Connecting Essay 2

Ansel Adams

  This is a photograph taken and manipulated by Ansel Adams. His photographs of picturesque landscapes all contain a large range of tones. However, I chose this image because I like how the sky is filled with dark tones because I feel as if it creates a mysterious effect. I also like how the reflection of the sky on the water looks as if the picture has just been flipped and repeated because of the extremely clear reflection. It is hard to see the land in the distance because of the heavily overcast sky which makes the image more interesting. I like how the bright white tones in the sky are contrasted with one half of the sky which is heavily contrasted. I think Adams wanted to focus on landscapes when incorporating tones because in my opinion, they have a lot of potential to present a range of tones due to the natural contrasts within the environment. For example white snow laying upon a dark grey rocky mountain etc.



   I chose this image from my selection of work for tone photography because I think that the two images are fairly similar in terms of the sky. In this image there are heavy dark tones in the sky, as in the one above. In both images, the sky seems to go from darker to lighter as our eyes are lead further into the image. There are also bright white tones peeping through the overcast sky. I think that this image would have been better if I had took it as a landscape image rather than portrait because then the images would be extremely similar. In the image above, the photographers' idea was to obviously present natural landscapes and elements such as the sky. In my opinion, this is interesting because the clouds can move so quickly and within a matter of minutes, the picture would look completely different.

Connecting Essay 1

Thomas Ruff




  This image is one of many pieces of work produced by Ruff. Most of his work is based around the same idea which he never sways from. He photographed portraits of people mostly all in the same way. They were never smiling so remained emotionless, they wore ordinary clothes and they were photographed against a plain background. His portrait images therefore did not display any individuality. This is because he believed that a photograph could only show the surface of the object within it. Furthermore, by photographing them this way he swapped things around and actually made portrait imagery more interesting. For example, if we were to view an image whereby a person was smiling/laughing, we would automatically think that this person may be happy or in a good mood. However, they are more than likely portraying this emotion solely because the photographer told them to. Therefore, how do we really know that the person is really feeling happy? - they could really be feeling sad but smiling because this is what they have been told to do. Ruff therefore decided to photograph people as plainly as they could be. By doing this, it makes us think more about what they may be feeling on the inside. It opens a gate to many things which they may be thinking or feeling which we cannot simply tell. The image pictured above I feel is a good example because she is dressed in plain clothing which is a soft colour which is not bright (again not expressing individuality) and she is pictured against a white background which is also a similar colour to her clothing. She also has light coloured hair and pale skin which makes the image even more plain. Ruff really wants viewers to think deeply when looking at his images such as the one pictured above.




  I chose his image as one to represent the link between my own work and Ruff's work because I feel like it is easy to see the similarities between the two images that I have shown. Here, she remains totally emotionless, her skin is also pale and she is wearing ordinary clothes (she is not wearing anything to vibrant or she is not dressed smartly) so we cannot make assumptions surrounding her mood etc. I personally feel like because the background makes her pale face stand out, that we are led to her eyes which we focus on for some time, trying to figure out what it is that she is feeling. Similar to the image above, however hard we try, we simply cannot make assumptions surrounding her thoughts and feelings because there is little or nothing to work with. This image reinforces the idea that a picture show merely the surface of an object within a image.

Research Post (Barbara Kruger)

Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1945. She layers found photographs from existing sources with pithy and aggressive text that involves the viewer in the struggle for power and control that her captions speak to. Much of her text questions the viewer about feminism, classicism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire. She took up photography in 1977, producing a series of black-and-white details of architectural exteriors paired with her own textual ruminations on the lives of those living inside. 

  Barbara Kruger created this piece of work in 1989. This is an example of one of Kruger's famous pieces of work. The fact that the image is in black and white makes the red dash with white writing stand out more. The term 'your body is a battleground' may mean that you are constantly fighting and doubting yourself. The fact that half of the image is in black and white and the other half is negative may link to that idea that we are constantly fighting the other 'negative' side of us which causes us to doubt ourselves. I like this image because she has presented the self consciousness a woman may feel but she has used this message to mask the real meaning. This means that we have to think deeper into what the message may mean and think about the conflicting thoughts and feelings a woman may have of herself. It also makes us wonder why a women may feel this way in society. Is it because of the image society has of a 'perfect' woman? Furthermore, I like her style of work because her smart one liners cause us to think about the problems within society that effect people.




  I picked this image as one which I wanted to explore because it looks at how boys/men may feel about the roles which they are expected to fulfil. Here a girl appears to be poking his arms, while he is tensing.The caption 'we don't need another hero' says a lot about how boys may feel they have to grow up to be strong and protect others. The photographer may be trying to convey that the idea of fitting into the two different moulds society holds for men and women is outdated. Furthermore, she may be trying to suggest that there are no more 'heros' needed in society and we no longer should be obliged to fit within these moulds society holds for us. Young boys may look at super heroes in the magazines, books, tv programmes etc and aspire to be like them because they are 'strong' and 'save people'. In my opinion, this image is promoting individuality because it is suggesting that we do not need to try to grow up and be like everyone else, especially sticking to our gender roles. This again causes us to look at the reasons why boys may feel obliged to fulfil the role of being emotionless and 'big and strong'. We may think about how the media may enforce these roles. I can use a similar idea when I develop my own work in this particular style.

Physical Images Image Bank

Physical Images

•       How does Gilliam’s animations link with Hannah Hoch’s photo-composites?

      

    His animations are similar to Hannah Hoch's work because they both involve the manipulation of images. They both form distortions of an original image which creates an unique and interesting outcome. Gilliam and Hoch both use similar processes when producing their work. 

•       How is meaning changed through creating photo-composites?

   The meaning of a particular image is changed through photo-composites by combining images together to create a different outcome. Parts of an original image may be taken from their original context and put into a different image which may not relate. 

Research Post Composite Image Making (George logan)

 George Logan was born in Belshill, near Glasgow, Scotland. He studied at Blackpool college of Photography before moving to London. Even as a boy, George's fascination with the animal world was evident as he regaled classmates with stories of the African farm he'd been raised on and the exotic surroundings he'd left behind. Tall tales these might have been, but the imagination and passion that inspired them is clear to see in George's fine art work today.




   I really like this piece of wok produced by George Logan because it displays an idea which I am passionate about. The photographer has placed an animal within a context that we would expect to see a human in. It makes us question if we would care as much if it was a 'homeless' animal than if it was a homeless person. The idea of a monkey (who obviously belongs in the wild being able to roam freely) becoming homeless, emphasises the idea that the actions of the human race destroy their 'homes'. It is not difficult to realise that many animals are driven from their natural environment solely due to the things we do to make this happen. Many people may not think about the scale of the problem because we never actually witness this happening. Therefore, the photographer has consciously placed the animal on the side of the street with a sign and some rubbish laying around them. We would usually expect to see a human who is homeless in this position but the fact that it is an animal instead, highlights the immorality of the situation. I could possibly use a similar idea when I produce my own work.




  I really like this photograph taken by Logan because elephants are an animal which I find interesting due to their simplistic beauty. Logan wanted to explore his interests surrounding safari animals, which he discovered when he was a child. He wanted to picture what these animals would look like in a rural area such as Scotland. You would usually expect to see an animal such as this in a area filled with the warming orange tones (golden grass, sunset in background etc) as we have always seen animals such as elephants in that context. Therefore, Logan challenges the imagination of people and encourages them to think outside of the box. We may find it particularly hard to imagine animals such as elephants, lions, hippos etc in this context which is why I think that Logan has created something unique which guides our imagination to picture the elephants actually walking across this bridge with the green fields in the background. Logan also wanted to present the animal with traits he knew they had. For example, the elephants here are travelling in a pair which causes us to think about the traits particular animals posses.

Composite Image Making Image Bank