Work Record Three: Frank Gohlke

Work Record Three: Frank Gohlke

Plans For Shoot:
For this shoot I plan to use my photographer's research as inspiration and take photographs of a deconsecrated church which is a juxtaposition in itself. 

Research Influence:
My photographer I've chosen to research in connection to Juxtaposition is Frank Gohlke. I will aim to a take photographs of bleak landscapes as he does, while still retaining my previous research into different styles of photography, and maintaining my search for small contradictions within locations (such as light juxtaposition).

Image Bank:

Contact Sheet:

Images that need improvement:
D726085.JPG:
This image is too dark as I had set my camera settings to take pictures in the sun and so the exposure was too dark and the F-stop was too high causing the aperature to be too small so not enough light to enter the camera. I also dislike the framing and the angle that the church is at in the shot. Considering my other images in this shoot are better than this one I don't feel the need to re-shoot.
D726139.NEF - D726159.NEF:
I was shooting this image into the sun and this caused camera glare and so this detracts from the subject of the image. I was trying to take a shot of the flowers that had just sprung but due to the time of the day the sun was in the shot. The framing was also poor due to the angle I was holding the camera. 

Best Images:
D725995:

I like the juxtaposition of this image as it's a teddy-bear that someone has thrown into a field. This is juxtaposition as teddy's are an item specifically made for love and someone has discarded it heartlessly. 

D726000:

This is some farm equipment a farmer has left at the edge of his land to rust. I moved the bear into the shot as I liked the juxtaposition of something designed to be loved tossed carelessly out of someone's window. 

D726023:

This a trailer that the farmer has also left at the edge of his land; it's been there for so long people had begun living inside it and moved on as there were mattresses dumped inside, or people have begun fly-tipping inside it. This is juxtaposition as a vehicle that was built for utility has been left in a field to rust and yet people have still found a way to use it even after it's been abandoned. 

D726030:

This is a shot of a barren field in the winter. This is my favorite out of the series as a piece of land that is specifically designated for growing food lays empty for half of the year. I also like the positioning of the trees as they remind me of small tumble weeds that sweep across deserts and the crystal clear sky that darkens the further from the earth it gets.  

D72650:

This is a public footpath towards a church that has been decommissioned, and although the church isn't used anymore people still leave flowers at the memorials in the churchyard.  

D726074:

I like the framing of this shot and the significance of the time of day when I took it. The fact that this door is no longer used and the fact that it lays in the shadows of the graveyard.

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

When I started thinking of ideas as to how I should approach Frank Gohlke's work I assumed I'd have trouble finding places that I'd be able to visit as he is based in Wichita Falls, Texas which is drastically different from English Landscapes that I have access to. However, my father took me to a beautiful decommissioned church. 

My initial idea was to find small contradictions within the church and the churchyard. However, the church hasn't been maintained so it wasn't open to the public and I couldn't go inside. I did find some interesting shots despite the setbacks. I liked the flowers that were growing on a grave as I thought life growing from death was poetic, however this shot was ruined due to the angle I took it at and the sun glare. I also like the shots I took on my way to the church, such as the bland landscape set against the pale winter sky. 

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

I used a Nikon D7300 to take these shots, and I kept it on aperture priority as this allows me to choose an aperture value and the camera generates a shutter speed to suit it so that the image doesn't become over exposed (too light) or under exposed (too dark). I like using this setting as the camera's light meter determines the shutter speed, this usually means the images turn out how I see them. However, sometimes I haven't changed the setting to match the shutter speed and so the shots are either over or under exposed, this is why I shoot in RAW format as it allows me to change the exposure in Photoshop.   

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

   

I wanted to experiment with Gohlke's style and so I searched for landscapes that related to his work. By using his style of photography I have developed how I look at taking photos. It stopped being a location shoot as I was looking for shots I could take along the way which is why I have images that I took on route to the church. My father stopped the car several times so that I could get out and take photographs that I thought would look good in passing.

  

Improving My Best Images:
I've chosen to use Photoshop to improve my images. As I mentioned before I use RAW format so this allows me to edit the images subtly so that the changes aren't too drastic and the images don't look artificial.

I edited all my photographs individually by using the sliders when I opened my RAW files in Photoshop: 

Then I added a black and white layer to the image:

A04: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

Edited Images:

For this shoot I wanted to find a location that held different juxtapositions within itself as a landscape. However, I have taken closer shots during my walk around the churchyard and found it was rich in things I could take photographs of. Consequently I've developed my range of subject matter as I have captured close range shots such as the brick-filled door, and also bland landscapes such as the large empty filed and equally empty sky behind it.

For my next shoot I would like to investigate different landscapes and different processes that can be applied to my images. In particular  I would like to investigate double exposures and how they can demonstrate juxtaposition. 

Juxtaposition:

I was inspired by the deconsecrated church that I found while completing the above shoot and so constructed this scene with skulls and palm crosses as the church was no longer able to perform services so I made a miniature version of what they might have looked like. 

In my next shoot I'd like to take some photographs of different skulls as they have very different meanings than human skulls.