Assignment 2. Photographing the unseen. Katabatic Winds.

I have experienced Polar Katabatic Winds on a number of occasions, they are hard to explain to those who have not felt the ferocity of the wind.

They start visually with high cloud forming distinctive shapes over mountain tops. The peaks make the air spin forming spinning clouds high into the sky. The wind has to be over 100 mph to form these clouds. The wind howls like a banshee, then hits you! the temperature plummets, your skin dries of all its essential oils. The wind cuts through your clothing, you would not last long in such a wind.

I decided to try to portray the power of this wind in a series of photos. I watched how the wind shapes the clouds and waited until it had carved a delicate shape in the sky and took photos of it. Working first in Colour I found that the photos didn’t have the tone in the cloud that I was seeing. So I changed to Monochrome which emphasized the tonal range reflecting the drama of the event.

Next I thought about how the Katabatic wind works – it falls off the Polar Ice Caps to the sea. This explains their frigidity. The wind  races down to the sea whipping up snow and ice this can be capture and would show the invisible wind. It appears and is gone in a short period of time, just moments.

I wanted to capture the savage beauty within the area affected by the wind. However whilst beautiful it is deadly. Look closely at the pictures below and ask yourself, would you like to be in such weather?

As I looked at this scene with the bright white clouds and the dark sky I thought of Ansel Adams. His photos of the Great Dome (1) capture a geological presence. More than this they make me feel what it would be like to stand in this landscape. I reflected on how he would have set up his camera to capture what was before him. My setup was Canon 5ds with a 70mm – 200mm set at 70mm opened at F6 with an ISO of 100 and a shutter speed of 1/600th of a second. One thing that surprised technically, was the change in battery performance. When the cold (-18c) air hit the camera, the battery dropped 30% of its battery charge within seconds. I found my fingers stiffened and dexterity lost. Making pressing the shutter difficult. I was glad for the spare battery I kept close to my bodies warmth in my inner layers of clothing.

In photography the word “sublime” is used a lot. These few moments were sublime, it’s power made me feel insignificant. I tried the exposures both in colour and monochrome. I felt monochrome worked better with the tones without the distraction of colour. It is inspired by the work of early practitioners Adams, Hurley and Stieglitz.

Steiglitz took a series of photos of clouds affected by wind high in the sky. My shots offer a third element, the Mountains to show the affects of the unseen

Work Cited.

(1) Adams, A. (1937). Monolith the face of half dome Yosemite Valley California 1927. [Photograph on Silver Gellatin.] New York: Ansel Adams Gallery

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Martin Parrs Last Resort.

Recently I received a copy of Martin Parrs book “The Last resort”. I have spent some time looking at each page. I enjoyed the work immensely. So I was amazed to read after an internet search to find lots of criticism of the work. In this piece I want to explore my feelings about this work.

First here, are a few of the things others thought of the work when it was first exhibited it in 1985 at the Serpentine Gallery.

Critic (1)David Lee said of it “They appear fat, simple, styleless, tediously conformist and unable to assert any individual identity. They wear cheap flashy clothes and in true conservative fashion are resigned to their meagre lot. Only babies and children survive ridicule and it is their inclusion in many pictures which gives Parr’s acerbic vision of hopelessness its poetic touch.”

(3) Martin Parr Last Resort.

(2)Robert Morris of the British Journal of Photography said at the time “This is a clammy, claustrophobic nightmare world where people lie knee-deep in chip papers, swim in polluted black ponds, and stare at a bleak horizon of urban dereliction.”

This really surprised me. The photos have always struck me as being striking and starkly beautiful. Why then would they attract such reviews. Let’s consider the times. Margaret Thatcher was steering Britain after a turbulent time which had begun the decline. The country but particularly the North had been hit hard by scathing cutbacks. The unions had power taken from them so the working people found they were also in decline. The Toxteth riots had been in Liverpool just three years before Martin started to record his shots.

(4) Martin Parr The Last Resort.

Martin Parr came to Liverpool when his wife got a job in Liverpool just a couple of miles from New Brighton. He sound explored the rubbish strewn streets and the chip shops of this place. Drawn by the life in the lives of all he found there.

Now let’s consider the media, they were London centric who still hadn’t forgiven the North for the troubles within the country. These “Northerners” caused the riots and the miners strike and hadn’t been forgiven for doing so. Plus the art world were struggling to come to terms with introduction of colour into photography. All the previous behemoth’s had used monochrome to produce fine art photography.

So no wonder the critics didn’t like the work it should come as no surprise to us really.i like it because having lived through those times it shows the lives as they were, hard, gritty but always with good Northern humour.

The pictures are perfectly exposed with stunning vibrant colours. They show a selection of the local society relaxing. Parr caught the Bulldog spirit British people have shown in adversity. The kids eating ice cream by the Kerbside is a particular favourite of mine. I remember enjoying ice cream like that. The photo cleverly uses the red of the car to bring strong colour into the frame.

The only shots don’t work for me are the beauty pageant shots of just one contestant.they could have worked as a separate project.

(5) The Last Resort.

In my opinion this work didn’t deserve the criticism it received. The Last Resort shows a truthful vision of the struggle of life for many in the early to mid 1980s. It certainly doesn’t look down on any one, after all Martin Parr was living this life living in the locale. His observation is superb, noticing crazy situations in a mundane world. Martin Parr thought Tatty means Lively he certainly captured both. The litter is something else that stands out in the work. My favourites are the ones in the chip shop, especially the one below which has very strong lines drawn by the way the eyes look from counter to ice cream to the girl……perfect.

(6)Martin Parr The Last Resort.

After careful consisderation I am surprised how much Nostalgia I feel for the times these shots were taken. They were hard times, but happy times. Martin Parr captured them with affection, honesty humour. Fantastic!

References

(1)Parr, M. and Badger, G. (2017). The last resort. Stockport, England: Dewi Lewis Publishing, p.6.

(2)Parr, M. and Badger, G. (2017). The last resort. Stockport, England: Dewi Lewis Publishing, p.8.

(3)Parr, M. (1986). The Last Resort. [Colour Photograph] London: Dewi Lewis Publishing.

(4)Parr, M. (1986). The Last Resort. [Colour Photograph] London: Dewi Lewis Publishing.

(5)Parr, M. (1986). The Last Resort. [Colour Photograph] London: Dewi Lewis Publishing.

(6)Parr, M. (1986). The Last Resort. [Colour Photograph] London: Dewi Lewis Publishing.

Reflections on Context and Narrative after completion.

After Express Your Vision I entered this second part of my degree with hope and optimism. It knocked me back when I found I didn’t know where to start with Context and Narrative.

I was impressed with my adaptability in approaching this course. I spent three months just looking at and studying photographs and how to look at the work of others. This self learning helped me find my way into and through my confusion.

I chose to do this study without my tutor as when I read the course material I felt I was way off the mark. So needed to use some time to get myself up to speed before tackling the coursework.

Through study I found a path and a way of thinking which allowed me to begin what has proved to be a difficult learning journey. However I think I have developed as a person from this process. I now approach all areas of my life differently. Others have commented on my change.

Open mindedness has been the biggest development in me. I now look at work I would have previously dismissed because I didn’t initially like it. Now I am open to any work and look for items I can take to develop my practice. This has led to me being self critical about my work. This has involved me doing extra work but this brings improved results so has been invaluable.

Also open mindedness allows other views to be influence me. Both academically and in my private life. This has been a refreshing development.

I entered into the BA Photography degree thinking I would change the world. It has been a revelation to me to see almost everything has been covered before. Realizing this has helped me relax and let others influence what I plan and produce.

The course has opened me up to others work. Take Martin Parr I didn’t like his work which I have seen over the years. However looking and thinking about his work has changed my views. I now think of his work as a real favourite. I even see his influence in my work I hope I can develop this further.

The greatest change in me is listening to my inner voice. Before I had an idea and stuck with the idea to the end. Through this course I have found myself starting with one idea and it developing or even changing to something else. I would never have changed my work before. It is a great change which I like. It has been a real journey with trials and tribulations. These have made me more confident I would never have produced the work offered in Assignment 5 before starting this course.

This course has made me see differently. I now take shots I would never have attempted before. (See below).

I look forward to developing further in Identity and place.

Reflections on assignment 5. The Ambassadors.

I agree with my Tutors opening comment about choosing the Ambassadors being ambitious. This is exactly what this course has given me through my Tutors guidance and my own work and research my confidence has grown tremendously.

I reworked my blog as discussed I liked the comment about my best photos being in front of me. So I removed the work not in the course to keep clarity of coursework.

Reworking the words I had written about my photo was easy as I had cited it already I just hadn’t put into words enough to explain my thoughts and the differences between photography and oil paint.

I made the changes having considered them and agreeing they improved my work. I find it hard to get the ideas I have in my head onto paper within a finite number of words. But that’s is the skill needed to be an academic.

The things that went well were the thought process around the beginning of the shot. I had one idea but I liked how the research I did led to other thoughts. I was open to the change of direction and think it led to a more interesting end product. I enjoyed looking at the painting and finding things in my life that had texture and added to my set.

The plug I had to remove using photoshop could have been omitted by placing the tripod in a slightly different position. I had looked through the viewfinder but had missed it being visible. It would have been a distraction in the finished print.

Light was the biggest issue I had to contend with. I wanted to hit my deadline but the natural light was poor. I even tried reflecting light into the room. This didn’t work at all you need there to be light there to be able to reflect it. So I had to use flash which I knew would not be ideal but if I wanted the other elements such as the shape in the corner, the colour and the texture would have been lost if hadn’t used it. I did use a light box to try to diffuse the light but it was still severe. Hence I look like a startled Rabbit. Still makes me chuckle.

If I were to do this shot again I would set it up even more carefully checking every area of the viewfinder was perfect. Then I would wait for the light to be as I needed it to be. Overall though I like the shot it is well thought out but fun.

Assignment 5 Make it up..

 

I have always been fascinated by Holbein’s painting “The Ambassadors”(1). The detail within it is spellbinding. I wanted to respond to this assignment by creating a photo inspired by this great painting. Doing this will allow me to compare photography with painting. Photography draws with light, whilst painting reflects light.

I looked at the painting in great detail considering the things within it. John Berger(2) says in Ways of seeing, “although its painted images are two-dimensional, its potential of illusion is far greater than that of sculpture, for it can suggest objects possessing colour, texture and temperature…”

Roland Barthes(3) talks about studium in Camera Lucida. He talks about the cultural things in pictures, gestures and enthusiastic commitment. Artists place things to give meaning. Then the viewer must reverse this meaning by looking and thinking. This influenced my thinking greatly in creating my picture.

Adding Punctum or a point of focus or the main thing. I wanted the clock to be the punctum. Time is invaluable and I am unsure I have the time do all I want to.

The Ambassadors reminds us of our mortality, these men have fine things and title but death sits at their feet waiting. It is a work of Vanitas, a painting that shows the transience of life, no amount of

wealth will protect you from the inevitable.

I set about making notes to help me “construct this image. I would need to be in it even though I hate being in a photograph. My work must show my interest in travel. It will be influenced by Holbein’s painting.

To see my research for this photograph please look here:

https://michaelgreencandn.wordpress.com/2018/04/27/research-for-assignment-5-2/

My research led me to Parr/Meadows(4) work in Salford, called June Street, this work shows families in their living rooms with texture and symbols. The lines in the corner give depth to the shot.

I examined Chauncey Hare (5) and his work “Protest Pictures” this must have influenced Parr and Meadows. With the same shape in the corner of the rooms shown in a lot of the pictures, the stark surroundings are very different though.

Next I looked at Susan Brights(6) “Autofocus” This work takes formal portraiture to a new level, through colour and eccentricity. The book is by a collective of photographers.

Dianne Arbus(7) captured a “Child with a hand grenade”. The light forms the stage, the child’s confident pose and gaze straight out to the viewer reminded me of “The Ambassadors.

Dita Pepes(8) work in which she plays all the female characters. fooled me into seeing each character as a different person. Not realising what I was seeing until later. Fantastic work! The colour in this work is vibrant and strong. The work uses colour textures and symbols to tell each characters story.

Jemima Stelhis(9) work “The Strip”, is different, Stripped of the lavish surroundings but with the same feel due to vibrant colour and the placement of the people. Interesting how the dressed man (the voyeur) looks at the naked woman (The object). Neither look out as they do in the Ambassadors. The voyeur not Stehli has and uses a wired remote. So control of the moment is the voyeurs. I considered showing my remote but decided it added nothing to my work.

Finally I found Maureen Paley(10), her work has stripped even the humans from her work. However she has the same feeling using colour and sumptuous shapes to give her sets the same feeling as Holbein’s painting. This work has been paired down to the minimum but is filled with colour and texture.

In my photo I wanted texture, substance and form. When I started my travels my father said “you have the whole world in your hands”. This was an important step in me taking my first adventures. So the globe must be included. The Panda represented the struggle all animals on the planet face. A bust of Shackleton who is my favourite leader. The Sharks Jaw to represent my fears of the things in the sea. The compass to point my way home. The clock shows we only have finite time to do what we want. (Whatever that is).

The Tartan is the Antarctic Tartan, the Sea Horse inspired my diving career. In Celtic art it represents a patient traveller, travelling through choppy waters, very apt.

In the Painting both subjects stance shows confidence in their beliefs. I tried to mirror their stance but not their beliefs.

20+ exposures later I finished practising the stance with the right light. I used Flash I mounted it on the camera after trying various positions. I used a diffuser with flash at 1/4 power to avoid over exposure. The camera was set at chest height, as it was in the painting. A tripod helped maintain a stable position. Remote to give me time to get into position.

My camera was set to 40mm, F2.8 100/s iso100.

Photoshop mix merged the two photos so I appear twice giving balance..

Having read, “that’smaths page” about creating an anamorphic skull. Using the described procedure I created an anamorphic Skull but substituted Jacques Cousteau who had influenced me with his work in the 1960s.

The photo shows the gap between photography and painting. Holbein could rework or change his work over a long period. Photography takes a fraction of a second and captures what is in front of the lens. Editing can only be limited to changes within the RAW algorithm. Where Holbein could take his time, add detail and change things at will. My startled look can’t be changed, Holbein could paint over it.

I enjoyed the research for this picture. Looking and thinking about the props was great fun.

This assignment has given me a greater appreciation of Holbein’s masterpiece. However the photographer is also an artist, with lots to consider but with less time to get it right.

(1)Hans Holbein. 1535. The Ambassadors. The National Gallery London.:

(2)John Berger. 1970. Ways of Seeing.. London: Penguin.

(3)Barthes, R. and Howard, R. (2006). Camera lucida. New York, NY: Hill and Wang [u.a.].

(4)Martin Parr & Daniel Meadows. 1973. Sun Street Salford. The Hyman Collection.: British Photography.

(5)Chauncey Hare. 12/10/2009. Protest Pictures. 1st ed. Steidl.

(6)Susan Bright. 2005. Auto Focus. Paris/New York: Monacelli Press 2010.

(7)Dianne Arbus. 1962. Child with a toy Hand Grenade.. New York.: National Galleries Scotland

(8)Dita Pepe. 1999 start-ongoing.. Self Portrait with men/(7)Jemima Stihl. 2000. The Strip.. Tate Gallery: Tate Gallery

(9)Jemima Stelhi. 1990-2000. The Strip. Tate Modern. 2010.

(10)Maureen Paley. 2000. Falling and Walking (phhhhhhhhhhh phossshhhhh crrhhhhzzz mn huaooogh), (detail). Art Night, London.: Contemporary Art Society.n

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Research for Assignment 5.

In thinking about this assignment I considered who I am? Plus what would I like to show the world. I have traveled all over the planet and dived since 1980 so both would be important for me to show in a picture.

My first thoughts took me to a painting of Poseidon sat on his throne. I thought of wearing my dry suit sat with a globe and snorkel. This would have been tongue in cheek trying to hide the fact that I love photography but hate to be photographed.

Thinking about this painting I remembered an afternoon when I was in London in the Navy. I had no interest in art. I went to the National Gallery because it was free. Hans Holbein’s(1) The Ambassadors grabbed me by my eyeballs and held me for two hours. I couldn’t leave it, the more I looked the more I saw. This would be my inspiration,

Who are the gentlemen in the painting? Why was it painted? When was it painted? What is it trying to tell us? How can can it influence my work?

The men in the painting are Jean de Dinteville at age 29. He was French Ambassador to the royal court. To his right stands George de Selves the Bishop of Lavaur aged 25. He has been occasional ambassador to Venice and now is in London. We know there ages as Holbein tells us on the dagger and the book.

The painting shows the tools of the trades of both men. Being secular and religious so showing science questioning the status quo in religious thinking. Several clues are on plain sight such as the broken string on the lute. Showing a common symbol of discord. It is placed next to Martin Luther’s translation of the testaments a provocative book in its day.

In the center of the fore of the painting is what at first glance is a streak of grey. If you change your angle to the right and below it becomes a perfect skull. This is an anamorphic skull. Anamorphic being the perspective it is painted in. Academics can’t agree why, but it seems to work if you enter a room from the right and would have been a shock on entry. Others have argued it could have been hung on a staircase which put the viewer in the right position to see the skull. Some have hypothesised that it could just be a play on the artists surname “Holbein”, which means hollow bone.

The crucifix in the top left and the eye of the skull line up forming a triangle possibly hinting at death and rebirth. It says to me that death is waiting for all of us no matter how important we become.

We still see Anamorphic perspective today on football pitches. Adverts painted on the pitch show normally on our tv screens. On the pitch there perspective is not as it appears on the screen.

The painting was produced in 1533 the year that Henry the Eighths marriage to Catherine of Aragon is annulled. He marries Anne Boleyn in January this year. Anne has a great interest in Luther’s work. Could they have been hedging their bets whilst portraying their power?

These were turbulent times in England, power games were dangerous this painting asks questions in a way that can be interpreted differently. You could retract your message if it became challenged. It shows many of the things that made these gentleman who they are.

For my work I can show the things that have led to me doing what I do and who I have become. There are tools instruments and books that have taken me on a great journey. I can include them to mirror the textures and feel of this painting.

John Berger(2) said of this painting

“Although its painted images are two-dimensional, its potential of illusion is far greater than that of sculpture, for it can suggest objects possessing colour, texture and temperature…” John Berger 1972 Ways of seeing.

This is exactly what held my attention, the men were almost second placed to all the wonderfully painted instruments. These were in the painting to support the men and show how intelligent and powerful they were. I found them overshadowed by all this stuff.

I can’t ignore the Anamorphic skull so researched how it was painted. Concentrating on its proportions and perspective. I learnt it wasn’t just stretched but leads the eye from the correct angle to see the skull in its correct form. The skull is a vanitas, reminding that life is short, fleeting and soon over.  Not wanting to use a skull I thought about who had influenced my life. Jacques Cousteau was my earliest influence. So I experimented with a headshot to see if I could replicate Holbein’s work.

So using Adobe Photomix I cut out the head, then removed the background. Then transferred this image to an app called SKRWT. This allowed me align the head along an x and y peramater. Then I added a slight curve to make the head look like a smear from the front. Finally scaling back into Photomix. This was the last piece of the jigsaw for the finished work.

My tutor pointed me to the work by Martin Parr(3) and Daniel Meadows and their work from the 1970`s inspired by Coronation Street. They captured simple shots of people surrounded by their stuff and their place. I could see a connection with the Ambassadors. The way the people are placed, the confident way they look straight out at the viewer. a lot of them by furniture and soft furnishings. I like the photos a lot they are strangely comforting. But you can see the struggle these people endure to make ends meet. They have filled the space with textures and details just like Holbein’s characters.

in this work I noticed a common shape formed by the corner of the room. This shape adds depth to the work. Making it appealing to the eye and giving a common theme to each piece. Below I show some examples of what I mean. This shape appears in art frequently. Picasso uses it in his nudes to show female genitalia. Here it adds depth to the pictures.

This led to me looking at Susan Brights(4) Autofocus. Her book takes the formal portrait then gives it to 75 artists. This allows lots of interpretation and variation. I like the shots using brash colours they shout out from the page and emphasize Gender, Race and eccentricity. Challenging but great fun. It is a surreal sight seeing a normal situation but each shot has a twist that makes you think. Such as the project by Dita Pepes(5) work in which she plays various woman with various men. At first glance you see a natural situation. Only later do you realize what you have seen The shots do not look staged at all.

I also looked at Chauncey Hare(6) and his work “Protest Pictures”. In this work he documents homes and the residents in the USA in the sixties. He show the gap between the American Dream and reality. His work has a similar look to Daniel meadows.

In looking at Hares work I found Dianne Arbus(7) and her photograph “Child with a toy hand grenade. This photo is outside in a park. However the shot has many of the elements seen in Holbein’s painting. It asks lots of questions about the world in 1963. A boy playing in a park with a weapon of war. He gazes out from the page with the same startled look I have on my face in my photo.

My tutor pointed me to Jemima Stehli (8) and her work “The Strip”. The subject is bare and objectified. The gap between the painting and photograph has grown wider. But it still works very well. One is voyeur looking out, the other the object looks inwards.

Finally I found Maureen Paley,(9)in her work Falling and Walking (phhhhhhhhhhh phossshhhhh crrhhhhzzz mn huaooogh), (detail))”.she paired the picture down to it minimum. With no people in the work. It still has plush colour with texture and intriguing patterns. It has the same sumptuous feel.

I think somewhere in these approaches is a photo I can create that will portray me to someone who doesn’t know me.

1. Must have detail and texture with supporting props to tell the story.
2. Must be formal so try different poses etc.
3. Have a level of eccentricity to make the viewer linger.

Works Cited

(1)Holbein, Hans. The Ambassadors. The National Portrait Gallery., London.

(2)Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin, 1972.

(3)Meadows, Martin Parr and Daniel. “June Street, Salford.” Science And Media Museum. June Street. Bradford, UK, 1970s.

(4)Bright, Susan. Autofocus. London: Thames and Hudson., 2010.

(5)Pepes, Dita. “Self Portraiture with Men.” Thames and Hudson. Autofocus. London, 2010.

(6)Chauncey Hare Protest Pictures: Steidl and Steven Kasher 2009.

(7)Dianne Arbus “Child with a toy hand grenade”. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2001.474/ 1963.

(8)Jemima Stehli, (Left) Jemima Stehli. Strip no. 4 Curator 1999; (Right) Strip no. 6 Critic.

(9)Falling and Walking (phhhhhhhh phosshhhh crnhhhzzz man huaoogh. (detail) exhibition view: Art Night, London Co-commissioned by ArtNight and the Contemporary Art Society.

Reflection on Context and Narrative.

I am now a fair way into my journey through C&N and wanted to document how I how I feel now and how I have felt traveling through the Journey.

I left Express Your Vision having felt confident, enjoying the work and feeling ready for diving into C&N. Imagine my shock when I found I wasn’t ready. The perceived lack of using my camera for the course knocked me for six. I realized quickly that this course was going to push Skills I didn’t have yet. The amount of writing I would have to do was daunting to me.

The options open to me were to stop doing the course (whilst this is an option I am not a quitter). Plunging in and getting stuck in. This fits my personality and normally I would have followed this route. Lastly I could slow down, prepare myself and apply good practice to completing the course.

After reflection I decided to follow the third option. I made a reading list and read the books on the list. I looked at photographs everywhere and thought about them deeply. Making notes and looking deeply at them. I read Susan Sontag, Liz Wells and many books on reviewing art.

I visited galleries and looked at paintings and thought about how they were constructed. I also started to think about how I would describe what I was looking at. Downloading and deconstructing pictures helped greatly.

This process took three months. I wondered what my tutor must have thought of me, he didn’t hear from me at this time. If I am honest I should have talked to him more but wanted to find my path to start this journey. During this time I read many peoples emails giving up on learning. I never considered giving up. I like the coursework it gives you just enough to learn and steer yourself through just don’t allow it to be daunting. Speak to your peers and tutor.

I wasn’t sure if I had done the right thing. I still aren’t! However my tutor has been honest, supportive and very helpful in our discussions.

Having just completed Assignment 4 I feel I have learnt lots of things I didn’t even realise I was learning. So much so that my wife said in the car at the weekend that I have changed over the last year. More expressive than I was before but with reasoning that I didn’t have before. I think this was a compliment.

If you are reading this and are struggling with C&N, my advice is stop, plan and think about YOUR route. Stick with it, you will develop skills you don’t even think of. If you need help I am always here.

Reflection on Assignment 4 Earthrise

I spoke with my Tutor earlier today he gave me feedback on Assignment 4.

My Tutor thought I had chosen a good photo for the assignment. We discussed its simplicity and power. I found it interesting that we shared many of the same views on the photograph and the USA.

We discussed how to narrow down the aim to get to the nub of the piece to get your point over using fewer words. This was extremely helpful. Plus we talked about how to write academically. I have a difficulty as I write how I speak. So academic writing is a challenge for me sometimes.

My tutor adviced me to change three things in the work.

1. Check for writing in the 3rd Person and change where I found it.
2. Add references for all in the passage of work.
3. Make it clear what my message is by adding a sentence setting it out.

I agreed with all that was said and so got to work straight away to make these changes. I checked the passage and changed where i found 3rd person narrative. I cant believe I had done so much of this. Plus it was mixed up with all other kinds of narrative so i had to concentrate on unravelling this work……..I think I succeeded.

I added 5 more references and checked they were correct links to the work I had referenced. Referencing doesn’t get easier. I added the reference for Susan Sontag which I had missed.

Finally I took some words out of the body of work to give me some words back to add a sentence to make my intentions clearer. Plus thinking and taking words out made my work clearer. So my tutor was spot on with pointing me to this.

I managed to get this back to 1000 words exactly whilst keeping my message in the work.

My tutor discussed (2)John Berger`s “Ways of seeing”, Which I downloaded and I am enjoying reading so far. It is helping me set up assignment 5 with its focus on symbolism.

I asked my tutor what I should think about for Assessment. I have struggled to think what to present as most of the work has been written. The advice given was extremely helpful. I am experimenting with printing and printers to get the best from my photos. I will discuss results with my tutor when the prints arrive.

I enjoyed this assignment and could have written 3000 words about my chosen photo.

Work Cited
(1)NASA Photograph “Earthrise”. NASA USA.
(2)Book John Berger “Ways of seeing”. Publisher Penguin Books, London.

Assignment 4 Earthrise.

In 1968 I was shown a picture taken from Apollo 8. It comprises just three elements. The Earth, the moons grey dusty surface and an inky black frigid sky. It’s simplicity took my breath away.

When thinking about this assignment Earthrise kept coming to mind. This is the first photograph I remember. It’s simplicity has become etched onto my memory. I want to explore if we need to burn huge amounts of resource to get people to think about the damage we do to our home.

It is the first colour photograph of Earth rising over the moon taken by a human. It isn’t the first photograph taken of (1)Earthrise. Lunar Orbiter 1 had taken one in monochrome in 1966 and the Russians had taken a photo of Earthrise in Monochrome from an unmanned spacecraft earlier.

The mission was part of Apollo Project building up to a moon landing. It was the first craft to go to the Dark Side of the Moon.

Apollo 8 was manned by Captain Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders. They carried cameras to record the flight. Borman was taking a monochrome shot when Anders looked out of the port and the following conversation ensued.

(2)Anders: Oh my God! Look at that picture over there! There’s the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty.

Borman: Hey, don’t take that, it’s not scheduled. (joking)

Anders: (laughs) You got a colour film, Jim, Hand me that roll of colour quick, would you…

Lovell: Oh man, that’s great!

Earthrise was taken using a (3)Hasselblad 500EL camera modified with larger knobs so thick gloves could operate them. A circle ring instead of a normal reflex viewfinder to allow framing through a helmet. Settings of F11 and 1/250th of a second shutter speed. The film was Ektachrome Kodak Film, in a cartridge for easy loading.

In 1968 The Tet offensive culminated a challenging year in Vietnam for the American Military. Civil rights disturbances in universities and cities around the US caused many deaths and injuries. Russia were winning the space race amidst the Cold War. France endured student uprises quashed by police violence. Czechoslovakia was invaded to prevent its exit from the Warsaw Pact. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were both assassinated.

So at the end of a year packed with turmoil Earthrise could be seen as a ray of light from the inky dark.

Earthrise was widely published around the world and triggered debate among academics and the general population in equal measure. (4)Galen Rowel called it “The most influential environmental photograph ever taken”. The environmental movement started in the next few years. Earthrise played its part by allowing humans to view home. (5)Susan Sontag discussed in On Photography, “Something we hear about, but doubt, seems proven when we are shown a photograph of it”. We had heard about our planet now we were shown it in all its glory.

However, all wasn’t triggered by Earthrise, some people were concerned about the way humans were using the Earths resources before it was taken. In 1962 (6)Rachel Carson wrote “Silent Spring” which spoke of the effects human actions were having on our planet. It details many ways we threaten the Earth. The photo reinforced her work. In 1965 (7)Barbara Ward spoke of “Spaceship Earth”, discussing the Earths resources being used and wasted and that they would soon become scarce at the rate we are using them.

Later, In 1979 (8)James Lovelock wrote “The Gaia Hypothesis” which spoke of a planet which is one big organism. With a system that keeps life in balance. Humans threaten this balance using resources too quickly.

Huge resources were used to take Earthrise. A Saturn V first stage burnt for about 3 minutes and consumed 2 Million Kilo Grams of fuel. Whilst the photo wasn’t the aim of the mission, massive resources were burnt to get this camera into a position to take a single photo..

The majority of us won’t get to venture outside Earths Gravity but others have tried to encourage thoughts and discussion about the environment through their photography.

(9)Ansel Adams showed the beauty in detail in his photos of Yosemite Park in the USA. He did this, though, to show the quality of his photography not the poor use of Native Indian Land.

Edward Burtynsky(10) shows our misuse of resources in an artful way. His from within his oil work photos grab your attention, then provoke thought about our achievements.

Daniel Beltra(11) takes a different route still aerial but showing cleaning up a spill. Using chemicals. I first thought they showed beautiful shapes and colours. Then you see the clean up plane spilling chemicals to clean up the spill, revealing the irony in the frame.

Whilst this work is brilliant it has still used resources. Some practitioners are looking at using social media to get to their medium without using a camera, burning only the resources to power a personal computer or tablet.

Mishka Henner(12) uses Google Earth screenshots stitched together to make full frame depictions of man’s effect on the planet. Some show sprawling cities. But the most effective I have seen are his composites of Texan feed pens. The geometry grabs my eye then I read what they are and I question everything. The ethics, use of resources and the waste of land.

David Thomas Smith(13) uses ancient Persian Rug patterns as inspiration to create patchwork’s from screen grabs from Google Earth. The patterns are pleasing and make me consider land consumption.

We don’t need to burn resources to get our points across. Technology and imagination can help us be armchair environmentalists. However using social media could increase the chances of fake news  being produced. Checking content accuracy must become integral in every piece of work.

Employed effectively we can use technology to create art that is thought provoking Without burning resources. All of the above work encourages us to think of home.

The crews closing words broadcast from Apollo 8 are very appropriate.

“God bless all of you – all of you on the good Earth.”

References

(1)Anders, W. (1968). Earthrise. [Photograph] Fort Lauderdale,USA.: NASA.

(2)Apollo 8, (1968). [TV programme] NASA.

(3)Hasselblad 500EL Camera. (2016). In: Sale Catalogue, 1st ed. New York: Setadel Studios, p.60.

(4)NASA. (2017). Apollo Astronaut Shares Story of NASA’s Earthrise Photo. [online] Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/earthrise.html [Accessed 30 Dec. 2017].

(5)Sontag, S. (n.d.). On Photography.

(6)Carson, R. (2002). Silent spring.

(7)Ward, B. (1968). Spaceship earth. New York: Columbia University Press.

(8)Lovelock, J. (1998). The Gaia Hypothesis. Films for the Humanities and Sciences.

(9)Adams, A. (1938). Half Dome, Merced River, Winter. [Silver Gelatin Photograph.] USA.: Ansel Adams Gallery.

(10)Edward Burtynsky. (2017). Home Page. [online] Available at: https://www.edwardburtynsky.com/ [Accessed 30 Dec. 2017].

(11)Danielbeltra.photoshelter.com. (2017). Daniel Beltrá. [online] Available at: https://danielbeltra.photoshelter.com/ [Accessed 30 Dec. 2017].

(12)David Thomas Smith. (2017). HOME. [online] Available at: https://www.david-thomas-smith.com/ [Accessed 30 Dec. 2017].

(13)Mishkahenner.com. (2017). Mishka Henner. [online] Available at: https://mishkahenner.com/

Research for Assignment 4.

I wanted my chosen photograph to show what had influenced me in my formative years. I thought about my earliest memories and made a list. (1)England winning the World Cup is an early memory. I had also seen a photograph of a (2)1947 suicide victim, a lady who had jumped from the Empire State Building I had seen this in an old copy of Time magazine, it shocked me but hadn’t influenced me. I remembered (3)Earthrise, this did influence me so this was the one I chose. It had influenced other people more.

 

 

On 24th December 1968 on the Apollo 8 mission, manned by Captain Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, the photo Earthrise was taken by William Anders this photo is my choice.

My research started around the picture itself, what does it show me? Then how was it taken? What was it’s affect on me and others? What was happening when it was taken across the world? Finally what had it influenced since it was taken up to the present day ?

Earthrise is a very simple photograph comprising three elements, The Earth, The Moons surface and the black void of space. Very simple, till you think that everyone that ever lived except the three photographers is in the shot. All the elements of our universe are there too in this one photograph. At the age of Seven it’s beauty took my breath away and made my imagination work overtime.

Earthrise was taken using an Hasselblad 500EL which had been modified for use with thick gloves and composition through a helmet. Large knobs had been fitted to enable the camera settings to be made easier to use. Plus the viewfinder had been changed to a ring so composition was seen from inside a helmet. I found the camera had been up for sale in the USA for $750000 in 2015. The astronauts were taking monochrome exposures of the Earthrise but luckily one of them decided to change to colour.

“Earthrise” had an immediate effect on the people on the Earth. Everyone was amazed to see it in colour. Monochrome versions had been taken from USA and CCCP missions but these were unmanned so didn’t get the feeling that Earthrise shows. The worlds media printed it over and over across the planet. I saw it in a magazine at my parents home.

Within a short period environmental organizations sprang into existence. Surely they too had been influenced by such a great photograph. Academics published books and papers to make us think about how to protect our home. Greenpeace in 1969 and Friends of the Earth in 1971.

Earlier in 1962 Rachel Carson said in (4)“Silent Spring” that human actions were threatening the planet. In 1967 Lionel Robbins received an honorary doctorate from the Heriott Watt University for his essay of 1932 in which he wrote about (5)“the earths resources being scarce”. This work is still used today. Earthrise only reinforced the planets fragility.

Looking across the world in 1968. France had student riots. Czechoslovakia was invaded by Russia. The Tet Offensive was the biggest attack of the year in Vietnam. A photo was taken in Saigon of a (4)Vietnamese policeman shooting a protester in the head that shook the world. All these events were extremely violent, so I would think that for everyone, Earthrise would be ray of light shining from the dark. It should have shaken us up but it didn’t.

Others have taken up the baton trying to make photographs that make us think of our planet.

However most people don’t get to go into space to get shots like Earthrise.

(5)Edward Burtynsky takes shots from the air of mass industrialization of the planet. They have amazing colour and composition. It’s only when you look that you realize what you are seeing.

(6)Mishka Henner shows our use of the land to pursue food and profit so destroying our environment. These are taken from Google Earth so no travel is needed minimizing the carbon footprint used to create thought provoking art.

My message in this piece of work must be that we don’t need to burn resources to make art. We can innovate what is around us to be creative. This is what our cavemen ancestors did after all.

References
(1)England win the World Cup. (1966). [Colour Photograph] London.: BBC News Website.
(2)Wiles, R. (1947). The most beautiful suicide.. [Monochrome photograph] New York.: Time Magazine.
(3)Lovell, J. (1968). Earthrise. [Colour Photograph] USA: NASA.
(4) Carson, R (1965) Silent Spring. (Book) Houghton Mifflin. USA.
(5)Robbins, L (1932) Essay on the nature and significance of economic science.(Paper).
(6)Adams, E. (1968). Man shot in head on Saigon street.. [Monochrome Photograph.] London.: Telegraph Newspaper.
(7)Burtynsky, E. (2008). Oil spill. (Colour Photograph). Online: Burtynski.com.
(8)Henner, M. (2009). Coronado Cattle Feed. [Colour Photograph.] Online.: mishkakenner.com.

Excercise 5.2.2 Record a conversation.

I recorded a conversation about a cup of coffee offered to to two neighbours. They didn’t know I was recording it.

The conversation revolves around what type of coffee was being offered. Was it instant, decaf, percolated or from the kettle. Then it developed into whether sugar or sweetener was on offer. Then finally whether to put milk in it.

I felt it was quite confrontational to say it was just a cup of coffee. When asked if it was from Lidl or Aldi or from a “higher supplier?”

Then the discussion went off into odd areas why was milk discussed. It only became apparent when one of the participants discussed their lactose intolerance. Proving that sometimes we need to explore further to get to the nub of a thing.

The participants all vied for dominance this was interesting how all wanted their view heard, about a mundane thing such as a friendly cup of coffee.

There was lots of talking over each other, and lots of use of the word listen. Whilst no shouting took place dominance was strivedfor as people got their point across.

It was interesting how the conversation changed when the intolerance to milk became clear. The tone softened and empathy was shown.

When listening to the conversation afterwards it didn’t sound as confrontational it was just three people who were familiar with one another playing with words and a situation.

I thought about how I could respond to the recording. On the counter were the remnants of the drink, three mugs, the jars of coffee, sugar and sweetener plus the spoon. I could just have easily taken shots during the conversation but this would have changed the dynamic.

I took a photo of the remnants to respond to the recording. Some times it’s what’s left behind that expresses what we are.

Notes are useful but they don’t have to be written. The recording was a note of the whole situation that have influenced a photograph.

This excercise was interesting because it made me think of recording a scene in a different way. Normally I would have dived in with my camera and the situation would change. This way lead to a totally different approach. Resulting in a photo that looks like nothing. But with context becomes more.