Still Life Studio Practise

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Evaluation

In the beginning of the ‘Still Life’ Studio Practice module, I changed the concept of my idea from the visual transformation of working men’s clubs to appeal to different generations instead of the typical older audience. Although, the idea changed to a more in depth study of the clubs, specialising on individual items depicted inside, as the concept felt too broad. A study into memorabilia on display in my local working men’s club, allowing the project to relate more towards me personally by showcasing the 1984 Miners Strike as my concept. I felt the Miners Strike related more towards me personally than the working men’s club, my family and community was affected badly by the miners strike, and it is an issue I feel sensitive about. The Pit Lamp doesn’t only symbolise the devastation of the Miners Strike from the dramatic lighting reflecting the atmosphere and emotion in the issue, but it also represents my heritage and hometown through an inanimate historical object. I avoided lighting the lamp, as while it isn’t lit, there’s a sense of absence that relates conceptually to the events – the light is gone, so is the strike. 

I enjoyed working on this project, I did find the 5x4 camera particularly time consuming and generally hard to use, however, once I got the hang of it I felt I was more in control of my images to use the technicalities to represent issues related to my concept. I purposely stated at the beginning of the brief that technical abilities of Still Life photography can be undermined due to the minimalism of the image, however, I wanted each aspect of the image to relate together to increase the overall significance and the only way I could do this was to adjust the 5x4’s technical aspects in order for the visuals to portray the concept. I am happy with the final result of my 5x4 transparency and edit, I believe the exposure is perfect for the image, any darker or lighter would remove the focus of the atmosphere. The snoot and honeycomb light modifiers allowed me to capture these aspects by isolating the lamp in a direct soft light from above whilst projecting minimal light from the left of the lamp to shape the dimensions of the lamp. The secondary light allowed me to remove and cast a shadow around the lamp revealing detail and developing a three-dimensional perspective of the lamp. I believe the final outcome communicates the concept of the brief effectively, through the innocent subject matter of the image relating to the oppressed voices in the struggle during the Miners Strike. If I were to do this project again, I would take a simple direction in the ideas and concept generation and build upon the idea from there. I felt that in this project I rushed into an idea without thinking it through, hence the reason why the practice shoot didn’t work for the working men’s clubs, and that I couldn’t take images outside of the studio anyway.

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Print

I printed out the final image on Satin Paper at A3. I absolutely love the print, I believe it communicates the brief effectively and my concept. The detail and the atmosphere that it portrays is wonderful, giving the image an unbiased photographic stance allowing the viewer to analyse the image to interpret the events in their personal opinion. The exposure on print is perfect, I thought that due to the dark background I may have had issues regarding the brightness and exposure, however, it is just how I wanted it. I think I will give this print to my grandad for his 80th birthday.

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The 5x4 Scan

Scan of the edited negative.

In the scan session, I turned on the Hasselblad X1 scanner and opened Flexicolor software on the desktop of the computer. When the latch was down on the scanner, I found the 5x4 negative holder and inserted it negative side up, clarifying that all the corners of the positive where aligned equally together on the platform supported by the magnets. To check if the positive was positioned correctly, I used the gloves to avoid applying fingerprints and gently moved until no light was seen around the edge of the positive - preview scan also allowed me to check if the position was correct. Before scanning, I used the Fotospeed Negative Cleaner and the Kenair (Air Duster) to remove particles of dust and finger marks that had appeared on the positive, if I hadn’t had removed them at this staged it would have increased the amount of post-production work. On Flexcolor, I selected RBG for the colour positive and the 5x4 frame box and the highest possible resolution of 2040ppi to maintain the maximum detail in the scan. Once I had setup Flexcolor I was able to preview the scan to make any final amendments, if all was ok I could then scan and save the file to the desktop. The scan took around 8-10 minutes and then appeared on screen. I have displayed the original scan (below) and the edit (above), you can see the clear contrast between the two images, in the edited image I decreased the intensity of the blue and reds from the original. After I had corrected the colours, I used the Healing Tool to remove highlights in the background, seen in the top right of the original, to help maintain the subject as the main focus in the frame removing anything that distracts the viewer. 

I will soon print out the edited image at A3 in the repo room. 

Original Scan.

Photograph of the scanner and the setup.

Photograph displays Hasselblad Scanner during scanning the positive. 

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Formative Feedback Crit

In the formative feedback crit, I discussed my progress in the project and explained the issues regarding my change in ideas and how I solved the issue by changing the subject matter. I was only able to display my DSLR test shoot images as the 5x4 hadn’t been processed yet, although, the digital test shoot allowed Jo to understand the visual components that would be represented in the final 5x4 image. After the work was assessed, I was told that I’m on track with the project and have a clear understanding of what I want to achieve from the images and what will happen next. I will analyse the 5x4 result when it’s been processed and if it meets my expectations I will begin to scan the image in the repo room, however, if it doesn’t I’ll begin to take another 5x4 photograph. 

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Final Shoot with 5x4:

The 5x4 shoot happened in the same setup as the digital test shoot, I just simply replaced the DSLR and the tripod for the large format tripod and the 5x4. I made slight adjustments to the 5x4 optics to position the lamp central in the frame with surrounding space to employ the emotions and atmospheres into the image. Before taking the photograph, I did the calculations for the Inverse Square Law, displayed below. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Light 2.7, light meter: f.22, 1/125th

Object = 26cm

Image = 6cm

26 ÷ 6 = 0.23 + 1 = 1.51 (half a stop)

so, aperture between f.16 and 22 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was pleased with the result of the 5x4, it appeared the same as the digital test shoot results. I believe the photograph communicates the events of the miners strike and also the mining industry through the inanimate object assisted through the atmospheres transferred from the events portrayed in the image. I am extremely proud of the final outcome of the image and can’t wait to scan the photograph on the Hasselblad on the 22nd.

Photograph of the setup with the 5x4.

Photographs of the 5x4 produced on the lightbox, before scanning.

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Test Shoot with DSLR: Review

I wanted to begin by taking test shots on the DSLR before setting the 5x4 up, so I set up a set in the studio with a black backdrop to help emphasise the dark memories from the miners strike symbolising the poverty and the fascist attack of the government on the workers  As the 5x4 has a fixed focal length of 150mm, I would need to use an 80mm focal length on the DSLR due to the equal aspect ratio, to replicate the vision making the test shoot specific to the recording that will be perceived in on the 5x4. Obviously, between the 5x4 and the DSLR, the photographer will never be able to perceive exactly the same optics but this is the reason for the test shoot. 

Firstly, I began by using the Miners Strike related items that I’d brought from home to create a set, or a collage of materials to photograph, experimenting with the composition as I was unsure of the visible aspect at this point. I synced Capture One to the DSLR so I would be able to analyse my photographs instantly on-screen to adjust the visualities. Once the items were placed, I began studying their foundational aesthetics through shapes to avoid the frame being over cluttered, the use of symmetry allowed the images balance their self in the frame, avoiding a side being heavier than the other. I noticed that this would only be achievable by using minimal items in the frame, I began to cut down on the objects in the set; using eventually only the my grandad’s pit lamp and the ‘Enemy Within’ t-shirt with a softbox at 3.5 with flash at 6.2, photographing at ISO 100, 1/125th and f.18 allowing minimal light but just enough to keep the objects in focus. I then focused specifically on the t-shirt alone, slightly crumbled to symbolise the rough hard labour and the rough violent events that took place at the collieries and picket lines. I liked the simplicity of the images depicting single objects, it worked in applying an absence through the ambience in the images, once an everyday object, now a historical artefact. I explored further with the idea of using single subjects to represent the series of events that occurred - I believed the best object that would reflect my opinions and beliefs across to the audience to interpret would be the pit lamp sat alone in a low-key lit environment, without the use of the light to create a metaphor about the mining industry and the communities of millions. 

After making several adjustments to the aperture and shutter speed assisted with Capture One, I slowly began to create a mental vision of the pit lamp image based upon the concept of the shoot. I wanted to light the lamp from above to help build the highlights around the brass to create a three-dimensional shape with the shadows, so I rented out a snoot with a honeycomb filter to position above the lamp with the boom stand. The original softbox light was still positioned to the left of the subject creating highlights down the lamp, allowing the snoot to assist one another. The highlights became slightly too contrasted down the centre of the lamp, removing detail from the subject, so to amend this, I used a reflector and asked Alec to help and positioned it to the right of the subject to remove the dense highlights down the centre of the lamp. I didn’t want to reduce the lighting as the set was as already extremely dark and I feared that removing any more light would remove detail from around the lamp, so to maintain a good exposure and detail would be essential for this subject. At the moment, I was using 1/40th, ISO 100 and f.22 from light metre reading on the subject - at this point, I felt I was ready to take the photograph. 

I was extremely happy with the result of the test shoot on the DSLR, I felt that I have transferred my mental vision of the image onscreen, it was exactly how I wanted to represent the pit lamp. I believe the test shoot was effective to analyse a pre-perspective of the object before capturing it on 5x4, the set is all ready for the 5x4 camera now, I just need to move the DSLR tripod and replace with a large format. I also noticed how much the images relate to the Clare Strand ‘Skirts’ series with the same central composition, applying the same absence and mystery into the images. 

Photograph of the setup for the test shots.

Photographs below in correct order from the beginning of the shoot to the end. 

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Context: The Miners Strike

Sheffield Trades Council march in support of striking miners during the 1984 miners' strike in support of the NUM Photograph: Alamy.

With coal, a nationalised industry, and some British mines unprofitable, coal mining was ripe for repositioning - and even privatisation proposed by Margaret Thatcher's right wing Conservative government of the 1980s. In the early 1980s, the Arthur Scargill’s National Union of Miners (NUM) was an exceedingly strong organisation, with high membership and strong links to the Labour Party. It was also defiantly left-wing and militant, with no compunction against threatening industrial action. The coal industry was ripe for further confrontation between the NUM and the government, and resolutions were passed by various NUM regions to strike if pits were closed for reasons other than geological or resource exhaustion. In 1984, the announcement came that 20 pits were to close, with 20,000 jobs to be lost. It was later disclosed that the government, in preparation for the much-anticipated industrial action, had been stockpiling coal to take Britain through the winter. Margaret Thatcher ratcheted up the pressure by referring to striking miners as "the enemy within". She continually referred to the action as "the rule of the mob". As the strike continued, strains and stresses began to be felt, the workers earned no money and were ineligible for benefits as the strike was deemed illegal; the miners had to rely on charitable food banks and handouts leading to several deaths from starvation. In 1984, my dad left school and got an offer to study at art school, however, he was unable to attend due to the lack of fundings from his family because of the strike. All my uncles and aunties, grandmas and grandad’s supported the strike, not only to save their jobs and pits but to save their communities. Margaret Thatcher was secretly preparing to use troops and declare a state of emergency at the height of the miners' strike – out of fear Britain was going to run out of food and grind to a halt. The police claimed the miners rioted on the 18 June 1984 and that officer’s who were filmed beating miners with truncheons and charging on horses were only defending themselves. Despite the subsequent collapse in the prosecutions for riot against 95 miners, and South Yorkshire police's £425,000 payout to miners who consequently sued, neither the police nor the then Tory government admitted any fault. The Battle of Orgreave in 1984 and the 1989 Hillsborough disaster were both were policed by the same South Yorkshire force under the same chief constable, Peter Wright– the events at the coking plant are still to be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The present-day South Yorkshire police force has referred itself to the IPCC, with the commission explaining that allegations include assault, perjury, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in a public office. Still to the present day, ex-Miners are unable for employability for jobs and careers due to the criminal records distributed by the police (army) for picketing outside their own pits. My grandad had his ribs broken whilst picketing outside his pit-Wooley Edge in Barnsley, many of the pickets were peaceful demonstrations including women and children, but the police would tactically intimidate the miners forcing them to react, in order for the police to react stabilizing Thatcher’s slogan ‘the enemy within’. Families found it increasingly difficult to sustain themselves and the NUM funds were running too low to pay for pickets' transport. The official end of the strike came on 3 March 1985 when a vote was passed to return to work even without a new agreement with management. The pits closed rapidly over the next few years, and in 1994, the industry was finally privatised. Events like With Banners Held High, Durham Miners Gala, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign still commemorate the history of the Miners Strike, aiming to bring justice to the miners arrested and to those who dreadfully lost their lives by the police on the picket lines. 

In my still life photograph, I want to portray the miners lamp stood alone in low-key lighting to help emphasise and symbolise the emotions and atmospheres that still haunt families. I want the photograph to represent the tragic events that happened during the strike - by using a subject directly relevant to the strike gives a context but the visual elements help emphasise the interpretation I am striving to portray to the audience. Next, I will begin to organise a test shoot for my objects in the studio.

Photograph from the With Banners Held High 2016 Event.

Photograph of The Miners Strike by Martin Jenkinson 1984.

Two Photographs above from The Miners Strike, by unknown artist. 

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Test Shoot: The Plan

Today, I was talking to Jo & Paul about my idea and they told me I wouldn’t be able to photograph out on location even if I created my own studio. The module is mainly college studio based, partly so the other students can assist each other to avoid confusion with the 5x4, however, it does also state in the brief that the images must be studio based, but I thought this meant as long as we had used lighting kit. Anyway, I decided to look into my idea to how I could photograph a working men’s club without actually being there - the first initial reaction would be to study what cliches I could use to transform ordinary items found in working men's clubs from their context to a studio environment. The objects will be removed from their original environments isolating any other interpretations to develop a relation of unison to represent a working men's’ club. Although, the more I thought about this, the more I disliked the idea. I felt that currently my idea was too broad and it needed to be narrowed down specifically to a singular concept that I could work on easily, and at the moment, I wasn’t achieving this. In my original intentions, I was going to study into the traditional interior decor of the working men's’ clubs; an investigation into their aesthetic appearance. I don’t believe that standard items in working men’s clubs will represent me that personally, I did spend time in these environments, yes, but I don’t feel like the individual items from the place would represent me as a person. There’s no personal connection. Whilst analysing the interior decor of the typical British clubs I cross referenced the Miners Strike several times as I was raised and live in a small mining town once where the coal industry thrived. Archived objects and memorabilia are generally showcased in my local working men’s clubs as a decorative instrument, working men’s clubs played an important part in the mining industry connecting communities together, also connecting to the older audiences in the WMC’s and locals that visit. All my family were involved in the Miners Strike and have been greatly affected in some way or another, so I believe I could work upon this idea of using typical collectors items from the Miners Strike, that would be showcased in working men’s clubs to represent myself as a person and my heritage. I take a huge interest in the Miners Strike and have lots of items that I could photograph from the Miners Strike in the still life image; pit lamps, t-shirts, badges etc, mainly from family and friends, and their participation in the strike. I have decided to change my idea of taking a photograph inside a working men’s club to fit and communicate the brief more effectively. Although I wouldn’t say I’ve changed my idea, I’ve just studied more in depth into the idea. Instead of positioning general objects found in Working Men’s Clubs to recreate a still life situation in the studio, I have decided to do this with the interior showcased items in working men’s clubs that are used as decor - specifically focusing on the context of the 1984 miners strike, as these items represent me, my heritage and my home.  

I have been analysing Indre Serpytyte’s series ‘A State of Silence’ (2005-06), that focuses on objects of bureaucracy symbolising her father's death during the cold war. Indre has investigated into her father, using his uniforms and objects that represent his job role in the cold war. The isolated, single objects are portrayed like a style forensic shot (working more effectively as a series), about the liberation of her father, assisted through the composition and placement of the subjects developing the Serpyte’s emotions and feelings towards her father but on the other hand, replicating the atmosphere and emotions that rose during the cold war. A Sinister, absence is encrypted through the dramatic lighting highlighting a strong black tone, emphasising lonely backgrounds that are assisted through the composition - symbolising the lifestyle and the reality of the confound ways people had to live. I believe I am working upon representing my items in the same context as Serpytye, as the Miners Strike was a disastrous year of poverty and despair in communities all around Britain, relating parallel to how Serpytye’s presented her father's heritage in the photographic series. I want to represent my photographs, in the same way that Serpytye has captured the haunting emotions from the cold war, it conceptually works parallel with one another in the way through the way it has affected and formed a different community in comparison to pre-strike. ‘A State of Silence’ works effectively together as a series and it would have been hard for Serpytye to depict the concept into one singular image without placing all the items together, as one item alone would convey a different interpretation to the viewer (deceived as a commercial image etc.). In my photograph, I will have to create a stage with all the items compiled together into a single shot, due to the submission requirements, but it will en capsule the historical event together in unison as an ultimate recollective.

(all photographs below Indre Serpytye’s ‘A Stae of Silence’ series)

I have found another photographer, Herny Lieutwyler, who documents significant historical trademarks and memorabilia of celebrities on the large 5x4 format. I wanted to research Lieutwyler because of the direct connection between my project; that studies the Miners Strike and Lieutwyler’s project that studies the cultural artefacts, both developing an archival study. Although, in my images I have planned to disconnect the visual elements from the typical studio still life image and to apply atmosphere and emotion of the strike events into the photograph with the low-key lighting - creating metaphorical references and also literal visual references to the environment of the miners workspace. On the other hand, Henry Lieutwyler’s approach to documenting the items of celebrities is conventional with the use of mid-key lighting to allow the subjects to speak for themselves without any other visual influences to inflict the interpretation of the audience - easily achievable due to the importance of the objects perceived signifying the personality through unseen everyday objects of the celebrities. It allows you to mentally formulate an impression of the celebrity not in the commercial standard which is generally displayed but in a more personal, more human understanding, connecting the viewer personally allowing them to reflect on similar items removing the celebrity status of each object. 

Images above by Henry Lieutwyler from the series ‘Studies’.

The Plan: I am going to gather items from back home this weekend to photograph in the studio next Tuesday, I found an available slot for the final shoot. I will be able to assist and be assisted by Alec in the studio on Tuesday, where we can help one another with the setup to avoid any confusion with the 5x4 and to produce a technically and conceptually compatible colour transparency photograph. I will use a 5D first before using the final image on the 5x4, this will allow me to capture a range of photographs all with the same subject matter but composed differently - with the test I can gather the correct perspective through the camera first, as what the naked human eye perspective is completely different to the image that appears on screen - it is important to work with this aspect to clarify the quality of the shot. I will do the first shoot on Tuesday.

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Test Shoot: Review

In this shoot, I took the concept of the first idea into practice and began taking test shots at the Brudenell Social Club. I know the original idea was to photograph inanimate objects in working men's’ clubs, in Barnsley, that would represent my background and life before Leeds, however, in the test shot I wanted to take photographs at a nearby club to help me gather an understanding of what I may need to change or arrange when shooting the final images; so I used the Brudenell as an example to assist. 

I arrived at the club on a Sunday morning and asked one of the cleaners if it was ok to take photographs, in which she agreed just as the locals began to pile in. Although I wasn’t happy with the results gained from the shoot, I believe they lacked a visual characteristic and significance, that actually generated another idea. I am really interested in using post-production in my photographic practice, so I wondered why I couldn’t edit the images with bright contemporary colours to create a vibrancy in the working men's’ clubs, symbolising an ultimate contrast from the old outdated to appeal to younger generations. It’d convey a different context in the images from a standard documentation to a photographic/graphic collaboration. Once scanned the final 5x4 colour transparency, I can easily open the document in Photoshop to begin transforming the image by applying the graphical influence. I edited the photographs by simply adjusting the colour balance on Photoshop, applying coloured filters colour dropping the highlights and shadows in each of the images. These images are only a rough example to display the idea, the edits give me a reference point to help show what I will need to do for the final shoot, which is definitely to take more photographs as I don’t believe the filtered images do the shoot justice. 

The original images from the first shoot:

Edited Images:

I am not happy with the results of the edited images, I felt there was a restriction with the post-production that I wasn’t able to achieve much from the imagery. I may need to re-think the approach to this concept.

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Ideas & Concepts

In the Studio Practise brief, I have been assigned to ‘produce one 5 x 4 colour transparency, exploring the theme of ‘Still-life Self -Portrait’ in which you consider an object or objects that represent something about you. You will use the large format camera, the studio, and studio flash lighting, taking into account relevant camera techniques introduced to you in workshop sessions, which are appropriate to your idea. The 5 x 4 camera will slow you down and make you consider every detail of your shot. Technical workshops will explore the particular characteristics of the 5 x 4 camera, including its ability to manipulate image shape, magnify and create an infinite depth of field. You will scan and print your transparency for high-quality print output.’

Idea 1: In idea 1, I would focus on the aesthetics of working men's clubs in Barnsley, studying the interior characterisations that define the typical wmc’s image. I wanted to choose this subject as during my time in Barnsley, I spent a lot of time in working men’s clubs with my family and friends, whether it was going to gigs or having game’s of pool, or just drinking - I wanted to capture the atmospheres to conceal the memories for nostalgic purposes, not just for my visual pleasure but for the audiences visual relations. I’ve noticed in most of the working men’s clubs that there’s a consistent theme featuring the traditional 1970/80′s decor that glooms over the customers, developing a time capsule for the older generations but creating customer avoidance for the younger generations. Generally, working men’s clubs are a place for the senior citizens to gather and socialise, whilst the younger generations sometimes feel unwelcome due to the traditionalist values portrayed by the customers, loyalty cards and events/activities. I find this an interesting aspect of working men’s clubs and would like to develop the idea of exposing the interiors of the one’s in Barnsley, in relation to myself using inanimate objects and scenes that stylise the overall decorative elements in the clubs. As the brief requires one 5x4 colour transparency image, considering the fact that the images are meant to be taking in a studio environment, I would need to consider renting out lighting for the final shoot and to make sure the image responds to the brief effectively. I will create a mini-studio set up in a part of the club (which I would have to ask permission), to portray the specific interpretation of the outsiders perspective upon the working men's clubs exposing their long-established trade and the day-to-day sights. I will be using influences of Clare Strand’s ‘Skirts’ series which I analysed earlier in the project, to discover how Strand creates the mundane have significant interest to the viewer. Although, I know my final submission is only one image and Clare Strand used the typology layout to give each image the equal importance emphasised by the subjects composition in the frame - I will have to create one final image that portrays visually interesting subjects to stereotype aspect of all working men's clubs, still capturing a mundane atmosphere but creating interest to the audience. I will photograph scenes studying the chairs/wallpaper/beermats; the elements that you wouldn’t appreciate but I will reveal the complexity the ordinary through a documentary still life image. I decided to organise a test shoot at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, before travelling back to Barnsley to do the shoot.

Notes in sketchbook about the test shoot and idea 1.

Visual sketches of Idea 1.

Clare Strand ‘Skirts’.

Martin Parr ‘Cardiff Working Men’s Club’ 

Idea 2: The second idea is to represent myself through a still life image of my clothing, not to photograph myself wearing clothing but to photograph them in straight smart piles applying them as inanimate objects. I will choose clothes that I wear often, or which portray my style, as this will relate the image to myself even with the removal of my identity. The clothes would be situated on a table, so the camera would be positioned above the subject and looking down onto the clothing focusing on the shapes of the piles and studying their aesthetic to fill the composition, but without cluttering. I have noticed a popularity in this style of photography on social networking sites like Instagram, where the technicalities are not considered due to the documentation of a style of apparel that specific day, like the Lions of Dissent advertisement photograph is shown below. If I could combine this photographic medium with a technical understanding, I believe I could transform this short quick snapshot style into a proper photographic consideration. Although everything in the frame must relate, this is key, creating a correlation between each object and colour ties all the photograph together in a pleasing graphical formation if everything doesn’t relate the utopian vision I am striving to achieve will not be successful. It won’t be successful because other colours will be added that may not relate to a triad, adjacent or tetrad style, I must maintain full control of my colours to keep the image minimalistic to influence the graphical perspective. I would preferably prefer to use two lights in this shoot to create a high key image, they’d be both parallel to the camera on either side, highlighting the subject from above. I may need to use a reflector, if necessary, to remove shadows in the image to apply clean minimalist values into the image with graphical implications from the layout and the lack of tones in the colours. I will possibly need the help of one or two students whilst in the studio to assist with the shoot, which I will choose later. I’ll be using strong bold colours that will contrast well with each other like Maurizio Di Lorio’s to imply contemporary elements with gels or post-production into the image to create significance from the general piles of clothes, using the colours to create a colourful utopian vision. In personal preference, I’d prefer to apply the colours in the post-production process in Photoshop, to remove the natural qualities from the image to link more to the utopian vision and to use the colour wheel to assist with the colour choices and their intensity in the contrast. 

Maurizio Di Lorio

Lions of Dissent advertisement seen on Instagram. 

Ian Lanterman

Sharone-Poole ‘The Clocksmiths Mood’

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I like both ideas and believe they work well to communicate the brief and represent myself through inanimate objects, however, I believe that the first idea has better potential as a creative response to the brief, but I do also love the colours that’d be used in the second idea. I would like to combine elements of both ideas together to create a new direction. This would consist of using the bright vibrant graphical colours of idea 2 with traditionalist culture of working men’s clubs to merge and transform them into a contemporary visionary; for the working men’s clubs to mentally rise again to appeal to younger generations rather than the older. So as a plan, I will begin to start a test shot photographing working men's' clubs around Leeds (in the final image the photograph will be taken in Barnsley) for the foundations of my post-production. I began by contacting my local club in Leeds, the Brudenell Social Club to ask if I could take some photographs. 

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5x4 Refresher Session & Mini-Brief

In this workshop session, we were assigned to create an image that advertised an item given to us. We had to think about the commercial values in photography and transfer them to our object to develop a visual language to the audience that this image is an advertisement - considering the composition, the aesthetic value, lighting, perspective, and magnification. In advertising photography, the main subject is always the main focus in the image as it is the context, so the product had to fill half or more of the frame whilst considering any additional items we could have included. Our subject was a tin of beans, we created a small set on the table featuring the sauce and small blu-tack balls in the sauce along the set, in pure experimentation but obeying the boundaries of commercial photography. We originally wanted to pour beans across a manakins head with the camera positioned from above to capture a close-up portrait of the manakin with the beans, however, it didn’t communicate the brief at all and took a more artistic creative route which didn’t advertise the item commercially. So instead, we all agreed to keep the subject on the table with the sauce around it. Only one single light was used to mid-key light the set  positioned towards the subjects and parallel with the camera, to create a visual significance on the subject by highlighting the main focal elements. We used the Inverse Square Law; beans 11cm & beans onscreen 5cm, 11 ÷ 5 = 0.45 > 0.45 + 1.45 = 2.10 (increase the stop by 1) so from f.32 to f.22 with 1/125th of a second. I found this task extremely hard and frustrating due to the group I had been assigned with. I felt it was only myself attempting to do the work, which made it difficult for me to control everything, however, we got there in the end and took the photograph. In a result to this, the final image didn’t expose when developed and I was slightly disappointed.

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Maurizio Di Iorio 

Refinery29

In the work of Maurizio Di Iorio, vibrant minimalistic colours create strong contrasts between the subjects in the frame emphasising the simplicity and beauty purely just depicted from the colours. The way Iorio uses High Key lighting almost advertises the subjects in a contemporary aspect linking directly to current fashion/commercial statements, whilst defying the uses objects in the frame. The objects are a very standard quality which emphasises the viewers confusion in the photograph, as generally they wouldn’t be focused on hugely as much as they are in this series and would never be advertised in such a contemporary manner as seen here; that defines the principles. Although, I know Iorio did Refinery29′ as an editorial piece, my interpretation of the images is the focus on the concept of revolting against anthropologic conventions. It is a study into the opposite, exposing unusual positioning and uses for items, which can only be perceived in the medium of photography as the visual beauty of Iorio’s work creates an utopian-like characteristic allowing the viewer to question its realism. 

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Workshop Outcome

In this workshop session, we learnt the Schiempflug principle and how it affects the optical perspective to create a maximum depth of field. It can be applied to any camera where the film planes can be adjusted, it’s a geometric rule that describes the orientation of the plane of focus of an optical system. In an example, the photographer is about to take a photograph but wants maximum focus in the image, focus on the background at f/5.6 but the foreground is out of focus, the photographer changes the focus to the foreground but the background now appears out of focus. It’s at this point that the Schiempflug principle becomes relevant to achieve the maximum depth of field. So, the photographer will make sure that everything is set to zero with spirit level checks on the 5x4 camera, and to open the aperture to minimise depth of field. Once the scene is focused with the loupe, and to a point in the image, probably better to start with the background focused and work the focus into the foreground. The depth of field dial on the camera will attract the foreground into the focus, then the Schiempflug dial will calculate the movement you need to do to get maximum depth of field and focus. There is also an anti-Schiempflug principle which creates a very minimum depth of field whilst using smaller apertures (eg, f.22). I personally find it easier to do in practise, than to write about what I am doing, although I’ve added diagrams below of the principle.

After we’d be taught the principle, we were assigned to experiment with it in a location outside the studio to perceive the optical changes in the tilt-shift effect. We were set a short task to work in groups and photograph the giant block outside of college, where we could focus on applying the Schiempflug principle to alter the image effectively, which differentiates the interpretations gained by the viewers of the subject matter.  

Photographs of diagrams of the Scheimpflug Rule.

Photograph of my group working to achieve maximum focus on the leading path of the stairs in college.

The photographs below show our results from this shoot.

In the photographs below, I have displayed a group photograph of us each individually analysing our colour transparency advertising image we’d taken of the Moams in previous sessions.

Image of Moam’s from the previous shoot, when experimenting with the Inverse Square Law. 

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‘Transience’ Mini-Brief

“the state or fact of lasting only for a short time; transitoriness.”

In the 5x4 workshop, we were assigned in groups of three a mini-brief to submit five images, by 4:30 pm the same day, that symbolise ‘transcience’. The images had to be interior and exterior, on-location and in the studio - there were no limitations to the approach or style of the image, but to maintain relevance towards ‘transience’. I wasn't familiar with this word before this session, however, I learnt it defines time and something that may only last for a short period of its existence. I wanted to focus on a subject that I am relatively familiar with or that I see in everyday life. In my group was myself, Alec and Michael, we all specialise in different styles of photography but agreed to work together in friendship. Although the project featured specialising with the 5x4 camera, the brief stated we should use a DSLR, so we rented out a Canon 5D, 16-24mm lens and tripod. Initially, my first reaction to the brief was to capture images of shadows, which later I realised could only be possible with human shadows as rigid structures will get the same shadow each day, but only once a day. Soon after this, we noticed a torn Peter Andre concert poster hanging from a billboard outside of the university - it then registered, that entertainment advertisements are only archives after the event, but mainly just rubbish. Once a work of art, after a date, becomes nothingness. I really liked this concept, so we decided to develop upon it by composing landscape and portrait image’s of the billboard aligning the subject central with everyday traffic passing by. It symbolises the countdown to the posters day of unworthiness, how time will still continue, but the posters relevance will not. The other posters will remain significant but this posters relevance will not, whilst people are persistent. 

Shortly after, I began exploring the complexity of the billboards, studying aesthetics and the layering of existing posters, in a similar style to the concepts of Strand and Irving Penn. I began to approach the billboard up close, taking photographs of the textures and materials seen. After analysing them, I noticed a strong correlation between the practice of the Dada photographic montage artists, Raoul Hausmann and Hannah Hoch due to the collaborative mix of unknown and known advertisements in the frame, in the removal of their identity - removing main or central focuses. It allows the viewer to analyse the composition in full rather than from significance in a subject, whereas, in my photograph each element in the frame is equal. I noticed the comparison between my work and Hausman/Roach’s visually, due to the cluttered atmospheres assisted by the removal of main focuses - the composition of the photographic frame combines the different advertisements together in unison, mixing and collaborating the materials, rebelling against their conventions and allowing the viewer to study their textures rather than their purpose. In our group, we continued to collaborate together in capturing photographs around Leeds of the same advertisement billboards.

After about 2 hours on location, I decided to tear down a part of the advertisement we had been photographing to later use in the studio. Once we got in the studio, we all agreed that we should photograph the torn poster in a commercial style to expose the authorship of the abstract textures, as to anyone who doesn’t know they are posters they would struggle to guess - it would work as a description for the other images. If this wasn’t photographed commercially the viewer may perceive fine art photography influences, which isn’t bad it’s just not what we strived to achieve. Although, originally, it was suggested to continue capturing the textures in the studio, but we decided that the abstract textures needed a reference. Once we had set up our workspace, we accumulated the relevant camera settings; 1/125th, 100 ISO, F.4 with 2.0 on a single light using an umbrella positioned above and to the left of the subject to capture dense shadows beneath the creases. I pinned the torn poster onto a foam reflector in the studio with drawing pins with the back exposed, I debated using the drawing pins but I liked the characteristics it portrayed, which again symbolised the revolt against conventions and arts expectations, why can’t you exhibit the back of a torn poster? I thought the way we approached the photographs, with studying and the exposing aspects, linked closely with the Taryn Simon series ‘An American Index of the Hidden And Unfamiliar’ 2007, as Taryn’s positioned the photographs on one page and the text on the other, forcing the viewer to interpret the image from their own perspective. Once read the description, your perspective of the images shifts to understanding the photographer's intentions for the shoot. It’s almost like a game.

Photograph by Taryn Simon ‘An American Index of the Hidden And Unfamiliar’ 2007.

Photograph by Taryn Simon ‘An American Index of the Hidden And Unfamiliar’ 2007.

In my opinion, I am really happy with the results of this brief and believe they creatively communicate the brief effectively. I wish to expand upon the idea. I have made arrangements with Mike and Alec to continue collaborating together to capture a larger series of images for maybe a publication. If I was to do this again next time, I would plan in advance the studio space, although we had them booked out as a group we were limited to the spaces we could use when and where. It left us hanging around for a while waiting until a studio space was free, apart from this, I felt the brief was fun working under the pressure of a tight deadline and believe we have resulted in a successful short series of images.

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Still Life Research

Gabriel Orozco - ‘Black Kites’, 1997.

Still Life Photography is a staged, generally studio orientated, imagery featuring inanimate subjects/objects that characterise, symbolise or represent the photographers contextual-desire. Developed from traditional paintings and drawing, typical still life can generally portray specific emotions and atmospheres into the composite. A recurring theme of ambience can be encrypted through the independence of the subject matter, like Irving Penn’s ‘Cigarette’ series featuring ‘Cigarette No. 86′, seen below. Showing Penn’s study of the half-smoked cigarettes aesthetics, emphasising the complexity and exposure of the ordinary - revolting against the elitism and conventional photographic still life subjects. Although through time, artists and photographers have begun to question the visual beauty of the still life, and the commercial qualities that are perceived. Here, I have gathered a range of still life imagery that disregards the genres orthodox dogmas. 

There are fundamental elements of Still Life photography that must be considered to achieve successful outcomes; the lighting, the subject and the context. I believe, that if the photographer can creatively produce a series of images that effectively correlate these three points to one another, the images will be significant in response to the brief. The technicalities are also a huge aspect of still life photography, as generally speaking, the subject may appear bland or mundane alone, but with effective lighting and a creative manual camera setup; visually portraying an emotion or style in relation to the concept, the photographer can apply great focus around the dull subject. With adjustments through the visual language of how the subject is perceived and interpreted by the viewer, it will connect the audience to the concept. You will begin to notice how light and shadow affect a photograph - If you can arrange the proverbial bowl of fruit into an interesting composition – and get comfortable doing it, you will start to recognise which shapes and colours work in contrast together. You’ll start to see what angles the light should be coming from to get the most three-dimensionality. You’ll start to get a feel for which textures will make a stunning photo and which ones will turn out to be nothing. 

I have specifically chosen the photographs on this post, not only because they revolt against fundamental factors but because these are my preference of still life photography. In my practice, I would like to mix my style and expand on similar elements that these photographers have represented - developing my own contemporary outlook, to that once a traditional movement, revitalising into a modern purpose. Still Life photography has implications in a wide range of genres, from commercial advertising to graphic design photography, it is identified by the subject matter and the relevance of the surrounding atmosphere.

Ori Gersht - ‘Time After Time: Blow up No 3′, 2007.

Ori Gersht has compiled a series of videos and photographs to create ‘Blow Up’, which is a contemporary expansion based on a 19th-century still life by Henri Fantin-Latour. By using extremely fast shutter speeds, Gersht captures the moment a floral arrangement explodes - digital photography has allowed him to capture this instant in 1/6,000 of a second. It contrasts violence, in comparison to the original, it symbolises the ever-changing art culture and art’s expectancies change due to the social and political inputs to society. 

Darren Jones - ‘A Time and a Place’, 2011. 

‘A Time and a Place’ is a clustered accumulation of “personal objects which one gathers on short trips away from home” states Darren Jones, “They exist together only momentarily in the hotel room or friend’s apartment, dispersed, discarded or left behind when we leave”. It is aimed in an attempt for the viewer to discover, or picture the owner and their vacation. The tableau contains an odd mix of an asthma inhaler, poppers, an energy drink, deodorant, silicon-based Gun Oil lubricant and a ticket to Fire Island hinting at a 21st-century narrative.

Irving Penn - ‘Cigarette No. 86′, 1972.

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Workshop Session: Inverse Square Law

In this workshop session, we learnt how to load film into the 5x4 camera and also, about the Inverse Square Law. We began by setting up the camera, tripod and our studio space, I wanted to take a photograph but the width of the bellow was greater than the focal length of the lens, so this is where the Inverse Square Law formula is applied. Once the camera had been set up we planted an iPhone in front of our subject (again the box) that we focus. Next, we started to measure the distance of the bellow (275mm) and also the lens which we knew was 150mm (as stated). Indicating that the bellow extension is longer than the focal length. The next step was to measure the size of the iPhone (122mm) and the size of the onscreen projection (75mm), from the results it allows us to understand that the onscreen recording is magnified. If you measure an aperture with a light metre on the object you’re about to photograph, by the time the light reaches the screen it will diminish - this introduces the Inverse Square Law. The Inverse Square Law states that ‘a specified physical quantity or intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity’ the concept that if you double the distance between the light and the subject, you need four times as much light to get the same exposure. If you reduce the distance between the light and the subject by half, you only need one-quarter as much light to have the same exposure. As seen from the diagrams below, the light spreads out and loses strength, the inverse-square law teaches us how light works over distance and why the distance between your light source and your subject is so important.

The formulae to the Inverse Square Law. The formula is only used if the width of the bellow is greater than the focal length of the lens. 

                        (Onscreen Image ÷ Object Size + 1)  x2

So, for example: 

                        15÷22 = 0.6+1 = 2√1.6 (x2)

                         1.6 x 1.6 = 2.5

                        * When using the formula for the Inverse Square Law, you must consider the aperture adjustments to the depth of field in the images. 

Diagram displaying the Inverse Square Law.

Loading the Film:

Understanding how to load film on a 5x4 camera is a very important aspect, not only to take the photograph correctly but to make sure the film doesn’t get ruined as the paper is highly expensive. I found it pretty easy to load the film on the 5x4, but there are steps you must remember to make it easier for yourself. The first step, if only using one film strip only take out the required sleeve to avoid confusion. The second step, whilst in a light-tight environment, slide out the sleeve and insert the paper emulsion side up notified by the notches to the top right and make sure the film slides underneath the runners and close it tight. The third step, once it is locked into the light-tight sleeve, it can be inserted into the film plane (back of the camera). The fourth step, when ready to take the photograph slide out the sleeve whilst the film remains in the plane and take the photograph, then insert the sleeve back into the film holder (white side out) and remove from the camera. It is usually a good idea to mark the holder with something to warm others that you have film inside. 

Another Diagram explaining the Inverse Square Law.

A photograph displaying a 5x4 Film Holder with the white board acting as the film. 

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5x4 Workshop Sessions

In this workshop, I have learnt how to set up the Sinar F-Series 5x4 large format camera to connect to the tripod - I’ve also learnt how to focus and take a photograph. Due to the price of the colour transparency paper, each move made by the photographer must consider to the result in the final outcome, I like the idea of striving to achieve the image you imagined than capturing a couple of images and hoping for the best. The workshop allowed us to familiarise with the camera and how it operates, understanding the creative freedom that the photographer has with the large format. 

Firstly, we set up the tripod, by holding the red buttons to release the legs; the aim was to make sure the tripod was upright and secure for the 5x4 camera to sit above it. So to be extra careful, I made the base (legs) wider to help maintain a good balance if anyone accidently knocks into it. Once the tripod was is set up, the 5x4 camera should simply click into place on the top if the tripod if the camera hasn’t clicked on do not trust it. It is important to take the time to make sure the tripod is secure, not just to prevent damage but to save your shot as well. If the photographer is attempting to focus an image on an uneven or loose tripod, it will make it much harder to sustain the focus in the image.

To begin with, on the camera are small scales and everything should be set to zero, if the camera isn’t aligned to zero it may cause blur in the image. It is important to remember to set these before setting the image up, to avoid any confusion later on. You can even use a spirit level to double check the positioning of the camera, it should always be up straight. The image should appear upside down and back-to-front on-screen, it is advised to use a cloak to assist with the focusing on the image to reveal the detail. There are multiple ways to focus the image, you can either control the distance between the lens and the transparency paper with the monorail and the hook stands that will adjust the focus of the image. The photographer also has the opportunity to adjust the camera in two significant ways that will affect the final result ‘Shift Movement’ & ‘Swing/ Tilt’. The ‘Shift’ movement can adjust either horizontal or vertical and can be applied to either the film or the lens plane to change the position of the subject. Whereas, the ‘Swing/ Tilt’ movement, again, either horizontal or vertical axis to affect the offset of the image. I couldn’t quite get my head around this until I experimented with the camera to notice the significant difference in the perspective of the subject. Both of these movements change the shape within the image, they allow the photographer to adjust the perspective of the subject. If the photographer wants to achieve maximum focus on the subject, you can do it not only with the loupe magnifying glass and the cloak but you can also adjust the distance of the hook stands with a ruler to equivalate the focal length of the camera (150mm Standard Lens) that should produce ‘near infinity’ focus. It is important to analyse the subject through the camera, as the subject and lighting may look correct to us, however, the camera will see different. Working with the camera’s perspective to capture the image is a recording of the result the photographer will achieve. Paul assigned us to take a self-portrait of our group using the shutter release cable. Once the shot was in focus, and we’d gathered the correct aperture with the light metre; we loaded pre-loaded dark slides into the rear of the camera, the white side (the paper) facing the lens so the light can travel into the photographic paper. Dark slides hold the film light tight until revealed inside the camera where the Bellow maintains the light isolation. To photograph the subject, the photographer has to remove the smaller slip on the slide to expose the film from the light tight compartment. When the image has been taken, the slip should fit back into the slide whilst still in the camera and then can be removed, archiving the latent image. 

You can locate the aperture and shutter speed on the lens of the camera, which is the standard 150mm 5x4 lens. The lens has a leaf shutter which allows you to shoot and synchronise the flash at any film speed, due to the fact that the whole picture area is exposed simultaneously. Another component of the camera is the bellow, the black tunnelled tube, the bellow (deceiving the 5x4 camera for an accordion) which helps keep the film light tight and only exposed by the image, as the camera is a component camera the bellows can be adjusted for different outcomes. 

Photograph of 5x4 Camera adjusted movement to alter the perspective. 

Diagram of 5x4 Camera (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_camera)

       Photograph of the Sinar F-Series Large Format camera.

Photograph of focusing in the Workshop Session.

Photograph of the studio set up with the two lights and the packaging. The packaging was given to us to practise focusing a subject on the camera.

This was a group photograph using the 5x4, of myself, Jack and Sam, experimenting with lighting and the setup of the camera.