ABSTRACTION
The White Paper Test & Abstract Development
We made twenty-four unique photographs by crumpling, rolling and folding up pieces of paper. We shot on a white background and used different types and angles of lighting. We later shot more photos as a development to our previous ones using coloured filters, mirrors, patterned glass and shadows. My pictures are a response to the artist Jaroslav Rossler. Rossler was an avant-garde photographer who became known for combining the styles of modern photography including cubism, futurism, constructivism, new objectivity, and abstraction. His photographs explored the contrast of light and shade.
In this image I crumpled up a piece of paper and photographed it using depth of field and focusing on different part of the paper. I angle the lighting from above the paper to create a shadow just in front of it.
Brendan Austin |
Francis Bruguiere |
Brendan Austin creates imaginary landscapes out of crumpled pieces of paper called 'Paper Mountains'. His results are recognisable as landscapes as well as suggesting a sense of deceit.
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Francis Bruguiere was and american photographer, born in San Francisco, California in 1879. He moved to London in 1928 and began to experiment with photography. He beautifully creates cut paper abstractions manipulating the paper and light, exploiting each of their qualities in order to produce results in a complex form of pattern and textures.
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This image is a response to the artists Brendan Austin and Francis Bruguiere. I crumpled up a pieced of paper and used patterned glass and orange and blue acetate to create coloured lighting and patterns on the paper. I shone the light through the glass and acetate to transfer the effect onto the paper.
Abstracting Light
I used coloured fairy lights and smoke to create a variation of similar pictures. My pictures include light painting and the use of depth of field.
Light painting - To create this image I used a string of multi-coloured fairy lights and a slow shutter speed. I used a shutter speed of 4 seconds, an ISO of 400 and an aperture of 16. To produce the effect in the image I got someone to spin the lights in a circle whilst I took the image, this allowed the slow shutter speed to capture a blurred image of the lights as they spun.
To create this abstract image I placed the string of multi-coloured fairly lights over a face. I think this image is interesting as at first glance you may not notice the face hidden beneath the bright lights. Some lights are focused and some are blurred adding depth to the image and the bright colours makes the image eye-catching.
Abstract Experiment
Janus MirallesJanus Miralles creates abstract portraits by mixing photography and paint as a means of creating her art. He often makes her images black and white to create a burnt effect. The figures are left partially untouched whilst the rest of the image is covered randomly with stroke of paint. His highly textural and multi-layered work forms personality and identity that beautifully draws you in and loses you in the picture at the same time.
ResponseUsing a photograph we have taken we aimed to produce one off individual outcomes using the picture we have developed in the darkroom and different techniques such as: painting/splashing on bleach, scratching, burning and distorting. We started by developing the picture in the darkroom, developing it, scanning it into Photoshop and printing it onto acetate. We then used the acetate in the darkroom to produce a negative.
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Abstract Portraits
Erwin Blumenfeld |
Bill Jacobson |
Blumenfeld is regarded as one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. He produced an extensive body of work including black and white portraits, nudes, celebrity portraits, advertising campaigns and fashion photography. He incorporated techniques such as solarisation, multiple exposures, and photomontage in his darkroom experiments.
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Jacobson captures a man's face, blurred and softened, in a style reflecting his preoccupation with loss and mortality in the early 1990s. His theme is closely tied with the observation of AIDS.
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Using Erwin Blumenfeld and Bill Jacobson as inspiration we attempted to create a number of different abstract portraits. We used glass pains, coloured gels and a variety of patterned translucent materials to create our digital portraits.
This is a second response to Bill Jacobson. It uses his style of blurring and softening as well as the monochromic effect to deepen and intensify the image.
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This photo is my response to the artists Bill Jacobson and Erwin Blumenfeld. I attempted to capture his classic defocused monochromic images using a pain of patterned glass. The glass distorts and disguises the face behind it.
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Abstract Landscape
Jerry Reed - 'Architecture'Reed, in his architecture series, captures fragments of art within buildings and landscapes. He was inspired by Clement Greenburg who encourages artists to 'take their work off the easel' and represent it on outward surfaces. He photographs a wide range of textures and colours creating a large colour palette of interesting images.
ResponseIn response to Reed's architecture series I travelled around Shoreditch and completed a shoot of images consisting of graffiti and any buildings with interesting textures, patterns and wearing.
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Saul LeiterStreet PhotographySaul Leiter creates document-style photos on the streets of New York. He intrigues the eye through his use of blurred movement and use of obstructions to create half-concealed portrait like images. Leiter developed a distinct style of colour photography and he had a dreamy style that played with depth of field and a vibrant palette.
ResponseFor this response I took my camera to Muswell Hill and took photographs of things with a red, orange and neutral colour palette. I took pictures through windows and in mirrors including reflections of people carrying out their day to day business.
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This is one of my responses to Saul Leiter. I took this image using the reflections in a cafe's window. This picture captures the moment this person walked passed the window reproducing Leiter's style of the streets of New York, in London. The picture is also similar to Leiter's classics as is has vibrant pops of red and plays with depth field.
This is another response to the work of Saul Leiter, It was taken through a mirror and plays with depth of field, focusing on the man browsing the items of this shop. The image includes a neutral palette but has a hint of red that is included in Leiter's colour palette.
Three Strands
Strand One
Concept - PortaitsFor this strand i will be investigating fashion and street photography inspired by Ezekixl. For this shoot i have taken my images at Canary Wharf and Shoreditch. The focus of my images will be on the modern architecture in a style of fashion photography.
EzekixlThis photographer combines street and fashion photography producing urban style photos on the streets of London. He photographs people in different locations around London creating a neutral palette of similar photos. His models are generally without expression leaving the image open for interpretation.
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This is one if my responses to Ezekixl. i used photoshop to straighten the image as I didn't have access to a tripod for this trip. I also used auto contrast and changed the saturation of the image enhancing the orange and yellow lighting coming from inside the building in the background.
Strand Two
Concept - ReflectionsFor this strand I will investigate black and white street photography inspired by the work of Willy Ronis. For this shoot I completed a journey in central London from London Bridge to Tower Bridge. The focus of my images will be contrast and reflection exploring how this will abstract the cityscape.
Willy RonisWilly Ronis was a French photographer who was best known for his work on post-war Paris and Provence. His classic black and white photographs consisted of courting-couples, busy street scenes and children playing whilst capturing the enduring mystique of post-war Paris. Ronis was one of the last photographers to capture post-war Paris and
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This is one of my responses to the work of Willy Ronis. The image included a cityscape that i then blurred on photoshop by selecting all of the buildings and using the filter 'radial blur' to distort the buildings.
Strand Three
Concept - London CramFor this strand I will be investigating the busyness of London and the daily rush of people commuting to and from work. The photographer focused on the compression of the subway and the publics feeling towards it. I will focus on the hurry of commuters on the London underground and and the bustle and bust of the city.
Michael Wolf - Tokyo CompressionMichael Wolf's photos 'Tokyo Compression' captures the world-famous urban density of Tokyo. He photographs the packed city subways and the different emotions of commuters who get trapped on it. Some photos are goofy whereas others reflect the exhaustion, discomfort and annoyance of the crowds and the sweaty and uncomfortable reality of the daily grind of city life.
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The image above is one of my responses to Michael Wolf. I captured two members of the public as they stood waiting for a train at Bank station. I used photoshop to straighten and edit the saturation and contrast of the image to enhance some of the colours in the back of the image.
Development One
Kate Jackling - 'Fifty Fifty'Jackling uses mirrors, glass, objects and colour to create geometric forms. Her set is fun and she plays with shadows and reflections photographing still life in a way that brings them to life through the excitement of her images. She weaves in natural elements creating simplicity and elegance within her photos.
ResponseIn response to this 'Fifty Fifty' series I used mirrors and coloured pieces of paper in inspiration of Kate Jackling. The coloured paper replicates the fifty/fifty sense of colours represented in Jackling's images. I also used a piece of black card to block out some of the light to further create harsh lines and shadows.
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This is a response to Kate Jackling and Jerry Reed. I was inspired by the sharp lines and harsh shadows of Reed and the bright colours of Jackling. I used photoshop to increase the saturation and sharpen the image.
Development Two - Development 1 Extension
Response
Using my contact sheet from Development 1, I selected my favourite images and made them black and white. I then used photoshop to cut out sections of the image revealing the colour behind it.
To edit this picture I used photoshop to duplicate the image. I made one layer of the image black and white and left the other as is. On the black and white layer I used the polygonal lasso tool to select different sizes and variations of triangles and cut these selections out to reveal the colour of the normal image. This added interest to an already abstract image by using it to create more shapes.
Development Three
Jerry Reed - 'Paper Series'In Reed's 'Paper Work' series he utilises light and shadows to create harsh lines and geometric shapes. Reed aims to create images that are meaningful and create interest. He manages to fold and bend paper in a way that creates dramatic pieces of art.
ResponseFor this development I used pieces of white card and a flashlight to create shadows and shapes. I placed the card in different positions and recreated some of the artists work.
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This picture did not need much editing. I upped the tone and contrast levels to enhance the sharp lines and shadows in the image to create greater juxtaposition between the two elements of the paper and the shadows they were creating.
Final Piece
Inspired by the work of Kate Jackling and Jerry Reed i have created an assortment of images that utilise light and shadows to create an abstract style. I have carried out the process of photographing buildings with unique and varying shapes and sizes. Kate Jackling uses light and materials like glass as well as interesting objects to create a random but effective aesthetic. Jerry Reed, in his 'Paper Work' series, used paper and light to form harsh lines and shadows creating a mysterious and clean cut image that attracts the eye. Together I have gathered inspiration and attempted to create a similar style of pictures to the two artists.
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The images above show my first and second stages of developing my final piece. I went out and took photographs at different locations including Canary Wharf and King's Cross station. After I photographed the buildings I then went on to photoshop and edited the images using the 'sketch' filter and making the images black and white. This made it easier to cut shapes out once the images were printed. I printed the photoshopped images and cut any interesting shapes out using a scalpol and was left with a template that I could then photograph further.
To create these images I used my cut-out photographs and placed them in front of the camera. I used different materials like coloured acetates and mirrors to add to the abstraction of the image. I varied the positioning of the materials and used a timer on my camera so I could hold the paper and acetates in place. Below are some final images that I simply edited on photoshop using the auto contrast and altering the hue and saturation. I also straightened the second image. To straighten it I selected he image, chose 'free transform' and rotated it to my likings. I then cropped any excess image.