#research1

[chloerosshnd2photography]

Beauty in the Banal

The Research

Banal : “A lack of originality as to be obvious and boring.”

Topographic : “Photography/Photographers whos pictures all have a similar banal aesthetic.”

Some well known photographers that fall into the category of topographic photographers are Robert Adams, Nicholas Nixon and Lewis Baltz. All of their work had the theme of ‘Man Made’ subjects; City arias, housing, warehouses. This kind of work is shot similar to early photography that mainly focused on natural landscapes.

Image by Lewis Baltz

From what i have read, when this style/topic of photography was new it brought up a concern with people that man made cities and buildings were eroding and replacing nature landscapes. This is why i like the above image and used it as my example. As a person who has seen sand dunes in person, this image gives off a much less interesting or impactful visual to the word - but thats what it is about...sand dunes. The same but TOTALY different.

[chloerosshnd2photography]

Beauty in the Banal

The Brief

Landscape photography is most commonly seen by the public as dramatic examples of nature at its romantic best.

Sunsets, sky, river and mountain...there is a primal instinct in us to long for places that offer peace and connection to a vast and empty nature.

However these exotic places can seem so unreachable for most of us that their purpose and meaning become purely visual.

it is hard to truly escape the impact of humans in our own landscape. Seeing beauty in unexpected places, everyday places that most would walk past without a second glance is one of the main aims in this project.

Looking for your own interpretation of beauty in the urban/suburban spaces you know you should recored a series of landscape images of the banal in the the tradition of the new topographics.

Research

Within your blog/workbook research the new topographic movement and it’s lasting influence on contemporary photographers. There will be tasks and support for this research through contextual studies class.

[chloerosshnd2photography]

Something Told

The Research

Image - Sunflowers.

Artist : Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).

Quote : “The sunflower is mine.”

Year : 1888.

Materials : Oil on Canvas.

Notes

Colour theme - Orange, yellow, green. Blue but at a minimum.

warm stale tone comes to mind.

Different stages of (a sunflowers) life.

No white space.

Minimalism.

Focus object reaches from top to bottom of canvas.

What elements from this image is used in photography today?

Although I love this image and Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ is my favourite genre of his work, i feel if i saw this as a still life photo shot today that it would be very plain and kind of boring. If it were it may have been shot as a product shot? for the vase or flowers themselves. From a photographers point of view the painting follows a lot of photography techniques, or rather set the standard for them being such an old piece of work before the camera came around.

Rule of odds - 15 different sunflower stages all in a mess of directions.

Filling the Frame/Framing - By filling the entire canvas with the inverted colours of the vase, van Gogh brings focus to the darker colour of the flowers. also making the green stems stand out against the pale yellow wall.

Leading Lines - Altho they are VERRY minimal, the use of the blue lines for not only the table but the shape of the vase adds depth and dimension to what would have been a very flat image otherwise.

Attention using Light - Again, very minimal but none the less present. There is some highlight present in the flowers to help in showing the direction they are facing. But the most prominent highlight is in the most forward point on the vase, adding again t the depth and shape of items in the painting.

Visual Balance/Pattern and repetition - Although they are all different tones, the one consistent is colour. varying from dull yellow to dark burnt orange. I feel there is also a good balance of colour due to the colour switch of the vase to the table and wall; dark on light then vice versa.

Simplify - i Think simply speaks for it’s self in this one... Even in adding the blue lines to show direction van Gogh wrote his signature in the same colour so that it didn’t distract from the focus of the image or look out of place. He only added the essential and bare minimum in detail.

[chloerosshnd2photography]

Something Told

The Brief

Create a still life image using natural window light. This can be done in your own home. Create an image that tells a story through the objects used. Careful consideration of the placement of objects, surface, backdrop, colour, texture and light should be evident in the development of the project. practice the controlling of light with homemade diffusion materials, curtains and flags. A tripod must be used.

Research

Research a historical still life painting.

Make notes on techniques used.

Examine how contemporary photography still utilises some of these techniques.

[chloerosshnd2photography]

Something New

The Research

Image 1

vintaged background - adds contrast to colour of alcohol.

Black to grey background - makes product appear brighter and more appealing.

Soft light to not cause harsh highlight but enough to highlight the orange and glass.

Very clean feeling.

Classy estetic. 

Cool tone compliments and highlights colours.

lit from 2 to 3 angles + background light.

Reflective surface to maybe add to the depth?

simple but intricate

Image 2

Super clean

Not a lot of contrast but enough shadow to distinguish the cup from the background to prevent a flat image.

Off centre - for a more natural feel?

Displays the purity of the white of the cup and plate.

Lit from 2 angles, maybe 1 above or perhaps 2 45 degree angles from slightly above?

Not too strong a highlight but enough to give you an idea of the size of the put at the top.

Very simple and straight to the point.

[chloerosshnd2photography]

Something New

The Brief

“Point of sail production”

Choose and image that is brand new and blemish free.

Photograph it in the highest quality possible.

Much be against a plain white background.

Lens and view point are crucial.

research

Demonstrate through annotations your understanding of detail and presentation of perfection for a product image.

[chloerosshnd2photography]

White Shirt

The Research

“Social portraiture embraces diversity, equality, and intimate interaction in public space.”

(Image Source)

By Steve McCurry.

Steve McCurry is famous for his photo ‘Afghan girl,’ taken in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan. This photo was named the most recognised photo of National Geographic. It is one if the best known and i feel most memorable social portraiture images out there along with a few other shots from this project of his.

Other examples of Social Portraiture

I see that what all these images have in common if you are looking at surface value is a high contrast and strong depth of field or no background at all, leaving you to the focus of the image being the subject person. There is also strong eye contacts and the subject takes up the majority if not all of the frame.

[chloerosshnd2photography]

White Shirt

The Brief

Make sure your model is dressed in a clean white t-shirt for this shoot.

Get reacquainted with the studio space and adjust to the new covid rules set into place.

Make a portrait of one or more of your group.

Show your understanding of light metering in studio.

research

Research social portraiture