These are my photos inspired by Darren Harvey-Regan “The wonders of the common tool.” The shadows on the objects give that contrast between the light background and the dark objects which makes the object look more in focus and makes it stand out. To improve these photos I’m going to change the background colour and make it whiter to get rid of the orange tint on the photos.
This image is my best image because the tilted angle of the violin along with the placement of the objects makes the image very pleasing to look at and the angle and shape of the violin complements the other objects by making them become more visible so they are not washed out by the violin.
This is another strong image as the colour contrast between the snow globe and the violin makes both objects stand out as the colours compliment each other making the violin look darker and a stronger colour of brown and the snow globe a brighter white.
Walker Evans was an American Photographer and photojournalist, best known for his work for the farm Administration documenting the effects of the Great Depression. He died April 10th 1975. His most characteristic pictures show American life through outdoor advertising, the beginnings of its automobile culture and its domestic interiors.
Image Analysis
Walker Evans takes pictures with a narrow depth of field to keep the man in focus. The pictures are in black and white which gives the pictures a dramatic and ominous feel to them. Walker Evans pictures are very true and honest which makes his pictures believable and his models don’t hide and everything is very raw and exposed. The black background that the man is leaning against contrasts against his white shirt giving a sense of positive and negative feelings about America in the time of the Great Depression.
Darren Harvey-Regan
Darren Harvey-Regan is a graduate of the Royal College of Art. His work has been in Exhibitions and Publications all over the world. His work focuses on photography but has an emphasis on the mediums relationship to language and to sculpture.
Image Analysis
Darren Harvey-Regan’s photos are very bold and powerful and this picture in particular has a very strong contrast between the block and the shadow. This makes the object used stand out and look more powerful. The use of shape and line in this image makes the object appear more interesting to look at and gives the object a different composition. Darren Harvey-Regan’s photos were inspired by Walker Evans photos because Darren Harvey Regan constructed a montage of Evans’s images and made new forms out of them and then sourced matching tools, cut them in half and joined various different half’s together with the resulting physical objects being photographed to create his final work.
Formalism describes that the most important aspect of a work of art is its form, the way its made and its visual aspects, Formalism includes line, shape, form, texture, colour, size and depth.
Line – The lines on an image or whether the photo has leading lines or lines that guide your eye to the focal point.
Shape – How interesting the shape of the image is, has the photograph been taken at a specific angle to make it look more interesting.
Form – Is the photography 3 dimensional, how is the object displayed or positioned.
Texture – The surface of an object is it smooth shiny, rough. How can that be photographed to make it look as interesting as it can.
Colour – The composition of the photograph is one of the most important things of a photograph, it guides the viewer to wear you want them to look on the photograph and where the main focus of the photograph is.
Size – How do you take pictures of the object to make it look larger than it is or smaller than it is or making it look like the same size it is in real life.
Depth – How much of the photograph is in focus and how much of it is in detail. Is the main focal point of the image in focus and the background blurred to make the focal point standout .
By making the depth of field wider and decreasing the shutter speed it makes the propeller blurred and not in focus. By Increasing the Shutter Speed the propeller will become more visible and will be in focus.
This picture is very overexposed as there is too much light in this picture and where there is motion in the photo it has been blurred out due to the slow shutter speed. To make this photo not overexposed I need to make my aperture smaller by changing it to a higher f-stop.
This image is very underexposed as the picture doesn’t have enough light so the image is not visible. The shutter speed is so fast that the motion in the image looks like its frozen. To make this image not underexposed I would have to adjust the ISO by making it higher to give the image the light back.
Photography Research
1) What is the etymology (origin & history) of the word photography?
Writing with light
2)What year was the first photograph taken with a camera?
1826
3)When did the first photograph of a human appear?
1874 (Julia Margaret Cameron)
4)Who made the first ‘selfie’?
Robert Cornelius (1839)
5) When did the first color photograph appear?
1935 (Kodachrome)
6)What do we mean by the word genre?
A style or category of art
7) What do we mean by the genre of still-life?
An image that shows inanimate objects from the natural or man-made world
8): What was the main purpose of the Pictorialism movement?
To affirm photography as an art form
9): How do we describe the term documentary photography?
Capture images that truthfully portray people, places and events
10) What is exposure in photography?
The amount of light that reaches your camera’s sensor
11) What controls exposure on your camera?
Aperture, shutter speed, ISO.
12) What control on our camera records moving objects?
Shutter
13) How do we explain depth of field?
How much of your image is in focus
14) What factors affect Depth of Field?
Lens focal length shutter speed and lens aperture.
15): What is composition in photography?
The arrangement of visual elements within the frame.
16)What is your understanding of aesthetics in art?
Aesthetic qualities refer to the way and artwork looks and feels
17) What are contextual studies in photography?
To provide historical, cultural and theoretical understanding of images.
18) How many images are captured on average every day worldwide?
4.7 billion
19): Which portrait is the most reproduced in the world?
The Queen (Elizabeth II)
Then Answer
Light – Shape- Shadow – Composition – Metaphor – Symbolism – Memento Mori
What is still life?
The work of art that shows inanimate objects from the natural or manmade world typically containing fruit, flowers or gold candle holders often to show wealth.
Artist Reference
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch impressionist painter. He created 2100 pieces of artwork including 860 oil paintings. This painting shows kitchen bowls and glass bottles which contrasts against the brown wood table, this still life painting done by Vincent van Gogh explores old artefacts and possessions that are important or have meaning to him.
Chronological timeline of Leonardo Da Vinci still life Photography ?
1442- He was accepted into the painter’s guild in Florence at the age of 20
1476- Accused of sodomy publicly humiliated
1483- Paints the rocks
1500- Returns to Florence
1519- Leonardo Da Vinci Dies
What is Vanitas?
It’s a still life painting of a 17th century Dutch genre containing symbols of death or change.
What is Memento muri?
An object that is kept for the reminder of inevitbility of death.
What kind of metaphors and symbols are used in still life and why?
Fruit – varying symbolism
Skulls – The certainty of mortality
Flowers – Symbol of life and growth
