Work Diary- Shoot 4

Evaluation

In this session I planned on going out and photographing litter as evidence of human presence. This was quite different from what I have previously taken as I was largely focusing on buildings as evidence of age and human presence. I went out taking photos of rubbish but at first it was quite difficult to find litter within the town centre but having moved locations, more litter came available. I managed to catch a variety of different photos of litter taken at different angles. Despite there being some litter, it did become limited after a while as some of the photos were quite repetitive in the end.

From this shoot, this photo below of the bottle is my favourite one I have edited. I like the angle it is taken at and also the fact that there is a clear distribution of light across the bottle which creates the idea of form. In addition, there is contrast throughout the photo in colours but also natural and manmade items either side of the frame.

This photo below is another from todays shoot and is of a cup next to a puddle.Throughout the photograph is contrast between the darkness and lightness of the colour of the cup and the ground. Also, there is a bit of reflection in the puddle of the trees above. 

Progression

From this shoot I have the idea of continuing with litter by using different locations in the background. The idea had initially came from the photograph of the cup but also of the can. In this photo of the can to the right, the angle is good but the background is not so therefore ruins the photo.Having noticed that the background has a great influence on the overall photo, I will focus on the background by using different locations with items of litter. Therefore in the next lesson I will use some items of litter in different locations to see how much of an effect the background has on the finish.

Straight Images- Shoot 4

Photographer Research- Jane Dorn

Jane Dorn

I have chosen to study the photography of Jane Dorn as I was instantly drawn to it when researching evidence in photography. I feel that the compositions of her work are not very complex yet they all tell a story. Her work manages to portray the idea of human presence through the use of objects photographed but it also shows age through the way they are arranged and where they are taken.

This photo is of an old chair which is suggested from the paint peeling of from the seat, and this chair is positioned in front of a window as if it is looking out into the distance. The photo shows the formal elements of contrast in, form, texture and colour. The majority of the colour is dark and dull whilst the window in the background is full of bold colours suggesting that the outside is the better place. Human presence is shown by the chair and where it is positioned for someone would have sat there and looked out.

The whole frame is full up of objects but for there is a lot of dirt and broken glass, age is suggested. It is evidence of age but also human presence for it shows you that the person was musical. The main formal elements used in this photo are colour, texture and shape.

This was the photo which really intrigued me when looking at her work for it is very simple but it is capable of telling a story. The colours in this photo are quite dull consisting if mainly browns and greys. The main focus is the shoe which suggests that someone had been there, The main elements demonstrated in this photograph are texture and contrast. The texture is from the leaves on the ground and the contrast is through the distribution of light.

This photo shows age through the dust collected on the table but also how the table is broken. It can suggest that people have played with it quite a lot that it got broke or that they become bored with it. There are bold colours used within the photo- blue, red and white. The elements shown by this photo are colour, contrast and form.

In my future work I want to be able to take some photos in the similar style by using objects in different locations to show human presence. I will try to capture colour, texture and contrast in the photos as they are the ones which I feel are most occurring throughout her work.

Having looked at the work of Jane Dorn and looking at my work, I don't feel that her work has influenced me very much. There are a few of the same formal elements throughout my work which are found consistently throughout her work. These elements include colour and contrast. Although the topics expressed through her work and mine are of the same, her work has not influenced me as I feel that there are no significant similarities between our work.

Discussion

Discussion

I have chosen to focus on evidence for this unit for when reading over the different topics I could choose it was the one which stood out straight away. I didn't make my decision until I creating a mind map for all of the 5 topics and seeing that I had many more ideas for evidence than any of the other topics. Also, once having done an initial shoot I realised that there were many different possible paths which I could go down for evidence.

I feel that there are many different pathways for evidence, for example crime scene evidence, damage and age. Having studied different evidence photography on the internet I was intrigued by a few photos which demonstrated human presence.

This was one of the photos which I found and it inspired me to look at human presence for the fact it is a simple photo but it does in fact tell a story. This photo mainly shows evidence of human presence but looking closer into it, it shows age.

I then looked at the idea of age and evidence and the photos which I felt showed evidence of age were either of portraits or buildings.



From looking at this photo I thought of looking at old, neglected and abandoned buildings to show evidence of age and progression of buildings in modern society.

Although buildings and evidence of age interested me, this portrait above also did. I feel that it is evidence of age as it shows progression from young to old by having half of the face young and half old.

From researching evidence in photography I have narrowed my choices within the topic down to human presence and age. I intend to look at human presence through lost items, rubbish but also items associated with humans. In addition I wish to look at evidence of age through looking at older buildings which features associated with neglect.

Research Log

Research Log

Jane Dorn

http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/04/03/jane-dorn-photography/

The idea of human presence and age is shown throughout her work by concentrating on the objects associated with humans but also the locations where they are taken. Through her work a variety of formal elements are present but mainly they include contrast, texture and colour.

Laura Letinksy

http://lauraletinsky.com/

Food is used to show evidence of humans by looking at the mess left behind. Through her work colour is a huge aspect as the backgrounds are often white. The plain background with the bright fruit just make that the focus point of the photo.

Joanne Manzella

http://joannemanzellaphoto.com/

She looks at different signs and graffiti left by different people. A lot of the work uses quite dull colours but then hints of bold colours are used to draw your attention to the key parts of the photograph.

Liam Frankland

http://liamfrankland.com/projects/lost-and-found-photography/

Liam Frankland looks at items which have been lost and where they are likely to be lost. The photos largely focus on the object and blur the background. Key elements used throughout the photo are colour, shape and the use of light.

Richard Long

http://www.richardlong.org/

Richard Long's photography is quite simple as it looks at the trails which are left behind, most of the work is in black and white and this emphasises the trails and tracks. Key elements present are tone, texture and contrast.

Jonny Joo

http://architecturalafterlife.com/tag/johnny-joo-photography/

Focusing on abandoned buildings shows evidence of humans and age. Key elements used in his photography are colour, texture, pattern and contrast. The buildings fill the whole frame of the photo and the background is also dark which helps add mood to the photo.

Ernest Sebastian
http://www.spiritofdecay.com/

 Evidence of neglect is shown in this photo by the almost empty rooms and the graffiti on the window panels. Colour, contrast and form is shown throughout the work. There are bold, bright colours present in the photo which contrast with the darker ceilings and floor.

Niki Feijen
http://www.nikifeijen.com/gallery

Neglect is shown by the dusty and the empty beds all in a line leading to the door. Age is shown through the old style beds and the dust. Key elements are pattern, colour and depth which are used to show evidence of age.

Kevin Bauman
http://www.kevinbauman.com/

Damage is shown in this photo by looking at an old house which looks as if it has been involved in a fire. The key elements used in this photograph are colour and contrast. He focuses on old and damaged buildings which show age and human presence.

Mark Story
http://www.markstoryphotography.com/

Mark Story looks at portraits of older people which are in black and white. Being in black and white, key elements of tone, texture and form are shown. Portraiture of older people show evidence of age, experience and wisdom.

Julian Germain
http://juliangermain.com/

The photography of Julian Germain shows evidence of human life greatly by looking at activities humans do in a typical day. Her work often shows colour, form and shape. As well as human presence, age is also a key part of her work as she focuses on older people and older objects too.

Bobby Neel Adams
http://www.bobbyneeladams.com/

Bobby Neel Adams shows age by the contrast of someone old and someone young through portraiture. Half of the face is of a young person whilst the other half is of an older person. This contrast shows evidence of age and progression of life through growth. Key features are contrast, tone and form.

Franck Bohbot

http://www.franckbohbot.com/

Franck Bohbot's photography is quite unique as he photographs locations which should be full of people when they are empty. The key features in his work are colour, depth, line, contrast and shape.

Sean Leahy

http://www.seanleahyphotography.com

Within the work of Sean Leahy, age and neglect is shown. Throughout his work he looks at old and damaged buildings and houses which show evidence of age but could also be considered as evidence of human presence. His work demonstrates a range of different elements including tone, contrast and patterns.

Darrell Davis

http://darrelldavis.zenfolio.com/

Darrell Davis has looked at damaged buildings, in this particular photo it demonstrates age as the wood is damaged but the immediate surroundings are overgrown. His work uses colour, texture and form to show the effect of age. 

Peter Adams

http://www.peteradamsphoto.com/?page_id=183

Across his work colour, contrast and form is present which is used to show human presence. This photo is an example of his work which also incorporates depth into the image to show a sense of journey. Human presence is shown by the footprints in the sand which also could be suggestive of journey. 

Stephen Twardowski

http://www.stevetwardowski.com/index.php?/project/abandoned-clothing/

Across his photography,he manages to capture the idea of human presence by photographing lost items and items that have been left behind by humans. The items and the location kind of tells a story of an individual. His work shows colour, pattern and form.

Tony Lau

http://www.picturesocial.com/photo/first-light-1

This particular photo shows evidence of humans by the reflection of the city in the sculpture. The evidence of humans is shown by the large sculpture and the reflection of the buildings within it. His work shows reflection, form and shape. 

Vladimir Laur

http://www.fotoblur.com/people/coleopter

The work shows evidence of the journeys humans take. His work uses different angles and locations to emphasise particular features and elements in the photo. In this particular photo, the idea of depth and height are emphasised by the use of the angles. Across his work colour, pattern and depth are demonstrated.

Clare Manson

http://claremanson.deviantart.com/

Litter is used to show that people have been there. The litter is the main focus in the photos which causes the background to be blurred. With the use of the litter, there are shadows and reflections created. In her work formal elements of reflection, form and colour are used to create an effective photograph.

Image Bank- 30 photographs

Image Bank

Below are a selection of pictures which I have selected from the internet which I feel show evidence of different kinds in different ways. Although some are similar to each other and others completely different, they all show evidence in different ways. Some show evidence in a more literate way than others.

These 2 photos above are both very similar to each other as they both are of a footprint. This shows that someone has been on that particular surface. They differ from the different angles which they have been taken at so the latter one shows more depth as it is more of a side angle. Yet they both are in black and white which just emphasises the print.

This photo is of a cup which has a lipstick mark on the side, because of this it shows that it was most likely a female who was consuming the drink. The dark background just makes the mug and the mark bolder.

These 2 photos both show evidence of vandalism as they are both of buildings which have graffiti on the walls and other areas. This shows evidence of human presence and also individuals as different people leave different 'marks'.

I feel that the 2 photos above show the idea of neglect in the sense that in the first photo it is a chair in a damaged environment and the second the rust on the padlock. The first photo uses black and white which gives the frame a gloomy effect.

This photo is of a footprint in some sand like medium. It is very much related to crime scene evidence as it is evidence of a particular person but also in s particular photograph there is a ruler on either side of the frame to take precise measurements.

The fact that the payphone is on top of the machine shows that someone has used it, someone has made a phone call to another person.

The idea of age is conveyed in this photograph as the flooring is so old that is has given in which is shown by the massive crack throughout the centre of the floor. 

Evidence of age is shown in this photo as half of the face is of an older man whilst the other is young. The fact that they are joined shows evidence of progression from young to old.

Both of these photos show age and neglect. There is damage seen throughout both of these photos and the fact that it has not been amended suggests that the building and rooms have been neglected.

This is evidence of vandalism as there are 2 people spraying graffiti on the van. The fact that he image is in black and white is suggestive that it is quite gloomy but also that it is within the night time period.

Evidence of light. Light is shown in these photos as there is a shadow created from both the birds and the person. Using black and white makes the shadows more obvious and in the first one more sharp.

The fact that there is litter alone on the grass shows that someone has been there. There is evidence that people have had a drink but then have dumped the bottle or can in a natural environment.

Lost and found. Both the items in the photos above have been lost and in the first one someone has found it. The first one shows that someone has lost a toy and another has found it and picked it up from the ground. The second shows a ball just on the ground alone, the focus is the ball and the background being blurred puts emphasis on the ball.

These 2 photos above are examples of crime scene evidence. The first with the traffic cone shows that  there has been a traffic incident whereby some area of the road have had to be bordered off. The second is a footprint which is evidence of a person having been there.

This photo is quite simple yet it suggests that the weather has been raining due to the droplets on the swing. Also the photo is quite dark that it could be suggestive of poor weather.

Evidence of age and neglect is shown in this photo a the caravan just appears to be old through its dull colourings. The idea of neglect is demonstrated by the overgrown plants growing up against the building in the background.

The bin being filled up is evidence of human presence as rubbish is gathered from humans. The bin an its contents are fully focused whilst the background is blurred. The fact that the bin contents are colourful against the dull grey background help make the rubbish stand out.

Evidence of religion. The 2 above show that someone has belief in God and that they are faithful. Both are religious pictures and phrases within a house which suggests that religion is a key aspect of their lives.

The contrast in this photograph of a young persons hand and an elderly hand is evidence of age. You can see the clear differences in skin texture and skin colour too. The help emphasise this contrast is the use of a white background.

This is evidence of a car crash a there is damage across the whole car but also the damaged car is of the road.

This photo of a house shows that it has been abandoned which is suggested by all the graffiti and also that there are no window panels. The dark sky in filling the frame around the house adds to the mood of the photo.