sign in sign up
<<
Home , Alex Boyd (photographer), Pictorialism

Assessment Task

My World PART A , as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution. — Photographers develop their own visual vocabulary to help them record and communicate what they see in the world around them. By using selected photographic equipment and applying their preferred techniques, they develop their own unique styles. Task instructions You will produce a total of three personal and creative photographic images in response to the theme of ‘My World’. You will begin by choosing ONE photographic GENRE for your work from the following list of options: Portraiture Still life Landscape Urban environment The images that you create must have a clear photographic STYLE. You will choose any ONE of the following styles: Pictorialism Social realism High key and Low key Composition and Light Use your chosen genre and style to develop ONE set of images (a total of THREE images) which demonstrate your ability to communicate your interpretation of the theme of ‘My World’. When developing your photographic work and images you will demonstrate your skill in applying creative techniques through manipulation of controls and use of photographic equipment and/or in post-production using computer software, as appropriate. You will evaluate the overall success of your THREE photographic images, identifying at least one strength and at least one opportunity for improvement in your work, before presenting all of your work for assessment in an appropriate format, as agreed with your assessor. instructions

1. Thoroughly research two Photographers working in the same genre for PART A 2. Analyse 3 from each Photographer (x6 total) . 3. Create a mood board/montage of image examples in line with your chosen Genre and Style. 4. Create a Plan for your imaginative shoots. 5. Take your photographs. 6. Create and review contact sheets for your images (these must be notated). 7. For PART A select your top 6 images and evaluate each one (1 star and a wish Technical and 1 star and a wish Creative) 8. Manipulate 1 or more of your photographic images in Photoshop for post-production corrections. 9. Write a Final evaluation of your 3 images with regards to : Composition, Visual Elements and Camera Technique. 10.Save your final presentation into your portfolio drive. Inform your teacher by email with link that this has been done. [email protected] OR [email protected]

NAME Gemma Montgomery

Higher Photography Contextual Imagery

‘My World’

‘My World’ Part A

Genre =Landscape Style =Composition and Light First Photographer Name Ansel Adams The first photographer I would like to study is Ansel Adams. Ansel Adams was a photographer and environmentalist born in San Francisco, California in 1902 in February. When Adam was only five his family fortune collapsed in the financial panic of 1907 and from then on Adams father spent the rest of his life trying to recover. Adam was an only child and was born when his mother was nearly forty. As his parent were relatively elderly, his family had a wealthy history and his life in the company of his auntie along with his aged father, all contributed to building an environment that was old fashioned socially and emotionally conservative. As Ansel’s mother spent a lot of time moaning about her husband being unable to restore the family fortunes, this left an emotional scar on Adam which could possibly be an influence of Adams later work as a photographer. Adams father encouraged and supported his son his whole life. In school Adam had problems fitting in, later in life he claimed that he might have been diagnosed as hyperactive along with the possibility that he suffered from dyslexia. In the schools he attended he was not successful so ended up being home schooled by his father and aunt. He accomplish what he called a ‘legitimizing diploma’. The most important result of Adams childhood is the joy and fascination he found in nature. The Sierra Club was vital to Adams early success as a photographer. His first published photographs appeared in the club’s 1922 Bulletin and he had his first one man exhibition in 1928 at the clubs San Francisco headquarters. By 1934 Adams had been elected to the clubs board of directors and was well established as both the artist of the Sierra Nevada and the defender of Yosemite. 1927 was the pivotal year of Adams life. He made his first fully visualized , ‘Monolith, the Face of Half Dome’, and took his first High Trip, an event where you camp and travel to different beautiful locations each day. Importantly, at this time Adams came under the influence of Albert M.Bender, a San Francisco patron of arts and artists. Within the days they met, Bender started the preparation and publication of Adams first portfolio ‘Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras’. Benders friendship, encouragement and financial support changed Adams life dramatically. His creative energy and ability as a photographer developed and he began to have the confidence to pursue his dreams. First Photographer Image 1: Ansel Adams ’Roots, Foster Gardens, Honolulu’ (1948)

Analysis: This photograph by Ansel Adams is the roots of a tree in Honolulu that he has manipulates to look more unnatural and intense than beautiful in nature. The most important aspect to me of the image is how he successfully using line and shape to create almost imaginary movement with the roots of the tree slithering down the image, influencing an unsettling atmosphere. The lighting contributes to this effect as the highlights it creates makes the tree branches look more like snakes rather than the bottom of a tree. To also contribute to the effect of the tree looking unnatural, Adams has kept the tones which also strips away the knowledge of the image being nature and a tree. Adams effectively includes texture in the image as the floor the roots are lying on can be seen as being lumpy or rough. This is a nice contrast compared to the smoothness of the tree roots. What first attracted me to this photo is how when you look at the image, your eyes move up with the branches and invokes a disturbing feeling within you. The image makes me feel slightly unsettled due to the imagination of the branches moving but this, to me, is what makes the image interesting and so successful. This is one of Adams rare images that involves nature landscape. The message Adams was trying to convey was for people to see underneath the surface of humanity. First Photographer Image 2: Ansel Adams ‘Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar’ (1944) Analysis: This landscape photograph was taken by Ansel Adams in 1944 in Sierra Nevada, California. This image depicts a field of boulders in the foreground, leading to a dramatically lit view of Mount Williamson in the background. To me, the most important thing in the image is the light shining downwards onto the rocks. This is because without this aspect I feel like the in the image would not be as effective and the rocks in the fore ground would not stand out as much against the mountains in the background. The image has been toned to be fully black and white. I feel this is effective because the light source appears brighter more obvious piercing the clouds. What first attracted me to this image is the light pointing to the rocks on the ground. I think the way the light almost glides down the centre of the two rocks in the background makes the image much more interesting. I think the setting of the image creates a very warm atmosphere as it appears to be in a desert type of surrounding, the black and white tones don’t make this obvious however, which adds mystery to the mood. First Photographer Image 3: Ansel Adams ‘The Tetons and the Snake River’ (1942)

Analysis: This is one of Adams best known photographs. Taken in 1942 in northwest Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, the photo showcases the beauty of the Teton Mountain Range and the Snake River before it, and highlights Adams’ mastery of photography and composition for landscapes. This iconic by Adams is one of the 115 images included in the Voyager Golden Records — phonograph records containing sounds and images showing life and culture on Earth — which were included aboard Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 in 1977. the most important thing in the photo is the river in the centre of the photo. It is very effective as this is what drives your eye view up toward the dark and cold mountains in the background of the image. This photograph is realistic and had not been staged as it is a real destination in the world, this adds to the images amazement. Natural light of the sun has been used for the image as it has been taken outside. The lighting is effective as it brightens the river in the centre of the image, making the subject matter more apparent. The photograph has been toned to be fully black and white. The thing that attracted me to this image was the dull clouds in the background with the effect of the sun shining through them, this highlights the dark mountains. Second Photographer Name Alex Boyd The second photographer I would like to study is Alex Boyd. Alex Boyd is a Scottish photographer born in 1985 in Germany but soon moved to Ayrshire and became a photographer. Boyd’s most famous collection of work would be his ‘Sonnets of Scotland’ series he began in 2007 which features landscape images from the most iconic locations in Scotland. This series was also a collaboration with poet . Boyd is also quite famous for his landscape images worked with Victorian processes such as wet- plate collodian and photo-gravure. Throughout his career as a photographer, Boyd has worked with some very influential fellow photographers such as Rankin and Japanese master printer Takeshi Shikama whom he trained under. In 2012 , Boyd was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Art. His work is now in many galleries across the world including the National Gallery of Scotland, The Royal Photographic Society , The Royal Scottish Academy as well as other collections across the world. In March 2012 Boyd appeared in a new BBC series and book on the history of Victorian photography, and in 2013 with photographer Rankin talking about the work of Hill & Adamson. In 2013 he was announced as the Royal Scottish Academy Artist in Residence at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the . He is currently Artist in residence for , a role he will hold until late 2015.

Second Photographer Image 1: Alex Boyd ‘Sonnets, The Cuilins from Elgol, Isle of Skye’ (2010) Analysis: This image is set in Isle of Skye and Boyd explained that his ‘Sonnet’ series was an attempt to question the depiction of Scottish landscape and our relationship with it. He does this by introducing a human element to the composition. In the foreground of the image you can see the rocks from the isle with a human standing on a rock while the background depicts the river, mountains and the sky. Part of the image has been staged so that the man is standing at the right place for the image to be taken. I think the place the man is standing is effective because the intelligent use of allows your eyes to begin where the man is standing, then move upwards to where the mountains and the sun in the image is in the direction the man would be looking himself. The natural light source is very effective as it allows the background to be very bright whereas the rocks in the foreground are more muted. The lighting is also effective as the sun almost bounces off of the rocks, making them very purple toned like the sky. What first attracted me to this image is the beautiful colours Boyd captured in the sky. This makes the image so interesting. Second Photographer Image 2: Alex Boyd ‘The Sonnets, Loch Etive’ (2015)

Analysis: The foreground of the image includes the rocky shore and the male figure standing in the water. The middle-ground features the mountains and their reflection in the water while the background illustrates the landscape of the sky. The realistic image was taken in Loch Etive in Scotland and the most important feature of the image is the male figure standing in the centre with his reflection in the water as it almost splits the image in the centre, drawing your eyes to the mountains reflection in the water. The natural light source of the image allows the reflection in the water to be brighter and sharper, permitting the sky to be shown in the water instead of actually in the sky. The image has a limited depth of field. I think this is effective in this specific image as the landscape in the background is as important as the water in the fore and middle-ground. What attracted me to this photograph was the shapes created in the water reflection. The direction the man is looking and the sloping down of the mountains direct you to the landscape in the background. Second Photographer Image 3: Alex Boyd ‘St Kilda’ (Published-2017)

Analysis: The islands of the St Kilda archipelago is the most remote part of the British Isles and lies 100 miles to the west of mainland Scotland in the North Atlantic. The island is famous for being masked in myth and romance. Boyd started his St Kilda series in an attempt to change this perception of the island with a series of images taken over many years. This image was taken at the outskirts of the island and is what remains of a long extinct volcano. In the foreground of the image you can see the water of the Atlantic with the island in the middle-ground and sky in the background. The most important thing the image is the jagged lined island in the centre of the image. The gritted texture of the rock the image has captured and the sharpness of the outline almost makes it look tooth like which creates the unsettling atmosphere Boyd was trying to achieve. The bright light coming from the background is effective as it allows the volcanic rock in the centre to stand out even more. The image has been toned black and white to add to the melancholic mood of the image. Genre Research: Landscape In response to the assessment task “My World” it is my intention to explore Landscape Photography. Generally, Landscape photography is the capturing of an image which illustrates a place in the world. However, when I explore Landscape I anticipate to show the land I am photographing in a very different way. I would like to illustrate a place in the world but I would also hope to demonstrate what lies beneath that place, as in if that place has a more devilish aspect to it that is not clear at first impression. Thinking about Landscape in historical times, Landscape was originally used to fill the blank space behind a person or scene by painters or artists. However as art and photography has evolved, the background of an image has grown to have artistic value and just as much importance as the foreground. Today Landscape photography has become a very popular genre. I feel like Landscape photography is very important because it captures the scenery that people would normally miss or not appreciate fully.

Style Research : Composition and light

I have chosen to explore the style of Composition and Light. In Photography, lighting is one of the most important aspects of creating a good image, and along with a good composition, the images are going to be a lot more effective and tell a better story. I think lighting is a good way to set the mood of an image and create any kind of emotion and atmosphere be it positive or . Along with the correct camera settings, it is simple to get a good soft or sharp light for images but it is even more effective for landscape when the lighting is natural and coming from the sky. Lighting is what allows an image to come to life by creating highlights and shadows , making an image never look flat or uninteresting. When it comes to composition, using the rule of thirds is the most effective way to achieve the best image compositionally and take a successful photograph. I hope that I can use both Composition and light effectively in my images.

I am attracted to how there Genre/Style Mood Board is a figure in this image but the landscape is still the I like main focus. how this image takes something beautiful and makes it look more deadly with the tones. The light source in this image really brings it to life.

I like how the colours of the sky are vivid and bright in this image.

The branches in this image look very disfigured and scary which I like. I think I like how the depth the of field in background this is is sharper than the very foreground effective. in this I like the image. camera I like how view close the also. view is. Inspiration Images and Analysis Landscape and Composition & Light

Analysis: - ‘Cabbage Leaf’ 1931 The image has been manipulated to not look like a cabbage at first glance but rather a piece of fabric or sand. The image has been toned so that it is black and white, adding to the non realistic look. What attracted me to this photo was that the cabbage has been photographed to look like something else which is what I hope to achieve.

Analysis: Richard Gaston- ‘Bowling Ball Beach’ 2015 The foreground features the pebbles on the ground while the middle and background features the sky. The slow speed allows the movement of the water to be evident in the image. I like this photo as it makes me feel calm. The rocks remind me of massage pebbles.

Analysis: Max Rive- ‘Blinded’ 2015 The foreground features Rive standing on a rock with the middle ground the sunlight and the mountains. I like the sunlight in this image as I think it is very effective in landscape photography. It is something I would light to achieve in my photos. My plan of action:

What I have chosen to explore emotions in this project. I want to be able to take images in the same location but highlight different emotions from it each time. Almost like illustrating different identities. I chose this brief as I believe, no matter what it is, there are always different personalities hidden underneath or within something you just have to look carefully. I will be exploring three main emotions in a specific location: Calmness, Fear, and Joy.

Who I have looked at the work of Edward Weston and feel like he effectively uses shape in his landscape images and creates interesting illusions of things looking like something else that its actually not. I like the way he looks at perspective and this is something I would like to achieve in my shoots.

Why A photographer I have studied in detail is Ansel Adams. I am interested in the striking way he takes nature and makes it look almost deadly instead of beautiful. He creates such vivid atmospheres in his photography and this is something I would like to try and mimic in my photography.

I intend to do 3 Photo-shoots. Where I plan to head to Calder Glenn country park in Eastkilbride for all three of my photoshoots . I have decided to do this as I aim to reveal different personalities and atmospheres the park has that may not be noticed at first. My first shoot will focus on how the park has a sense of calmness within it and how people can go there to relax and feel safe. My second shoot will show a deeper side of the park that’s not first obvious. A side that you should show fear towards. I think everything has a dark side that is why I wanted to do this. Finally, my third shoot will focus on the happiness and joy of the park including how it is a cheerful place to spend time in.

How In my first shoot I plan to use the sky to create the calming atmosphere. I think this will work because of how peaceful the sky in autumn time is due to the colours and possible clouds there is. So that I get the colours in the sky I plan to go in the evening so its not too bright or dark. I am also aware of the statues in the park which I plan to maybe use in the shoot. For my second shoot I plan to find a place in the park that looks a bit unnatural and could possibly be manipulated to look like something it is not and show a darkness that the park has. I aim to look for strange branches or trees in the park the I can use. I would like to capture shots of the branches crawling up and going out of the image. I believe this will create a nice creepy shot. For my final shoot I plan to make the park look more light-hearted by capturing images somewhere bright and cheery. I hope to do this by taking images in the part of the park where people like children go to have fun in the swing park. I think the look of the sun in the images will effectively create this joyful atmosphere to highlight the parks goodness. Photo Shoot Planning Sheet 1 Aim To undertake a landscape shoot in the style of Composition and Light. In Other Info this shoot I aim to create Buildings images that highlight the CalderGlenn Country Park calming side of the country East Kilbride Rugby Field/Zoo park and the beauty it has in Props/ Equipment it. I hope that whatever the I will use a wide angle lens so that I weather is I will be able to am able to photograph a large scene manipulate the camera to which will allow me to crop whatever is unnecessary in the illustrate a soothing mood in image during post production. the images and advertise the There is an interesting statue at the park to have this same location I plan to shoot which could be used as an effective prop for the atmosphere. I anticipate that I shoot. will be able to achieve an effective composition along

with a striking light source in the image. Genre and Style Landscape I have chosen to do Landscape because I think it is important to demonstrate the nature of our surroundings and reveal what is hidden within them. Composition & Light Composition in a landscape image is very important because there are Technique always vital sections that should be the I would like my images to feature the focused on. Good lighting adds interest ‘becoming the subject’ view as I want my to the images. photographs to illustrate what someone would see if they were standing where I Location was standing. I will also experiment with a I will undertake the standard eye view to see if there are any shoot in CalderGlenn effective images. country park as there I aim to have my composition include a are many interesting feature that adds direction in the image places in this big park. and draws your eyes through to Because it is a beloved somewhere else. location in East Kilbride I would like to try reveal the different personality sides that I think the park has. For this shoot I will be Equipment highlighting what everyone already thinks of the park, I will use a DSLR camera that it is a calming I will use a wide angle lens so that I am able and beautiful place. to capture as much as the landscape as possible to create an effective image. I will not be using any unnatural light sources as I want the sky to look as pure in the image as possible. Photo Shoot Planning Sheet 2 Aim To undertake a landscape shoot in the style of Composition and Light. In Other Info this shoot I plan to highlight the darker side of the country Buildings park by turning a place that CalderGlenn Country Park East Kilbride looks innocent into Forest Trail something more off-putting Props/ Equipment with the use of the camera. I I will us a wide angle lens as it will hope that I am able to find allow me to zoom effectively in and out as I please. Also so I can create somewhere in the park that I successful blurs in the background can turn darker even though and focus in the foreground. it looks beautiful at first. I I do not plan to use any kind of unnatural light source. think this contributes to my idea that not everything is as it seems at first and

everything, no matter what it is, has multiple sides to it. Hopefully this idea is clear in Genre and Style the shoot. Landscape I have chosen to do Landscape because I think it is important to demonstrate the nature of our surroundings and reveal what is hidden within them. Composition & Light Composition in a landscape image is Technique very important because there are always vital sections that should be the I would like my images to stay with an focused on. Good lighting adds interest eye level view as I feel this is the most to the images. effective way to interact with an image and connect to it as it is what you would Location see if you were there. As in want this shoot to show a dark side I think an eye I will undertake the shoot level view will be the most effective way in CalderGlenn country to invoke this feeling of darkness. park also. In this shoot, I would like the composition to be close as I as I am trying to up in the foreground with the middle and reveal the different background creating an almost trail so its personality sides that I like the image is travelling somewhere. think the park has, I will be focusing on the darker sides of the park. Amidst one of the park trails there is a section I find very intriguing as it looks Equipment quite creepy. This would not be clear in daylight so I am going to try and I will use a DSLR camera show the area as the I will use a wide angle lens so I am able to scary way it is using the camera. create effective blur in the background. I will not be using any kind of unnatural light source. Photo Shoot Planning Sheet 3 Aim To undertake a landscape shoot in the style of Composition and Light. In Other Info this shoot I plan to highlight Buildings the goodness of the park and CalderGlenn Country Park to create a joyful atmosphere East Kilbride in the images. I hope that I Play Park can use natural lighting in Props/ Equipment I will use a wide angle lens so that I the image so that it can can effectively create a large depth contribute to creating this of field in the images to effectively happy mood without having include the landscape in the middle or background. to post produce too much to As I want to create an up-beat get this feeling across. I hope atmosphere, I plan to use the that the images in this shoot natural light source of the sun to contribute to this. will illustrate a direct change in tone from my previous shoots so that my idea of

different perception shines Genre and Style through clearly. Landscape I have chosen to do Landscape because I think it is important to demonstrate the nature of our surroundings and reveal what is hidden within them. Composition & Light Composition in a landscape image is very important because there are Technique always vital sections that should be the I would like my image perspective to come focused on. Good lighting adds interest from a Bugs-Eye view point as I would like to the images. the foreground to be almost in the sand where a bug would lay. I would also like to Location experiment with the ‘becoming the person’ I will undertake the view as I am going to try create a large shoot in CalderGlenn depth of field in the image that would Country park like my represent this view. previous shoots as I am For the composition of the images I am going trying to achieve to focus on having the light and the sky another emotion from in the background with the buildings or trees the park. I will focus on in the foreground. the children's park where there is sand as I think this will highlight a clear Equipment difference from the first two shoots. I will set I will use a DSLR camera my shoot during the I will use a wide angle lens so that I can daytime so that I can use the sunlight to my create a large depth of field using the advantage in the shoot. on the camera. I will not be using an unnatural light source but if necessary I will experiment with a to try achieve the brightness I want in the images. The next 3 slides are to help you show the SQA evidence of selection.

3

1

4

2 Brief Evaluation of my top 6 images for Part A:

The depth of field in this image is very effective and The Composition in this image is very effective. The the leaf in the foreground has been captured very position of the figure in the bottom left third directs sharply adding to the overall effect. I like the dullness the eyes across the image to the beautiful sky on the of the background as it almost creates a morbid right. The darkness of the trees and the figure makes atmosphere for the leafs surroundings. the sky stand out even more in the image.

This image is effective as the depth of field creates a This image is effective as it almost looks like the start blur background with a focused foreground which is of a path the images takes our eyes through which I successful in the image. I like the green colours of the like as it tells somewhat of a story. I like how the image, almost makes it look very alive and full of branches crawl out the way instead of inward in the nature. image.

With this image I like that the sun is shining down the I like the orange colour in the tree, it makes the image photo , this brings the happy mood I was hoping for in more vibrant and life like. The blue in the sky also the image. The building in the centre helps add another creates this effect. The use of rule of thirds with the tree element and keep the image interesting. makes the composition effective. Original

Edit

Technical info: The lighting is quite soft in this image as it graduates very easy into the clouds from the bottom right corner. I used rule of thirds in this image so that the statue would sit in a position where it would direct your eyes across the Final Image image. This is effective as it makes every part of the image interesting. I used a standard lens and wanted the focus to be on the statue as this is what I wanted to be a main view point of the landscape. I kept the aperture at a low setting so that focus would be in the foreground, the depth of field isn’t that extreme in the image however. The was at a normal setting but I dot think my image was effected at all as there was no movement. I purposefully kept the ISO low so that the brightness remained in the sky with the statue and trees having more of just a silhouette . Original

Edit

Technical info: The lighting in the image is quite transmitted and comes in from the background making the foreground a bit darker. I used natural lighting to have a legitimate effect. Rule of thirds has been used to an extent as I Final Image wanted to have a path looking section up the centre and branches moving outward. I used a standard lens and wanted the focus to be in the foreground where the branches are. I used manual focus so that I could control this happening. The aperture of the image is low so that the depth of field could be quite large with an effective background blur. My shutter speed was again average as there was no movement in the image so I did not want this to have an effect. I kept the ISO low so that the natural light would be highlighted in the background with a darker foreground. Original

Edit

Final Image

Technical info: The lighting in the image is very sharp and hard. I think this adds to the effect of the landscape as a happy image. The lighting effects the composition as I have used the rule of thirds to edit the lighting strokes down the left side going downward. The lighting in the image is natural so that I could achieve this type of lighting. I used a standard lens and wanted the focus to be on the light shining in the foreground. I kept the aperture lower in an attempt to create a large depth of field, however, this was now fully achieved but I still think the effect with the lights is effective. I set the shutter speed to a quick setting so that I was able to get the effect with the sunlight. I set the ISO to 100 to that I was able to get the details of the sky in the background and to keep all the brightness with the sunlight. This has allowed the image to be more clear and sharp. ‘Calm’

Photograph Evaluation •I think a strength to this image is the composition that I chose. The position the man is in and direction he is facing lines up with the sky which makes your eyes move across the image with him. •An opportunity for improvement in the image could have been that I could have set a smaller aperture on the camera so that I could have created a larger depth of field. I also could have planned to do my photoshoot on a clearer night so that there was more colour in the sky than clouds. •A technical decision I would have changed was that I would have used a wider lens so that I could have included more length to my landscape and make the image horizontally longer. ‘Fear’

Photograph Evaluation •A strength to this image is that I was able to get a good depth of field with the foreground being in focus against the background. I think this added to the effect of a dangerous path in the image. •An opportunity for improvement in the image could be that I could have included more of the sky in the background rather than the trees. This would have allowed the branches to stand out more against the bright sky. •A creative choice I would have changed is that I would have used a flash in the images so that the foreground would be bright and gradually get darker into the background making the park look even more dangerous. ‘Joy’

Photograph Evaluation •A strength to this image is the lighting and how I achieved the shine coming down the image. I think this completes the feeling of joy in the image I was aiming to grasp. I also think the way I have cropped the image is effective as it adds greater impact to the shine coming down the image as it stands out more. •An opportunity for improvement in the image could be that I could have positioned the camera less slanted so the building in the background was straighter or I could have fixed this problem during editing. •A creative choice I would have changed is that I could have experimented with a slower shutter speed so that I could have achieved a sense of movement with the sun shining down.