Use your camera as a measuring device. This doesn’t refer to the distance scale on the focus ring(!). Rather, find a subject that you have an empathy with and take a sequence of shots to ‘explore the distance between you’. Add the sequence to your learning log, indicating which is your ‘select’ – your best shot.

When you review the set to decide upon a ‘select’, don’t evaluate the shots just according to the idea you had when you took the photographs; instead evaluate it by what you discover within the frame (you’ve already done this in Exercise 1.4). In other words, be open to the unexpected.

I found this exercise challenging, even the simple request of shooting a subject you have empathy with the first stumbling block. Creative juices we were not working to help look at this from a different angle.

I was procrastinating for far too long and decided while on a short visit back to the UK to take some very snapshot style shots of my parents while we were visiting the Martin Parr Exhibition at The Hepworth. Although, I do think they may kill me when they find out I used them as a subject.

The shots are “snapshot” in style,  showing my parents in different situations as the patiently wandered around with me. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out as genuinely did not have a specific trait that I wanted to show. The shots have other elements wandering into them, down to pure composition caused by me trying not to the noticed.

However, I find in they show 100% of what why parents are like, when together, to people who while they inseparable and have been for 52 years, they have their personalities

The final selection of an image was hard e.g. Image 2, is almost how I always think of them; my dad doing something we are not quite sure what or why and my Mum looking on in wonderment. Image 10 doesn’t contain them and I was shot because I was showing my dad something about my camera, but there is significant symbolism in the hat. My dad would never have worn a hat when he was younger, but both his father and my mum’s father wore flat caps. How it sits between 2 coffee cups, which could represent mum and dad, shows how over the year my father has become a combination of both my grandfathers.

But I want to choose image 5:

This is perfectly how mum and dad interact and discuss. What is adding to this picture, even more, is that unintentional captured them in front of a picture of an older couple in a fish & chip restaurant from Martin Parr’s Last Resort; this couple have the mannerism of my mum’s aunt and uncle. And while they are not, as mum did not recognise the resemblance, it looks as if they are discussion a long past family member.

Discovering this in the shot on review two weeks later has made this an emotional shot.

Here are three images where I was playing tribute to the photographers of National Geographic

Taken in Kathmandu, by a temple I just wanted to capture the average Nepali Man, smiling and happy no matter what is is position in life.

Again shot in Kathmandu, Hindi Sadu’s are everywhere.Some genuine some less so. Here I wanted he capture the power and life in his face.

Hmong tribal woman with her baby. This girl and baby walk as a guide with us for two today’s in the North Vietnamese winter as our guide. While, not the best background for an environmental portrait I do feel it shows the warm and friendly nature of the Hmong

Having a consistent theme has been something that I have very much taken away from this course and its assignments. And on that note, I have tried to keep a loose theme of Hong Kong across my assignments so far and thought it more than appropriate for this exercise to respond to the world of the legendary Bresson on the east Ho Fan.

Response to:

Afternoon Chat (1959) Ho Fan

In this work by Ho Fan, I am drawn to 2 things the long shadows and the subtle lighting – his work show real context and sense of place. Just by looking at the image, you are transported into the bygone era of Hong Kong and China.

Looking back at the Terry Barrets essay, photographs & context, the main elements that provide the context for the picture are the information within the image and the information around the picture making. That is, I know that it was shot in Hong Kong in the 50’s or 60’s as art or reportage (documenting life), and the it is the ethereal quality of the light that quality of the light that transports the viewer to the bygone age I mentioned above. I view this as straightforward art.

In response to the Ho Fan original image I wanted to replicate the long shadows and shot around the walkways around the HK cultural centre which can give interesting shadow formation due to the diagonal nature.

However, with the resulting image, I look at it much different. Whilst my intention was to only produce a piece of art, no intention for reportage, how the man in the shot is reacting the meaning could be viewed very differently depending on how it is presented and the mindset of the viewer.

On reviewing the image, I can see a statement on intrusions into personal and private space due to the prevalence of cameras on the street and f placed in a newspaper in an article about criminal gangs this man could be assumed to be a kingpin. And very limited notice would be taken of the high contrast shadows I was trying to achieve.

The course notes point us to a very interesting essay “Photographs & Context”, by the American art critic and professor Terry Barrett., which I gives a enlightening introduction to the value of context in the interpretation of photographs.

By referencing a photograph by Robert Doisneau of a romantic couple in a café that Doisneau (taken with permission) as part of a project of cafés in Paris, shows just by in placement in other publications it underlying meaning was changed to illustrate a romantic liason, the perils of alcohol and prevalence of prosititution in Paris.

It is this placement or context that Barrett says is just as important to the photograph as the natartive contained within it. Barrett’s essay explains this very painly illustrating that is is the situation in which we see a image that effect how we are to intrepret he information it is providing no matter what the photographers was intending at the time. On this note my mind is drawn to the Afgan Girl by Steve McCurry – this is portrait of a if remember correctly 13 or 14 year old refugee – shot for National Geographic to help is llustrate the plight of the refugees after the Soviet invation of Afganistan. Howevert, we all now remember it one of the world most iconic portraits up the against Hollywood stars, mainly because of how we have seen this image since is original publication.

Basically photographs do not have inherient meaning – nor does any visual art, they require personal interpretation, Barrett suggests:

“In interpreting [photographs]….. there three sources of information are available for examination: information evident in the picture, information surrounding the picture in its presentation, and information about the pictures making”

Whilst these pieces of information are availble in all photographs, they are not always perfectly presented and as all require inpretation by the viewer it possible for a photograph to be interpret far away from the photographer original meaning or intention.

Bibliography

B PhotAndCont 97 (2010) Available at: http://www.terrybarrettosu.com/pdfs/B_PhotAndCont_97.pdf (Accessed: 17 February 2016).

Response to:

Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare – Henri Cartier-Bresson

Writing a critical analysis of a photograph is a weak-spot my mine and to the fact that is one of the most famous and viewed photographs in the world adds another layer to the challenge.

First of all this is really he quintessential street photographers photography. The photographer found an interesting scene and laid in wait for something to happen. And whilst the leaping businessman is quite clearly what makes the image stunning, this isn’t necessarily the most pivotal thing about the shot – it seems a rather shady environment for a businessman!!

As we have been discussing context is a vital part of a photograph, more so that the technical merits and here I feel whilst the is the wonderful symmetry to the photography and it is a treat for the eyes I feel more like I am looking on to a scene that I am part of.

My eye is draw the shadowy figure in the background, I imagine I am that person; all the reflection sin the image combine in my mind that the whole image is a reflection of what I can see. There are contradiction in the scene the water is calm, however there is a nonchalant urgency to the leaping man. I often image is trying walk away quiet from a situation with being noticed, but the second he land in the water there will be an explosion of frenetic activity and will observe quietly from the safety of the railing I stand behind.

Bresson’s picture is more that just a great piece street photography, it is graphical art and a springboard for our imagination.

References

Museum of Modern Art [website]. Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare – Henri Cartier-Bresson. Available
from: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/98333 [acsessed 2/2/16]

I was little unsuccessful at find much of Davies work and whilst I applude the image below I feel that it is bland with no real depth – perhaps as part of larger body of work it would work but even with the great juxtaposition it feels flat.

Chris Steel – Perkins images on the other hand, have more drama and energy to them, the biggest thing that jumps out to me is that the images are not flat, there is texture to them perhaps in the post – production.

Both photographers have given me food for thought on the creativity side when shoot what has already been shot many times before – explore the surrounding.

Bibliography

Davies, J. (no date) John Davies photographer – home page. Available at: http://www.johndavies.uk.com/ (Accessed: 3 January 2016).

Chris Steele-Perkins | Prix Pictet | the global award in photography and sustainability (no date) Available at: http://www.prixpictet.com/portfolios/earth-shortlist/chris-steele-perkins/ (Accessed: 3 January 2016).

Except for the logo for Orange mobile, the shots are very dull, product shots, taken in controlled lighting – probably a light tent. There is very little in the way of what we would consider creativity to the shots; they are simplify designed to show the orange to it best in marketing materials.

There is various way I guess to shoot and orange that is not a product shot we can make it more of an abstract image, so we the viewer is questioning what it is, maybe an extreme close-up on the skin to show the texture of the peel.

The quotation from Haas in the course notes regarding looking at an apple trying to see it as the first ever apple, say to me if we are looking at the familiar we cannot help to be influenced by what as happened before. Didn’t Picasso once say “good artists borrow, great artist steal.”

Looking at Haas work, I was most drawn to the Bullfighting images and other sports images, particularly of swimmers at the 1984 Olympic where he has used extreme motion blur as a way of showing the familiar in an unfamiliar way. Yes, we try to capture the sense of motion or power in our sports shot but not usually to this degree. Unfortunately as inspiring as these are they are not in my mind appropriate for an orange.

Bill Brandt also said that he allowed the camera to capture what the camera saw, without interfering too much, as opposed to shooting what he saw. This is the influence of his surrealist mentors such as Man Ray; however, I have to confess I did quite understand this statement for quite some time. I was only looking at Brandt’s nudes do I begin to he how is is is just capturing how he light is falling off the soft and complex shape of the human body. To me, some of Brandt’s nude images remind me of sculpture by Henry Moore.

There was Henry Moore in Leeds my the art gallery for most of the time I was growing up. In fact, it might still be there today, I have been left Leeds 17 years, but the more I looked at it and aged I saw it more shape in it particularly how it changed in light. This what I see in Brandt some of Brandt’s nudes such as here

The following shots were taken using a one light source, a simple pocket torch, to try to produce a set of images that show the shape and form of the orange with immediately revealing it as an orange. In a similar way that a nude is lit. Orange peel often reminds me of skin, hence where the idea came from.

These images we shot as an extension to me work on exercise 4.4, to get a basis for the full assignment. While, I like the shots although they do need further work – if they are to go forward as an assignment. My idea was to shoot the orange as a celestial body and use the orange to illustrate how light falls on a subject as opposed to how the object looks from an aesthetic point of view.

So armed with a couple of sheets of background I head out to meet a friend who has more lighting equipment that I do on Lamma Island where he lives so that we could make use of his local pub’s outside area. (Benefits of 20-degree weather in November). My friend would also be doubling as a Human light stand.

The shots were in the end set up using a single flash, occasionally with a simple snoot and my human light stand holding the light in place as required for different looks. To have two pairs of hands helps to keep the momentum going on this exercise as well as acting as a sounding board for ideas and memory jogger to make notes of the lights position.

Other than a snoot no other modifiers were used in this sequence.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Lighting Diagrams.

As the flash was unmodified, the light from the flash is quite harsh and very directional. The exposure was set so the light from the flash would be the only light captured (except image which was shot as a reference point).

The direction and angle of the light are crucial in all the pictures, how much overspill the there is, to reveal more or less of the orange and the texture of the skin.

This thing with control lighting is that compared to Natural or Ambient artificial light is that is completely controllable and through the use of modified be made to create any look you want – it can even be combined with ambient light to create even more dramatic effects.

As I have said many times I live in Hong Kong – is doesn’t make me unique there is another 7 million of us, but it what as defined my photography up to this point. And as I said in my notes for Assignment 3 I shoot a lot of B&W to avoid the non-descript light, but in general, when I do shoot colour it in the evening and night under the light from the signs and buildings and that is down to the compound nature of the artificial light.

This course had made me realize the street are bathed in a mix of lighting street lamps, Neon Signs, shop window, even car head lights. This combination of temperatures creates a sophisticated look and while our eyes and brains and process all this information; an image requires (without extensive post-processing) just demand the choice of one colour temperature. This leads to different looks from one image/scene depend which light source you focus on.

Below is a sequence of shots taken around Hong Kong in various situations using various types of artificial light.

 Image 1

Taken in a building entrance, lit by I think florescent tubes. Auto White balance on the camera has given, excellent realistic tone. The light is bathing the subjects evenly and much like early or late in the day and is wrapping the subjects.

Image 2

Taken at 10:10 pm in the street, the subject is bathed in light from signs, windows and the white balance was set using the Lightroom eyedropper on the grey road. Where is a distinct cool tone to the light but it is not harsh it still bathes the subject.

Image 3

Shot indoors, but it is the mixture of tungsten and daylight as there is massive glass roof to this building. Setting the white balance for the daylight has exaggerated the orange glow of the tungsten lights. This what I like to play with; mixing temperatures isn’t possible in pure daylight.

Image 4

Shot in the evening using auto-white balance and setting in post-production to the cooler tones coming from the shops and restaurants. This allows me to use the light to give a sense that it is close to midnight although it is only around 6 pm.

Image 5

The same image as above with the white balance warmed to, pick up on the streetlights and reflect the scene more how the eye and brain processed the scene.

Overall as I have said above ambient artificial light more often than not can reflect the characteristics of the softer light of sunset or sunrise just with and a more complex shift in colours.

Taken just after sunrise the sun had been up since about 20mins. The light is soft and cool. While not harsh, the light is not enveloping the World, as does the light at sunset.

Image 2

Taken about midway into the morning golden hour, the light has warmed somewhat with the sun appearing over the building, but there is still a coolness and flatness to the light.

Image 3

Taken at around 9 am, the sun is well into the sky, the light is now cold and completely flat, there is some diffusion from the cloud and pollution, the best thing about this light is that it is even.

Image 4

Taken mid – afternoon around 2 pm the light is now bright, all details are visible on the bridges, and it has brought out the green in the water, but the light has no form it is flat and lifeless.

Image 5

Taken at 17:10 on the cup of the golden hour, the light is considerably different to the afternoon shot there is a warm to the light, there are no real subtle shadows as the sky has clouded over a little. The main standout is the light wraps the subjects and creates a 3-D effect.

Image 6

17:30 well into the golden hour, the white balance has shifted creating a blue tinge to the scene, the light is complicated keeping the 3-D shaping. There is warmth to the light.

Image 7

17:50 the moment of sunset – the sky is darkening the there is the light remains soft and warm wrapping the subject. There are details in the shadows and highlights, with colour and shape in he water.

Image 8

6 pm 10 minutes after sunset the warm light beginning to fade but is being supplemented by the artificial light.