Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Portrait Photography [Irving Penn] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be continuing to look at Portrait Photography and looking at an image by Irving Penn.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Portrait Photography may be defined as;

• simply creating a likeness of a person, especially of the face.
• a good quality image that not only captures a person’s physical likeness but also something of the person’s character, generally in a manner that is attractive and pleasing to the subject.

https://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/368

• simply the depiction of an individual

• recording the physical form and features of the portrait sitter including characterisation, personal context, possible relationships and often a connection with that persons life, lifestyle and work.
• conveying a very real and intense sense of the sitters personality, their interests and personal environment.

http://www.photokonnexion.com/definition-portraiture/

• an image depicting only the face or head and shoulders of a subject.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/portrait

• being more than just a visual record that is used to show the power, importance, virtue, beauty, wealth, taste, learning or other qualities of the sitter. 

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/portrait

• capturing the personality of a subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses.
• being an image of a subject that may be artistic or clinical as part of a medical study.
• the commissioning of images for special occasions, such as weddings or school events.
• serving many purposes, from usage on a personal web site to display in the lobby of a business.

A. Johnson

“A true portrait should, today and a hundred years from today, be the testimony of how this person looked and what kind of human being he was.”

Philippe Halsman

https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-portrait-photographers/

Irving Penn, Pablo Picasso at La Californie, Cannes, France, 1957

The subject is framed within the image’s formal design.

The curving lines of the hat’s brim and coat collar draws the viewer’s eye in and around the frame to explore the entirety of the composition.

Lit from the left side of the frame combined with the creative use of light and shadow imbues the image with a dramatic intensity.

This arrangement isolates the subject and removes him from his own everyday reality.

The hat and dark overcoat are the only props utilised within the composition and facilitate an intense engagement not only between the subject and the photographer but also outwards to the viewer and beyond exuding a sense of stillness and serene spirituality.

The image presents a cool, even appraisal that neither assaults nor caresses the sitter.

“What I really try to do is photograph people at rest, in a state of serenity,’’

Irving Penn (interview with The New York Times Magazine, 1977)

Compositionally minimalistic in form the image presents the subject face half obscured receding in shadow.

It is a sparse lustrous head-and-shoulder portrait taken close-up, cropped within the constricting space of the square frame and set against a discreet neutral blurred background.

“…. As a result there is a greater emphasis on a subtle exploration of gesture and expression between photographer and sitter.” 

Magdalene Keaney (Art Historian)

 (Irving Penn Portraits. London: National Portrait Gallery, 2010, p. 7.)

The confrontational positioning of the subject close-up to the lens with its focus being directly upon the subject’s highlighted face, the shallow depth of field, precise clarity, severity and impassivity amplifies the sitter’s gesture, expression and powerful persona.

The lack of context confuses the viewer’s sense of scale and heightens awareness not just of the sitter’s face and what it reveals, but of what is unseen – the subject’s remoteness and possible vulnerability.

The image captures more than the subject’s character and individuality through the inclusion of the elaborate embroidery on the collar of the overcoat.

The tight cropping of Picasso’s face and deep highlight and shadow across it both flattens and breaks the image, into a series of abstract shapes and planes that reflect the cubist mantra of fragmentation.

As Mark Haworth-Booth states in his introduction to Irving Penn Fringes, (PaceWildensteinMacGill exhibition catalogue, 1996, n.p.) :

“ …[it] is literally reflected in Picasso’s left eye.”

“It represents not only the world beyond the viewfinder and studio, but also the tool of the current artist at work—the natural, ideally northern, daylight in which Penn preferred to work.”

There is a great deal of detail within the print including the photographer’s daylight studio in the reflection of Picasso’s left eye.

Irving Penn, Detail image Pablo Picasso at La Californie, Cannes , 1957

The image, at one level without a title, presents the rejection of any contextual narrative that readily identifies the sitter.

However the image’s title suggests otherwise through identifying the sitter.

This information arguably changes the context.

Through eschewing any defined background the subject assumes the central role, prompting viewers to focus on the very essence of the sitter,

“[Penn’s photographs] are not stories, but simply pictures.”

John Szarkowski

Director of photography at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, 

The close-up portrait is skilfully and almost perfectly centered around the sitter’s left eye with its penetrating look – a homage to Cubism.

The frame, divided into sections, bares the geometric abstraction of the artist’s Cubist period.

Other references to the style are rendered within the image, the embroidery on the overcoat, the eye, the strong tonal contrasts, the collar of the overcoat slicing, the face at an unconventional angle, the assembly of bold shapes the abstraction of the ear and the different lines dissecting the plane

The portrait may be compared with Picasso’s grey-toned  ” Buste de femme “, 26 III, 1956

Pablo Picasso, ” Buste de femme “, 26 III 1956

and “Portrait de femme à la robe verte”, 1956

Pablo Picasso, “Portrait de femme à la robe verte”, May 1, 1956

In many ways Penn’s portrait of Picasso becomes more of a probable self-visualisation by Picasso rather than a regimented projection by the photographer of how a portrait should be.

The image of Pablo Picasso at La Californie, Cannes, possesses a duality of meaning that embraces two great masters, both subtly revealing themselves from different sides of the same lens.

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember the things which I have referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

http://www.archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2009/10/08/irving_penn_92_his_sparse_lustrous_portraits_revealed/

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/IrvingPennArchives/portraitshttp://www.dptips-central.com/irving-penn.html

https://www.artofplatinum.wordpress.com/category/irving-penn-2/

http://www.npg.org.uk/about/press/irving-penn-portraits1.php

https://www.phillips.com/detail/IRVING-PENN/NY040210/22

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2009/10/irving_penn_rip.html

http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/close-encounters

https://theredlist.com/wiki-2-16-601-793-view-fashion-1-profile-penn-irving.html

https://www.widewalls.ch/photography-portraits/richard-avedon-marilyn-monroe/

 

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Portrait Photography [Steve McCurry] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be taking a look at Portrait Photography and looking at an image by Steve McCurry.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Portrait Photography may be defined as;

• simply creating a likeness of a person, especially of the face.
• a good quality image that not only captures a person’s physical likeness but also something of the person’s character, generally in a manner that is attractive and pleasing to the subject.

https://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/368

• simply the depiction of an individual

• recording the physical form and features of the portrait sitter including characterisation, personal context, possible relationships and often a connection with that persons life, lifestyle and work.
• conveying a very real and intense sense of the sitters personality, their interests and personal environment.

http://www.photokonnexion.com/definition-portraiture/

• an image depicting only the face or head and shoulders of a subject.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/portrait

• being more than just a visual record that is used to show the power, importance, virtue, beauty, wealth, taste, learning or other qualities of the sitter. 

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/portrait

• capturing the personality of a subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses.
• being an image of a subject that may be artistic or clinical as part of a medical study.
• the commissioning of images for special occasions, such as weddings or school events.
• serving many purposes, from usage on a personal web site to display in the lobby of a business.

Andrew Johnson,

“A true portrait should, today and a hundred years from today, be the testimony of how this person looked and what kind of human being he was.”

Philippe Halsman

https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-portrait-photographers/

© Steve McCurry, Afghan Girl, 1984

Source Attribution https://huxleyparlour.com/the-afghan-girl/

Compositionally the subject is set off centre of the image facing outwards towards the camera.

The slight shift the subject makes to the positioning of her haunting eyes inscribe a sense of dramatic movement imbued with a sense of unseen horror that floods the image with an intense raw energy.

The lighting appears to be natural and coming from both the front and right of frame and entering the space from slightly above and directly from behind the photographer.

The main focus is the subject’s face isolated by its clarity and sharpness within the encircling ragged head wrap which accentuates the piercing eloquent stare of the eyes.

The face has no significant dark shadowing causing no loss of the catchlights which flatters and intensifies the subject’s explosive emotive expression.

The rule of thirds subdivides the image compositionally into different spatial planes both horizontally and vertically across the frame.

If one views the image from bottom frame up it exemplifies the rule of thirds vertically and dictates how the image is laid out.

The lower third is composed of the subject’s right shoulder, directly in the foreground, which accentuates the turn of the child’s upper torso mantled in the leading lines of the folds in the rust red garment.

The middle third stretching from the girl’s chin to the top of her forehead, includes her face hair, part of the garment’s hood and background.

The top third accommodates the top of the subject’s head, hair, hood and the background.

If one views the composition vertically from left to right the first third contains the left side of the subject’s face to the vertical edge of her nose.

The central third, which stretches to the top of her right cheek bone. It connects with a vertical line traversing the edge of her shoulder upwards passing her hidden ear and up to the top of the frame traversing the green vertical line observed in the background.

The final third is occupied with the subject’s shoulder, the remainder of her hair, hood and the blurred green background.

Where the lines of the horizontal and vertical planes intersect is where the main focal point of the image is housed – the strident defiant outward turned face and penetrating soul filled eyes.

The shallow depth of field, the contrasting complementary colours of red and green, the green and white of the eyes, the tanned flesh of the face with its muted tones and the blurring of the background infuse the  portrait with significant emotive intensity and regal qualities of the sublime.

The composition is filled with a series of curving leading lines that not only provide a rhythmic energy within the image but draw the viewer to the very heart and focus of the image, the subject’s face and eyes. 

These elements accentuate the young subject’s hidden femininity, fears and vulnerability.

The curving lines are counterpointed by the vertical lines of her nose and the horizontal structure of her brow bone; which, with the manner in which the image occupies its various spatial structure create a sense of stability revealing an internal strength and determination to survive against all the odds.

“ …I did know that there was a power and that there was something completely special and unusual and extraordinary about this look.”

Steve McCurry

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember the things which I have referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

http://www.earthporm.com/top-10-famous-portrait-photographers-around-world/

https://mackenziekerrigan.wordpress.com/photo-analysis/

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/index-text/1

http://resourcemagonline.com/2015/01/12-top-tier-portrait-photographers-you-should-know/47073/

https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-portrait-photographers/

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Fine Art Photography [Edward Weston] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be, again, taking a look at Fine Art Photography and looking at an image by Edward Weston.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Fine Art Photography “photographic art”, “artistic photography”  may be defined as;

• possessing no universally agreed meaning or definition,
• referring to an imprecise category of photographs, created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer.
• not merely capturing a realistic rendition of the subject, but aiming to produce a more personal – typically more evocative or atmospheric – impression.
• describing any image taken by a camera where the intention is aesthetic rather than scientific, commercial or journalistic.

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/fine-art-photography.htm

• as a type of photographythat represents an idea, a message, or an emotion wherein the artist has something that they want to convey in their work.

• not being about capturing what the camera sees but about capturing what the artist sees.
• using the camera as a tool to create a work of art revealing the vision of the artist and making a statement of that vision rather than documenting the subject before the lens.

• that the recording a subject is not the main purpose.
• using photography as a means to express a vision and make an artistic statement.

• the intentional execution of an imagethrough choosing the elements in its structure, framing, appearance, presentation and technical excellence.

• representing or conveying an idea, a message or an emotion.

Johnson, A., 2017

Edward Weston, Pepper No 25, 1930

© Edward Weston, Pepper No. 30 (1930)

The black and white image fills the frame and depicts with great clarity a solitary, malformed, pepper.

The pepper is placed in a tin funnel, which provided not only a curving, undefinable background, but also refracts the lighting.

The funnel reflects the soft lighting from above  which highlights the object’s bulbous sensual curving contours, smooth skin and its very vulnerability with the hint of decay.

Such decay grounds the subject, heightens the tension between subject and form as well as ideal and real.

Kim Weston (the photographer’s grandson) stated in an interview that:

“…it was shot at an aperture of f/240 with an exposure time of 4-6 hours.”

However the photographer states in his writings that:

“… I placed it in the funnel, focused with the Zeiss, and knowing just the viewpoint, recognising a perfect light, made an exposure of six minutes…”

The anthropomorphic vegetable has been transformed, almost to abstraction, into a sculptural narrative with its long, smooth turning surfaces, glowing light on the tactile skin, gentle folding curves, the exaggerated contrasts between light and dark, concave and convex, rough and smooth surfaces, the light brushwork along the bottom of the photograph all add  contrasting textural qualities.

These various elements accentuate the sculptural three dimensionality of the object despite the flatness of the printed image.

The pepper has been transformed from being a mere mundane object the subject of a still life into a piece fine art.

The pepper has been transformed into a sensual object with curves that not only echoes Auguste Renoir’s “The Kiss” but also the human form and modernist sculptures the likes of Hans Arp and Henry Moore.

The image’s ultra-realism bleeds into the artistic world of abstraction and surrealism.

Edward Weston described it in his Daybooks as:

‘… a classic, completely satisfying, – a pepper – but more than a pepper: abstract, in that it is completely outside subject matter.  It has no psychological attributes, no human emotions are aroused: this new pepper takes one beyond the world we know in the conscious mind. . . .’ (California, p. 181.)

The image makes the commonplace wondrous transforming it into a piece of fine art.

The organic form of the pepper is imbued with a spectrum of delicate monochromatic tonal hues, its formal perfection and technical execution heightens its presence to the point where it appears to be almost unreal.

The image transcends the mere pictorial and has become an art form in its own right.

By photographing in close-up EW has captured

”… the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself …“.

Edward Weston

The pepper has been transformed from being a mere mundane object or subject for still life into a piece fine art.

That which is appealing is that the photographer has created within the object an aesthetic existence of its own

“completely outside subject matter” and “takes one beyond the world we know in the conscious mind”. 

Edward Weston

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember the things which I have referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

httphttp://www.hlphotogallery.com/stories

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/photographs-n09129/lot.24.html

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-weston-edward-artworks.htm

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/aug/18/edward-weston-photography

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Fine Art Photography [Robert Mapplethorpe] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be, again, taking a look at Fine Art Photography and looking at an image by Robert Mapplethorpe.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Fine Art Photography “photographic art”, “artistic photography”  may be defined as;

• possessing no universally agreed meaning or definition,
• referring to an imprecise category of photographs, created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer.
• not merely capturing a realistic rendition of the subject, but aiming to produce a more personal – typically more evocative or atmospheric – impression.
• describing any image taken by a camera where the intention is aesthetic rather than scientific, commercial or journalistic.

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/fine-art-photography.htm

• as a type of photography that represents an idea, a message, or an emotion wherein the artist has something that they want to convey in their work.

• not being about capturing what the camera sees but about capturing what the artist sees.
• using the camera as a tool to create a work of art revealing the vision of the artist and making a statement of that vision rather than documenting the subject before the lens.

• that the recording a subject is not the main purpose.
• using photography as a means to express a vision and make an artistic statement.

• the intentional execution of an imagethrough choosing the elements in its structure, framing, appearance, presentation and technical excellence.

• representing or conveying an idea, a message or an emotion.

Robert Mapplethorpe, Calla Lily , 1986

The initial appeal of this close up still life lies in the sensitive way the photographer presents a crisp edged highly stylised minimalist black and white image of a single inverted calla lily.

In so doing the image is imbued with an energised dynamism that underscores it with a powerful presence. The image is iconic in the manner in which RM explores botanical still life photography as a means of art making that transcends genres.

The lily dominates the picture plane through carefully orchestration of the composition by placing the flower directly in the centre of the frame and the use of sophisticated lighting.

The image’s subtle gradation of light displays the well-defined lines and the natural shape of the lily. The flower is lit from above which emphasises its paradoxical combination of strength, fragility and ephemerality.

The image’s shallow depth of field and clarity accentuates this and is enhanced further by the careful staging; which, in turn emphasises the meticulous attention to the harmonious arrangement of the dominating sculptural form and underscore its powerful physical presence within a highly controlled environment.

The lily divides the picture plane both horizontally and vertically creating a stark juxtaposition between the contrasting white and black elements.

The leading line of the lily’s curving stem and flower head is echoed by its shadow cast and the of the thin descending sepal which leads the eye directly into the curving blurred pool of light at the bottom of the frame.

The blurred line of this pool of light leads the eye around  the shadow of the lily accentuating the presence and sensuality of the lily itself which hovers above it.

The image with its monochromatic minimalist elegance and subtle gradations of grey tones found on the flower’s trumpet head draws the viewer into the composition to explore the image’s spatial juxtapositions and relationships.

It is the contrast between the black and white that creates and intensifies the dramatic tension of the image.

The stark white flower head juxtaposed against the extreme black background isolates the object and suffuses it with an air of timelessness, poetic, melancholic and symbolic qualities.

It is these qualities that make the viewer reinterpret any self-imposed initial superficial narrative.

The downturned lily can be viewed as a cipher of both masculine and feminine sensuality as well as reflecting a classical physical beauty and aesthetics.

“I am obsessed with beauty, I want everything to be perfect, and of course it isn’t. And that’s a tough place to be because you’re never satisfied.”

Robert Mapplethorpe

“Taking pictures …and trying to get the best possible view of it.”

Robert Mapplethorpe

It is the sublime erotic element of the lily, that adds to its intrigue, with its drooping head without thinking of the flaccid male member, or the lily’s frilled fringe without visualizing the female vulva.

The very precise architectural shape, perfect form and covert sensual suggestive nature of the flower engages the viewer that demands a response and interpretation of the presented narrative.

The image initiates a discussion with regard to variety of social issues that includes sexuality, race, mortality and death.

“I like to look at pictures, all kinds, and all those things you absorb come out subconsciously one way or another.”

Robert Mapplethorpe

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember the things which I have referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

https://www.artblart.com/tag/robert-mapplethorpe-calla-lily/

http://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/8524/robert-mapplethorpes-sensual-flowers

http://www.collection.whitney.org/object/11521

http://www.mapplethorpe.org/

www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/robe

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/robert-mapplethorpes-petals-and-penises-a-ravishing-new-book-and-major-retrospective-reassess-the-a6911966.h

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/robert-mapplethorpe-11413

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-mapplethorpe-robert-artworks.htm

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Conceptual Photography [Christopher Williams] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be, again, taking a look at Conceptual Photography and looking at an image by Christopher Williams.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Conceptual Photography may be defined as;

• a means to stage a false reality, or capture an idea.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/conceptual-photography

• being the idea (or concept) behind a work is more important than the finished art object.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/conceptual-art

• concerning theconcept of a photo, its message whether it be political, social commentary or an emotional outcry,
• as possessingsome level of abstraction,
• as not being an explicit example of a concept, but a general expression of an idea.

http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/photography/articles/39542.aspx

Christopher Williams, Kodak Three Point Reflection Guide © 1968 Eastman Kodak Company, 1968 (Meiko laughing), Vancouver, B.C., 2005

The image, close cropped within the frame, presents a female model with one yellow towel wrapped around her hair and another around her bust.

The model is offset to the right side of the frame and takes up two thirds of the vertical and horizontal space.

The image presents a staged  re-photographing of a Kodak illustration taken from an instruction manual for amateur photographers published in 1968.

The image overtly displays the typically hidden device of the Kodak colour bar—the “Three Point Reflection Guide”  which was used by photographers to measure the trueness of a colour in a coloured image.

Consequently the dynamic tension within the image is accentuated with its inclusion in the portrait of the model.

The dominant colour within the image is the vibrant yellow an acknowledgement to Kodak’s advertising signature colour.

The pose echoes the functionality of catalogue shots, but invests the subject with the unreal sheen of advertising.

The relative pristine simplicity of the compositional elements of the image – the minimalist light palette of colours and the subject isolated against the jet-black background reveals the unexpected beauty and cultural resonance of commercial, industrial and instructional photography.

The immediate appeal of this image is the subversive manner in which CW draws attention to both photography as a process and the portrayal of an ideal feminine image. CW  parodies aesthetic conventions of photographic representation, in particular, advertising imagery.

On first glance, this image appears to be a pristine, even sterile, commercial photograph, its model flashing the clean smile fetishised by contemporary advertising as if culled from brand fashion catalogues and magazines.

Once the image has been divorced from its original function, the first thing that is observed is not a photo that shows a woman who has just washed her hair; but, one that shows a model undertaking her daily strenuous job and the strains and pressures that she has to maintain to keep the artificial facade of ideal beauty for the length of time a photoshoot takes.

Upon closer inspection the image, with its shallow depth of field, reveals the artificiality of the scenario.

This is accentuated through use of the older subject and the minor imperfections that remain on her skin.

The creation of shaped shadow under the nose of the subject and under the cheeks and chin indicates placing the main light source above and directly behind the camera.

The angle of the shoot appears to indicate that the photographer was positioned underneath the light source and is use particularly for creating glamour style shots as it flatters the complexion of older subjects as it emphasises wrinkles less than side lighting.

Using these various devices the subject is released from her commercial moorings and appears both ordinary and vulnerable.

The image is technically precise recalling pre contemporary imagery and advertising, as well as invoking histories of art, photography and cinema.

The subversive nature of the image explores the use of photography as a medium in modern commercial advertising through questioning the stage sets of the art world and the publicity structures on which they rely.

The image’s provocative narrative draws the viewer’s attention to question photography’s integrity in a commercial orientated society: what it is, what it does and what it means at a time when it is so ubiquitous, covert and taken for granted.

Through the image’s narrative the viewer is led to review their own stance with regard to why there was a need to use a picture of a semi-clothed woman as an aid to learning how to take a picture – and whether this concept remains in situ in today’s modern world.

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember what I referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

http://www.collection.whitney.org/object/27531

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1376

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/11581560/Christopher-Williams-Whitechapel-Gallery-review-infuriating.html

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/apr/28/dead-appealing-photographer-christopher-williams-whitechapel-gallery

http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/christopher-williams/

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide –Conceptual Photography [Barbara Kruger] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be talking a look at Conceptual Photography and looking at an image by Barbara Kruger.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Conceptual Photography may be defined as;

• a means to stage a false reality, or capture an idea.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/conceptual-photography

• being the idea (or concept) behind a work is more important than the finished art object.

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/conceptual-art

• concerning theconcept of a photo, its message whether it be political, social commentary or an emotional outcry,
• as possessingsome level of abstraction,
• as not being an explicit example of a concept, but a general expression of an idea.

http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/photography/articles/39542.aspx

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Your body is a battleground)
1989

The image addresses media and politics in their native tongue: tabloid, sensational, authoritative, and direct.

The words and image merge the commercial and art worlds; their critical resonance eviscerates cultural hierarchies — everyone and everything is for sale.

This image is simultaneously art and protest. Though its origin is tied to a specific moment, the power of the work lies in the timelessness of its declaration.

The composition with its red, black and white palette demands ones immediate attention which is enhanced with its shallow depth of field and closely cropped framing.

The woman’s face, disembodied, split along a vertical axis in positive and negative exposures, and obscured by text, marks a stark divide.

The image is explosive possessing both political and social implications.

This tension is emphasised by the woman’s strong silent staring facial expression and the direct manner in which she stares straight ahead out from the print, addressing the viewer frankly and provocatively through both her gaze and the words emblazoned across her face.

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember what I referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kruger-barbara-artworks.htm#pnt_2

https://www.thebroad.org/art/barbara-kruger/untitled-your-body-battleground

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Landscape Photography [Lois Connor] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be talking another look at Landscape Photography and looking at an image by Lois Connor.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Landscape Photography may be defined as;

• portraying spaces within the world, that can be both panoramic as well as being microscopic.
• attempting to capture the presence of nature but can also focus on man-made urban-space or disturbances of landscapes.
• possessing both a reflective and deductive process,
• recalling observations or experiences
• making a connection with the viewer through a purposeful detailed pictorial narrative that preserves a single moment in time,
• making choices as to what to include or exclude, bringing ones own personal perspective to a particular scene and best represents ones creative vision.
• sharing the emotional connections that come with the created image.
• reminding one of the connections between individuals and the land whether it be the natural or the urban landscape devoid of human interference or as the result of human intervention.

Many landscape photographs show little or no human activity and are created in the pursuit of a pure, unsullied depiction of nature, devoid of human influence—instead featuring subjects such as strongly defined landforms, weather, and ambient light.[1][2]

[1] Ellement, Brad (U.K.) “Featured Artist: Brad Ellement”, Landscape Photography Magazine, 2014 Edition (“The Big Free Edition”), p.56

[2] Mary Warner Marien (2006). Photography: A Cultural History. Laurence King Publishing. Page 136.

As with most forms of art, the definition of a landscape photograph is broad and may include rural or urban settings, industrial areas or nature photography.[3][4]

[3] Waite, Charlie with interviewer Keith Wilson, “In Conversation… Charlie Waite”, Landscape Photography Magazine, 2014 Edition(“The Big Free Edition”), p.120

[4] Purdue Univ., “Nature and Landscape Photography”, from ”Visualizing Nature: Promoting Public Understanding and Appreciation of Nature, [Department of] Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, retrieved October 4, 2015.

http://carterlandscapephotography.com.au/what-is-landscape-photography/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_photography

Lois Connor, I.M. Pei’s Bank of China, Beijing: Contemporary and Imperial,
1998

The black and white image which Lois Connor provocatively confronts the viewer with is a design composed of a miscellany of various sharp edged geometrical shapes, horizontal and vertical piercing lines which crowd and obliterate a polluted skyline and spread across the entire frame.

It is both an awe-inspiring and unsettling image.

The panoramic view with its wide angled perspective and shallow depth of field creates a skeletal cubist fragmentation of the numerous spatial planes within the image – an abstraction of reality stripped to its very minimalist features and structures.

Yet these very structures create a sense of flow and rhythmic movement.

The main area of focus, and that which dominates the whole image, is centred upon the skeletal structure which spans almost entirely two thirds of the composition from bottom left and left of frame.

The stark central girder of the building acts a the primary leading line which leads the viewer directly into the heart of the image and out into the blurred distant urban landscape beyond.

The diffused tonal qualities present a surreal view of an urban landscape in the process of construction being transformed and emerging from some primordial mist that envelopes the whole scene.

The precarious height from which the image was taken is unnerving in itself but is imbued with the natural lighting which comes from behind and above the photographer.

The contrasting dark shadows adds another level of complexity to the composition. The literal stark contrast of black and white within the image echoes the figuratively stark contrasts depicted.

The image captures the stark reality of place through the presence of an almost menacing atmospheric quality.

The work possesses a sense of powerful energy and activity that is menacingly apocalyptic.

The traumatic process of transition is beautifully portrayed in the image and counterpointed by the manner in which the photographer creates within, an unpromising scenario, a subtle sense of calmness and composure that transcends a difficult situation.

The composition seduces the viewer into perusing each meticulously-rendered detail along the subconsciously defined pathways within.

As the viewer’s eye is led along these leading lines, across the image, one is drawn ever more into the portrayal of a very human story where the human forms almost unseen slowly reveal themselves from behind the canted angles and smooth empty planes.

An emerging metropolis is viewed as a tumultuous space undergoing destruction and rebirth.

The image portrays an emerging urban landscape as a permanent construction site subjugating all that surrounds it with concrete and metal girders.

All sense of tranquility and the sense of the sublime removed. A scene stripped naked to its very bones where as the very title of the image implies money and consumerism are king.

Where life itself is being blighted by economic progress and government decree.

The symbolic significance of the image, where individual aspirations and beliefs are viewed as a threat to a society, is made crystal clear.

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography. Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember what I referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

http://onwardphoto.org/lois-conners-beijing/

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Street Photography [Robert Doisneau] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be talking another look at Street Photography and looking at an image by Robert Doisneau.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Street Photography may be defined as;

• featuring subjects in candid situations featuring unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public spaces. [1]
• not necessitating either the presence of any urban environ or any human presence within it. It can be of an object or environment where the image projects a decidedly human character in facsimile or aesthetic.[2][page needed][3]
• reflecting society as it manifests itself and non-manipulated where the subjects are unaware of the photographer’s presence. The photographer, in a sense, can be viewed as an extension of the flâneur – a casual street observer.
• being ironic, amusing and be distanced from the subject matter. It frequently focuses upon a single human action captured at a decisive or poignant moment. The vocabulary of street photography is subtlety with no inherent premeditated message.
• providing a very literal and extreme rendition of the subject and provide a more unfamiliar visceral experience beyond the personal experience of the viewer.
• being able to document a particular scenario and defined by its very candidness.

being aloof and impartial in the nature of any particular activity delivering a true depiction of that which is being observed.

1.Warner Marien, Mary (2012). 100 ideas that changed photography. London: Laurence King Publishing. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-85669-793-4.

2.Colin Westerbeck. Bystander: A History of Street Photography. 1st ed. Little, Brown and Company, 1994.

3.”Archived copy”. Archived from the original on 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2015-04-21.

http://www.urbanpicnic-streetphotography.com/what-is-street-photography/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_photography

Robert Doisneau, Le violoncelle sous la pluie, Paris.
1957

https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-street-photographers/

Compositionally the black and white image with its subtle diffused tonal qualities presents a street view imbued with the muted low key natural back lighting on a typically miserable, misty, mysterious, rain filled morning.

The image captures the very essence and spirit of place through the light and atmospheric qualities. The work is possessed with the sense of the powerful understated energy that is both ethereal and mysterious.

The image presents a shallow depth of field with the clarity of focus centred upon the silhouetted cello, umbrella and the man holding it affectionately and protectively over the cello shielding it, rather than himself, from the rain.

The suggestion is that the importance of the instrument takes precedence over man. His head turned directly towards the right frame indicates his attention is focused elsewhere to something beyond the frame of the image.

The perspective and texture of the cobbled street with its many leading lines from the bottom of the frame lead directly to the location of the cello.

The actions of the man draws the viewer directly into the image.

This instigates an engagement and dialogue with both the photographer and the experience of that which has been observed and photographed.

The staging of the image is both theatrical and comic in nature and filled with understated wit and humour. Placing the cello in the position one might expect to see a woman suggests a love of music.

A visual statement is being made with regard to a society’s perception of the arts in general. The image questions the role of the arts as not being viewed simply as an intellectual feat, but evoking a similar kind of emotional sensual depth.

The dark shadowing of the pavement edge acts as a stage on which a certain performance is being presented. The artefacts in the background act as props to accentuate the importance of that which is presented front of stage.

The central positioning  of the cello framed between the gap in the balcony handrail, the two men, the umbrella and the cropped lamplight accentuate the images narrative.

That which is reflected here is the photographer’s compositional concept and through his arrangements of the juxtaposed elements has created an intriguing vision of society reflecting cubist, surrealist, abstractionist and minimalist elements.

The image demonstrate a subject’s passion for music in an original way, choosing to show how the cello as an integral part of his life, rather than a mere instrument played for performance.

This concept is echoed by man seen painting in the background and highlights the notion of a devotion to art, as even the rain cannot deter him from continuing his work.

The dynamism of the image is created by the way in which the photographer has imbued it with the sense of humanity.

The use of a monochromatic palette has captured a small cast of characters within the context of certain time involving two specific activities – music and art.

Doisneau has juxtaposed conformist, unorthodox, innovative elements with a tongue-in-cheek attitude through his promotion of anti-establishment values.

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography. Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember what I referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Doisneau

http://www.daphotoclub.org/uploads/3/4/7/8/34789262/newslettercamcl-06june15.pdf

https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-street-photographers/

https://www.robert-doisneau.com/fr/robert-doisneau/

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Landscape Photography [Marc Adamus] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be talking about Landscape Photography and looking at an image by Marc Adamus.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Landscape Photography may be defined as;

• portraying spaces within the world, that can be both panoramic as well as being microscopic.
• attempting to capture the presence of nature but can also focus on man-made urban-space or disturbances of landscapes.
• possessing both a reflective and deductive process,
• recalling observations or experiences
• making a connection with the viewer through a purposeful detailed pictorial narrative that preserves a single moment in time,
• making choices as to what to include or exclude, bringing ones own personal perspective to a particular scene and best represents ones creative vision.
• sharing the emotional connections that come with the created image.
• reminding one of the connections between individuals and the land whether it be the natural or the urban landscape devoid of human interference or as the result of human intervention.

Many landscape photographs show little or no human activity and are created in the pursuit of a pure, unsullied depiction of nature, devoid of human influence—instead featuring subjects such as strongly defined landforms, weather, and ambient light.[1][2]

[1] Ellement, Brad (U.K.) “Featured Artist: Brad Ellement”, Landscape Photography Magazine, 2014 Edition (“The Big Free Edition”), p.56

[2] Mary Warner Marien (2006). Photography: A Cultural History. Laurence King Publishing. Page 136.

As with most forms of art, the definition of a landscape photograph is broad and may include rural or urban settings, industrial areas or nature photography.[3][4]

[3] Waite, Charlie with interviewer Keith Wilson, “In Conversation… Charlie Waite”, Landscape Photography Magazine, 2014 Edition(“The Big Free Edition”), p.120

[4] Purdue Univ., “Nature and Landscape Photography”, from ”Visualizing Nature: Promoting Public Understanding and Appreciation of Nature, [Department of] Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, retrieved October 4, 2015.

http://carterlandscapephotography.com.au/what-is-landscape-photography/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_photography

Marc Adamus, Forever Dreaming /Edge of the Sea, Olympic Nations Park, Washington
2007

Compositionally the image presents an ocean view imbued with the diffused low key natural lighting of the setting sun. A very long exposure at twilight picks up the surreal colours and the beauty of the seascape.

The image captures the very essence and spirit of place through the light and atmospheric qualities that imbues the work and is possessed with the sense of the powerful epic majesty that is both ethereal and sublime.

The perspective with its many leading lines from the bottom of the frame that lead to the central distant vanishing point, draws the viewer directly into the image.

This instigates an engagement and dialogue with both the photographer and the experience of that which has been observed and photographed.

The work’s backdrop constitutes the sky with its back lighting and the mountains and divided by the horizon which rest at the horizontal intersection of the top third of the image.

The remaining horizontal two thirds is made up of the converging rocky runnels and the ocean with its misted reflections of the sky.

The image with its blending of depth of field and exposure, clarity, classical structure and sense of symmetry is filled with visual drama and artistry that captures the atmospheric mood of the open natural landscape – a remaking of reality.

The image demands attention and the viewer is drawn ever more deeply into the composition by some unseen subliminal force. The work is filled with visual passion that appears to reflect the photographer’s own interests.

“It’s not about where you are, but how you see”.

Marc Adamus

All these varied attributes are accentuated through the work reflecting a sense of magical energy.

The work explores the varying possibilities of structure, power, beauty, mood, light, colour, tonal range, texture that lie within the landscape “en plain air”.

The viewer is drawn into the image and becomes emotionally engaged with it through what the photographer refers to as:

“This is nature through my eyes”.

Marc Adamus

The wide-angled image is endowed with a sense of the dramatic, a panorama filled with what the photographer terms his attachment and interaction with a particular landscape.

The image displays a specific thought provoking narrative which concern the conflict between virgin landscape and man’s intervention and influence upon it.

The work’s backdrop constitutes the sky with its back lighting and the mountains and divided by the horizon which rest at the horizontal intersection of the top third of the image.

The remaining horizontal two thirds is made up of the converging rocky runnels and the ocean with its misted reflections of the sky.

The image with its blending of depth of field and exposure, clarity, classical structure and sense of symmetry is filled with visual drama and artistry that captures the atmospheric mood of the open natural landscape – a remaking of reality.

The image demands attention and the viewer is drawn ever more deeply into the composition by some unseen subliminal force. The work is filled with visual passion that appears to reflect the photographer’s own interests.

All these varied attributes are accentuated through the work reflecting a sense of magical energy.

The work explores the varying possibilities of structure, power, beauty, mood, light, colour, tonal range, texture that lie within the landscape “en plain air”.

The wide-angled image is endowed with a sense of the dramatic, a panorama filled with what the photographer terms his attachment and interaction with a particular landscape.

The image displays a specific thought provoking narrative which concern the conflict between virgin landscape and man’s intervention and influence upon it.

The image demands attention and the viewer is drawn ever more deeply into the composition by some unseen subliminal force.

The image evokes an emotional response, communicates a sense of artistic creativity and through the narrative engages the viewer’s senses.

It presents the genre of landscape photography as relevant, exciting and means to instigate both social and political debate with regard to the loss of natural landscape globally.

“… a great photograph is not merely documenting the scene at hand, rather it is about fusing the essential vision of the artist with the landscape.”

Marc Adamus

The meticulous attention to detail and refinement within the work through the editing process – optimizing and adjusting contrasts, colours, tonalities and luminosity present the viewer with a visual experience and emotional connection that appears to be one of actually being present within the image.

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography. Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember what I referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

http://www.marcadamus.com

https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/featured-stories/next-generation-landscapes/

Photography – A Beginner’s Guide – Street Photography [Henri Cartier-Bresson] – An article by Goff James

Welcome followers and visitors to my blog and another update in my photography Beginner’s Guide to Photography.

This week I will be talking about Street Photography and looking at an image by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

As I have stated in previous articles one can learn so much about photography by looking at; and, talking about other photographers’ work.

Street Photography may be defined as;

• featuring subjects in candid situations featuring unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public spaces. [1]
• not necessitating either the presence of any urban environ or any human presence within it. It can be of an object or environment where the image projects a decidedly human character in facsimile or aesthetic.[2][page needed][3]
• reflecting society as it manifests itself and non-manipulated where the subjects are unaware of the photographer’s presence. The photographer, in a sense, can be viewed as an extension of the flâneur – a casual street observer.
• being ironic, amusing and be distanced from the subject matter. It frequently focuses upon a single human action captured at a decisive or poignant moment. The vocabulary of street photography is subtlety with no inherent premeditated message.
• providing a very literal and extreme rendition of the subject and provide a more unfamiliar visceral experience beyond the personal experience of the viewer.
• being able to document a particular scenario and defined by its very candidness.

being aloof and impartial in the nature of any particular activity delivering a true depiction of that which is being observed.

1.Warner Marien, Mary (2012). 100 ideas that changed photography. London: Laurence King Publishing. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-85669-793-4.

2.Colin Westerbeck. Bystander: A History of Street Photography. 1st ed. Little, Brown and Company, 1994.

3.”Archived copy”. Archived from the original on 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2015-04-21.

http://www.urbanpicnic-streetphotography.com/what-is-street-photography/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_photography

Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Var department. Hyères.
1932

The Var department. Hyères.

Created: 1932 Printed Later/ Date Unstated

Medium: gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions: 196 x 291 mm

https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-street-photographers/

From a compositional perspective a black railing runs across the image horizontally, beginning at the left side of the frame and gradually twisting around and spirals downwards along a steep stone staircase in towards the centre of the scene.

A black and white composition comprising of different monochromatic hues, geometric shapes and patterns which infuses the image with form and life.

The image is taken from a high vantage point, looking down towards the street, and the stairway in the middle moves from the foreground through to the background of the image as it leads down to the road below.

This road curves in a wide arc across the top portion of the photograph and a black-clad figure can be seen riding a bicycle along it in the upper left corner of the scene.

The image combines architectural elements that suggest movement through their spirals and curves, and the manner in which they lead down to the moving figure of the cyclist.

The photo possesses an excellent depth of fieldIt was probably taken using a tripod with the camera on large aperture and fast exposure settings.

The image combines architectural elements that suggest movement through their spirals and curves, and the manner in which they lead down to the moving figure of the cyclist. It was probably taken using a tripod with the camera on large aperture and fast exposure settings.

The photograph reflects the concept of the ‘fixed-explosive’. That which Clément Chéroux described as:

“… the state of something simultaneously in motion and at rest …”

This notion of movement that ignite lines into motion and energises compositions is clearly present within the image.

The manner in which the image has been framed, composed and its cyclical rhythm create a sense of motion and dynamism.

The composition possesses at one and the same time a sense of the varying tensions between motion and being at rest.

The appeal of the image lies in the way the  skill of HC-B has captured and frozen a very precise decisive moment in time and action and created a ‘photographic narrative that anticipates a social happening just before the moment happens.

The appeal of the image lies in the way the  skill of HC-B has captured and frozen a very precise decisive moment in time and action and created a ‘photographic narrative that anticipates a social happening just before the moment happens.

The image possesses a narrative that requires as  Cartier-Bresson 1952 stated:

“… a joint collaboration between viewer’s brain, eye and emotion. In so doing the viewer is enabled to perceive the image and its content and interpret the content through the process of unfolding, and to communicate impressions.”

The composition depicts the isolated moment at which the speeding cyclist is framed by the surrounding solid architecture enhancing the dynamism and enhanced even further by the stationary yet curving progression of the stairway.

The image is taken from the high viewpoint of the descending stone steps and implicates the photographer within the narrative  as well as drawing the viewer into the image through the curving leading lines of the stairway and kerbstones.

Cartier-Bresson is also broadly known for the artistic term “The Decisive Moment,” which states that if you are able to see the moment, then you most likely won’t capture it.

Photographers have to learn to anticipate social happenings in order to fully capture “The Decisive Moment.” In other words, the term practically invites photographers to develop the ability to press the shutter button just before the moment happens.

I trust that you find some of these ideas useful within the context of your own photography. Don’t be afraid to experiment and allow different ideas to develop as you go along.

Remember what I referred to in previous articles about taking photos and creating photograms; the same applies to considering your own photos, other photographers’ work as well as applying different artist’s ideas too.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!

Remember there are no right or wrong answers or ways of doing it.

Your photographs are your world.

You can do what you like. 

Don’t worry about the theory and trying to remember everything about how to take or consider how to look at or stage a photograph.

Don’t worry about what you might think is right or wrong in talking about or taking photographs.

 Make mistakes. Laugh. Have fun. Just enjoy the process.

Happy Photography. 

Thank you for your visit.

goffjamesart.wordpress.com

Art Photography Poetry

Reference List

https://www.phototraces.com/creative-photography/famous-street-photographers/

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/cartier-bresson-hyeres-france-p13112

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/44586

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/286639

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3656798/The-Leica-Leonardo.html

https://curiator.com/art/henri-cartier-bresson/france-the-var-department-hyeres-1932

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/cartier-bresson-hyeres-france-p13112