For my pastiche photo, I decided to focus upon the artist Robert Adams, researching the image titled “On Signal Hill”.
The subject of Adams black and white photographs document the evolving landscape of the American West and the impact human destruction has on our environment. The visual strength of the destruction creates a strain, recording the documentary of human’s interference, and the anxious control over landscape.
The conflict in landscape between cultural occurrence, emphasizes the environment before the American growth both in residential and commercial development, is an important aspect in relation towards Adams work.
The two thin trees in the photo, overlook the grey fogged, compact landscape of the photo “ On signal hill”. The trees frame the remote view of the settlement city, embracing the concept about 'communal landscape‘, I also think the trees depict the threat of industrial growth, and how the objects convey an elderly appearance, (trees being around for many of years) This suggests the old I watching over the new , almost reminiscing what was young, and new. The object of the trees are used as a normal everyday life reminder of what is naturally seen as a natural beauty in the landscape environment. The sense of scale and cluttered, unstable perspective, contradicts the medium used in traditional landscape photography. Horizons are often used in artistry and landscape photography, to convey a scene of everlasting land, a stability between land and sky. Although when observing long beach California, the photo looks challenged, struggling with the balance between man and land.
Both Ansel Adams and the photographer Timothy O'Sullivan share similar qualities. Both artists have managed to capture the dignity and greatness of vast open space and landform. There are similarities of the method Friedrich has also used to represent land. This reflects towards peoples attitudes, and how a landscape can bring pleasure, whereas today landscape sometimes can be overlooked.
Robert Adams "On Signal Hill overlooking Long Beach California 1983"
Gelatin silver printDimensions: 16 in. x 19 7/8 in.
When taking my own photos, I tried to capture a similar style as Adams imagery. I captured several components from the original composition, and used these aspects in my pastiche photo.
For example, I used a small aperture on the mamiya Rz camera, as this enabled me to gain more detail, and structure in the photo. I also experimented with high view points, as this enables me to construct a similar method between the nature and city positioned both in the foreground and background.
On the day of my shoot I tried to photograph on an overcast day, as I wanted my image to relate well towards Ansel Adams composition. I also waned to emphasize the natural forms such as the trees and natural landscape scenery as this will frame the image drawing the public eye's attention.
I tried some test shots, but have decided to re-shoot as the sky was seen as blue applying a pictoresque style, and the standard lens i had was not suitable for this type of shot, therefore will borrow a 210 or 240 lens, as this will make the viewer feel more involved, emphasizing the main subject of human industrilization impacting on natural landscape.
DIGITAL PHOTO`S
When retaking my pastiche photos, I tried to capture a similar style as Adams imagery. I captured several components from the original composition, and used these aspects in my pastiche photo. For example, I used a small aperture on the mamiya Rz camera, as this enabled me to gain more detail, and structure in the photo. I also experimented with high view points, as this enables me to construct a similar method between the nature and city positioned both in the foreground and background.
On the day of my shoot I tried to photograph on an overcast day, as I wanted my image to relate well towards Ansel Adams composition. I also waned to emphasize the natural forms such as the trees and natural landscape scenery as this will frame the image drawing the public eye's attention. I captured some test shots, but re-shot as the images did not come out the way I wanted.
When capturing my final images I explored many areas, as I wanted my pastiche to be a direct imitation of my original photo. I wanted to imitate the language, reproducing the same compositional form, camera setting, lighting conditions, depth of field and scale etc… I wanted my final photo to reconstruct the visual aesthetic and feeling/mood, and not capture my interpretation. Unfortunately due to time, I was unable to locate a destination that was identical as the original photo.
I think it captures a similar image, but found the task challenging due to the season and the display of no leaves on the trees. This became an issue and due to time I had no choice but to copy a similar style.
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