Resources List (to be added to as time goes by) of my reading etc during the module.
Bibliography
The Photographers Eye - Michael Freeman
Perfect Exposure - Michael Freeman
The Genius of Photography - Gerry Badger
Land - Fay Godwin
The Photographers Eye - John Szarkowski
Looking at Photographs - John Szarkowski
The Nature of Photographs - Stephen Shore
The Arts Good Study Guide - E Chambers and A Northedge
Landscape Beyond - David Ward
Landscape Within - David Ward
Camera Lucida - Roland Barthes
Each Wild Idea - Geofrey Batchen
Light, Science and magic - F Hunter, S Biver, P Fuqua
Photography A Critical Introduction - Liz Wells
Land Matters - Liz Wells
The Photograph - Graham Clarke
Context and Narrative - Maria Short
Edward Weston: The Last Years in Carmel - David Travis
Edward Weston: His Life - Ben Maddow
Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers - Martin Evening
British Journal of Photography
Silvershotz, The International Journal of Contemporary Photography
Online
http://photohistory.jeffcurto.com/
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/bw_master_print.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Weston
http://ccp.uair.arizona.edu/item/234
http://www.edward-weston.com/
http://www.creativephotography.org/
http://arthistory.uoregon.edu/about/alumni/bios/barton-westonl
https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
The Nature of Photographs - Stephen Shore.
This book has been on my shelf for a while and has only ever had the occasional glance through and then put back. I am aware that I struggle a little with the appreciation of certain works within photography and when I look at an image and I feel uncomfortable with it, I move on quickly. My discomfort is based on (I guess) ignorance and embarrassment. In the same way that one would gloss over any subject where lingering causes discomfort. The wider problem here is that within photography I shouldn't feel like this. I want to be able to call myself a Photographer, in the widest sense. Within photography (art generally I assume) there is a hierarchy of opinion from people who by one means or another have won the right to curate exhibitions, edit books and write on the subject. These people are well educated and well read within the subject (quite rightly) and therefore become an authority. I don't have a problem with that, I consider myself a minion within photography and am willing to embrace all genre. So, I don't think that by simply looking at these difficult images I will suddenly have a divine moment and all will be well in my head. Rather than looking at photographs for anything other than the pleasure it gives me I need to consider why the author has included them in a collection.
So, we all look at art differently and Shore explores ways of understanding and looking at photography, from iconic images to the mundane, from the masters such as Stieglitz to those of today including Struth and Gursky.
Part 1 - The Nature of Photographs.
Shore looks at the very essence of the photograph. It is a physical object, a print and an illusion of a window onto the world. A rock, a landscape, a face, all have an embedded signal that works our mind. "It gives 'spin' to what the image depicts and how it is organised" He asks us to look at the "physical and formal" attributes to define and interpret the content.
Part 2 - The Physical Level.
A back to basics approach, that on the surface seems unnecessary. However to consider the photographic print as a physical commodity is a good place to be. It is flat and it has edges, it doesn't move. "The print has physical dimensions". These attributes are important. We work in a two dimensional art and photograph a three dimensional world. The physical properties of the print determine some of the visual qualities of the photograph, such as where the edge is, what we see, what we don't see. The tonal range and tint of monochrome and, the palette of colour can tell us about its age. Shore also encourages us to think about it as an object. " As an object, a photograph has its own life in the world. It can be saved in a shoebox or in a museum. It can be bought and sold. It may be regarded as a utilitarian object or as a work of art. The context in which a photograph is seen effects the meaning a viewer draws from it."
Those few words are in the corner of page 26 and they have stopped me in my tracks. Looking at the last sentence again "The context in which a photograph is seen effects the meaning a viewer draws from it.". Because photography is ubiquitous are we taking it for granted, are we fatigued by there being so much of it, or am I looking at it in the wrong context. Being in photography overload is a possibility and I need to be careful what I look at and where. Shore has made me think about the need to be selective and in some areas I am dealing with this.
Part 3 - The Depictive Level.
It is here that Shore looks at what we depict and how we need to work. "Photography is inherently an analytical discipline" , are words that seem rather frightening at first, but when he compares our work to that of a painter it does make sense. As photographers we have to impose order, a painter builds a picture, we need to frame, choose camera settings. focus and choose the moment. Much of which is of course a natural instinct of the photographer. So these formal attributes, flatness, frame, time and focus define the photograph, its depictive content and its structure.
Flatness is the transformation from three dimensions to two and the depiction of depth when projected on to a single plane is created by the juxtaposition of objects. Shore looks at images where the viewer is stopped by the picture plane and others where viewer is drawn through and into the image, describing them as opaque and transparent. This juxtaposition of objects change as we move around with the camera and a decision has to be made. Shore says " In bringing order to this situation, a photographer solves a picture, more than composes one." Certainly within landscape photography the chaos of nature, its inherent inability to conform, its seemingly endless power to entice and then disappoint is frustrating and gets "solved" by a few.
The frame is interesting. A photograph has edges and these separate not so much what is in, but what is left out. After all there is far more to leave out than put in. Shore is interested the edges and says "For some pictures the frame acts passively. It is where the picture ends.The structure of the picture begins within the image and works its way out to the frame" and "For some pictures the frame is active. The structure of the picture begins with the frame and works inwards". In my quest to read more photographs this simple but none the less (and obvious) test is a genuine tool in my newly acquired toolbox for photography.
Time, is an attribute that relies heavily on the photographer understanding the likely outcome when shooting by employing changes in technique.. Frozen time: short exposures, cutting across time to capture the infamous "decisive moment" or as Shore puts it ".. generating a new moment". Extrusive time: long exposures, capturing movement as blur. This is technique requires the camera to be still for some time and is less spontaneous. Still time: Very long exposure, maybe many minutes where a small aperture is being used to maximise depth of field. As Shore says "the content is at rest and the time is still" .
Focus is the final component of the Depictive and primarily deals with how we can treat the plane of focus (mostly parallel to the film plane) and depth of field. Depth of field (adjusted by aperture and measured in f stops) varies with lens focal length and camera to subject distance. It being greater at wide angle and less at telephoto and less the closer the subject is to the camera. The technical and mathematical issues here are the least intuitive for the photographer and Shore offers a few examples without going into the physics preferring instead to describe narrow depth of field as "the plane of focus acts as the edge of our attention cutting through the scene". The illustration for wide depth of field is a photograph of a fence, some mid distance buildings and a mountain range in the distance. Here we are asked to look at how quickly we can see around the image as we are not tied to the narrow plane of focus as the image has depictive space.
Part 4 - The Mental Level.
So, while making an image we need to look and let our eyes work from reality to the flat sheet of paper that will be the photograph and transfer that message to our brain and allow a reaction to take place. Shore says " The mental level elaborates, refines and embellishes our perceptions of the depictive level" The techniques available at the depictive stage and how we deploy them bridge the gap to the mental level and allows us to "focus the mind". The amount that your eye changes mental focus while viewing a photograph determines the mental level, either shallow or deep and this may not coincide with level of depictive space. The images Shore uses to illustrate this are carefully chosen and his argument is clear. However , the issue of determining the mental level of images outside the comfort of the book is a challenge. It is clear that Shore recognises the difficult decisions that the photographer has to make and says "What a photographer pays attention to governs these decisions (be they conscious, intuitive or automatic)." The key here is that Shore recognices that intuition is an active element in the visual gestalt of a picture.
Part 5 - Mental Modelling
In this final section Shore is looking at the Model that a photographer has and how he uses this when making photographs and whether by taking what he does unconsciously and making that process consciously there is more control. Shore writes of his own method "When I make a photograph, my perceptions feed into my mental model. My model adjusts to accommodate my perceptions (leading me to change my photographic decisions). This modelling adjustment alters, in turn, my perceptions. And so on. It is a dynamic, self modifying process. It is what an engineer would call a feedback loop. It is a complex, ongoing, spontaneous interaction of observation, understanding, imagination and intention."
This methodology is recognisable to me although I had never before considered it enough to write it down. I suspect that due to it being iterative it is a nuisance and when faced with needing a solution I tend to abandon the problem and move on.
Conclusion.
Shore has written sparingly and not used a verbose style. His words are succinct, pointed and used carefully to work through the 5 sections. The photographs are well produced and inserted carefully to illustrate the text. Like all good works I will look at the book often and reevaluate later in the course.
So, we all look at art differently and Shore explores ways of understanding and looking at photography, from iconic images to the mundane, from the masters such as Stieglitz to those of today including Struth and Gursky.
Part 1 - The Nature of Photographs.
Shore looks at the very essence of the photograph. It is a physical object, a print and an illusion of a window onto the world. A rock, a landscape, a face, all have an embedded signal that works our mind. "It gives 'spin' to what the image depicts and how it is organised" He asks us to look at the "physical and formal" attributes to define and interpret the content.
Part 2 - The Physical Level.
A back to basics approach, that on the surface seems unnecessary. However to consider the photographic print as a physical commodity is a good place to be. It is flat and it has edges, it doesn't move. "The print has physical dimensions". These attributes are important. We work in a two dimensional art and photograph a three dimensional world. The physical properties of the print determine some of the visual qualities of the photograph, such as where the edge is, what we see, what we don't see. The tonal range and tint of monochrome and, the palette of colour can tell us about its age. Shore also encourages us to think about it as an object. " As an object, a photograph has its own life in the world. It can be saved in a shoebox or in a museum. It can be bought and sold. It may be regarded as a utilitarian object or as a work of art. The context in which a photograph is seen effects the meaning a viewer draws from it."
Those few words are in the corner of page 26 and they have stopped me in my tracks. Looking at the last sentence again "The context in which a photograph is seen effects the meaning a viewer draws from it.". Because photography is ubiquitous are we taking it for granted, are we fatigued by there being so much of it, or am I looking at it in the wrong context. Being in photography overload is a possibility and I need to be careful what I look at and where. Shore has made me think about the need to be selective and in some areas I am dealing with this.
Part 3 - The Depictive Level.
It is here that Shore looks at what we depict and how we need to work. "Photography is inherently an analytical discipline" , are words that seem rather frightening at first, but when he compares our work to that of a painter it does make sense. As photographers we have to impose order, a painter builds a picture, we need to frame, choose camera settings. focus and choose the moment. Much of which is of course a natural instinct of the photographer. So these formal attributes, flatness, frame, time and focus define the photograph, its depictive content and its structure.
Flatness is the transformation from three dimensions to two and the depiction of depth when projected on to a single plane is created by the juxtaposition of objects. Shore looks at images where the viewer is stopped by the picture plane and others where viewer is drawn through and into the image, describing them as opaque and transparent. This juxtaposition of objects change as we move around with the camera and a decision has to be made. Shore says " In bringing order to this situation, a photographer solves a picture, more than composes one." Certainly within landscape photography the chaos of nature, its inherent inability to conform, its seemingly endless power to entice and then disappoint is frustrating and gets "solved" by a few.
The frame is interesting. A photograph has edges and these separate not so much what is in, but what is left out. After all there is far more to leave out than put in. Shore is interested the edges and says "For some pictures the frame acts passively. It is where the picture ends.The structure of the picture begins within the image and works its way out to the frame" and "For some pictures the frame is active. The structure of the picture begins with the frame and works inwards". In my quest to read more photographs this simple but none the less (and obvious) test is a genuine tool in my newly acquired toolbox for photography.
Time, is an attribute that relies heavily on the photographer understanding the likely outcome when shooting by employing changes in technique.. Frozen time: short exposures, cutting across time to capture the infamous "decisive moment" or as Shore puts it ".. generating a new moment". Extrusive time: long exposures, capturing movement as blur. This is technique requires the camera to be still for some time and is less spontaneous. Still time: Very long exposure, maybe many minutes where a small aperture is being used to maximise depth of field. As Shore says "the content is at rest and the time is still" .
Focus is the final component of the Depictive and primarily deals with how we can treat the plane of focus (mostly parallel to the film plane) and depth of field. Depth of field (adjusted by aperture and measured in f stops) varies with lens focal length and camera to subject distance. It being greater at wide angle and less at telephoto and less the closer the subject is to the camera. The technical and mathematical issues here are the least intuitive for the photographer and Shore offers a few examples without going into the physics preferring instead to describe narrow depth of field as "the plane of focus acts as the edge of our attention cutting through the scene". The illustration for wide depth of field is a photograph of a fence, some mid distance buildings and a mountain range in the distance. Here we are asked to look at how quickly we can see around the image as we are not tied to the narrow plane of focus as the image has depictive space.
Part 4 - The Mental Level.
So, while making an image we need to look and let our eyes work from reality to the flat sheet of paper that will be the photograph and transfer that message to our brain and allow a reaction to take place. Shore says " The mental level elaborates, refines and embellishes our perceptions of the depictive level" The techniques available at the depictive stage and how we deploy them bridge the gap to the mental level and allows us to "focus the mind". The amount that your eye changes mental focus while viewing a photograph determines the mental level, either shallow or deep and this may not coincide with level of depictive space. The images Shore uses to illustrate this are carefully chosen and his argument is clear. However , the issue of determining the mental level of images outside the comfort of the book is a challenge. It is clear that Shore recognises the difficult decisions that the photographer has to make and says "What a photographer pays attention to governs these decisions (be they conscious, intuitive or automatic)." The key here is that Shore recognices that intuition is an active element in the visual gestalt of a picture.
Part 5 - Mental Modelling
In this final section Shore is looking at the Model that a photographer has and how he uses this when making photographs and whether by taking what he does unconsciously and making that process consciously there is more control. Shore writes of his own method "When I make a photograph, my perceptions feed into my mental model. My model adjusts to accommodate my perceptions (leading me to change my photographic decisions). This modelling adjustment alters, in turn, my perceptions. And so on. It is a dynamic, self modifying process. It is what an engineer would call a feedback loop. It is a complex, ongoing, spontaneous interaction of observation, understanding, imagination and intention."
This methodology is recognisable to me although I had never before considered it enough to write it down. I suspect that due to it being iterative it is a nuisance and when faced with needing a solution I tend to abandon the problem and move on.
Conclusion.
Shore has written sparingly and not used a verbose style. His words are succinct, pointed and used carefully to work through the 5 sections. The photographs are well produced and inserted carefully to illustrate the text. Like all good works I will look at the book often and reevaluate later in the course.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Photoshelter - Educational Guide
One of the disadvantages of registering interest at some websites is that they bombard you with junk mail. I get mail from Photoshelter every week and I hardly ever open any of them. I know what they sell and I am not buying, and maybe I should find that tiny little "unsubscribe" link and stop them, but cant see it. Today though I had a second look at the mail and they were offering me an Educational Guide and it is pretty good. Called " Selling Fine Art Photography" it is a down loadable 25 page pdf with content from nine contributors offering help on getting work into galleries, being seen online and some insight from a Fine Art Printer.
The introduction has a phrase that sums up so much about photography. "..... finding the "recipe" to selling fine art proved elusive. There is no recipe, but there are common threads."
We are often tempted to go and find the recipe, especially when faced with a new or difficult situation and become disappointed when its not there. The common threads are there and although they are tricky to find they can be joined together.
The little book is an interesting read and can be found along with their other free booklets at www.photoshelter.com/mkt/research/
The introduction has a phrase that sums up so much about photography. "..... finding the "recipe" to selling fine art proved elusive. There is no recipe, but there are common threads."
We are often tempted to go and find the recipe, especially when faced with a new or difficult situation and become disappointed when its not there. The common threads are there and although they are tricky to find they can be joined together.
The little book is an interesting read and can be found along with their other free booklets at www.photoshelter.com/mkt/research/
Monday, 8 August 2011
More Books
I love the moment new books arrive. The anticipation of how they will feel, their weight, the paper type and the smell of new ink. It reminds me of the smell when opening new film packs.
Although not particular to Landscape I am becoming engaged with the history of photography and how it will help my understanding of how image making has evolved and how that will influence my own work in the future.
So, two books.
Each Wild Idea by Geoffrey Batchen.
From the back cover " Batchen explores widely ranging aspects of photography, from the timing of photography's invention to the various implications of cyberculture." Batchen is Associate Professor of Art and Art History, at the University of New Mexico.
Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski.
100 pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Although not particular to Landscape I am becoming engaged with the history of photography and how it will help my understanding of how image making has evolved and how that will influence my own work in the future.
So, two books.
Each Wild Idea by Geoffrey Batchen.
From the back cover " Batchen explores widely ranging aspects of photography, from the timing of photography's invention to the various implications of cyberculture." Batchen is Associate Professor of Art and Art History, at the University of New Mexico.
Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski.
100 pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
A few developments
I was weened on Amateur Photographer magazine. That was many years ago when a typical headline was " New Ilford FP4 now on sale" and the For Sale pages gave me hours of lusting over a F2AS or 500CM with one lady owner. In the main these days I never look at AP, except a sideways glance in the supermarket at another front cover offering me another "Shoot out - Nikon xxx v Canon xxx".
The only magazines I read are the BJP and Black and White Photography. They fit my need as a photography student. BJP to frustrate me due to its content and B&W to frustrate me due to my lack of expertise compared to the best monochrome workers. So, enter a new read and its an online magazine called "Great British Landscapes". Its in its 12th issue and having seen that they mean business I have signed up for a year. You can find it here and Issue 1 is free. Co written by Joe Cornish and Tim Parkin it includes work by a number of quality landscape photographers. The jewel, in my opinion is the video content where Joe works on an image in Photoshop and creates the final photograph. My Photoshop technique has got stale and seeing a master at work has encouraged me to try a new work flow and to be gentle with the image, slowly slowly, rather than my current 2 minute rush for the finish. Critiques, featured photographers, interviews, debate and technical articles make it a good read.
A second development, almost forgotten after FOCUS, is that my Lee Big Stopper has arrived after a long wait in the queue. A BS is a ND filter with a 10 stop factor. It is 100mmx100mm and fits the standard Lee holder. I know its already a bit old hat using one of these but having 5 minute exposure times in daylight is an interesting avenue. Movement recorded as swirls of light whether its water, clouds, cars or people allows me to create new work for myself and whether it gets into the coursework, we will wait and see. I am so conscious of the cliche, but while Michael Kenna gets away with it there is no reason why I shouldn't.
The only magazines I read are the BJP and Black and White Photography. They fit my need as a photography student. BJP to frustrate me due to its content and B&W to frustrate me due to my lack of expertise compared to the best monochrome workers. So, enter a new read and its an online magazine called "Great British Landscapes". Its in its 12th issue and having seen that they mean business I have signed up for a year. You can find it here and Issue 1 is free. Co written by Joe Cornish and Tim Parkin it includes work by a number of quality landscape photographers. The jewel, in my opinion is the video content where Joe works on an image in Photoshop and creates the final photograph. My Photoshop technique has got stale and seeing a master at work has encouraged me to try a new work flow and to be gentle with the image, slowly slowly, rather than my current 2 minute rush for the finish. Critiques, featured photographers, interviews, debate and technical articles make it a good read.
A second development, almost forgotten after FOCUS, is that my Lee Big Stopper has arrived after a long wait in the queue. A BS is a ND filter with a 10 stop factor. It is 100mmx100mm and fits the standard Lee holder. I know its already a bit old hat using one of these but having 5 minute exposure times in daylight is an interesting avenue. Movement recorded as swirls of light whether its water, clouds, cars or people allows me to create new work for myself and whether it gets into the coursework, we will wait and see. I am so conscious of the cliche, but while Michael Kenna gets away with it there is no reason why I shouldn't.
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
British Journal of Photography - documentary images
After a break of maybe four years or so I have started reading the BJP again. Two reasons for this renewed interest in a journal that in the past I had often found difficult to embrace. The first reason is perhaps a little shallow but I am impressed with the new format and reproduction quality. I cant do with anything that is made or delivered to me in a shoddy fashion, especially when being asked to pay a full price. The new BJP is printed on good paper and the photography properly reproduced. I also needed to read more, especially around contemporary photography and photographers who are making it in today's world. My photography is not centered around modern trends (other than digital capture which I suppose isn't modern anymore) and I tend to hanker for the past in style at least. Elsewhere you will see how much I write on Edwin Smith, Edward Weston and David Ward, who himself is a devote of Minor White.
So, the BJP as a source of inspiration and learning. It does have a difficult job serving so many different reader requirements and it is trying to deal with a number of styles and genres, all inside 90 pages.
Some of the modern documentary images however leave me cold, to an extent that I doubt my entire reason for being part of photography and get quite anxious. Many of these "skirting board" images as I call them where there seems to be nothing of any relevance, no content other than the obvious and the banal, performed often with on camera flash that I really think of them as nothing more than a snap and that is a kindness. I know that its me and I am not quite "getting it" (I think Alan Abercrombie on his blog also talked of this) and I really want to find the answer as to why this type of work is so highly regarded and treated to space in this journal. The photographers who's work it is are clearly doing the right thing and being accepted for publication. I will persevere, look at the photographs and read about the photographers, trying to remember their names so that when the opportunities arise I can chat to others about them over a glass of Chablis and maybe feel an inner calm and smugness that I understand.
So, I am still finding the BJP a challenge. Much of it is very good and an eager read and I am convinced it is the right thing to do to keep in touch and up to date, but like so much with photography, its vast and I need to come to terms that I wont understand it all.
So, the BJP as a source of inspiration and learning. It does have a difficult job serving so many different reader requirements and it is trying to deal with a number of styles and genres, all inside 90 pages.
Some of the modern documentary images however leave me cold, to an extent that I doubt my entire reason for being part of photography and get quite anxious. Many of these "skirting board" images as I call them where there seems to be nothing of any relevance, no content other than the obvious and the banal, performed often with on camera flash that I really think of them as nothing more than a snap and that is a kindness. I know that its me and I am not quite "getting it" (I think Alan Abercrombie on his blog also talked of this) and I really want to find the answer as to why this type of work is so highly regarded and treated to space in this journal. The photographers who's work it is are clearly doing the right thing and being accepted for publication. I will persevere, look at the photographs and read about the photographers, trying to remember their names so that when the opportunities arise I can chat to others about them over a glass of Chablis and maybe feel an inner calm and smugness that I understand.
So, I am still finding the BJP a challenge. Much of it is very good and an eager read and I am convinced it is the right thing to do to keep in touch and up to date, but like so much with photography, its vast and I need to come to terms that I wont understand it all.
Sunday, 6 February 2011
PS CS5 Books
Having installed the new PC and CS5 I decided to buy a couple of new books to speed up the learning between my older CS2 and 3 to the newer version. I am generally impatient when it comes to learning functional commodities and prefer to use the trial and error method, but this seemed like a good time to buy more books, as unlike a lawnmower or multimeter the controls are hidden and you can hunt forever to just switch to Photography mode. Adobe Photoshop for Photographers and The Ultimate Workshop, both by Martin Evening arrived while I was in Cumbria,(looking for assignment 3 in 80 mph winds). It is astonishing to think that (if we knew nothing about PS) that we now need a book with 746 pages and a further one 484 pages, just to process photographs beyond the normal man in the street techniques. I know that is an exaggeration but I don't think my textbooks for my Private Pilots License had so many pages and just how much do we need to know ?. I am aware that I know enough to get by, but as a student for a degree in photography I feel I should know more and be something of an expert in the field if one day I was to say teach the subject. It would be inappropriate to not be able to answer questions on the finer points of PS and while we have no examinations I am making the effort to read more.
This of course is a further distraction from getting on with new images, but is at least "something akin to photography" and I am not watching mindless television, which could be the death of us all.
This of course is a further distraction from getting on with new images, but is at least "something akin to photography" and I am not watching mindless television, which could be the death of us all.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Harry Cory Wright
A recent thread on the OCA student site discussed various landscape photographers and their relevance to contemporary photography and how we as students of photography should be influenced (or otherwise) by the current well known names and names from the past. The discussion ranged from Ansel Adams through to modern protagonists such as Charlie Waite and Joe Cornish.
Much of the "National Trust" type, coffee table publications have gorgeous photography and they sell well in shops all around the land. A whole industry has grown up alongside this which teach you "how to" do the same and many enjoy that.
I have, like most others I guess had a go at this type of work and while there is some short term excitement at another 20 sec shot at f16 of a stream or sea with groynes, they are for me imitations of work by others (who have mastered the style) and why go there, is it worthwhile. One could argue that if I take as many rocky outcrops and ferns as say Joe Cornish or Edward Weston then I will be a good photographer.
What is happening here if I am not careful is blatant plagiarism dressed up as becoming educated and instead of looking for my own style and images I might as well just look for the tripod holes in the mud, buy a few books with location details and join the queue to expose my Vevia at Padley Gorge or wherever.
However, in the same way that Weston was influenced by Stieglitz, Beethoven by Mozart and Constable by the Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century it is unreasonable not to think that we are all under the influence of others to some extent.
I am, and his name is Harry Cory Wright. His work is not "typical" of what I have mentioned above and has been described as "banal" by some. Minimalist images that are not forcing themselves upon the viewer I feel have the potential to be longer lasting and while less fashionable in the short term, may have more to offer a viewer over a longer period. I have known of his work for a few years and have visited his gallery, often feeling that I wanted to know more about this work and not daring to enquire, because at that time it seemed "unusual" and I thought that I needed to stick with the mainstream and behave.
I need to make a step change, stop looking over my shoulder wondering who is watching me and be ready for comments that are challenging rather than complementary.
HCW's work can be seen at http://www.harrycorywright.com/index.php
Much of the "National Trust" type, coffee table publications have gorgeous photography and they sell well in shops all around the land. A whole industry has grown up alongside this which teach you "how to" do the same and many enjoy that.
I have, like most others I guess had a go at this type of work and while there is some short term excitement at another 20 sec shot at f16 of a stream or sea with groynes, they are for me imitations of work by others (who have mastered the style) and why go there, is it worthwhile. One could argue that if I take as many rocky outcrops and ferns as say Joe Cornish or Edward Weston then I will be a good photographer.
What is happening here if I am not careful is blatant plagiarism dressed up as becoming educated and instead of looking for my own style and images I might as well just look for the tripod holes in the mud, buy a few books with location details and join the queue to expose my Vevia at Padley Gorge or wherever.
However, in the same way that Weston was influenced by Stieglitz, Beethoven by Mozart and Constable by the Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century it is unreasonable not to think that we are all under the influence of others to some extent.
I am, and his name is Harry Cory Wright. His work is not "typical" of what I have mentioned above and has been described as "banal" by some. Minimalist images that are not forcing themselves upon the viewer I feel have the potential to be longer lasting and while less fashionable in the short term, may have more to offer a viewer over a longer period. I have known of his work for a few years and have visited his gallery, often feeling that I wanted to know more about this work and not daring to enquire, because at that time it seemed "unusual" and I thought that I needed to stick with the mainstream and behave.
I need to make a step change, stop looking over my shoulder wondering who is watching me and be ready for comments that are challenging rather than complementary.
HCW's work can be seen at http://www.harrycorywright.com/index.php
Friday, 13 August 2010
Delays - but something interesting in the EDP
My OCA work has taken another delay. We all know that when this happens we become anxious and how discontinuity in our work is not good. My day job is planning for major construction projects and delay is a word I hate. It starts a process of having to take measures to mitigate the delay and find methods to accelerate the work methods to get back on programme. These can include working longer hours, employing more resource and spending money. Well luckily the OCA will not require the later but I feel under pressure to do something about the problem. The problem is that the construction planning work has taken over my life with a very large project on Guernsey and to quote a recent BP employee "I want my life back". Having to work 11-12hrs a day allows no time for photography. The work even has the ability to be nasty towards me, by asking me to travel at 0600 in the morning and see light that I would die for. No good setting aside a day to get up and be out at 0600 with the camera, because the light on those days is rubbish. So, while in this temporary wilderness of all work and no play I am delivered my daily copy of "The Eastern Daily Press" with a superb article about monochrome king Edwin Smith (1912-1971). Smith was a prolific photographer of the English landscape and published books of architectural significance illustrating over 40 volumes from 1944 to 1975. His work (over 60,000) pictures are held by The Royal Institute of British Architects. Smith loved tone, pattern and texture and I have often used his work as an inspiration for my own. His work can be seen at http://www.ribapix.com/ (type Edwin Smith in the search box) where there are over 4,500 photographs and also for a short while at http://www.chrisbeetles.com/
Monday, 24 May 2010
David Ward
I mentioned here on the 27th April that I had become interested in the work of David Ward and that I was reading his book Landscape Within. I have since started reading his latest book Landscape Beyond and am becoming totally wrapped up with his work. I confess however to being a quality junkie, and love the output from 5x4 Fuji Velvia 50. I am aware that with our top of the range DSLR cameras we cannot match the detail and tonal range from film at this resolution, and we cannot of course have full movements that a field camera has. So, maybe "flattery deceives" and I am being won over by the technical style of the images rather their substance. I hope not, maybe they hold my attention longer, but it is without doubt the simplicity of Ward's work that I find so interesting. He is not alone in his ability to create outstandingly detailed images. Many others including Ansel Adams and Edward Weston were able to isolate the landscape and see the micro landscape as well as the vista. I have a gradual lack of interest in the grand vista and am spending more time looking at the area around my feet and not looking up.
My affection with this style of landscape photography may be detrimental to my coursework as I am spending far too much time "off course" tinkering with this genre and not working on the Projects. It did start to get in the way last week in Cumbria. Up there to catch up on some projects I did spend too much time looking at and thinking of Wards words.
Where possible I enjoy thinking "Ward" when out shooting but for the immediate future I need to think "Freeman" and work on his tasks.
So, I have to do Project and Assignment photography to finish this module and perhaps enjoy my photography later.
My affection with this style of landscape photography may be detrimental to my coursework as I am spending far too much time "off course" tinkering with this genre and not working on the Projects. It did start to get in the way last week in Cumbria. Up there to catch up on some projects I did spend too much time looking at and thinking of Wards words.
- Simplicity
- Mystery
- Beauty
Where possible I enjoy thinking "Ward" when out shooting but for the immediate future I need to think "Freeman" and work on his tasks.
So, I have to do Project and Assignment photography to finish this module and perhaps enjoy my photography later.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Edward Weston - Books
Books on Edward Weston, and in particular his landscape images are not easy to find in the UK. In the USA the second hand book market does seem to have more for sale but the cost is high and postage to the UK is as much as the book. I have found an on line resource that has solved the initial problem of " what does his work actually look like". The University of Arizona has a website entitled "Center for creative arts" and can be found at http://www.ir.uair.arizona.edu/ccp/ They hold a collection of nearly 3000 images of Weston and the same for Ansel Adams. I had no intention of looking at Ansel Adams as my chosen photographer, but having now looked at his landscape work away from the famous Yosemite images I am once again drawn to him. Weston and Adams were of course good friends for many years and formed, with others the f64 group.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Reading.
Currently reading.
My route to Photography 2 was via APEL and while I am pleased that my previous work and experience satisfied the requirements of the university I still consider that there is a need to read this book and cement together some of the exercises that I would have encountered in The Art of Photography. In addition, Michael Freeman often refers to these in the Landscape course text and makes the assumption that you will have done the level 1 course. The book is by no means basic, if that is what is implied by being level 1. I don't intend to read it from cover to cover, but I am dipping in and out to chapters that look of particular interest and where Freeman refers me to TAOP exercises. Design basics and graphic elements have always been of particular interest to me. Working in civil engineering I see shapes and lines in every aspect of the built environment and take this further into the world of natural history and landscape. Looking at these chapters, remembering the concepts and taking them into the field is not always easy. Photography, like any design process, (architecture, civil engineering, naval architecture and structural design) has the ability to return output, that without recourse to any formulae either looks good or bad. The old saying "If it looks right then it probably is" is certainly how I make my final edit and selection of work. We cannot of course rely entirely upon intuition and Freeman talks about this in Chapter 6 describing how Andre Kertesz "was simply not interested in examining his own process". Others (Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, Edward Weston etc) did and I am inclined to think that their approach to refinement is more appropriate. I gain some comfort from Edward Weston who wrote " that for photography, landscape was too chaotic.... to crude and lacking in arrangement". A comment like this from someone like Weston is comforting, when I cannot find that elusive composition. Weston however intrigues me.
Landscape within - David Ward
This book is not amongst the list of recommended reading, but is by one of the UK's leading contemporary landscape photographers. The book is not written for those who want a "how to" book in the general sense, although one chapter does talk of some useful techniques.This book is of course about landscape photography, but asks the reader to consider it at a deeper level. Photography of the landscape is investigated through Ward's love of writing (and some stunning photographs) and questions our motives for landscape photography. In the introduction he states " What you need to cultivate first and foremost in photography is, I believe, your vision; you need to train yourself to really see, not just glance around you but to concentrate totally on your surroundings". I have taken this thought with me when shooting, and try to slow down the tempo, look closer, look deeper, sit, stand longer before either taking a shot or moving on. Ward also asks us to look closer at the landscape, not macro photography, but what is closer to your feet, what is all around us but often ignored. Within this closer world lies an opportunity to photograph an intimate landscape that will produce a unique image. Once again, these thoughts travel with me when out shooting, hindered only by my ability to match my expectation with results. A book I will read and re read from cover to cover.
Edward Weston - His Life by Ben Maddow
I find Edward Weston's work interesting although sometimes difficult to see as a body of work, due to the diverse subject matter he works with. This nagging away in my head and the need to produce some assignment work later based upon a photographer from a short list, I came across this biography. The book is heavy going, mainly because the author is mixing his own text with the day books/journals of Weston to tell the story and having only got part way through the whole picture is not easy to interpret.I think I would prefer to read a biography or just the day books. I am of course (at this juncture) interested in his landscape work and this as yet has not been covered. I do need to continue with this, get some more books (although the large image books seem rare and second hand cost £100) and really get to the bottom of this man. My alternative is to park up Weston, concentrate of Fay Godwin for the assignments (perceived as easier to emulate etc) and maybe come back to him later. There is no need to abandon this yet as this will not be relevant for at least 3 months.
- The Photographers Eye by Michael Freeman
- Landscape within by David Ward
- Edward Weston - His Life by Ben Maddow
My route to Photography 2 was via APEL and while I am pleased that my previous work and experience satisfied the requirements of the university I still consider that there is a need to read this book and cement together some of the exercises that I would have encountered in The Art of Photography. In addition, Michael Freeman often refers to these in the Landscape course text and makes the assumption that you will have done the level 1 course. The book is by no means basic, if that is what is implied by being level 1. I don't intend to read it from cover to cover, but I am dipping in and out to chapters that look of particular interest and where Freeman refers me to TAOP exercises. Design basics and graphic elements have always been of particular interest to me. Working in civil engineering I see shapes and lines in every aspect of the built environment and take this further into the world of natural history and landscape. Looking at these chapters, remembering the concepts and taking them into the field is not always easy. Photography, like any design process, (architecture, civil engineering, naval architecture and structural design) has the ability to return output, that without recourse to any formulae either looks good or bad. The old saying "If it looks right then it probably is" is certainly how I make my final edit and selection of work. We cannot of course rely entirely upon intuition and Freeman talks about this in Chapter 6 describing how Andre Kertesz "was simply not interested in examining his own process". Others (Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, Edward Weston etc) did and I am inclined to think that their approach to refinement is more appropriate. I gain some comfort from Edward Weston who wrote " that for photography, landscape was too chaotic.... to crude and lacking in arrangement". A comment like this from someone like Weston is comforting, when I cannot find that elusive composition. Weston however intrigues me.
Landscape within - David Ward
This book is not amongst the list of recommended reading, but is by one of the UK's leading contemporary landscape photographers. The book is not written for those who want a "how to" book in the general sense, although one chapter does talk of some useful techniques.This book is of course about landscape photography, but asks the reader to consider it at a deeper level. Photography of the landscape is investigated through Ward's love of writing (and some stunning photographs) and questions our motives for landscape photography. In the introduction he states " What you need to cultivate first and foremost in photography is, I believe, your vision; you need to train yourself to really see, not just glance around you but to concentrate totally on your surroundings". I have taken this thought with me when shooting, and try to slow down the tempo, look closer, look deeper, sit, stand longer before either taking a shot or moving on. Ward also asks us to look closer at the landscape, not macro photography, but what is closer to your feet, what is all around us but often ignored. Within this closer world lies an opportunity to photograph an intimate landscape that will produce a unique image. Once again, these thoughts travel with me when out shooting, hindered only by my ability to match my expectation with results. A book I will read and re read from cover to cover.
Edward Weston - His Life by Ben Maddow
I find Edward Weston's work interesting although sometimes difficult to see as a body of work, due to the diverse subject matter he works with. This nagging away in my head and the need to produce some assignment work later based upon a photographer from a short list, I came across this biography. The book is heavy going, mainly because the author is mixing his own text with the day books/journals of Weston to tell the story and having only got part way through the whole picture is not easy to interpret.I think I would prefer to read a biography or just the day books. I am of course (at this juncture) interested in his landscape work and this as yet has not been covered. I do need to continue with this, get some more books (although the large image books seem rare and second hand cost £100) and really get to the bottom of this man. My alternative is to park up Weston, concentrate of Fay Godwin for the assignments (perceived as easier to emulate etc) and maybe come back to him later. There is no need to abandon this yet as this will not be relevant for at least 3 months.
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Landscape - Notes
I have been photographing the landscape for 30 years with mixed success. My first real exposure to "proper landscapes" bearing in mind I live in Norfolk, was in the late 80's when I first took a holiday in the Lake District. Lakeland Photographic Holidays was run in those days by David Dent ARPS. David was an inspiration and I was hooked on Cumbria and went there twice a year for many years, and produced a number of useful prints for camera club competitions. The current course however has made me think of landscape in a structured way that is far more demanding. The outcome, by way of images may be similar, but the requirement to think ahead and plan my work must be disciplined. The course is structured around the seasons and it is therefore essential that no opportunity is missed. The penalty is severe, miss springtime and you have to wait 12 months for it to come around again. Studying the weather forecast is essential, know what to expect after a cold front etc and suddenly you are consumed in meteorology.A cold front this week would be good. Bland white sky for the last 7 days is becoming tiresome. Researching areas close to home where suitable shots can be made is also essential. Although holidays to Cumbria etc can be made there are many images that are going to have to be made locally. Local knowledge and OS maps are essential. uklandscape.net http://www.uklandscape.net/interviews/int%20waiteC.html has an interview with Charlie Waite, who considers height to be essential and in Norfolk this is a resource I am going to struggle with.
Later in the course there is a requirement to study a chosen photographer with a reputation for landscape work. The list from which I can choose is:
All that springs to mind is my rather unkind comments from the past that dull rainy days in The Lakes were always called "Godwin" days.
Later in the course there is a requirement to study a chosen photographer with a reputation for landscape work. The list from which I can choose is:
- Ansel Adams
- Robert Adams
- Fay Godwin
- Edward Weston
- Galen Rowell
All that springs to mind is my rather unkind comments from the past that dull rainy days in The Lakes were always called "Godwin" days.
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