‘Be yourself. I much prefer seeing something, even it is clumsy, that doesn’t look like somebody else’s work.’ William Klein.

William Klein is an American photographer born on the 19th of April, 1928, he his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in the context of photojournalism and fashion photography. Born in New York, he grew up as a Jewish boy in an area where anti-Semitism was common. He frequently visited the Museum of Modern Art, and he studied at the City College of New York before enlisting in the Army.  In 1948, he left the United States and travelled to France, where he studied painting with Fernand Léger and later enrolled at the Sorbonne. 

‘I was very consciously trying to do the opposite of what Cartier-Bresson was doing. He did pictures without intervening. He was like the invisible camera. I wanted to be visible in the biggest way possible.’ William Klein.

‘Sometimes, I’d take shots without aiming, just to see what happened. I’d rush into crowds—bang! bang! … It must be close to what a fighter feels after jabbing and circling and getting hit, when suddenly there’s an opening, and bang! Right on the button. It’s a fantastic feeling‘ William Klein.

Image analysis

“Nina + Simone, Piazza di Spagna, Rome (Vogue), 1960

Visual:

William Klein’s “Nina + Simone, Piazza di Spagna, Rome (Vogue), 1960” is a black and white photograph that captures the dynamic energy of urban life and fashion. In the images there are two models, Nina Devos and Simone Daillencourt walking across a crossing in Pizza di Spagna in Rome while people walk or drive move around them.

Conceptual: I think the idea behind it is to combine fashion and normal life, fashion is often seen as an expensive, unreachable area and to show two models wearing expensive and beautiful people in the middle of normal pedestrians brings a feeling of normality to fashion, but also the models sand out in the picture you can tell that they are the focus and what you should be looking at, which in a way makes the fashion industry come back to the idea of expensive, unreachable area

Henri Cartier-Bresson and William Klein

Cartier Bresson is a observational ( classic street photography)

Classic street photography:

William is a confrontational

Confrontational approach:

Henri Cartier-Bresson and William Klein and their different approach to street photography which can be described as observational vs confrontational.

Henri is an observational meaning that he observes and waits for the moment to happen, William is a confrontational meaning he conversates to people who goes up to the people, gets close to them,… Henri sees himself in the pictures he takes he thinks of the images as self-portraits even though the pictures are not of him. While Cartier- Bresson just takes pictures that he likes and finds interesting, he is known for his precise, balances compositions and the use of the deceive moment. While William Klein embraces a more provocative and experimental style. Cartier-Bresson favoured the 50mm lens for its balanced perspective, while Klein embraced the wide-angle lens for its ability to capture a wider and different view of the world.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Gun 1, New York, 1954Credit…William Klein/Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York

Henri Cartier-Bresson (France, 1908-2004)

Street photography is a type of photography that focuses on capturing real life moments in public places, especially big cities. It is often not planed and it’s based on waiting for it to happen. What makes it a special way to photograph is the ability to freeze moments of the everyday life, turning normal lives into a image with meaning and stories behind it.

One quote from the article that is liked ‘ street photography… is a genre that is specific to the medium; specific to the still camera that is portable and easy to use.’ I agree with this because street photography really focuses on movement/ mobility of the photographer and the subject but also the photographer has to be quick to press the button at any moment. And this is why having a small and light camera is very useful and it is also less noticeable by the people being photographed. which is the goal since the point is to capture life as naturally as possible.

Leica I, the camera Henri Cartier-Bresson first used to capture scenes of Paris

Another quote comes from the photographer Henri- Cartier- Bresson who said ‘ I prowled the street all day, feeling very stung up and ready to pounce, determined to trap life, to preserve it in the act of living.’ Although I agree with him in a way that he wants to preserve moments that will never happen again, I think the word ‘ trap’ is a bit harsh but in my opinion it means catching something meaningful before its gone. Which also reminds me of what Henri said when he compared photography to hunting which reflects on the idea that photographers are like hunters that are just trying to catch the perfect moment.

Information from:

How does Henri Cartier- Bresson view that act of photography?

• photography is an extension of the eye
• physical pleasure
• connects with humanity
• to be present
• compared photography to haunting

Henri views photography as a physical pleasure he compares it to haunting, Henri feels that photography makes him connect to humanity and to be present , he also states that photography is an extension of the eye in the way that the camera can capture things that our naked eye cannot.

Henri Cartier-Bresson (born August 22, 1908, Chanteloup, France—died August 3, 2004, Céreste) was a French photographer whose humane, spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form. His theory that photography can capture the meaning beneath outward appearance in instants of extraordinary clarity is perhaps best expressed in his book Images à la sauvette (1952; The Decisive Moment).

Describe Cartier- Bresson’s Theory of The Decisive Moment.

The Decisive Moment is the moment where the photographer decides to press the shutter button and to take the picture, It is when the subject and the photographer are in a perfect position. It does not matter if the person is or isn’t aware that they are being photographed what matters is that the person isn’t posing for the photo. Bresson thinks that correction is impossible because you cannot recreate a moment.

” You are must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera.”

In my opinion he means that when you see something interesting happening you need to feel when to take the picture, if you see something that you like but you don’t think it is worth enough you might have to wait for something to happen and for you too feel that that is the moment that you click the camera. I also think that you must take advantage of the moments that are happening around you.

Analysis

Technical:

Lighting: The type of lighting is not natural as it can be seen in the mirror, I can see that the light is quite bright and white, it also can be a mixture or natural and un-natural lighting.

Aperture: I would say that he used a not so large aperture but not so narrow I think it would be right in the middle F8. And this is because the 2 women and Cartier are in perfect focus but the background is unfocused.

Shutter speed: 1/125 sec

ISO: 100

Visual:

In the photograph there are two women one sitting on a chair and the other a lit lower, one is doing the others make up and on the left side there is the reflection on Cartier Bresson taking the picture. It is a black and white image like most if not all Cartier’s images The tone i would say its quite light.

Conceptual:

I think he took this image not with the thought in mind that he would be in the picture, In my opinion the his concept was to maybe show different creative jobs since he is a photographer and the women in the picture is a makeup artist there two jobs normally go together in for example commercial photoshoots.

These were my overall 8 favourite Images from the Landscape project, I not only added natural landscapes but also altered landscapes. I wanted to include both because we often forget that both are equally as important, I mixed romanticism and New topographies which I thing it gave the project contrast and made it more interesting.

What is a zine?

A Zine is a small-circulation booklet or magazine often created by hand or using digital tools through self-publishing. Unlike traditional magazines, zines are characterised by their DIY ethos and independent spirit. They cover a vast array of topics, from personal stories to art, poetry, and music. They’re standout pieces of print media because they can be as varied as the creators behind them.

Mood Board

My Zine

For my zine I wanted to not only do one ‘ theme’ I wanted to try get to things and make them work together. And so I came up with the idea on The different Landscapes, when the word ‘Landscape’ comes up normally the scene that comes up is this beautiful mountain with a blue sky, however that isn’t the only type of landscape and the one who is most present in our lives the one that was altered by men. And that was the idea I brought to my Zine.

For the front page I wanted to make it simple but somehow looks interesting. The title is quite vague and it makes the viewer question ‘ in between what?’. I choose this picture because Its simple but its still beautiful, it kind off gives away what this zine is about.

This was my ‘ introduction’ page, where on the left I briefly explain what this Zine is about , I also added 2 images to not only to fill up the page but also make the viewer interested . On the right I Talk a bit about myself and also talk about Robert Adams which was the photographer who I took inspiration from.

My pages that show the images:

In all of them I added a title, size, and year that it was made.

I added 3 pages that I used this ‘template’ I did this so Both images are in focus. I noticed That when I had the both images with the same size they in a way fought each other for attention so then I decided to to it like this.

I also choose to have some images occupying both pages because they are my favourite images and also because they are horizontal.

The other way I displayed my images is having 2 on each page.

favourite images

Typologies

In this typology I wanted to capture different buildings ones that looked older and one that look modern. The interesting part is that all these building are in the same are however they look very different.

Typology photoshoot 2

For this photoshoot I walked around took pictures of building and doors that I found interest or even boring because It creates a contrast.

For this typology I had the idea to take pictures of different doors, colourful, different shape, thin,… The only thing wanted to achieve was that all the doors would be different and in my opinion I achieved that.

For this typology I took pictures of buildings/ stores in town that most of them look very similar but also have different components that make them look different, the structures of the buildings I would say are almost identical however the windows are different or the colour or even the decoration and this is what makes it interesting.

For this photoshoot of new topographic I decided to photograph industrial areas.

This image reflects the ideas of the New Topographic movement, which consists on showing another type of landscape which is the one altered my man. this image shows an industrial area with large storage tanks, a truck, and metal structures. This image doesn’t have the intention to be beautiful and dramatic, its shown as it is, The image highlights how people have changed the land, with man made objects taking over the image while a few trees in the background reminds us of nature. This image inset trying to send a message its just showing how the world has changed, and documenting the everyday look of industrial spaces.

This image also fits well with the New Topographic style, showing an industrial scene in a plain, straightforward way. The photo includes large metal buildings, storage tanks, and a tall fence, with a small road or path leading into the space. In this image there is no intention to make the landscape beautiful, its only showing the viewer how an industrial space looks every day.

This image fits the New Topographics style by showing an industrial scene in a plain, The tall tower building are shown without trying to show any beauty or drama, just as they are. The lack of people and simple black and white tones focus on how human structures change the landscape, highlighting everyday places that we normally ignore.

The image shows tall, modern tower standing in the middle on trees. It’s in black and white, which makes everything look more serious but also calm. The sky is cloudy, and the light is soft, adding to the calm. The tower is slightly off to the side, and the plants/trees around it are messy and natural, which makes the man-made structure stand out even more. Nothing in the image feels dramatic or posed, it simply shows what’s there.

This image is different from the others since nature is in front of the industrial building instead of at the back or on the side, I think this idea is interesting because it reflects on how nature was here first

This image shows a row of houses build along a beach, facing the sea. The houses are different in style and color, some old and decorative, others more plain and modern. A stone wall separates them from the sand, this can show how it separates human and nature. The image is calm and quiet, with no people or movement. It doesn’t try to make the place look beautiful or perfect, it simply shows how people have built their lives in front of nature maybe to feel more connected with it.

inspiration

What to photograph ?

• windows
• doors
  • abandoned houses
• petrol stations
• houses
• stores in town

Where to go:

• town
• around where I live
• abandoned places

what are typologies in photography?

 A photographic typology is a study of “types”. That is, a photographic series that prioritizes “collecting” rather than stand-alone images. It’s a powerful method of photography that can be used to reshape the way we perceive the world around us.

The Bechers

 Bernhard “Bernd” Becher (German: 20 August 1931 – 22 June 2007), and Hilla Becher, née Wobeser (2 September 1934 – 10 October 2015), were German conceptual artists and photographers working as a collaborative duo. They are best known for their extensive series of photographic images, or typologies, of industrial buildings and structures, often organised in grids. As the founders of what has come to be known as the ‘Becher school’ or the Düsseldorf School of Photography, they influenced generations of documentary photographers and artists in Germany and abroad. They were awarded the Erasmus Prize and the Hasselblad Award.]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernd_and_Hilla_Becher

Answering questions:

1. How did they first meet?

Meeting as students at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in 1957, Bernd and Hilla Becher first collaborated on photographing and documenting the disappearing German industrial architecture in 1959. The Ruhr Valley, where Becher’s family had worked in the steel and mining industries, was their initial focus.

2. What inspired them to begin to record images of Germany’s industrial landscape?

The first area they went to was the first abandoned space in Germany, they wanted to preserve the architecture this industrial landscape because they were slowly being demolished .They were fascinated by the similar shapes in which certain buildings were designed.

3. How did the Bechers explain the concept of Typology?

It was her husband that came up with that concept, late 1050s . Patterns and textures was what inspired them on how to organize their images, understanding the subsect, the background was always light grey, so the main focus is the subject that they wanted to capture, they photographed every single building from 8 different angles. They wanted to capture realistic images not romanticism.

4. Which artists/ photographers inspired them to produce typology images? Karl Blossefeldt ,August Sander and The New Objectivity

5. What is the legacy of the Bechers and their work?

They legacy was their love for each other and photography. They wanted to capture architecture that were slowly disappearing

They are using a large format camera, that was very slow. 20 to 30 minutes

Some of their work:

Analysis:

Technical: These pictures were taken in natural daylight lighting, most likely early in the morning when the sun isn’t out yet and the sky isn’t so blue.

Lighting: The lighting in all the Bechers images are natural, in an interview Hilla Becher said that they usually photograph in the morning so the sky isn’t so blue and the sun isn’t so bright to avoid shadows or over exposure images.

To photograph they used a 8×10 large format camera, this camera was very slow taking 20 to 30 minutes to take a photograph.

Visual:

In this typology water tanks are the main focus, they photographed early in the morning when the sky isn’t as blue in comparison to mid day,

Conceptual: This image shows a grid of water towers photographed in a clear, consistent way. The uniform style, black and white, same angle, no dramatic lighting, removes emotion and focuses on shape and structure. Placing the towers side by side highlights both their similarities and small differences, turning functional objects into something worth studying.