Constructed Landscapes
Landscapes
I always find myself admiring nature's work whenever I take my dog on a walk. Breathing in the fresh air and gazing upon the towering trees and bushes that envelopes the environment. If I ever plan on meeting people or just simply relax and reflect my week, the first thing that comes to mind are parks; places that fills the world with green. People tend to take pictures of nature to have some peace of mind, or to keep as a memory for future generations to come. Photographs can include techniques to convey meaningful messages to change the way we perceive things.
When I hear the word "landscape" I imagine hills and trees in the very far distance. Words that I associate landscape with are:
When doing a Google image search of 'Landscape', pictures with warm colours and bright colours appear. These types of images make you believe it to be A.I, as they are high-quality and almost don't feel like they belong in the real world. The reflections from rivers and glass are seamlessly blended with environment. My ideal landscape comprises of trees, bushes, water (like puddles and lakes) and a hill in the far distance. The sky is pink-ish in hue with a mix of blue in sight, the clouds are illustrated as 3D through the careful angling on the image.
When looking out of the window of my bedroom, I see a long stream of water race down the road, my neighbour's house in front and a new road aimlessly staring directly at me. A glimpse of my local park is visible - in between the crack of my neighbour's house and the next house beside her (both are detached) - at night with the lights from the train station illuminating the night sky in the far distance.
When I hear the word "landscape" I imagine hills and trees in the very far distance. Words that I associate landscape with are:
- Scenic
- Calming
- Naturalistic
- Perpetual
- Green
- Peaceful
- Spiritual
- Hills
- Valley
- Stillness
When doing a Google image search of 'Landscape', pictures with warm colours and bright colours appear. These types of images make you believe it to be A.I, as they are high-quality and almost don't feel like they belong in the real world. The reflections from rivers and glass are seamlessly blended with environment. My ideal landscape comprises of trees, bushes, water (like puddles and lakes) and a hill in the far distance. The sky is pink-ish in hue with a mix of blue in sight, the clouds are illustrated as 3D through the careful angling on the image.
When looking out of the window of my bedroom, I see a long stream of water race down the road, my neighbour's house in front and a new road aimlessly staring directly at me. A glimpse of my local park is visible - in between the crack of my neighbour's house and the next house beside her (both are detached) - at night with the lights from the train station illuminating the night sky in the far distance.
Luscious green fields is the most prominent subject in my photos, with specks of green bushes in the far distance. This is the ideal landscape that I picture in my mind; nature is the main stage star. The baby-blue, blotched sky is blanketed by the frosty-white clouds resting over the horizon. The light is relatively bright, allowing for the viewer to see into the far distance of the boundary between the sky and the horizon. I thought out how to carefully present the hills and valleying fields to show a contrast between the herds of sheep.
What is a landscape?
A landscape is a type of imagery that involved the inclusion of natural objects such as trees and green spaces. It is considered the aesthetically pleasing moment of how the natural landform is intertwined with one and another. Usually, a landscape image will be photographed in the landscape orientation.
Constructing a Landscape
Landscape experimentation
When thinking of how to complete my homework, I had to have a clear mind of how to ensure my pictures are clear and concise with what the task was. For example, when planning what locations to take pictures in, I wanted to have places that was busy/noisy with different focus points for the audience, such as in Lewisham, you have the flats in the sky and the cars on the road. Two contrasting places for the audience to gaze at. Another example of this is the landscape of James Removal, the dried grass with litter dominating the space compared to the green trees with the leering clouds. Another aspect of these photos I wanted to work on is the different zooms and focus, for example in some photos I used the 0.5x zoom to provide a more expansive picture and in others I used the 2x zoom to be more close and compact.
The idea of landscapes
This image is of a rocky road in the middle of nowhere. The composition of the image is between eye and shoulder level. The black-white filter almost makes the viewer interpret it as a Wild West type of photography. At the centre of the image a descending valley can be seen, this with the unusual rocky terrain adds a mysterious element. The name of the image - "Valley of the Shadow of Death" implies the relationship between the photographer and landscape is morbid or at least very vain. With the absence of people and any living thing, the photograph is very plain and doesn't emit any purpose or deeper meaning.
|
This image contains a blue and white wash, the clouds make a very useful backdrop to the composition of the image. The subject of the image is a cowboy with a lasso, as the horse is running it is creating a blurry effect on the sand beneath the feet. This would've been quite a challenge as they had to make sure the horse was in frame without moving the camera too much, this is an added pressure as the quality of the image could have compromised - with the entire image being blurred. The positioning of the camera is at waist-level, allowing for the viewer to see the ground and the horse. As a result, this can add more content to the photograph.
|
back to the future
The images are considered as landscapes as they are constructed. They appear to be similar because they both have more than 2 landscapes intertwined with each other to make up one whole picture. One seems to be richer in colour with clarity on the environment itself, whereas the other shows a collage of indecipherable locations with cracks. The left picture gives oceanic, calming, vast, and observant. The right image gives clutter, compact, and random. If I could choose where to live, I would live in the left image as I would prefer to live near by the sea. Hearing the whooshing of the waves and the distant ships sailing over the horizon.
The pieces of writing allows us to understand what features are in the images and can allow us to compare the techniques that they used such as negatives, exposure, and collaging. What surprises me the most is the fact that the left image was photographed in 1857, at a glance it seems to have its own style.
The pieces of writing allows us to understand what features are in the images and can allow us to compare the techniques that they used such as negatives, exposure, and collaging. What surprises me the most is the fact that the left image was photographed in 1857, at a glance it seems to have its own style.
Centre of British Photography trip
The overall theming of the exhibition is based around landscape and time. The images were displayed as a timeline if multiple sets of pictures were linked or were otherwise placed in noticeable spaces along the walls, seemingly to show the severity or impact on the environment of which the photograph is encapsulating. The lightning in the exhibition plays a key role in highlighting the importance of the image, such as the impacts of exponentially large amounts of plastic in the ocean. When exploring the vast array of photographs presented, I was deeply compelled by Jermaine Francis' work (last picture). She uses a vintage black-and-white filter with a subtle green hue to denote time in the sense of how nature will continue to grow and develop, such as the trees which are shown in the background.
Jermaine Francis research
Jermaine Francis is a photographer who is primarily based in London, he discovered his passion for photography in his late teen years. He found out through the constant exposure of his mum's vinyl records as well as his auntie (who was an art teacher).
He mostly focuses on creating content in the Documentary and Portraiture genres in the style of personally derived projects and editorials. As well as navigating the issues that we encounter during our interactions in the everyday environment. During his career, he has also successfully published two books; with the addition of a new one well underway. He has had some of his work presented in major exhibitions such as 'A Storied Ground' in Paris and the Beauty Papers. "I wanted to disrupt the viewing experience in a slightly ambiguous, obtuse way, to create figures like ghosts" - Jermaine Francis
|
Minimal landscape: what remains
Geraldo De Barros ResearchGeraldo de Barros is a Brazilian photographer. His work paved the way for experimental abstract photography and modernism. Moreover, he was a leader in the concrete art movement.
The image produced by Geraldo de Barros shows a fuzzy photo of trees completely overtaken by a black void circling the boundaries of the image. This could depict a symbol of nature being consumed slowly by the consequences of human action, such as deforestation or the acceleration of climate change. I notice his subtle attempt at making inconsistent change in directions when cutting around the image. Is this a ski resort? A snowy mountain? Or a forest? Because of the distortion of colour, it is very hard to try to understand what the image is showing. If I were to make a response to this, I would take a photo of a tree and turn it into a photogram, then I would make random cuts around it. "Then and now, it can be useful to acknowledge the ways in which something as invisible and inescapable as taste influences our judgment of a work of art" - Geraldo de Barros
|
liz Nielsen ResearchLiz Nielsen is an American photographer. Nielsen's work has been exhibited internationally beyond America. Her work is primarily composed of photos without the use of cameras, otherwise referred to as 'light painting'.
The photo from Liz Nielsen presents a tree with some sliced portions of it missing. The bottom half of the image is completely cut, only showing a black void. The photo of Liz Nielsen shows a cut-out of a landscape, it has been presented in a way that can't be recognised. I'm quite unsure as to what the purpose of Nielsen's picture is supposed to entail, as it is only a tree. Nielsen's however is more composite and has an abstract vibe to it. When I look at Nielsen' work, it makes me think about how nature is destined to grow and develop regardless of the environment (as I interpret the black void as). Because of the abstract feeling in Nielsen's work, it makes me ponder in what the image could be. A park? Street? Walkway? If I was to replicate Nielsen's photograph I would take a photo of a tree at a simplistic angle, then I would use an image editing software such as Adobe to make a cut-out of the tree and shroud in a black colour. Creating a piece similar to Nielsen, I would make a series of black cut-out paper, and layer them onto a white paper. I think Barros has removed the bottom portion of the image because it isolates the understanding of where the photograph is located. With Nielson's work, the different parts of the image has been recreated with a cut-out technique to obscure what the viewer can see. I prefer the work of Barros because it is more technical and straight-forward. "My hope inside of viewing my work is that you're gifted something that feels like you are onto something" - Liz Nielsen
|
My response - Minimal Lanscape: what remains
Out-of-focus photographs - Uta Barth
The image presents a street with a car as the subject, its taillights dazzling the camera. In the distance, you can see more cars and a red structure in the background. Because of the out-of-focus, the lights appear as shapes, making the image appear more abstract. The photographer has managed to control the lighting to form shapes and sized rectangles.
|
Out-of-focus photographs experiment
These images were fairly easy to compose, as they could be a wide variety of subjects to centralise in my photographs. I took inspiration from Uta Barth for my work, with an enjoyment of taking blurred pictures with splashed colours and a broad palette of colours.
Continuing Uta Barth out-of-focus experiment
I was inspired by Uta Barth's work as it was simple but yet intriguing. As such I have decided to dedicate my homework experiment to his work. Whilst taking the photographs, I figured I could use the Pro mode of my camera to manipulate the focus and make the white balance more warmer or colder, which can be seen in the third row of my photographs. I could develop this idea to be more authentic with the street photography genre. The composition of these images shows a broad view of the surrounding area. I especially value the warmer pictures as they encapsulate the fuzzy feeling of nature and the calm atmosphere in the park. When positioning the camera, I wanted to include a proportionate amount of the sky to compensate for the cluster of trees, buildings, and cars.
Diptychs
I really like how they came out, it would have been better if I had focused more on contrast rather than similarity. Overall, this task was very fun to complete.
Dafna Talmor - Constructed landscapes
Dafna Talmor has a deep connection with negatives and how she presents her work. She describes wanting a 'utopian' landscape, which suggests she wants to create a landscape that does not realistically exist. The entire process is abstract, which correlates to her idea of cutting up photographs and splicing them with other images. The synthetic images that Talmor creates a deeper meaning of her intentions behind her piece.
|
|
Slides
Slides outcome
The slides have come out really well, I really like the composition of most of them - with a noticeable subject in focus. However some of the slides are too small and so the light on the projector clips through the side, if I were to do this again I would make sure to print out the slides to be a little bit more bigger.
Slide manipulation outcome
This task was really interesting and fun, I enjoyed etching in lines onto the image in a random way and then sellotaping a plethora of transparent-coloured sheets on the slides. The outcome was good, although I think I could've made the manipulation more stylistic by making the scratching the images in a patterned way.
Slide manipulation - projected
Dionne Lee's constructed landscapes
|
The film is an example of constructed landscapes because it uses an abundance of real life landscapes to make a single abstract landscape. The artist used scissors to make cuts across the picture, her hand to rip pieces of the paper, and folded up sections of the image to isolate what was shown. I liked the fact that it was creatively abstract in a sense of fiction. It's different to conventional landscapes because it uses a wide array of constrasting landscapes to complete a single landscape. The images the artist used appeared to be from space or from natural spaces such as the beach, forests, and pathways. I think the artist likes the concept of structuring an imaginative headspace of fictional environments.
|
Constructed landscapes experiment
|
|
comparisons
Alice duncan research
Duncan's work primarily consists of Analogue photography, with her content being based on memory and recalling. It is evidence of how we perceive photographs to be real and factual or to be evidence of an event or occasion. Her goal is to showcase the common mistake of replacing photography with the idea of seeing for one's self. Duncan utilised a range of different methods to add more variety to her work; such as defacing, tearing, and scratching into the images.
For example, this is a landscape image. Duncan uses big black circles to obscure certain areas of the image, which can prevent the viewer from interpreting the full image. The genre of this image is analogue photography. The camera angle is levelled with the landscape at eye level, with a warm toned hue of orange being the filter for the image. As you observe, you can see a higher focal point on the rocks with an opening to a wide tree line being composed in the centre. It is relatively weird as to how there are random black circles blotched around the image; near the sides, up the top, and in the middle. The series of photographs are consistent with each other. From experimenting with this type of photography, I have learnt that the viewer needs the full picture to be able to understand what they are looking at.
|
Mind-mapping my project
Exploration of Alice Duncan's work
When I was taking the pictures as part of the homework, I had to think critically to how I would compose my images to be similar to the work of Alice Duncan. The primary subject of my photos are of the sky and environment, subsequently the secondary subject is the people and cars below. The lighting has proven to be successful in some images, however some improvements could be made to the night-time images. I would like to use Photopea to add the effects that Duncan uses in her images to complete my refining stages of my project.
The Experimentation
the process of the initial experiment
Initital experimentation outcome
I really enjoyed making changes to this images; splicing them together and adding subtle images can really make an effect on the quality of the image. I think I could explore more on my own and largely step out of my comfort zone by printing out new images and using those to make further changes (e.g. image colouring) and making physical collages to present.
continuing to explore
I'm very pleased with how good the point of focus in these images are, this has helped me create a contrast between subjects that are out of focus and in clear focus. The composition is very neat, with my intended subject being in the centre of the image. Next time, I should try to make sure the angle is more vertical and to keep it consistent with other images.
Post experimentation outcome
For the final outcome of these experimentations I decided to go for sabotaging and image colour colouring. I am really pleased with the pop in the colours in this physical collage. The fragmented style looks really nice and sophisticated.
Constructed Landscapes - Component 1 final piece
This is my Final Piece for Component 1: Constructed Landscapes. After trialling different methods of artistic and photographic techniques, I ultimately decided to go for digital editing. As seen here, my pictures composes of a collection of effects such as B&W filters, high contrast comparisons, transparent effects, mirrored inversions and overlapping layers. This way of presentation is interesting as it allows the viewers eyes to wonder around the various details of minor tweaks in the colours, buildings and blending environments.