Man and Nature through Photography Ben Franklin
Own Photographs
Ed Ruscha (1937-)
Hans Christian Schink (1961-)
Ed Ruscha (1937-)
Ed Ruscha (1937-) Ed Ruscha is an American photographer and artist born in Omaha, NE and known for his association with the pop art movement and use of stark text on out-of-focus single colour backgrounds. Ruscha grew up as a Roman Catholic in Oklahoma City but currently lives and works in Southern California; the tone and manner of speaking popular in the area influences a lot of Ruscha’s work, as does his long-standing interest in graphic design and Western landscapes. It often incorporates common conceptions of America, which Ruscha dubs “American mythology”, as well as ideas of consumerism and life in the city. Another feature of Ruscha’s portfolio is the occasional use of mixed media - gunpowder, fruit, vegetables and blood are prominent examples. Later in his career, Ruscha began to experiment with the vague text over an original background which he would later become known for and still works with today. Ruscha has been exhibiting his work since the early 1960s, having graduated from Los Angeles’ Chouinard Art Institute in 1960 and teaching at the university of California for a number of years. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2001.
Hans-Christian Schink (1961-)
Hans-Christian Schink (1961-) Hans-Christian Schink is a German photographer born in the town of Erfurt, Germany in 1961 who studied photography at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig between 1986 and 1991. He is mostly known for his “1h” series, which focuses on high-exposure images of the sun at different times of day. These were created using a technique called solarisation - a process by which the darker sections of an image become the lightest points via a chemical effect applied to the original negative. Schink first began experimenting with this technique in the late 1990s. Much of Schink’s other work consists of almost minimalist pieces featuring elements of man-made transport structures like concrete bridges, railways and motorways. The focus of this work is to emphasise the contrast between the natural and the industrial as well as to demonstrate the washed-out, bland nature of the environment left behind. Schink has been presenting his work in personal exhibitions since 1991: although mainly well-known in German-speaking countries, his art has been displayed everywhere from the USA to Spain and Portugal. From left to right, starting at the top left, the pictures used are: A71, Brucke Schwarzbachtel, from Traffic Projects (1995-2003) A14, Saalebrucke Beesedau (3) from Traffic Projects (1995-2003) Antarctica (8) from Antarctica (2010) Toyomi (2) from Niigata (2009)
Photographer Interpretations - Ed Ruscha Much of this edit was done digitally using a source photo taken of a hedgerow. I think this gave the background of my interpretation the same autumnal feel as in Ruscha’s piece. The focus was achieved with the manual setting on the lens, eliminating the details of the leaves in the same way Ruscha has. The font was chosen to be as similar to the one used in “Autumn” as possible in order to get the same sense of contrast as the original work. The piece to the left is “Autumn” from Ed Ruscha’s “Seasons” series created for the New York Times.
The letters used in this interpretation were taken from various road signs, graffiti and advertisements. The separate photographs were then cropped and edited together to form the entire word. I tried to replicate the streaked effect seen on the word “Scream” in Ruscha’s work by using a very thin horizontal selection tool in Photoshop. Ruscha only used the effect on part of the word in a sunburst pattern, but I felt that the concentrated horizontal effect gave it a look similar to scanlines on an old television that helps it stand out even more from the yellow background. The piece to the left is “Scream” from 1964.
Photographer Interpretations - Ed Ruscha Page 2
Seen here are examples of different techniques and filters applied to my interpretations of Ed Ruscha’s work. The far right column was produced with a simple black and white filter - I left the other settings unchanged as the monochrome effect is a striking change in itself. In the centre column I inverted the images, increasing the contrast and saturation where needed in order to emphasise the effect. I particularly like the solid blue colour of the bnackground as it combined with the lines through the word itself gives the look of malfunctioning camera equipment. Finally, the third column involves the posterisation of the images. The top right turned out very well - it almost looks like jungle camouflage.
TECHNIQUES Cropping
What does cropping do to the image? Cropping removes a selected section of an image, making it appear very different, and in some cases unrecognisable when compared to the original. Which is your favourite and why? My favourite image is the landscape oriented one on the right as it looks fairly abstract.
TECHNIQUES Rotation
What does rotation do to the image? The rotation technique turns the image so that it’s facing different orientations. This results in a mirror-like effect.
Which is your favourite and why? My favourite of these images is the one furthest left - I like the symmetry that’s created as well as the small sections of apple at the junction of two sections.
Rotation
TECHNIQUES Repetition Repetition Repetition Repetition
What does repetition do to the image? Repetition involves using the same image multiple times. The image could be manipulated in various ways, but repetition most commonly applies to the simple act of reusing an image for emphasis. Which is your favourite and why? My favourite of the three repetition techniques shown below is the second - the use of the ellipse tool to create concentric circles of decreasing size. I like the way in which this idea changes the viewer’s perspective on an image, as if it were moving into the page.