Antony Cairns is a photographer stretching the boundaries of the photographic medium. A constant theme in his images has been the city of his birth. He photographs city-scapes from places from London to Tokyo. His photographic practice has remained rooted in chemical-based techniques , he chemically distorted his photos changing the contrast of the images and the whole aesthetic. He shot his images almost exclusively on black & white film whilst printing all of his own work, often experimenting with forgotten or discarded methods, focussing on its imperfections and oddities, which become a part of his images and the way they are seen. The use of the chemical process reflect his idea of capturing the metropolis’ ever-changing faces and the variations of structures in cities as well as similarities between the different cities he photographs. I want to take influence from his work and photograph different cities and capture the different tones using a black and white filter. The below images are photographs that I found particularly effective. The images have high contrast and large amount of detail. The lights of the city contrast against the structures of the buildings, and through the use of his chemical processes he has created unique images that emphasise the structures in the city and the similarities between them. I particularly like the last photograph, the angle in which he has taken the image really captures the crowded atmosphere in the city as well as all the different parts of the city from the lights to the billboards. I want to focus on this when I am taking my images of the city to really capture the atmosphere in the image.
Variations of the city
New York
I responded to the works of Antony Cairns on my trip to New York City, I captured my images and placed a black and white filter that is in-built on my camera that adds a grainy effect to the image. I wanted to make my images black and white to emphasise certain tones of the photographs, adding contrast and depth to the images as well as clearly responding to Antony Cairns and his high contrast, black and white images. I think I have taken a lot of images from different angles / perspectives, capturing a variety of different images that create different effects. Some of my images include people as I thought it would be effective as there are manny people in cities. I think I have effectively captured the busy atmosphere of New York City, capturing the large amount of buildings / structures that fill the city. I think the black and white filter has worked effectively in emphasising the mood of the city as well as emphasising the tones. I now want to take photographs of London as a comparison to the images of New York City.
London
I decided to take some images in London to compare to those that I had taken in New York City to present the similarities between the buildings in the cities and the architectural structures in both cities. I found it interesting to see the various buildings that looked very similar to some that I had seen in New York. I also placed the same black and white filter on the images to make the images easier to compare as well as a further response to Anthony Cairns and his black and white images of the city. I have taken less images this time, which made my collection of images not as effective however, the images I have taken really do capture the similarities between the cities and their structures.
Variations in beliefs and views // Brexit
Whilst photographing the different structures in the city I came across protests that were occurring and decided to photograph it. I found the various different political views that were being presented and the similarities between the people very interesting to capture. The different statements that were presented by both leave and remain protesters were very interesting. I have composed each image so that you are able to see the people involved as well as the statements that they are trying to promote. Most of the images are either close ups of the signs people have created or wide shots to capture the environment. I found it interesting how there were more people protesting to remain than there were for the leave side and so I made this clear in my images capturing the wide shots to show how little people were on the leave side. I think overall these images are quite powerful in showing the various views people hold and the similarities in passion for what they believe in. I thought this could relate to my project and give me some ideas for other things I could capture in the future of this project.
Remain
Leave
Don McCullin Exhibition
I went to see Don Mccullin's exhibition at the Tate Modern to see his most impactful photographs that he had taken over the last 60 years. He is particularly known for his war photographs, those from Vietnam, Syria etc... He also captured the scenes of poverty, the working class life and other things like the landscapes of Somerset where he lives. The exhibition itself was laid out according to the dates he had photographed each series of photographs, they were simply placed on the walls and the images were easy to look at and follow around.
One particular image that seemed to grab my attention was an image of an Albino child holding a can of beef, clearly malnourished, pleading for help whilst slowly dying at such a young age. The child is surrounded by another two children who are also clearly malnourished really amplifying the terrible circumstances they live in. This image really caught my eye and it really did provoke a lot of emotion. The image clearly shows a variation to a lifestyle that luckily we do not live in.
Another image that really caught my attention was a photograph called "Body of A North Vietnamese soldier, Hue 1968", this image caused a lot of controversy for Mcculin as the image was of a soldier who had been left after being killed. The image shows the soldier and his belongings which he had on him, Mcculin had carefully placed the objects next to him and photographed it as a way of presenting what violence had done, however people had thought this was extremely disrespectful and uncalled for. I think the image clearly represents the life and death as well as the varied lives people live across the world.
Most if not all of Mcculin's work is taken in black and white film. This I think adds to the mood of the image, amplifying the photo's emotions in the scenario. Mcculin's images are taken documentary style, documenting the lives of different people and how they live, for example through the violence of the wars and the lifestyles working class people live in London's East End.
I think Mcculin's work can link really well into our theme of Variations and Similarities as his images do show the similarities in the world in terms of violence through war and other things like starvation in various countries. When he photographs he has a similar approach to each image, he wants to capture the raw moment and grasp the pure emotions felt in the situation. I want to take inspiration from Mcculin's images by taking more documentary style images for my project in order to capture the true emotions and feelings in the situation in order to capture a more realistic depiction of the scenario I am capturing.
Typography
Zhao Xiaomeng - Bicycles in Beijing
Bicycles in Beijing, can tell us a lot about the modern Chinese economy. As it thunders remorselessly towards ever greater industrialisation, the car has superseded the bicycle as the preferred mode of transport. In cities like Beijing, bikes have become relics of a bygone age, no longer a symbol of a unifying culture of cycling but rather emblems of social marginalisation. This moving typology by artist Zhao Xiaomeng documents a radical change in people's living conditions and economic circumstances through portraits of their bikes, some of which still cling to the last remnants of a useful life. As the old Beijing saying goes, "a dog's life is better than no life."
Response - Lights
I have taken images in response to Zhao Xiaomeng and his images of Bicycles in Beijing. I have taken 20 different images of different lights that I came across during a day out. The images were hard to take as the camera was going against the light in most cases, however after placing all the images as a typography the overall result is quite interesting. I thought it would be interesting to take images of lights as it is something that we all see on a day to day basis, and we do not recognise the various different lights there are. All of the images were taken in different rooms, buildings and even the train but after they are placed together they all look very similar. I think I have taken a good amount of images to really capture the similarities and variations of lights, and have made a clear response to Xiaomeng's work.
Páraic McGloughlin & Kevin McGloughlin
I looked at two short clips created by Paraic and Kevin McGloughlin, brothers that created very similar pieces of work using satellite images to create a stop motion moving film showing different areas and creating different shapes and movements using many images taken from a satellite camera. One of the films is called Epoch and the other is called Arena, both slightly different with Epoch being more abstract in creating shapes using the images unlike Arena which is more simple in it's technique. The photographs/ video make the area seem more like shapes and patterns rather than a city or a countryside which is part of the purpose of the clips.
Arena is a minute and a half piece work where McGloughlin presents thousands of aerial images collected from Google Maps to create a series of winding pathways and geometric shapes that snake across the screen. Epoch uses similar aerial images of the Earth and they are pieced together to compare the structural similarities of different highways, fields etc. When flashed one after the next, the buildings, the roads and the highways seem to elongate and morph as they flash on screen presenting the similarities of the different parts of the Earth as they morph into one or several geometric shapes.
I think their work relates to my project as it shows the variations and similarities in Landscapes. The variety of different aspects of the Earth are shown in their work as well as the similarities in shapes of the highways, fields etc... I think the McGloughlin brothers wanted to present the similarities in the landscapes they used in their pieces and create an interesting piece out of it.
Variations and Similarities in Landscapes
As a response I created two different gifs, the first using aerial images of the area I live in now in Edmonton, and the second using images of the country I was born in and where my parents had lived in Lithuania. The first gif simply shows the movement through the streets towards my house and the second showing the path from the beach to my home using zoomed in zoomed out screenshots. To create this I had used photoshop and screenshot several images off of Google Earth and placed them together to create a gif as a response to the McGloughlin brothers.
Variations in layout and part
Noémie Goudal
Noemie Goudal's work that I looked at focussed on an investigation into photographs and films as dialectical images. The artist looks at variation of meaning, by reconstructing its layers through landscapes’ installations. In her Soulevement series, she creates images of rock formations which are actually photographs of sets of mirrors installed in the landscape. Reality & Ambiguity is explored i her photographs making the viewer question what they are looking at. Goudal purposefully leaves part of the construction to make sure the viewer understands the pieces are not edited on photoshop but really made in real life on the spot. She wants to take image of "2D in a 2D" to create a different perspective and effect. She created a lot of her pieces outside and used artificial materials such as cardboard and fabric and found it interesting to see the contrast between nature and artificial objects. The images shown above were created from different fragments of images of buildings taken in places like London, she has then cut up the images and mounted them onto cardboard and she held them in a natural landscape. The shadows of the "buildings" are created purely from the angles and lighting of the images. She has used a black and white filter to reflect the atmosphere, she has left the interpretations of the images open to the viewer. The fragility of the nature contrasts against the structures however, this is an open interpretation and the piece is made for the viewer to observe and consider their own interpretation. I am going to respond to this and create my own version of cardboard pieces in nature. Creating the cardboard pieces will clearly reflect the idea of variations in structure as well as layout and part.
I have taken a few images of different parts of structures around and placed the images on photoshop to create a structure like this. I have then like Goudal, mounted this onto cardboard and went to the woods and captured different images of it in different places with natural forms in the background. I do not think it was as effective as it could have been due to the lighting and certain plants in the background however the idea is still there.
Variations and similarities in Shadow and Light
Valerie Kabis
I have responded to Valerie Kabis who creates these dark, haunting photographs / portraits. She has experimented with different shadows and lighting which allows for a varied tonal range and emphasises different details of the photographs. This makes her images seem almost ghostly. The blur of the images captures the movement of the figure, again adding a ghostly effect to the images, this combined with the contrast and tone of the images gives an overall dark and haunting effect. The images have no background and the fragments of the images have no context written behind them adding again a haunting effect to the images. The experimentation with light and shadow can really elevate the classic portrait image that you would typically see. I have responded to this by taking images whilst making slight movements. I have easily edited the images on photoshop by increasing the contrast and adding a black and white filter to the images. I have also added a small amount of blur to the images to respond to Kabis' pieces.
STRANDS
STRAND 1:
DREAM VS REALITY // VARIATION IN COLOUR
Pinterest Inspiration
I took inspiration from different sources mainly from Pinterest and from the 1999 film "The Virgin Suicides". I found the colours of the images I found extremely appealing to the eye. I also found the female figure to be prominent in these images that I took inspiration from and so experimented by taking photos of my friend Anna and using sunglasses with a yellow lens on top of my camera as I took the images. I thought this perfectly fit with certain shots from the film "The Virgin Suicides" (shown below).
STRAND 2: Variations in Nature
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams is a photographer and environmentalist, and was born in San Francisco, California. I took inspiration from Ansel Adams "Intimate Nature" photographs. His photographs were of close-up shots of different parts of nature in black and white. The images captured the different structures and shapes that natural forms produced and I found this quite interesting to observe. I thought this would be interesting to create a strand from as his images captured the varied shapes, lines, textures etc.. that leaves and other plants produced. The photographs study the intimate details of nature through the close view of his camera. It explores issues such as the beauty of the natural world, interaction with nature on a direct and human scale.
The zone system is the way Ansel Adams developed to create maximum exposure. His technique was to study a scene, visualize the final photograph, then determine the tones ideal for the photograph against the scenic points. He would then meter, expose and develop the negative accordingly.
"Expose for the shadows; develop for the highlights."
I shot a variety of different photos of plants capturing the different shapes, lines, patterns, textures etc... through close up shots of the different plants. I have then put a black and white, grainy filter on top of the photographs. I thought this really emphasised the different tones of the image as well as having a clear influence from Ansel Adams "Intimate Nature" photographs. I have taken a large variety of photographs of nature, including decaying plants and taken photos up close. I have experimented with different angles to allow different perspectives and create a different effect each time.
STRAND 3: Variation in lifestyles
Barbara Peacock
Barbara Peacock is an American photographer who photographed portraits in the bedrooms of her subjects, adding a sense of intimacy to the images showing an insight into their private lives. Peacock captured a broad range of images of people capturing their various personalities. The images are of a mixture of her friends and strangers who agreed to participate in the project. The diversity of the different bedrooms really do capture the diverse variations of lifestyles. I want to take ideas from Peacock and capture images which also may invade some privacy to capture the various lifestyles people live. Peacock's images are captured in daylight which is something I want to explore in more depth photographing night and day as well as the lifestyles of the people and environment.
Response
DEVELOPMENT 1: "Morning Routine"
I decided to respond to Barbara Peacock with a slight twist, I photographed my friend Anna in her bedroom getting ready for the day presenting the different steps she goes through to get dressed in the morning. I don't think I took enough images overall and could of captured anna from different angles as well as detail shots. I edited the images on my camera using in-built filters and slightly adjusting the contrast and brightness of the images as well as adding a small amount of grain to add a "film effect" as I like the way this makes the image look and feel. Moving from this idea I want to look at different things people do during the day and night to show the variations of lifestyle in more depth.
Nick Turpin
"THE 49 COMMUTERS in Nick Turpin's painterly series On the Night Bus are lost in their own world. Each has just left work in London's business district, and is headed home for dinner or perhaps to the pub for a pint. Shrouded by fogged windows, they thumb their phones or gaze out the window, finding moments of solitude amid the bustle of London."
DEVELOPMENT 2: Day VS Night (People)
I have decided to continue on by taking images of the same person of what they do during their day. I took images of her revising during the day and her at the pub at night. I found the different things she did contrasted well with each other. I have also placed the same filter over the images for the same reasons as before.
DEVELOPMENT 3: Double Exposure
I experimented with double exposure with the images to compare the different times of day and the different things she does. I found this to be quite effective in showing the difference however, the overall look of the images wasn't exactly what I wanted in the end so I want to try take more night images as I found this to be the most interesting to capture. I also want to focus more on location.
Rut Bless Luxemburg
Rut Bless Luxemburg is a German photographer, mainly focussing on the urban landscape at night. Her images look at reflections, light and dark contrast and tone. Her images have a gritty feel to them with tints of green and yellow reoccurring through her photos. I like the yellow/ green tones to the image as I feel like it reinforces the gritty feel to the urban landscape she is photographing.
"I was drawn to abandoned empty spaces in the city, which I termed ‘Das Offene Schauen’ (Viewing the Open)"
I think her photography perfectly links to my theme of variation and similarity, and my theme of night. Luxemburg photographs primarily at night and focusses on the empty spaces and the variety of different things she sees in the urban landscape she is in, Her photographs are composed differently in each photograph, she sometimes experiments with angles and positions which I think adds more depth to her images. Many of her images are of buildings and do not capture any human presence which is something I however, want to try capture in my own images.
DEVELOPMENT 4: Night Shots
I responded to Rut Bless Luxemburg as a development. I continued to use the gritty green tones and black and white filters on my images as I thought it fit perfectly with the urban environment and mood of the images themselves. Luxemburg also uses a similar colour palette in her photographs so I took inspiration from that. I photographed some images in Holloway under a bridge as it reminded me of some of Luxemburg's photos. However, I do not think I have taken enough images with only a few images of the bridge in terms of angles. The lighting was hard to get right as it was very dark and so some of my images have a bit too much grain in them but I feel like yet again, this adds to the overall effect of the image. In particular, the images of Holloway Station have an intense dull, dark mood to them and with the added in built filter from my camera - the overall effect of the image is quite powerful - making the whole scenery seem almost sinister and glum. I want to continue with this idea of photographing the night and urban landscapes. I want to use less people in my images just as Luxemburg does in her images and really capture the mood of the environment without the use of many subjects.
Reflections of the city / Symmetry
I have taken inspiration from some photographs that I found on Pinterest. The images showed reflections of the city and I found this particularly effective in emphasising the repetition structures in buildings (the different forms and shapes created). I wanted to experiment with this with my own images as I felt it would be effective. I like these images above as I think they are simple yet effective. The images almost seem as if they are take like that which is why I have chosen to respond. I wanted to try this out with a few of my photographs, trying to make them seem unedited. However, I feel like the overall outcome of the images weren't as effective as I expected. I used a phone app to reflect my photographs which wasn't the reason why the images didn't turn out as expected, but rather the images themselves weren't exactly what I wanted in order for the images to be effective. I want to try this out on video maybe as a further response.
DEVELOPMENT 5: Night Video // Edmonton at night - VHS effect
I have decided to move onto creating videos as I felt like it would capture the movement of the city as well as experimenting with a different medium whilst still capturing an image but with more depth.
After looking at Rut Bless Luxeburg's work, I decided to continue with the idea of capturing an urban landscape. I wanted to experiment a bit more with filming and editing so I decided to film Edmonton at night. I found a few videos online of people capturing the city using VHS cameras, which add a gritty effect to the clips emphasising the mood of the area almost.
Editing process
DEVELOPMENT 6: Night Stills (FINAL IMAGES)
I have taken some "film stills" as I filmed my video. I think the video was not exactly what I wanted however. The panning at the start of the video was extremely effective in capturing the movements and I felt like that was more interesting to look at so I want to create more shots and re-edit the video. The images below were taken during the filming process and I think they perfectly capture the atmosphere in Edmonton at night. I also continued with the same filters as I felt like it really emphasised the mood of the area as well as the varied structures of the area as well as the similarities.
Final Video ( Panning & Reflections )
I have re-filmed certain parts of my video with a panning effect to capture more of the area as well as the movement. I have also experimented with reflections previously as I felt like it emphasised the different structures of the city and I felt like the movement of the video would be really effective with some reflections / mirroring and so I have incorporated this into my video of "Edmonton Nights".