Jeff Wall

Jeff wall

discussions about using someone else’s work and whether it makes u an artist or a photographer dominated about 2 weeks of our discussions and lectures, i personally believe that if you mimic someones work in such a way that you merely change a minuscule amount of it into your work, makes u neither a photographer or a artist just someone who has rode of someone else's hard work.

There is examples of work which has taken a previous artists creation and placed it in another medium, an example of this is Jeff Wall’s ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind’ (after Hokusai) 1993, which is a replica of the work ‘Katsushika Hokusai Ejiri in Suruga Province’, which he has taken from a painting and turned into into a modern day interpretation but the resemblance has been deliberately made to mimic the original painting. 

Jeff walls images are designed to be displayed using light boxes with large transparencies.  What inspires me from these images the attention to detail and planning needed to produce the images on such a large scale, where blemishes and other imperfections would be easily seen.

A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) 1993 http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/jeffwall/infocus/section3/img2.shtm (accessed 25/4/11)

Micheal Kenna

Micheal Kenna

This blog is meant to show our learning curve as well as influences for the current projects and ideas, which are emerging at the time. A photographer who i have constantly revisited and admired for his high quality of work and talent is Micheal Kenna. My recent work has been playing with the idea of portraying time and movement in a image.

Micheal Kenna was one of the key reasons why i invested in some neutral density filters. They allow the ability to prolong exposures and create dramatic and astonishing images such as ‘Iron Bridge’

The atmosphere and space is documented in such a way that the everyday scenes which would have been overlooked by many people, are transformed into such striking images.  These display such beauty due to the glossed over body of water, which makes everything appear tranquil and surreal. The reflections add a depth to the image, as does the tonal range apparent through using grayscale. 

One of the key things i have learnt whilst looking at this artists body of work is the high contrast approach he has to his Photographs, which after taking a few long exposures myself have become apparent that it is needed to produce images which grab attention and leave people mesmerized and feel as though they can interact with your images. 

Namhangang Iron Brige, Danyang, Chungcheongbukdo, South Korea, 2010, from http://www.michaelkenna.net/gallery2.php?id=11 (accessed 24/4/2011)

Overlooking Necessities

Overlooking necessities

It has become evident by my recent visits to various print labs and photography companies that every printer has a optimal profile and requires colour matching.

What this means is if you prepare your images using a stock Adobe RGB profile when it comes to sending this to a print lab take ‘The Print Space’ in Shoreditch, the colours which you think are perfect and exactly how u want them may vary to what you expected in the physical print, therefore being a waste of funds and time. 

The way i have overcome this issue is rather simple and straight forward, find a trustworthy lab who offer such profiles free of charge and try them out. I have tried Print Space and have found that the colours produced in the profile they give you are exactly whats printed. 

paper

When printing images for mounting at exhibition or for commissions, the sheer volume of paper choices is rather daunting. I purchased a test pack from Print Space offering the paper choices they have available.This allows me to quickly evaluate and judge which paper i feel will suit my image the best and show it off to its full potential. All these little things add up to a major difference when it comes to producing work at a professional standard. 

Martin Parr

Martin Parr

(23/05/1952)

Martin Parr’s work is invading, morbid and very personal. His snap shot approach to documenting people shows the viewer a real, un-posed and un-staged view.

It makes the audience wonder how Parr manages to capture some of his pictures, without conflict with his subjects. Dodgy angles and revealing body parts are a common sight in the work of Martin Parr. Critics claim he is mildly eccentric to embarrassingly vulgar. Love his work or hate it; Parr has a definitive personal style and approach to photography.

I feel Parr has taken the style of H C Bresson and turned the decisive moment into the everyday, by choosing to make images which show of people in a way that’s almost ridiculing and portraying a whole group of people in a negative light, just as with his images based on Brighton, a popular holiday destination at the time.

The high level of saturation in his images has become a key trademark to his work.

Whether you believe in such instances as the image below that this is a good thing is personal preference. The images were all captured using a ring flash, Martin Parr favors this due to the way it doesn’t add directional shadows from the flash output onto the images, enhancing his whole appearance of capturing the place and people as they are.

Masquerade magazine (10/2010) Brighton photo beinnial 2010, from : http://masquerademagazine.blogspot.com/2010/09/brighton-photo-biennial-2010.html (accessed: 15/05/2011) 

Robert Frank

Robert Frank

(09/11/24)

Robert frank came to fame through his work on America. Whilst sponsored by Guggneheim Fellowship, he travelled across forty-eight states of America.

What was important about this was a place considered to be were people went to live their dreams; get rich and live happily.

Through Frank’s clear documentation of America, it was clear to see there was a dramatic difference between the publicized America by the tourist board and the truth.

Segregation was ripe and racism was everywhere during the time of capturing on film. The land of the free seemed more of a prison for the minority.

The front cover sums up the publication of images; segregation is clear to see. African American people are at the back of the bus in the so-called poor seats while white people are at the front.

The whole idea of being an outcast or discriminated against was nothing new to Robert Frank, born into a Jewish family living in Switzerland. During World War 1, his father was made stateless and had to apply for a Switzerland citizenship, nothing materialized during the constant threat of Nazi occupation in Switzerland but his family was constantly worrying about the future.

This in its self must have made Robert Franks decision to show the real truth on America more important then money and fame from, their creation; as personal suffering will always make an individual persist, delve deeper and discover the truth and show discrimination in its entirety.

Robert Frank, The Americans, United states of America, Grove Press,1959

http://www.luminous-lint.com/app/image/235588627125243945971246/ (accessed 21/05/2011)

Phillip DI Lorca

Phillip Di Lorca

(1951)

We discussed this photographer a little bit during one of our lectures. The work which we discussed was taken in 1993, the series of work which shows views of working rent boys in Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles.

What was remarkable about these images is that there Produced and exhibited with a title name as well as an amount it took for the subject to sit for the portraits.

The stark nature of the photographs with vivid lighting and lively colours resemble the likes of film stills, offering you a glimmer into the story line, you are given the starting point, the name and the cost, its then up to you as the viewer to figure out what’s happening.

For example the picture below taken in 1990-92. Phillip Di Lorca is known for his meticulous staging of images, everything from lighting to posture all controlled in advance for a price. As seen in the lower image this Human being cost $20 to sit for Phillip Di Lorca, it shows how cheap life is and that in a time of depression and a overwhelming need to gain money for what ever purpose, that humanity is for sale and is a commodity that people across the world are willing to barter, buy and sell.

Art knowledge, news,  Philip-Lorca diCorcia exhibits key photographic work, from: http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Philip-Lorca_diCorcia.html (accessed 15/05/2011)

Class Debate with a hint of capitalism.

Class Debate with a hint of capitalism.

I think it would be appropriate to end my blogs on the last lecture discussion.

During the debate we were asked the question about whether technology has helped in photography.

The decision was for the movement after hearing all the benefits of it.

My own personal viewpoints of the matter, are along the same lines, through technology people have been able to get to grips and produce photography at a level which only a expert or a very well versed person in photography could have done years ago. 

A idea was brought up about it being more challenging to land a career in the creative sector, my argument to this is why if u can produce a decent photograph and someone can create a outstanding photograph should you be given the job over him/her, the point is competition breeds imagination, to get better and create work which inspires the new age and brings your practice into a whole different level.

The idea that the futurist’s viewpoint is negative, that pushing out with old traditions and replacing them because they are not as quick or not as worthy was brought to the table by the against team. My argument to this is rather simple if its out dated get rid of it, new is always better no matter what the argument. Why use inferior equipment if there’s better available after all you are as good as your equipment.

Capitalism, making gains out of the market because people are constantly trying to keep up with technology could be seen as a down side to this hole futurist theory, but think of it this way without the funding of people purchasing there wares. Or without the need and pressure to invent something better then the competitors, how far down the line would technology be?