Michael Dobson photography book by AOSHEA

Michael Dobson

AS Photography Exam Book Candidate Number: 0406

“”Many photographers have been inspired by the aesthetic qualities or by the social and environmental aspects of buildings. Some have recorded details and others have explored more distant views. views Look at relevant examples and produce a personal response”” 2

Exam timetable 9th Feb

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Exam PowerPoint Given

Spider diagram

Start collecting suitable images Research photographers

1st photoshoot: Church & Car park

A01

1616th Feb Half Essay

Term

23rd Feb 2nd March 9th March

Friday Saturday Sunday

Development of ideas

A02

1616th March 23rd March

A03

Reflect and progressmid project review

30th March

2nd photoshoot: Research another Church photographer: Paul Seawright 3rd photoshoot: car park

Skiing Back from skiing

6th April

Easter

1313th April

Easter- A04 20th April 27th April

Check progression

4th May

Evaluation

4th (final) photoshoot: car park

Final plan for A04 5 hour exam 3

A01 4

Spider diagramâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; diagram initial thoughts Church doors

Churches

Train stations

Industrial sites

Shops

Night Clubs

Closed shops

Restaurants

Stairs

Buildings Building sites

Derelict Beach huts

Windmills

Train stations

Charity shops Factories

Worms eye

Use of light Birds eye

Skips Brighton pier

Collection of suitable Images

Charles Sheeler Ford Plant, River Rouge 1927

Paul Strand New York, 1915

Ed Ruscha

Andreas Gursky

Walker Evans Maureen Brodbeck Robert Adams 6

Collection of suitable Images

Walker Evans

Walker Evans Robert Adams Ed Ruscha

Josef Schulz

Walker Evans

Ed Ruscha 7

Collection of suitable Images

Lewis Baltz

Joel Meyerowitz Walker Evans

Bianca Brunner Popel Comou

Ed Ruscha

Collection of suitable Images

Titarenko Wet Asphalt, 1993

Robert Adams

Walker Evans

Idris Khan Every Shot Of ...

Katerina Drzkova Refugee In A Better Building

Walker Evans 9

Collection of suitable Images

Katerina Drzkova Viewpoints Frederick Evans

Bernd and Hillabecher

Joel Meyerowitz 10

Collection of suitable Images

Walker Evans

Natalie Czech Barcelona Sagradia Familia La Pederera Casa Batllo

Paul Strand 11

First film contact print

The problem with the film is that light has got onto the film during the developing process. This was very annoying as there were some good shots. For the rest of the project, I will use digital photos.

First digital contact print

My best digital photos

Reflection has been used in this photo to add an interesting look to This photo has filled the photo with the church building wall, this is the photo by using the puddles on the car park floor. There is a good very effective due to the detail and depth it brings to the photo. use of pattern on the ceiling, and also with the concrete girders There is contrasting line which takes the eyes away from the front running through the car park. of the photo. The way how the light reflects off some of the bricks is also particularly effective.

My best digital photos

Although this photo is very plain, it uses strong light to make the building stand out, and appear darker. I wanted to achieve this because of the fairly dull nature of the building. The building itself uses different line which makes it a bit more interesting. This photo will be good for when I am trying to emulate Maureen Brodbeck because it is a fairly dull photo.

For this photo I have used a low viewpoint, whilst tilting the camera slightly to add an interesting perspective to the church. There is contrasting line and also contrasting colours which adds more dimension to the photo.

Frederick Evans Frederick Evans was a British photographer who was known for taking photos of architecture, especially of British and French cathedrals. His photography career was relative short lasting only 17 years (1989 to 1915). Frederick Evans used the platinotype (platinum print) technique, which are prints made by using a monochrome printing technique. This technique gives the greatest tonal range compared to any other chemical development process. However almost as soon as he began, the price of platinum of and paper went up, and because he was reluctant to adopt different techniques, he was forced to stop. Frederick Evans was also known for his photos of landscapes and portraits.

Wells Cathedral: #55. Gloucester Cathedral. Cloisters, S. Walk with Carrels

Kelmscott Manor: In the Attics (No. 1)

Evans has again used contrasting line for Evans has used line to create this effective effect. This time the room is a lot smaller but photo/. There is lots of different lines and also there is still a sense of journey due to the how the walk way seems to disappear round two doors at the edge of the photo. the corner may reflect how Evans feels about the Cathedral.

A Sea of Steps 1903 Evans uses the stone steps with the building to his advantage when using line. The steps leading into the door arch is effective because it makes it seem like he is on a journey almost into the unknown. 18

Frederick Evans

La Maison Bourgtheroulde, 1910 #20. Gloucester Cathedral. East Window This photo has lots of space, and this combined with all the impressive structure gives it a sense of authority and elegance. There is lots of contrasting line and lots of light.

This photo is different because it is outside, but is like the other photos because of the elegance and line of the photo.

West End of the Nave, Wells Cathedral This photo again uses line to make it effective. There is a fine grain texture to the photo which has probably been caused by the different light levels.

Joel Meyerowitz Although I really like Joel Meyerowitzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work, it will be to hard to create the same style of photos as I will not have enough time or the resources. I will also look at Walker Evans. Joel Meyerowitz is a street photographer who takes most of his work around New York. He first began taking colour photographs in 1962, when there was still significant resistance against using colour in photographs. In 1959 Joel Meyerowitz first started taking photographs using a 35mm film SLR (single lens reflex) camera. He was inspired by Eugene Atget, a French photographer who documented the architecture and street scenes of Paris. After September 11th terrorist attacks in America (2001) Joel Meyerowitz was the only photographer who was allowed unlimited access to ground zero. Red Interior, Provincetown, 1977 This photo is very interesting due to the different things that there are in the photo. The first thing that catches the eye is the moon or sun in the sky as there has been a slower shutter speed capturing more of the glare. The other things that catch the eye is the car with its doors open as this is an unusual thing to do. The telephone wires are also an odd addition to the photo and they seem to cut through the picture in an ugly way-this may be because Meyerowitz is trying to symbolise how man has ruined the country.

Joel Meyerowitz

Park Panorama This photo uses golden thirds, line and light. The bride catches the eye first as it is the biggest object. The bridge also blocks the light but creates an effect reflection off the bridge. The buildings in the distance also add dimension to the photo.

Five More Found, 2001 A Welder Wonder, 2001 This photo uses facial expressions to show how the photographer may be feeling. The light on his clothes along with the shadow adds extra feeling to the photo.

This photo uses effective light in the middle of the photo to emphasise the work effort on finding people. The smoke with the light adds an extra sense of feel to the photo.

Joel Meyerowitz The South Tower, Ground Zero, 2001

New York City, 1975

Meyerowitz has used viewpoint to make the scrap metal seem taller than the skyscrapers. This is effective because it shows what the towers used to look like and the photo also has more colour at the front making the viewer look there first.

The main focus of this photo seems to be the smoke coming from a car exhaust. This is likely to show that Meyerowitz feels about cars polluting New York. The people are wearing the same coat may be trying to symbolise how everyone lives a similar lifestyle.

Walker Evans Walker Evans was born in the early 1900s and was an American photographer, who was known for his photos of everyday objects, people abandoned buildings, storefronts, street signs, but he became very well known for his work during the great depression. Most of his work from during this time was taken on an 8x10 inch camera using low viewpoints to capture the feeling of most Americans. He published a book along with James Agee, based on the photos taken during the great depression called Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.

Kitchen Wall in Bud Fields House, Hale County, Alabama 1936. Evans has filled the frame with this photo, and has focused in on the interesting part of the wall-however the photo is still very simplistic and makes the viewer wonder why it is so bare. Evans has also used contrasting line to give the photo more depth and interest.

Washstand in the Burroughs House, Hale County, Alabama 1936. Lighting plays an important factor in this photo. The light coming in from the right adds a sense of journey and unknown to the photo. The room itself is fairly bland and empty, Evans uses line to make the photo more interesting. 23

Walker Evans

Clean Hill School, Alabama, 1936. This photo is very bland, however the tree adds more feel and dimension to the photo. The doors are open on the building which adds a sense of journey. The photo is also very quiet which is in contrast to the old school building as it would usually be busy.

Cemetery and Bethlehem Steel Furnaces 1935 Line plays a big part in this photo, with lots of contrasting lines being used in the photo. The cemetery is the main focus of the photo and the cross appears to be bigger than everything else due to the use of viewpoint. The photo is fairly bland which may be to represent how Evans feels about cemeteries and the steel furnaces. Golden thirds has been used on the cross, which despite the blandness may be trying to represent that the cemetery plays an important part in his life.

Junked Cars, Connecticut, 19731973-74 This photo is different to most of Evans' work due to the use of colour. The photo uses rusting parts, which may be to show that everything eventually is destroyed. The trees create effective shadows. The use of colour is especially evident on the green car, which adds dimension to the photo.

A02 25

Experimenting with Photoshop I will be using Photoshop to create altered photos and experimenting with the aesthetic qualities of photos and to create photos similar to Katerina Drzkova, Maureen Brodbeck and Idris Khan.

Maureen Brodbeck

Idris KhanEvery shot of

Katerina Drzkova- Viewpoints

Experimenting with Photoshop Here are my attempts at emulating the previous photographs

Improving my Photoshop work After looking at my pattern work of the building, I will now make my print into a whole page, wallpaper style.

I decided to use my imitation style of Maureen Brodbeck to create a repeated print in the style of Bernd and Hillabecher

second digital contact print

Improving photos in Photoshop After selecting my photo, I used the crop tool to see what could be deleted to make the photo more interesting. Original Photo

1st Crop

2nd Crop

3rd Crop

For my final photo, and when I will edit it more, I have chosen to edit crop 2. I have chosen crop 2 because the golden thirds is very evident in the photo.

How I Improved my photo Changing the hue, saturation and lightness

Hue and Saturation

Hue and Saturation + Brightness and Contrast

Hue and Saturation + Brightness and Contrast + Back and white

Changing the brightness and contrast

I have actually decided that the black and white photo looks the most effective as it is a simple and non distracting shot. The light also looks more effective in the black and white photo. 35

How I Improved my photo: Final Original Photo

Final image

third digital contact print

What I intend to do... I will take forward the idea of car parks. However I will also need to improve and refine my current photos. I will also research the photographer, Paul Seawright. I will also incorporate Photoshop into my shots, whether using it to enhance photos or to create some interesting patterns. The photos that I will use in my final project will be my car park photos.

Mid project review During this project, I feel that I have become more aware of as to why photographers take photographs, and also the emotion and feeling they are trying to portray in their work. I have also become more aware of my own limitations and realising that some things are just too hard to recreate in the time frame that I have and also with the resources that I have available to me. I have improved my Photoshop skills and have learnt in particular how to add colour into buildings and also how to improve photos using the contrast brightness, and saturation as well as using the colour levels. I have also tried to become less picky with the layout of pages, and instead have tried to focus on the content on the page. I have improved my writing on photo using more technical vocabulary. I feel that I have also improved my critical analysis skills, and have applied them to my own work more. I have also realised the importance of explaining how I achieved the work, and ensuring that I have included screen shots in my explanations. I still need to work on my organisational and time management skills.

A03 46

Paul seawright Paul Seawright is a British photographer, who currently works in Belfast. He uses light very effectively in his work, and also uses disused buildings with a sense of nature taking over. He recently completed a series of work called Margins where he looks at the desolation and emptiness of photos. I will try to incorporate the emptiness when taking photos of car parks.

My favourite car park photos

car park photo which isn' isn't effective

This photo isn't very effective because of the blurred lighting and also the car in the background is distracting. The trolley could be in more of a prominent position and more front on.

Experimenting with photo shapes I have decided to experiment with the shape of the photos in making them into square shape photos to make the photo more balanced.

After experimenting with changing the shapes of my photographs to square, I feel that

A04 53

Final ideas digital contact print

final idea experimentations After experimenting with square photos, I have decided to develop this into my final piece. I decided to print out a large car park photo, then print out six 5x5â&#x20AC;? images to place on top of the large car park image. I couldn't decide between using colour or black and white in the background image, and also whether to have the small images straight or at an angle. I therefore decided to photograph each option and put it below. I feel that the black and white background is more effective because it is less distracting and also has more contrast. I also feel that having the small images straight is more effective because it seems to represent control, and car parks are controlled.

Black and white background with straight images

Colour background with straight images

Black and white background with wonky images

Colour background with wonky images

Evaluation This project is about the aesthetic qualities of buildings. I have investigated two types of buildings: car parks and churches, and I have collected general images of buildings. I have researched Frederick Evans, Joel Meyerowitz, Walker Evans, and Paul Seawright. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; produced a body of work on the use of buildings and also the loneliness and derelict aspect and this is relevant to my work because that is what people think car parks to be like. I have experimented with different processes brightness and contrast, hue and saturation, cropping, colour replacement, and rotating. I have improved the quality of my work by using brightness and contrast, along with cropping and colour replacement. Evidence of the quality of my technical skills is demonstrated in my final car park photos. My project has evolved and progressed, my idea changed slightly when I photographed car parks, as when I started the project I was looking into Churches. Paul Seawright influenced this decision by looking at his work on Margins. I am pleased with my final response, I believe it clearly shows the difference in car parks, such as locks, line and light. I believe it also shows the emptiness and desolation of the car park.