HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
CHELSEY PATERSON / GCSE PHOTOGRAPHY Personal Projects - Abstract Nature
What is Asbtract Photography? Abstract photography, sometimes called non-objective, experimental or conceptual photography. Most commonly, abstraction takes place when a photographer focuses in on a fragment of a natural scene, isolating it from its context. By zeroing in on the colour, texture, line, shape, geometry, symmetry, or reflection of a scene, that photographer. For instance, if you take a picture of a green apple, but zoom in on just a drop of water running down the bright green peel in a way that a viewer doesn't immediately recognize the object, but it makes the viewer interested in what the object could be. Then you've taken a shot at abstraction. And the best part of abstract photography is that anyone can attempt it. The important thing is to open your mind to what is possible. Try holding your camera at a different angle or zooming in much closer on a subject than you normally would. Break out of your normal habits and patterns, remembering that you can't make a mistake when looking for abstraction. There are many techniques that photographers use when creating an abstract photograph. What are the 7 elements you may ask? Well the 7 elements of art are line, shape, colour, tone, texture, space and form. But, what do they mean well these are what they mean ...
What are the 7 elements of art ? Line-A line is an path created by a point moving in space. Line often define the edges of a form. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, straight or curved , thick or thin.
Colour -Is an element of which there are three properties: hue, chroma or intensity, and value. when light strikes an object and it is reflected back into the eye.
Texture-Texture refers to the surface quality in work of art. Some things feel just as they appear this is called real or actual texture. Some things look like they are rough but they are actually smooth. Texture that is created to look like something it is not ,Its all visual or implied texture.
Shape-A shape is a 2 dimensional area. Shapes have height and width but not depth. A shape might be defined by an outline or through contrast with its surroundings, such as through colour or tone. Tone-Tone is how light or dark something is. The tones artists and designers use and the contrast between them can create very different moods and visual effects.
pace-Space refers to the S area within, around, above or below an object or objects. It is important to creating and understanding both two and three dimensional works of art. With three dimensional art the space things occupy is real as in the space around object.
F orm-Form in art. the term form has two meanings; it can refer to the overall form taken by the work - its physical nature: or within a work of art it can refer to the element of shape among the various elements that make up a work.
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
What are the 7 Principles of Design? You may be asking what are the 7 principles of design well these are what they are and mean.... Balance-Balance is the weight of objects ,colours ,texture and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable..... The area could be different in size, colour, texture and shape etc. Emphasis-Emphasis refers to the main focus of a piece of work. It is almost an over - exaggeration of a particular element to a deign or a piece of art work. Movement-Movement of art is used to create the impression of action in a work of art. Pattern-Pattern is an arrangement of lines or shapes, especially a design in which the same shape is regular over a surface. Repetition-Repetition which simply means the reusing of the same or similar elements throughout your design. Repetition of certain design elements in a design will bring a clear sense of unity, consistency and cohesiveness. Proportion-Proportion refers to the relative size in scale of various elements in a design. The issue is the relationship between objects or parts of a whole. Rhythm-Rhythm is the regular harmonious recurrence of a specific element, often a single specific entity coming from the categories of line, shape, form, colour, light, shadow and sound. Variety-Variety refers to how artists and designers add to their work using visual elements . Unity-Unity refers to how different elements an artwork or design work come together and create a sense of wholeness. It can be achieved through proximity, simplicity, repetition and continuation.
Abstract Nature Shoot / 7 Element Colour Focus:
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
Black and White Abstract Shoot / Contact sheet:
In the shoot I experimented with my canon 4000d camera using black and white mode. This made the pictures have a lovely toned effect. I enjoyed experimenting with the black and white mode. My pictures turned out beautifully.
his picture is one of my favourites from the photo shoot because you can see the T good details of the leaf and you can also see the lovely water drips from the rain. This picture is also outstanding because it doesn't have any background and when you see the picture your eyes are drawn to the leaf. This picture was hard to do as I tried to get the best angle as much as I could. In this picture you can also see the amazing line work/ detail that is apart of the 7 elements of art and design.
his picture is one of my favourites from the photo shoot because it has 2 leaf's T with a lot of detail and water drips. The drips on the two leaf's that are overlapping a bit on each other give it a really nice effect that makes us drawn to the leaf's. I also like that this picture has a lot of tones that make the picture more powerful.
his picture is one of my favourites from the photo shoot because it has an T amazing shadow that makes it look really attractive to look at. On the other hand, the water drips make the picture look more productive and it is also very tonal. This picture makes me want to carry on doing more pictures like these.
L astly, this is another one of my favourites out of the photo shoot because it has a good amount of background, and an impressive angle the photo was taken at. It also has a nice amount of tones and shading and lovely use of light.
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
Artist Investigation/Edward Weston “I would say to any artist: ‘Don’t be repressed in your work, dare to experiment, consider any urge, if in a new direction all the better.” – Edward Weston Why this artist? To begin my Abstract Nature Artist Investigations, I will initially study the work off Edward Weston because he is a different but yet amazing person who looks at unusual subjects to create his fantastic photography work. Who is he or she? Edward Weston was born on 24 March 1886, and is known for for his still life photographs of peppers and shells, his heroic portraits, and abstract close-ups of nudes, rocks, and trees. Why the quote? I chose the inspiration quote because it sums up /typifies the work of Weston because he's telling everyone that you can be different and you can experiment and do what makes you happy. hy this video? W This video is inspirational to me because it is showing some examples of his amazing photography work to show people that unusual things can be used or turned into something better. On the left are a selection of 10 Weston images that are inspirational to me.
Semi Analysis /Edward Weston (Subject) The photographer of this image is called Edward Weston. The title of this Photograph is Pepper no.30 which was photographed in 1930. The genre of this photograph is abstract still life. The prop I can see in this picture is a pepper . (Media) The photo has been taken from a short distance as it creates a shallow depth of field. (DOF) This is to create the main focal point of the image in the centre. The pepper has been placed somewhere dark this is placed in the middle ground of the image to have the viewer's eyes lead more towards the centre where most of the detail can be seen. It has lots of detail to catch someone's eye . The lighting used is natural and the image was most likely taken by a window to create a side light, to get the result of highlights and shadows. (Element) The photographer uses 7 visual elements of art in his work to create this photograph. In my opinion, the strongest elements are tone and texture. The photographer uses tone well in his work as you can see all the shadows and highlights of the image he's developed, to make the image look more attractive to look at. The photographer uses texture well in his work as you can see in the bottom of the image it has a scratchy effect were the pepper is placed. (Intent) I feel the photo gives a message of seeing the beauty in the weird. In my opinion, it is telling us that everyone in the world should not change for anyone else and should be who they want to be. This is showing that beauty is in withall. Weston was all about finding the unusual so this fits the theme as it clearly isn't obvious at first glance that the image is simply at pepper.
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
Contact sheet / Edward Weston
COMPONENT 2
Shoot Plan / Edward Weston Photography Shoot Plan: heme / Artist Link This shoot was inspired by Edward T Weston and his Bell Pepper no.30 Location The shoot will take place in school. This will be done in midday where we can use the natural lighting. The natural lighting will help us catch a good amount off light but not too much. Props The props used will be a plant pot a chair, any type of camera and lastly some fruit or veg. Lighting The lighting conditions I will require are using natural light. I will experiment using high or low key because then you can see which angle looks better. My subject will be front/side so I can experiment with different angles. The lighting will be natural light so you can get a good amount off light but not too much. I will adjust the white balance on my camera to daylight. Equipment / Processes I intend to shoot with a canon because using a lens on a tripod so it can make my camera still. I intend to use a small aperture f/22 for a large depth of field so you can get a good view of the fruit or veg.
Edited images /Weston shoot I have chosen this picture of the onion because it is very detailed and tonal. It has a striking amount of detail which makes it look very eye catching and it also has good use of natural lighting. When editing this I edited on pixlr and I used crop, temperature, exposure, levels and lastly saturation.
Abstraction through Cyanotypes /Anna Atkins
What of the cyanotype process today? It's certainly useful as an inexpensive, easy introduction to hand-coated alternative printing; workshop participants feel a good deal more comfortable at the outset, knowing that the sensitizer they are wasting so freely does not cost an arm and a leg. When they've got it under control, they can proceed at 20p per drop! If the growing number of cyanotypes now to be seen on gallery walls and in published commercial work is anything to go by, the process is also providing a significant number of contemporary photographic artists with an expressive medium in its own right, in spite of its rather strident colour.
POWERED BY
Who is Anna Atkins? Anna Atkins (born March 16, 1799, Tonbridge, Kent, England— died June 9, 1871, Halstead Place, Kent), English photographer and botanist noted for her early use of photography for scientific purposes. What are the advantages of cyanotypes? The cyanotype process is relatively cheap and easy to use. A wide range of surfaces can be coated with the mixture of chemicals and you don't need a darkroom or any complicated equipment. What are the disadvantages of cyanotypes? When making cyanotypes you need the sun light because it's a natural source of light so you must be outside, however, it all depends of the time of day and year making it difficult to get a accurate photo.
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
Here are my cyanotypes that I made in lesson. I really enjoyed doing this process because it was nice to get experimental and try doing a cyanotype of my own.
Horst P. Horst / The unfamiliar and abstracted Fashion photographer Horst P. Horst used rotational symmetry to create new patterns. His book, Patterns from Nature (1946), has inspired me to create my own series of rotational symmetry patterns using my work so far. Here are some of my examples:
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
Artist Investigation/ Karl Blossfeldt “My botanical documents should contribute to restoring the link with nature. They should reawaken a sense of nature, point to its teeming richness of form, and prompt the viewer to observe for himself the surrounding plant world.” Why this artist? After studying the work of Edward Weston, Anna Atkins and Horst P . Horst I will now further my research into abstract nature by looking at the work of Karl Blossfeldt. And study how he uses the 7 elements [line, form, shape, colour, tone, texture, space] How he incorporates the 7 elements into his work? He incorporates the elements shape, form, texture and tone to form his magnificent work. Who is he/she? Karl Blossfeldt was born 13th June 1865 and mostly famously known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in 1929 as Urformen der Kunst. Why this quote? I chose this inspirational quote because it sums /typifies the work of Blossfeldt because it gives / tells us an idea that he likes to do nature photography. Why this video? This video is inspirational to me because it shows his fantastic work and gives us an idea of what type of person he is and what he likes to photograph. On the left here are 5 examples of some images of his photography work that inspire me.
Shoot Plan / Karl Blossfeldt Photography Shoot Plan: Theme: This shoot was inspired by Karl Blossfeldt because I have been looking at the way he creates abstracted forms from nature. Karl makes his work look eye catching and detailed and I was keen to emulate his style. Location : The shoot will take place in the classroom and at home for homework. I used the classroom because I can set up a light room for high key photography and at home I improvised bye making my own mini light studio. Props: The props used will be a tripod, white card board, lightbox or any source of light. Lighting: I will experiment using high or low key because then I can see which one looks more effective and better. My subject will be back/front/side lit so I can experiment. The lighting will be natural light so then you can see good shading and detail within the object I will adjust the white balance on my camera to daylight so then it can capture most detail but not too much. Equipment / Processes: I intend to shoot with a cannon 4000d using a tripod because then I can get the camera steady but also it wont be blurry it will be nice and detailed.
School shoot /Karl Blossfeldt
Editing Process / Karl Blossfeldt To edit my Karl Blossfeldt images I used the online image editing software PIXLR. When editing my images I focussed on three key areas of cropping, adjusting the background and amending the levels of the image. Here are some screen shots of this editing process. 1. Cropping the image using the rule of thirds: 2. Using the magic wand tool to select and edit the background: 3. Adjusting the levels of the image for the correct range of tones and contrast:
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
9 Best Images / Karl Blossfeldt
My Animated Response / Karl Blossfeldt Inspired by Blossfedlt, I created a series of animated slides using his and my own photography that were later saved as an mp4 video. I used the grid method to highlight the strong use of proportion, balance and symmetry within Blossfeldt's inspirational imagery. Underneath are four of my most successful stills from my animation.
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
My edited overlays / Karl Blossfeldt Using PIXLR, I was able to explore/ experiment the use of layers and overlays. Overlay's are basically images that are added as an additional layer to photographs in order to add textures that were not there in the original shoot and to remember what an overlay is you could remember it as a sandwich. I uploaded my initial image onto PIXLR then inserted a new overlay using the 'add image as layer tab. Once this was done, I used the 'Screen Overlay' and Layer Transparency' options to layer a 'scratches & dust' effect onto to my edited Karl Blossfeldt Photography. I added a subtle vignette to further the vintage/old feel to the image. Examples of overlays
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
My Overlay Edits
nce my overlays were completed, I then uploaded the images onto PhotoFunia, another online editing platform. Using the ''Vintage O Photo' tool I edited my best images, my best examples have been 'framed' below.
Evaluation I feel I have gained a lot of experience from the Karl Blossfeldt's work both in school and out of school. This includes key skills such as setting up and taking down tripods, setting backdrops, setting timers onto my camera, and learning about different types of lenses. The shoot that was taken place at home was somewhat different than the shoot we did in school. The reason for this is because, in school i had lots of natural light and no shadows but whereas at home there's some shadows but plenty of natural light. At home i didn't really have the proper equipment to make my shoot the same as in school . The way i structured my shoot was i got a big white piece of card and placed that on my window sill were there was natural light but i still got some shadows which i didn't want then to prop my camera i used a cardboard box which came in handy. This has been a good experience learning about an amazing photographer who uses different techniques which i'm glad i learnt about. Learning new techniques has been enjoyable. Blossfeldt's work has been fun learning about. In school, I have learnt various pieces of photography work and words that we might not have know about .For the Karl Blossfeldt task, we focused/ learnt about ‘high key’ photography and we took shots with tripods, box lighting, prime lenses. High key photography is very bright (high exposure) so we made light studios to help emulate Blossfeldt's work for effectively. In high key photography your not aloud any shadows and the object should turn out bright and crisp. The florescent lights or ‘soft boxes’ were key to this shoot.
Artist Investigation / Dennis Wojtkiewicz Email Quote – Direct Artist Response I use a Canon EOS 90D camera with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM fixed lens. The only reason I even know about the technology is because my colleague told me that's what I needed and would be the biggest bang for the buck. The rest of it is all by feel. I have absolutely no photo training. For me that suffices because I'm not hung up on technical stuff. Just looking for ways to capture information for my paintings. Dennis Wojkiewicz / Jan 2021 Why this artist? The final artist in the Abstract Nature project is Dennis Wojtkiewicz. This artist differs from my other artists because of his mouth watering, photorealistic images . POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
However, there are similarities in his use of back lighting COMPONENT 2 and restful compositions. Who is he/she? Dennis Wojtkiewicz was born in 1956 in Chicago, Illinois and is most famously known for his detailed large-scale paintings of fruit and flowers. His work contains most of the 7elements like shape and texture whilst containing plenty of vibrant colours. Why the quote? The quote is from a direct email response from Dennis Wojtkiewicz himself. From the email, I was able to understand what equipment he used and his magnificent techiques. Why this video? This video is shows me his macro photography and how the chroma is very harmonious .The focal points in his artwork are very minimal resulting in an overall simplistic composition.This video is inspirational in many ways as its showing us that something little can me made into something bigger.
Below are a selection of 10 Dennis Wojtkiewicz images:
Photographic Techniques / Macro Photography Macro photography is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects in which the size of the subject is greater than life size. To achieve a professional level of macro photograph, a macro lens can be purchased. However, these can be expensive, so there are cheaper alternatives. For example: a reverse ring, a magnifying glass, lens ball or a drop of water on a smartphone lens.
Shootplan / Dennis Wojtkiewicz I have been inspired to create a shoot on the work of Dennis Wojtkiewicz because his work highlights the beauty of natural forms and this links in well with our project, abstract nature. I hope to emulate this in my shoot. My shoot will take place indoors in my bedroom so I can control the back lighting of the fruit and capture the colour, texture and shape. The props I will be using are citrus fruits, most likely limes, kiwi, oranges for their translucent properties. I plan on using a ring light under a piece of glass from a photo frame to achieve the same back lit effect as the artist. For my shoot, I intend on using my Canon 4000d camera to try and achieve the same results. To achieve these results, I plan on using a wide aperture of f/10 and a slow shutter speed of 1" to allow a lot of light and detail - also I will use a 2 second timer to reduce camera shake, and have a low ISO for better quality images.
POWERED BY
HOME
COMPONENT 1
COMPONENT 2
Contact Sheet / Dennis Wojtkiewicz
Post Editing / Dennis Wojtkiewicz Editing Step 1: In this clip, I used the adjustment tools to enhance the colour, saturation and contrast within my images. This helped me to amend my expose and bring forth fine detail within the fruit. Editing Step 2: In this screenshot... Editing Step 3: Using PIXLR I ... Editing Step 4: Finally I ...
Rotational Designs / Dennis Wojtkiewicz Using rotational symmetry and the work of Horst P. Horst I have created a series of rotational designs using the abstract elements of shape, colour, form, tone, repetition and harmony. I will develop these further using PIXLR.
Evaluation /Dennis Wojtkiewicz Throughout this project I have developed my understanding of abstract photography by exploring the theme of nature. I feel like I have gained more knowledge of the skills and equipment that were used in the project. I learnt lots of new skills and techniques I didn't really know about before starting the project. Learning the skills took time but I eventually got there. On the other hand, I think this topic overall was fun and experimental. I think if I keep going over the skills and techniques I have learnt I will be able to remember them. Although this topic was hard at times it taught me new things such as, rule of thirds, overlays, lighting and more. Furthermore, I think this topic was fun, experimental and also taught me a lot I didn't know about. Research has been a big factor and I believe I have learnt how to carry out detailed research into an artist, whether that be via google or contacting the artist themselves. The first artist we researched about and focused on was Edward Weston. I found work inspiring because he takes photos of unusual things that can easily be turned into something better and new. I have learnt from his work that he used the elements such as, line, texture, tone and pattern to form his work. His images are taken with a shallow depth of field so that you can see all of the amazing details in the subject of the image. The important knowledge, skills and understanding I have gained in his project would be things like low key and high key photography, and also the rule of thirds. In my Weston shoot I experimented with a DSLR camera and also a tripod and also the fruit and vegetables. His work showed me that beauty is in everything. POWERED BY
The second artist we initially researched the work of was Anna Atkins. Her work inspired me because she used the cyanotype HOME COMPONENT 1 COMPONENT 2 process which looks fun and experimental. Throughout, studying Anna Atkins work I was able to explore the concepts of shape, space, form, texture and line. Inspired by her work, I created an emulation of my own cyanotype. This was fun but also experimental to do. Her work helped me understand what a cyanotype is and how you can do one yourself. This is linked with nature because the sun / natural light is nature. The next artist we researched and focused on was Horst P. Horst. His work inspired me because it was based of symmetry to create different patterns. Studying this artist I was able to explore the concepts of line, pattern, shape, line and harmony. Inspired by his work I used my cyanotypes I created inspired by Anna Atkins I used them to make my own rotational symmetry work. His work showed me that symmetry can be used by nature in many ways. Second to last, the artist we researched and focused on was Karl Blossfeldt. His work inspired me because we focused on animation, editing (using pixlr ) and the subject of matter. Through studying this artist I was able to explore concepts of line, shape, texture and space. Inspired by his work I created my own plant animation and doing my own nature overlays. His work helped me understand the them of nature by learning that nature is life and comes in different ways. Lastly, I researched the work of Denis Wojtkiewicz. The work inspired me because it wasfocusing on fruit and using all the skills we learnt from the other artists. I was able to explore concepts of all the 7 elements an principles. Inspired by his work I created a series of emulations by doing my own citrus fruit rotational designs. This also helped me develop my skills a lot more. His work was my favourite as it was more experimental, skill full and fun.
Abstract Nature / Hand Manipulation Sample Board
Photo used under Creative Commons from Go-tea 郭天
POWERED BY