The Object- Photographer/ Artist Research

Polly Morgan
Polly Morgan is a lover of animals which led to her desire to preserve animals since then she has photographed animals in her still life photography. Her series of still-life work is called ‘Taxidermy’, Taxidermy is the art of preparing, mounting or stuffing animals in a life like way to preserve the animals. Her work looks at placing animals in unexpected scenarios, by using unnatural settings which leads you to look at the animals different almost for the first time to see it’s beauty. I find her images to be very beautiful and seductive especially with the way the animals are positioned as they look as if they are sleeping. I also love how you can see all the detail in the animals fur and feathers which adds beauty to the images. The images allow you to have a close up view of animals which are usually very timid so it is a very rare sight. Morgan say’s ‘I am interested in the moment between something dying and decaying - anything between a few hours and a week. There's something beautiful about that. The wings aren't used for flying, the eyes aren't used for seeing, the beak isn't used for pecking… it just becomes an ornament. When it's taken out of context, people can see that it's beautiful. They can appreciate it for what it is.' This is represented in her work as the setting and props used in the images put the animals in scenarios they wouldn’t usually be in which turns the animals into sculptures. The animals she chooses to photograph have a very vulnerable feel as they look very powerless because they are lying down motionless which is a position you don’t usually see them in. Morgan’s work inspired me for my own still-life as she places the animals in a very unexpected setting, I like how she makes you think of the animals in a different way by just placing there body in a unusual way.  

Jenny Saville

Saville’s work usually consists of images of women. She takes the idea of mutation of flesh and represents it in her images. She uses oil painting and makes her painting’s larger than life size which shows the mass of the body’s. The large size of the images also allows you to see all the detail in her work as you can see the surface of the skin and all it’s textures. In her work you can see each brush stroke and all the different layers of the paint, this gives her pictures a three dimensional feel and almost turns them into sculptures. Saville’s work looks as if she has used raw pieces of meat instead of paint because of the blood like colours and how the paint is so thick. The skin in the images is painted in a very violent and bruised away, this gives the paintings almost a delicate feel as the women are painted in that way. Some of her work has an abstract feel because of how the body’s are merged together and the scale of them. There is also an abstract feel to her images as in some of the paintings you can barely recognise what the subject is. Morgan’s painting that inspired me the most is one where a human body is merged with an animals body, I love the surreal feel there is to the image as its two subjects you wouldn’t usually see mixed together like that. The boldness of her work also inspired me for my own still life work as she looks at the way women are perceived and how they feel about there body’s in a very honest way. 

Joel-Peter Witkin

Witkin’s images are very fascinating as he breaks down our notions of physical beauty and fetishes and gives us a better understanding of human difference. His work looks at finding beauty in what society see’s as ‘ugly’ such as people with odd physical capabilities. The images have a very haunting and beautiful feel as they show us an issue that is normally cast aside in a very honest and revealing way. Witkin’s images are very theatrical as they have a very staged feel with all the different props, backgrounds and the way the models are posed. I love how he represents issues that are usually cast aside in a very beautiful way to almost show the normality of it, this is the effect I want to create in my own still-life images. At first Witkin’s images look very beautiful but then once you look into them more you notice the uniqueness of them. Witkin’s work is very influenced by art history, from artists such as Picasso, Bosch and Goya which adds a very historic feel to his images. 

The Environment- Photographer Research

Photographer Research for my three images

Whilst out taking test images I became really interested in the way man made paths cut through the natural landscape. I like how the roads or pathways represent how humans have intervened with nature, as it cuts through the landscape which symbolises the way humans have cut through the land and changed it. I also like the divide that is created by the roads cutting through the image as it represents the difference between nature and landscape however I also like how the road can be a sign of hope as it connects the two sections of the landscape.

Thomas Struth
Struth’s photographs inspired me as they show the relationship people have with the environment. He uses roads to symbolise how humans have changed the natural landscape. He has composed his work so you can see a large area of the beautiful landscape to show how the roads cut through all the beauty of the area. In the images Struth includes tree’s, this gives a powerful feel to all of the images because of the power and strength tree’s symobilse. By having the tree’s pictured next to the road shows how slowly the strength of the landscape is deteriorating however there is also a sign of hope as the tree’s are still standing strong and heroic against the man made roads. In Struth’s images everything is equal as he has used a large aperture which has made everything is in focus. The use of the large aperture represents how the man-made areas in the landscape have almost become part of nature because of how many natural areas have been effected by humans. By having everything in focus also shows how people are becoming confused by what is natural and what is man made in the landscape. I love the simplicity of his images and how he has composed the images so he is standing in the middle of the road as it represents how humans are the ones that have changed the landscape.

Naoya Hatakeyama

The Japanese photographer Hatakeyama represents human intervention in the landscape in his work. He photographs man made hills which look almost natural in the landscape, this shows how man-mad areas in the natural landscape look natural to us because we’re so use to them. Hatakeyama’s images show the vastness of the man-made areas in the landscape and how much natural area’s humans have effected. The vastness of the landscape is shown by the camera angle choice as he looks down on the area as a birds eye view so you can see a large part of the landscape. A large aperture was used in this image because its all in focus through out the image. The lighting in the image highlights the hills and makes them stand out, this brings across the point that they stand out in the the landscape. The two images below inspired me for my own landscape images as they have paths and roads running through them. I like the way they cut through dividing the landscape between nature and man-made, I also like how the paths draw your eyes into the image.

Joel Sternfield

The image’s below by Joel Sternfield show how humans have altered the landscape. His series of work in ‘Landscape with Path’ called ‘A Railroad Artifact’ inspired me for my own three environmental pictures as I like how he celebrates that nature is running through a built up area. I also like how he stands in the middle of the paths which draws your eyes through the images. The railroad Sternfield photographs is very overgrown and cuts through Manhattan similar to an urban walkway. I like the way he composes the images so you can see the city around the walk way, as it allows you to see the huge difference between nature and the urban landscape around it. I find his photo with the sign in the foreground with the saying majestic view to be ironic because of how it has to tell the audience that the scene is majestic and also because of the road that is running through which shows how humans have intervened with the landscape. I feel Sternfields work highlights the fact that nature is important as the main part in the photographs is the natural walk way. The nature side of the photograph also seems important because of how the walk way cuts through the urban area.

Richard Misrach

Richard Misrach's series called Desert Cantos, is a project he has worked on for over forty years, it looks at man's relationship with nature. Misrach said 'The human struggle, the successes and failures, the use and abuse, both noble and foolish, are readily apparent in the desert. Symbols and relationships seem to arise that stand for the human condition itself. It is a simple, if almost incomprehensible equation: the world is as terrible as it is beautiful, but when you look more closely, it is as beautiful as it is terrible." This is represented in his work as he doesn’t just look at the damage humans have caused but what effect we have had on the world accidentally or intentionally. Man’s presence within nature is represented through the below images as there is vehicle marks in the untouched landscape. I like the composition Misrach has chosen as by standing in the middle of the vehicle markings represents how we are the ones that have made the marks. This technique inspired me for my own environment images to stand in the middle of the road, as I also feel it helps to draw your attention into the image. There is an emptiness feel in Misrach’s photographs because of the flatness of the land this represents the vastness of the landscape. The markings in the desert cut through the landscape this helps to show the effect humans have when they intervene with the natural landscape. I found Richard Misrach's to be very inspiring for my environment photographs as I love the simplicity of them and how mans presence within nature is not shown in a negative or positive way.

Dan Holdsworth

'The world in itself' is a series by photographer Dan Holdsworth. This series is of photographs taken in Iceland of volcanic landscapes. The images capture a feeling of the sublime as the landscape looks like such a vast area. Holdsworths images have a very otherworldly feel as they look like futuristic landscapes as it's a landscape you are not use to seeing. His photographs capture humans intervention upon nature by showing a path way that has been made by vehicles, or by including buildings. Holdsworth has used low camera angle's and positioned his camera very close to the ground which emphasises the scale of the landscape. He has also used a small aperture as there is a large depth of field and everything is in focus.  Dan Holdsworth's work has inspired me for my own three images I have to take as I like how he has captured a sublime landscape which emphasises the strength of nature even though humans are gradually destroying it. 

The Environment- Test shots for three environmental pictures

To gain inspiration for my three environmental images I took some test shots showing humans intervention on nature. I wanted to experiment with different subjects and locations to see what I would want to focus on for my final three images.

The birds eye view of this image shows the vastness of the landscape. I composed the image so you can see nature as well as an urban area, I choose to mostly focus on the nature part of the landscape to show its beauty compared to the industrial area. I liked how the tree's divide to the man made and natural section of the photo. 

 I composed the image so you can see the surrounding landscape around the building to show how a man made building has been placed in an beautiful area. I choose to include more of the nature in this image to show its importance and its beauty.

 For this image I wanted to show nature invading into man-made buildings to show its power and importance. For my project I feel showing natures power over industrial areas will give a powerful feel to my image.

 The composition of this image gets across the point of how urban areas have taken over the landscape. By having the nature in the foreground represents its importance and beauty over the industrial areas. I mostly focused on the grass and flowers in the foreground to also signify its importance. I feel the high camera angle is very powerful as it clearly shows the difference between the urban and natural area.

 My research inspired me to take photos at a river to show how humans have changed the surrounding landscape. I like the way the bridge cuts across the river which divides nature with man made areas.

The Environment- Research for three images

William Henry Fox Talbot

I was inspired by Talbot’s images as the symbolism of the tree makes them look very powerful. Oak tree’s are a symbol of beauty, strength and stability, the oak tree in Talbot’s photograph gives the image a very heroic feel. The symbolism of the tree inspired me to use tree’s in my own images as I feel they represent the beauty and strength nature has but by using a bare tree it represents how the tree has aged and stood through time. Talbot produced the print from a paper negative. The composition of the photo gives it a very powerful because of how the tree is directly in the centre of the photo, this composition has inspired me to compose my images with the main subject in the centre. I like how the sky isn’t to distracting in the photo as there isn’t much detail because it looks very overcast. 

Casper David Friedrich

Friedrich’s, ‘Monk by the sea’ is a sublime landscape. A feeling of awe and beauty is represented in the painting because of how vast the landscape is and how it allows your mind to imagine the area. The sublime quality of the landscape also has a horrific feel to it because you can’t calculate or measure the landscape because it is so sublime. The composition of the image adds to the feeling of it being a sublime landscape as there is a large amount of empty space in the picture. I love how Friedrich creates fear in this painting however it also gives you pleasure as the fear attracts you. Friedrich has also included a human figure in his painting, the figure almost looks heroic as its looking out over the vast landscape. His work has inspired me to take sublime landscapes to show the large areas of nature humans have affected. I was also inspired by the feeling of fear in his images but how they still manage to intrigue you, I want to create a similar effect in my own work by showing the devastating effects humans have caused on the landscape. 

Peter Henry Emerson

Most of Emerson’s photographs were taken in the 1880’s in East Anglia. He was interested in every day life, his work consists of countrymen at work and countryside landscapes. Emerson was very interested in ‘natural’ photography and he believed that ‘a photograph should be a true representation of that which the eye saw’ this led to many arguments with the British photograph establishment. I like how Emerson shows the effects humans have had on the country side but regards everything in the countryside as equal as he uses a large depth of field so everything is in focus. Emerson was against modernisation this is shown in his work as he photographs very rural areas and shows countrymen working in a very idyllic way. I was inspired by his work because of how he represents the landscape in a natural way and shows a mixture of nature and man made in his images.

Edward Weston

Weston pays close attention to detail in his work, and gives everything equal significance this technique almost gives he’s images an abstract feel. Even though some of his pictures have a abstract feel you don’t loose the realness of the landscape but concentrate on the selected areas. Weston believes that ‘every natural fact is spiritual’, I believe this is why he focuses on small areas in the landscape to show all of its detail and to show how you’re at one with nature. His work inspired me for my own landscape images as I can show the detail in how humans have effected the landscape by taking close up’s of the effected area’s.

Timothy O'Sullivan

O’Sulliavan’s job was to photograph the American West to attract citizens, he photographed mines, prehistoric ruins and villages. His work documents the American West in an untamed way as well as showing American’s progression with modernisation. His photograph of the rock with the inscription and ruler represents the owning and controlling of the land and how its slowly being changed. I like how he shows the vastness of the land to show how much is still untouched but also includes areas that humans have changed cutting through the landscape. O’Sullivan’s work documents the landscape as well as showing it in an artistic way with he’s camera angles and compositions.

The Environment- Digital Test Photo's

Location test photographs

I decided to take some test shots of the location where I’m going to be taking my photo to pastiche Robert Adams. The location is ideal as the hill is full of nature but overlooks an urban area. I wanted to find a bare tree as tree’s symbolise hope so by having a bare one it will show how the hope is fading as industrialized areas are ruining nature. However there was no bare tree’s because of the time of the year, so instead I found this small dead plant that resembled a tree that was in a location where it overlooked buildings similar to ‘On Signal Hill, Overlooking Long Beach, California’ by Robert Adams. I edited the images using Lightroom to black and white to get an idea of how my final image will look, from my test photos I decided I would have to make sure I take the photos on a overcast day as I don’t want any detail in the sky like there is in the test photos. I also used a large aperture in the test photos to get a similar effect to Adams’s image so everything is in focus, I choose to use a large aperture as it allows you to see all the buildings in the background as well as the tree in the foreground. From the test images I decided I prefer the landscape in portrait as it makes the tree the main focal point of the image but still allows you to see the buildings in the background. From doing the test photos it has made me realise where I want to photograph, and what techniques I want to use such as composition and the aperture. 

I liked the grass in the foreground with the industrial area in the background as it shows how humans have ruined the environment. However, I felt the grass doesn't represent nature as well as tree's do in Adams image. To improve the image it would be better to include a tree as they symbolise hope for the nature and it would make a better pastiche image. 

 

I included a thee in this image however I felt the location wasn't right as there was too much nature in the foreground so you couldn't see all the buildings clearly in the background. I also felt it didn't pastiche Robert Adam's image enough as there isn't a tree composed in the centre of the photo to show its importance compared to the industrial area around it.

I then found a small dead plant that resembled a tree, I felt it represents the tree's in Robert Adams image as it looks very bare and neglected which shows how humans are ruining the landscape as you can see the industrial area in the background. To get a feel for how my final film image will look I decided to turn the image to black and white. By turning the image to black and white it made me realise I wanted to take the image in portrait instead of landscape as there is a lot of grass in the foreground which distracts from the tree and the town in the background.

The Object- Still-Life Lighting Ideas

1. For my first idea I want to use very soft and natural lighting. In the photo I want there to be no harsh shadows and for the shadows that are there I want them to have very soft edges.To get this effect I’m going to use a beauty dish so the light is reflected and then diffused to give it a very soft lighting effect. I’m going to keep the light very close to the objects to make sure the light is soft as possible. I also want a wide spread of light in the image so everything looks even and natural. I was inspired by the following photographers:

Jean-Jacques Bachelier’s ‘Still life of roses in a basket’ inspired me because of the soft lighting. I like how there is no harsh shadows which gives the image a very soft and delicate feel. The low contrast in the image adds to the delicate feel of the photo. A wide spread of light was used in the image as the light is very soft and all very natural.

Robert Mapplethorpe’s still life work also inspired me, I love the softness in his images. Even though there is shadows the images still look very delicate as the edges are very soft. I like Mapplethorpe’s use of tone in his images and how you can see all the detail. To get the same soft effect in my own work I’m going to make sure there is a wide spread of light everything is lit evenly.

The lighting used in Ansel Adam's work also inspired me with my own still-life. His work has a very delicate feel to it as you can see all the detail in every part of the photo. The lighting is very soft and diffused which adds to the delicate feel of the image. The way the shadows in the image are very soft and have no harsh shadows inspired me for my own work, to get this effect I’m going to have the lighting very close to the object.

The tone in Karl Blossfeldt's still-life's work really stood out to me. I loved how the pictures are exposed perfectly so you can still all the detail in the image, even in the shadows. Even though there is quite a lot of shadows in the image the photos are still very soft because of how there is no harsh edges. I think a wide light source was used as the lighting is very even and is very natural, I'm going to use a wide light source in my own work to get the same effect. 

I also want to take some photos using diffused lighting with the first idea set-up. To do this I’m going to use a soft box which has multiple layers of material that diffuses the light. Using this lighting set up stops any shadows because the lighting is so soft. The only contrast which will be in the image will be from the object itself which would mean the image will look very soft. By using a diffuser the saturation will be very reduced in the photo which would mean all your attention will be on the objects and the different tones in the photo. These still-life photographers use diffused lighting which inspired me for my own still-life: 

Edward Weston’s images have a very soft feel to them because of the diffused lighting. The object has no harsh shadows which gives it a delicate feel. I like all the tones in the image as it allows you to see all the texture in the object. The contrast in the image is only from the object and the background itself because of how soft the lighting is. 

The light in Laura Letinsky’s images really inspired me for my own still-life work. The lighting has a very soft feel to it because of the diffused lighting. I like the naturalness of the images and how they have a very realistic feel because of the soft lighting. The diffused lighting desaturates all of the colours in the image which gives a very delicate feel to the photo. Letinsky’s images are of scenes that happen after events, the softness of the lighting gives the scene a very fragile feel especially with the left over food in the image.

1. For my second idea I’m going to be using hard lighting. I want my image to have maximum contrast with no graduations through out it, to give the image a very seductive feel. I also want the images to have very defined and hard edged shadows to give the photo a dark and dramatic feel. To get this effect I’m going to use one light with a honeycomb light modifier to create a harsh lighting effect, so the light comes from a single point light source. 

Pieter claesz is a 17th century Dutch still-life painter. He’s still life paintings have a very dark and dramatic feel because of the hard lighting used. The lighting gives the paintings a very realistic feel to the objects because the harsh lighting allows you to see all the detail and textures in them. The shadows and highlights in the photo also give the objects a very realistic feel. I love the way the foreground is the main section thats lit in the photograph as is it gives a seductive and mysterious feel to the images. I also like the use of the black background as it gives the painting a very dark feel.