Author: bulldog1977

The Journey into Photography

20200517-Assignment five WIP

The work book suggested to try and sketch out your concepts when piecing together your ideas. Art wasn’t ever a strong subject when it comes to drawing faces or people. Still working on the idea of Soldier, Civilian and Veteran for this assignment. Not ideally the the way I see it going though this may be an idea where I’ll use parts of each pictures to create a form of photomontage idea taken from seeing pictures in Dawn Ades Photomontage Willi Baumeister Head 1923

Bibliography

Dawn., A. (1993). Photomontage (p. 157). New York, N. Y.

20200517-Mirrors and Self-Portraits

Taken the other day whilst out walking. You start to see new ideas and how photographers like Vivian Maier and Lee Friedlander we’re able to stand in front of a window and capture a self-portrait. Two takes on research of these two photographers. Using the mirror and the framing to create the composition and idea of a frame within frame within a frame.

And your notice they are in colour I intentionally set myself a goal to shoot in colour. This area I visit is nine times out of ten dark with shadows and pools of light during the morning sun. I’ve walked past this shop numerous times and tried to capture people’s reflections within the shop where shower displays are.

20200516-Setting the Scene_Exercise 1: Martin Scorsese Critique

  •  What does this scene tell you about the main character?
    • Great film. When you watch this clip over and over again. a few things come to mind.
      • Top dog
      • man about town
      • wealth
      • corruption
      • knows everyone he needs to know
      • someone you’d like to know
      • mystery
      • power
  • How does it do this? List the ‘clues’.
    • has a way with people
    • gives the nod to people ie “do know who I am” look
    • pays people off
    • doesn’t queue like the normal people
    • gets a front seating area through the power of who he is
    • people around him give him a sense of respect
    • doesn’t give anything away to who he really is
    • scene-setting and music of the era helped set the scene

20200515-update to learning

With the ongoing COVID restrictions to work and travel, I will be looking to returning to work in the coming weeks TBC.

So what have I been doing recently?

  • exploring self-portraits
  • understanding the use of studio/flash
  • WiP with assignment five
  • researching new ideas
  • purchasing second-hand books
  • getting outside and taking pictures
  • different forms of media creation (zines)

Working with light and dark is always something I enjoy looking for. During this time I’ve started to see places I’ve not seen before. The lack of people walking and congregating around what would normally be a tourist haven and direct route to Windsor Castle, I’ve started to find small areas where the light bounces of or creates strong backgrounds to capture contrast silhouettes. These are for me the beauty of photography, where compositions are found and developed during the edit. These locations will be great spots come the days we return to normality in the future.

I intend to use one or two of these images and few new ones I need to recce first to add the assignment two adjusted version building on the use of colour and chiaroscuro.

Vivian Maier silhouette

screenshot from Pinterest

https://pin.it/1UxZa8C

20200513-Tutor feedback Ass Three

Thomas Pal Assignment three feedback

Initial thoughts from this feedback, I think are fair and echo some of what I had originally planned out. My choice of black and white had been supported by the assignment. Areas, where I can enhance this assignment prior to submission for assessment, can be tidied up in the coming months.

  • Introduction to my work
  • tie in how I come to the idea
  • tie in the research through trial and error
  • produce the zine that was mentioned
  • use of other media formats that went well
  • ideas and research should be interwoven into the assignment write up
  • don’t drift from the introduction write up into how I took the images

Overall I think this had been a strong assignment with how the images have come out. The way I have used my eyes to draw the viewer in has worked. I feel pleased with this outcome. Still some areas to tidy and consolidate in a little rework edit.

Strengths

Areas for development

Strong skill in establishing as structure within which the images are held and understood

With any introduction to new work edit it down so that you allocate most of the word count to explain the creative aims and objectives of the work

Well resolved images that create an stimulating interplay between you and the situation of Covid-19

You have some work to build your confidence at expressing what it is you feel and understand about an other artist’s work so pay particular attention when reading ore theoretical texts that link to images to help build this skill

Good and effective manipulation of software to achieve the collages

20200508-Elliot Erwitts-Dogs

Two images in his book of dog’s I enjoy to look at, manly down to previously owning a British Bulldog for ten years and seeing how funny they can be.

The way he composed his pictures with all the dog showing an unusual point of view captures the unknown aspect of the animals view.

Having the dogs as the main subject and like the bottom one hiding the human face opens the idea of the dog being superior and the human as the Pet. Although some would question these as just snap shots of the street. For me they are more than this an injection of humor and intrigued dogs PoV.

20200508-Research Saul Leiter

I’ve recently purchased ”All about Saul Leiter” book online. Ive seen his work before hand through friends style of photography with their own style of water droplets on windows and multiple layers of action within a frame.

These are a few of the images I’m personally drawn to below.

Why is it I like these images?

  • Composition
  • Colouring
  • Negative space
  • Strong silhouette
  • Layers of action
  • Sense of unknown
  • Hidden beauty

His compositions are extremely true in regard to the rule of thirds. The use of negative space and how the viewer is drawn into the image. The above image are ones that hold my eye when flicking through this book. Mainly due to the above comments. Strange you may think when I’ve been mainly supporting the Bnw genres, I do like a strong colour picture as long as I can the photographer has my attention as soon my eye has seen it.

20200507-Assignment four-A Picture Paints a Thousand Words-draft

Whilst I wait for assignment three tutor feedback and comments from this initial draft, I thought it is worth posting to show my initial essay.

This is something I’ve not done in a considerable amount of years and initially, I wanted to put it off. After chatting to both my brother and friends. Watching reviews and reading how to structure an essay. It was something i had to crack. Word is helpful at time when you’re looking for assistance in the structure and what words to use at times.

My biggest critique has been my parents along this journey, he’s helped me along with the ways of life and troubled times. I should have listened to him more as a child when I was at school or not as the case ended up being.

20200428-Ass_4_ESSAY_Don_McCullin