Emotional –

• Intimidated
• Uneasy
• Afraid
• Eary
• Sinister

Visual – The subject in the photo is a man who is the main focus. He is staring into the camera which makes the viewer feel intimidated. He is also wearing a black t shirt, he is tanned and he looks fairly old. This man is surrounded by a factory which looks like a train factory and I have inferred this because I can see there is a half made train and lots of different broken parts. Technical -There is a line of symmetry down the middle. There is also a slight blur as the further we look in the picture which makes the subject the main focus of the photo. The lighting is also placed art the front on each side of the man in the middle which makes the middle of the mans face fairly dark and makes the rest of the photo lit up by the lighting that is pointed towards it. Conceptual – Who cares that a picture is worth a thousand words when two can be worth a career change. Take the time a young Arnold Newman stumbled across a book of Theodore Roosevelt photos and two of them stuck out. “On the cover shot, which was supposed to represent him, he looked like an overstuffed walrus,” said Mr. Newman in a 1994 interview with The Boston Globe. “Inside there was a picture of him with his foot on a rhino, growling like mad. I thought, ‘My God, that is Teddy Roosevelt!’” Mr. Newman went on to photograph Eleanor Roosevelt, Pablo Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Golda Meir, Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Salvador Dalí, and the former president Bill Clinton: decidedly on his own terms. There would be no overstuffed costume fittings or stark studios. Mr. Newman’s portraits were defined by his sitter’s environments, which led him to be known as the “father of the environmental portrait.” Contextual – In 1963 Arnold Newman took this picture of Alfred Krupp. Newman was Jewish and Krupp was a Nazi which made this photograph extremely unusual. Krupp admired Newman’s work and wanted Newman to take a photo of him, however when Newman told Krupp to lean forward, he put crossed his fingers and put his hands under his chin for his face to lean on which was his natural response when Newman told him what to do. Newman quickly took the photograph of Krupp like this and he hated it. Newman chose to keep this photograph as it showed Krupp’s true self as he looked extremely eerie and dark when he glared into the camera so harshly. This was Newman’s way of revenge as Krupp had disrespected his community in ways that can not be described.

Environmental portraits are used to portray people in their usual environment, such as their place of work. It fundamentally shows the subject’s life and the environment they are surrounded with on a day to day basis. The purpose of environmental portraits is to tell a person’s story via the background of the photo and the connections they have with these surroundings. In an environmental portrait you will often notice that the subject is making eye contact with the camera which portrays a strong portrait photo and also creates emotion from their facial expressions and their eye expression. The aim of an environmental portrait is to capture peoples interactions with their natural surroundings to tell a story that generates emotion for the viewers, and giving insight into where these people are from, what they do and who they are.

Arnold Newman was the first person to create an environmental portrait in 1918. Since then he has created several famous photographs that many people have taken interest in. He placed his subjects in surroundings that represent their profession, aiming to portray the subjects life and environment.

Typology

Before

After

For this edit, I imported this picture onto photoshop to enable me to edit the picture,

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

My Photos

I took pictures in the studio using a DSLR camera and a studio light. I used artificial lighting for this photoshoot because this meant I could change the tone of the light to either a cool tone or a warm tone. I used different types of tools because I was inspired by Walker Evans and Darren Harvey-Regan. I used a hammer and clamp to achieve my inspired pictures. I also used book to experiment with a different composition.

I changed the aperture to create different levels of light during my photoshoot because my inspired artists’ used dull lighting and that’s what I was aiming to achieve when taking these photos.

I made sure there was a big white space around the tools as that is how Darren Harvey – Regan and Walker Evans framed their objects.

What is formalism?

Formalism in photography is the design, composition and light of the photo. Formalism describes the most critical aspects of the images and the visual aspects, whether than the narrative aspects and the relationship with the visible world.

Example of formalism – the composition with blue, red and yellow (Primary Colours).

Formalism:

>Light

>Space

>Shape

>Repetition

>Texture

>Form

>Depth

Walker Evans

Walker Evans is an American photographer who took pictures in the later 1920’s during his trip around Europe. During the ‘Great Depression’ Walker Evans took pictures to portray the resettlement admiration. He is best known for documenting the affects of the ‘Great Depression’.

This is Walker Evans formalism photography. He uses different still life objects to create a simple photoshoot. He uses black and white images to portray a relaxed mood. For these images I can make an assumption that he uses artificial light for his images. I know this because the light is slightly dull which makes the mood of the photo quite low and makes us as the viewer wonder what the tool is being used for and whether the tool is being used for the correct things.

The shapes in the images are harsh, this shows that the tools in the images are used to fix hard objects because of the strong sharp edges of the tools. This makes the viewer think about the different uses of the tools.

There is also repetition in his photoshoot as in the all the photos include a tool of some sort, there is repetition in the shade and level of lighting used in the photos, the colour is a dull grey colour which makes the photos look morbid and eerie. I really like the repetition in this photoshoot and I like how all the tools are different however all come under the same category. It makes the viewer wonder where the tools have came from and makes us wonder what the different tools could be used for, or what they were used for.

Darren Harvey-Regan

Darren Harvey – Regan is an English artist who took the simplicity of an image of the object and made the still life have a meaning and made the objects have meaning rather than having a purpose.

He uses tools similar to Walker Evans, however they are slightly different because Darren Harvey-Regan uses a plain white background to display his work. I really like his work because I think it is very simple however very affective and portrays a story behind the photo.

Just like Walker Evans, the objects in his images have sharp edges and present a harsh aesthetic with the different tools that he uses. One thing I like about his work is the simplicity in making a tool have a meaning. His aim was to make simple objects have a meaning and I think he executes this objective extremely well because I become interested in the tools by looking at this photo, whereas usually I wouldn’t be satisfied by a picture of a tool.

I like the lighting he used to execute this strong piece of artwork is a soft cool tone light. I can infer that he used artificial lighting because the lighting is very even and there are no shadows which make the photo look like a painting. I like the tone of colour he used because it makes the background extremely bright which contrasts with the dark colour of the tool.

In photography, I use a DLSR Canon camera to take photos. I use this camera to ensure the quality is good and makes the photos better than an iPhone. This camera is extremely beneficial for photography as it allows me to change the shutter speed, ISO and aperture.

The shutter speed is the length of time from the moment the shutter opens and this then allows light into the camera. A fast shutter speed will create a short exposure whether as a slower shutter speed will create a long exposure because the shutter is open for a longer period of time which allows more light into the camera. The aperture is the opening of the lens’s diagram through which light passes through. Having a smaller aperture creates a sharper image. The ISO ( International standard organization) is an image sensitivity in a numerical value. Having a higher ISO can lower the quality of your photo and degrade is which will cause your photos to be grainy or “noisy”.

Canon Camera Simulator

This is website which allows you to play around with the different

Edited Photos

For these photographs, I went into the photography studio and I set up a tripod to enable to put the camera onto. I used a tripod so that I could get a stable snapshot of my objects. I used a perfume bottle, silver bracelets and a dainty, silver watch. These objects are nostalgic to me because they all remind me of my gran as she always used this perfume, the sent reminds me of her along with the silver jewellery to which she would take a big interest in. I put the objects in positions that I figured would look nice. I used cool toned lighting to take this picture because it went well with the silver and the blue. I also used the reflects on either side of the objects to prevent any shadows, and what I found out by doing this it that the reflectors also made the colour of the background the colour of the bottle even though the original background was white.

These are my best images from the photoshoot. I like these images in particular because I really like how they look very pristine and sharp. There is no shadows or creases in the background which portrays a clean aesthetic which also refers back to my gran who was a very clean lady.

Still Life originated in the Netherlands in the 16th to the 17th century during the urbanisation which led to people emphasising on peoples homes, personal possessions and commerce. Colonialism is when there is one person in power over other people. By 1840, photography had spread like wildfire and become a vital aspect of European colonialism. Colonialism led to the suppression of traditional African art forms and the promotion of European art. In early still life images you can see skulls, candles and hourglasses. These were very popular in the 19th century. These still life objects could symbolise death and fragility of life, the hourglass connects with the skull to portray the time that you have left.

Still Life – Mood Board

What is still life?

Still life is an arrangement of different objects, such as skulls, fruit, candles and books like you can see in this photograph. It is also a work of art that shows images of objects from the natural and man-made world. Still life is found everywhere in the world even from the ancient Egyptians tombs where there is seen to be daily still life objects carved on the side. The genre became popular in the Netherlands during 17th century when urbanisation led to an emphasis on the personal possessions.

In this mood board it has some still life images. There are skulls, fruit, candles and hour glasses seen in these images. I really like these still life images because there is always a story being told through the different objects and also the placement of the objects. The top image in the middle presents old age, or even death. I can infer this from the image because there is a skull which symbolises death, and there is also a a feather in a pot of ink which is what people used to write with in the 6th century. The feather could also represent the feather of a dove. A dove symbolises peace and love which could refer back to a peaceful death.

Image Analysis

Introduction to A-level Photography Quiz

Q1: What is the etymology (origin & history) of the word photography?

20sec

Writing with light.

Capturing light.

Painting with light.

Filming light.

Q2: What year was the first photograph made in camera?

20sec

1739 (Joseph Wright)

1839 (Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre)

1826 (Joseph Nicéphore Niépce)

1904 (Salvadore Dali)

Q3: When did the first photograph of a human appear?

20sec

1874 (Julia Margeret Cameron)

1838 (Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre)

1856 (Henry Mullins)

1939 (Ropert Capa)

Q4: Who made the first ‘selfie’

20sec

Kim Kardashian (2015)

Robert Cornelius (1839)

Cindy Sherman (1980)

Claude Cahun (1927)

Q5: When did the first colour photograph appear? 20sec

20sec

1907 (Lumière brothers)

1961 (Andy Warhol)

1935 (Kodachrome)

1861 (James Clerk Maxwell)

Q6: What do we mean by the word genre?

20sec

A study of an artwork

A depiction in art

A style or category of art

A creative process in art

Q7: What do we mean by the genre of still-life?

20sec

In image where a person is sitting still and not moving.

An arrangement of flowers.

A picture of food.

An image that shows inanimate objects from the natural or man-made world.

Q8: What was the main purpose of the Pictorialist movement?

20sec

To capture moving objects

To record reality

To affirm photography as an art form

To be scientific

Q9: How do we describe the term documentary photography?

Capture images that truthfully portray people, places and events.

Staging images for maximum effect.

Provide in-depth information about a subject over a long period time.

An interpretation of reality as witnessed by the photographer.

Q10: What is exposure in photography?

20sec

To expose hidden elements in our society.

To record fast moving objects.

To capture bright light.

The amount of light that reaches your camera’s sensor.

Q11: What controls exposure on your camera?

30sec

Depth of field, composition, distance to subject.

Aperture, focal length, ISO.

Aperture, shutter speed, ISO.

Shutter speed, distance to subject, depth of field.

Q12: What control on our camera records moving objects?

20sec

Aperture

White balance

Shutter

ISO

Q13: How do we explain depth of field?

20sec

How much of your image is in focus.

To photograph from a high vantage point.

A view across a field.

A deadpan approach to image making.

Q14: What factors affect Depth of Field?

30sec

Shutter speed, distance from camera to subject, and sensitivity to light.

Lens aperture, distance from camera to subject, and lens focal length.

Lens focal length shutter speed and lens aperture.

Sensitivity to light, shutter speed and lens focal length.

Q15: What is composition in photography?

20sec

Capturing the quality of light.

A piece of music with different instruments.

Staging a portrait with props.

The arrangement of visual elements within the frame.

Q16: What is your understanding of aesthetics in art?

30sec

Concerned with the nature of beauty and taste.

It is subjective and in the eye of the beholder.

Aesthetic qualities refer to the way and artwork looks and feels.

Making a critical judgement based on observation and understanding.

Q17: What are contextual studies in photography?

30sec

To provide historial, cultural and theoterical understanding of images.

Consider factors outside of the image, as well as inside the frame.

To give an opinion without any research.

To seek a definite answer.

Q18: How many images are captured on average every day worldwide?

20sec

1.5 billion

4.7 billion

800 million

6.9 billion

Q19: Which portrait is the most reproduced in the world?

Mona Lisa

Lady Gaga

Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara

The Queen (Elizabeth II)