I became interested in the idea of the building symbolising the modernisation of the city. To represent the structure of the city I want to photograph buildings that look symmetrical and have lots of windows in a repetitive pattern. The windows and structure of the building will also represent the way the city is controlled as it is being modernised. To gain inspiration on this idea I decided to research into different photographers that capture very structured and modern buildings.
Ori Gersht
Ori Gersht’s images have a very formal feel because of the repetition and symmetrical feel the building’s that he has photographed have. Gersht has captured the buildings in a documentary style way with the way he has photographed them face on as if he is observing them. In his series called ‘Knowledge Factory’ he has photographed schools that were built at the end of the Second World War as many schools had been demolished during the Blitz. Many schools were built quickly as a temporary solution however they are still being used today. The schools were seen as Britain's attempt at modernisation. Gersht has captured them in a way that emphasized the modernisation of them, the windows and grid patter symbolise the control of the city and how everything is structured. In another series called ‘Afterwars’ Gersht looks at the aftermath of the Bosnian war. He photographs buildings that have been damaged by the war, at first everything looks very structured and formal because of the repetition and the symmetry however if you look closer you notice that the apartment blocks have been damaged. I was inspired by the way Ori Gersht uses windows to represent modernism and how they represent the structure of the city but how in some of in his photos you can tell that there is cracks appearing in the controlling of the city.
Julius Shulman
Julius Shulman was an architecture photographer in America.His images captured the modernism of American architecture. He photographed many iconic buildings during the 1930's through to the 1980's, his images promoted the modernisation that happen to architecture after the World War 2. Shulman's photographs symbolise a modern society and living, his images also document the new architecture that was designed after World Ward 2. Many of the buildings he has photographed look very symmetrical and have a repetitive pattern with the windows this symbolises the structure of the city and how its being controlled. Shulman has positioned the camera far away from the building this emphasises the importance of it as he has singled in out from the rest of the city. He also uses low camera angles which also emphasises the importance as it makes you look up at the building, this technique also represents the way the city is growing and modernising.
Julian Legrand
Legrand said 'What is interesting to me is the unscripted nature of everyday life, often more poetic than it appears when seen in a way.' This is represented in his images because of how he takes street photography which captures normal day activity. By including a person and some foreground in his picture puts the building in context as it shows that the building is in an urban area because it is very close to a road. Legrand's images have a formal feel to them because of the structure of the buildings he photographs. The repetition in the windows could symbolise the structure of the city and how the city is controlled, by including a repetition of windows inspired me too use buildings that have loads of buildings as well to create the same effect. Legrand has positioned his camera face on to the buildings which emphasises the repetition and symmetry of the windows. I was inspired by this ideas as it emphasises the symbolism of the controlling of the city.
Jef Van Den Houte
Photographer Jef Van Den Houte captures architecture in a very modern way. He often uses a close up camera position to only capture parts of the building, this gives some of his photos an abstract feel as it's hard to make out what the subject is. In some of his images he uses a low camera angle so you are looking up towards the building. This effect emphasises the height and scale of the building as you are looking directly up at it. With the way Houte has photographed the building could represent the modernisation of the city and the growth of it as it is a very towering building. Houte's images are very high in contrast which adds a dramatic feel to his images because of the contrast between the shadowed and highlighted areas. All of the building is in focus which means a small aperture would have been used as there is a large depth of field. Houte captures movement in some of his photos from where a slow shutter speed has been used as you can see where the clouds have moved in the sky, by using a long shutter speeds captures the feel of the city and how everyone's always in a rush. I was inspired by Houte's photographs because of how he captures the structure of the city by focusing on windows in the buildings he has photographed, this creates a formal feeling as everything appears very structured and controlled just like the city.
Albert Levy
French photographer Albert Levy captured architecture in America and Europe during the 1870's and 1890's. Levy's most famous work is a series of thirty six photographs of 'Modern American Architecture', these images are one of the first photographic series that looks at American architecture. Levy's photographs have a documentary style as he normally photographs the whole of the building as if he is documenting it. All of the buildings are in focus in his pictures which means a small aperture would have been used so there is a large depth of field. Levy's images have a very formal feel to them because of the buildings he chooses to photograph. The architecture he photographs appears very symmetrical and structured because of the repetition of the windows, the structure of the buildings could symbolise how the city is becoming very structured and controlled as it is becoming more modernised.
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