Stephanie Jung is a Berlin-based photographer. She’s known for her experimental take on multiple exposures. Her constructional shots show cities that represent reality but lead to a different as well as surreal dimension apart from our real world. She shows her infinite multiple exposure technique, this time with the help of the “Lomo’Instant camera”.

Stephanie holds a B.A. in art history and literature from Harvard University. She also worked as a translator, international affairs officer, and junior curator for the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing for three years. Such as she organised exhibitions such as “Ai Weiwei: New York Photographs 1983–1993” (2009) and “WATW: We Are the World” (2009).

I believe that her work can be considered to be a creative and memorable hallucination as the images look deformed and look clear that two photographs have been layered on top of each other creating a very special and unique effect for the audience’s eyes.

I think Stephanie’s work is very admirable as she uses opposing photographs and creates something special with them. What to must special effects only using specific camera settings and layering images on top creates a sci-fi/ science fiction movie effect, something that could be seen in the movie Blade Runner possibly where cinematic effects are presented through the streets and roads, this could send a link through the audience’s mind if they see something that looks similar to a hobby or just a pleasant memory.

Themes that Stephanie’s photographs could link to are Distortion, Complexion, and Disfigurement.

(Damn/Reservoir La Mer)

In this photoshoot I wanted to explore the impact of man/man-made on the world, and including the topic of Anthropocene and how it plays into it.

I explored the Val de la Mare reservoir down at St Ouens as I believe that it is important too to get many perspectives as from one perspective the reservoir may look very small and not full indicating that potentially due to environmental changes the damn has decreased. From the bottom the structure looks huge, it contrast to the photographic perspective from above as its not evident how extensive the damn is.

In terms of using photoshop and artificial intelligence, I think it would be interesting to paint the reservoir in a different outlook. Adding connotations such as “drought”, “desert”, “dryness” and “empty” etc. , this makes the AI undersand i mpre and adds the ffect as if climate change has

For this photoshoot I decided to take photographs inspired of Anthropocene, I felt it was important to include the walls of nature and rock above snow hill car park as the opposing worlds between machinery below and the nature above looks quite appealing to the eye as well as the overcrowding of buildings in the islands centre, I took photographs overlooking the centre, the square and the lively streets . The second section of the photographs on my contact sheet appear busy and actively overpopulated due to the crowding.

I like this photoshoot as I feel it explores the topic of Anthropocene to a degree, the ideas of overcrowding and the opposing element of nature and rock are presented and show St Helier in a complex of structures having the coast right by it, alongside many buildings located in one area as well as the roads being busy meaning more pollution. Whereas one thing I would have changed is taken more photographs exploring other locations with the same if not similar ideas like these.

Introduction:

Henri was a French humanist Photographer influenced by surrealism. He was born in Chanteloup and studied literature at Cambridge university in 1928-29.

The photographer was best known for his mastering in candid photography and he pioneered the genre of street photography.

The photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson is all about and his photographs can be summed up through the phrase of the “decisive moment”, this a bit like like hunting as mentioned in the previous video concluding his work. He described photographs a bit like hunting without the killing, therefore metaphorically speaking about waiting for the right moment to take the shot, being patience and observing.

Henri’s camera:

Henri used a and was known for using the Leica rangefinder with a 50mm lens, it was considered revolutionary at this time and it was much more of a natural appeal as it it offered a view close to the human eye, therefore looked realistic like a human looking straight on onto a scenery. The Leica was much more compact and in conspicuous which the design was more discreet than a larger more conspicuous cameras of the era.

His background:

Henri grew up in a wealthy family and he initially liked art and painting yet progressively throughout t the years his passion sparked when he found his other interest for photography, his “extension” of his eye, he saw it as an extension of drawing. This caused him to travel extensively with the camera , places such as Africa and Europe.

His experiences helped him understand that photograph isn’t just about capturing photographs, it is about capturing thee essence of existence. His philosophy helped him shape the term coined of “The Decisive Moment”.

He described it also as the exact instance when a unique event is captured by the photographer, when something that may never happen again is frozen in the frame.

Analysing the photograph: the decisive moment

Looking at the photograph of the “PLACE DE L’EUROPE, GARE SAINT LAZARE 1932”.

The photograph was taken behind a train station in called the “man jumping in puddle”. The image was considered through a change in photography and it didn’t just capture this “fleeting” moment, it set in motion a journey that resonated throughout the photographic community. This symbolised a shift from stages, compositions to spontaneous ones with the interference of candid photography in the moment./ symbolising the importance of human experience withing the image frame.

I can depict the leading line ( balance ) and effect of rule of thirds, negative space. The use of leading lines drawn at the top of the railing and bottom of the man, as well as the balance being presented.

Especially with rule of thirds that the subject almost escapes the centre and pulls away that focus, the lines of the image such as the the ladder in the middle center of the image pairs well with the rest of the image, I believe that idea that the other items are position in the way they are make the images look more stabilised and comparable.

I the other elements below the subject of the ladder there are other dark toned items. Despite the items not looking very neat and organised in a way, I believe it adds to three images as there’s more to make it counterbalanced with the man running and its shadow below. The image is busy too so there’s not too much negative space.

Despite the image not having an colour, the use of the black and white camera that Henri had it added to the the “timeless quality”. The use of no colour means that the focus is more in depth and the colour in images means tat we’ll find it difficult to analyse the sole content of the image itself.

The image doesn’t need a pop of a different bright colour to be effective to the eye. The use of the monochromatic scale and adding the graininess looks even more old-fashioned ad mysterious as well as the surface of the ground appearing scraped up as well as the deep black tones of the subjects in the frame.

Henri likely used a small aperture to allow more depth of field in his image, the foreground focus was more clear, sharp and it allowed more detail to be provided when observing it. He used a short as well as fast shutter speed to capture the moment of the man running to pin point the blurry effect of sudden movement.

In terms of lighting, the image relies on a natural daylight, the shadows in the photograph suggests that the image was capture at midday when the sun itself was high up.

The use of just having daylight and no artificial light adds to the authenticity and simplicity of the image.

Generally photograph are aware of the problems of midday sub as it s prone to the harshness and the strong shadows it can cast. Wheres, Henri uses these elements to his work and the features construct it to look more compelling with the geometrical shapes when adds deepness to the scene.

The photographer was born in 1976 in Creta Island Greece where he lives with his wife and their son. He studied mechanical engineering and works for the municipal of Heraklion.

George photographs and seeks to capture our “degradation of the planet” as an “autoimmune disease”.

The idea to frame his natural landscape as a symbol for disease did not come to him right away. He slowly made the connection over time after he realized that he was continuously drawn to a generating a certain type of landscape photography.

While I was photographing the landscapes affected by human interactions in the middle of natural spaces, the topography started looking like a body to me – like something with the early stages of psoriasis on its skin,” he explains. “If humans are a product of nature, then we can say that we are a disease attacking our own organism, just like an immune system can attack its own body – like autoimmune diseases.”

In George’s photographs of the ominous tone as well as the muted colour scheme of the landscapes were surprisingly taken in Greece. George tells the reader that “I almost never go out shooting in harsh light, and I really love heavy clouds and fog, which are hard to find in Greece. To achieve this result, most of my work is made in the winter, in the early morning or late afternoon.” I like in George’s work that the term composition visually it is a recurring pattern seen across as each of his photographs focus on a sort of shaped layout like the use of rectangular buildings across the image or the muddy ground formed in an “x” positions in contrast to the greenery around it.

Whilst George works with this critical issue of the climate degrading he still hopes that the series can shed light on the possibilities of finding a cure. That hope is solidified in the title, which directly points to the possibility for this ‘cure.’ Marazakis concludes.

What is it?

It is used to describe the time where human being simply had a real impact on our planet. Whether our planet is part of a “new geological age” or a “complex, global system”, the evidence is clear through just observation.

Some may think that it is a reaction due to the topic of “climate change”-regarding the warming of our atmosphere, air and oceans through the use of fossil fuels. The age of humans is about much more than this. Awareness of the current state and the effects of actions (ours especially) is a key factor in the “Anthropocene”.

Natural causes have been triggered e.g asteroids, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes etc. (Agriculture, urbanisation, deforestation and pollution have caused extraordinary changes on Earth) This can also be due to the “mass extinction events” in the planets history where the vast “swathes” have been wiped.

The “mass extinction events” have been happening frighteningly quickly as the species are happening at a significantly faster rate they they have for “millions of years before”.

Photographers are exploring this concept as it can rethink and overcome this “separation of humanity from the environment “as well as to “make us reflect on the climate urgency” and “generate awareness environment and responsibility with the planet that contains us and that we inhabit” (as mentioned before about awareness of this situation).

The photographs which are taken with this theme of “Anthropocene” are beautiful yet ugly at the same time, whether they are the stereotype fit for whether they are pretty or not, the photographs is very appealing to the eye as the photographs look very interesting and engaging for the viewer as they almost suck the viewer in the image as there is such much yet so little going on.

They aren’t solving any wide-world problems they are just making these situations aware to the public and spreading these outlooks widespread.

Photographers that focus on this theme are Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. In terms of Edward Burtynsky, his work is the most favourable as they look very complex and present the right amount of awareness about the catastrophises that have raised. I like the photographs that he takes in terms of the rubbish and landfills especially as it really project the extensive amount wasted and thrown onto the piles and piles present in the world scale. The photograph only shows a smaller quantity of a larger and more prominent problem as well as scale.

In his photography expenditure Edward followed from “quarries in Portugal to rice fields in China to oil refineries in California”. Edward publish a book named “AFRICAN STUDIES” which “focuses on a region he calls globalism’s “final stop”: sub-Saharan Africa”. In his photoshoots he captures the impact of industrialisation on the landscapes of Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia and more from a higher point (birds eye perspective) such as e.g. aeroplanes, drones and helicopters etc.

His camera can document the “stunning detail” and “vibrant hues the toll of human intervention on our planet” from the salt and sapphire mining to plastic recycling and dams.

Introduction to Lewis’ Life:

Lewis Baltz was (born in California, Newport Beach 1945) a freelance photographer in California and he taught photography at various institutions: including the California Institute of the arts, the University of California as well as Yale etc.

Lewis has been based in Europe since the mid-80s and travels extensively. The photographer produces images in series that are focus on a particular theme or geographical area. Lewis usually publishes these photographs in book form.

Lewis in terms of The New Topographics:

His work, like that of other associated with the western approach of The New Topographics, he challenges the 19th century tradition of the American landscapes photography represented by Timothy O’Sullivan, Carleton Watkins as well as William Henry Jackson by presenting a less innocent view of the landscape.

His perception and perspective of the landscape reveals that the effects of the 20th century culture and suburban development on the nation’s topography.

Baltz focused his camera on the unassuming green spaces as well as architecture of tract housing, office car parks and industrial parks. 

He as part of the New Topographics movement, through his work he shared an aesthetic that drew on contemporary art and rejected the romanticism of traditional landscape photography.

I like Lewis’ work as it is straightforward but very effective, I believe that the simplicity of the image and the idea that it’s empty presents this abandonment clearly and the fact that there is no life, no people or established buildings as during the time the theme of new topographic raised poverty, people moving to new places and leaving behind the old was common during the era after the world war.

He once said:

“I was living in Monterey, a place where the classic photographers—the Westons, Wynn Bullock, and Ansel Adams—came for a privileged view of nature,” he once said of his work. “But my daily life very rarely took me to Point Lobos or Yosemite; it took me to shopping centres, and gas stations and all the other unhealthy growth that flourished beside the highway. It was a landscape that no one else had much interest in looking at.”

Contact sheet linking to photoshoot:

For this photoshoot I decided to present my contact sheet of photographs I took on the walk around from Havre des pas beachy and old contrasting to modern building textures, as well as the more machine-like buildings around la Collette like the jersey electricity centre, the disposal centre and the jersey marina where the viewpoints of the man made boats and structures of buildings contrasts with the nature and the ocean itself, this collision of the “New Topographics” is evident in my photographs presented below.

In the screenshot presented above I have demonstrated the HDR merging of my photographs specifically the one where the marina is present with the colourful and the nature as well as the La Collette Chimney being present in the photograph above.

I believe that the use of this HDR merging makes the images look a lot more vibrant and modern as it makes them appear alive, bolder and more saturated the combinations of the images together of the landscapes.

How I edited the photograph through photoshop:

• Desaturate / B&W
• Levels and adjustments
• Adjusted brightness and the contrast the same
• Compared the shadows and highlights.

In the photograph above I tried to include the machinery on the beach as well as the buildings and strictures in the background. The lower and higher part of the image challenges these ideas of textures in “The New Topographics”. The idea that in new Topographics the contribution of the man made and natural elements in one image presents the change of architecture and general human activity change. The idea that “ecosystems are damaged or destroyed…suburbia expands, encroaching ever more on the last refuges of the original, pre-European invasion landscape”.

New Topographics Photographs:

In these images above I took I focused where the contrast between again ” natural and manufactured” features as well as when the darker and brighter/lighter tones appeared in the photograph. From the sea’s waved pattern in the cracks and creases in the Havre Des Pas swimming pool structure to the appearance of finish of the stairs presented going down to the swimming pool.. The clear slit between the darker and light areas makes the image appear more interesting to look at and looks engaging as it looks unconventional; the way the tonalities are positioned in some of the photographs for example the first image and the second to last image.

In this photo I wanted to show the composition of the image where a good 3/4 of Havre Des Pas is presented including the direction of the clouds presented in the top of the image itself.

I believe the image presents this landscape well, despite the image being in a monochrome tone. I think the clouds at the top work well coming from the left corner direction.

In the photograph especially on the left I feel as though the tones are presented well like mentioned before the clear contrast between the much darker textures and the much lighter ones. I n many of Lewis Baltz photographs the influence of human activity and control/reflection is clear, I tried to present this in my own photoshoot.

The Leica camera which was used by Lewis himself to shoot his photographs whereas to take my photographs I used a canon dslr camera. I aimed to take inspiration from his work despite using the canon dslr, the Leica has ” better results” and is “far easier/faster to shoot”. (https://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/m9/sharpness-28mm.htm)

In the photographs above I looked specifically at the textures and the buildings and the difference between the modern buildings and for example the contrast between the newer and older building having construction.

In the photograph on the left presents the building with many different layers and the shadows presented below each layer, I think this plays well into the photoshoot as the different tones are highlighted as well as the rock texture in the bottom right corner.

I like the photograph specifically on the right especially as there is an evident split of colours and nature vs urban scenery. Most of the darker tones are presented on the right side which looks similar , the split, to Lewis Baltz photographs where the black and white contrast is clear and looks very sharp as well as clean.

Following the topics of New Topographics I think that the two images above present it well, with the first image at the marina, it presents the water with the land in the background as well as the boats either side of the image framing it an interesting element.

What was The New Topographics?

The New Topographics was a term created by William Jenkins in 1975. This term described American photographers (including Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz). These photographers had a similar banal aesthetic (art described such as things than are unoriginal, obvious and boring in the general public eye). These “new Topographics” signaled a radical shift away from traditional depictions of landscape, topography is always changing and being reshaped through the power of weathering, erosion as well as deposition. The Topographics caused an emergence of an absolute new approach to the landscape as well as it demonstrated the influence of Conceptualism and Minimalism in the 1970s in photography.

May of the photographers such as Robert Adams, Stephen Shore, Lewis Baltz etc. associated and inspired by the man made, selecting subject matter that was matter of fact. Car parks, the suburban housing and the warehouses were all depicted by the stark severity which looked beautiful, almost in a way how early photographers documented the natural landscapes. The suburban sprawl was also presented as well as the everyday scenes we usually don’t give a second glance at.

https://www.kierangosney.com/blog/new-topographics-a-short-history

An exhibition at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York which featured these photographers also revealed the growing unease about how the natural landscape was being eroded by industrial development, both highlighting then the natural and manmade features.

The New Topographic reflection was also due to the the post-war consequences. The post-war America struggled with:

• Inflation
• Isolation and mental health issues among many.
• Lack of road networks and distanced and vast length of range
• Baby boom (result of lost time, veterans millions of them soon married and starting families)
• Suburbia being a big factor (the outer parts of a town, where there are houses, but no large stores, places of work, or places of entertainment)