I chose my first photoshoot to be of vehicles and fuels. I chose this theme as I was inspired by Edward Burtynsky’s photos of cars.
This image is of old broken cars that are used for parts. I thought this related to the topic as I think that cars are a big part of pollution and their fuels and emissions. I also chose to take pictures of cars from an angle looking down as I was inspired by Edward Burtynsky’s work on images of cars. I decided to keep the picture in colour as I think that it looked boring in black and white, whereas in colour it you can see all the details of the cars that aren’t being used and are broken. I also think the colours made it look messy which I liked because it makes you have to look properly into the image which is quite scruffy when you first glance at it but when you look into the details it gives you more of a story behind the image that the cars are being used for scraps which you may not see when you originally look at the image.
I decided to take this picture as it was also inspired by Edward Burtynsky’s car images but instead I chose to take pictures of a lot of PED bikes and motorbikes, instead of a large amount of cars. This image is different to the car image as the cars where being used for scraps but instead these bikes work. I started off edited this image by cropping it as there was lots of the road in the image and it looked bad. I made the image darker but made all the colour stand out more which matched the colours of the first picture of cars in the scrap so they look nice together.
This is another image of scraps and cars being used for scraps. I chose to edit this image because it goes along well with my theme for this photoshoot. this image is different to the other so far because it isn’t based particularly on cars there are other things in this image like cones, tyres and a big container box. I chose to also edit this image differently from the other two vibrant images and went for a duller less vibrant picture. I achieved this by minimally editing the tone just turning the highlights up slightly and the whites and blacks both down slightly.
This image is of a motorbike exhaust. I chose this image because it is a more detailed picture of one specific thing instead of taking a picture where there is a lot going on like in the other pictures. For this image I turned vibrancy up all the way, I liked how this turned out because it made the image really stand out and shows every detail of the bike.
Definition – The dramatic changes in correspondence with humans and the environment.
How and why are photographers exploring this concept?
Some photographers that explore this concept of the world and human impact use photography as a source of spreading awareness about these environmental changes.
Mood Board
Photoshoot Inspiration
The main focus of my Anthropocene photoshoot is air pollution, planes and clouds. My photoshoot and ideas are inspired by various photographers associated with the study of clouds, but my main inspiration is Alfred Stieglitz. His work stands out to me the most because of the high contrast between the clouds and skies in his photographs as seen below:
Stieglitz had started this project in 1922 and had named it Equivalents.
I have always been very interested in the study of clouds because of the unique shapes, patterns, tones and layers of the clouds. To stay within the theme of Anthropocene, I plan to also capture contrails created by planes. I like the contrast with the linear lines that planes create against the soft, amorphous shapes the clouds are in.
I plan to show how dangerous plane contrails can be towards our Earth’s atmosphere by using the contrast of sharp contrails and soft clouds. I also want to show the contrails spreading out and losing shape to show the process of them absorbing and trapping energy and radiation into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Information About Contrailsand Clouds
Contrails, also known as condensation or vapour trails, are long linear clouds created by aircraft engine exhausts or changes in air pressure. They are made of water vapour and low ambient temperatures that often exist at high altitudes.
A simplified diagram of how contrails are produced
Contrails contribute to climate change by absorbing and trapping solar radiation from the sun within the Earth’s atmosphere. They can allow a various amounts of solar radiation to penetrate to the Earth’s surface which causes the planet to warm up.
It is said that there are three types of contrails, short-lived, persistent non-spreading, and persistent spreading.
It has been documented by researchers that by reducing altitude when flying showed a 54% decrease in contrails being produced. By also using highly efficient engines planes can reduce contrail production from the engines.
Another alternative to reducing contrails is by using electric planes. This is because they are powered by fuel-cell-powered electric engines meaning nothing is being combusted because there is no exhaust besides water vapour. This means no solid matter is being produced for the contrails to attach to.
There are more than a hundred different variants of clouds which can be grouped into ten basic types, which are;
Multi-Level Cloud – Floats in numerous altitudes
Cumulonimbus
High-Level Clouds – Float at altitudes of around 16,500 and 45,000 feet
Cirrus
Cirrocumulus
Cirrostratus
Mid-Level Clouds – Float at altitudes of between 6,500 and 20,000 ft
Altocumulus
Nimbostratus
Altostratus
Low-Level Clouds – Float at altitudes of less than 6,500 ft
Cumulus
Stratus
Stratocumulus
Planes can be seen flying at about 31,000 to 42,000 ft in the air, however smaller aircrafts often fly below 15,000 ft. Planes of start forming contrails at around 20,000 ft, this is because the air surrounding the aircraft is well below freezing so it cools down the water vapour coming out of the back of the engines.
Some planes may seem like they are flying at around the same height but one is producing contrails and the other is not, this is because even a 1,000 ft difference can affect whether a plane produces them or not because of the drastic change in the atmosphere surrounding them.
I am going to look into litter that I have found and Industrial sites for my photographs, because that is what Burkynsky focussed on. I am also going to try and achieve a birds eye view for the litter and a higher up view for the industrialisation, because that is what Burkynsky did a lot and was best known for doing. He also took images above cities of houses and buildings, which I think could also be interpreted as over population, so I am going to look into that a little bit.
Pollution/ Litter
For my photoshoots I am going to focus on the huge impact that litter has on our environment, especially at beaches, as this causes lots of sea pollution and harm to many animals. I am also going to focus on smaller bits of litter that isn’t really thought about, because it is so small, such as chewing gum and cigarette butts. However, this has a massive impact on the planet, because these small amounts of litter build up massively. I am going to do this, by going to the beach (Harve de pas) and search for different bits of litter on the sand, buried in the sand and in the sea, or litter that has been washed up from the sea. I will then take images of all of this rubbish from a birds eye angle. Then, I will collect the rubbish for a different project, and to help the planet.
I am also going to visit town and take pictures and collect the litter I found, and then bin/ recycle it all. I am also going to look at a minimalistic view of litter and takes pictures of things that are small and usually go unnoticed, such as cigarette butts, but do have a big impact on the earth.
I am going to study air pollution, by going to industrial places, such as La Collette and take images of the smoke that is produced by some of these. I may also try to make a small bonfire to show the smoke admitted off from it. I may also go to the avenue at a busy time, such as 5 o’clock (rush hour), so that I can take pictures of all the cars to also present all the air pollution they are letting off.
Over population
For this photoshoot I am going to visit town during a busy time, such as lunch hour at 1 o’clock, on a sunny day, so that town is very busy and I can present over population. I am going to take pictures of all the people walking through town and I am going to try and take the picture from higher up, so that the vast amount of people are seen more clearly. I am also going to do this in relation to Edward Burkynsky, because he was very well known for his birds eye view images taken from above, or higher up.
I may also go to the avenue at a busy time, such as 5 o’clock (rush hour), so that I can take pictures of all the cars to also present over population. I am going to do this by standing along the walk way and taking the image directing down towards town, so more cars can be seen.
Industrialisation
For this photoshoot, I am going to visit places, such as town and La collette, because they have lots of buildings, so I can present Industrialisation. I have taken images like this for my New Topographics theme, so I am going to try and take more of these images in the same way. I am going to try get to higher ground when taking these images in response to Edward Burkynsky.
In Response to Barry Rosenthal
With the litter I have picked up from Harve de Pas beach and the cemetery near my house, I am going to collect it all and use it to create artistic images, just like Barry Rosenthal. I am going to colour coordinate all my discarded plastics and lay them out in my decided pattern on a black sheet of paper in the studio and take birds eye view images of this colourful plastic in different patterns.
In response to John Divola
For this photoshoot, I am going to visit different abandoned sites all over Jersey, such as;
Bouley bay cafe and hotel
Building next to Mayfair
St John state owned building
St Martin state owned building
St Saviour state owned building
I will then explore these places, while taking many different photographs of the rumble and ruins and materials that have been left behind.
I would also like to try and recreate this image, as well as a few others. I would recreate this image, by having Katie stand in front of a wall and using lights to try and cast a shadow, as I am unable to spray paint this figure on the walls, because its vandalism.
Photoshoot to prevent negative impacts on earth
For my final photoshoot, I am going to take pictures of myself and Katie cleaning up and collecting the litter at Harve de pas beach and the Green Street cemetery. I am going to do this not only to show the process of how my photographs were made, but also to present how many people do different things to try and positively impact the earth and stop Anthropocene, like cleaning up litter, as well as using public transport to help prevent air pollution etc.
“The Anthropocene Epoch is an unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems.” Anthropocene is seen as how the world has changed through out the years and why it is changing, we have buildings and factories that have masses produced products. It also looks on how social media has changed society and their beliefs, its talks about how religion has changed and the idea of someone not being religious is normalised. Anthropocene is the talk of how us humans have impacted the world with all of our waste and rubbish and how we don’t take care of ourselves and most importantly the world itself. on google its says that “Humans Have Altered 97 Percent of Earth’s Land Through Habitat and Species Loss. A study published on April 15 in the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change presents evidence that only about three percent of Earth’s land ecosystems remain untouched by human activity.”
Our world has lost so much including animals loads of different animals have become extinct, humans have damaged the world by overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation which lead to losing animals, for example, Western black rhinos, Dodo bird and many more. “Habitat loss is the primary cause of higher extinction rates. Other causes include habitat changes, over-exploitation of wildlife for commercial purposes, the introduction of harmful non-native species, pollution, and the spread of diseases.” Therefore humans are mostly to blame for animal extinction due to the fact that they over hunt, destroy animals homes and pollute the area which shows how careless humans can be, they don’t understand the dangers they are putting themselves and everyone else. Animal extinction is also due to current greenhouse gas emissions trajectories and if they continue animals will be extinct in 2050.
“The ‘good Anthropocene’ argument is founded on a belief in the ultimate benevolence of the whole, the order of things, a goodness that in the end transcends and defeats the structural obstacles, sufferings and moral lapses that seem to threaten it. That this belief is rarely voiced only bespeaks its secret power.”
This period is known as the great acceleration and it shows signs on how we humans have significantly modified our planet by harming it with plastic waste, many people have started to recycle but not enough to start saving the planet, no matter how desperate and big the message is to say that our world is dying , people wont do anything to change it.
“Under this model, the Anthropocene would have many events marking human-induced impacts on the planet, including the mass extinction of large vertebrates, the development of early farming, land clearance in the Americas, global-scale industrial transformation during the Industrial Revolution”
Edward Burtynsky was born February 22, 1955 and is a Canadian photographer and artist known for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes. His works depict locations from around the world that represent the increasing development of industrialization and its impacts on nature and the human existence. It is most often connected to the philosophical concept of the sublime, a trait established by the grand scale of the work he creates, though they are equally disturbing in the way they reveal the context of rapid industrialization.
His work
He often positions himself at high-vantage points over the landscape using elevated platforms, the natural topography, and more currently drones, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Edward Burtynsky took this image of litter to present the theme of Anthropocene and to show the negative effect humans are having on the earth.
He took this picture of people building different buildings, to present industrialisation and the negative impact it is having on the earth. He also liked the sublime theme, and I think this image presents how industrialisation is negatively effecting the natural landscape and the sublime.
This photo of his shows industrialisation and over population, as it is of many houses in one area. These houses have taken up the natural environment.
This image also shows industrialisation and its negative impact on the earth.
This image shows how much waste humans produce, and how there is no where to put all this waste except landfills, which mostly end up being dumped in the sea, which causes sea pollution and the lives of many animals.
How does this work relate to the theme of Anthropocene?
Edward Burkynsky work relates to the theme of Anthropocene, because his images present many different signs/ causes for Anthropocene, such as his photographs on;
Litter
Over population
Industrialisation
These are themes of Anthropocene, because littering causes water pollution and the death of many sea and land animals. Over population also harms our earth, because there are not enough recourses on earth to support the whole population. Industrialisation also uses up lots of the earth recourses and ruins our earth’s natural environments.
What interests me about his work?
I am interested in his work, because I think he presents the theme of Anthropocene very well and presents many different causes and themes of Anthropocene. I am also interested in the way he takes his photographs from a high up birds eye angle and I would love to try and recreate this in my photoshoots.
Why have I chosen this artist?
I have chosen this artist, because he has taken photos of the different themes of Anthropocene, such as industrialisation, litter and over population, which are the themes that I am most interested in and have the best ideas for my photoshoots. I also feel very strongly about littering, as I live right next to Harve de Pas beach and a cemetery, and I always come across litter, while I am out walking my dogs. My mum also does things to help prevent littering, such as going through the cemetery with the dogs and picking up rubbish, and putting it in our bin.
I also think I would be able to try and recreate many of his photographs, such as his more simple industrial photographs and his photographs of litter. I also want to try and recreate the way he took his photographs, by trying to get higher up above what I’m taking pictures of. I want to do this especially when I look into the theme of over population.
What I am going to do in response to his work?
This is the main image I would like to try and recreate of his, because it shows a massive amount of litter just dumped in waste lands, because there is no where else to put it all. I also like how the litter takes up the full frame, so it is all that can be seen, because I think this makes the message in the image much more powerful. I also like how he has taken this in a birds eye view, because it is the best angle for this type of image. In response to this image and his work I am also going to try and obtain this birds eye view angle for my images.
In response to the main themes he has done, which is litter and industrialisation, I am going to focus on the same main themes.
Barry Rosenthal
Rosenthal was born in The Bronx in 1948 and is a New York based photographer, who shoots colour and black and white photographs. She collects discarded plastic objects and takes images of them collected together and laid out into a more eye pleasing way.
Her Work
These photos of Barry Rosenthal’s display the amount of discarded plastic that is being dumped/ littered all over the world, because plastic is non-biodegradable and takes many many years to break down. This means there is not a quick and easy way to break down the plastic, so there is no where to keep the billions of pieces of plastic, so it just ends up in the ocean, or littered on the street etc. These images shows the masses of discarded plastic that she has found and shows how much of a large negative impact it is having on the earth. Not only is she displaying this negative impact plastic has, she is displaying it in an artistic beautiful way. She is colour coordinating the plastics and setting them up in different patterns, so these images will catch the viewers eye, before they even realise it is all discarded plastic. I think she has done this, so she can spread greater awareness to Anthropocene.
How does this work relate to the theme of Anthropocene?
Her work relates to the theme of Anthropocene, because it presents how many discarded materials there are, especially plastic, because it is not bio degradable, so it stays littered on the streets for years. This relates to the theme of Anthropocene, because this litter and plastics have a huge negative impact on the earth and the wild life, because they are eating this plastic, or getting choked by it, such as plastic beer can holders, which get wrapped around birds necks etc. Animals are eating this plastic, especially birds, because they do not have very good eye sight, so they think the plastic is fish/ plankton.
What interests me about her work?
Her work interests me, because she is spreading awareness in a beautiful artistic way and knows how to capture the viewers eye, before they even realise it is all pictures of discarded plastic. Another reason her work interests me, because it enlightens people, including myself, into how much plastic is actually littered and discarded.
I also love how she creates patterns and colour coordinates her work, to make it more artistic.
Why have I chosen this artist?
I have chosen this artist, because I feel like I could replicate some of her work very well, but in my own way, by creating different patterns and using different colours. I have also chosen this artist, because to be able to replicate her work and use her for inspiration, I will be helping the earth, because I have to go round and collect discarded plastics. This means that less animals will be getting killed by these plastics, even though I am only making a small difference.
What am I going to do in response to her work?
In response to her work, I am going to try and replicate her work using different discarded plastics I have found. However, I want to replicate her work in my own way, by using different colour schemes and creating different patterns.
I am going to go to the beach (Harve de pas) and the cemetery near my house to collect my discarded plastics, because there is always lots and lots of litter there. Many people also go along the beach and ‘clean up the beach,’ so I will ask to use their discarded plastics that they have collected also.
John Divola
John Divola (born 1949) is an American contemporary visual artist and educator, living in Riverside, California. He works in photography, describing himself as exploring the landscape by looking for the edge between the abstract and the specific. He is a professor in the art department at University of California Riverside. John Divola is most well known for his photographs of abandoned buildings.
His work
He usually takes photos of abandoned houses on beaches, to show how materials in and used to build the house have just been abandoned and left on the shore line, for animals to live near or inside, which may cause them harm, if they eat the materials, or if the different materials get washed away in the shore, which will cause more pollution.
However, he doesn’t always take images of abandoned houses on the beach, but he takes pictures of abandoned houses all over, because these abandoned materials effect wild life all over the world.
How does this work relate to the theme of Anthropocene?
His work relates to the theme of Anthropocene, because he presents large materials, such as items inside the abandoned houses, such as furniture, as well as the materials used to build the house, which are wearing down and abandoned. These materials are then abandoned and left for different animals to explore, which then may cause death to them if they eat, or get stuck in them. These materials also take years to decompose, so they are just left there for years and years.
What interests me about his work?
I am interested in his work, because he shows a different side to Anthropocene, that people don’t usually look at, but that is just as important as the many other aspects of Anthropocene. I am also interested in his work, because there are quite a few abandoned buildings in Jersey, that I could explore for this project.
Why have I chosen this artist?
I have chosen this artist, because I feel like I could recreate his work very well by exploring different abandoned buildings near me. I also think it would be very fun to explore these abandoned buildings. I also think he has done a good job at spreading an important message to do with Anthropocene, that all different sorts of abandoned materials, no matter how big or small will always effect the earth and wild life, even if it isn’t the most thought about cause for Anthropocene.
What I am going to do in response to his work?
In response to his work I am going to visit abandoned buildings all over Jersey, such as;
Bouley bay cafe and hotel
Building next to Mayfair
St John state owned building
St Martin state owned building
St Saviour state owned building
I will then explore these places, while taking many different photographs of the rumble and ruins and materials that have been left behind.
I would also like to try and recreate this image, as well as a few others. I would recreate this image, by having Katie stand in front of a wall and using lights to try and cast a shadow, as I am unable to spray paint this figure on the walls, because its vandalism.
Comparing My Artists
Edward Burtynsky and Barry Rosenthal
Similarities:
Both use a birds eye view angle when taking their photos
Both take images of rubbish/ plastic
Differences:
Burtynsky takes images out in the real world environment, whereas Rosenthal takes images in the studio
Burtynsky also takes images of industrialisation, whereas Rosenthal only takes images of discarded plastic
Rosenthal arranges her discarded plastics for her images, whereas Burtynsky finds places and takes photos of them the way they originally were
Edward Burtynsky and John Divola
Similarities:
They both take photos of man-made sites/ industrialisation
They both take photos in the real world environment
They both take images of the places/ things where they found them in their original position
Differences:
Burtynsky also takes photos of rubbish, whereas Divola only takes photos of industrilisation
John Divola and Barry Rosenthal
Differences:
Rosenthal only takes images of discarded plastic, whereas Divola only takes images of industrialisation
I have made a mind map in order to create ideas. I incorporated different factors including the different causes, effects, human causes and the different gases that are produced. These consist of the different causes and their caused effects such as:
Greenhouse gases
War
Transportation
This mind map helps me to plan ahead for my photoshoots, and what different factors I can focus on whilst photographing my Anthropocene related images. for example:
After researching about rising sea levels and ice caps melting, I am able to further understand human’s contribution to Anthropocene and global warming.
