An Influential Photographer : Henri Cartier-Bresson

Cartier-Bresson was born in 1996, and was a French photographer, who is commonly considered today to be the father figure to modern photojournalism. He was also a key part in developing the "Street Photography", that has influenced generations of photographers all over the word.
As he came from a wealthy family (his father was a successful textiles maker), Henri was able to develop his intrest in photography further. When he was a young boy, Henri experimented with a "Box Brownie", but then later started to use a 3x4" view camera.
In the 1920's, schools of photographic realism appeared all throughout Europe. Subsequently, Henri started to socialize with Surrealists at a cafe in Paris, and was able to mature artistically in this environment.
From 1928 to 1929, Henri studied English, Art & Literature at the University of Cambridge. In 1930, Henri finished his mandatory service in the French Army.

One of the key moments in Henri's photographic career was his part in the formation of Magnum Photos. Magnum served as a cooperative picture agency, and was owned by its memebers. Magnum's mission was to "Feel the pulse", and aimed to use photography as a service to humanity, and create engaging, widely viewed images.
He gained international recognition for his coverage of Ghandi's funeral in 1948, and the last stage of the Chinese civil war in 1949.

One of the things that I enjoy most about Cartier-Bresson's images is that, in some photos, there is a selective use of the formal elements to create a feeling for the audience. What regular people might see as a mistake in taking the photo, Cartier-Bresson saw as an opportunity to create something completely unique.

This photo of Alberto Giacometti is a prime example of what I mentioned before; of what could be seen by many as a mistake, creating a brand new meaning for the photo. One meaning could be the apprectiation of art at the time that this photo was taken. The man appears to be preoccupied by walking, and is represented by the motion blur. Did he not have time to look at the art surrounding him? Was he too busy? Did it look similar to him?
He seems to be surrounded by quite unique statues, but simply might not have had the time to look. From this photo, it may have been that, at the time, people simply did not appreciate art in the way that we do now, represented by the mannerism of Mr. Giacometti.

It is because of this unique method of photographical narration, that Cartier-Bresson is one of my favourite photographers.

Prezi : The Darkroom Process

Photo Project : Comprimise

For this photo project, we had to show how comprimise has to be used in photography. Well, more to the point, we had to show what happens if one factor of capturing a photo (Such as shutter-speed) was changed, and how you would have to compensate, in order to accomodate this change.
An example of this would be shutter speed.
If the settings were changed to a fast shutter speed, a wide aperture would have to be used, in order to avoid the photo being under-exposed. If the settings were changed to a slow shutter speed, a smaller aperture would have to be used, in order to avoid over-exposure.

For the first photo that we took, the shutter speed was far too low. The aperture was set at the right setting, but because the shutter speed was so low, there was severe motion blur that can be seen when looking at her hair, and the entire body.
Technical Details
F10.0
1/30

For the second photo that we took, we tried to correct for this blur using a quicker shutter speed, but thought that because the aperture was at the right setting before, we would not have to correct that at all. Oh, how wrong we were..
Technical Details
F10.0
1/60

For the third photo, we had finally learned from our mistakes. To correct for the under exposure of the second photo, we lowered the F-stop, in order to open out the aperture wider. This corrected for the under-exposure present, and still allowed us to obtain a blur-less and well-exposed image.
Technical Details
F5.6
1/60

Prezi On Lenses

Prezi On Photographic Film.

Photo Project : Conflict.

When I started to think about the theme of conflict, I wanted to approach the subject with a more metaphorical outlook, rather than just the physical.
With this, I went out and tried to find this within nature. the metaphor that I was trying to explore was that of Nature versus Manufacture.
One of the main things that I started to look for when I was trying to find this photo was colour; bright, and dull. I looked towards one of the scaffolding sites that had sprung up throughout the school over the holidays, and saw a length of safety tape running through a bush. I thought it looked interesting, so I started to experiment with deep and shallow focus, and how this could change the look of the photo. I also proceeded to experiment with angle.
When I was taking the photo, I also wanted to capture the detail of the water sitting on top of the leaves.
One of the main reasons that I took this picture, was because the distinction between the bright and the less bright was so vivid; the yellow standing out against the green of the bushes. One of the main sub-themes that I wanted to represent in this photo is the divide between man made and nature, and how what is created by man is becoming more and more intrusive, in terms of it's effect on nature.
Another theme that is represented through this photo is that of restraint; how, over time, man has become more and more invasive, and however much we may try (be it through countless "Plant a tree" ad campaigns or otherwise), we will never be able to repair the amount of damage that we have caused to the planet. You could say that i wanted to approach this photo with a lot more awareness, in terms of what this photo could represent, rather than what it does represent.

When i took this photo, I wanted to place particular emphasis on the texture that is present in the photo. Connecting to this, I also wanted to represent the stark differences between the two elements. Namely, the smooth plastic of the safety tape, which is then compared to the slightly rougher, more organic texture of the leaf.
This represents almost the two different factions that are, metaphorically, at war within this photo: the natural, and the man made. This relates back to the idea of restraint, and of stifling growth.

Cartier-Bresson Analysis.

The content of this photo is obvious to the eye. It is composed of 7 figures, sitting on what seems to be a field. The figure in the utmost foreground (an old man) is sitting completely upright, and seems to be staring down towards the ground, or his hands, depending on which way you look at it. The 6 figures behind him are all in a lying down position, or close to it, but none are fully upright in the manner that he is. A large shadow is cast by an off-camera object, and covers the top ¾ of the photo, leaving only a small part of the photo in sunlight, or what seems to be sunlight. In my opinion, the first thing that strikes me about the use of form in this photo is the use of shadow. As the shadow intensifies from background to foreground, the figures seem to be more and more upright, to the point where the one man is completely upright. This links in to the idea of a time-line, which I will talk about later on. Another thing that strikes me about this photo is the use of tone, and contrast. The jet black of the man's suit, as well as trousers, stands out from the rest of the content, and, once noticed, blends in well with the dark blacks of the figures behind him.

There are several formal elements being used in this photo, such as:
Texture
Tone
Space
and
Depth Of Field.

The texture of the surface gives the photo a much more organic and natural feel, and adds to the atmosphere of the photo; as if it was taken on a whim.. It is hard to determine whether Cartier-Bresson wanted all of these formalities to come out in his photograph, or whether it was all purely incidental. The answer to that, however, may never be known to us. The use of tone (e.g the jet black of the man's suit, dotted with mud-stains, and the black clothing of the figures around him, from centre to background) leads the eye of the viewer, and draws their attention to specific parts within the photograph. This use of tone also enables us to notice absolutely everything about the photograph, leaving nothing unseen. The space between the figures present in the photograph also leads the viewer's eye, causing them to look from the back ground to the foreground, coming to the final figure in front, and solidifying any ideas that the viewer may have about the themes of the photo. The tonal values of the photo are very differentiating, coming from the light greys present in the background, where the empty ground is fully immersed in sunlight, to the much harsher blacks of the foreground, and of the centre.

From the use of shadow present, we can deduce some form of emotional context for the man, and for the photo. For example, one way in which the form and content work together to create meaning, is creating a sense of isolation. The main figure in the foreground has a lot more space in between himself and the person behind him, in relation to the person behind him and the people in the background. This space creates a sense of isolation, and this feeling of isolation is deepened by the body language of the main figure (E.g. looking straight down into the ground, sat up straight, shoulders hunched). Another way in which meaning is conveyed is the use of tone and line combined. In the background, where the aforementioned shadow begins, there is a clear divide between the 2nd and 3rd figures, caused by the lines of the shadow. This divide could represent a metaphorical change in emotional state, or in self-awareness. For example, from the background to the foreground, the figures all have different states of “awake” (e.g. flat to the ground in the background, and fully upright in the foreground). These different states of “Awake” could represent the passing of the man’s life; the timeline from start to finish, and finally realising what everything that's been accomplished in life is all about. This idea could be re-enforced by the contemplative emotion and body language present on the foreground figure. Another way that this photo could be interpreted is insinuating a sense of awareness of surroundings. For example, just past the boundary of the shadow, one man is propped up onto one arm, as if he had noticed something in the background. The two figures past him, are both lying down, until finally, we reach the foreground figure, who looks deeply involved in feelings of remore and regret. These feelings of regret could originate from having realised that he has missed out on parts of life; parts of life that he will never be able to live again. This proposed idea ties in with the idea of several stages of metaphysical awakening.
Another way in which space is used is the scattering of figures, be it natural or set-up, from left to right. These figures could, metaphorically, represent thoughts. In a vague sense, the field could be a part of the main figure's mind, and the people behind him, are the thoughts inside his head, taking up space. The scattering of the people could represent confusion,and the deep look of consideration on the man's face could be related to him trying to figure why exactly the thoughts are so scattered, or why they are there to begin with.

Photo Project : Long Exposures

This was the product of around 7 tries at one shot. The thing that I liked about this photo in particular, was that the different levels of the "waterfall" are all represented, and the dull white of the water is broken by the individual cane of bamboo, adding a burst of colour to the otherwise dull tones of grey and white of the water.
The photo was shot with a 70-210 lens, attached to a Canon 550D. with a polarizing filter added to attain the slowest shutter speed possible, without overexposing the photo.

To create this effect, I first had to lower the ISO speed o the lowest possible value. This is so I could obtain the lowest shutter speed possible. I changed the mode to "Shutter Priority", and adjusted the aperture to the widest possible. Once I had adjusted everything, I was given a shutter speed of around 5 seconds. I mounted the camera onto a tripod, and took the photo, while the camera was completely stable.

Our Group Project: What we intended.

When thinking about our group project, we tried to imagine what our combined work would actually look like. After thinking about this, we decided on our final exhibitional method, a Prezi presentation. However, before all the presentation, we needed to consider how our combined work was going to come together. So, we decided on a sub-theme of light and dark. Between us, we had two shots that we could consider light, and two shots that we could consider dark. By using this sub-theme, we wanted to indicate that our photos are intertwinned with eachother, and that they aren't just random shots, taken in the middle of no-where, without any planning or due care taken. It is for this reason, that I believe that our group work is so effective.

What are Subject, Content and Form?

Subject : The theme of a piece of work or project which leads us to a primary meaning.
Content : The concrete, identifiable, undeniable aspects that carry the meaning of a piece or project.
Form : The means through which subject and content are unified and presented. Form Includes:
Line
Shape
Space
Value
Texture
Colour
Tone
Quality Of Light
-and-
framing.

Photographic Montage Project: Light

Photo Montage Project.

Original Idea

My original idea was based around the theme of light. When I was trying to think up a concept, I began to think a little more abstractly rather than just stick with the norm. With this, I decided to opt for a more physical way of presenting light, and so, went with my third idea, which was suspending cardboard light-bulbs from my ceiling, and coating them in tin-foil to provide a rudimentary texture. The idea worked to my advantage, because the shape of the light-bulb wasn’t too defined, so when it came to audience research, and finding out what people thought of my piece, it was open to interpretation. The idea started out as mounting the light-bulbs on a wall with picture hangers, but then evolved into suspending them from the ceiling, to give the piece a little more substance, and to add to the abstract nature.

In my own opinion, the subject of the photo was open to interpretation. I wanted to achieve this effect to give people a little more freedom in terms of what the photo actually meant to them, instead of sticking to a rigid definition of what I wanted it to mean. The subject of the photo that I wanted people to realise was light, and it’s physical representation. However, people made many different interpretations of what it was, which I believed was a good thing. When shooting, the subject came out just the way I wanted. After shooting around 30 shots, I realised that the final shot that I presented was by far the best.
The content of the photo was also subject to a lot of different interpretations. I knew, in my own mind, that the content was light-bulbs suspended from the ceiling using nylon string. However, to someone that had never seen the photo before, or had any idea of what it was supposed to represent, might have seen something completely different.
When I was coming up with my final idea, I wanted to have a defined outlook on shape. This meant that I wanted to put a little more attention into the sharpness of my lines, and making sure that everything could be seen easily.
In terms of form, the lines remained defined throughout the shoot. However, the nylon string was lost in the shooting process, which I thought was a welcome effect in the photo. Without the strings, it gives the photo a feel of weightlessness, which I thought worked to my advantage. Colour was also something that I wanted to take into consideration when shooting. This way, I could take the “dull” nature of the photo (Silver against Black), and inject it with some colour, provided by the lens flare effect.
My original audience was adults aged 31-40, who were interested in art, and contemporary photography. I chose this audience because I believed that the contemporary feel of my work would appeal to people in that field of work, or interest. My audience was niche, in the way that not many people are interested in fine art photography.

Production

When I was firmly stuck into the production, I started to work with the different elements of camera controls (Shutter Speed, ISO, etc).This gave me a lot more control over what I was actually shooting. So, instead of having a bland, simple photo, I was able to develop the elements of it a lot more, though the use of advanced functions. Another element of the photo that had evolved during the photographic process was how the light-bulbs were actually suspended. I had originally been using ordinary string, however, after one of these fell down, I sought a new method of keeping the light-bulbs suspended. And so, I started to experiment with (much darker) nylon string. By using this, I was able to achieve the fact that the bulbs were floating mid-air. Through changing the string that I used, I was able to give the photo an entirely different feel.
By changing tiny things about the photo, I was able to create new things that wouldn’t have been seen before. For example, without changing the camera settings, I wouldn’t have been able to create the lens flare effect, which consequently gave the photo a much needed burst of colour. The form of the photo was also changed by these small details, in the way that much more emphasis was placed on colour and texture, rather than the shadows created by the bulbs.
After careful consideration, I decided to change my target audience. Through audience research, I discovered that art students were far more receptive in terms of decoding the meaning of my photo, and be able to appreciate the use of colour etc at the same time.

Exhibition

As a group, we have opted to deliver our combined work via a Prezi presentation. We decided to show our work in this way, so that the audience can gain a little more information in terms of our thought processes, etc. We originally thought that we would show it in a print fashion, by printing out each of our photos and mounting them onto A3 paper. However, after further deliberation, we decided that a digital medium would be the best way to present our collaboration. We felt that a Prezi would be the best means of presentation, because of the unique way that information can spin and leap across the page. This would be a much more innovative way of showing our presentation when compared against the traditional print media, or PowerPoint presentation.
To assess our audience’s response to the presentation, we’ll ask some questions at the end of the presentation. These questions will enable us to gauge just how the audience felt after the presentation accurately.

This is my individual contribution to the group project, on the theme of light

Photo Montage Project: Light.

This is the Prezi that my group created to display our work on the theme of light.

Photography Light/ Reflection Project on Prezi

Class Notes - Photographers.

Edward Western.
- Pictorialism - Straight Photography - Natural Form - Aesthetics
*His work is about making it aesthetically pleasing. He also compares natural forms to the shape of the body.

Faye Godwin
-Godwin's photographs had no formal training, but through her love of walking, she started her passion for landscape photography, all captured in black and white.
-She is also a champion for having the countryside available to everyone, and not overly privatized.
-Her images are classified as fine art because of the personal thought that she puts into every photo that she takes.
-Always adheres to the rule of thirds, and always photographs in B&W.

Alexander Rodchenko
-Worked as a designer and painter for the Russian Constructivist Movement.
-Tries to be abstract by using odd angles, edgy textures, and obscure points of view.
-Often uses black and white.
-Strong focus on diagonals.

Class Notes - The History Of Photography.

Mid 19th Century- Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes coins the "Mirror with a memory" phrase.
De La Roche's "Prediction"- In his work "Giphantie", he 'predicted' that it was possible to capture images from nature straight to a canvas, and when dried in the dark, would remain permenant.

Photography is defined from the the Greek words "Photos" (Light) and "Graphein" (Draw). The word photography was first used by the scientist, Sir John F.W Hersthel.

In 1826, Nicephore Niepce developed the first permanent photograph.
In 1835, the first paper negative that we know of was taken of a window in Lacock Abbey.
In 1839, Louis Daguerre took the overall exposure time of a photograph down to around 30 minutes.
In 1851, Frederick Scott Archer developed the first "Collodion" - or "Wet Plate Process". This meant that photos could be a lot sharper.
In 1854, Adolphe Disderi invented the carte-de-vite, which became like a photographic calling card.
In 1861-1865, The civil war became the first war to be documented thoroughly through the use of photography.
In 1878, Maybridge proved the myth that a horse lifts all 4 feet off the ground at any one point.
In 1889, the "Box Brownie" signalled the start of commercial photography, and the halftone process was created...

Class Notes- What The Course Is.

Photography- Edexcel GCE Art & Design (With A Major In Photography!)

Photography combines practical, aesthetic and intellectual thinking.
You will learna critical vocabulary for analysing a variety of works of art.
*We promote creativity and independant thinking*
You will create a portfolio of work which will help you to successfully apply for college and university foundation art courses.
*We encourage you to take risks and experiment. We want you to discover how to think creatively and solve your own problems.*
You will learn a range of industry skills and techniques which are standard in the industry. You will also learn both traditional and modern forms of photography.

So, What Makes A Photograph A Photograph?

A photograph is typically defined as a "Frozen Moment Of Time". But, it isn't necessarily the scientific element of the photo that makes it what it is, but the content. Whats actually inside the frame could be seen as what the photograph is, as it can create a different meaning for everyone.
It could be a photo of family, a friend, that one moment where the moon looked "REALLY PRETTY", or Aunt (insert aunt's name here) dancing on top of the table at your cousin's wedding.
But, the photograph wouldn't even be able to have a meaning at all if it wasn't for the scientific side.
Light is primarily composed of 7 different colours from the electro-magnetic spectrum. The range of these colous that we call "Visible Light" ranges from 400 to 700 nanometres. Anything beyond that range means that we can't see it. Light from objects in the frame of view *rebound * into the lens of the camera, and are then processed by the camera's processor, or exposed onto film, if you're using a 35mm camera, or another of the film kind.
Or, you could be artistic about it, and take into account the content of the photo, compisition, colour, etc...

That, in my opinion, is what makes a photograph.