Jen Dennison

Still life final image 

I went and did my research for still life and then went and captured some of my own still life photography.

I went out and captured this image of a mannequin. I controlled the lighting by deciding to use a flash light to illuminate the subject and dimmed the natural lighting of the room. I also changed the background to make sure the subject was the most dominant thing of the photograph, and played around with the camera settings to ensure that I got the best photo possible. I found the texture of the background interesting which is why I chose to keep it instead of altering it.

Because I joined photography late, the cameras available for me to use were of significantly lowers specs than others, so for next time I will go to a camera workshop and loan a better camera so I can get a higher quality image.  Other than that, the process went smoothly and I now have the necessary skills needed to be able to take a good still life photo.

Final image photographs: 

Final image concept

Young people and politics are never seen as something that goes together. Adults think young people are apathetic, too lazy or just simply too dumb to vote. Politicians never think to target young people, as they think they will do nothing to improve their statistics. Is this view true though? As a young person, I don’t think it is. I’ve watched my friends have long debates on the matter. I’ve watched young people at political rally’s up and down the country. I believe that young people are actually one of the most influence groups in the country, and that their vote counts as this is the one that helps shape the future for them. I also believe politics has the power to either divide or join us together. To show this in photography form, I decided to gather some students and get them to write down on a sign who they voted for and why- thus showing their political stance and proving to the world that young people do care and they do have a voice when it comes to politics. I wanted this to be done in the form on portraits of each person as this seemed the best way to show it.

Influences

I looked at many portrait artists when doing this project, but one that really stood out to me was Diane Arbus, who was a portrait photographer who operated in New York city from 1950-1971. Although her work is not linked with my project in terms of the political theme, her images evoke a sense of uncertainty within me, a sense of wanting to know more about the subjects and their lives and this was one thing I would have liked to recreate with my own images. Diane Arbus liked photographing people who other people deemed “flawed” and from this she created a gritty, raw, but real and honest look at the streets of New York. Her photography inspired me as it all the images she took seem to tell a story- I’m not just looking at a photo of a person, I’m looking at a unique portrait of what it was like to exist in society at that time and place. Her images always bring a feeling of intrigue with them, a feeling of not being satisfied with what is simply shown in the image, of wanting to know more.

 

Here are some examples of images she took:

(images from her book- Diane Arbus, Diane Arbus)

Her use of black and white colouring within her portraits is what inspired me to edit my portraits this way. Black and white seems to be one of the cause of the intrigue that comes with her images to me- the lack of colour just makes the images seem all the more mysterious. From looking at her images I also liked how spontaneous some of her images feel, they make the subject appear more candid and real. This is something I thought about when taking my own images and made sure to take a few photo’s- some when the subject was not expecting it to make them seem more relaxed and less “posed”

Diane Arbus’s style is said to be “Direct and Unadorned, a frontal portrait cantered in a square format. Her pioneering use of flash in daylight isolated the subjects from the background, which contributed to the photos’ surreal quality” (Fox, Catherine. “Snapshot/Diane Arbus: True Portrait Lies Outside Film.” The Atlanta Journal–Constitution Dec 03 2006 ProQuest. 2 Mar. 2017)

 

Alternative images:

Photography is all about trial and error, and in my case, there was a lot of error. Some of the photos came out not in focus, the subject looking away, issues with lighting etc. However, it was through this error that I managed to create my final images. I had to move the lights a couple of times to get the right amount of exposure- in some of the earlier shots the subjects appeared very dark and shadowed, a look I did not want.

When choosing my final images, I went with the ones that looked the most aesthetically pleasing to me- the ones that were most in focus and that showed the subjects in the best light. I then edited them in photoshop to fine tune them. I wanted to make the photo’s black and white as I feel this made the pictures look more intriguing and dramatic, and was in the style of Diane Arbus. I also wanted to edit out any creases shown in the background material and photoshop allowed me to do this.

Reflection:

If I could redo the whole project again, I would have some students from different university’s involved, and people from different political parties involved. This is something I did try to organise while working on the project, however no one seemed available to come to a shoot. This to me would show diversity within my project and make the “divide” theme a little more obvious. However, the project did offer me an opportunity to talk to people about politics and put ideas out there about how important voting is and how young people have a voice and a say in how the country is run. I feel politics is a very interesting subject and there are many roads I could have taken with this project, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.

The final images all work well together I believe as they are aesthetically similar, and the composition, lighting and other visual elements remain the same in all five of the photos. There are some things however that I would like to change if I got the chance- one of them being the position of the subjects as I feel that they are all not perfectly centred and this makes the pictures appear kind of skewed and distorted. In terms of their overall “look” however I am pleased with the images I got, and am satisfied with the overall outcome of the project.

 

 

Week 4

Still life photography

For our task for week 4, we were asked to capture an object not in its natural environment. Here are some examples of some photo’s my group took during a workshop:

As you can see from the photo’s, the lighting in these photographs is very controlled, and so are other aspects such as the background and the settings on the camera.

During my workshop today, i practised portrait photography as this is what i’m planning on doing for my final project.

 This photo achieved a similar effect to what I want for my final project, i.e very in focus and with the correct amount of exposure.

Research for still life

For still life, I looked into 3 photographers, each of which had their own unique style.

Evelyn Bencicova

Evelyn Bencicova is a still life artist who creates pictures with an eerie, dream-like vibe. On her website, her work is described as having an “individual aesthetic”

 http://evelynbencicova.com/about

Her work is very conceptual based. She is described as having the “conceptual meet the visual”

The lighting used is usually very soft, giving the images their dreamlike vibe.

Irving Penn  

Irving Penn is another still life artist who’s work is now shown in exhibitions all around the world. He created still life images that used focused on texture of an object. He preferred taking images in a studio as this trimmed away “anything that was not essential to his compositions”

https://www.irvingpenn.org/biography

Bas Meeuws

Bas Meeuws is a dutch still life photographer who’s images try to recreate the look and feel of traditional 17th century dutch still life. To do this, he mainly photographed flowers as this was the way of traditional dutch still life. His work has “undergone a clear development” since the rise of digital camera’s. His composition used to be “frontal and strongly symmetrical” but over the decades he has experimented with light, depth and composition.

Over Bas

 

As you can see from the photo’s, his photo’s were always taken in a studio so he could achieve the right feel of the photo’s.

Research for final project 

Which of the words given in the brief document have you selected, and why?

I have selected the term “divide” and I have decided to base my final project on politics as this is a subject which divides many members of the Public. I chose this topic as I think in present times its a very big and controversial issue and something that needs to be addressed. Many photographers focus on topics which are important at the time, and this is something I’d like to do for my final project.

What do you want to point your camera at?

I want to photograph students and members of the public holding signs (portrait photography)- and on the signs have them say who they voted for in the most recent elections and why. I think this will be an interesting subject as it will show how students think, and how they have an effect on the way our country operates.

Why are you interested in this subject?

I think these days politics is a very controversial topic with people having very drastic opinions, and this will be something that is very interesting to photograph. I also think many adults have a notion that young people don’t care about politics and don’t vote, and hopefully my final project will help change this idea.

What do you hope an audience will take from your images?

I hope my audience will take that young people are actually very opinionated when it comes to politics, and we help shape the country by deciding who we want in charge.  I also want the audience to see the different viewpoints we have when it comes to our ideal candidate, and how these viewpoints can affect the vote.

What areas of research are you considering to help deepen your understanding of the subject you have chosen?

I am considering going to various political party society meetings that happen at the university to talk to the students and find out who they voted for and why. This will help me understand peoples viewpoints better and observe how strongly these students feel about politics and why it matters to them. To do this I am thinking of conducting interviews. I will also use the internet to conduct some research into what students are doing to make their voices heard.

What practitioner(s) or visual resources would you consider to have influenced you? This not have to be photographic.

Seeing all the articles written in newspapers and online about politics has influenced me, as well as seeing it on TV and seeing posters around advertising peoples campaigns. This has shown me just how relevant politics is in today’s society, which inspired me to photograph it.

What support or equipment might you need to achieve your goals?

To achieve my goals I will need to the support of the university in terms of allowing me to go to various society meetings to talk to the students, and the support of the students and members of the public as they will need to be willing to partake in the project. In terms of equipment, I will need a camera and a tripod as well as the correct lighting to achieve my goals.

Research into politics and political photography:

I researched into political protest photography as these photo’s achieve the effect I am hoping to achieve. One photographer called Phillip Curnow photographs various political protests up and down the country.

I also researched into what the votes had looked like in the last general election in Lincoln.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        This is useful information as it allows me to observe how big the political divide is in this town and how different ideas are when it comes to politics.

I contacted various political societies in Lincoln to ask if I could attend an event and photograph some of the members. These were the responses I received:

 Studying other photographers 

As part of my research, I looked into some other photographers to see how they carried out their planning and work. One photographer that I looked at was Diane Arbus as she was very well known for her portrait photography which is what I am planning to do for my final project. In  one of her books (Diana Arbus, Diane Arbus, 1972) she describes the camera as being “kind of a license” that allows people to let their guard down. She writes that her inspiration comes from seeing people walk down the street- she see’s people’s flaws and thinks that “it’s extrodianry that we should be given these peculiarities. And, not content with that we were given we create a whole other set.” (Arbus, 1972)

“It always seems to me that photography tends to deal with facts whereas film tends to deal with fiction” Arbus writes. “The best example I know is when you go to the movies and you see two people in bed, you’re willing to put aside the fact that you perectly well know that there was a direcyot and a camereman and assorted lighting people all in the same room and the two people in bed weren’t really alone. But when you look at a photograph, you can never put that aside” (Arbus, 1972) This paragraph is really interesting to me as it describes how she interprets photographs. I think every photographer has their own reason why they love photography, and I love hearing them as every reason tends to be different.

Diana’s portrait photo’s use harsh lighting, probably to accentuate the “flaws” that people have that she finds interesting. It appears that she has set up lighting, not used natural lighting, as the light appears too harsh to be natural. The photo’s are always very in focus. This again, may have being a technique used to accentuate people’s features, and their “flaws.” Diana has set up her framing so only the focus is on the person being photographed. Even when they are photographed in their environment, they are usually centred so the focus is on them. The portraits are all in black and white which gives the images a dramatic feel. This is something I might consider for my final project as black and white colouring seems to give the photo’s a more eye catching look- making the audience actually want to pay attention to them and I think as my subject is an important and controversial one, this technique could work for my final project.

 Steve McCurry 

Steve McCurry is another portrait photographer who strongly believes that “photographs are not so much about art as about creating a record, or telling a story, or holding on to a memory about the way things used to be” (Anthony Bannon, 2005) Bannon writes “his gift as an artist is his ability to make the complex seem easy through photography. His pictures get to the heart of the matter” He photographed people in Asia, and the Gulf war, and his images “reveal what it was like to have being there, in that moment, with that person, witness to the drama and to the poetry of colours and forms- gifts of seeing well that occur everyday” (Bannon, 2005)

“The portrait is read with similar purpose and intensity, we search it for clues through which we might know the experience and conditions of the person shwon and perhaps draw from it conclusions about ourselves” Bannon writes. “What is it that finally compels the photographers’s attnetion and compels the viewer to notice and remember? It’s a mystery, It’s magic. It’s an enigma…and yet, I often feel, it’s so obvious”

The portraits all use quite harsh lighting and this helps McCurry correctly display the changing face of Asia, as it makes it easier for the audience to see the effects of what is happening in the country on the persons face. The images are all very in focus, this seems to be common within portrait photography and this is something I should consider when it comes to shooting my final project. The people in the portrait are usually framed centrally so the audiences attention is on them. This is something else that seems to be found a lot in portrait photography, and framing is something I should defiently consider when it comes to creating my final images. The colours used in the image are very strong, which draw the audiences attention to the image. The fact that the background is usually black means the subject usually appears very striking thanks to this colour scheme.

Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham was another portraiture photographer who was around from 1883 to 1976. Here is an example of some portrait photographs she took:

Her images were always shot in black and white and this makes the photo’s appear more abstract and more dramatic. The people used in the shot are usually framed centrally, and this gives them a sense of importance and draws the viewers eyes to the subject. In some shots the subject is out of focus- as seen here:

 

This has an interesting effect on the audience as it makes the image seem slightly less staged- as if Cunningham simply picked up a camera and decided to take a picture there and then. This allows more of the subjects personality to come through. This fits with a quote once said by her in which she states “As a document or record of personality I feel that photography isn’t surpassed by any other graphic” (Imogen Cunningham, Richard Lorenz, 1997)

In his book on Imogen Cunningham, Richard Lorenz states that often what we see in photography is a lie. “The deception can be achieved by multiple methods. The environmental context of the photograph modulates it’s connotative power”

Week 1

Images appropriation- images in the wild.

For our week 1 task, we were asked to go out and photograph an image in the wild- i.e an image that was on public display somewhere around the city of Lincoln. We then had to “release” the image (s) back onto the internet. This is a process known as appropriation and this, by definition, means “to take without permission or consent.”

This is done famously by an artist named Richard Prince who made millions by simply photographing already existing images, editing them a little bit and then releasing them back into the world.  This had very mixed reviews, with some calling him a “jerk” (https://blog.photoshelter.com/2015/05/richard-prince-is-a-jerk/) and some saying he is one of “the coolest artists alive” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3556477/Richard-Prince-the-coolest-artist-alive.html)  Photographer Patrick Cariou tried to file a lawsuit against prince for infringing copyright, but this was never accepted as  the court believed in the right  that artists can use others’ “raw ingredients” in order to create their own works of art (http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-features/news/landmark-copyright-lawsuit-cariou-v-prince-is-settled/)

This was the image I took- originally it was on a poster advertising a screening of “the shining.” I edited the perspective a little bit to make it slightly my own then released it back onto the internet. I decided on using this image as I liked how easy it was to change the perspective on it, meaning even though my task was to essentially “steal” an image I could still somehow make it my own.

Week 2 

For our week 2 task, we were given an image and a series of questions to answer about the image. The image i was assigned can be seen below:

1) I believe this photo was taken around the 1970’s- 1990’s. My reasoning behind this is the decor of the room looks quite dated, and the quality of the photo makes it seem like it was taken on a film camera which were popular around that time.

2) The way the room is decorated signals to me that the photo was taken somewhere in the United Kingdom. There are no real elements of the photo that signal this specifically, its just a general feeling I get from looking at the image.

3) In this photo, the light used is very natural.  It looks as if the photographer has just worked with the natural lighting in that room, and the lighting appears to be coming from a window behind the photographer. The image is slightly out of focus, making the photo appear spontaneous and not staged. The photographer has taken the photograph with a slightly low angle, making the subject appear more important. The main subjects are not framed centrally, again making this photo seem natural and unstaged.  It also makes the room look slightly tilted, giving an chaotic feeling to the photograph. The colours are very subdued, giving this photo a dark and tense mood.

4)  The main subject of the photograph is pointing towards the camera, showing he is acknowledging the photographer. His body is also positioned towards the camera, showing he was ready to be photographed.

5) I think the photographer would have asked the subject to appear a little startled, but otherwise casual.

6) I think the photographer intended for the audience to be a little confused by this image and want context, as its very unexplained and I imagine it leaves the majority of the audience wanting to know more.

week 3- no set task 

week 4- still life (see other blog post)

Week 5- project intentions ( see research blog post)

week 6- studio shoot 

 

week 7- the portrait

For this task, we were asked to take photograph’s of strangers. I was dissatisfied with these photo’s as some of them were not in focus, which I would do differently if I took them again. The lack of focus was due to using the wrong camera settings for the environment- which is something I will make sure to pay attention to next time.

Week 8- no set task

Week 9 seminar task

For week 9, we had to find a place to sit and observe what was going on around us, in the style of Perec.

I sat by the river, and this is what I observed around me:

“the water in the river ripples gently, catching the wind. Around me is the sound of everyday life happening- traffic, university students passing by, the sound of music playing faintly in the distance. The world feels peaceful and calm here, nobody feels rushed”