abstraction
Abstract photography is a means of depicting a visual image that does not have an immediate association with the object world and that has been created through the use of photographic equipment, processes or materials.
the white paper test
The task was to produce 24 unique pictures of a piece of white paper, without cutting or tearing it. I was to shoot these pictures on a white background in a studio with spotlights and soft lights. I could use the combination of colour filters and spotlights to get different effects for the photograph.
BACK AND WHITE
edited
In this picture I folded over some of the paper but not all the way to the end creating this interesting point in the paper. I like this as it reflects the light in many different directions and all the different shades of the white and black complement each other very well.
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I put the light underneath the paper to enlighten the folds and creases I had made when scrunching up the paper.
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WWW
There is a consistent theme in all of these photos of the strong contrast between the white of the paper and the spotlight and the black of the shadow. Each photo is clear and not grainy and shapes and ridges created by the paper are original and different.
EBI
I think it would be interesting to redo this with paper which has black and white images on.
There is a consistent theme in all of these photos of the strong contrast between the white of the paper and the spotlight and the black of the shadow. Each photo is clear and not grainy and shapes and ridges created by the paper are original and different.
EBI
I think it would be interesting to redo this with paper which has black and white images on.
COLOUR
edited
studio abstract portrait
This is the original picture of my friend in Coldfall Woods. I printed it out onto acetate then I took it to the dark room. I placed a green filter on top of the acetate then placed it onto a piece of silver nitrate paper. I exposed the paper for 6 seconds and then developed it. Then I put the picture into a bath of bleach which changes the colour slightly. I then washed the bleach off with water and dried it.
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I uploaded the picture above onto photoshop and put it on top of the original image to get this movement effect. I also changed the colour and the contrast to bring out the background more.
The first thing I did was change the filter to brush strokes to get this painted effect. I then warped and distorted the picture using the Transform tools. I applied this to the top left of the picture and to Louis' body. |
I used the Liquify tool to get these swirly looking strokes for the red areas and the body. I wanted to abstract the picture more and make it look surreal. The size of the brush that I used was 50. I went to image>adjustments>colour balance and I changed the colour of the image to a blue-green mouthwash colour. I then went onto the Liquify tool again and added some more curvy lines and points. For this edit I changed the colour to this deeper purply blue and then used the Liquify tool to make the spiral effect on Louis' body. |
picture 2 |
abstract portrait
Using the work of Bill Jacobson and Erwin Blumenfeld as inspiration create a number of different abstract portraits. Use panes of glass and coloured films to get the desired effect.
bill JACobson
Bill Jacobson (b. 1955, Norwich, Connecticut) is widely known for his out-of-focus photographs of both the figure and the landscape. His work is in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and many others. In 2012, he was the recipient of a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. His first solo New York show, entitled Interim Figures, featured shadowy, pale portraits and photographs intended to evoke the loss experienced by so many during the height of the AIDS epidemic, and the futility of capturing true human likeness in both portraiture and memory.
This photo is a portrait hence it emphasizes the subject's facial expression. It looks like a passport photo as there is equal spacing between both sides of his head and the border. It is a striking image as the subject is looking straight into the camera and as a result directly at the person viewing the photo. The picture is however faded which hides the subject's surroundings and the rest of his body. This is effective as you imagine a head floating in space reflecting the abyss of despair which many Aids sufferers would have experienced.
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Although the face is blurred in this photograph the expression of pain and hurt comes through very strongly. The facial expression and open mouth suggests that the subject is shouting or crying out in pain. Bill Jacobson is very successful in portraying the subject's feelings and expressions in this photograph.
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MY RESPONSE
When I took this picture I used a slow shutter speed to create a blurry effect around the eyes of the subject.
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The first thing I did was change the mode to grey scale. Then I changed the brightness and contrast to make the picture look darker. Then I used the shape blur tool to make Nat's (the subject) face look blurry.
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Erwin Blumenfeld
Erwin Blumenfeld is regarded as one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. An experimenter and innovator, he produced an extensive body of work throughout his thirty-five year career including black and white portraits and nudes, celebrity portraiture, advertising campaigns and his renowned fashion photography. He incorporates experimental techniques like solarization, multiple exposures, and photomontage into his darkroom practice.
MY RESPONSE
Photos inspired by saul leiter
Take a series of photographs in the style of Saul Leiter. Use the city as a means of creating abstract portraits. Shoot portraits through doors, car windows and windows. The images can be set up or of people that you don't know in a documentary style.
This is an interesting perspective as it is from a back-seat car window. The contrast in the 2 vibrant colours (the red of the umbrella, and yellow of the taxi) is very striking in a sea of grey and duller colours.
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I think this picture is good as I like how the window with rain on is wiped to reveal this man standing in the rain outside. The contrast of the dull foreground and bright yellow blurred truck driving past in the background is powerful as it changes the atmosphere and mood of the picture. Without it the mood would be depressing and sad as rainy days can be, but with it, the mood changes and is more cheerful. It might be something to do with the fact that yellow is a primary colour.
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Saul leiter
Saul Leiter started out as a painter and was then encouraged by Richard Pousette-Dart and W. Eugene Smith to pursue photography. He started taking black and white photos but in 1948 moved to colour. Leiter was a fashion photographer for 20 years with his work published in magazines such as Elle and Vogue. His work was later published by Martin Harrison in a book called 'Early Colour' which focused on vibrant colourful street photography in Manhatten.
through glass
final pictures
Development
First strand: DISTORTED nature
CONCEPT
For this strand I will start by taking a series of photos in rural parts of London. I decided to visit Hampstead Heath and focus on man-made change to the landscape as well as the autumnal colours. I have made physical prints of the photos and abstracted them by distorting them by twisting, folding and cutting the images.
For this strand I will start by taking a series of photos in rural parts of London. I decided to visit Hampstead Heath and focus on man-made change to the landscape as well as the autumnal colours. I have made physical prints of the photos and abstracted them by distorting them by twisting, folding and cutting the images.
LAURA PLAGEMAN
In Laura Plageman's work she takes pictures, prints them out, then physically alters them either by folding them up or tearing them. She re-uploads the results. Her subjects are mainly trees and nature. In her work Plageman visited popular places along the California coast, often places which tourists visit with cameras as well. One of the motivations for her work is to show us, the viewer, that things change and boundaries shift, portraying the dynamism of our world.
In Laura Plageman's work she takes pictures, prints them out, then physically alters them either by folding them up or tearing them. She re-uploads the results. Her subjects are mainly trees and nature. In her work Plageman visited popular places along the California coast, often places which tourists visit with cameras as well. One of the motivations for her work is to show us, the viewer, that things change and boundaries shift, portraying the dynamism of our world.
My concept relates to Plageman's work in the sense that we both alter the picture by physically folding and tearing the paper. We have also both photographed landscapes which are altered by man. They are not altered in the physical sense, for example by building structures, but in less obvious ways such as deforestation through landscaping or through the cultivation of different species of trees and plants.
Response 1
response 2
final images
WWW
I think this image works really well because it looks surreal as it is severely distorted. The folds in the paper make the viewer question whether the picture is real or fake and accentuates the distortion of nature. The tree in the background looks bare and empty and as if it might have been cut down. The different colours of the leaves of the trees provide contrast to the picture so it is varied and not just a block of colour.
EBI
The picture however is quite grainy and dark in some places. If I were to do it again I would take the original picture of the tree with a lower aperture to let more light in.
I think this image works really well because it looks surreal as it is severely distorted. The folds in the paper make the viewer question whether the picture is real or fake and accentuates the distortion of nature. The tree in the background looks bare and empty and as if it might have been cut down. The different colours of the leaves of the trees provide contrast to the picture so it is varied and not just a block of colour.
EBI
The picture however is quite grainy and dark in some places. If I were to do it again I would take the original picture of the tree with a lower aperture to let more light in.
Second strand: empty
CONCEPT
For this strand I started to takes pictures of brutalist inspired architecture with exposed bland concrete. For this I visited Tate modern and the Barbican Centre and focused on concrete walls and bare metal. I then put the images onto Photoshop and switched the mode to greyscale so the picture is black and white.
For this strand I started to takes pictures of brutalist inspired architecture with exposed bland concrete. For this I visited Tate modern and the Barbican Centre and focused on concrete walls and bare metal. I then put the images onto Photoshop and switched the mode to greyscale so the picture is black and white.
ARUN KUPLAS
Arun Kuplas focuses on the aesthetic qualities that are within objects, photographing both architecture and people. In his work called Bunker 10117, which is a study of the transformation of an environment and its contents over a period of time, he wanted to refrain from manipulating the picture as much as possible so he shot using only the available light coming through the structure. This I think is important as it is giving an accurate representation of what he is photographing.
third strand: Patterns in architecture
Concept
Through the framing of different subject matter a photographer is able to abstract an image.
For this strand I will investigate how I can select specific sections of buildings to produce abstracted images. I will be focusing on patterns which I notice in various examples of architecture in central London, some of the styles being brutalist and modern.
Through the framing of different subject matter a photographer is able to abstract an image.
For this strand I will investigate how I can select specific sections of buildings to produce abstracted images. I will be focusing on patterns which I notice in various examples of architecture in central London, some of the styles being brutalist and modern.
Nikola olic
Nikola Olic's abstract structural photography is a playful imagining of what massive solid immovable structures might represent, in both a real urban sense and a personal experimental one. In Olic''s photography there is a strong diagonal axis with the photos focusing heavily on very angular buildings, mostly skyscrapers. Her pictures don't show the top or bottom of the buildings giving an infinite perspective on the structures.
For my photos I will:
-Look for diagonal lines dissecting the image.
-Look for strong contrasts.
-Create a feeling of infinite space by cropping out the top and bottom of the buildings.
For my photos I will:
-Look for diagonal lines dissecting the image.
-Look for strong contrasts.
-Create a feeling of infinite space by cropping out the top and bottom of the buildings.
final
Edited
I turned the colour to maximum black which makes the photo black and white. I did this because it makes the photo less distracting, and makes you focus on the patterns not the colour which is visible on the unedited picture to the left. I also adjusted the brightness and contrast to even out the colours. |
patterns in architecture
andreas gursky
Modern architecture development 1
Brutalist architecture development 2
In this development I will focus on patterns in Brutalist architecture in particular. The pictures taken are from The Brunswick Centre, the Institute of Education and the Barbican. I chose the Brunswick Centre because of the symmetrical apartments within the complex. Another attraction was the exterior of the Centre with the slanted pillars holding up one side of the building. It is also a good example of the Brutalist style which originated from Modernism.
edited
This is the exterior of the Brunswick Centre, I focused on the vertical pillars holding up the slanted balconies because I like the way in which the gap between the pillars gets smaller until they finally intersect. There is also contrast in the picture with the concrete and balcony front. In Photoshop I put the mode on greyscale and brought the brightness down and the contrast up.
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This picture is of an apartment building near to Russell Square tube station. I picked these windows in particular as they are all different. The curtains in the bottom 2 have contrasting patterns with stripes in one and flowers in the other. The top left hand window has a cross which gives it a spooky grave yard feel and the top right is pitch black. This shows the difference in patterns as the window frames are all the same. I wanted the photo to be level and at right angles so I levelled it out as much as possible but if I were to do it again I would take a tripod.
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development 3: diagonal axis
In my photos for this development I will look for diagonal lines dissecting the image.
Success Criteria
- I will look for strong contrast between the windows of the building and the concrete or whatever building material is present.
- I will take pictures on a diagonal axis turning my camera either one way or another to create the effect.
- I will not include the top of the building or the bottom, as a result creating an infinite pattern.
Success Criteria
- I will look for strong contrast between the windows of the building and the concrete or whatever building material is present.
- I will take pictures on a diagonal axis turning my camera either one way or another to create the effect.
- I will not include the top of the building or the bottom, as a result creating an infinite pattern.
WWW
I like the angle from which I took the picture as it makes a building which is quite dull from most angles interesting. Using the angle of the camera in relation to the building I managed to show part of the inside but also hide half of it as the white vertical pillars overlap. EBI The picture hasn't been edited so I would experiment in Photoshop and try to accentuate the contrasts. |
I took this picture from this angle as I wanted to create a sense of confusion as it is unclear where I am taking the picture from (e.g. at the top of the building, on the street or out of a window). I've also chosen not to show the top or bottom of the building as it gives the picture a sense of infinity.
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development 4: repeated patterns
Here I took inspiration from photographers such as Marcus Lyon who experiments with repeated patterns in urbanised areas, for example train stations and shipping yards.
Here is my response.
Here is my response.
Development 5: Patterns in Brunswick estate
Development 6: Patterns in the barbican centre
development 7: surreal and distorted patterns
EBI
I think next time I would use more photos so that the change is more gradual. I would also start off with an unedited sharper picture to create more contrast as the gif plays.
I think next time I would use more photos so that the change is more gradual. I would also start off with an unedited sharper picture to create more contrast as the gif plays.
Development 8: Architecture inspired by Patrick Cornillet
Patrick Cornillet is a French architectural painter born in 1968. His recent work has featured buildings, often made from concrete, in empty surroundings. His images evoke the ruins of a fallen society, as they seem deserted and desolate.
My response
development 9 artificial achitecture
final piece
For my final piece I am making a book which will feature the following pictures titled Deconstructed Architecture. I have named it this as I am focusing in on certain aspects of buildings and deleting the background and the rest of the building. The reason for this is to influence the person viewing the picture and to make them look at what you want them to look at. In this case it is the building and the architecture. Unlike some architecture photography, mine features no people. This was important to me and including people in my work would drive the subject away from the architecture and towards the people. For the book each page will have a white background.
I chose the following final pieces as they include different and interesting colour contrasts, repeating patterns and unfamiliar unique shapes. I chose to isolate them making them the focus of the image so that the viewer experiences them differently as they are not distracted by simultaneously viewing other parts of the building.