish or mistake along with every triumph or enhancement, making them perfect just the way they are. Furthermore, “confuse as much as fascinate” explains how we might never know the full intent or story behind the image. A picture may tell a tale of 1000 words without saying anything, but what part of the story is missed out? What was happening behind it? Or to the left? Or the right? What was happening on the other side of the camera? Why was that the section that the photographer wanted us to see?
Saut dans le vide [leap into the void] (1960) by Yves Klein
The press conference (2008) by Broomberg and Chanarin
An example would be both of these images above. There are endless possibilities and ideas behind each and it is left up to the viewer to put together their own story for them. This is what makes all photographs similar despite their differences; they all hold countless theories in just one moment of time. Therefore, ‘What is Photography?’ is an question that holds far too many answers to narrow down to just one.
Aperture is “the adjustable lens opening that controls the amount of light allowed into the camera” as well as controlling the exposure and depth of field. When there is a large hole, more light is being let in to hot the sensor and making your pictures lighter. Therefore, a smaller hole makes your pictures darker. This scale is written using f/stops (e.g. 1.4, 2, 2.8, etc.).
The f/stop can be seen below next to the shutter speed:
HOW APERTURE EFFECTS DEPTH OF FIELD
Depth of field is how much of the image is in focus, or the distance in an image where objects appear “acceptably in focus” or have a level of “acceptable sharpness.” Some images have a ‘shallow’ or ‘thin’ depth of field, where the background is completely out of focus. Or they will have a ‘high’ or ‘large’ depth of field, where both the background and the foreground are in focus.
Still life photography is “a genre of photography used for the depiction of inanimate subject matter, typically a small group of objects.” or just inanimate objects in front of a camera.
These inanimate objects can be anything ranging from flowers and plants to food and man-made objects.
STILL LIFE TIMELINE
Still life artwork had origins in the ancient Egyptians and Roman times as well as having appearances during the Middle ages and Renaissances eras. Paintings in ancient Egypt mainly consisted of common foods and objects but historians believe they had a much deeper meaning.
A detail of an offerings scene from the burial chamber of Menna (c. 1422-1411 BCE)
Still life is derived from the Dutch word ‘stilleven’ which was made in the 17th century when the popularity of objects in paintings increased throughout Europe. Still life photography originally arose during the 20th century with art photographers such as Baron Adolf de Meyer making it more popular.
Flower basket(between 1640 and 1684) by Jan van den Hecke
Modern art still life was brought back with art movements such as Impressionism where artist like Vincent Van Gogh made a new meaning for the genre.
Its with the immense rise of modern still life art and the wonders of photography that still life photography was born.
WHAT IS VANITAS?
Vanitas – Latin for ‘vanity’ – is symbolic works of art showing the transition from life to death along with themes of: symbols of arts and sciences (books, maps, and musical instruments), wealth and power (purses, jewellery, gold objects), and earthly pleasures (goblets, pipes, and playing cards); symbols of death or transience (skulls, clocks, burning candles, soap bubbles, and flowers); and, sometimes, symbols of resurrection and eternal life (usually ears of corn or sprigs of ivy). It was a common genre during the 16th and 17th century and originated in the Netherlands, evolving from simple pictures of skulls and other symbols of death.
WHAT IS MEMENTO MORI?
Memento mori – Latin for ‘remember that you [have to] die’ – symbolises the inevitability of death. Items typically found in the pictures are skulls, hourglasses, clocks, candles, fruits, and flowers. The memento mori genre rose to popularity during the 17th century, a religious age where almost everyone believed that life on Earth was just a preparation for the afterlife.
WHAT KIND OF METAPHORS AND SYMBOLS ARE USED IN STILL LIFE AND WHY?
Still life can be interpreted and seen in many different ways but the main symbolism includes:
Fruit: religion (forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden), pleasure, lust
Skulls: life, death, morality
Candles: death, God (light of Christ), loss
Flowers: life, growth, danger (poisonous types), love (red rose)
Shutter speed is the speed at which the shutter of the camera closes. The size of the shutter speed effects how the image turns out. On a faster shutter speed, the image will be sharper and more clear whereas on a slow shutter speed, the picture will be more blurry.
For example, a slow shutter speed of 1/2 means the camera is letting light into the lens for half a second, whereas a fast shutter speed of 1/2000 means the shutter is open for one-two-thousandths of a second.
PHOTOSHOOT
For my photoshoot, I aimed to create as much movement as possible to show off the effects of a slow shutter speed. We started off by throwing balls into the air and capturing their fall before trying to create movement with our bodies. To do this we tried multiple actions including spinning, jumping, punching, etc.
BEST SHOTS
EDITING BEST SHOT
To start off, I knew I wanted to change the brightness as they pictures were way too bright, then I focused on just making the overall picture better. After that, I used the dodge and burn tool on photoshop to really define the areas that I wanted to pop out more.
Here are the adjustments I made:
THE FINAL EDIT
JOHN BALDESSARI RESEARCH
John Baldessari was initially an artist but began to incorporate photography in his canvas in the mid-1960s. He was born June 17, 1931 in California and attended Sweetwater High School and San Diego State College where he received his Master of Arts in Painting. He then went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1956, he started a painting class at San Diego State College, and he continued to teach along with creating his own works of art for the rest of his career. In 1970, he began working in printmaking, film, video, sculpture, and photography before moving into photomontage in 1980.
In 1970, John Baldessari and five friends burnt all of the paintings he had created in the time between 1953 to 1966 as a part of a new project he call The Cremation Project. He baked the ashes of the painting into cookies and placed in an urn. Throughout this process, Baldessari created connections between artistic practice and the human life cycle.
