Photographer Research- Clare Manson

Clare Manson

I have chosen to look at the work of Clare Manson because I like the way how she focuses on an object of litter and use different angles and backgrounds to make an effective photograph. I feel that her work shows evidence of human presence and evidence of a few other elements through the use of simple pictures.

In this photograph there is a can in the grass and one of the main elements portrayed because of this is colour. The can is green as is the grass so the colour conveyed is very bold and vibrant. I like the way how there is grass in the foreground and covers parts of the can. Because of the angle it is taken at, there is an element of depth created which suggests length. Formal elements in this photograph are colour, form, contrast and depth.

I like how in the picture the can has been crushed which helps to capture form within the object. The object is focused whilst the background is blurred which just helps to maintain focus on the can. The can is on like a table surface which allows shadows from the can to fall on it, thus creating form. The main elements in this photograph are form, contrast and colour.

This picture is very simple, a coffee cup on a table. The cup and most of the table is in focus whilst the background becomes blurred. From the blurred background you can still make out that there is some grass and trees from the silhouette and the colour. The formal elements demonstrated in this photograph are shape, form, depth and colour. Depth is shown by the table moving out into the distance.

I like this photo because it uses a duotone finish but also the angle which it is captured at. Because of the colouring certain features are made more obvious such as the form of the can and also the difference in light across the picture. The formal elements shown in this photograph are shape, contrast and form. Shape is shown by the view of the can which appears circular but also by the square windows in the background.

In my work I will try and show the influence of Clare Manson by using items of litter in different locations. I will try and show the main formal elements which are used throughout her work, these include form, shape and depth. I will consider the angles and locations when I shoot. By considering these elements from her work, I hope to make effective photos through the use of simple compositions.

To summarise, so far in my work I have been influenced largely by Clare  Manson as I feel that there are clear similarities between my work and hers. I have considered the angles which I photograph the objects at but also the location and some of my work shows the formal elements which she mostly uses, such as shape and form. Further in my work I wish to concentrate further on the location used within the background.

Overall, her work has had a great influence on my work because it has resulted in my work involving similar objects but has also made me consider what angle to take the photographs at. There are similar formal elements which are found throughout both her work and mine, including depth and shape. Some of my work is very similar to that of Clare Manson's as the objects used are that of the same and then also the use of angles to create an effective photograph. 

Both of the above photographs from my work show the influence of her work on mine as they demonstrate similar objects, locations and are taken at similar angles too.

Connecting Essay 2

Connecting Essay 2

These 2 photographs below are very similar to each other but also different to each other at the same time.
The first photograph is of a phone box from a side angle. The photograph is in colour yet because of the object, a phone box, there is not a lot of colour in the photograph. Within the surroundings of the phone box, there are some notices or adverts mounted to the wall but they are scratched over which shows that they are either old or that they have been damaged. In addition to the idea of age, the phone holder is a more rustier colour than the rest of the metal phone box. There is also paint which has fallen off from the black box below the phone which again is evidence of age. The phone is on top of the phone box which is evidence of someone having used it. To the right of the photo there is elements of reflection in the glass, you can see the reflection of the adverts or notices from the wall.
The second photograph is of a phone box from a straight on view but the photo does not show the whole phone box but only a part of it. Within this photograph there is no colour which slightly adds to the mood of the photograph making it feel dull. As the phone box is viewed from straight on and is more or less centred in the photograph, you can see the location of where it is in the background to some extent. The photograph being in black and white helps to highlight the scratches that the phone box has from being used a lot. There is evidence that someone has used the phone as the phone is left sitting on top of the box but we do not know how long ago that it was used as it could be a sign that the location is abandoned.

Both of these photographs above look at a public phone box and they both show that it has been used. Although they look at the same object and then show form to some extent by the shadows, they are very different to each other. They look at the phone box from different angles and because of this there are some more differences created as a result. Because of the phone box being centred in the second photo you can see more of the location within the background but in the first photograph there is no location shown within it. The angle in the first photograph means that there is a reflection within the photograph where as there is no element of reflection in the second. One of the photographs is in black and white whilst the other is in colour; the one in black and white helps to make the scratches within the metal more obvious whilst the coloured one makes the damaged paint and rust more obvious. 

Connecting Essay 1

Connecting Essay 1

Both of these photographs below are both similar and different in different aspects. 

The first is of the upper part of a bottle and it is looking out onto a seaside location. There are elements of colour, depth and to some extent shape and texture. The shape is shown by the circular bottle lid which is in the foreground of the photograph. Colour is shown throughout the whole of the image, there are bold colours on the lid of the bottle and then there is a wide range of colours within the background. It can be argued that texture is shown by the grass and then the concrete pathway which leads into the background. Depth is present in this particular photo quite a bit and it is shown by the path and beach going of into the distance and becoming thinner as it become farther away. 

The second photograph is of a ball in front of some beach huts but the background is blurred so all the focus is on the ball in the foreground. There is colour, texture, form and to some extent is shape. The colour is demonstrated by the bold and bright colouring of the beach ball and then also the brightly coloured beach hut directly in the background. Texture is demonstrated by the stony ground around the ball and the texture conveyed is rough. Shape is shown by the circular ball and then the strong shapes of the beach hut. The main focus of this photograph is the ball which is in the foreground, this is because the background is blurred and the only focused item is the ball.

Both of these pictures are similar because they are at a seaside location and they both incorporate similar elements. Although they are both at the seaside, they are at different parts of the beach. The first photo has the sand and sea in sight and the walkway above the beach where as the second one shows just the beach huts. They both show colour, texture, shape through the use of objects and the background. Although there is a single object in each they are associated with different things, the item in the second photo is associated with a child where as the first is associated with an older person. The background of the second photo is blurred but you can still make out what the background is where as in the first the background is focused. The latter of the two photographs includes much more colour than the first, the colours in this photograph are more bold and vibrant than in the first photograph. Because of the difference in colours, the object used stands out more in the second photograph.

Photographer Research- Julian Germain

Julian Germain

I have chosen to look at Julian Germain's photography because I feel that his work tells stories of people's lives as some of his work focuses on the lives of elderly people. I like how his work is very simple yet a message is told in each of them.

In this first picture it shows age as the world has progressed very much from this 3 wheeled car. The coincide with the old car there is an elderly man sat in the drivers seat which again supports the idea of age. In this picture the colours are very bold and bright; because of this there is contrast made. Alongside these elements there is form and shape demonstrated throughout the photo.

This is a very simple photo of an open cupboard with jarred items in. Although this is a very simple picture, it still tells a story; that the food is convenient for elderly people and it is the only food they will really eat because it is easy enough to prepare. The elements shown in this photo are colour, shape and form.

This photograph is evidence of someone having cooked a meal. In the blurred background there is an elderly person next to the oven whilst the table is set and the dinner is presented. It suggests that the elderly person has worked long and hard for the meal. In this photo there is colour, form and contrasts in light.

Although this is just a picture of a kettle boiling it shows the idea of age as the kettle and the oven is old. The kettle shows a lot of rust and the paint has worn away which implies that it is old. The elements shown in this photo are shape, colour and form. The shape is shown by the oven whilst the colour shown by the bright wall.

From researching Julian Germain's work I will try to capture photos which can tell a story. As the work of his is quite simple I will take that into account by making my shoots simple. His work shows that simplicity can be effective and that it can in fact tell a story. Therefore in my future work I will make an effort to try and capture photos which I feel can be related to a story.

To summarise, so far in my work I have tried to ensure that I have kept the photographs simple and I feel that so far I have been successful I doing so. Although I have kept the frames simple I do not feel that they tell a story as much as the work does of his. I will try and consider this further within my work by considering the objects that I use even further alongside the backgrounds used too.

Overall, his work has not had an influence on my work although both his work and mine have a focus on human presence, the work is completely different to each other in the objects used and also the compositions within the photographs. I have kept my photographs simple to try and capture similarities but it hasn't worked as the photographs are too different.

Computer Experiments

Photographer Research- Joanne Manzella

Joanne Manzella 

I have chosen to look at the work of Joanne Manzella because when researching I liked the way how her photos use different angles to create an effective photograph. I also like the way how her work mainly focuses of items within the same kind of location.

This was the first photograph of hers which I found and I liked how it is all in black and white but there is the small section which is in colour. I like how the photo is taken at such an angle that it creates a sense of depth and thus height. In this particular photograph there is depth, tone, colour and then also pattern to some extent. 

This shows evidence of human presence through the contrast between the natural leaves and then the stamp on the manmade object. The angle at which it is taken at gives quite a casual feel and it also allows the light to be shown from between the leaves. In this image there is contrast, colour and form used.

In this photograph there is evidence of human presence but also age because the fact that the leaflet is ripped and damaged. I like the fact that there is the blue sky in the background which contrasts with the dull colours in the foreground. In this photo there is depth, colour and texture shown.

In this photograph the only colour in this picture is the red on the sticker whilst the rest remains in black and white. It is an unusual angle for a photo to be taken at and this creates a dull mood. In this photograph there is depth, tone, colour and contrast shown.

From looking at the work of Joanne Manzella, I will look at incorporating different elements of her work in mine. I will try to look at using different angles in my work to try and produce an effective photograph. I will also try to make contrasts within my work such as manmade and natural or colour and black and white. 

To summarise, I haven't been influenced as much as I would have liked by Joanne Manzella's work. However, I will still try and incorporate elements of her work in my future work by focusing on the angles used in a shot in order to make them more effective. Other than me trying to concentrate on the angles used in a photograph, I do not have any similarities with the work she has done in the sense of the locations and the objects that she photographs.

Work Diary- Shoot 8

Evaluation

In todays lesson I took photos of the same object at different angles and just parts of the object. I was concentrating on the different parts of the object, I still tried to incorporate the location into the background but not as much as the last shoot. I enjoyed being able to experiment with the different angles and parts of the object and it is definitely something that I'd like to consider in the future shoots.

I particularly like this photograph as it is a completely different view of an object than what I have considered before and from doing this there is the presence of depth which instigates the length of the bottle. I also like how the grass compliments the blues within the bottle.

I also like this photo from this shoot because there is the presence of light which is demonstrated through the reflections and the contrast through the bottle. In addition I like how the bottle is at a diagonal angle through into the shoot.

Progression

From this shoot I have realised that I like to use different angles within the photographs and the different object used today allowed the difference in light to be more obvious. As a result of this in my next shoot I will use a different object but focus on how the angles compliment the backgrounds by using different angles of the object whilst incorporating the location into the background.

Straight Images- Shoot 8

Print Techniques

Photojoiner

 Black and White

 Repetition

 Selective colour

Duotone

Soft focus 

Work Diary- Shoot 7

Evaluation

In this shoot I visited a different location from my previous shoos so that I could incorporate the location into my work even further. I was using one object throughout this shoot and tried to look at different angles of it to see how it would effect the background. I enjoyed this shoot because it was at a different location to all of my previous work and I believe that the photos I got were much more interesting as a result.

From this shoot, my favourite photos are the ones below. I like the first one because there is a large amount of the location used in the background. The only thing I would change about this particular photograph is the bottle has a slight blur and I would reshoot it with the bottle slightly further to the left of the frame.

This second photograph shows depth within the background. I like the way how there is only a section of the bottle used in the photograph and is at a horizontal view so that there is more of the background.

Progression

From this shoot I have realised that I like to incorporate the location further into the background. But from doing this shoot I will do a shoot using an object throughout all of the photos but I will use different angles and different parts of the object. This shoot has highlighted to me that the background plays a very important part of the photograph so in my next shoot I will focus on background. Whilst doing this I will also experiment with different angles and sections of the object to see what effect this has on the overall photograph.

Work Diary- Shoot 6

Evaluation

In this shoot I used the same object just with different backgrounds and using a variety of different angles. In some of the shoots there was clear evidence of light as there was form and elements of contrast present. However, I felt that within this location the different backgrounds become quite limited after a while and thus was a struggle to create new photos with different backgrounds.

This photo which is looking down on top of the can is my favourite image collected from the shoot because there is a clear presence of light but within the photograph is contrast between the natural tree segment and the metal can. I like how the can is circular but the background is also circular although the full circle is not captured. 

Although this photograph is not my favourite composition of the shoot because of the angle and the background, I like how the ray of light is captured. The light appears to be pink in colour which is then projected on the the can itself.

Progression

From this shoot I have found that I like photographing the same object just using different locations but in order to progress I want to go to different locations and use them as backgrounds. By going to more interesting locations I can incorporate them further within my work. For example, by having the background as a larger element of the photo it could be considered as evidence. In my next shoot I will go and shoot at a location such as a forest or beach, and use the same object.

Straight Images- Shoot 7