Project 3 ‘What matters is to look’

What is the decisive moment?

“It is the creation of art through the curation of time.” (The Decisive Moment is Dead. Long Live the Constant Moment, 2013)

In an article introducing an exhibition of the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson at the Pompidou centre in the spring of 2014, a quote used in the preface for the photobook itself is used.

The book’s preface opens with a quote by Cardinal de Retz: “There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.” (FotoRoom,2014)

For Cartier-Bresson, the decisive moment is that point in time, searched for, selected and captured by the photographer that brings together in an holistic way the scene in finest balance, never to be recreated. From the infinite array of decisive moments of Cardinal de Retz, the art of the photographer curates the decisve moment.

Views

Research

Today the decisive moment is often criticised for having become something of a stylistic cliché. In the decades after the 1930s, the most creative phase of Cartier-Bresson’s street photography, thousands of photographers learned the techniques of the ‘moment décisif ’ – leading, inevitably perhaps, to derivative work.

There are of course many exemplars of the decisive moment from photographers other than Cartier-Bresson. One example i take note of is the work of Larry Fink who himself expresses the influence of Cartier-Bresson “This picture came into being under the influence of Cartier-Bresson, with his marvellous understanding of deep space and compositional arrangements of the middle ground, of the whole – of the various syncopations and choreographic elements happening within a frame” (Fink, 2014:34) when introducing the picture sheep meadow. Fink has many examples which appear strongly influenced by the decisive moment as an expressive style and foundational photographic philosophy

Opinion

This is both inevitable and complimentary to the power of any particular style or movement. To ascend to ‘stylistic cliche’ as in the case of the decisive moment the idea must have enough power to influence so many and so deeply. This can be seen in all areas of artistic expression, most notably today I think in music where it sometimes appears that there are no new sounds just an infinite variety of reworking original ideas. Regardless of derivative work or not, the work can still have merit in my view, what it can’t do or have is power to influence in the same way as the original. In this way all ideas run out of steam eventually, a measure of the greatness of the idea is how long it lasts and how many people it influences.

Below photograph is perhaps Larry Fink’s most famous work – Pat Sabatine’s eighth birthday party. This can be seen as a clear example of decisive moment, the significant moment in time which captures the event perfectly.

Fig. 1 Pat Sabatine’s eighth birthday party (1977)

Research

Liz Wells

In ‘Photography: A Critical Introduction’ Liz Wells observes that fragmentary moments can be ‘dislocated’ from a greater context that might give them meaning:

‘Increasingly, documentary turned away from attempting to record what would formerly have been seen as its major subjects. The endeavour
to make great statements gave way to the recording of little dislocated moments which merely insinuated that some greater meaning might be at stake.’

The context of the quote from Liz Wells pertains to the environment in which Cartier-Bresson brought his idea of the decisive moment and then the impact this had on that environment. Documentary photography of the time was subject to a myriad of rules used to determine the authenticity of the work.

“We have already observed that any attempt to arrange and structure the location by a documentary photographer would be regarded as illegitimate behaviour, yet the aesthetic demand for well-composed shots remained.” (Wells, 2015:91)

“Thus, the celebrated French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson lay in wait for all the messy contingency of the world to compose itself into an image that he judged to be both productive of visual information and aesthetically pleasing. This he called ‘the decisive moment” (Wells, 2015:91)

The influence of the decisive moment was directional for documentary photography which tended to move away from recording of the obvious and grand subject matter and towards more detailed captures of cultural references of everyday life.

Opinion

As a photographic language, interpreting the world as little dislocated moments which insinuate something greater is in my view an example of evolving sophistication in how we communicate through the medium and so is an indication of a maturing medium.

Research

Colin Pantall

Another criticism of the decisive moment is that it somehow just misses the point of our contemporary situation. Reviewing Paul Graham’s photobook The Present, Colin Pantall writes:

‘…what he [Graham] wants us to see is the antithesis of the decisive moment and the spectacle of the urban experience. Instead we get a very contemporary contingency, a street with moments so decisively indecisive that we don’t really know what we are looking at or looking for.’

http://www.photoeye.com/magazine/reviews/2012/05_17_The_Present.cfm [accessed 19/01/18])

In this article Colin Pantall describes how The Present by Paul Graham challenges the relevance of the decisive moment in todays urban existence. The presentation within the book with many dyptychs and tryptychs across a number of page styles and showing very similar images, causes the viewer to look, move on, re-look. This causes an inability to settle on what is decisive or even what is important in any of the images. In another deviation from the decisive moment these images aim to down play all subjects be they people, buildings, cars etc Described by Pantall, “New York is a bit crappy for a start, an anti-nostalgic place that is run-down and anonymous. It looks pretty much like any other run down place. The people are the same. They�re not glamorous or striking or eccentric, but rather they�re harried, harassed and distant” (Pantall, 2012).

The photobook is shown here (colberg, 2012)

Opinion

In Pantall’s thinking, The Present represents a rejection of the decisive moment as not relevant to our modern urban life and the book certainly introduces an indecisive mood for the viewer. I personally don’t see the connection to modern urban existence and irrelevance of the decisive moment. For me The Present seems more to express the modern urban existence itself can be anonymous and full of indecision and this is a reflection of that. Thats not to say that there can be no decisive moments, when the perfect moment can be captured.

Research

Zouhair Ghazzal agrees that the decisive moment has become more of a cliché than a reality, although he believes it can contain something essential of life. But in a similar way to Pantall’s interpretation of Graham’s work, Ghazzal finds the contemporary urban landscape just ‘too monotonous and dull’ for the decisive moment.

See: http://zouhairghazzal.com/photos/aleppo/cartier-bresson.htm [accessed 19/01/18])

For Ghazzal the decisive moment, mostly attributed to people and their expressions, gestures and body language becomes a cliche. “At its core, the decisive moment is indeed mostly anecdotic—composed of short accounts of humorous or interesting incidents.” (Ghazzal, 2018). In agreement with Colin Pantall with respect to modern urban life too mundane to support the notion of decisive moments. Although Ghazzal goes further into connecting this mundanity to the centre-less mid American urban experience. “American photography, much more than the European, had to come to terms with cities in middle America and elsewhere that were new and decentered, and where not much was happening.” (Ghazzal, 2018)

Opinion

For photographers the decisive moment still has relevance. All criticism is valid but that does not deny or even reduce that relevance. There is a discipline within this method and philosophy – “What matters is to look” this is fundamental to the art of the photographer. To relax, look and be patient, don’t force the shot wait for the right moment, these are skills to learn and attributes to acquire that will always be relevant. Although true that the style, the typical outcomes have become cliche, a great shot that captures the moment perfectly will still be a great shot.

bibliography

Clayton Cubitt (2013) The Decisive Moment is Dead. Long Live the Constant Moment At:https://petapixel.com/2013/05/22/on-the-constant-moment/ (Accessed on 21.03.19

FotoRoom (2014) The Decisive Moment as Henri Cartier-Bresson Truly Meant it. At:https://fotoroom.co/decisive-moment-henri-cartier-bresson/ (Accessed on 14.03.19)

Fink, Larry (2014) On Composition and Improvisation. (first) New York: Aperture Foundation.

Liz Wells. (2015) Photography: A Critical Introduction (p. 91). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.

Coburg, Jorg. (2012) Presenting The Present by Paul Graham. At: http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/publications/pub-repbrief/pdf/filmmakersguide.pdf (Accessed on 28.03.2019)

Pantall, Colin (2012) The Present. At: http://www.photoeye.com/magazine/reviews/2012/05_17_The_Present.cfm (accessed 28.03.2019)

Zouhair Ghazzal (2004) the indecisiveness of the decisive moment At: http://zouhairghazzal.com/photos/aleppo/cartier-bresson.htm (accessed 28.03.2019)

Illustrations

Figure 1. Pat Sabatine’s eighth birthday party (1977) [Photo] At: https://www-bridgemaneducation-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/en/search?filter_text=larry+fink (Accessed on 27.03.2019)

Exercise 3.2: Trace

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/woodman-space-providence-rhode-island-1975-1978-ar00350 [accessed 2nd March 2019]

I take inspiration from this series and aimed to use slow shutter speed to introduce motion within the frame. My intention in this exercise is to go further by aiming to give the impression of movement, kinetic energy in a more pure form by removing a connection to any particular object.

I started this exercise with a desire to reprise the previous exercise with slow shutter speed. In the previous exercise Freeze, I captured a swan in mid self wash, with fast shutter and so captured in sharp resolution frozen motion, my intention being to convey the idea of motion in a static sharp image.

I set out to find the same swan in the hope she was again washing herself, my hope being i could capture a swirling frenzy of feathery white in a ball of motion. This image i can picture in my mind and imagine this to be almost if not completely unidentifiable as a swan. There would be too much movement for the subject to be clear. I have not been lucky enough to find the swan in mid wash over a number of attempts during the last couple of weeks.

However I have to captured a similar set of images that are even stronger in representing the vision I have in my mind. My method was to try a few different shutter speeds from around 1/10s to 1s in an attempt to capture the flight of a seagull, where it is not apparent that the subject is a seagull or actually identifiable as anything at all. With the subject being ambiguous at best, what the observer is left with is purely movement of an abstract form. This i think is very interesting and worthy of much experimentation and investigation.

This example is one from the experimentation process as I approached the best shutter speed and subject. It is a shot of a swimming duck taken at 0.6s and is almost what i am looking for. It is however still possible to discern that this is a duck all be it transformed into a blur of movement. The fact that the observer can see this is a duck influences their impression of the image. I am looking to remove anything that detracts from the impression of pure movement, kinetic energy. That said I still find this image very attractive and interesting.

ƒ/29.0 44.0 mm 0.6s ISO 100

With a shutter speed of 0.4s I found an exposure time which transforms the flight of a seagull into what for me looks like the transposition of matter into pure energy. We see the world with a limited window across the spectrum of time, just as we see only a tiny slice of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this exercise i wonder how the world would look if we could see across a wider or different spectrum of time eg if we saw the world compressed into 0.4s slices these images are how a seagull in flight would appear to us. Very like how we perceive a humming bird in flight as a static object with a blur of wing flap. Other birds of a different size and wing, flight & speed would require a different shutter speed to achieve the effect seen here in these images.

Again i find this idea of movement in abstract form creating interesting and engaging images very attractive and worthy of further study.
ƒ/22.0 70.0 mm 0.6s ISO 100

Cropped and converted to monochrome in Lightroom

ƒ/18.0 70.0 mm 0.4s ISO 100
Cropped and converted to monochrome in Lightroom

ƒ/22.0 70.0 mm 0.4s ISO 100

Cropped and converted to monochrome in Lightroom

This exercise has reminded me of a few photographs i have taken over the past years which follow a similar theme to varying degrees

This is a shot of a rock on a beach as the tide is starting to wash over and cover it. The effect for me is interesting and part of that is the ambiguity of the image itself. The abstract nature allows the observer to concentrate more on the aesthetic of the image itself, free from the connection to narrative.

ƒ/20.0 62.0 mm 8s ISO 50
x10,000 neutral density filter

This shot was taken hand held with long shutter speed introducing movement in both the subject and the camera itself, the result although less ambiguous is still similar in impression.

ƒ/16.0 50.0 mm 10s ISO 100

Exercise 3.1 Freeze

Taking inspiration directly from :

Muybridge’s experiments were followed in 1906 by AM Worthington’s (1852–1916) series of drops and splashes. The shot i aimed for was to capture water at the moment of entry of some object, say a stone.

Technical details:

I set my camera to shutter priority 1/1000s to capture sharply any motion in the water. I first set focus on the water, then set to manual focus to keep this setting. I set ISO to auto, my thinking being to let the camera choose a good balance between aperture and ISO. Given the fast shutter speed and cloudy conditions, aperture selected by the camera was wide open in any case. Finally I set the camera to multi-shot mode.

Secondly I wanted to capture, in sharp focus and with no blur, the impression of kinetic energy, motion.

Technical details:

Camera set to shutter priority 1/1000s, Aperture f5.6, auto ISO, continuous focus mode.

I selected continuous focus mode to maintain sharp focus whilst the subject could be moving unpredictably through the frame.

I was very fortunate to come across a local swan in full blown cleaning mode, i took a number of shots and selected the picture which for me gave the most clear impression of motion, whilst sharp and still

With some cropping and darkening of the surrounding area, this effect can be emphasised.

In both cases for the pictures above I consider the question :

Does the camera capture time in these images, or does it fragment it, as Szarkowski believed, isolating thin slices to reveal something new?

In both cases something new is revealed in my opinion.

In the case of the stone entering the water we know intuitively that a splash will occur but we are less able to conceive of the state of the water at the instant when the stone disrupts. This is made clear in shot 3 of the stone sequence above.

The swan is in mid clean and there is much disruption around her, again we understand this, we see the blur of activity on occassion if we are lucky enough to live close by, but we do not see the full clarity of this until we capture it in fragments.

This exercise reminded my of a shot i took a few years ago whilst on a weekend trip to Amsterdam. I went to the Ajax v PSV Eindhoven game and was fortunate enough to capture this image.

This is relevant to mention at this juncture as, until this exercise, my thoughts on application for shutter priority mode and very fast capture were limited to this sort of shot. It fits i think with the theme of the assignment for part 3 – the decisive moment.

Assignment 2 : Reflection

Assessment criteria

Demonstration of technical and visual skills

Materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills.

The series demonstrates a good level of observational skill, visual awareness and compositional skill. I believe the presentation as a set of 3 triptychs demonstrates good design. One aspect I am concerned about with the series is a balance between the positive aspects of consistency and negative impact of familiarity. I will be interested in my tutors viewpoint on this.

Quality of outcome

Content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts, communication of ideas.

I believe I have communicated my vision for this assignment well, both in terms of the write up in support of the series and in the series itself. Some of the shots in the series are more challenging than others, i applied discernment in the selection process to achieve alignment with the truth and in doing so selected some shots which are less aesthetically pleasing. It was more important for me to capture the truth even if that truth is less obviously beautiful. This is demonstrated most clearly in the ‘where’ for North Queensferry lighthouse – the truth is the lighthouse is stuck in the middle of a jumble of other things and is dwarfed by the Forth Rail Bridge ( itself one of the most fantastic examples human creation ).

Demonstration of creativity

Imagination, experimentation, invention.

There is a good level of experimentation, as can be seen in the contact sheet for assignment 2. Although none of the night time shots made the final series many shots were taken experimenting which Aperture/ISO/exposure combination gave the best results when trying to capture the light from the Carsewell lighthouse. An interesting challenge which ultimately did not reach a good enough level for the series but lessons learned.

The subject matter and my intent for this assignment did not really demand a great deal of imagination or invention.

Context

Reflection, research, critical thinking.

I settled on the theme and style for this series after some research, summarised here :-

The ‘dead head’ ‘straight on’ style of Ruscha’s gas station shots are in intent what I aim to capture for assignment 2 ‘where’ and ‘what’ of the lighthouse.

Phaidon (2013)

Choice of Triptych and sequencing for the series following research detailed in learning log entry Considering sequence

Inspiration for the series following research detailed in learning log entry Inspiration 1

My thoughts on application of critical thinking and reflection on this assignment are written up in learning log Assignment 2: Collecting

References:

Phaidon. 2013. Ed Ruscha explains his love of Gas Stations. [ONLINE] Available at: https://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2013/september/09/ed-ruscha-explains-his-love-of-gas-stations/. [Accessed 12 February 2019].

Assignment 2: Collecting

The brief

‘Fragments of a vessel which are to be glued together must match one another in the smallest details although they need not be like one another.’

(Walter Benjamin, [1936] 1999, p.79)

The Walter Benjamin quote above expresses the idea that a collection should reflect a single coherent idea, but you’ll also need technical rigour to match the photographs to each other ‘in the smallest details’. Start by choosing your focal length, aperture and viewpoint combination in advance.

Visually, similarities correspond so they’re easy to look at, but be careful of duplicates because repetition is boring. Differences are interesting because they contrast, but randomly changing your framing or allowing a confusion of detail into your backgrounds will distract from the viewing.

Brief

Create a series of between six and ten photographs on one of the following subjects:

Things
Views
Heads

Vision:

After some thought, experimentation false starts and trials, I settled on collecting things, the thing being – lighthouses.

As well as a clear aesthetic value, for me lighthouses have a raw utility and in that a beauty which I hope to capture in this series. Every lighthouse is different, even within the locality of a few hours drive from Edinburgh there is a plethora of examples and I again hope to present something of the myriad styles and purposes within the series, accepting of course that I only scratch the surface of the possible. Theses two aspects I aim to present within the series I see as ‘the what‘ of the lighthouse, the thing.

There is more I hope to convey in the series however; lighthouses are also things which have a strong sense of place. They are constructed on the periphery of our landscapes, where the human world meets a wild place a fundamentally uncontrollable force that can only be worked with but never truly tamed, the sea. I hope in this series to also convey a sense of where in the world these structures are and what it feels like to be there. As with their design, no two places are the same and I hope to capture something of this aspect also, again accepting that i just scratch the surface of possibilities. These two aspects I aim to present within the series I see as ‘the where‘ of the lighthouse.

Finally I want to convey something of the overall impression each lighthouse left me with after the photoshoot. A single shot for each lighthouse which for me provides the strongest impression of the thing, the thing that makes it special. This aspect I see as ‘the vision‘ of the lighthouse, the thing.

Technical:

For this series I present 9 photographs of 3 lighthouses, for each a photo of the ‘where’, ‘what’ and ‘vision’ of the lighthouse.

I aimed for consistency in focal length for the ‘where’ and ‘what’ aspects of the series, in both cases opting for a wide angle. In the case of ‘where’ this was not always possible due to difficulties in achieving the correct distance given the terrain around. For ‘where’ a wide angle was preferred as this helps to bring the periphery of the land & sea scapes into the shot. For ‘what’ again a wide angle helps to emphasise the fundamental nature of the lighthouse, that of height ( although as will be seen from the series, this is not always the same )

For both ‘where’ and ‘what’ I used the same aperture for all shots F8 as this also helps to maintain a level of consistency over the series. Tripod was used where necessary.

However for ‘vision’ I allowed myself freedom to use any setting of my choosing in order to create the image I thought best expressed the ‘vision’. All shots were taken in aperture priority mode.

Further considerations:

I present the series as a set of 3 tryptichs each containing the ‘where’, ‘what’ & ‘vision’. With reference to Considering sequence I have mixed the three lighthouses across the 3 tryptichs in the series. This was done after personal critical review of my original series sequence which was; A tryptich for each lighthouse and in order of ‘where’, ‘what’ ‘vision’. I found that this order to be less interesting than the mix I present here.

The series:

( click on each for higher resolution view )

The individual photographs:

1.1 The lighthouse at Corsewall bay

ƒ/8.0 23.0 mm 1/60s ISO 320

Untitled

1.2 The NorthQueensferry Lighthouse
ƒ/8.0 28.0 mm 1/40s ISO 200

1.3 A vision of the East Pier Lighthouse
ƒ/4.0 37.0 mm 1/800s ISO 200

2.1 The lighthouse at East Pier Newhaven

ƒ/8.0 60.0 mm 1/400s ISO 200

2.2 The Corsewall lighthouse
ƒ/8.0 28.0 mm 1/640s ISO 200

2.3 A vision of the North Queensferry lighthouse
ƒ/8.0 33.0 mm 1/30s ISO 200

3.1 The lighthouse at North Queesnferry

ƒ/9.0 28.0 mm 1/50s ISO 200

3.2 East Pier Lighthouse

ƒ/8.0 28.0 mm 1/400s ISO 200

3.3 A vision of Corsewall Lighthouse

ƒ/8.0 58.0 mm 1/100s ISO 200

Concerns and considerations:

The ‘where’ shots verge into the territory of views rather than things. I was aware of this whilst formulating the idea and during shooting, editing etc. However, as with many things, and in particular with lighthouses, where the thing is in the world is an important aspect of he thing itself. It was therefore important for me to include these shots.

Again with the ‘where’ shots effort was put into providing some consistency across the 3 photographs selected, in composition etc whilst at the same time ensuring that the lighthouse is always obviously the main element. This is under most pressure with the shot of the North Queensferry bay lighthouse. The Forth Rail bridge is essential to anding the sense of ‘where’ but it may also deflect the observers attention. For this reason I have placed this shot in the 3rd series so the observer has had a chance to settle on the theme and rythym of the series before being confronted by this more challenging shot.

Reflection:

There is definite scope to carry on this project both in terms of the myriad different lighthouses but also in aspects to investigate, such as; night time shots with the lighthouse in operation and shots from the sea. Both of these I considered for this assignment however, the aspects i chose ‘where’, ‘what’, ‘vision’ for me were the core aspects to present. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of all is weather conditions. Whilst this aspect does come through to some degree in the series a lot more can be done here if given the time for further work on this project.

Considering sequence

As part of my work towards submission for assignment 2 – collecting, i consider how i might sequence the series of 6 to 12 photographs. I considered how I selected the sequence for assignment 1 the square mile. The sequence was based on a simple rule; group the photographs in pairs to emphasize the chosen theme “Edinburgh at work and play”. For assignment 2 I will invest some thought into possibly more sophisticated sequencing.

To date my thoughts on creating a sequence for a series of photographs, could in my opinion, be described as limited and one dimensional. As evidenced in Exercise 1.4 Frame. In this series the sequence was based on geometric logic and symmetry. Following the brief for this exercise I took 9 shots, each with concentration on a separate section of the viewfinder ( 3*3 grid ). I sequenced the shots mapping directly to the sections where the shot concentrated which i presented in a 3 * 3 grid eg shot with concentration on bottom left corner was placed bottom left in the sequence. This seemed logical and so for me has a merit.

The question I ask myself here however is; does a less logically ordered sequence have more merit or in other words is there some other way to sequence which has more merit?

The original sequence here :-

I researched methods of sequencing a series of photographs and found the following useful insights for consideration from Holly Stuart Hughes. THE ART AND PROCESS OF SEQUENCING PHOTO BOOKS. (2018);

“If you simply select the best 50 images in a series, it’s not an interesting book, because the tension in the photos is always the same,”

“Like in a film or a novel, you have to build up to the tension and then you need to release the tension.”

Considering both points above regarding building tension through not always having the best shots in the series and treating the the series like a film or novel, I reworked the sequencing for Exercise 1.4 Frame, as shown below.

Additionally an added improvement to increased tension and release with this sequence is achieved by presenting as 3 tryptichs rather than the 3 * 3 grid. This helps emphasize the narrative arc I chose for the sequence; to have two shots of journey leading to some reward in the 3rd shot of each group.

I have been collecting a number of shots for assignment 2 for which I have considered possible sequencing. However will consider again in the light of this research.

References

Holly Stuart Hughes. 2018. THE ART AND PROCESS OF SEQUENCING PHOTO BOOKS. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.pdnonline.com/features/photo-books/art-process-sequencing-photo-books/#gallery-1. [Accessed 27 January 2019].

Inspiration 1

In researching for assignment 2 ‘Collecting’ I found this article inspirational :-

Amy Elkins Black is the Day Black is the Night. (2019)

I found this series by Amy Elkins fascinating and beautiful as well as unsettling, haunting. I have difficulty settling my view on whether Amy is presenting a vision of optimism and humanity found even under the most extreme constraint or a deeply sorrowful expression of lives sadly lost with only fragments remaining. Do I think for my assignment 2 Collecting, I will consider anything approaching such clarity and gravity of symbolism, absolutely not. However i take great inspiration from the use of transformation on the images used to express the Amy’s vision. The use of lower resolution levels to denote the amount of the subjects life spent in jail and number of images in the composites denoting the number of years spent behind bars I find inspirational – “The rules are mine to set and use.”

The output especially on the landscape composites are beautiful, haunting and sorrowful.

For my series I am considering using different Lightroom adjustments (presets) to help express the impression I want to convey of the lighthouse images i take. As an example here are two images of the same shot. The first is almost straight from the camera RAW converted to jpeg the other has a ‘vintage instant’ preset applied, which flattens the image and compresses the colour range. The day I took this shot was overcast and very cold, the modifications help here to bring this dimension through.

Other shots of the same lighthouse in different weather conditions demand a different process, as here with the same lighthouse a few days earlier and in very different weather conditions, here an increase in vibrancy creates a much more optimistic a pleasant view. Although still taken in the depths of winter, the sun managed to bring warmth to the world such that this shot could have been taken in mid summer.

The first shot again straight out of camera RAW converted to JPEG the second uses ‘vibrant’ preset from Lightroom

References

Daniel C. Blight. 2019. Amy Elkins Black is the Day Black is the Night. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.1000wordsmag.com/amy-elkins/. [Accessed 24 January 2019].

Lens work: Research point

Depth of field spectrums

In considering this research I see the application of depth of field in association with depth of realism that creates a spectrum;

The clarity of realism provided by full depth of field which attracted the F64 group, who considered it necessary for photography to represent the world in full detail at one end point.

Quote from F64 Group Manifesto, 1932

‘to remain independent of ideological conventions of art and aesthetics that are reminiscent of a period and culture antedating the growth of the medium itself’

Found from google search on “f/64 manifesto” and referenced via wikipedia

(Heyman, Therese Thau 1992:20-24, back cover)

The opposite endpoint of shallow depth of field providing opportunity for photography to represent the world in ambiguous dreamlike sequences such as that exhibited by Mona Kuhn.

I see a parallel spectrum also with respect to politics and photography again in application of depth of field;

Photojournalism must represent the world in full depth in order to honestly and openly allow the observer to create their own view and opinion on what they see in the image without the corruption of direction by the photographer.

“I’m inclined to think that there is no such thing as a photojournalistic image, only a photojournalistic use of an image”

Found from google search of the quote itself in an article on Foto Countervisuality Museum. (2013)

Note, The quote itself is not found in the article but in a reply to a comment on the article.

This is challenged where the impact of the world including the political dimension can be represented. As depicted by Gianluca Cosci Panem Et Circenses where the use of shallow depth of field alongside a low viewpoint creates the impression of a restricted view or possibly political oppression.

This is discussed by Cosci in interview

“I am interested in the point of view of the excluded, the marginalised. Often one is forced to have only restricted views, in awkward positions, difficult to maintain. Nevertheless we could take advantage of this apparent fault to observe and understand things in a different, unexpected way.” Panem Et Circenses (2006)

From my archive the following shot most closely aligns with the ambiguous and dreamlike imagery of Mona Kuhn’s work. I selected this image, as in my view, duality is introduced by the fact that although the building in the background is entirely out of focus it is also unmistakably the Empire State building.

Title: How to view the Empire State building from Top of The Rock

Bibliography

Foto Countervisuality Museum. (2013) Still Searching…3. Backwards and Forwards[online] At: https://www.fotomuseum.ch/en/explore/stillsearching/articles/26952_backwards_and_forwards (Accessed on 01.03.19)

Heyman, Therese Thau (1992). Seeing Straight: The f.64 Revolution in Photography. Oakland Museum. pp. 20–24, back cover.

Panem Et Circenses (2006) at https://www.gianluca-cosci.com/panem-et-circenses (Accessed on 01.04.2019 )

Woodpecker

The Brief:

Find a subject in front of a background with depth. Take a very close viewpoint and zoom in; you’ll need to be aware of the minimum focusing distance of your lens. Focus on the subject and take a single shot. Then, without changing the focal length or framing, set your focus to infinity and take a second shot.

As you review the two shots, how does the point of focus structure the composition? With a shallow depth of field the point of focus naturally draws the eye, which goes first of all to the part of the image that’s sharp.

Achieving deep depth of field might appear easy compared to the difficulties of managing shallow depth of field. We’re surrounded by images made with devices rather than cameras, whose short focal lengths and small sensors make it hard to achieve anything other
than deep depth of field. The trick is to include close foreground elements in focus for an effective deep depth of field image. Foreground detail also helps to balance the frame, which can easily appear empty in wide shots, especially in the lower half. When successful, a close viewpoint together with the dynamic perspective of a wide-angle lens gives the viewer the feeling that they’re almost inside the scene.

Again without moving the camera, select a very small aperture (perhaps one stop above the minimum to avoid diffraction) and find a point of focus that will give you acceptable sharpness throughout the entire field, from foreground to infinity. Take a third shot and add it to the first two to make a set.

The exercise is also a way of thinking about attentional focus. According to some of the most recent thinking in neuroscience, the left hemisphere of the brain attends more to detail while the right hemisphere attends more globally. It’s rather like a woodpecker pecking an insect out of the tree while at the same time keeping an eye out for predators. In photography, you could say that having a good grasp of detail allows you to master the technical aspects while seeing the connections between things makes meaning. You’ll return to this point in Exercise 3.3.

The shots:

f5.6, 52mm, SS 1/15s, ISO 100

f5.6, 52mm, SS 1/13s, ISO 100

f25, 52mm, SS 1.3s, ISO 100

Notes:

Deviated from the brief by using auto focus and moving the focus points between the metal bollard in shot 1 and centre image for shot 2 and 3, however I think the purpose of the exercise is still met.

Focus

The brief:

Find a location with good light for a portrait shot. Place your subject some distance in front of a simple background and select a wide aperture together with a moderately long focal length such as 100mm on a 35mm full-frame camera (about 65mm on a cropped-frame camera). Take a viewpoint about one and a half metres from your subject, allowing you to compose a headshot comfortably within the frame. Focus on the eyes and take the shot.

Wide apertures create shallow depth of field, especially when combined with a long focal length and a close viewpoint. In human vision the eye registers out-of-focus areas as vague or indistinct – we can’t look directly at the blur. But in a photograph, areas of soft focus can form a large part of the image surface so they need to be handled with just as much care as the main subject.

The Shot:

f1.4, 50mm, SS 1/60, ISO 320

I chose this shot as in my opinion it works best at a wide open aperture really blurring the background and helps to emphasise focus on the subject. At this aperture there is even noticeable loss of focus on the extremities of the woollen hat and coat. I confess by accident but i also really like the similarity between the motif on the hat and the blurred shape on the picture in the background, the similarity in colour, size and rough shape work well here.

Experimentation:

I experimented over different apertures using a small statue and with a photograph in the background to provide some interest. My aim being to see if i could subjectively discern between different levels of ‘out of focus’ in the background and it’s effect on the overall picture. Highly subjective I believe, in the images below the one that works best for me is at f8.0, unlike on the shot for this exercise where i think fully open aperture of f1.4 works best.

I noticed during this exercise a clear relationship between the f-stops and shutter speed. With shutter speed doubling on each f-stop reduction in aperture. I have been aware of this however this exercise helped bed in the relationship. I started this experiment in aperture priority mode which meant i paid little attention to shutter speed. This is my standard way of operating so far with my photography so could explain why i don’t really have a good feel for the relationships between f-stop and shutter speed. I had a lot of difficulty using aperture priority mode and achieving good exposure during this experiment however and switched to manual mode for the shots below.

I also noticed evidence of some dust on the camera sensor which becomes more evident as aperture is reduced, some cleaning to do.

What is the decisive moment?

Views

Research

Opinion

Research

Opinion

Research

Opinion

Research

Opinion

Taking inspiration directly from :

Technical details:

Technical details:

Assessment criteria

Demonstration of technical and visual skills

Materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills.

Quality of outcome

Content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts, communication of ideas.

Demonstration of creativity

Imagination, experimentation, invention.

Context

Reflection, research, critical thinking.

The brief

Vision:

Technical:

Further considerations:

The series:

The individual photographs:

Concerns and considerations:

Reflection:

Depth of field spectrums

The Brief:

The shots:

f5.6, 52mm, SS 1/15s, ISO 100

f5.6, 52mm, SS 1/13s, ISO 100

f25, 52mm, SS 1.3s, ISO 100

Notes:

The brief:

The Shot:

f1.4, 50mm, SS 1/60, ISO 320

Experimentation:

f1.4, 50mm, SS 1/125s, ISO 100

f2.0, 50mm, SS 1/60s, ISO 100

f2.8, 50mm, SS 1/30s, ISO 100

f4.0, 50mm, SS 1/15s, ISO 100

f5.6, 50mm, SS 1/6s, ISO 100

f8.0, 50mm, SS 0.3s, ISO 100

f11, 50mm, SS 0.6s, ISO 100

f16, 50mm, SS 1.3s, ISO 100