Abstraction; different, unique. For example, unusual photography, changing the angle, when the camera is looking at an angle. Different perspectives, structures, landscape, birds eye view. Abstraction would from a different angle, the camera, or birds eye view, above, or below for a different angle. Lighting, formal elements, and more unique, creative, experimenting and exploring the different types of photos.
Formal Elements
Focus: For me focus is the first thing that stands out to you in a photo, it could be a certain shadow some lines or anything but it has to be your main focus not anyone else's.
Light: Every photo has different contrasts of light no matter how dark or light but I believe it is a key feature in a photo to include as much different contrasts of light as you can because it shows a different side to the picture.
Line: Most photos have different lines because it adds an affect on the picture. In my opinion leading lines adds a different effect to the picture because it makes the people who are looking at the photo think about where the ending of the photo goes or where did it start from.
Repetition: Repetition is a good technique in my opinion because it could be in a pattern all over the photo connected but it could be the same shape with different colours in different places.
Shape: In my opinion shapes make every photo unique because it could be straight edges curvy edges but I think its key to have shapes in a photo because whenever I look at a photo shapes always stand out to me.
Space: I think space is very underrated when taking a photo but it is very important, for example when taking a photo you need to think about the angles you're taking it from and different perspectives because it can confuse the people who are looking at it, for example you can make it look more shallow.
Texture: You have to think about texture in different concepts, an example of this is what would it feel like if you touched it or if you were walking on it.
Value/Tone: Value and tone has an affect on the picture because its contrasts different shades of light, the value is the darkest shade in the picture and in my opinion the more dominant and adds a darker/bad side to the picture.
Light: Every photo has different contrasts of light no matter how dark or light but I believe it is a key feature in a photo to include as much different contrasts of light as you can because it shows a different side to the picture.
Line: Most photos have different lines because it adds an affect on the picture. In my opinion leading lines adds a different effect to the picture because it makes the people who are looking at the photo think about where the ending of the photo goes or where did it start from.
Repetition: Repetition is a good technique in my opinion because it could be in a pattern all over the photo connected but it could be the same shape with different colours in different places.
Shape: In my opinion shapes make every photo unique because it could be straight edges curvy edges but I think its key to have shapes in a photo because whenever I look at a photo shapes always stand out to me.
Space: I think space is very underrated when taking a photo but it is very important, for example when taking a photo you need to think about the angles you're taking it from and different perspectives because it can confuse the people who are looking at it, for example you can make it look more shallow.
Texture: You have to think about texture in different concepts, an example of this is what would it feel like if you touched it or if you were walking on it.
Value/Tone: Value and tone has an affect on the picture because its contrasts different shades of light, the value is the darkest shade in the picture and in my opinion the more dominant and adds a darker/bad side to the picture.
Abstract Photograph
Light:This photo displays many different formal elements in photography. For example this photo displays different contrasts of light, this element is shown with the colours of black,white,grey in different parts of the photos.
Focus: In my opinion the main focus in this photo is the centre light, I think this because there are different patterns and shades surrounding the centre.
Patterns: As displayed in this photo there are different patterns on all the edges surrounding the centre, this photo makes you think where the start of the pattern comes from.
Shapes: In this photo there are different shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles and triangles.
Shadows: In this photo there are shadows coming from the odd structure in the middle
Repetition: This photo displays repetition by the pattern that the pattern that has been formed by the light source
Lines: In this photo there are many different types of lines that are being displayed such as curved, straight
My first abstract photoshoot
In all honesty I am proud of this work considering this was my first time taking abstract photos. I was exploring and experimenting my knowledge in abstract photos and too see if they could come out good and to see if they display abstraction using different formal elements. I also believe these photos could be improved by a lot for example when taking abstract photos the photo should be disguised in a way that you can't tell exactly whats in the photo.
In my opinion it was harder to take these type of photos because you had to focus on different types of formal elements while taking the photos. The element I mainly focused on was focus because In my opinion it adds two different sides to the picture and it also adds a main subject. This meant when I was taking photos I had to find key features.
My Favourite Images
These two photos stood out to me because in both photos there is a main focus with different shades of light but they are completely different at the same time. On the photo on the left I only focused on the piece of paper then on the photo on the left I didn't have a main focus but for me the light stands out
Homework
These seven photos show different formal elements such as light, reflection, shade, colour and patterns. For example my favourite photo out of the seven is the one on the top right, the reason that i like this photo the most is because it has a pattern of different colours which is two elements in one photo. I done this by editing the photo dividing the photo into four parts and making each corner different colours.
In each and every there is sign of an formal element such as focus,colour and light. The first example is the 5th photo of the pink flower and with the blurred out background, this photo shows focus as you can tell by the way the background is blurred, the main focus of the photo is the insides of the petals and the middle part of the flower which i believe is called the stigma. This photo shows leading lines as you can't tell where exactly the plant is coming from or where it's based.
Photograms
What makes Patrick Lears collages work?
In my opinion Patrick Lears's collages work, this is because of the circumstances of what doesn't match makes a collage abstract and what matches makes a collage work. For instance the shapes patterns and different pieces of card don't match and is out of the ordinary but the way Lears lays the whole thing out and the way its colour coordinate makes it work in some ways and rounds the photo as a whole. In my point of view this photo is abstract. this is suggested by the creativeness and uniqueness of the photo and how it works and doesn't work at the same time.
The reason I made these collages was to experiment and practice for the future. I feel that these collages went well but I feel i can do better in the future, after making these collages I've noticed that i made the main focus/subject a circle. In my opinion these collages display abstraction the way the cut out pieces of card are put on randomly and its not coordinate but there are certain bits about the photo like the colour which is coordinate and rounds the photo as a whole.
This image by Patrick Lears displays different formal elements such as pattern,colour,shade and shape. I also believe this collage represents abstraction this is implied by uniqueness and creativeness of the collage another reason for this is because the way some people would say it works and others wouldn't for example the cut out circle in the bottom right corner of the collage. The circle is a completely different tone and colour to the rest of the photo and is out of the ordinary, in my opinion in a way it adds a different vibe to collage this is due to the fact that the rest of the collage is gloomy and the circle adds light and lightens up the collage. This leads up to why I would name the photo 'oranges' because for me it stands out and changes the whole mood of the photo.
These photos are for my abstract photo book, I chose these photos because I think they imply abstraction because of the way you can't tell what the object is for some of them and in my opinion they look unusual. I am going to make this photo book by printing all the photos onto cartridge paper but double sided so it turns out like a book so then I can choose to either staple the book or sew the book together using a Japanese book binding technique.
Constructed landscapes with Dafna Talmor
In the Dafna Talmor's workshop, we made 35 mm slides and projected them on to a wall. The first thing we did was choose three 35 mm slides that we thought stood out to us, then we cut them up and mixed them around to make our own 35mm slides. We could also make these abstract by adding colourful cellophane paper and writing on them with sharpies. In my opinion, this made it different because in some cases it made the slides harder to tell what it actually is.
In this exhibition we used resources such as:
35 mm slides
cutting mats
scalpels
scissors
tape
negative images
If I'm honest, at first I found the task quite difficult because you had to sellotape it all together in your own pattern, and put it in a slide. But within a while I got used to it and began to do it myself. Out of all the Tallis habits I believe I used inquisitive the most, because I was exploring what to do and trying different ways with the way I chose and re-arranged the 35mm slides.
The reason I chose these slides was because I felt like you couldn't tell what exactly was in the photos, and I believe the cellophane change the photos vibe and how you would feel about the photo.
In this exhibition we used resources such as:
35 mm slides
cutting mats
scalpels
scissors
tape
negative images
If I'm honest, at first I found the task quite difficult because you had to sellotape it all together in your own pattern, and put it in a slide. But within a while I got used to it and began to do it myself. Out of all the Tallis habits I believe I used inquisitive the most, because I was exploring what to do and trying different ways with the way I chose and re-arranged the 35mm slides.
The reason I chose these slides was because I felt like you couldn't tell what exactly was in the photos, and I believe the cellophane change the photos vibe and how you would feel about the photo.
Saul Leiter
As you can tell by these three photos Leiter likes to use a person to add another main focus. for example in the first photo although there is a pieces of cotton in front of the window Leiter also makes sure there is a person behind the window to make another key figure in the photo and something to stand out. This is an example of focus the way the cotton in front and of the window and the shop writing is in focus but outside is a person who's not in focus but it still seems appealing.
In the second photo Leiter takes a photo of a puddle in the road which shows a sign of reflection however he has clearly been appealed to by the lines and shapes in the reflection. This photo implies reflection, shapes and lines and also repetition. This is because of the lines and shapes in reflection of the puddle which have also been repeated several times within the puddle.
The third photo is a photograph of the tip of an old mans head in either a train or bus. I like this photo because it signifies light and tone. I chose these because the light coming from the window outbursts and changes the whole vibe in the photo, the reason why I chose tone is because the photo displays a contrast between black and white which shows a different side to the photo.
In the second photo Leiter takes a photo of a puddle in the road which shows a sign of reflection however he has clearly been appealed to by the lines and shapes in the reflection. This photo implies reflection, shapes and lines and also repetition. This is because of the lines and shapes in reflection of the puddle which have also been repeated several times within the puddle.
The third photo is a photograph of the tip of an old mans head in either a train or bus. I like this photo because it signifies light and tone. I chose these because the light coming from the window outbursts and changes the whole vibe in the photo, the reason why I chose tone is because the photo displays a contrast between black and white which shows a different side to the photo.
My favorite photo of Leiter's
I chose this photo because every key figure stands out to me. The thing that surprises me in this photo how Leiter has included several different formal elements and every part of the photo has its own story. This photo signifies formal elements such as focus, texture and light, for example Leiter has a large lamppost in the photo which changes the vibe and mood of the photo as a whole which I believe is a dark gloomy side to the photo however the shop has a light happy vibe to it and then there is a out of focus/blurry person in front but then there is someone who you can't see but is holding a umbrella which is one of the only things that are in focus. This is important because he makes the photo abstract and unique all because of certain little things which I believe makes all of Leiters photos different and stand put to the other photos.
My first Leiter photoshoot
Personally I would say my first Saul Leiter photoshoot went very well and I tried my best to duplicate he's type of photos by adding different components from the formal elements. For example , would say that Leiter has a lot going on in his photos with many different focuses so I tried to add different aspects from formal elements and make every little thing appealing In the photos.
My second Leiter photoshoot
Too be honest I felt like this photoshoot was pretty similar to my first one however I think it went better because I had more time to experiment with different angles and structures of photos, because I had more time to take these photos. I tried things such as putting objects up close to the camera to add something to the photo and make it more interesting and up front which sometimes leads to the background being out of focus and unleading.
My third Leiter photoshoot
In my opinion this photoshoot was the worst put of the three because I had to use a phone instead of camera, which makes the quality worse which leads to it being harder to get a good photo and not up to expectation with a camera. Although the photos were taken with a phone I still tried out different things such as reflection which I believe adds a different side/vibe to the photo and i think it's like a camouflage to hide the true identity of the photo.
Saul Leiter documentary notes
- Leiter came to New York to become a painter and not a photographer
- He suddenly wanted a camera and then he used to take the odd photo and put it on a canvas for fun
- He began to take photography seriously and saw it as a chance to make a living
- Leiter began to make coloured slides which people didn't like and didn't see the point in qand them called him a pioneer however Leiter didn't care and carried on making them and doing what he wanted
- When he was 15 he wrote a poem called "ways to guard"
- In the Leiter family things such as scholarships, greatness and intellectual achievement was important and kindness wasn't a main priority
- Leiter did't expect things such as books and documentaries to come out about him because he didn't think he was important
- Leiter overlooked the fact that his work had some importance considering his work was carried out in exhibitions and museums
- He never felt part of the photography movement or scene
- He felt that photos of things such as raindrops and condensation interested him more than photos of famous people
- He thinks everything is suitable to be photographed
- He feels photography teaches you to look and appreciate things
- His photos are unplanned as he goes out with his camera and observes everything and sees what would interest him in a photo
- He takes photos because he enjoys catching certain moments
- When it comes to photography he tends to react to what he finds
- He has a good eye for colour
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese photographer and architect. Sugimoto took various black and white unique photos, he made his photos different by adding numerous formal elements and mixing them around to make the photos that you just wanna unravel see the true identity of the photo
As you can tell by these three photos, Sugimoto likes to use several elements of photography to form his photos. For example Sugimoto uses focus and blur too add different contrasts to his photos and a mysterious vibe implied by the fact that his photos are unleading due to the fact that you can't tell what the main focus is in the photo. An example of this is in the first photo on the left, in the photo there is clearly a object covering most of the photo which is really hard to make out what's in the photo as half of it is foreshadowed and out of focus, it could be any old object such as a cup or chair but then again when i looked at it it reminded me of the CN Tower in Toronto but it's hard to tell. Another example of an unleading and mysterious photo is the photo in the middle which I believe and pretty sure is a forest. In my opinion this photo is mysterious and unique because it is unleading and you don't know where the photo ends, Sugimoto makes the mysterious/unleading vibe better by making the background blurry which makes it more unrevealing causing you to wanna find out what is in the rest of the photo and wanting to dig deeper into the photo. In the photo on the right there is a out of focus building, personally I don't know what the building is but it is most likely a famous skyscraper which is implied by the fact that there are no other buildings beside or in the background of the photo and its's just the sky or it could be the way Sugimoto took the photo from a different angle or even zoomed in from a different perspective. Personally I would say that Sugimoto zoomed in and took the photo midway through zooming in which is suggests why the photo is blurry and out of focus. Once again although you can tell the main focus is most likely a skyscraper you still can't tell what exactly the building is and once again leading you wanting to reveal the photo and find out what it really looks like.
Guy Bourdin
Guy Bourdin, was a French artist and fashion photographer known for his provocative images.
As you can tell by these three photos Bourdin's imagery is characterized by its hyper-sexuality. Bourdin took photos that challenged mainstream notions of beauty while celebrating popular fashions, he done this using women (normally semi naked) to do strange, mysterious poses to create a image. In my opinion these photos can represent several things such as these women's insecurities about sex. This is implied by the way that in each photo these women look like they're hiding or trying to get away, this is especially shown in the photo on the right where it almost looks like she is trying to escape the room. Another thing these photos could represent is that women feel stressed and vulnerable about sex and feels it's not a choice. This is suggested on the photo on the left, this is because the pose she is in, head down on the desk which normally shows a sign of stress, anger or scared also the fact that she is half clothed suggests it has something to do with sex although they may have nothing to do with it. Personally I would say Bourdin done a really good job with these photos because they have a sense of wanting to know why he took photos like this and wanting to unravel the rest of the photo also wanting to know the story behind the photos. In terms of how good and the quality of the photos, In my opinion these photos include formal elements such as light and colour, this is because all the photos seem to be colour coordinated especially the photo in the middle because of the way the lighting makes her legs seem the same colour as the wall and how the dress and the sofa are red.
Ray Metzker
Ray Metzker was an American photographer, who was known for his black and white cityscape photos.
As you can tell by these photos, Metzker liked experimenting with his mischievous and unique black and white photos. Metzker liked using different angles and objects to make his photos out of the ordinary. Another reason why I like Metzker's photos is because he uses different black and white effects to make certain things in the photo more appealing. For example the photo in the middle uses a certain affect which makes certain surfaces really light and makes other things such as people and shadows more appealing which in my opinion adds a different vibe to the photo making every single key thing stand out. Metzker uses different formal elements such as light,shadows and contrast, Metzker dine this by making the photo different with an effect, for example it made the contrast of the photo a little bit like a cartoon, the effect also made the shadows more appealing and it made the light come out more. The photo on the right shows a piece of cardboard on a road in between to buildings. The angle that Metzker took this photo from makes the cardboard look bigger and also because it's the only thing in focus it makes everything else less appealing . The effect that was used on this photo makes the buildings on each side darker, making the light appeal a lot more and makes it more unravelling like it's a long mysterious road where you can't see the end of it.
Ernst Hass
Ernst Haas was an Austrian-American photojournalist and color photographer.
Just by looking at these three photos, you can tell that Hass liked the idea of motion photography by using things such as cars to add that affect to the photo. Personally I really like motion photography because it's all about capturing the moment and perfect timing. Another reason why Hass makes it better is how he gets everything else in the photo in focus which I believe adds different key features in the photos. I chose the photo on the left because it has a mixture of formal elements such as reflection, focus and light. Personally I would say the reflection from the window is the most affectionate and adds a whole different side to the photo, the reflection adds different things to the photo that you wouldn't see without it for example the lines and the other buildings in the reflection. The photo in the middle is a motion photo which is all created by the movement of the car. I like this photo because the tone of the photo makes it seems old fashioned in a nice and classy way also the cars seem quite old which adds the old sense to the photo. Another reason why I like this photo is because although Hass uses motion which makes the car out of focus, he still manages to get the rest of the road in focus which in my opinion makes the photo more neat. For the third photo on the right I chose another motion photo. I chose it because it shows Hass can take different types of motion and reflection photos, this is implied by the fact that the photo mixed with both reflection and motion. For example once again Hass uses cars to produce motion also he uses the reflection on the car within the motion by taking the photos more up close. He uses the reflection from the light on the building in the background which is also out of focus and makes it on a car making it look like a pattern. Even though most things are out of focus, Hass still manages to get the front entrance in the building in focus which makes it stand out more and adds a different side to the photo.