I took a variety of photos on the simulator but changed the aperture and ISO and the shutter speed to gather different types of photos. The last photo was my best one because the shutter speed was so high it captured the moving wheel on the plane perfectly almost making it look like a still life photo.
The other photos show that the quality of the shots were not good because the aperture and ISO were off moving the ‘dial’ the anything but 0. The photos are blurry and the light isn’t captured properly making the quality bad overall.
Formalism photography is where the design, composition and lighting are dominant over the subject matter. Formalism photographs have a structure. These formal and visual elements are; line, shape, form texture, colour, size and depth.
Mood Board
Lines
A straight or curved geometric element that is generated by a moving point and that has extension only along the path of the point.
The orientation of lines
The type and direction of lines in an image present meanings inside the photograph. Vertical or horizontal lines present a sense of stability or a static feel to an image. Horizontal lines can present distance and vertical lines can present height, balance, strength. A level horizon or a vertical building in a photograph can give a sense of calm, but when angling the horizon or building, the photograph presents movement or action. Diagonal lines present a more dynamic scene.
Shape
When a line, or more than one line, closes or connects, a shape is formed.
Characteristics of shapes
Shapes are two-dimensional and can be measured by their height and width. Shapes can also be the outline of an object, which may be familiar or unfamiliar. Sometimes a shape you may find familiar can be changed into an unfamiliar shape by changing the view point of the photograph. For example the shape of a standard lightbulb is recognisable from the horizontal viewpoint, but is not recognisable when viewing it from directly overhead or below, which shows a nondescript circle.
Different shapes, when they intersect and overlap, can combine to create a new shape. Shapes can also surround an area to create another shape. In a photograph a silhouette is the purest form of a shape. Shapes are often visually defined by the intersection, and/or closing/ joining of lines. Shapes can be defined by other shapes surrounding an area, such as the arrow in the logo of a popular shipping company. The area containing a shape is often referred to as positive space, and the outside area is called negative space. However, sometimes the negative space creates a shape of its own.
Types of shapes
There are two basic types of shapes, which are organic or geometric (regular). Geometric shapes consist of circles, squares, triangles etc. and organic shapes consist of things such as an outline of a bird, elephant, flower tree etc. Fluids can also create organic shapes that cannot be permanently defined, such as the shape of a cloud or rain puddle.
Where are shapes in a photograph?
Shapes are everywhere in a photograph, and the physical photograph is a shape. It is usually a square or a rectangle, but can occasionally be a circle or an oval or a random shape. Inside the photograph are shapes captured in the scene by the photographer on their camera. Shapes can be simple or very complex.
Form
Form takes a shape from two-dimensional and makes it three-dimensional and also has height, width and depth. It is the shape and structure of something as distinguished from its materials.
Types of form
Form also has geometric (regular) and organic, just like shape. Geometric forms consist of cones, spheres, cube, cylinder, etc. and organic forms consist of objects that surround us in our three-dimensional world. Forms can be simple or very complex. Forms also create positive and negative space. In a photograph positive space is which is occupied by forms and negative space is what remains.
Where are forms in photographs?
Forms are often everywhere in photographs. A photograph captures all the forms in the view of the lens. Three-dimensional forms are rendered in two dimensions by the photograph. Whether printed or on the screen, the final image does not have depth, so we perceive three- dimensional forms by using shadow. Photographs show form by capturing highlights, through the midtones, and into the core shadow of any object.
Texture
In photography, texture can be felt with both the fingers (the print) and virtually (with the viewer’s eye). Texture is the visual or tactile surface characteristics or appearance of something.
Characteristics of texture
Texture in ‘real life’ can be smooth or rough, but can also be described as slimy, wet, hard, soft, bumpy, shiny etc. However, in photographs it is similar to form as it is revealed in tonality and presented in two dimensions.
Types of texture
In a photograph, smooth objects might have reflections or specular highlights. Rough objects might have aggressive areas of light and shadow without reflections. However, in a photograph we cannot ‘feel’ the texture of whatever the photo is, but if it is familiar we can recognise how it would feel. However, if it is not familiar to the viewer they would not be able to imagine the ‘feel’ of the texture. Patterns can also indicate textures in photos. The physical print has its own texture, which may be glossy versus matte, or even canvas-textured printing papers, for example, which may or may not be aligned with the texture of the objects in the photograph.
Where is texture in photographs?
Texture can be elusive in a photograph, depending on the subject, the lighting, and the forms in the image. A lack of visual texture might mean that the object is smooth, or It could mean that it is too far away from the camera and the texture cannot be resolved. It could also mean that the light is diffused or lit from head-on and the texture is hidden. Form and shadow is what emphasizes texture. Even the tiny shadows of the texture on a plaster wall. A photograph of a full moon does not show much surface texture, but the oblique lighting of a crescent or gibbous moon, viewed through a telephoto lens with sufficient resolution, will show incredible texture on the surface. Despite the texture of the object in the photograph there are factors that will emphasise or obscure how this object is perceived.
Colour
Colour is a phenomenon of light or a visual perception that enables someone to differentiate between identical objects. The appearance of objects and light sources that may be described in terms of hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light.
Characteristics of colour
Light itself has no perceived colour, but when sent through a prism or a drop of water it is comprised of a literal rainbow of colours. Colour has three properties, which are hue, value, and saturation.
Hue– The description of the colour (e.g., blue, red, yellow, etc.).
Value– The relative brightness or darkness of a colour.
Saturation– The intensity or purity of a colour. The purest colour is a hue with no white, black, or grey added to it.
Types of colour
Many different colours can have very different meanings, based of emotional responses, genetic responses or cultural programming. Red can mean danger, blue symbolizes calm, yellow is happy, black is mournful, white is innocent, and purple can symbolize wealth. Bold and bright colours are known for grabbing our eye. A bold and bright-coloured subject in a photo can be a good thing, but if your subject is not bold and bright, while other things in the frame are, then it can detract from your subject. A solution for bright and bold distractors is to make the photograph black and white. Muted colours might elicit indifference or even melancholic feelings, but muted tones abound in such calm/ happy moments, often make for powerful photographs. Harmonic colours are colours that compliment each other serve to create distinct feelings in photographs, because subjects in the photo can visually connected through their colours.
Where is colour in photographs?
Mainstream coloured photographs did not exist until the 1930s, but now colour can be seen everywhere in photos, unless the photo is in black and white.
Size
Size is physical magnitude, extent, or bulk : relative or proportionate dimensions.
Characteristics of size
Size in a photograph is relative and can be an illusion. When a familiar object appears in the frame of a photograph, we immediately get a feel for the scope of the entire scene. Without a familiar object in the image, we struggle to determine the scale shown in the photograph. However, there are optical illusions and some that are unique to two-dimensional renderings of three-dimensional scenes and some illusions that are enhanced by rendering them in two dimensions.
Types of size
Different types of sizes include small, medium and large. The camera, lens, and print can render large objects small, or small objects large. Even objects familiar to our eyes can be rendered relatively large in a photograph, while things we know to be enormous are rendered small. We can fit our entire planet onto a small photographic print. We can also print a photograph the size of a highway billboard or a single grain of sand. We can even use a 1:1 macro lens to reproduce objects at ‘life-size.’
Size in photographs
With a casual snapshot, size might not be something one even considers when composing the image. The size of common objects in the photograph gives the scene a sense of scale, but a single object in space might not accomplish this since there is no means for comparison. There are times when another object, maybe sitting atop our subject, serves to confirm the scale in the image, which eliminates the possibility of confusion. If you want to emphasize the size of an object in the photograph in relation to its surroundings, you should get closer to that object. When a three-dimensional scene is rendered in two dimensions, as your view extends out toward the horizon, objects closer to the horizon are farther away than those near the top, bottom, or sides of the image. Overlap is another way to render a scene virtually in three dimensions, and overlap can also give hints to size. When one object is in front of another, and it is smaller than the object behind it, we generally know the relative sizes of the two objects in question, as long as those two objects are close to each other in three-dimensional space.
Depth
Depth is the direct linear measurement from the front to the back.
Characteristics of depth
We already discussed depth when adding the concept of depth to shape to create form. The depth of a scene, which relates to its size, and adding the element of space. We are given a sense of depth due to various visual cues, to which we rarely give much thought or analysis, but these ques can create more compelling photographs, which the viewer will find themselves looking deeper. This perception of three-dimensional space is what our eyes experience whenever they are open, and that is what our eyes try to experience when looking at a photograph.
Types of depth
Unless you are photographing perpendicular to a blank and smooth wall, your image will have depth. How well the depth is rendered is dependent on the objects in the frame, your choice of composition, and your perspective in relation to the objects in the frame. Most images have a foreground, middle ground, and background. The stronger the delineation between those successive ‘grounds,’ the stronger the sense of depth in your image. Including a distant horizon is not required to give a sense of depth to your image. Depth is provided by visual cues.
Visual indicators of depth
Photographs taken of roads/ train tracks show depth, as they show the road or tracks narrowing as they become more distant. This convergence of lines is called linear perspective. This is because as the road/ train gets further from the eye/ camera it appears to converge, which shows depth. Depending on the quality of the surrounding air or atmosphere, distant objects in a photograph will have less clarity and contrast than objects in the foreground. This aerial perspective is indicative of depth in a photograph. Texture gradient shows depth in a photograph as relatively distinct foreground textures and texture gradients in a photograph smooth out as they recede into the distance. The overlap of objects also show depth as they show which object is closer and which object is further away. Size also helps show depth, because the smaller an object the further away it is/ seems, assuming the viewer is familiar with the object. Where you place objects in the frame can also show depth, because the higher an object is in the frame relative to the horizon (seen or implied), the greater is the perceived distance to that object. This is called upward dislocation.
I used Lightroom classic to go through all my photos and started by colour labelling my photos to make a rough idea of which photos are better than the others, this then allowed me to make a best shots unedited folder. I used the idea of green for the best shots and red for the shots that I don’t like.
First Shot
I then started to edit the best shots, I started by using the spot heal tool to remove any thigs I felt took away from the overall image liked the price tag on the hat and flecks of dust on the background.
After that I started to adjust the colouring on each image, as I used neutral lighting on most of my shots it made it easier to edit and manipulate the image to how I wanted it to look.
Second Shot
This image needed cropping so I used the cropped grid tool to centre the subject.
These were the settings for this shot. At the time these worked well on the actual taking of the photos. However with flash box lighting the image looked slightly washed out so I then went onto edit the saturation and exposure.
As seen above I increased the saturation by +40 which while leading to a purple tint on the upper half of the photo, when I then decreased the highlights to -100 it made the colours of the tie, stock and red in the rosette brighter and a more accurate representation of the actual colours. I also think this makes the photo have a more nostalgic feel as the bright colours remind me of my childhood and the excitement of winning.
I then felt the purple tint was too much so I then used the colour selections to change the purple levels in the photo drawing the image back to the original lighting with no purple tint but with the more prominent colours in the tie and stock.
I then felt the image edges were very soft and I wanted the details of the ribbon and the lines in the stock to be sharp against the background.
This is my final image, overall I the editing has greatly improved the image. The composition of the original shot was already well composed, however I felt the lighting needed work. This could also have been done while taking the photo via flash lighting set up I used however I also felt I could benefit the image with editing. Vibrancy is a common connection between nostalgia and the things/ photos that create it, so I felt not only did the editing help the general photo but also gave the photo a further nostalgic feel.
The next step I had was to add different objects to the shoot to create a story slightly less personal to me and instead working on what I have researched. By using ‘old fashioned’ objects I think it gives a great story and insight into history. I looked at the lines created, the patterns and following the rules that an odd number of objects always looks better than an even.
First Shot
The first editing step was to cropping this image, I wanted to centre the objects as while taking the shot I made sure the violin was in the middle of the shot as it has height, leading the viewer around the shots composition.
The temperature of the image is cooler now I have adjusted it downwards, this is to benefit the lighting as it quite neutral before hand so the cooler tint brings out the colour and shadows.
The before and after (starting from after cropping was done) Overall the editing has greatly improved the image, looking at the the artists I have looked at I noted the cool tones and textured images, so to recreate this through photography I added texture on the texture sliders.
Second Shot
Again I started by cropping the photo down as it was on an angle as I needed to use a bigger field in my photo to start with to allow the lighting to be in the photo.
This set of images shows my process within editing the photos, I start by changing the highlights, once a lot higher and once a lot lower. Now comparing the images I much prefer the highlights being higher as the clarity and definition of the shapes within the photo is immensely better. Saying this I do like the idea of having a grey toned background as I think it adds to the overall image.
Following on from my previous edited image, I chose to increase the texture allowing things like the wood grain in the violin to be seen. By choosing not to adjust the vibrancy or the saturation I kept the image fairly true to life within its colouring, showing I used my lighting correctly and set up my camera well.
Third Shot
Again I started by cropping the photo to make sure the subjects were centred well. This is particularly important in still life works as it is all about the composition of shot.
Choosing to next adjust the exposure to bring out the colours and level out the image slightly. I will probably go onto change it again but it is a great starting point for this shot.
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This is the image after adjusting the rest of the tone and presence sliders. I chose lift the orange tones in the shot, pulling both ends of the photo together. Texture is something I also increased as I like how the age can be seen in the tankard and icing set.
This is a before and after (without cropping) of the final image. The obvious differences are that the background is darker, this nicely complements the increased texture. The objects stand out more with their more true to life colourings brought out by the reduced highlights and increased black depth. The photo appears more intriguing to the viewer as the textures and better detail can be seen in the image, which is vital with a small depth of field and non contextual background.
The correct definition of “Line” in photography is
The Merriam-Webster definition of “line” comprises 15 parts, 46 sections, and 41 subsections.
A straight or curved geometric element that is generated by a moving point and that has extension only along the path of the point.
There are multiple types of lines such as…
Straight, Curved
Vertical, Horizontal
Solid, Dashed or Interrupted
A straight line may convey a feeling or impression of calmness and togetherness, however a zig- zag line may imply a more rushed, energetic tone.
Lines in a photograph add emphasis on the subject matter or conveying a sense of movement.
I then took my own photos to represent ‘Lines’
Shapes
The Merriam-Webster definition of “shape” that we are concerned with as photographic artists is:
1 a : the visible makeup characteristic of a particular item or kind of item
1 b (1) : spatial form or contour
1 b (2) : a standard or universally recognized spatial form
Shapes are two-dimensional. They can be measured by overall height and width.
Different shapes, when they intersect and overlap, can combine to create a new shape.
THE TWO BASIC TYPES OF SHAPE ARE:
Geometric – circle, triangle, rectangle, rhombus, square and trapezoid.
Organic – found in nature, such as plants, animals, and rocks.
I then took my own photos to represent ‘Shapes’
To represent ‘shape’ I constructed a spoon, knife and fork into a triangle shape.
Form
The Merriam-Webster definition of “form” comprises 12 parts, 27 sections, and 4 subsections:
1 a: the shape and structure of something as distinguished from its material
Form is three-dimensional. Form has overall height, width, and depth.
The two types of forms are geometric forms such as:
Cube
Cone
Cylinder
However, There is also organic forms such as the objects that are all around us in the world.
Texture
The Merriam-Webster definition of “texture” is:
the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something.
There are many different types of textures such as:
Smooth
Prickly
Fluffy
Silky
Rough
Velvety
Sticky
Bristly
Bumpy
Feathery
‘How is texture shown in photography?’ -Texture becomes most visible through the use of light and shadow.
Colour
The Merriam-Webster definition of “colour” that we, as photographic artists, are concerned with is:
1 a : a phenomenon of light (such as red, brown, pink, or grey) or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects.
b (1) : the aspect of the appearance of objects and light sources that may be described in terms of hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light.
also : a specific combination of hue, saturation, and lightness or brightness.
Colour has three properties: hue, value, and saturation.
The main 3 properties of colour are :
-Hue
– Saturation
-Value
There are bright and bold colours that create an impression of happiness, joy and energy. These colours may consist of red, yellow, green, blue, purple etc.
There are also dull and darker colours that create an impression of darkness, sadness and solemn that help convey mood. These colours may consist of black, white, grey and any darker shades.
Size
The Merriam-Webster definition of “size” that we, as photographic artists, are concerned about is:
1 a : physical magnitude, extent, or bulk : relative or proportionate dimensions.
Size in a photograph is relative and can be an illusion.
THE ONLY 3 MAIN TYPES OF SIZE ARE:
Large
Medium
Small
Getting close to an object can help a photographer to emphasize size without actually changing the size or shape of an object.
I then took my own photos to represent ‘Size’
Depth
The Merriam-Webster definition of “depth”that we, as photographic artists, are concerned about is:
2 b: the direct linear measurement from front to back.
Depth of field consists of:
aperture
focus distance
focal length
circle of confusion
Depth of Field photography can be defined as the space in the image that is relatively sharp and in focus.
To be able to create a photo with a good depth of field, It has been proven that pointing a light at something, whether near you or behind other objects, and your eyes will be drawn to focus there.
Formalist Photography is based on The Design, Composition and Lighting that is dominant over Subject Matters. The photographer becomes a visual designer whenever a frame is captured. In camera cropping concentrates on the desired subject while eliminating everything else.
Photo Literacy?
What is photo literacy?
Photo literacy is the language of photographic images. Photographs communicate their meanings in particular ways. Such as a photograph with little children could represent nostalgia and the memories of the past while a photo of a field full of flowers could represent some sort of comfort and reassurance, its a passion you may have for nature, people tend to admire different things and therefore nature either could be admiring or dull.
to my understanding photo literacy is photographs of the past with different meanings, its proof of everything we are taught. It helps people understand what is going on in the world and evidence is shown through the photographs although we don’t exactly know the situation of each photo we have a slight idea of the concept, through facial emotions, expressions.
PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE ANALYSIS
Analysing an artistic photograph will consist of studying the various elements which compose it to detect the emotional sense, the message transmitted or to identify aesthetic qualities. Photo analysis (or photo analysis) refers to the study of pictures to compile various types of data, for example, to measure the size distribution of virtually anything that can be captured by photo.
There are seven basic elements to photographic art that we must explore over the coming weeks:
Lines in photography are an immensely powerful element. Proper arrangement of lines, guides the eye around the image, often placing emphasis on the subject matter or conveying a sense of movement. Improper arrangement can draw the eye out of the photo or take away from the strength of the subject matter.
shape
Most photographers recognize the four basic shapes: circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. Each of these shapes can be used to create a variety of different effects in your photographs. Circles are often used to create a feeling of harmony and balance, while triangles can add a sense of movement and drama.
Shape in photography is exactly what it sounds like: The two-dimensional appearance of objects as they’re captured by your camera. For instance, if you look at a photo of a ball, you’ll see its shape: a circle. If you look at a photo of a cube-shaped suitcase, you’ll see its shape: a square.
Form
Form refers to when shape takes on three dimensions. Form is created by shadows and highlights on an object in the photograph. You can see in these two photos how shape becomes form when light hits the subject.
Without the 3D effect, photos look flat and dull. This might work for some photography genres or styles. It’s usually not desirable. A form photographer’s aim is to make their photos look like they’re as real as the actual objects they’re photographing.
Texture
When talking about photography texture refers to the visual quality of the surface of an object, revealed through variances in shape, tone and colour depth. Texture brings life and vibrance to images that would otherwise appear flat and uninspiring.
colour
Colour in photography composition is one of the main tools a photographer can use to create mood in their images. How you combine various colors or exclude them from your photographs influences how people might feel when they look at them. This is why understanding color in photography is so important.
size
The Basics: Image Size is the term given to describe the height and width of an image in pixels. Maximum Image Size is determined by the megapixels of a given camera – for example, a 10-megapixel camera will give a maximum image size of 2592 by 3872 pixels.
Compositionally, the biggest effect of a big print is to reveal details. These details can include textures, small subjects, and – of course – flaws that would not be visible at smaller sizes. All of this can impact the balance of a photo, leaning it more in one direction or another as the viewer’s attention shifts.
Depth
What Is Depth of Field in Photography? In simplest terms, depth of field is how much of your image is in focus. In more technical terms, depth of field is the distance in an image where objects appear “acceptably in focus” or have a level of “acceptable sharpness.”
formalism is often portrayed as abstracted reality by eliminating social or spatial context; by using viewpoints that flattened pictorial space, acknowledging the flatness of the picture plane; and by emphasising shape and tonal rendition in highlights and shadows as much as in the actual subject matter.”
formalism is also always seems as back and white which can cause a confusion to why. Black and white photography can evoke a mood – from nostalgia to sadness to yearning, black and white pictures somehow convey emotion in a way that colour images simply can’t. Not everything is Black & White but sometimes it can be just what is needed. This makes formalism make a lot more sense to me and to why most of the pictures are needed in black and white, I personally feel that when you see an imagine in colour you feel happiness depending on the tones and shades. However when I see and grey/ black and white photo I feel some sort of sadness and empathy for others it does make me feel some sort of happiness as I think back about my childhood.
Stephen Shore
He concentrated on photographing landscape, streets and buildings. From 1977 to 1982 Shore was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, to photograph Monet’s gardens at Giverny, France. American photographer. Landscape and Photography, he has recognizable style which is often touted as one of the most important things for an artist to develop, but Shore has never abided by that idea. Shore switches between antilog and digital, black-and-white and colour, photographic and production techniques, and film formats.
. John Szarkowski.
The book explores all the traditional approaches to composition and design, but crucially, it also addresses the new digital technique of shooting in the knowledge that a picture will later be edited, manipulated, or montaged to result in a final image that may be very different from the one seen in the viewfinder.
In photography Formalism was advocated by John Szarkowski (Curator of Photography at Museum on Modern Art, New York) who is his book; The Photographer’s Eye (1966) identified five elements involved in the formalist approach to the analysis of photography, they are: the thing itself, the detail, the frame, time and the vantage point.
Photo analysis
overall, through this photo I really like how is is put in black and white which makes the photo look really modern, however it does also make me feel as though this photo was taken a long time ago. I know that this photo wasn’t taken purposely as the people in the streets aren’t posing and aren’t necessarily intended to be in it. The weather also doesn’t look the best as I can see any sunlight and mostly see clouds and a foggy exterior.
The way the photo is set out does almost look staged because of the cars, however the cars are in opposite of illusory motion in this photo which creates that still life effect although there are living humans beings involved with moving cars.
To make this photo look even better i believe that the shop should have some lights involved or even just some street lights as the photo looks quite dull and plain, even if there is a lot of things happening my eyes would directly be drawn to the lights near the shops or street, this would make feel more focused on one area of the photo instead of the whole thing.
Walker Evans influenced Darren Harvey-Regan heavily, and both artists paid careful attention to choice of objects, composition, lighting and exposure values.
Their choice of objects were ‘beauties of the common tool’, meaning objects such a wrenches, hammers and other similar things.
WHO IS WALKER EVANS?
“Among low-priced, factory-produced goos, none is so appealing to the senses as the ordinary hand tool. Hence, a hardware store is a kind of offbeat museum show for the man who responds to good, clear ‘undesigned’ forms.”
Walker Evans was an American photographer and photojournalist. He began to photograph in the late 1920s, making snapshots during a European trip. He is very well known for his work for the FSA, documenting the effects of the Great Depression.
His portfolio ‘Beauties of the Common Tool’ was published originally in 1955.
Although the objects alone would seem to be lifeless and plain, Evans played with the angles of the lighting and exposure ton give a different perspective on each tool. He played with the positioning of shadow too, making the images more interesting.
Each tool tells a story about life during the Great Depression and how they played important roles for people struggling to make a livelihood.
WHO IS DARREN HARVEY-REGAN?
“It’s a means of transposing material into other material, adding new meaning or thoughts in the process. I think photographing materials is a way to consider the means of creating meaning, and it’s a tactile process with which I feel involved. Touching and moving and making are my engagement with the world and my art”.
Darren Harvey-Regan was a photographer interested in the idea that photographs do not exist just to show things, but are physical things that become objects themselves.
He was heavily inspired by Walker Evans. When Evans portfolio was published by Fortune magazine in 1955, Harvey-Regan constructed a montage of Walker Evans’ portfolio to create new forms.
He then sourced matching tools, cut them in half and re-joined several halves together, with the resulting physical objects being photographed to create his work.
The montaged tools became both beautiful and bizarre objects, in which a ratchet wrench is combined with a pair of pliers and a Mason’s trowel joined with a pair of scissors. This made it stand out from the rest as the strangeness made it more eye-catching.
He named his work ‘Beauties of the Common Tool, Rephrased II, 2013’.
He took the story that Walker Evans represented and rearranged it, modernising it.
Walker Evans was a talented and inspiring photographer in the late 1920s. He started his career by making snapshots during a European trip, however he only published his first images in the 1930s when he returned to New York.
In his ‘beauties of common tools’ shoot, he shows the eyeful side of common tools. Although cameras with colour became a thing in the 1950s which was the around the time he took photos of his so called project, ‘beauties of common tools’, his images are not in colour because black and white was still the norm even though cameras already had colour. He stuck to the norm.
Most of Evans work was inspired by the effects of the depression and telling the story of the American working class. Evans project ‘beauties of common tools’ illustrates the simplicity of common tools. I think that in some way he compared working class to common tools. I strongly believe that he saw that common tools were just as hard working as working class.
Who is Darren Harvey-Regan?
Darren Harvey-Regan was a photographer interested in the concept that photographs do not exist just to show things, but are physical things that become objects themselves.
After Evans portfolio called ‘beauties of a common tool’ Harvey-Regan constructed a montage of Evans’s images to make new forms. Becoming inspired by the images, Harvey-Regan found matching tools, cut them in half and stuck them various halves together, then photographed his interesting work.
His idea to create such beautiful but bizarre objects was all because of Evans.
Comparing and contrasting the work of the two artists.
When it comes to Evans work, his work is quite cold. The photos have an eerie feel to it. The photos have this sense of strangeness to it and because of this, it creates this uniqueness and curiosity atmosphere that makes us question what Evans saw in those tools.
Darren’s work in the other hand is very neutral. They don’t have this strangeness to it and although Darren was inspired by Evans work, Darren’s work isn’t quit the same. His lighting is a lot harsher than Evans. However, Darren’s photoshoot inspired by Evans has a bizarreness and uniqueness to it. The fact that he combined two completely different tools together, suggests a very odd feeling to the photos. His photos are quiet simple, they don’t have much depth to them unlike Evans.
Now lets compare these two pictures
Evans picture, which is in the right has a very antique undertone. You can see that it was taken from a much older camera that didn’t have as much quality as Darren’s camera which has a clearer quality.
In Evans picture, the photo is in black and white even though there was colour in the period that Evans took this picture but it just wasn’t as common to use colour, because of this, Evans picture doesn’t have as much detail as Darren’s however when it comes to showing lighting, Evans shows it perfectly in his picture.
On Evans picture, at the top of the tool it is much lighter and in fact seems like its glowing. I think this is to show that the tool is used constantly because the parts where the tool is darker is where its not really being used. Evans is showing the importance of common tools and how hardworking they are. In the other hand, Darren’s picture of the tools is much darker. This implies that the tools are really old, maybe the tools weren’t as used now as they were used in the 1900s hence why the tools looks rusty.
A big difference between Evans and Darren’s work is that Darren combined two tools together and Evans never did that, Evans showed the ‘true’ form of the tools. However a similarity is that they both photograph common tools and they both wanted to show the beauty of the tools.
