Exploring Birmingham

My first uni project consisted of creating a magazine about the "hidden" elements of Birmignham. Our main focus was music 

Deconstruction of the close up

To look at a different type of ‘close up’ I decided to shoot some portraiture images. I chose to look at a different subject to provide a variety of images. I felt by doing this I would be able to convey some sort of emotion within the photographs, or show some personality. Having experimented with different techniques such as solarisation and hand colouring, I felt the images could be seen in a different way to the originals. I wanted the audience to question what is going through the person (I the photographs) mind, what they are thinking?

To develop from this, I began to think about how I could advance from the work I have done. I decided to break down the images, thinking carefully about the ways to crop it. Once having done this I used the techniques of solarisation and positive to negative again to form an abstract composition, one which cannot be recognised at a first glance. Overall, I felt that I have taken these images on a journey through selective cropping and observing the natural shapes, forms and shadows within a composition. I have deconstructed the pictures making the viewer almost look at two completely different photographs.

Close up

“Close up” being the title of my project, I began by looking at a variety of foods up close, focusing on texture, making the viewer question the subject matter. I used a light source to highlight specific areas of the object creating highlights and shadows. When continuing on this path of close up photography, I took the core of an eaten apple and placed it in different areas; including a windowsill, in a plant and on a bin outside. I used different viewpoints to create a series of images from a variety of perspectives. Enhancing the colours made the image more visually appealing.

All the images have a common theme but the portraits have become abstract through experimenting with different techniques. I feel that the techniques I have used have helped me to realise that one image can be changed to make several other photos, looking nothing like the original. This takes time and practice but overall provides an eye catching and interesting series of images. Having learnt from the mistakes I made I now feel more confident when shooting. For example I know now that I must make sure I have enough light for my images to be sharp enough, and that I also must get up close enough to my subject to make the image as abstract and extraordinary as possible.    

Emphasising the Power within Power Stations

Inspired by the fascinating works of art Rodchenko had captured, I wanted to recreate a composition of similar elements. When photographing this structure I was thinking about the impact it has on modern life, as communication would not be able to take place without it. I feel danger and power due to its mass complexity and can now understand why Rodchenko captured such an intricate structure. The time of day that the power station was captured has an impact on the visual result, the sky complements the structure. Furthermore, the natural light is going and so therefore we are dependent on the structure giving us our light.

Choosing a power station with numerous lines and shapes made it easy from a visual point of view. The structure looks webbed like and the multiple lines create a trapped feeling for the viewer. During the editing process I enhanced the contrast dramatically to create pure black lines. This also made the title of the image, the powerfulness of the image represents the focus; the power station. Adding a vignette also helped to frame the composition, subtly darkening the edges. Even though Rodchenko chose a more interesting perspective than I did, I chose this for a reason. I intended to make my composition more simplistic although I did think about the framing of the image when capturing the structure.

Power Plants - Inspired by Michael Kenna

After having discovered these fascinating power plants on a visit to Nottingham, determined to capture these fascinating plants, I re-visited them with my camera in order to create some aesthetically pleasing compositions. I was amazed at how these man made structures were still about after 30 years. From all I had learnt from Michael Kenna, I wanted to have my own take on these structures, so I chose to focus on the individual plant, looking close up, rather than capture them as a group. I used a 60mm lens and an aperture of F9 to isolate the foreground from the background, making the foreground sharper. Choosing to focus on the front facing power plant, I chose a frame so that the background structures would provide a repetition pattern. The plants in the background get smaller until infinity.

Choosing to burn in the top of the power plant provides a contrast of tones, the harshness of the smoke also does this but furthermore, it highlights the damage these plants are doing to the environment. This would something I aimed to show. Curves are an immediate element that stands out within this composition. 

To provide an obvious contrast, I chose to invert the same image. Immediately there are obvious differences between the two photographs, the dark areas suddenly become light and the image can be seen through a completely different light.

STRUCTURES

Shoot intentions: 
In our busy day-to-day schedules, we don’t stop to notice the buildings we enter or the structures we pass. My aim is to photograph these places of architectural beauty and visual interest, in a way that makes the viewer appreciate them more. I am particularly interested in abstraction and distortion. Elements I will be looking at in particular include pattern, line, texture and curves. The cubist painter – Pablo Picaso, has inspired me by his unusual and extraordinary works of art. Similarly Alvin Langdon’s abstract forms are those which are eye catching and complex. When shooting I will start to look at things on a much larger scale with a different perspective. Themes I want to focus on include the intricate details of structures as well as looking at rigid shapes of buildings. 

Enthralled by the architecture in London, I chose to focus on a structure through obscurity. The variety of forms and shapes provide the viewer with a complex understanding of the composition. Subtly burning in the sky helped to emphasise the vignette around this composition. 

 

Desaturation was chosen to highlight the wide range of tones and textures involved in this photo. The ripples of the river provide an immediate contrast with the clear white sky, emphasising the calm mood of the photo. Significant elements of line, shape and form are all incorporated outlining the repetitive construction. 

Capturing this structure from below gives the viewer a chance to understand it from a different perspective. This could potentially confuse the audience of size and scale.


Printing at an aperture of F5.6 with a filter 2 1/2 provided a wide tonal range. An exposure time of 30 seconds was used when printing. Line and curves were key elements I chose to explore during this shoot. 










Aiming to incorporate line and curve in this image I chose to use a viewpoint from above, looking down. The twisted angle of this particular structure causes confusion and cannot be understood at an immediate glance. The viewer must take time to understand and appreciate what is in front of them.
Using the technique of solarisation enhanced the image and provided it with a high contrast of tones. 





A famous quote from Rodchenko stated:

“One has to take several different shots of a subject, from different points of view and in different situations, as if one examined it in the round rather than looked through the same key-hole again and again."

This has taught me to be creative in what I do, to look for the unordinary and unexpected. Taking simple forms, and making them seem complex. Providing a surprise element to the viewer is something I aim to achieve so that they can question the composition, and take time to understand it.