Process of creating

During this project i spent a lot of time experimenting with collashing images and creating concepts with my photography, I began with a set images created in the studio using prop rubbish and lighting influenced with coloured gels.

using Photoshop I combined these images

using the eyes from a separate image I layered them on top and used the blur and smudge tools in photoshop to create a ‘dream like’ or ‘distorted’ appearance to the image.

Intentions

This photo is intended to challenge people about the destruction of the planet via plastic, litter and pollution, with the women in the background appearing incarcerated by different forms of plastic, this is suppose to demonstrate the debilitating effect plastic will have on people’s everyday lives and appeal to humans innate need for self preservation.

in every image in the background all eyes are covered, this was intentional- this is intended to represent how blind society has become to the harmful things we consider ‘social norms’
e.g, single use plastics and thoughtless littering

the eyes in the foreground are intentionally much brighter that the rest of the image, this is suppose to infer opening our eyes towards a brighter future and the need for people to become more aware of the effect they have on their surroundings.

Experimenting with AI

creating this image allowed me to experiment with and create with AI for the first time, i knew i wanted to use this original photo of the model in this particular image because it shows the model attempting to free herself from the materials and metaphorical blindness to the destruction around her.
with that in mind i wanted what she revealed to have significance and this is where AI became relavent

using the photo generating tool in photoshop i placed a selection of rubbish, dying wildlife and underwater imagery to the background of the image.

this was intended to create the effect she has freed herself from her ignorance and is consumed and surrounded by the effects of her actions on the world around her, i wanted to create a drowning analogy because of my belief that we as humanity are drowning in our past mistakes.

Brainstorming Presentation

I knew I wanted to create a presentation that would feel impactful, and threw inspiration from my peers and mentors i decided i would create a 3D sculpture with my images

this is my very fundamental plan for my 3D creation, with images placed on foam backing and with a mix of structural supports and masking/double sided tape i was able to create a sculptor in its likeness

project #2

for my second protect I wanted to focus on the beauty of nature in a less editorial style with inspiration drawn from Ansel Addams.

in order to create the images i had in mind i went for many walks carrying my camera with me and taking photos of all i found intriguing or beautiful.

I developed 4 images that i found most intriguing

and I arranged them at A3 size on a large piece of foam board

I printed this image at A5 and placed it in the center on a raised platform- i did this not only to keep the 3D element to my photography presentation but this image shows an entirely different size of beauty that can be captured, it contradicts the rawness of nature with the intensity of manmade infrastructure and sources pollution, i find placing this at the center of a representation of our natural world symbolic.

New Topographics was a term created by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape.

The death of the American dream

The American Dream is the national ethos of the United States, that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularised by James Truslow Adams during the Great Depression in 1931

 “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”

 James Truslow Adams

photographers like Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz believed that the mindset of a constantly evolving society was wrong and that nature should be preserved, they were considered environmentalists.

Ansel Adams was also considered an environmentalist however he choose to express this through capturing nature at its best , unimpacted by the developing world around in an effort to convince the general public to slow down the rapid urbanisation of the environment, Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz chose a different approach.

Instead opting to capture the ways in which a modern society impacts nature, photographing buildings trailers and overall the unattractiveness of modern development, this was in hopes if the community became aware of the deteriorating wildlife surrounding there suburban living and outrage would rise.

Lewis Baltz was a American visual artist, photographer and teacher that was an influential figure in the new Topographics movement in the late 1970s. he was based in Europe but travelled extensively using a dead pan approach to photograph urban landscapes across the world, he typically used mundane lighting to create his greyscale photographs.

in this photoshoot i hope to replicate the intense natural photography that ansel adams produced

eg:

i will go down to the woods near my house in attempt to replicate this.

contact sheet

favourite photos before editing and changes made

favourite photos after editing

gallery wall:

Ansel Easton Adams was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West

Ansel Easton Addams was born February 20, 1902 in Western Addition, San Francisco, California, United States, he went on in his life to marry and have three children, he died April 22, 1984 (the same year as his wife) at age 82 years old at Bariatric Surgery Centre at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, California, United States.

Addams grew up in a wealthy family in the sand dunes of the golden gate, at 4 years old Addams was nocked over in the aftershock of the large earthquake and fire in 1906 and broke his nose, this created his very distinct appearance as he broke his nose so bad it formed differently.

A year after the earthquake the family lost their fortune in the global financial crisis in 1907, his farther then spent all his life fruitlessly attempting to rebuild what they had. As Ansel mum gave birth to Ansel in her forties and Ansel’s farther was over two decades older than his wife both parents were on the older side when Ansel was still a teenager, this lead too his mother becoming increasingly obsessive over what they would have to leave behind for their son once they both inevitably passed. After the financial crisis she feared she would have nothing to leave her son and had limited time to rebuild their once fortune. The Addams were typically a very conservative house-hold both socially and emotionally, with the combination of his much older farther, his mothers maiden sister and the affluent family history the house hold could be considered a typical Victorian environment. This all combined definitely effected Ansel in his later life. Ansel’s farther however was very supportive of him and all his endeavours and extremely patient with Ansel’s slower ability to learn and his failures in typical schooling.

Ansel’s childhood was unmistakeably different from kids his age and this allowed him to cultivate the deep love for nature he carried with him throughout his life, he was found outside more often than not during this period either going for hikes across the dunes or long walks in the wilderness near his home.

At twelve Ansel picked up the piano and leant how to read music, he became extremely accomplished at this and by 1920 it was his intended profession but eventually Ansel realised his true passion was I photography, despite giving up on piano the years of discipline and commitment helped thoroughly with developing Ansel’s creative vision and inspired him to write influential and educational literature later I life.

in 1927 Addams created his first visualised photograph, this set off a passion in him, the switch from pianist to photographer was rapid as Ansel discovered a passion for capturing what he envisioned in his ‘minds eye’.

this is when he became acquainted with Albert . M Bender , his influence was immediate and the next day after their first encounter Albert was in the process of helping Ansel with the publication of his portfolio.

Albert supported Ansel financially and physiologically as his passion grew and fundamentally changed Ansel’s life forever with his encouragement.

Addams travelled wide and far during not just his summers but throughout the year climbing mountains and going on week long hikes with all of his heavy camera equipment just in attempt to capture the perfect picture

The zone system

The Zone System assigns numbers from 0 through 10 to different brightness values, with 0 representing black, 5 middle gray, and 10 pure white; these values are known as zones. To make zones easily distinguishable from other quantities

visualisation

Visualization is a simple technique that you can use to create a strong mental image of a future event. With good use of visualization, you can practice in advance for the event, so that you can prepare properly for it. And by visualizing success, you can build the self-confidence you need to perform well.

Group f/64

Group f/64 or f.64 was a group founded by seven 20th-century San Francisco Bay Area photographers who shared a common photographic style characterized by sharply focused and carefully framed images seen through a particularly Western viewpoint

The name of this Group is derived from a diaphragm number of the photographic lens. It signifies to a large extent the qualities of clearness and definition of the photographic image which is an important element in the work of members of this Group.

group f/64 was a loose association of California photographers who promoted a style of sharply detailed, purist photography. The group, formed in 1932, constituted a revolt against Pictorialism, the soft-focused, academic photography that was then prevalent among West Coast artists.

His Influence On Others – His Legacy

Ansel Adams work is still universally admired throughout the work and has inspired many amazing photographers throughout the years a couple key mentions are:

Wyn Bullock – Wynn Bullock was an American photographer whose work is included in over 90 major museum collections around the world. He received substantial critical acclaim during his lifetime, published numerous books and is mentioned in all the standard histories of modern photography.

Edward Weston – Edward Weston (born March 24, 1886, Highland Park, Illinois, U.S.—died January 1, 1958, Carmel, California) major American photographer of the early to mid-20th century, best known for his carefully composed, sharply focused images of natural forms, landscapes, and nudes.

in both their photography you can see a clear use of Ansel Adams zone system and Ansel’s style of very exposed black and white photography.

What is it?

Definition-a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual.

romanticism can be seen as a rejection of the advancing times, a focus on the calm, harmonic and idealised. a romanticist would feel very strongly about representing the beauty of the world that is untouched by man.

typically romanticism is seen in paintings, this is because an artist would often idealise and paint now what they saw but what they wished they had.

romanticism was considered a rejection of the enlightenment period as the world focused on intellect and fast development

When did it develop?

During the first half of the 19th century, the Romantic movement blossomed across the arts, music, and history. Led by the likes of Caspar David Friedrich and William Blake, visual artists aimed to capture a transcendent union between nature, science, humanity, and the divine.

Why did it develop?

its emphasis on the imagination and emotion, Romanticism emerged as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values of reason and order in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789.

The early period of the Romantic era was a time of war, with the French Revolution (1789–1799) followed by the Napoleonic Wars until 1815. These wars, along with the political and social turmoil that went along with them, served as the background for Romanticism.

Examples of romanticists:

John constable- John Constable RA was an English landscape painter in the Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedham 

Born: April 23, 1775, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom

Died: December 19, 1851 (age 76 years), Chelsea, London, United Kingdom

Period: Romanticism

JMW Turner- Joseph Mallord William Turner RA, known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings.

Born: April 23, 1775, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom

Died: December 19, 1851 (age 76 years), Chelsea, London, United Kingdom

Period: Romanticism

The sublime

In aesthetics, the sublime is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic. The term especially refers to a greatness beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement, or imitation.

The theory of sublime art was put forward by Edmund Burke in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful published in 1757. He defined the sublime as an artistic effect productive of the strongest emotion the mind is capable of feeling.

LIGHTING TECHNIQUES

Over the course of a few week I worked on my understanding of lighting techniques in the studio, i primarily focused on butterfly lighting ( significant in Hollywood for enhancing the appearance of the model and the signature butterfly shadow under the nose) , chiaroscuro lighting ( significant for creating dramatic appeal in a photo and half the face being harshly lit ) and Rembrandt ( known for dark photos illuminating only half the face excluding the triangle highpoint under the eye.

i produced many photos in these styles but these are the ones I find represent the style the best

Rembrandt:

butterfly:

chiaroscuro:

Environmental portraiture

my next miniature protect was environmental portraits, taking pictures of people in a place they are comfortable enough to be described as their ‘environment’ can be a challenging thing, especially in a situation where your model doesn’t have complete trust in you in a person environment.

factoring this in is why for my next collection of favourite photos were of either my mother or my grandmother, using family connections to my advantage in this scenario will provide me with a calm and trusting model to photograph.

during the photoshoot i took over 100 photos, primarily focussing the shoot in areas both women spend a lot of time in ( eg. at he sewing machine, in the garden or in the lounge )

I have chosen three photos from this photoshoot that I believe tell the story I want them too, I wanted them to convey i sense of nostalgia and comfort.

with this style of photography I kept the editing very simple, opting to just focus on enhancing the images instead of distracting from the simplicit beauty of the photographs

Femininity

Bellow is just a fraction of the contact sheets I have acquired over this project , as this has been far more editorial than my projects before this I made sure to give myself as many options as possible when I came down to photos to pick from.

In these I have used head shots as well as more obscure close up shots the the body, face and objects relating ( perfume bottles etc. ) I had a very specific idea in mind for this project and I feel as if for the most part I have accomplished it.

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Francesca Stern Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring either herself or female models. Many of her photographs show women, naked or clothed, blurred, merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured.

She was born April 3rd in 1958, in Denver, Colorado and died January 19th, 1981 at just 22 after taking her own life, this makes her art work not only more upsetting but also incredible impactful.

Art enthusiasts are inthralled with Woodman’s work and are convinced thats all of her work, self portrait or otherwise was in representation of her mind and experiences.

Woodman didn’t have many years of photography under her belt and most of her work was done as a student, despite this she was clearly one of the most promising artists of her time in both her innovation and her talent.

Ana Mendieta was a Cuban-American performance artist, sculptor, painter, and video artist who is best known for her “earth-body” artwork. She is considered one of the most influential Cuban-American artists of the post-World War II era. Born in Havana, Cuba, Mendieta left for the United States in 1961

she was born November 18th, 1948 in Havana Cuba and died September 8th 1985 at 38 in Greenwich village New York , her husband was accused of pushing her out of the 34th story apartment in Greenwich village but was acquitted of all murder charges.

As an immigrant Mendieta claimed she always felt a disconect to the US.

she created her work in the contemporary and modern art period and her work was revolutionary.

her sculptures were innovative and site specific, so the impact was intense along with her photography, it was challenging and controversial.

I particularly enjoy her series of images untitled ‘glass on body imprints’ they are a personal favourite because of the large range of photos each extremely individual and each convey a different emotional experience for the viewer, they all feel extremely intentional yet silly and unserious with a much darker undertone than apparent at first glance

This specific image is intended to convey violence but the whole series is intended to convey beauty and violence and when considering Ana Mendietas overall tendency to focus her photos intentions on feminism, it is not a stretch to consider whether these photos were taken in attempt to convey domestic violence. when considering this it is impossible not to take into account the accusations made towards her husband surrounding her death, although he was acquitted from charges relating her murder ( supposedly pushing her out of their apartment window ) it would not do her art justice not to speculate especially considering the nature of her photography and art.

when looking at this image it is impossible to ignore the way Mendieta has contorted her face against a sheet of glass, in doing this she was created so many interesting shapes as the focal point throughout this series of images.

Because Mendieta used glass in these photos it creates almost a 2D effect where her face meets the glass, this creates a sense of impact again linking back to her theme of violence, as if she’s been thrown and has collided with something.

her use of glass itself is an interesting choice especially considering the links back to domestic violence throughout her work.

in my personal opinion the use of glass is not as simple as the use of a clear surface, if that was the case plastic could be used. I believe the use of glass is a very clever metaphor from Mendieta. glass in itself is a strong substance and can be modified to protect from bullets, but when dropped at the wrong angle this supposedly strong substance can not only break but completely shatter.

it is also interesting to interpret this use of glass as symbolism for watching the world go by from an isolated position, using how people typically use glass for windows to create the thought provoking notion that she is watching from the inside and looking out unable to reach help with her personal situation despite the substance keeping her from it being completely see through, obvious when you look.

How does this relate to my work?

I decided to use Mendieta as a reference for my art because of the eccentric nature to her photography, she broke boundary’s during her time and was a force to be reckoned with in the art and photography world.

although her work is officially considered surrealism I believe her work leans towards the absurdist movement wit her being very ahead of her time in her beliefs and urgency in acting on her beliefs creating protest art that shook her generation and still effects us to this day, her images have not dulled with time and the impact of her work still holds strong and continues to be intense and insightful.

i want my images to hold that same intensity and they way she uses shapes, form and texture throughout all of her photography greatly inspires me, and I aim to do the same with my work in creating interesting shapes and use of form throughout my photo taking and editing process, along with this her beliefs and aims definitely align with mine when creating photos with intention.