Susanna: Photographing the City @susannaphotographingthecity - Tumblr Blog

LOST AND FOUND by Susanna McClintock

These are my final 6 images for my final project

FINAL PRESENTATION FORMAT

The images would be 23.4” x 16.5”, this size makes them small enough to be viewed as a set but large enough that all the details can be seen I also want to reflect the size of London by having larger prints. They would be presented between 2 sheets of glass with no outer frame. This is to give them a further reflective property in that the viewer will see themselves reflected in the image. Having no outer frame means that each image moves seamlessly into the next.

I feel that having the one vertical image in the line almost makes the presentation look a bit like a city skyline. Because the vertical one is both above and below the line of the horizontal images it almost looks like the city is being reflected.

The caption is written in a font that looks like handwriting to give the project a very personal feel, ideally it would be written in my own handwriting as it is my quote. This caption would be the only text as I want the focus to be on how the images work together as one, reflecting my experience in London as a whole. I have also chosen not to title the individual images as I feel having no title gives them a sense of anonymity and also adds to the idea of being lost in the city in that the titles give no direction or context to the images.

Why I have 1 vertical photo...

I thought I should explain why I decided to have 5 horizontal and 1 vertical photo in my final images. I know it may seem inconsistent but I feel like it adds a point of interest when you see them all together in the final layout. I also feel like it is the best orientation for that image with the iconic telephone booth. I feel that having the one vertical image in the line almost makes the presentation look a bit like a city skyline. Because the vertical one is both above and below the line of the horizontal images it almost looks like the city is being reflected.

Reasons for not using shadow photos

After the review I decided to just use reflection photos and to remove my shadow photo. I feel like in such a small project (only 6 images) its more consistent ti have just reflection photos. If I were to turn this into a bigger project then I would try to have a combination of shadow and reflection images but for this assignment I am going to stick with the reflections.

Tried taking some photos near where I’m living. I walk along this street everyday so I thought I would try to capture that in the reflection of the shop windows but I feel like they are a weaker composition then my other photos.

In the top one the comic books in the window are too dominant and very distracting and don’t really have anything to do with my personal journey here in London. Also the lights being on in the shop mean that the reflection in the window is weaker and the photo is a lot more 2 dimensional.

In the bottom one I like how my local pub sign is in the background but again the inside of the shop is too prominent without really adding anything to the story in the image. It’s also not as well frames as the white window frames aren’t centered in the image.

Final Phase: Image review

(I did post these on Tuesday but they were somehow deleted so I have reposted them)

STATIC by David Molloy

Critical Review

From a compositional view the subject in the photo is framed in the centre and at an angle. This adds interest to the image when all the photos are next to each other. If it was straight then the tops of the light would be touching and it would be harder to see that they are a series individual photos making up a larger image. The artist has over and under exposed by a fraction in each photo to create this striking and dynamic image which I think has a very abstract effect.

This image is part of a series of 3 images that have the same technical and conceptual blue print however the images each feature a different colour and subject. I think having a blue toned image, a yellow toned image and a white toned image shows the colour spectrum in light which is the focus of all 3 images.

The image is displayed as a very large print on an outside wall that is exposed to sunlight which contrasts with the fact that this image is of an artificial light and was taken at night. The scale of the presentation seems to bring the focus onto the form and design of the image and allows all 60 smaller photos to be seen individually as well as part of the overall photo.

Final Phase: Other experiments

Experimental photo taken on my iPhone on the tube. Like the reflection theme which is what I’ve been working mostly with this week. Prefer it in black and white, feel it’s more artistic and makes me more than just a photo snapped on the train.

Today’s manual mode test image from the Victoria & Albert Museum Taken outside the doors of the main entrance using aperture 4.0 and shutter speed of 1/400. I used a relatively fast shutter speed to freeze the movement of the doors and a big aperture to try and put the emphasis on the place rather than focusing on me. This is moving towards my new approach of being behind the camera rather than in front of it and focusing more on the city than me whilst remaining a self portrait.

A portrait! What could be more simple and more complex, more obvious and more profound.

Charles Baudelaire

SUSANNE NORREGARD NIELSON in “AUTO FOCUS” by Susan Bright

I love these photos. They seem so free and light and I love that. I like how you can’t see her face in any of them so you focus a little less on her and a bit more on her surroundings. You see the whole picture rather than being restricted to just the person or their face.

The repetition of the kites is very interesting also, they help to tie the images together and keep them coherent but they also add to the very lighthearted and free feeling that the images evoke. There seems to be a real youth and playfulness about these images.

I think it’s also interesting how she has been so directly influenced by other artists particularly painters. It gives her work historical context and significance. And I also like how it taps into the theme of humanities relationship with nature.

CHRISTIAN THOMPSON in “AUTO FOCUS” by Susan Bright

I love how this is a work of art first and foremost. This is set a very carefully planned and beautifully composed images. I like how artistic it is and whilst a self portrait the focus is not on the person’s face but rather the photographer is trying to say something about society as a whole, particularly his aboriginal culture.

It’s a very interesting series that has a very deep and powerful meaning behind it and is very thought provoking. I don’t know how I might reflect this in my own work but I would like to possibly make my audience stop and think about what my images are saying rather than just admiring them aesthetically.

GAUECA in “AUTO FOCUS” by Susan Bright

This particular image really jumped out at me while I was flicking through the book. It’s a very unusual composition and it’s hard to tell if it’s been photoshopped or set up like that. I think the repetition of the person in the exact same pose in all the mirrors is very surreal.

I think I’m drawn to it because of the reflections but I feel myself moving away from this very set up and directorial style of photography.

KEN OHARA in ‘AUTO FOCUS’ by Susan Bright

This is a very different approach, here the focus seems to be less on the quality/composition of the photo but rather on the actual ritual of taking the photo, particularly in his book ‘Self Portrait 365.’ Because of the intense use of repetition the photos appear seamlessly as a set or series where only 1 or 2 might seem unrelated. the photos being in black and white also helps with this. It creates almost a formula for the photos despite them being individually quite different in composition.

‘SELF PORTRAIT’ by Lee Friedlander

I like how he kind of just captures himself in the moment/landscape rather than deliberately orchestrating and directing the photo. He is both the focus and the background of his images. It’s a really creative approach very similar to Vivian Maier’s work.

I also like the use of black and white which in this case has more to do with the time period in which he took the photographs but I really like the way they create a timeless effect. It also adds an extra layer of artistry, the image appears more as a work of art then a simple photograph.

I find myself constantly drawn to these reflection photographs, they have an ethereal quality that intrigues me. And I like how it captures the subject but also very much focuses on the surrounds. I am also more interested in my self portrait showing me behind the camera rather than in front of it. Cause if I’m honest that is where I am most comfortable.

Final Phase: Where to now

At this beginning stage of the final phase I feel like my work needs a redirection. I still want to focus on self portraiture but I think I need to find a new and more interesting and artistic way of executing it. I want to focus a lot less on me and the things I looked at in the pilot phase and rather focus more on the city.

The following list is a few ideas I’ve had so far of ways I can possibly do this:

- portraits in shop windows/cafes etc with me in the reflection

- a photo of me holding a photo of me in my favourite places in London (like the one in the pilot phase) but both photos are from the present not the past

- Take the same photo in the same place in London everyday for the next 2 weeks and choose my favourite 6

- Photos of my shoes/feet taken in different places around London (so the viewer follows me around London)

- Reflections in my sunglasses of my favourite places in London

I think over the next 2 or 3 days I need to experiment with all these ideas and see which ones are working best.

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Susanna: Photographing the City