Select an image by any photographer of your choice and take a photograph in response to it. You can respond in any way you like to the whole image or to just a part of it, but you must make explicit in your notes what it is that you’re responding to. Is it a stylistic device such as John Davies’ high viewpoint, or Chris Steele Perkins’ juxtapositions? Is it an idea, such as the decisive moment? Is it an approach, such as intention – creating a fully authored image rather than discovering the world through the viewfinder? Add the original photograph together with your response to your learning log. Which of the three types of information discussed by Barrett provides the context in this case? Take your time over writing your response because you’ll submit the relevant part of your learning log as part of Assignment Five. A photograph inspired by another is called ‘homage’ (pronounced the French or English way). This is not the same as Picasso’s famous statement that ‘good artists borrow, great artists steal’; the point of the homage must be apparent within the photograph. It’s also not the same as ‘appropriation’ which re-contextualises its subject to create something new, often in an ironic or humorous way. Instead, the homage should share some deep empathy or kinship with the original work.
You may already have taken some homage photography where you’ve not tried to hide the original inspiration but rather celebrated it. Refer back to your personal archive and add one or two to your learning log together with a short caption to provide a context for the shot.
Research
My research for context can be found here. This post included references 1-5.
When deciding what photograph to use for my homage. I first considered “leap of faith” by J.A Hampton. However, I didn’t feel I could create the homage I envisaged as I would need to ‘create’ the shot. As we are currently in a tier 3 lockdown due to Covid-19, I am not able to meet with someone to recreate this for me.
I then went on to think of other photographers I have come across since starting this course. I remembered an image, when, at the time, I thought I could recreate. So that is what I have chosen.
My original post about Fay Godwin can be found here.
Approach
When choosing this photograph to create my homage, I already knew where I would go to photograph a response.
My Chosen Image
One-way Bridge
Reflection
I chose my response image for the leaves on the floor. I wanted to show that path leading up to a bridge that may or may not actually be one way. I also changed the images grey scale to show more of a homage to Godwin’s.
I wanted to respond to the title of this photograph. “One-way”.
Within the photo I am drawn to all the leaves on the floor, leading the path through this bridge. The title causes me to question why the ‘one way’ part? Is that in relation to underneath or over the top of it? Are there signs out of the frame with actual instructions? Was this just her frame of mind at the time? Is the one way over the top of the bridge? It doesn’t look like a bridge for traffic… when I look more in to the internal context, this photo photo leaves me asking questions.
‘When somebody sees something and experiences it – that’s when art happens’ (Hans-Peter Feldman)
If photography is an event then looking at photography should also be an event. Look again at Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photograph Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare in Part Three. Is there a single element in the image that you could say is the pivotal ‘point’ to which the eye returns again and again? What information does this ‘point’ contain? Remember that a point is not a shape. It may be a place, or even a ‘discontinuity’ – a gap. The most important thing though is not to try to guess the ‘right answer’ but to make a creative response, to articulate your ‘personal voice’. Include a short response to Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare in your learning log. You can be as imaginative as you like.
When reading this brief, without looking back to the image, I thought I knew what I would consider the pivotal ‘point’. I thought it would be the figure leaping over the water – Is that not the obvious answer? I was wrong.
When looking in to this image, I find myself drawn to the figure in the background. The blackness of the silhouette. The stillness of the reflection. Possibly because of the jumping figure to the right. I then notice an image to the left, which has the same kind of position- but as a dance position- on the poster. I think this draws me to the still figure as its almost out of place. Almost set up to be the centre of the photo. However, from research, we know this was not a set up scene or even a planned image.
I then find myself looking in to the water. I see the ripples to the left of what looks like a ladder. Did this man run across that to get the best chance of avoiding water? His legs don’t seem too far apart, was it a proper attempt to jump or did he maybe loose his footing a little when jumping off the last step of the ladder? Is the ripple his last step and therefore he’s just taking larger, quicker jumping steps to avoid the water as much as possible.
I like that within the water you can see more of the leaping man than in his silhouette. There’s a clearer image in the light of the water rather than the darkness of the scene behind him.
The biggest discontinuity for me, is the clock tower. When looking at the background, it seems the obvious thing to look at, however its one thing not seen in the reflection in the water.
I have really enjoyed looking at this photo in such a critical way. It really forces you to look in to the photo. I found once I had started looking, there were so many questions around why he was there, how he came to be in that exact position, what the small details can lead you to believe has happened. Mostly I loved feeling like the more I looked, the more I felt I understood.
When looking through my own work, I wanted to find a photo where the obvious thing in the photo wasn’t what caught my attention.
When looking at the photo above, I feel the water would be the obvious thing. At the time, I took the shot for the people in the background. However, looking at it now, I actually find the ‘point’ within this frame to be the leaves in the foreground – top left corner.
I like the brightness of the leaf against the lightness in the same area of the background. Perhaps that is why I am drawn there, as the light is the brightest part of the photo.
‘For a short introduction to how context operates in relation to photographs, read Terry Barrett’s essay ‘Photographs and Context’. Barrett suggests that we interpret pictures according to three different types of information: information in the picture, information surrounding the picture and information about the way the picture was made. He calls these the internal context, the external context and the original context.’
Looking at the images suggested, by both Edward Hopper and Victor Burgin, I can understand the meaning of a ‘homage’ more. Burgin talks of ‘looking at one image and having another image spontaneously come to mind’. There are some great examples of this discussed in ‘The separateness of things’ [3]. Both images using the title ‘The Office at Night’ above have a similarity, with Burgin focussing more obviously on the female we also see within Hopper’s art. In Hoppers portrayal of the office at night, there are things which lead us to ask more questions. Is this due to there being no other information?
We do not know why these two people are in this office together. Both dressed well, but the female feeling more prominent within the frame. She was the point I was first drawn to. I notice what seems to be street light shining through just to the left of her face and then that the male is sat with his desk light on, so it seems the two are working late. I then noticed the papers; on the desk, on the floor and an out of place one on the other chair. Why is it on the floor? Has something happened before this scene was portrayed? Something between the two of them? On the other hand, why is the window open? Perhaps it was just a breeze that blew the papers. However, if it is breezy enough to blow paper off the desk, why are they warm enough to want an open window? In my mind, this is the perfect example of how ones mind can wonder between completely logical explanations, and the possibility of something entirely less innocent.
How context operates in relation to photographs
As suggested, I went on to read ‘Photographs and Context’ by Terry Barrett [4]. I was surprised whilst reading this at how little I had considered a photographs meaning before. When taking my own photographs, I suppose I had only ever considered them through my eyes and what I was personally trying to capture. I had not considered the impact of the text or surrounding information which could influence how others view them.
When reading about the various uses in which Robert Doisneau’s photograph ‘At the Café Chez Fraysse, Rue de Seine, Paris, 1958’ had been portrayed, I was taken aback by the vast difference from what he had intended to what it had become. When photographing a couple outside a Café, I wonder how you could ever consider that this encounter between the two would then be portrayed as something like prostitution. The couple obviously hadn’t realised how this would work its way in to a French scandal sheet. To them, this particular outing ended with them having to sue the scandal sheet! Not what you would expect after sitting in a café and agreeing to one photograph being taken.
Robert Doisneau. At the Café, Chez Fraysse, Rue de Seine, Paris 1958 [5]
Other examples, such as a NASA image of the world being used to promote petroleum products, seems counter intuitive, as petroleum is arguably contributing towards global warming and seen as a bad thing for the planet photographed so beautifully. Or, an embryo becoming a page in a glossy book, shows how something photographed for scientific purposes becomes a ‘nice to have’ piece of art. Something which many people may struggle with, due to fertility complications or the arguments around abortion. I’m surprised to find myself thinking of these kinds of issues because of photographs which perhaps weren’t taken with those intentions.
Barrett then goes on to say that photography can be contextualised in three different ways. Internal context; the picture, its title, date and creator. External context; the pictures pre-sensational environment – the article in which it is displayed. Original context; the physical and psychological environment present at the time of taking the photograph.
I can easily see how different minds will interpret different images based on what is within them – Internal context. All minds view & analyse things in their own ways, just as we have opinions on other issues, we are all individuals after all and therefore have our own opinions. We will view things, not only photographs, and then form our own viewpoint. This is influenced, of course, by what has been captured and how it has been displayed and by the time when it was made. We cannot judge something such as Edward Hopper’s Office at Night in the same way in which we would judge Victor Burgin’s Office at Night, as the difference in the years when they were created are distanced even more so by the way the world was. For example, the scene depicted by Hopper was of a time before the advocacy of women’s rights, and therefore some stereotyping can be seen within the image. However, Burgin does not even show a male. Is this purposefully to show women at work, or to not assume that the woman would be the assistant to the man, as we all know, that is no longer the case in every office.
When looking at Doisneau’s photograph, I can see how it can take on all of the meanings which it was given, even though all were so different. From a drink in a café, to alcohol abuse, to prostitution to seduction; a photo with external context, such as where it is displayed, what it is displayed with and what text is displayed with it too, can all influence how it is seen. We take on what we see around the image to tell us what we are observing, rather than viewing the image by itself or even viewing it as intended. when This particular image was then used in a museum, it then took on the interpretation of the museum curator too.
References
[4] Barrett, T. Photographs and Contexts [pages 110-116] At: terrybarrettosu.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/B_PhotAndCont_97.pdf (Accessed 27/11/20)
Use your camera as a measuring device. This doesn’t refer to the distance scale on the focus ring. Rather, find a subject that you have an empathy with and take a sequence of shots to ‘explore the distance between you’. Add the sequence to your learning log, indicating which is your ‘select’ – your best shot. When you review the set to decide upon a ‘select’, don’t evaluate the shots just according to the idea you had when you took the photographs; instead evaluate it by what you discover within the frame (you’ve already done this in Exercise 1.4). In other words, be open to the unexpected. In conversation with the author, the photographer Alexia Clorinda expressed this idea in the following way: Look critically at the work you did by including what you didn’t mean to do. Include the mistake, or your unconscious, or whatever you want to call it, and analyse it not from the point of view of your intention, but because it is there.
Approach
When reading this exercise, I knew what I would use as my subject for this exercise, or should I say who.
As a new mother, I spend all of my time looking after and caring for a baby girl. In the last 7 months she’s come so far and learnt so much. I decided to use this opportunity to photograph her enjoying her new skills – crawling, standing, exploring.
The brief tells us to photograph something we have an empathy with. Collins dictionary describes empathy as “the ability to share another person’s feelings and emotions as if they were your own”. [1].
I’d like to think as her mother, I feel what she feels and am excited by the things that excite her. I think spending most days with her, especially through lockdown – due to Covid-19 – we have formed a bond which allows me to really be proud of how she is growing and changing. Because of her, I am also growing and changing.
I read through the exemplars given in the exercise by previous students. Both were very insightful but also, two very different approaches. I found that to be very useful. Two different takes on the same breif, and both fulfilling what was asked of them. [2]. [3].
My Select
The brief for exercise 5.1 tells us to make our select based on what we captured. I did not plan anything in particular that I wanted to capture. Knowing that she is new to crawling in the last 4 weeks, I also knew planning a shot wasn’t going to go as I thought anyway. All I really ‘planned’ was to wait for a time when she was happy and exploring, then to just take photos and capture what she was doing.
‘Where shall we go next?’
F/9.0 – 1/200s – ISO 800 – flash on – 50mm lens
The reason I chose this shot is I felt it was natural. A candid shot of baby off to find the next new thing. If I had been planning the shot I would have wanted a cleaner background, perhaps a studio style so there were no distracting features behind her such as the radiator. However, I like how natural the pose is. Shes just crawling away from the balls she had left around the room. I feel this shows a little of the reality of having a little one in the house. I’m not overly happy with the lighting as it was taken with flash. It seems a little harsh but I had to use a quicker shutter speed to avoid blurring. This photo was taken in manual mode.
Contact Sheets
Analysing My Shots
I wanted to look at the photos I hadn’t chosen as my select image. There were a few I picked between and I wanted to also include why I didn’t go with these shots.
This is probably my favourite photo from this exercise. However, the lighting wasn’t great so this would need editing to brighten it up in my opinion. I used flash in some photos just to see the different results. I like that she’s not looking directly at the camera. I like the balls in the background showing she had been playing. I would also remove the white from the top right corner.
I felt my select was a better image than this just because she wasn’t looking. I prefer my subjects to be just doing what they were doing. I enjoy a more candid approach to photgraphy.
I would have liked this photo better if the frame were wider. I feel its a little cropped which leads me to wonder what shes looking at. Also, the focus is on her ear & shoulder, rather than the eyes. I feel that’s the key to a good photograph of a person. It was hard to get the correct focus with such a quick mover. This is something I need to work on moving forward. I do like the blur of the background in this shot, it doesn’t feel too distracting as it may have if all the frame was in focus.
Make a Google Images search for ‘landscape’, ‘portrait’, or any ordinary subject such as ‘apple’or ‘sunset’. Add a screengrab of a representative page to your learning log and note down the similarities you find between the images. Now take a number of your own photographs of the same subject, paying special attention to the ‘Creativity’ criteria at the end of Part One. You might like to make the subject appear ‘incidental’, for instance by using focus or framing. Or you might begin with the observation of Ernst Haas, or the ‘camera vision’ of Bill Brandt. Or if you’re feeling bold you might forget about your camera completely and think about the tricky question of originality in a different way – http://penelopeumbrico.net/index.php/project/suns/
Add a final image to your learning log, together with a selection of preparatory shots. In your notes describe how your photograph or representation differs from your Google Images source images of the same subject.
Research
When first looking at the breif and reading back through the text leading up to the brief, I felt as though I had not grasped what was asked of me. When looking at the work of Chris Steele-Perkins, seeing Mount Fugi photographed amongst everyday things, I felt as though something may have clicked.
[1] School Children Practice Baseball Between Gotemba and Fuginomiya
My understanding now, is that I am being asked to look past what a Google search would show me for something which is photographed regularly, and look for a different way of capturing it. To look past the ordinary and create something new, or something from a different perspective.
From here I went on to look at Bill Brandt and what the course guide described as “camera vision”. Brandt often cropped his images down from the negatives, to enhance the structure within the frame. This was something that wasn’t really done as other photographers printed straight from negatives, no editing.
Brandt was also known for using his family as the subjects in his photos. Therefore, creating his images rather than just capturing a moment. Which differs to the work previously looked at in part three by Henri Cartier-Bresson, who photographed exactly as he saw.
My approach
Originally, my plan was to capture ‘leaves’. I intended on capturing them with litter, to take away from the usual picture when doing a Google search. I uploaded these photos anyway, which can be found here. However, I thought I could create something better with this.
So, I then went on to do my photos of Himley Hall. When doing my Google search, much like the example of Mount Fugi in the course guide, the images were all the picture perfect, idealistic version of what people want to see. I’ve added my screen grabs below.
Screen grab [4]
I hadn’t planned to photograph Himley Hall for this exercise. But I took my daughter for a walk and I wondered why I hadn’t chose this as my subject. I had thought of Dudley Castle as a possibility as I liked the idea of changing what is the ‘expected’ of a place, in the same way Chris Steele-Perkins did with his collection of Mount Fugi.
Himley Hall is an 18th century building which sits amongst 180 acres of land. I have always loved walking around the grounds and taking in the views of the hall. I found the following on their website:
“Once the family home to the Earls of Dudley and host to royalty and high society, today it is a glamorous setting for civil wedding ceremonies and receptions and other special occasions as well as Indulgent Afternoon Teas, prestigious conference facilities and guided tours.” [5]
I felt the best way to get the right shots for this was to find the things within the grounds which obscure the views. Unlike Mount Fugi, Himley Hall cannot be seen from far away. I had to be within the grounds to take my photographs, however, there are plenty of things which would be avoided in the usual images of it on a google search such as bins and signage – in particular the signage to ask visitors to keep off the grass.
Contact Sheets
My work
There are a few images here I really liked to show the opposite of a Google search.
With a broken piece & a missing part of the low fence. Then an obscured view, this photo differs from the “postcard perfect” photos we are fed on google. Extra bins available due to the influx of people visiting now we’re in lockdown. Not so pretty. “Keep off”. Not the most inviting of images, unlike my Google search.
Reflection
I have always loved Himley Hall. With the grounds surrounding it, it’s the perfect place for a walk. Long or short, there are many paths to take. Some leading off in to the woods, a pathway around the lake and a general walk within the parkland.
I really enjoyed this project. It was really interesting to have to look at something I’ve seen so many times, with a fresh pair of eyes. I really liked looking for a shot which doesn’t necessarily take away from the hall, but shows that its not always green grass and blue skies.
I think this project could have also been really interesting if there had been more people around. I could have shown what it is really like when you turn up on a sunny weekend! The park gets so busy that warning signs have been put out due to covid-19 restrictions and for a time the park was closed.
Use a combination of quality, contrast, direction and colour to light an object in order to reveal its form. For this exercise, we recommend that you choose a natural or organic object such as an egg or stone rather than a man-made object. Man-made or cultural artefacts can be fascinating to light but they’re already authored to some degree, which requires interpretation by the photographer; this exercise is just about controlling the light to reveal form. You don’t need a studio light for this exercise; a desk lamp or even window light will be fine, although a camera flash that you can use remotely is a useful tool. The only proviso is that you can control the way the light falls on the subject. Take some time to set up the shot. If you’re shooting an egg, you should think about emptying it first so that it will stand up. This is really a topic for advanced students at Level 3 but you may get some help from Google. The background for your subject will be crucial. For a smallish object, you can tape a large sheet of paper or card to the wall as an ‘infinity curve’ which you can mask off from the main light source by pieces of card. You don’t need to use a curve if you can manage the ‘horizon line’ effectively – the line where the surface meets background. Taking a high viewpoint will make the surface the background, in which case the surface you choose will be important to the shot. Exposure times will be much longer than you’re used to (unless you’re using flash) and metering and focusing will be challenging. The key to success is to keep it simple. The important thing is to aim for four or five unique shots – either change the viewpoint, the subject or the lighting for each shot. Add the sequence to your learning log. Draw a simple lighting diagram for each of your shots showing the position of the camera, the subject and the direction of the key light and fill. Don’t labour the diagrams; quick sketches with notes will be just as useful as perfect graphics.
Research
As suggested, I had a look at the work of Jean Baptiste Huynh. Whilst looking through his collections, it surprised me that his work was mostly done with a black background. When originally reading this breif I had white backgrounds in mind, I think due to the focus on ‘light’ rather than thinking of lighting the object.
When looking through, I enjoyed how the plain background allowed me to focus on the subject being photographed without distraction by what else is going on in the frame. I particularly liked the collection, ‘meteorites (2007)’ as I think they gave me some context of what this exercise is asking of me. An example of the collection is below.
In this image, I particularly liked how the light shows the texture of the meteor. The light and shadow allow you to see the surface clearly. With no distraction from a busy background, my focus is solely on the meteor.
Meteorite 3, 2007
Approach
Before my research in to Jean Baptiste Huynh, I had only thought of using a stone with a smooth surface. I had originally thought I would use one I have in the house (due to lockdown, I’ve been collecting smooth rocks to paint!) However, the ‘meteorites’ collection showed me how an uneven surface can give very interesting results.
For the contact sheets below, I used a chair, with a black top tied around it – as it was the only thing I could think of in the house to create the infinity curve.
I set my camera infront of the chair on a tripod level to the chair. I used a 50mm lens. On the last few photos, I used some coloured filter lenses, they didn’t fit on the lens so I had to hold them in front. I set the camera to a 2 second timer to capture the image to reduce any shake.
My set up. Three filters I used & the strip light. I also used the torch from my phone.
My work
F/22 – 1″ – ISO 640F/10 – 1/6s – ISO 500F/10 – 1/6s – ISO 3200F/22 – 1/1s – ISO 3200
Reflection
This exercise wasn’t as I expected. I thought I’d enjoy it more. Perhaps thats my own fault and I needed to be more creative? Or perhaps the point was to create an exercise which just gives us a chance to try something out that someone like me- an amateur- would probably not have tried to photograph before.
I found trying to keep note of the lighting positions quite difficult. The breif asked us to do a basic drawing of our set up. But each photo meant a change to capture something different. That’s a lot to take note of if taking quite a few photos. Maybe it was more about quality than quantity.
I tried to create something different within the frames by changing the position of the stone and using coloured filters. I used 2 light sources which I think worked to give me different effects.
If I were to try this again, I would try a variation of different ‘stones’ and maybe try this in a darkened room to put the emphasis on the artificial light.
To do this exercise, the only thing I had to create the black background was a top. This is also something I’d change if doing this again. The top did not give a smooth background. Although I’m the shots I’ve chosen, I’m hoping that’s not too obvious. If I were to do it again, I would go out to purchase a large sheet of card to create rhe background. I would probably also try different colours.
Having said that, this exercise for me, was to explore the possibility to light something myself. Its not something I have attempted before as I’ve mainly used natural light. The exercise gave me the reason to give this style of photography a go, which I may never have done if I had not taken on this course.
Capture ‘the beauty of artificial light’ in a short sequence of shots (‘beauty’ is, of course, a subjective term). The correct white balance setting will be important; this can get tricky -but interesting – if there are mixed light sources of different colour temperatures in the same shot. You can shoot indoors or outside and the light can be ambient or handheld flash. Add the sequence to your learning log. In your notes try to describe the difference in the quality of light from the daylight shots in Exercise 4.1.
Research
When reading through project two, I followed the link suggested for Sato Shintaro’s “Night Light” photography. I found the set quite inspiring. I really liked how the photos are so bright with colour, yet you can see the darkness of the night surrounding the artificial light. This collection straight away made me excited to start this project. Although, a little concerned that this kind of light could not be found local to me. Especially with lockdown still in place, much of the high street has been closed and I’m unsure how much of it remains that way. An example of Shintaro’s work is below. It reminds me of graphic novels, perhaps due to me working in a book store for over 11 years! It also reminded me of the work of Andy Warhol.
I also looked in to the work of Rut Bleed Luxemburg. I was surprised to find it completely the opposite of Shintaro’s work. Considering they have both photographed artificial light, they are so different.
While Shintaro’s “Night Light” has big, bold, stand out colours, Luxemburg’s photography is much more subtle, golden & quiet.
The main thing that stood out to me about the photographs in this article, was how quiet they are. They were taken in London. When I think of London, ‘quiet’ is not a word which comes to mind. I think of a busy, thriving city. I have only been to London a couple of times, but whilst there, even in the parks, I didn’t think of it as quiet. This, again, shows me lighting can change everything from how you think of a place, to the mood of a photograph, to changing our perceptions/ expectations of a place.
Contact Sheets
My work
One. F/22 – 1/13 – ISO 3200 Two. F/29 – 1/4s – ISO 3200 Three. F/29 – 3″ – ISO 3200 Four. F/10 – 1″ – ISO 1000Five. F/10 – 1″ – ISO 2000Six. 1F/10 – 1″ – ISO 1000
In photo one, I particularly liked the little star of light that has appeared in one of the gaps in the shade. I was really drawn to it when first viewing the photo, I ike that it gives that ‘ping of light. This lamp gives off a striped effect, which lights the room well. In comparison to the photos I took in the woods, where there were pockets of light, this light is also quite harsh in the centre as the bulb is bright. However, the light given off has more structure, whereas the sunshine moved throughout the trees changing as it did so.
In photos Two and Three, i wanted to capture the bedside lamps. Such an ordinary thing to turn on each night/ morning. But I’ve never really considered the light they give off.
I’m pleased with photos Five and Six. I like the colour the candle gives off. Because the candle and the whiskey have the same golden brown tones, i think they mix well to give a really soft glow. The light feels really smooth, like honey. In comparison to my photos of natural daylight, these are much more subtle and have a greater romance to them.
Reflection
In this exercise I would have loved to go out and capture artificial light on the streets. I was really enthused by the work of Sato Shintaro. All the colours within one frame and such a bold collection. Unfortunately with a very small baby, and lockdown limiting whats open & their opening hours, it feels outdoor night photography is a little out of my reach at the moment. Perhaps this is something I can have another look at in the future.
I actually quite enjoyed photographing the candle & whiskey. I wasn’t trying to create the perfect image, just show the light. Looking at the photographs afterwards, I found myself thinking image Five had a lovely light around the base of the bottle which would look better cropped…
I enjoyed finding things around the house to photograph for this exercise. Its just difficult finding time to photograph in the hours when it is dark at the moment. There is still natural light outside until after 20.30. But the street lights have gone off by the time baby wakes at around 06.00. This is an exercise I would probably enjoy looking at again in the future if I had more time to explore it properly.
Taking the photography of Mann, Atget or Schmidt or a photographer of your own choosing as your starting point, shoot a number of photographs exploring the quality of natural light. The exercise should be done in manual mode and the important thing is to observe the light, not just photograph it. In your learning log, and using the descriptions above as your starting point, try to describe the quality of the light in your photographs in your own words.
Research
As recommended in the course guide, for this exercise, I looked at the work of Eugene Atget. Two examples were given within the quote about his work. These are the ones I looked at to see the difference in his approach.
Environs, Amiens – Eugene Atget [1]
In the photograph above, so much light is in this frame. Washington’s National Gallery of Art is quoted as saying Atget “sought to illuminate his subject with an even clarity, the best to convey information. He usually made such images – see, for example, Environs, Amiens – in the middle of the day, when shadows were minimal.”
Parc de Sceaux – Eugene Atget [2]
“Parc de Sceaux” has such a different feel to “Environs, Amiens”. Although by the same photographer, and an outdoor photograph. This comparison really shows to me how much different light can change a photograph. One shows a bright scene, no shadows, very clear view, easy to see what’s within the frame. However, the second, shows a more shaded photo. No bright, harsh light. Perhaps helped by the shade from the trees. But, still, the subject is clear to see.
Whilst looking on YouTube for tips on how to get the best from daylight photography, I came across a British photographer, Bob Holmes. Holmes explains he has been labelled as a travel photographer due to his work for magazines such as national geographic. However, he describes himself as taking all kinds of photos, for example portraits, whilst capturing images for travel and therefore describes himself as a documentary photographer.
I watched some YouTube videos and had a look through his Instagram account. The videos gave me a lot of information about capturing natural light at it’s best. These are some of the tips I picked up (as quotes from the videos) ;
“learn to see as the camera sees” [3]
“Scan the edges of the frame” [4]
“Learn by taking photographs” [5]
“When you’re looking at the back of your camera, you’re missing the photograph in front of you” [5]
“Be conciously aware of anything you are looking at” [5]
I found reference 6 and 7 most helpful. The notes I made from [6] are:
“Know what you want to shoot and do it quickly” – lighting changes quickly. “You can almost shoot anything, in any lighting conditions, without using flash” – with modern cameras. Keep ISO as low as possible. But use a higher ISO in darker scenes instead of flash. “People photography isn’t just about faces” “Portrait isn’t all about a face” “Think. Shoot intelligently.” “Learn to look at light. Learn how your camera reacts to it” “In photography you need to practice as much as learning to play a musical instrument”
The notes I made from reference [7] are:
“Rather than light someone, I move them to the light”. Use a newspaper to bounce some light back. Bright sunlight – shoot into the sun. Golden hours – when sunlight/moonlight is the “prettiest” Blue hour – after the sun has gone down Decisive moment – “more important when you have small figures” within a frame. “you have to make sure that peoples legs are apart or thier arms are apart. Look for that little gesture”. Decisive moment exists in everything, even portraiture.
Vinales_012016_9545.jpg – Vinales, Cuba, tobacco farming in the Vinales Valley. [8]
The image above was taken in sunlight. With the person moved with his back to the sun. The image below was the image displayed when Holmes said he moves people to the light rather than artificially lighting them.
Vinales_012016_10075.jpg – Cuba, [9]
My Work
I took some photos of my daughter whilst she slept. On that day, the sky was overcast, but there was grey light coming in to the room. Even though the sky was dull, it still provided ample lighting to clearly show her sleeping face. The light was strong enough to produce quite harsh shadows next to her. I think the first photo works better as the light is more subtle than the second – the light there is quite harsh where she lays and her face seems unevenly lit.
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Whilst walking round a local park, I took the opportunity to capture the light. On this day the weather was very changeable. When I arrived, there was light rain. This turned to a heavier rain, which then cleared up and the sun shone brightly. Giving me a great day to capture the different lighting upon a beautiful setting.
Photos 3 & 4 weren’t taken too far apart time wise, but there is quite a difference. Number 3 showing a grey reflection from an overcast sky, and number 4 showing a cloudy sky with bits of blue coming through. In both of these I liked the reflection of light across the water, particularly over the ripples from rain and movement of birds and perhaps fish which are not seen. Image 3 feels quite dull to me, like there’s a grey mist covering it. It feels lifeless. However image 4, perhaps if cropped, feels a little more alive. The flash of blue in the reflection gives a feel of a more summery day. The plants look more vibrant. The trees feel greener somehow.
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In images 5 and 6, I stood for a while watching the sun take away the previous dullness. Spreading a warm glow over the land, with the trees providing a shelter. When looking back at these two photos side by side, I notice how the young girl on her bike basks in the dun while waiting for Dad to catch up to her, whilst the elderly couple who walked in the grounds took to the shade. The contrast between the sun and the shadows is quite harsh. There are obvious spots of more and less light. I like the framing of them together to show the difference the trees here can make. The 2 images would be quite different if they were all shade or all sun.
Image 5 was taken with the sun to my left. And image 6 with it from my right. You can see how that creates the darkness in the shadows, however, it must have been close above as the shadows don’t stretch out across the floor, unlike image 7.
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Image 7 & image 9, again I took as the light has 2 totally different effects on what you see.
In image 7, I was interested in how the tree closest to the camera seems darker than the trees of the background. Perhaps due to the positioning of the sun, perhaps the colour of the trees themselves? With image 9 I really liked just how dark it was under that tree in comparison to the grass.
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In photos 10-16, I was happy to find parts of the woods which were only partly covered by the trees, allowing me to capture pockets of light rather than a completely sunlit/ shadowed frame. I like that the little amount of sunlight draws you in to the photo, creating a little mystery as you have to look for the part where the light is.
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In image 17, I was drawn to the spiders web only because of how the sun had shone on it on this day. It made me wonder whether it had been there on the numerous times I’d walked past before, but I’d never noticed it? Having something in the foreground brighter than the background gives a part to focus on.
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In the photos below, I remembered the video I watched with Bob Holmes. He was talking of the importance of looking at the whole frame when you take a photo. [4]. Just because there’s something you want to photograph, you have to look at the whole frame, not just the subject. That sprung to mind when taking these shots. I thought they were framed nicely. The day was bright and the fields lit evenly. Although, in image 18, it would be nicer without the post & cables through it.
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Reflection
Photos 1-9 were taken on the same day. This wasn’t the aim of my walk on this day. However, I was really happy to find the changing weather allowed me to capture some different perspectives over the time I was there.
Photos 10-19 were taken in the same location but on different occasions. I find it quite helpful to revisit a place on different days / different times of day, especially when focusing on light, as that changes day by day, hour by hour, allowing me to see things which were not apparent to me before.
I enjoyed taking the time to look at the light, rather than looking for a photograph. I often get caught up in trying to take the nicest photo rather than looking to take the detail in.
Whilst taking photos for this, I was surprised to see how much a photo can change over a minute. On a day with weather like this, I felt I had to take the photo as I saw it before the light changed again.
As I wrote in my research, Bob Holmes said “Know what you want to shoot and do it quickly”. [6]. This is entirely true as weather is not something you can control.
This exercise has taught me to look a little more. Lighting is such a big part within a frame. Yes, it is important to get the right image and select the correct settings, however, good lighting makes such a difference.
Find a good viewpoint, perhaps fairly high up (an upstairs window might do) where you can see a wide view or panorama. Start by looking at the things closest to you in the foreground. Then pay attention to the details in the middle distance and then the things towards the horizon. Now try and see the whole view together, from the foreground to horizon (you can move your eyes). Include the sky in your observation and try to see the whole visual field together, all in movement. When you’ve got it, raise your camera and release the shutter. Add the picture and a description of the process to your learning log.
Approach
While stuck in isolation, due to covid-19, I sat upstairs in my house looking out of the window for the inspiration for this task. The view from the back of my house isn’t that great, so I chose a front window.
Originally when thinking about this task, I had planned to take my camera to our nearest shopping centre, using the top of the multi-storey car park to take advantage of the view. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, that isn’t an option at the moment. I didn’t want to put off the task as we don’t really know when we will be aloud out of our houses at the moment, so it could be weeks before getting to do what I’d planned. So I chose to use the view I have.
To take the shots I first used a 50mm lens. I thought I may be able to get a better frame with a wider lens, so I swapped to a 10-18mm lens. After taking one photo with it, there was too much in the frame compared to what I wanted to see. So I moved to my kit lens, 18-55mm
My Work
1/200 – f8.0 – ISO 100
Reflection
Whilst looking out, I saw across peoples houses, their gardens, past all the windows, through the trees and into the landscape in the distance. When trying to see my shot, I wanted something in the foreground, to give the viewer a sense of the depth within the frame. I thought the fence would work. Having reviewed the shots, the bush probably works better as the colour draws you to it.
I wanted to include the tree on the left as it adds some height to the frame. I wanted to avoid the cable in the top left but couldn’t find a position which would cut it out without loosing the tree. I like the curve of the wall in the foreground, and the zig zag of the different fences leading you through the middle of the frame. I also like that the green is mirrored in the foreground and background across the frame where you’re also led by the garden greenery up the middle.
I would have liked to do this task from a different viewpoint, somewhere with some movement of people or vehicles. I think that would have added something interesting to the frame.
This task was enjoyable to take the time to sit and take in a view before taking a photo. Especially whilst in isolation. It was good to sit and appreciate a view I see everyday, and really look at it instead of just glancing past it.
“Write up your research on the decisive moment in your learning log taking care to give a proper account of the three differing views offered above, and any further research you’ve undertaken independently. What do you feel personally about the decisive moment as a visual strategy, or just as a way to take pictures? Conclude your post with your own perspective on the debate at this point in time.”.
Colin Pantall
When reviewing Paul Grahams photobook, ‘The Present’, Pantall talks of how it seems there are no connections between the photographer and the people or places within the frames, and there seems no connection between the people who are in the photograph together. I find this an interesting way of photographing everyday life. We see so often in portraits / weddings/ events photography that the subject of the image is the real focus and there are relationships shown within those frames. Whether that be the people within the frame or the subject and the photographer. However, do these images show the opposite. Pantall describes how the people in the images look “hurried, harassed and distant” and that “These people could be anywhere”. I think that is a great way of capturing the truth in the scene. [1]
Pantall describes a rhythm whilst looking through the book. Also, of how everyone seems to view it in the same way. I wonder if that would be what Graham intended when creating it. Is the purpose to make you look and then look back. To do that over and over. To get you to look in to the photographs in more detail to ‘spot the difference’. It shows how things move on in a matter of seconds, how a frame can be completely different, even though taken in exactly the same place.
Zouhair Ghazzal
Ghazzals article describes how the decisive moment for Henri Cartier-Bresson involves the gestures of people. How no two gestures are the same and that is what creates the frame. He describes how “The decisive moment is therefore that infinitely small and unique moment in time which cannot be repeated, and that only the photographic lens can capture”. This to me is a great way of thinking of the decisive moment – a brief moment captured, which, without a camera shutter at the correct time, would have been missed. He also says “the decisive moment works best when the sudden cut in time and space that the photograph operates through the release of the shutter is meaningful”. Again implying the camera is essential in capturing these small gestures.
In contrast, Ghazzal describes the work of Walker Evans. How he “mapped the American landscape at a time when all kinds of new technologies were being introduced, and most of them look static—as if inviting the viewer to keep looking on for ever—with no bodily gestures to distract”. Perhaps showing the decisive moment takes away from the frame. If there are no gestures, there is nothing to distract your attention from the landscape or anything else in the frame. [2]
However, when looking through the book, American photographs, there are many photographs which would not be the same without the gestures of the people within them. As an example, image 41 “couple at Coney Island, New York, 1928” shown below. This image shows the simple gesture of an arm around each other, the romance of looking over the water together, a couples love for each other.
[3] COUPLE AT CONEY ISLAND, NEW YORK, 1928.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
August 22nd 1908 – August 3rd 2004
I learned a lot about Cartier-Bresson from the documentary, H. Cartier-Bresson: L’amour tout court. The main thing being his genuine love for photography. Which can be seen throughout this short film. [4]
Before watching this I had come across his name a few times. I was surprised to learn he had been in prison. But that explains his involvement with the photography workshop in Fleury-Merogis youth unit. Whilst in Khoni prison, Georgia, Klavdig Sluban seems to have difficulty to get the inmates to take part at first. With someone else explaining “it’s for your own pleasure”. When talking to the group, Sluban tells them “what’s interesting in photography is the composition, not just pressing a button”. Painter Avigdor Arikha also spoke of the importance of composition. I found this to be quite relevant to previous tasks, as composition has been a lot of the focus, for example the tasks around leading lines & perspective.
Yves Bonnefoy reminisces over a photo taken by HCB, of a square where children were sitting/playing. He recalls not seeing HCB even raising his camera, slowing down or even dropping conversation to take the shot, and how he himself never even noticed there were children there, even though the square was usually empty. He talks of how that lets us better understand Cartier-Bressons relationship to photography, and how “others are always distracted and unobservant”. Saying that HCB is “on the lookout” and “ready to react”.
When talking of photography, one of the things HCB said really stood out to me. “You have to feel it intuitively. Sensitivity, intuition… A sense of geometry. That’s all there is to it”. I particularly liked this quite as I’ve always thought of photography as something you need to have an “eye” for, rather than something which can be completely learnt.
Later in the documentary, HCB told of how he doesn’t like to travel. Although he had been to many places, he liked to just go and live. He said “I like being in a country and looking around”. That he “lived and recorded things on camera”. Even to the point that he took the photos, then sent them off to other countries to be developed without even looking at them. How confident he must be in his conviction of the frame, to not even review to check he got what he wanted.
Also towards the end, when speaking of the need to be invisible at things such as funerals, it was said how HCB “never wanted the people he photographed to realise what he was doing” because once they do “they pose, they put on masks”. This is something we see every day. Whether through our own photography or through social media. Also, ourselves. When someone points a camera towards us, we automatically smile, as that’s what we’ve always seen, it’s just a natural response. To capture truth within a frame, it is important to try to be invisible to get a true representation of what is in front of us. Perhaps that’s how HCB caught the photo of the man jumping over a puddle, because he could not see him to take the photo, so he could not see HCB either and carried on as if nobody was looking.
Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, Pont de l’Europe, Paris, 1932 [6]
One of the things said within this film, I believe, was a real compliment to HCB. “For we know that this tool is, as much as his hand, a part of his body, or, even better, a part of his soul”. I think that is a massive compliment to how Henri Cartier-Bresson thought about his camera and his profession. There was a real love there for it and a genuine talent for seeing the frame he wanted to take, in a split second, and capturing it.
My view at this point
As a way of photographing, I like the idea of the decisive moment. I like the idea of capturing a moment in time which was not forced or posed. I have always liked the truth of street photography and how natural the people within a frame look. Instead of looking at the camera and faking a smile / expression, you capture someone’s true emotion. For me, that’s what photography is about.
I do appreciate a more structured photo and there are definitely times where that is needed too. Depending on circumstances and the kind of thing you are trying to capture. Even so, when photographing people, there are still gestures which make the moment special. A genuine laugh, a kiss, a grab of a hand. After watching Cartier-Bresson, I feel the decisive moment has been romanticised for me. In a way of capturing perfection, little moments, a loving touch, a ‘snapshot’ in someone’s life.
However, when reading Pantall’s review he has an almost opposite opinion. That the decisive moment in some ways shows the distancing between people in the real world. A lack of connection, perhaps a reflection of the fast paced world we live in. Too busy to enjoy what’s around us? Too stressed to take a minute to slow down and look around?
I’m writing this whilst sat in my house, in isolation, due to the covid-19 pandemic. It seems to have given people a chance to slow down. Most people have been told to stay home. To only take one essential trip per day. I’ve noticed so many more people walking past my house. Now people finally have the time to take that walk, and appreciate what we actually have rather than focusing on work and other stresses of every day life. I wonder how this would change street photography now? Although there would be less/no people around if you took a camera to a high street or shopping centre, there are more people taking the time to walk. To look around. To talk to their loved ones. We live just down the road from a little village, so the food shops there are still open and therefore people are still using them. Watching people cross the road to avoid walking past strangers is odd, although necessary, and I wonder how these people would translate in a photo now in comparison to when the shops were busy. Unfortunately, due to my asthma, I really am limiting how often I go out, so like many others, I haven’t seen the ‘real world’ for a while.
I want to take this opportunity to look back through my photographs and find what I could now consider a decisive moment. Although, if they weren’t taken for the decisive moment, were they in fact just reality caught in a photograph? Would this be considered as candid photography rather than a decisive moment. Does a title change how you view the image and what meaning it takes on? These are things to be considered going forward in my photography journey.
Let’s Go!They’re Coming!OK, Just a Little…This wasn’t to share…One more?Photo SpottingYou’re Embarrassing MeA Walk Up TownWho Did It BetterA New Found Love
[3] Evans, W (1928) Couple at Coney Island, New York [photograph] In: Evans, W. American photographs (2012) The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Part 1, image 41.
- Sarah Gough OCA Blog - 