Man Ray- abstract

Man Ray born Emmanuel Radnitzky in 1890 was an american photographer, painter and film maker. He was the only american to play a major role in the Dada and surrealist movements. The son of an artist and photographer, he grew up in New York City, where he studied architecture, engineering and art. Man Ray was a regular visitor to Alfred Stieglitz's 291 gallery where he earned an early appreciation for photography. In 1915 he met the French artist Marcel Duchamp who he learnt a lot from and together they collaborated on many inventions and formed the New York City group of Dada artist.
In 1921 Man Ray moved to Paris and became associated with the Parisian Dada and Surrealist circles of artists and writers. Inspired by the liberation promoted by these groups, he experimented with many media. His experiments with photography included rediscovering how to make “cameraless” pictures, or photograms, which he called rayographs. He made them by placing objects directly on light-sensitive paper, which he exposed to light and developed. A book was published in 1922 of Man Ray's rayographs called Les Champs delicieux which means " The delightful Fields". The book was published with an introduction by the influential Dada artist Tristan Tzara, who admired Man Ray's work for the enigmatic quality of his images. In 1929 he started to experiment with a technique called solarization, which renders part of a photographic image negative and part positive by exposing a print or negative to a flash of light during development. He was one of the first artists to use the process, known since the 1840s, for aesthetic purposes.  He made a virtually complete photographic record of the celebrities of Parisian cultural life during the 1920s and ’30s. He also made films and in 1923 he used the rayograph technique for a motion picture film called Le Retour a la raison " Return to reason".  Man Ray became internationally famous as a fashion and portrait photographer. In 1961 he was awarded the Gold Medal at the photography Biennale, Venice, and he received the German Photographic Society Cultural award in 1966. He died on Nov. 18, 1976. I have been doing some research into Man Ray's photography to see what techniques he uses to create abstract images.

Depth of field - Kevin Horn

Kevin Horn

Kevin Horn is a photographer based in Marbella, Spain. He has been a professional photographer for over 20 years , working on location and studio photography. Speacialising in creative commercial images his work has been used extensively in brochures, editorials, advertising and websites. He has a reputation for creating the freshest images for his clients and using the best photographic equipment to achieve the quality required for high end print production. Kevin’s wide range of skills includes architecture, food, lifestyle, interiors and still life and with his professionalism, creativity, dedication and passion that he brings to his images, he is in high demand. . His extensive knowledge of photography from black and white to large format transparency to the latest digital mediums ensures that he never sacrifices quality for ease or lack of technical knowledge. I have been doing research on Kevin Horn and looking at how he demonstrates the use of short depth of field. The images below are examples of short depth of field and i think these images are colourful and vibrant. Although Kevin Horn is a successful photographer is images don't inspirer me and are not to my taste.

 

 

 

Depth of field- Sally Mann

 

I have been doing some reasearch into Sally Mann and her work and i have to say i have become an admirer of her work and not just because i love black and white photography. The more research i do into Sally Mann, the more she inspires and interests me.
Sally Mann is an American photographer born in 1951. She is best known for her black and white photographs. She used a very old 8 x 10 view camera for most of her works. In her early career  she began working as a photographer for Washington and Lee University after she graduated, and her photographs, taken in the 1970's, of the construction of the University’s library which where included in her first solo exhibition and her first book, Second Sight. At Twelve, published in 1988, is portraites of children on the edge of adulthood, she capturs the emotions that children of that age feels and i think mixed feelings and moods come out in her images and they give you an insight into what it was like growing into adulhood at them times. I think Sally illustrates short depth of field in alot of these images. In 1992 she published a very controversial collection of her children, Immediate Family, Which where photographs taken, at a remote cabin next to a river, of her young children playing and swiming in the lake nude. I don't think she thought her photographs were anything more than maternal photographs of her childrens childhoods and i think she is trying to show everyday life with her children, the good and the bad but when these images where published people thought they were far too itimate some even  saying it was child pornography but there were a great majority of people looked at the images the same way she did. Again i think she also uses short depth of field in these images to keep your concertration on the subjects expressions. I think she really captures the moods and emotions in her images and the images i have been looking at i think are shown through a mothers and childs eyes.

At Twelve

 

 

 

Immediate Family



 

 

I can see how some people would be mislead by Sally's images but i can also see what she wanted people to see. I think her images are full of mixed emotions good and that we feel in everyday life.

Assighnment 3 - Field of view

Field of view is that part of the world that is visible through the camera at a particular position or angle. A camera's field of view is determined by the focal length of the lens and the size of the image sensor capture area. It is also known in terms of "wide angle", "normal" and "telephoto" lenses. I am going to try and shown some examples of field of view using one lense which will be a macro canon zoom lens 18-135mm fitted onto a canon dslr EOS 550D. 

      TV 1/5  F5.6  ISO 400     

                   TV 1/5 F3.5 ISO 400

         TV 1/8  F5.6 ISO 400

                       TV 1/4 F4 ISO 400

 

 

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Camera Types

There are a range of camara types with diffrent purposes.


Pinhole - A pinhole camera is a simply made light-proof box with a small hole (aperture) on one side of the camera that lets a small amount of focused light through. It has no lens and only one aperture size. Light from a scene passes through the hole and projects an upside down image on the opposite side of the box onto the film. Pinhole photography is a low expense camera as it can be made at home with household materials. I think the pinhole camera is very interesting to learn about, You don't have as much control over your image with pinhole cameras and they are made the simplest way but they can still make sharp beautiful images.

Point and shoot camera -  A point and shoot camera is also known as a compact camera. It is designed for simple projects. These sort of cameras are for people who want an easy and simple camera to record holidays or photos for your family albums. It is small and light weight, and could fit into your pocket, although the images aren't neccessarily bad images there picture quality is not to the best standards and the settings on the camera are limited i have been having alook at some point and shoot photography and i have to say i think it is really good, his name is Darwin Wiggett http://darwinwiggett.wordpress.com.

Bridge Camera - A bridge camera is inbetween a compact camera and SLR. Bridge cameras have alot more functions and settings than a point and shoot such as being able to channge the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance and other settings maually on most of these cameras although the sensors on them are usually the same as point and shoot cameras. I think these camera are good for people who are again taking pictures on holiday or just to record you families life but i also think you could take creative photos with these cameras you are just limited and you can't change the lenses on a Bridge camera but i do thing this camera is ideal for a large range of people.

SLR - . A SLR camera is a popular choice for serious photography. It is a sophisticated camara that offer interchangeable lenses and allow photographers to have complete control of shutter speed, lens aperture, focusing, and exposure. They have a wide range of diffrent settings and fuctions and they give you the option to add on flashes, motor drives and other accessories and i think they are brilliant to get creatice with although you can be creative with other types of cameras these cameras give you alot more control of your images and are mostly used by professionals/

Depth of field - Madame Yevonde

While i have been researching into photographers you use depth of field, i have come accross Madame Yevonde, she was born Yevonde Cumbers Middleton in 1893 into a wealthy family was an English  Fine art, Fashion and Portrait photographer in the early 20th century.
She apprenticed herself to Lallie Charles, the leading society portrait photographer of the day, from whom she learned the rudiments of her chosen profession, and how to run a studio and before she had completed her apprenticeship, with the finacial help of her father, she set up her own photographic studio in 1914 at the age at 21. By 1921 Madame Yevonde had established her self as a well-known portrait photographer taking photographs of leading personalities such as A.A.Milne and Diana Mitford. In the early 1930s, Yevonde began experimenting with colour photography, using the new Vivex colour processand became one of the first photographers to exibit in colour.
Madame Yevonde was a great supporter of women rights throughout her life and i think that is what inspired the ideas for society women as mythical goddesses.It was in the 1930's when she started to take photos of society women as mythical goddesses. Her subjects where dressed in appropriate costumes such as roman and greek gods and goddesses which i think she uses short depth of field so that the subject is in focus and the background is blurry so your concerntration is on the women and there beauty.
                                                              The Goddesses

                                      Arethusa

 

Penthesilea - Queen of the amazon

 

Still Images

 

Madame Yevondas uses short depth of field with her still live images aswell.

 

                                      Lilies 

                                    Crisis

 

 

I think all the images i have put up all show short depth of field. Madame Yevonde liked to experiment alot with her work and is one of the great photographers of the 20th century. I like her playfullness towards her photographs and her use of colour. Her images for her times are modern.  

 

 

 

Assignmeny 4 - White balance 1

White balance is a color adjustment that ensures that white things appear white and it is able to tell your camara what colour light you are working in. There are diffrent kinds of light and they affect the way colours are shown on an image. Unlike the human eye, digital camaras can't automatically adjust to compensate for variations in the colour of light, potentially causing unnaturally coloured images but by changing the white balance settings to the appropriate setting you will get a natural coloured image. A cameras white balance has to take into account the "color temperature" of a light source, which refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light. Colour temperature is measured in kelvin.
I have taken some images using diffrent white balance settings to see how white balance can change the mood of an image and make it feel diffrent. I used a Canon EOS 550D on TV setting  with a stutter speed 1/8.

    Daylight(Approx, 5200K):  This image looks natural because i have taken the shot using the daylight setting in daylight. It looks like it is a sunny morning in the image. 

Shade(Approx, 7000K):  The colours in this image look warmer and inviting and i think this image gives the bench a bright and happy feeling. 

 Cloudy(Approx, 6000K):  The colours in this image are still warm but i think they have a misty look to them.

   Tungsten (Approx, 3200K): This image reminds me of them cold winter mornings, There is a blue tint which makes the image look colder

Fluorecent (Approx, 4000K): This image looks very bright and white.



Depth of field - Jan Groover

I am doing some research into Jan Groover and to see how she used depth of field in her still live work. Jan groover is an american photographer born in 1943 who is best known for her still life photographsof household utensils. She graduated Pratt institue with a bachelor fine arts in painting and went on to complete a masters degree at university. Jan went to work as a teacher at the University of Hartfordand it was at this time that she took an interest in photography instest of painting.
Jan started creating photographs in the 1970's, she took photo's that emphasized speed, distance and colours. In 1978 she started to take pictures of everyday household appliances out of your home she took photos of knifes, forks, whisks, spoons, houseplants and colourful food. Jan could change the lighting in this style of photography and she could make her subject shine almost, she could choose where any shadows went and what light give the image the mood she wanted. She would create an image by changing the combination of subjects to change the colours, shapes and textures until she was satisfied.

 

 

 

 

I think Jan Groovers images are very creative, i like the shapes she makes and the colours she brings together by the way she combines the subjects, she also uses reflections from stainless steel to brings patterns into the image. She makes everyday household objects look beautiful. I think she uses shallow depth of field in the images that i have shown so that you are concertrating on the subject and to make the shapes and colours bolder.

 

 

 

Depth of field Diane Arbus

I am doing some research into photographers who demonstrate depth of field so i can give my opinions on there work. The first photographer i am looking into is Diane Arbus, she was an american photographer born in 1924 in New York city to a wealthy jewish family. She had shown artistic talent from a young age creating drawings and paintings in high school. Diane married her childhood sweetheart when she was 18. Her husband, Allan Arbus was a photographer and they built up a successfull photography business together, working in advertising and fashion photography, they work for magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar . In 1956 Diane wanted to create work on her own and quit her business, around the this time she went to study with Lisette Model.  Lisette encouraged Diane to find her own style and helped her identify the sort of subjects she wanted to photography and what she wanted to get out of her photographs.
Diane started to walk around the street of New York City visiting seedy hotel rooms, walking through public parks and even visiting a morgue looking for unusual people. Some would say she took portraiture photographs of freaks or people who were diffrent but whether she was taking photographs of "Freaks" or people of a normal appearence her photographs always had an abnormal, surreal feel to them. Diane would capture square portraits of transvestites, dwarfs, giants or people who's apperance's aren't what the world would call normal she would also take photographys of mentally disturbed people.  By the mid-1960's she had become a well-astablished photographer. She also taught photography for a while in the 60's.
Diane was well known for her ability to capture diffrent sides and emotions of people with disabilities from unusual backgrounds, she wanted wanted people to see them how they really were. Her photographs where mostly taken in black and white and
 Many of her portraits were taken in natural or existing light with much of the focus on her subjects’ facial expressions and unique mannerisms.


                                 Identical twins

                               Boy with a flag

 A Young Man in Curlers at Home on West 20th Street

A young Brooklyn family going for a sunday outing

              Girl with a cigar

 

 

 

 When i first started researching into Diane Arbus i thought her photographs where very morbid and depressing. But her portraites tell a story about the subject/s. I think the photos work well in black and white. I don't think i'd be able to have one of these photos hanging up in my home  but i do like the idea of the photographs she took. She got to know her subjects and studied them. There are diffrent thoughts on her work, some people would say it is cruel to take photographs of less fortunate people but other people thought she made people who were "freaks" normal, she respected her subjects for who they were. The photographs that i have put on here, i think, show short depth of field these are all portraiture photographs and Diane would have used a lardge aperture so that her subject was in focus and the background was blurry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                 

Assighnment 2: Shutter speed (abstract images)

Shutter speed controls the amount of time the shutter is open, which lets light through to the sensor/film and you can control exposure using it. Shutter speed is measued in fractions of a second. I am going to be using slow shutter speeds to create abstract images.  I think abstract photography is about contrast of colours, textures and shapes. You can use your imagination in a diffrent way with abstract images because alot of the time there is no subject to focus on. These are my first attempts at creating abstract images using shutter speeds. I used a Cannon EOS 550D with the TV setting on my camara and i have used diffrent camara movements to create diffrent affects and i have used diffrent light settings when taking the images..

 Sunset: 1/8 - i moved the camara from left to right whilst taking this picture.

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 Stranger: 1/15 - i think this image is dark and mystrous and i think the mix of colour works well.

 Rush: 1/15 - you can tell what direstion i moved the camara in by looking at this image



 Whirled wind: 1/13 - i took the image looking up facing the trees and i have spun around whilst taking the shot. I like the way the light looks like a whirled wind. 

 

                          Soft: 1/8 : I think that the colours and textures in this image are pastel like

           Jazz man: 0"3 - This is an oil painting my dad has painted and i have taken the image whilst moving the camara in a circula movment.

                         Guitar: 0"3