Personal project: Abstraction
Introduction
Abstract means relating to or denoting art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but rather seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colours, and textures. My idea of abstract is something that catches your eye and looks out of the ordinary.
We were given an abstract photograph and we had to sketch it in pencil. I guess the point of this was to try and understand where abstraction comes from and how we can replicate it. It also lets us look at it in more detail.
Focus: This photograph is in focus although the shadows somewhat disrupt the image. Light: The light is very split up in this image through the table. It is mostly incased in shadows however there are some geometrical areas that are light. Line: There are several different lines in this photograph separating the light from the dark. Repetition: There is a lot of repetition here with the lines on the left of the picture. Shape: There are a lot of geometrical shapes created by shadows and light. Space: The space in this image is mainly created by the way the light is placed on the table and the background. You can also see the space between the light gaps on the right. Texture: There isn't a lot of texture in this image but I guess you can see the different materials in the background. Value/Tone: The tone in this image is in the contrast between light and dark. |
Here are some abstract pictures I took from around the school. I chose to make these in black and white to make it a little harder to see whats in this photo.
Evaluation
There is a variety of reasons why I like this picture and how it's abstract. I took this picture by tilting the camera at an awkward angle so that you cant really tell what you are looking at when you first see it. I took this picture under one of the walkways where there is a small fence and pillars. At first it just comes across as a bunch of different lines but when you begin to look at it in more detail you can see that there is some depth in the picture. You can also see the change in light, it's lighter at the end of the picture and the the front of the picture is darker.
These are some pictures that I think are abstract in my house. I think these are abstract because when you first look at them you're not really sure what they are and they're at angles you don't usually look from. This is also a good transition from the black and white pictures I took before to making them in colour now. I think in a way colour can make a photograph more abstract because with a wide range of colours you can get more detail.
Evaluation
I chose to evaluate this photograph because it is quite abstract in a sense that there is a lot of repetition in the door. There are also multiple lines in the door that are in a sequence of light and dark. One thing that is really interesting that I only noticed after I looked really closely at it is that the cabinet door almost seems to curve or bend in the top right hand corner.
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The Formal elements
Photographers are usually aware of the ways in which they can create interest in their images beyond the simple fact of the subject. This is what separates good pictures and bad pictures of the same thing. The following list describes some of the abstract elements in any photograph. Below the list is an example of how you can analyse a photograph looking for these things specifically and how this helps to give the image meaning:
Focus:
Light: Line: Repetition: Shape: Space: Texture: Value/Tone: |
Which areas appear clearest or sharpest in the photograph? Which do not?
Which areas of the photograph are brightest? Are there any shadows? Does the photograph allow you to guess the time of day? Is the light natural or artificial? Harsh or soft? Reflected or direct? Are there objects in the photograph that act as lines? Are they straight, curvy, thin, thick? Do the lines create direction in the photograph? Do they outline? Do the lines show movement or energy? Are there any objects, shapes or lines which repeat and create a pattern? Do you see geometric (straight edged) or organic (curvy) shapes? Which are they? Is there depth to the photograph or does it seem shallow? What creates this appearance? Are there important negative (empty) spaces in addition to positive (solid) spaces? Is there depth created by spatial illusions i.e. perspective? If you could touch the surface of the photograph how would it feel? How do the objects in the picture look like they would feel? Is there a range of tones from dark to light? Where is the darkest value? Where is the lightest? |
More abstract photos from around the school
The two formal elements I was aiming for in these pictures were Focus and Space.
Picture 1 (above):
The formal elements that i can see in this picture are space and focus. Mainly because of the space between the leaves and the camera and how they are very close. The focus element comes in when you see the rest of the picture and how it is out of focus. |
Picture 2 (below) :
This picture is similar to the first picture because they have the same elements focus and space. However this picture has repetition as well (as shown by all the cigarettes). |
Abstract Photograms experiment
Photograms are pictures you can create without using a camera. You place a couple of random objects on a light sensitive photographic paper. You then expose the paper to light for a few seconds. After that you put the paper in a series of different chemicals called developer, fixer and stop bath in a darkroom.
Here are some abstract photograms I have found.
Photograms that I made
Here are some photograms that I made at school. I tried to use the most random things I could find like: keys and key chain, broken ruler, tape, a piece of film, a broken piece of wood and a random type of lego piece. I thought the ruler would be interesting to use because it is transparent and has some scratches.
Evaluation
This one is my favourite because I slightly moved it while exposing it to light so it has a little bit of blurriness to it but also shows really clearly. Another thing I really like about this photogram is that if you look closely at the film then you can make out a face of someone.
Next time I could try and use a wider range of objects and experiment with moving the photogram while exposing it to light. |
These three photograms are the ones I did wrong. I think the main thing I did wrong was that the light I was exposing them to was not bright enough or I was exposing the light to the wrong side of the paper (as you can see from the picture on the left where I wrote my name on the front).
I really like these two photograms I've made because you can see faces in the film.
These ones seem pretty normal, however all the objects seem really clear and spaced out randomly. I like the one at the end because I experimented with overlapping the objects.
Experimenting with the photograms
I took a photogram that I liked and cut it up and re-arranged it and taped it together.
Here is the process to how I experimented with this photo gram. I laid them out in the order I created them in. So first I created a cut up photogram that I thought was pretty abstract, then I re-arranged them and stuck them back together using sellotape. Secondly I laid my cut up photo gram on top of light sensitive paper and did the same process as how I originally made the photo gram. Next I repeated the sequence but before I exposed it to light I splashed some developer on the photogram. This will make it even more abstract by giving off splash marks from the developer. I then took that finished piece and flipped it on to the light sensitive paper which will invert the colours. I think I could have splashed on less developer because then there would be more negative space. Finally I put the final piece in to Photoshop and made the dark bits darker and the light bits lighter and added a second colour which was blue.
The duotone photoshop process
Final Outcome
Inspiration from other Photographers
We have to take pictures that are inspired by famous abstract photographers with different styles.
Ralph Eugene MeatyardThis style of abstraction interests me because of the use of light, focus and depth. I have always been a fan of black and white so that effect in these photographs creates a quite lifeless and tranquil atmosphere.
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Harry CallahanHarry Callahan's photography style relates to light, repetition and value/tone.
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Keld Helmer PetersenI really like the silhouettes in these pictures and how it's hard to tell what you are really looking at until you look at it deeper.
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Photograph Evaluation
As a test we had to choose a photograph from a certain photographer and evaluate it. This will test our understanding of abstract photography and how to put it in to words.
The photograph I have chosen is by Harry Callahan
The photograph I have chosen is by Harry Callahan
I have chosen this photograph by Harry Callahan and in this photograph I can see six silhouettes of trees without leaves. The trees are in what appears to be snow which leads me to believe that this was taken in winter. The background to this photograph is completely white but I am not sure if it's a white wall or a vast open space with nothing but white. Some words I would use to describe this photograph are "isolated", "barren", "minimal" yet complex. If I had to describe this to someone who can not see it I would say, "imagine you are stuck in a blizzard, snow and white as far as the eye can see. You then come a cross six trees, these trees have no leaves on them and in contrast to all the white they seem black and lifeless. This image is both naturalistic and abstract because these tree in themselves are abstract. When you see all the twigs and branches mixed together in a tangled web of abstraction, all the trees look connected to each other. From this image I can recognise the trees and snow, however the fact that these trees loo so lifeless and that there are no other trees around seems almost new to me because of how unnatural it looks.
The equipment used for this photograph is probably a large format film camera to get that fine detail in the negative or he could have made the dark areas darker and the light areas lighter during the process. This photograph doesn't really remind me of anything what it does suggest most strongly is winter and snow. There's a variety of lines, patterns and shapes in this image. For example the branches and sticks mixed together create various abstract patterns and the spaces in between them show different kinds of shapes. The whole top of this photograph is full of lines. There aren't any colours but the white in the background is a darker tone of the white on the ground. In a way this picture is different from real life because this picture looks almost alien compared to real life. I think what interests me the most about this photograph are the six trees. The trees are the first thing that catches your eye when you look at it. It's very clear that there is a lot of space in this image. I can see that there is space in between the trees but less space in between the branches. It also feels like there is a lot of space behind the trees. In this photograph I find that the branches are the most interesting, simply because of how complex and abstract they are. Some questions I would ask the photographer would be 'what inspired you to take this photograph?', 'what is the meaning of this image?', 'where was this taken?' and 'how does this make you feel?'.
A title that I would give this photograph would be 'Isolation'. I think this is a fitting title because the first thing that comes to my head when I see this image is isolation. Another title I could give it would be 'Lost and Forgotten'. There isn't anything going on in this picture, so in a way it's dead. I think this photograph is about loss and isolation. I think this is because the trees look lost in a blizzard and isolated. This also links to how I would feel if I was in this photograph, lost and isolated. The photographer probably made this photograph because it looked good, but in reality, the photographer probably saw some emotion and meaning in this photograph.
I think that the branches are really effective because they show how abstract the image is. I think that other people would just look at this image and see some trees and white without realising the depth and meaning of this photograph.
The equipment used for this photograph is probably a large format film camera to get that fine detail in the negative or he could have made the dark areas darker and the light areas lighter during the process. This photograph doesn't really remind me of anything what it does suggest most strongly is winter and snow. There's a variety of lines, patterns and shapes in this image. For example the branches and sticks mixed together create various abstract patterns and the spaces in between them show different kinds of shapes. The whole top of this photograph is full of lines. There aren't any colours but the white in the background is a darker tone of the white on the ground. In a way this picture is different from real life because this picture looks almost alien compared to real life. I think what interests me the most about this photograph are the six trees. The trees are the first thing that catches your eye when you look at it. It's very clear that there is a lot of space in this image. I can see that there is space in between the trees but less space in between the branches. It also feels like there is a lot of space behind the trees. In this photograph I find that the branches are the most interesting, simply because of how complex and abstract they are. Some questions I would ask the photographer would be 'what inspired you to take this photograph?', 'what is the meaning of this image?', 'where was this taken?' and 'how does this make you feel?'.
A title that I would give this photograph would be 'Isolation'. I think this is a fitting title because the first thing that comes to my head when I see this image is isolation. Another title I could give it would be 'Lost and Forgotten'. There isn't anything going on in this picture, so in a way it's dead. I think this photograph is about loss and isolation. I think this is because the trees look lost in a blizzard and isolated. This also links to how I would feel if I was in this photograph, lost and isolated. The photographer probably made this photograph because it looked good, but in reality, the photographer probably saw some emotion and meaning in this photograph.
I think that the branches are really effective because they show how abstract the image is. I think that other people would just look at this image and see some trees and white without realising the depth and meaning of this photograph.
In Focus: Saul Leiter
5 Characteristics that define Leiter's photographs
- Abstract
- Focus
- Showing a different view of the world vs how we look at the world
- Bold colours and dull colours
- Reflection
This is possibly my favourite photograph because I really like how Leiter positioned this photograph so that the pavement and street create diagonal and parallel lines along with the footprints in the snow. I also really like how amongst the black and white there is a person with a bright red umbrella that distracts you from every thing else in the image. There are lots of different shades of dark in the footprints, some are clear and some are fading away.
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Big Ideas
These are the BIG IDEAS or Threshold Concepts we're exploring in this project. Don't worry if they don't make immediate sense to you. Have a think about them and try to make some connections between these ideas and what you are doing when you look at other people's photographs and make your own.
Cameras ‘see’ the world differently to the way we see the world with our eyes. The photograph (whether this is a printed image or pixels on a screen) can sometimes ‘disappear’ because photography is able to create an almost perfect illusion of reality. We tend to see only the subject of the photograph rather than the photograph itself. However, all photographs are, to some extent, abstractions. The flatness of photographs creates relationships between objects that may not have existed in reality. All photographic images are shaped by the technology the photographer chooses and by a process of selection, editing and manipulation. Each and every photographic image is therefore made or constructed, rather than being a window onto the world.
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Photography is unlike other visual arts in that it begins with a world full of things rather than with a blank slate. Photography is more an art of selection and translation rather than of invention. However, photography is also an art of production, not just reflection. It does things to the subjects it represents.
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20 Photos inspired by Saul Leiter
I took 20 photos inspired by Leiter in my house. My main aim was to take pictures that show views that the average person would usually not see. I also tried to make sure that the camera was blocked by something and only show a small portion of the actual image, like Leiter. Towards the end I noticed some condensation on my window and thought it looked interesting, so i decided to experiment with it. First I would breath on to the window to create the condensation then i would press my hand against the glass to make a handprint, I then rubbed out the condensation and took a picture of it.
Evaluation
I really like this picture because it links with Saul Leiter in the sense that the view is obstructed by the condensed handprint on the window. I made a handprint there because I thought that the handprint on its own would look interesting but i then noticed that the lights outside are on so I tried to make a little motion blur with the light behind the handprint.
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Compare and Contrast
- Both images have a strip of colour or something more clear in the bottom of the image. In my opinion I think that the painting is more abstract than the photograph because the painting has a bigger variety of colours and also has more lines.
- The first thing that my eyes look at when I see the painting is the strip of colour along the bottom of the painting and then moving along up the left side of the painting to see a small patch of colour.
- The majority of the photograph is consumed by a red object which is in different tones
Painting like Saul Leiter
Pictures inspired by Saul Leiter around the school
Evaluation
This is my favourite photograph because the reflection of the security camera is curved which changes your view in what you see in the reflection. The plastic around the security camera allows it to reflect from every angle. Even the black area on the side of the security camera reflects the wall and curves it.
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I wanted to increase the contrast in this image bec
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Views Through Glass
Further research
Akihiko Miyoshi
Akihiko was born in Japan in 1974 and received his MFA in photography in 2005. Akihiko “explores the intersection between art and technology most frequently dealing with issues surrounding photographic representation”.
Akihiko was born in Japan in 1974 and received his MFA in photography in 2005. Akihiko “explores the intersection between art and technology most frequently dealing with issues surrounding photographic representation”.
This might possibly be my favourite photograph because of the way he uses light, colour and composition. He also creates a very mysterious atmosphere with the orange and blue mist. It's also interesting how the blue and orange mist is layered with the blue mist on the bottom around his body and the orange mist at the top around his head. I like how he covers his face in his photographs with the camera because it adds to the mystery of his identity.
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Obstructed Views
Photography trip
I chose a picture that I took on the trip that I thought could use some improvement. I only made some slight changes to the original photograph but they are still fairly noticeable. I changed the contrast so that the dark areas were darker, I also rotated the image so that it was vertical with the frame.
I also edited this picture because I felt like this image could be improved. So I added a coloured layer over the original image and changed the contrast in photoshop to make it look more unreal.
Final Outcome
Evaluation of Final Outcome
I would say that overall my final outcome was good. There is a few things that I probably could have changed and developed but I am still happy with how it came out. I really like the photograph at the top because of the position between the two buildings and the strange textures on the building to the right. You can see the contrast between the dark parts and the light parts of the black textures on the wall. Theres also the contrast between the plain wall o the left and the eye catching wall on the right. I would say I first thought about taking this picture when I first saw the wall on the right and I could see the reflection of an odd object through one of the windows. I then started to make my way up the wall and I found the black patterns shining with light and I thought it would look interesting.
The photograph in the middle was taken while we were in the train going to the Saul Leiter gallery. We passed by a big building that was almost completely made of glass and I could see all the buildings on the opposite side through the reflection in the glass. I then thought that it would look better if I edited it in photoshop because the colours were dull in the original image so I took it to photoshop and increased the contrast and added a light blue tint to make it look more vibrant. I did all this simply because I didn't really like the original image and I thought it looked dull and not very "eye catching".
The photograph on the bottom was composed like that because I wanted to try and create a photograph like Saul Leiter with a reflection in the building and something disrupting the camera which in this case were branches. I then felt like the picture was tilted and out of place so I rotated the photo so that it was horizontal and cropped the edges and corners that were out of frame and increased the contrast .
The photograph in the middle was taken while we were in the train going to the Saul Leiter gallery. We passed by a big building that was almost completely made of glass and I could see all the buildings on the opposite side through the reflection in the glass. I then thought that it would look better if I edited it in photoshop because the colours were dull in the original image so I took it to photoshop and increased the contrast and added a light blue tint to make it look more vibrant. I did all this simply because I didn't really like the original image and I thought it looked dull and not very "eye catching".
The photograph on the bottom was composed like that because I wanted to try and create a photograph like Saul Leiter with a reflection in the building and something disrupting the camera which in this case were branches. I then felt like the picture was tilted and out of place so I rotated the photo so that it was horizontal and cropped the edges and corners that were out of frame and increased the contrast .
Conclusion
At the beginning of this topic I said "My idea of abstract is something that catches your eye and looks out of the ordinary" but now I would say that I still agree with my idea of what abstraction is but now I have more knowledge and a better understanding of what abstraction is.