Work Record Two: (Jordan Parks Inspired)

Work Record Two: (Jordan Parks Inspired)

Plans for Shoot:

  

Bokeh Definition: the visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photographic image, especially as rendered by a particular lens.

I'm going to shoot in my grandfather's garden as it is large and has many interesting and decaying things that I would like to take photographs of. I will search for hard things such as any metal or wooden objects that are rusting as this will apply further contrast into the images, along with the harsh contrast of different depths of field. I will use a low F-stop to create the Bokeh effect I want to achieve,and I will also be using a macro lens to increase the amount of detail in my images. 

Research Influence:

I will be adopting Jordan Park's Bokeh style which involves using a low F-stop to give a shallow depth of field and intense focus on the object in the foreground. He mainly photographs at night but as I'll be using a Macro lens I will shoot during the day and consequently won't be able to create the Bokeh light effects he features in his photographs. However, I will shoot at a later date to investigate and experiment further into the Bokeh effect on light which produces lens-flare circles. 

Image Bank:

Contact Sheet:

Images that need improvement:
DSC_0123.NEF:
I don't like the framing of this image, as I was using a macro lens I wasn't able to change the zoom length and so I had to move myself to change the framing of the shot. I looked at the images as I took them and moved to frame this one better which resulted in the image DSC_0129. Next time I will take the same shot with different lenses to see the difference between them and see which lens is more appropriate for the shoot. 
DSC_0401.NEF:
I don't like the subject of this shot as the bush is bare from winter and only just sprouting buds leaving a large amount of empty space which distracts from the subject of the shot. 

Best Images:
0038:

This is a shot of potpourri in a lamp, the glass distorting the image so it looks like the dried flowers are moving and you can only make out the flower at the front of the shot. I like this as it reminds me of how we glimpse things, in our busy lives we're unable to really look at the world we live in and we've become numb to the simple  things. 

0129:

0419: 

This rusty handle is the door to an old shed in  my Grandfather's garden. The shed is no longer in the garden but rather a part of the garden. It shows how everything shall be reclaimed by the Earth eventually. 

0450:

0518:

There was a small feather trapped amongst flowers in my Grandfather's garden. It shows how differently individual beings can live their lives and still end up in the same place as each other. The flowers have grown from the earth, sourcing their sustenance from below the dark soil, but the bird soared in the sky, the airs of heaven brushing its wings. Despite how vastly different these things are they're both ended up tangled and intertwined. 

A03: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress. 

I wanted to use Bokeh to really focus the viewer's attention on the subjects of my photographs and the significance of them. I planned to juxtapose life and death and the differences of the things that lie between. I think I've effectively shown the contrast between life and death, for example the image 0129 shows a much-used object become rusted and abandoned to the elements. It shows how we take things for granted and easily discard the things that no longer serve a purpose to us. 

A02: Explore and select appropriate sources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops. 

I've experimented with Bokeh (using a low F-stop to create a sharp, in focus object in the foreground and a blurry, out-of-focus background) and different subject matters. I will continue this further as I am enjoying this style of photography and I would like to further analyse light and shadows, a juxtaposition in themselves. I looked at Jordan Parks for this shoot, I used his style of Bokeh. A technique he often uses in his work is to place the focal point just off centre to include the background in his images so that the viewer doesn't become bored as central framing is a very conventional photography style. Bokeh is breaking away from the idea that everything needs to be in focus. 

I did try framing my subject matter in the center of shot but it became disorentating (look at shot 0264), I prefere shot 0212 which is framed off centre and is more aesthetically pleasing.  

A01: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding. 

I have researched how best to take  photographs in the style of Bokeh. I used a large aperture as this decreases the depth of field and so brings the foreground to attention. I increase the distance from the background so it would be out of the shallow depth of field and consequently focus. I used a very low f-stop and a fast shutter speed as the lens I was using was a Macro and any camera shake would be noticeable in the final images. I first found Bokeh due to Uta Barth who utilises the way light is affected when using a low F-stop consistent with Bokeh. I then found Jordan Parks who is park of the reliable photographer forum "Flickr". 

I like the style of Bokeh as it allows the photographer a large quantity of freedom when framing and constructing the shot they want to produce the image they see in their mind's eye. I enjoy the fact that it captures a moment but I also acknowledge that I cannot tell as story as other styles do, in my opinion. 

Improving Best Images:

TO edit my images I used photoshop. As I shoot in RAW files I'm able to edit my photographs more subtly than if I was shooting in JPEG files.

I didn't change the temperatures on the image but I altered the rest of the settings. I lowered the exposure to darken the image and allow me to raise the feather to the forefront of the viewers attention. I lowered the highlights and the whites to bring the background colours closer but still keep the Bokeh effect. Finally I altered the colours, I lowered the saturation to dull the colours and raised the vibrance to bring the depth of the colour higher resulting in a beautiful magenta. 

I've edited the other images in the same way as I thought this would best accentuate my experiments into Bokeh. I would like to further experiment with this shoot in photoshop and experiment on these images with different editing techniques. 

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

Edited Images:

At the start of this shoot I was going to mainly focus on hard or rough subject matter to  emphasise the different depths of fields and add deeper contrast into my images. I believe I have accomplished this with my images of the ice in the water and the rusted shed door handle. However, I also found that my image of the feather amongst the flowers is beautiful in a similar manner and yet doesn't have any of the features that I was searching for when I planned the shoot. 

Juxtaposition: 

When I conducted this shoot above I was told there was plague burial pits near the address. This inspired me to make mock bandages and small glass bottles near the skull to symbolise the people who died during the black plague. I like this type of juxtaposition as there's bloody bandages and bottles around the skull, but there's nothing left to save other than bone.  I want to repeat the skull theme throughout my work as I like how we as a culture are trained to fear death and our final judgement because some religions celebrate death and welcome the ghosts of their ancestors into their homes. One of the most famous celebrations is day of the dead.    

Images:

For my next shoot I would like to focus more on the soft contradictions that can be found, if searched for. These include subtle light changes within Landscapes. 

Photographer Research Three: Frank Gohlke

Photographer Research Three: Frank Gohlke:
Frank Gohlke is an American Landscape photographer born on April 3, 1942. He has taken photographs of grain elevators in the American Mid-West and the aftermath of a 1979 Tornado in his hometown (Wichita Falls, Texas), and St. Helens during the decade after it's eruption, agriculture in central France and the wild apple forests of Kazakhstan.

I chose to research his as he uses visual contradictions beautifully, such as empty parking lots that have been built for tens of cars. My favourite style of photography is Landscapes as they document such a wide area and can be extremely emotive.

Image Bank:

This is a shot of a long open road that stretches out into the distance. This may symbolise that at this point in Gohlke's life he felt like he couldn't get anywhere as the more he walks the further the road.

This empty parking lot is only for tours, which suggests that the town's economy is failing as it isn't attracting enough tourists, pair this with the total lack of inhabitants in the image it may suggest that the economy is failing and so people are beginning to leave in search of work.

This image is of a large gothic themed architectural building that has been left in the middle of a large junction. This consequently implies that the building is old and is falling slowly behind the times as modern age builds up around it. 

This image shows a house that's been built in the middle of a desert. Some connotations of this are the person living in the house doesn't like people and so moved away from them, however, they still have to travel to buy the necessities and so they leave their car parked outside the garage. 

This image shows a small rural village that lives on top of a mountain range. The sheer lack of houses suggests that this is a small community that knows each other well. Furthermore, this could mean that this is where Gohlke lived and so he's showing us a small insight into his life. 

Influence and Summary:

I have used my research into Frank Gohlke to develop how I approach shoots. Instead of only shooting at a location I'm beginning to look at the different places that I pass through to get to the location where I'll be shooting. I think on my next shoot I will document the time I start shooting and the time I've finished, this will allow me to document where and when I'm shooting. This will also allow me to notice time passing and so remind me of my goals that I'll set for the next shoot. 

Next time I shoot I would like to integrate Frank Gohlke's work into my recurring Bokeh theme and use his style of Landscape photography to set the Bokeh style against a more serious background. To do this I may use a low F-stop to bring focus to the foreground and yet keep the background within the viewers attention. 

My work:

Photographers Research Four : Daniella Zalcman's

Photographers Research Four: Daniella Zalcman:

Daniella Zalcman:
She is a documentary photographer that graduated with an architecture degree in 2009. She is based in between London and New York. She works with the International Women's Media Foundation and is the founder of Women Photograph. She is part of the movement trying to elevate the voices of female and non-binary visual journalists. She also lectures at high schools and Universities. 


Image Bank:

This is a double exposure of a  London street layered over a New York street. I like this image because of the contrasting scenery and the different angles the camera was at. This gives the impression that there are people are walking in the air. 

I like this image because of the double decker bus and the yellow taxi in the bottom right hand corner. It shows Zalcman's internal struggle between these two identities that she has. Her past belongs in London as that is where she's been raised but her future has taken her to New York and so she lives between the two. 

I like how the road in the London image uses leading lines and disappears off into the distance, like it's drawing us into the image. This could symbolise how New York has drawn Zalman in, and yet she is still not ready to let go of her home. 

This image truly illustrates how different New York and London are. London is build on hundreds of years of history and this shows in the architecture and yet New York has such a rich past in itself. It is almost as if she is trying to find a consistency between the two places where she is comfortable enough to make her home.

The predominant part of this image is the New York architecture, this may suggest that she is being won over by New York, and swept up by the culture that has accumulated and exists there. 

I like this image as it is as if Daniella Zalcman is torn between these two diverse and complex places. Her home is London but New York is the place to go for glory. This image perfectly illustrates her internal conflict about her work and her home. 
Influence and Summary:
I used Daniella Zalcman's work inspiration and incorporated juxtaposition into double exposures by layering two incongruous landscapes over each other, like a before and after shot of the land that was once there. 

Here are some examples of my work:

Photographer Research Two : Jordan Parks

Photographer Research Two : Jordan Parks

Jordan Parks:
She is a natural light photographer based in St. Louis, Missouri. She specialises in family portraits and is a member of THE HOURS, a collective photography project involving 32 photographers worldwide.  
Plans For Shoot:
I will take photographs in Bokeh style. To achieve this I will use a low F-stop and a large aperture to diminish the depth of field as much as I can, then I will use a long focal length to further decrease the depth of field. 

Image Analysis:

I like this shot as it brings an intense focus on the Box Brownie. This focus implies that the subject of the photograph isn't the Camera but the moment itself. This is implied by the Bokeh effect created with the lights in the background. If the camera was the main focus then it would be central in the shot and the lights wouldn't have such a presence in the image, but because the lights play such a large part of the shot I can only assume that they're important to the image. This leads me to further analyse what the lights could mean there's a party and although they're out of focus those types of lights are only present at joyful events.

This image is of tealights in mason jars glowing dimly. Pop culture has produced a fascination with mason jars, however I think this image is meant to tell a story of the closeness that we experience when our precious electricity goes out, it gives us a glimpse of how hopeless we are without the modern technology we've become accustomed to. 

This is a very out of focus shot of a motorway or freeway, due to the lack of focus and the words "Just drive" it implies that the driver has no destination. Their destination is the feeling of freedom, being able to get in a car and drive away from your problems maybe even for a few hours helps provide perspective, which is what this image is conveying. 

The string of party lights in this shot implies that somebody is having fun either at a party or a BBQ. The fading light and the colour of the sky shows that it's a warm evening, someplace where the temperature keeps the air warm and lazy even after dark.

The dried crispy leaves caught in this fence symbolise something broken and dead, but we're unable to let go of it. There's no life left in the leaves and they'll inevitably fall to the ground but the fence holds them for as long as possible.  

          

Unlike the last image this shot boasts colour and new blooms. The soft pink blossoms cling and line the trees branches, it stands for new life and the possibilities that the changing of the seasons bring.

Influence And Summary:
I've used my research into Jordan Park to develop my own style and further incorporate the use of Bokeh into my work. I've enjoyed the effect that Bokeh has produced in  my photographs as it creates an intense focus on the subject of the image which is ideally what all photographers aim for. This was achieved by using a low F-stop and a macro lens, as this allowed me to capture all the details of my subject. 
Here is my work: