Photogram Workshop- Photo Object

Photo Object, Photo object test shoots, Photography As Object, Year 2

Below are the results from my photogram workshop, I experimented with various objects to create these prints. Colour photograms take place in the colour dark room, I placed the light sensitive paper under the enlargers along with a selection of objects such as; rubber gloves, feathers and plants. Once I was happy with the arrangement of objects I then exposed the paper for 5 seconds and fed the exposed paper into the developing machine. Below is my results from the photogram workshop, overall I am happy with the results.

Cyanotype Workshop- Photo Object

Photo Object, Photo object test shoots, Photography As Object, Year 2

This week I took part in a darkroom workshop session looking at the process of cyanotypes. Cyanotype is an early form of photography put together in the black and white darkroom. Ferric Ammonium Citrate and Potassium Ferricyanide are mixed together with 100ml of water and formed into a liquid. Both chemical compounds are then poured into a container, it is important to mix the chemicals in a brown glass container so no light can get to the chemicals. After mixing all the chemicals needed I spread the mixture across some paper using and sponge. Once the mixture was on the paper I used a hair dryer to dry off any water.

The next stage was to add objects on top of the paper, I chose some stencils provided by the technical staff member. Once I was happy with the placement of the objects I then placed the objects and the paper into a concentrated light source for 10 to 20 minutes. Once the timer was done I then rinsed the print off in water, then put the finished print on the dryer. Below are my results from my cyanotype workshop. Overall I am happy with the way my cyanotypes came out. During this workshop I experimented with the timings of the exposure, I learnt that the longer I left the print in the light bed the darker and more defined the finished outcome would be. I would definitely consider working with cyanotype again, I enjoyed the practical side of process and seeing the variations of results.

Collage workshop- Photography as an object

Photo Object, Photo object test shoots, Photography As Object, Year 2

Today I took part in a collage workshop. I was asked to bring in some of my own photographs and any un-used magazines I had indoors. This was the perfect task for me because I am specialising in collage for this photo object unit. Above is my results from the workshop. I focused on a theme of people as I want to incorporate portraiture into my final piece. Overall I am happy with the outcome of this workshop, i managed to combine my own photographs with magazine cut outs to create with final outcome. The workshop got me thinking about how I can use my own photographs with existing ones to create a totally new outcome.

Mann Ray – Object and body

Object and Body, Photo Object, Year 2

Mann Ray is one of the most well known artists of all time, from his invention of the Rayograph to his famous collage work, Ray has a huge portfolio of amazing pieces of work. I chose to research Mann Ray in relation to object and body because of his work from 1936 photographing Dora Maar with an african mask. The idea of placing an object with the body is something fine artists and photographers have done for many years. Ray’s image from 1936 shows both object and body together, however the object is a mask with clear facial features, making the object a clear relation the body in the photograph. The mask is placed parallel to the models face, perhaps indicating the similar features or purpose of the model.

The model (Dora Maar) is laying with her head on the table with a lifeless look on her face in a some what similar to the expression on the mask. Mann Ray posed the model in such a way to possibly to point out the model could be replaced by an object. Both Marr and the mask have comparable qualities. By placing the model and the mask together could indicate to Ray’s vision of the future, replacing models with objects. The image by Ray could also point to models being treated as object and not as human beings. The second theory seems more likely as Ray would have had to been very ahead of his time to think of such a theory. Looking at Mann Ray’s image of Dora Maar from 1936 has helped in my research for this photo object unit.

This photograph along with Ray’s many other pieces of work has inspired me to consider using various different objects in the photo object unit. Since my final piece is going to be based around image manipulation/collage I will consider using objects to manipulate my images, either through the use of collage or in the raw photographs.

Justine Khamara – Photo Object

Photo Object, Photo object research, Photography As Object, Year 2

Justine Khamara is a well known Australian artist who works a lot with collage. I chose to look at the work of Khamara because her works links very much to the photograph becoming an object part of this unit. Khamara works by layering images on top of one another to create massive amounts of texture and density, turning the photographs into amazing elaborate shapes. Khamara produces her work by using her own portrait photography, she produces most of her portraiture work in the studio however she does also use environmental portraits in her collage work. Khamara’s most typical way of creating her collages is to shred her images into fine pieces, after shredding her photographs she carful re-arranges them to form elegant sculpture like collages.

The end result of Justine Khamara’s work could be presumed to be digitally edited using photoshop, however this is not the case. Khamara’s work is all put together by hand. In response to looking at Khamara’s work I myself am going to try some different collage techniques. Since my strong point as a photographer is portraiture I am going to combine my skills as a portrait photographer with collage techniques. I am going to try a number of different methods such as; painting over images, ripping them apart, layering and manipulating materials. By manipulating my images in these various ways I am interested in the different results I get. During my experimentation I hope to gain a potential final piece idea. I have finally settled on the idea of collage or photo manipulation for my final piece.

Unknown jk8

Object and Body Workshop

Object and Body, Photo Object, Photo object test shoots, Year 2

Today I took part in another studio based workshop, once again there was two different studio set ups for me to use each with slightly different lighting set ups. The main difference between the studio set ups was the backgrounds (one with a white background and the other with a black background). Each studio set up gave me different results due to the difference in equipment. The main benefit of this workshop was getting to use the Hasselblad cameras. Getting the opportunity to use Hasselblad to shoot in the studio was a privilege. The workshop looked at relating people to objects so during this workshop I focused on simple portraits.

Because of my artist research linking to collage work for my final piece, I decided to use this studio session to focus on capturing simple portraits. I wanted to focus on plain portraits because I am later doing to use the photographs from this workshop and create a series of different collages, deconstructing the face of the model and putting the print back together again. After shooting in the workshop I chose one photograph to edit in the second half of the workshop. In the afternoon I took part in an advanced photoshop lesson. I was taught a number of very useful photoshop skills that will come in handy in the future, these skills included; burning, curves, shot heal and layers. During this photoshop session I was also introduced to Wacom tablets. Wacom tablets are a handy tool which makes editing a lot easier and a lot more precise.

Overall I found this workshop to be really useful especially the photoshop workshop. I now have a greater understanding of the importance of photoshop and how I can improve my work through the use of photoshop. Below are the photographs I took from todays workshop sessions and some of the outcomes I produced during this workshop.

Still Life – Test Shoot

Photo Object, Photo object research, Photo object test shoots, Still Life, Year 2

Week one of the ‘Photo Object’ technical workshop I focused on still life. I completed a number of different studio set ups working with my objects for still life. The workshop included various different lighting set ups, experimenting with mirrors and different studio lights. The results I got from this task were not what I was expecting, if I could redo the first stage of the workshop I would have brought in different still life objects to photograph. The next stage of the workshop was looking at different surface areas, by elevating different still life objects gave me a different results to the first task in the workshop. Overall the first part of the still life workshop was not a strong point, however I felt needed this part of workshop to build my confidence in still life photography.

The second part of the workshop was my favourite, I worked with a long exposure to create a long lasting light effect. By making the studio pitch black and using a pocket wizard to set off one single flash, I was able to use multicoloured neon lights to create a vibrant background for my still life object. My still life object was a metal sculpture of a chicken from my house, I chose this object because its different and not a standard still life object. By waving different colour lights I created a rainbow effect. In the end I settled for a red light in the background, I chose this particular colour because it complimented my still life object well. The final task of the day was working with large format cameras.

I set up one single shot to shoot on the large format camera. After shooting the image of my choice I went to the film processing lab to put the large format negative in the developing machine. Overall the colour negative came out well, next week during our colour darkroom workshop I am going to develop the picture from the still life work shop.

David LaChapelle – Still Life

Photo Object, Photo object research, Still Life, Year 2

David LaChapell made his name in photography shooting various celebrity’s. LaChapell has worked a lot with commercial photography, his use of extravagant colour and costume design is the complete opposite of my prior research piece on Edward Weston. LaChapell is not know for being a still life photographer but his piece called ‘The Last Supper’ is the reason I chose to research him for my still life unit. The image features models posed in an iconic re-enactment of the last supper, an extremely well known religious event celebrated in many different religious groups.

Although LaChapelle’s image relates more to fashion photography still life, I chose this image because of its links to Vanitas . Vanitas is the art of re-creating still life paintings from to past. Before the invention of photography artist used to create still life’s paintings, symbolising many different things from death, possessions, life and wealth. I personally like the idea of taking a piece of imagery from the past and re-creating it using modern photography techniques. Still life is about referancing and re-working old paintings, describing the everyday and relating object against object. This piece by LaChapelle is a prime example of how effective relating object and object can be. The relation between the vibrant colours on the models clothes and the table cloth compared to the somewhat dull background, really help emphasise the rich colours in the original painting, illumining ‘Jesus’ as the main subject using cleaver lighting techniques and colour choices to make this particular model the centre of attention.

Looking at this photographed has improved my understanding of how colour can be used to emphasise a photographs quality. Every detail of a still life photograph is being judged even down to the smallest object. I’ve learn to consider even the smallest of details, relating the object to the model creating a dynamic between the model and the object. During my next studio session I m going to consider incorporating models into the images and not just working with objects alone. I am going some more time really thinking about what I’m trying to put across in my images whether I’m using objects or people.

Last-Supper

Edward Weston- Still Life

Photo Object, Still Life, Year 2

Edward Weston is known as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. Weston covered numerous topics during his 40 year career as a photographer, from; nudes, still life, landscapes and portraits Weston was a true master of photography. Still life is not a topic I have ever been particularly interested in as a photographer, but after seeing Weston’s stunning photo series featuring different fruit and vegetables especially ‘Pepper’ in 1930 my opinion of still life has been changed. ‘Pepper No. 30’ has become one of my favourite photographs. This iconic image make the audience see a pepper as they have never seen one before. Still life is an investigation of object and this photograph is no exception. Weston-pepper30

Weston came from a nude photography background, the links between his nude work and his still life can be seen clearly in his pepper series. Weston’s genius use of lighting and object placement truly elevates this everyday object. This black and white image displays such a wide range of texture and curvature, the soft lighting on this object likens the pepper to a nude body. The dark background exuberates the intermit curves and shape of the pepper.

The Edward Weston pepper series has inspired the beginning of my photo object project, the set of Weston images has opened my eyes to how beautiful still life photographs can really be. This upcoming Monday I will completing my first still life studio shoot. We have been asked to bring in some objects to use in our still life photoshoots. In response to the Edward Weston pepper series I will be looking for unusual shaped fruit and vegetables. Sometimes in still life less is more as seen in Weston’s still life work, instead of over crowing my still life work I am going to try and focus on singular objects, I hope to use a macro lens to really get into the detail of the object I am photographing.

Photo object 1

Photo Object, Photo object research, Photography As Object, Year 2

still Life

Edward Weston (Pepper)
Joan Gamell (London tube)
David LaChapelle (last supper)
Ansel Adams (lanscapes)

Object and Body

Irving Penn (self portrait 1986)
Weegee (mannequin)
Hannah Hoch (made for a party 1936)
Mann Ray (Dara Maar 1936)

Photography as an object

Annette Messager (instillations into sculptures)
Stanley Kubrick (pentagram)
Myoung Ho Lee (tree archival inkjet)
Noemie Goudal (it’s nice that)

Object in Time

Henri Cartier-Bresson (Gare St.Lazare)
Grant Legassick (Train station)
Philippe Halsman (dali Atomicus)
Alfred Eisenstaedt (V-J day Times Square)