Final Top 20 Photographs

Best 40(ish) photos

Final Project Evaluation

These last few weeks we have been doing connecting essay, these essay compare our work to that of other people/professionals to start of with I found these difficult as I was struggling to find photos that were similar to mine but the more of them I did the easier I found it as I was looking at finer details that were similar, things that I hadn't necessarily thought of when writing the previous ones.

The thing that I found most enjoyable during the project was probably the physical experiments as I liked seeing the photos printed out and thinking of different ways in which I could change them.  I also found looking at Robert Mapplethorpe's work as he did some work with interesting compositions while not wasting any space in the frame, which did help me slightly with the framing of my own work.

Overall I have found this unit useful as it has helped me to understand the different elements that make up a 'good' photo and how to appropriately frame things properly.

Connecting Essay 5

This first photograph I found on the internet, it shows movement through the use of motion blur from the people dancing using a long exposure.  This photo also shows colour as the dancers dresses are blurred across the frame spreading the different colours about as well as blending them together to create some new colours, it also shows some very strong contrast between the black background and the dancers colourful dresses as well as them themselves.

This second photo is one of my own that I took for movement, it clearly shows movement through major motion blur of one of my class mates who now looks like an umbrella and it also shows contrast between the white and black blurs as well as the blur of his hair.  This photo was achieved by getting my class mate to spin around on a chair while I took a photo using a long exposure, the background is not really the best choice but the subject matter is a brilliant choice for the formal element I was trying to capture.

These two photographs relate through there main theme which is movement, both of them display quite vivid and drastic motion blur, through the use of a long exposure.  They also relate through their individual use of contrasting colours in each photo.  Other than this they differ quite drastically through their settings and subject matter as well as the way that they are implemented, in my one the subject is almost indistinguishable where as the one from the internet each dancer is distinguishable from the blurs.

Connecting Essay 4

This photo is one i have found on the internet it shows a dirt path covered in dead leaves going through some trees.  It has a kind of autumn colours sort of theme to it with the dead leaves and shows contrast between the green leaves and the brown tree trunks.  It also shows depth and colour quite effectively through the use of the trees in the centre at a distance and the vibrant green of the leaves.

This is a photo that I have taken myself of a forest path with dead leaves all over it and some trees to either side.  It shows contrast between the green leaves, brown tree trunks and the blue patch of sky visible as well as between the green undergrowth and the dead leaves on the path.  The photo has an autumn colours theme and shows both depth, as the trees get smaller as they go along the path, and colour through the bright, vibrant green leaves.

These two photos relate through both their theme and the formal elements that they represent, both have an autumn colours theme and have similar contrasts between the leaves and tree trunks.  Both show depth and colour through the use of the same things trees and leaves.

Connecting Essay 3

This first photo is one of Robert Mapplethorpe's that I have found on the internet, it shows tone well as it is black and white, as well as having strong contrast between the woman and the background.  The composition is simply yet effective and there is quite soft lighting used meaning there are not any harsh shadows, although soft lighting has been used form is still show in the photo.  The woman is not really showing any expression and if anything looks slightly angry and annoyed.

 This second photo is one that I myself have taken and it is part of a Mapplethorpe inspired shoot, tone is shown a little bit although it is hard to see as it is a colour photo.  It also shows form well and has strong contrast between the model and the background.  The lighting used is quite directional leaving shadows across the left hand side of the picture.

These two photos are related through their style which is both Mapplethorpe/Mapplethorpe inspired and through their use of contrast between the subject and the background which emphasises the subject matter.  Secondly they are both portraits and both portray form although this is more subtle in the first within the first photo as the lighting is more even.

Jerry Ueslmann

I like Uelsmann's work as they are quite surreal and rely on heavy editing, with no digital aid, post shoot that is not immediately obvious and could go completely unnoticed as well as the great consideration he must take when looking at the formal elements within his work.  His work features several of the formal elements but never colour, but they usually feature strong tonal contrast.  I think the fact that he uses absolutely no digital aid to produce his work is simply astounding as most people would probably struggle to produce some of his pieces digitally.

This first picture I have chosen would seem to have some kind of religious background/connotations as it would appear to be showing the split between 'good' and 'evil'.  The process of his editing is pretty much undetectable almost like it is an actual photograph that he has taken.  The idea that is seemingly behind this photo as well as its black and white nature create both a strong tonal contrast and a strong conceptual contrast, that between good and evil.

This second photo is quite fascinating, the combination of the surreal looking landscape and the semi-erotic portraiture with the seamless transition makes it seem almost realistic.  It offers strong tonal contrast between the rocks, the water and the woman, as well as displaying strong depth and form.

This third picture I have chosen would again seem to have some kind of religious relevance as the subject would appear to be an angel.  There is quite strong tonal contrast between the sky and the water and the water and the light reflections down the lower centre of the photo.

This last photo that I have chosen shows some floating trees, I like it because when you first look at it there does not appear to be anything 'wrong', so to speak, with it until you notice the floating tree in the background and the roots of the tree in the centre of the image.  with this image Uelsmann has taken careful consideration in the reflection in the water which almost looks like a hole in the lake.  This photo displays strong tonal contrast between the water, the land and trees and the sky through its lack of colour.

Ueslmann inspires me to pay attention more to the editing process as well as the act of taking the photo it's self.  Ueslmann pays attention to every little detail both when taking his photos and when editing them and therefore manages to produce some really amazing and surreal photos.  Looking back through my own work I have found some similarities between work I have done and Ueslmann's work:

These photos of mine like many of Ueslmann's photos the subject is fairly simple yet the composition is well thought about, as well as the obvious thing of these being in black and white like all of Ueslmann's work, although they lack the heavy editing typical of Ueslmann's work.

In summary Ueslmann creates amazing surreal pieces of work that rely heavily on the post shoot process without the use of any digital aids, editing and splicing, physically manipulating all of his photos by hand in his own wet darkroom.  Ueslmann doesn't even use a digital camera for his work he uses a traditional analogue camera that uses film instead.

Extended Mapplethorpe notes

- Born 1946 in New York, Died 1989 aged 43 from aids
- Raised in a strict catholic household in central park, therefore thought that Catholicism had an important influence on his life and work
- Aged 16 he moved to Brooklyn to attend art school training
- Attended the PRAT institute of art, where he met Patti Smith who he lived with for a while
- First portraits were of Patti Smith
- America's most controversial photographer
- Well known for his black and white photography
- His work was used for album covers
- Documented Manhattan's gay community 60's and 70's
- Flower Photography, for the money as they were the best selling photos in the industry at the time
- His work was usually fairly simplistic
- Used his friends as models as they were most comfortable around him
- Often photographed 'taboo' topics like sex, violence and race
- He was amazed that his work shocked people and was accused of being selfish/setting out to shock people
- He charged up to $15,000 for a print and up to $10,000 for a session
- Talks about the mystery of photography and the magic moment
- His work was a statement/documentation of the life he lived
- Accused that his work was simply pornography

An example of his 'Album cover' work

An example of his 'gay community' work

Another example of his 'gay community' work

Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith

An example of his 'flower' work

Pre-Completion Evaluation

Since the mid-project evaluation I haven't really changed my opinion about photography, I still find it enjoyable both to go out and shoot and to shoot in the studio.  I find the studio shoots more difficult as remaining inside seems to make it more difficult for me to think of new and different ideas so most of my photos taken in the studio look similar, where as when I am shooting outside I find it a lot easier as it presents more opportunities to take more photos of lots of different things.  Some sessions i don't quite manage to finish all of the work but I think this is due more to the time it takes to create and  print the contact sheets than a lack of effort on my part.  I am also finding that editing the photos is getting easier and faster as I am remembering the different processes required and what the finished straight images should look like.

Mapplethorpe Studio - Work Diary

When we went into the studio to do a Mapplethorpe inspired shoot I found that it was a lot more difficult than I originally thought it would be.  When I was shooting I sometimes forgot to pay attention to the lighting or the composition and so I had to re-shoot to ensure my photos were similar to Mapplethorpe's style.

This photo is of a classmate laying on the floor looking up at the ceiling against a black background despite its grey/blue appearance and although the subject is only in the lower half of the frame almost the lower third I don't feel that there is any wasted space.  This photo has quite a peaceful feel to it almost like the subject could be dead or resting.

This next photograph is of another of my classmates in front of the same background, I like the way that his forearm contrasts with the background and his jumper.  And having only half of him in the frame means that it qualifies as Mapplethorpe inspired.

If I was to do another Mapplethorpe inspired studio shoot I would like to experiment more with props as well as possibly a more specific subject/idea.  I also think looking for some more interesting portraits by Mapplethorpe to simulate and get more inspiration would be good.  Going back to the first photo a good idea could be to take photos of the subject in the same pose but in different locations and then possibly make a multiple imagery out of them.

Location Contrast 2 - Straight Images

Location Contrast - Straight Images