Critical appraisal / environment, pastiche, object

Critical appraisal / environment 3 images , pastiche

 

For the environment project I had to produce three images that I thought represented my perception of the ‘landscape’. The year group and I had to also produce a pastiche reflecting a certain image. We had to analyse and recreate similar compositions, theme, framing and type of film ( black and white or colour?)

For my pastiche I chose the image ` On Signal Hill` by Robert Adams. When recreating this image I found it hard to choose a suitable location that I thought best reflected and was similar to the original photo. Due to time, I took some test shots of the place where I thought I could photograph was Blue Bell Hill. When creating my test shoots I tried to think of the composition and theme. I don’t think the photo was perfect, as I knew with more time I could research into better locations, and practice my darkroom printing. Therefore had to reshoot.

When shooting my own choice of 3 images, it enabled me the freedom to express my own viewpoint about the landscape around me. All three shots centred around the concept of looking at the relationship between humans and the environment, and what effect this question had on the landscape environment. In each photo I tried to represent my chosen theme (deforestation) and what effect it could have. My inspiration for this series of work was by the photographer Thomas Struth and how he reflects upon this chosen topic.  When viewing the images you notice the composition is similar as I tried to create a sense of confinement through the use of trees and structures. I wanted to symbolise the control that man has on landscape. I think in each image there is a sign of human invention on landscape highlighting a political manner of greed for resource.

When looking back I do think I could have shown my images in a more noticeable aspect, maybe  travelling to a different location and finding  valuable research about  deforestation. When reshooting I would like to experiment with using different angles and heights, as this could vary my shots, and play around with the concept of confinement and the straining relationship between man and land.

Critical appraisal /object

Originally I wanted to document the effect of obesity and how it creates a massive impact towards our everyday life.

I have always been intrigued on how obesity can change peoples lives, and was influenced by outside media e.g. Newspapers, TV, radio etc…. and photographers such as Susan Findlay, Gary Bryan …… and the painter Michael Rousseau.

For the shoot I wanted to create a composition that was reminiscent of an advertising campaign.

Shooting my object was quite frustrating as I could not quite get the right amount of depth of filed. For lighting I placed the source to the side of the object, in order to create definition in the object as well as creating highlights and lowlights in the composition. I also used an off- set white as the backdrop as I wanted the colour and definition to come from the object and not be overpowered by a dark background.  I think I could improve this shoot, by adding more colour, thinking about re-organising my objects, and maybe researching into different surfaces that the object can be placed on e.g. taking pictures of café tables for inspiration. But overall I am pleased with the concept and the object I used, and thought the textures worked well together and whilst perhaps the colour and surface could have been better, I felt the highlight of this photo had to be the burger.

re-shot pastiche

For my reshot of my environment pastiche, i thought i could  research other pieces that came from Adams series 'Los Angeles Spring' to get an idea of what he was trying to achieve when taking this photo. Adams played a big part in the New Topographic movement which relates to the man-altered landscape.

Adams wrote: "The pictures reveal a persistent verdancy that is unexpected. How could anyone explain the bird in the defoliated orchard, the suddenly clear day on a quiet road, or the astonishing silhouette of a eucalyptus in smog?".

more research / deforestation

David Kimelman

This was an image I found while sprawling around on tumblr, and the photo was produced by the photographer David Kimelman.

I think this photo is not just about one battle in one corner of the Amazon. This is about drawing a line in the sand for indigenous people and rainforests everywhere. It’s about rejecting a bankrupt development model and about ensuring that indigenous peoples’ choices for their lands and their future are honoured and respected.”

David Kimelman is a graduate of Pratt Institute, is a Brooklyn based photographer. His solo show, Natural Order, a series of photographs that reveal the tenuous and often contradictory relationships people have with the natural world, was exhibited in Philadelphia in 2009. The show was reviewed in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the City Paper. A selection of images from his portrait series, Reality Wanted, about ordinary people who aspire to achieve celebrity on reality TV, were exhibited at The International Centre of Photography in New York City in 2011.
This is what our world has come to!