Foggy morning

As part of the background research for this course I came across the work of a photographer called Brassai.  He undertook a projet photographing Paris by night.  The images are all sharp with great attention to detail. I was particularly taken with one image - foggy Paris (1934).

Although not at night the fog on Tuesday morning presented an opportunity to think further about images in difficult conditions. 

Foggy morning, Derby

14mm, 1/30th, F3.5, ISO400 

Strong centreground with detail in forground and back ground; the centre leading away from where the image was taken.

Foggy morning, Derby ii

21mm, 1 Sec, F16, ISO100 

No street lighting; the lights in the shop window have an old fashioned yellow/orange glow.  Strong foreground with the fog blurring bachground detail gives a greater feeling of depth to the image.

Melbourne Pool
14mm, 1/15th, F16, ISO200 

The sun had risen, but not burnt off the fog making the sky very bright behind the subject.  The colour image is almost sepia.

Melbourne Pool ii
17mm, 1/15th, F16, ISO200 

Foggy morning on the way to Leicester
34mm, 1/60th, F16, ISO200 

I wish! (Brassai 1934)

Ezra Stoller

 Last Thursday Steve suggested that I take a look at Ezra Stoller as an example of a highly influential architectural photographer.

Ezra Stoller, architectural photographer, was born on May 16, 1915, He died on October 29, 2004, aged 89.  His full obituary can be found here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article391853.ece

The first para says it all really:

EZRA STOLLER was the American architectural photographer whose memorable photographs of buildings by the 20th century’s leading designers popularised architecture for a whole generation. His striking black and white photographs, which are among the world’s most frequently reproduced architectural images, played a key role in the shaping of public perceptions of modern architecture. 

 www.timesonline.co.uk



Ezra Stoller, architectural photographer,  1915 - 2004

Many of the images taken by Stoller are very striking images of modernist style buildings, typified by clean strong lines.  At first glance the images look almost simple.

Reading through various articles about Stoller it becomes apparent that he took great care to plan the images that he took.  He would visit sites many times to explore the site itself, how it reacted to the light at differing times of day and as can be seen in this image how the building reacted with shade and shadow.

The image above is one of the few that had a person in it.  Then you realise that this is also planned, as without the person there is nothing to judge scale.  As you start to deconstruct the initial simplicity you see the adoption of rule of thirds, both horizontally and vertically, triangles, stripes, reflection, shadow, shade; all of a sudden it becomes less simple.

Whorls into an abstract form: A 1959 photograph by Ezra Stoller of Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum.

TWA Terminal, New York, 1962

Why / how it this strong style appropriate to my theme of community buildings that cover so many periods of architecture?  As I look deeper, past the commonly occuring images the light begins to dawn.

This image from an earlier post has some similarities in perspective and composition, but is also a world away.  Need to reflect more on shadow, use of light and reflection and how they can emphasise different aspects of the subject.

Use of shadow to focus the eye adds real depth to this image.  There is incredible depth of field with both foreground and background remaining sharpe, but destinct. 

Bell wharehouse - How do you make a box interesting?  Add foreground, perspective and blocks of colour.

Although this is removed from many of the images I was able to find, taken by Stoller, this and the the folllowing image have made me think more about my theme.

Graham House, 1962

This is very different from many Stoller images -still the modern architecture, but the setting becomes almost as important.

And finally.................

While  looking for images taken bt Syoller I came accross this image by Balthazar Korab

Barrow upon Trent

The forecast for the weekend is mixed, best Saturday morning - getting greyer and wetter as the day / weekend progresses. 

The aim is to capture external images images from around the site of the church at Barrow upon Trent.  This church dates back to the 11th century.  The architecture is less ornate than later buildings and is early Norman in style.  There have been some alterations over time, but most are old and form part of the character of the building.

The site has been visited on a number of occasions to gain an understanding of what is there and how colours chnge with differing light conditions.  The site is open with some trip hazards otherwise fairly safe paths. I have spoken with a keyholder for the church and have arranged access at a later date to photograph the inside of the building in exchange for access to any images.  This visit is to capture external images.  Equipment to be used is Olympus EP-1 + standard kit lens, Poloriser and tripod. 

The building is of a pale stone and the aim was to enhance colour, taking advantage of early morning light.  In practice, although the morning was bright it had characteristics of later in the year, being very pale, with none of the autumn gold that I had hoped for.  The cirrus clouds were almost wintry, closely followed by a solid bank of cloud that indicated an approaching weather front.

This first image is taken of a gate that is set into the curtain wall of the cemetery.

Barrow upon Trent i

25mm, 1 sec, F5.6, ISO100

There was a very short window of time where the light added some colour to the stone of the church.

Barrow upon Trent ii

19mm, 1/4th, F11, ISO100

Some of the history is there to be seen by those who have the ability.

Barrow upon Trent iii

33mm, 1/2sec, F8, ISO100

Barrow upon Trent iv

20mm, 1/2sec, F16, ISO100

The sky became wintry.  I was not able to achieve what I had hoped with the building.  It did give an opportunity to attempt photographing silhouettes against the sky.  Used small aperture to increase depth of field and to allow elatively slow exposure without bleaching the sky.

Barrow upon Trent v

14mm, 1/15th, F16, ISO100

Barrow upon Trent vi

22mm, 1/3rd, F16, ISO100

Research starts in the pub

I was talking with a friend in the pub today and as the conversation meandered around various things it paused for a time around the background research that I am trying to do for this course.  Composition, perspective, light, my preference for landscapes all were covered including the need to identify individuals who's work I like/appreciate/want to learn from.  In the way that pub conversations do come back to subjects he later suggested that I had a look at Brassai, Caspar David Freidich and Andre Bretton.

First google search for Brassai.
Brassaï (pseudonym of Gyula Halász) (9 September 1899–8 July 1984) was a Hungarian photographer, sculptor, and filmmaker.

Although he lived until 1984 most of the images that came up in an image search were black and white from the 1930's.  Immediately struck by several of the images.  All those shown were low light shots.  A mixture of candid people shots and night scenes from Paris.

Particularly taken by the images below.  Very atmospheric.  Taken 70+ years ago yet still incredibly sharp.

Foggy Paris - 1934

This shot is the first image that I found for Brassai, incredibly atmospheric.  Great detail in the trees and bench with the fog blurring much of the rest of the image.  Do you follow the path of the street lamps or the lights of the car first?  Simple street scene or something more?  The various light sources emphasise the fog.

Under one of the Seine Bridges - 1933

Great use of light and absence of light. The light on the bridge enabling details of tree and building to be captured, but the story is in the dark below. Almost completely dark, just the arch allowing some light into the scene with reflection in the river.

Use of thirds and framing in separate elements of the image.

Open Gutter - 1933

Another low light image, but still very sharp.

The eye naturally follows the gutter as it meanders up through the image.

Obelisk and fountains in the

Place de la Concorde   

1933               

The tiered fountain to the left occupies the first third of the image.  Initially the obelisk draws the eye until you start to follow the lines of water.  Long exposure evident from the way that the drops of water have blurred to form a translucent sheet.  Great detail on the statues.

Les Escaliers de Montmartre - 1936

This image is almost counter intuitive, the trees and the first of the lanterns lead your eyes upward, then you realise that he perspective on the steps is actually leading you downward.  There is a real sense of depth with this image.  The lack of people mad the lenght of shadow identify tha this was taken either very early of very late in the day.  I like this image more as I come back to it.



Seville - 1952-53

So what is the story here?  Just stopping for a chat in the street, confession, passing secrets, none of the above?

An Evening with Dennis Morris

http://www.dennismorris.com/

Expectations?

Not sure really.  The flyer that had been handed out was fairly basic.

Come & meet the International

photographer famous for his images of

Bob Marley

The Sex Pistols

Marianne Faithful

Oasis and many more

Wednesday 13th October

At least I had heard of the people that would be in the images - more than that I had listened to some of the music that they had made at the time.  That ages me.

So I turned up to see an exhibition of photographs only to be taken on a journey through time with Dennis Morris.  Not an exhibition then, but a talk that detailed the how and why he had become involved with photography and a potted history of the journey that that had taken him on illustrated with photographs taken at the time.

Throughout the evening Dennis talked in a gentle and entertaining manner, his passion for photography and music shining throughout.

Dennis, mid interview.

We went to see a photographer - the talk / exhibition was more than this it was about the person - his background, growing up, personal influences - part of Black History Month

Dennis displayed a love of reportage. Before this event I had associated this with photojournalism, news reporting, candid images (often from overseas wars) that capture a moment or an event.  So how does this fit with Bob Marley? 

http://www.reportage.org/  describes reportage as the neglected art of storytelling in pictures.  This makes more sense and the evening starts to fall into place.  The images that Dennis displayed do tell a candid story of time and place.  More than just the image of an individual, while listening to the tale these people become more real, memories of the time start to sneak in.

The iconic image from the evening.  Bob Marley in an image that features on record sleeves, news articles at the time and continues to be seen when he is talked about.

For me, though this was one of my favourite images of the evening,  illustrating a relaxed time before everything took off.

This image is from the Bob Marley, a rebel life exhibition.  Not shown on the evening, but one that illustrates the share joy of the time, relaxed, full of life, Bob Marley the person, not the legend.

In an age of digital where you can take 100's of images at little/no cost it's important to remember the that these were taken on cameras that were fully manual, when you could not be sure what you had captured until the image appeared through the chemicals.  When asked about kit ,Dennis gave a strong response that it was mainly about being able to see the image, anticipation developed through an understanding of the subject and some luck in being there.

web addresses

Initial web based research looking specifically at the built environment, techniques and styles of photography undertaken during class based session main web sites visited outlined below. 

http://www.heritagebc.ca/resources/guides-tips-1/photographing-building

http://www.projectwoman.com/2009/06/photographing-buildings.html

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/a-true-perspective-photographing-buildings

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4132240.stm

http://www.photographywebsite.co.uk/photographing-buildings-c40.html

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/How-to-photograph-buildings-4782

http://www.geofflawrence.com/photography_tutorial_photographing_buildings.php

books

Photographing buildings Inside & out - Norman McGrath  082307413-7

Start of research into photographing built environment.  Looking at different styls of image. 

Unit 208 - a start

Two themes to be progressed, each to consist of a folio of images and supporting evidence.


Which comes first photos or themes?


Theme 1
Built environment
South Derbyshire Community Buildings.

Intention
The intention is to produce a series of photographs that explore the diversity of community buildings within South Derbyshire.  


Images will reflect the range of building style, attempting to explore how the form of the buildings has been impacted upon by function and place as well as how use has changed through time.

Reason for selection
My interest in this theme has developed as a result of the work that I undertake with communities throughout South Derbyshire.  While my work has a focus on people together with their wants, needs and desires I have often been struck by how focus can change from the people of the community to the buildings that are there to support them.  Does the change in form over time reflect a change in need?


Research / Photographic inspiration
Currently looking at various websites that concentrate on photographing buildings - although many of these concentrate on structures in urban areas rather than more rural location.  Research will be added as seperate blog updates through out the time of the course.

Additional research from textbooks has supported this work.  The following have been particularly useful -

• Photographing Buildings Inside and Out, Norman McGrath.  A lot of older, mainly US images.  Good for detail, perspective and use of light.
• Building with Light, Robert Elwall.  Describes itself as "The International History of Architectural Photography".  A really good place to start.  Images cover a wide range of subject from early images of the 19th centuary to more modern times.  Brief bigraphies of the photographer alongside of the image helps pull things into perspective.  Has been godd at identifying potential photographers to research further.

Equipment
Personal equipment is limited to Olympus Pen EP-1 + kit lens 14-42mm and an additional lens - 40-150mm. 

Tripod

Giotto - MTL9351B + MH5011 Kit

	Material	Aluminium
	Folded Height	71cm
	Min Height	30cm
	Max Height with out centre column	147cm
	Max height with centre column	180cm
	Weight	2.21kg
	Weight Capacity	4kg
	Leg Sections	3

Techniques

Throughout the time on this course I will be looking to develop a range of techniques and understanding supported by additional research that I will be undertaking looking at the work of different photographers.  Using the equipment outlined above I will be looking to develop an undertsanding of:

• Composition - looking at the make up of an image, what can help to make an image appealing, interesting to the viewer.  There are many things that contribute to this and are not unique to photography.  The aim from this is to try and understand ideas / rules that will help me develop my skills.
• Rule of thirds - dividing the image into nine equal parts using two horizontal and two verticle lines.  The rule identifies that it is desirable to place the subject of the picture at the intersection of these lines.  It also adds balance if the overall image is divided using this rule i.e. 1/3rd land, 2/3rds sky with the horizon falling along one of the imaginary third lines.
• Diagonals - the use of diagonals to encourage the viewers' eye to move into the image.
• Framing - using elements within the image to frome the main subject.  At it's simplest this could be using a doorway or arch in a building. 
• Golden Ration - refers to a naturally occuring ratio that is regularly seen in nature.  It has been recognised since early times that images that comform to this are attractive to the viewer.  A typical example can be seen in the spiral of a snail shell.
• Patterns - links with colour and texture.
• Use of light quality
• Recognition that the same view can look vastly different under differing lighting conditions.
• The "Golden time" either just after dawn or before sunset.
• Low light photography
• Depth of field - specifically looking at how the use of different apperture settings impact on the image taken.
• Leading lines - using elements of the composition / image to draw he viewrs iye into the image in a specific way to achieve the desiered rusult.
• Colours and textures - use of colours, blending / contrast to highlight specific elements of the image.
• Tripod use
• Timed shutter release 

Safety considerations

Throughout the course it will be necessary to consider health and safety, both self and others.

As both of my themes are targetting outdoor work this will include:

• An understanding of the expected weather conditions and it's impact on the need for specific clothing and equipment.
• Specific dangers related to the location - ground conditions, water, traffic, people etc.
• Use of equipment  - understand how to use specific elements of kit safely as well as other considerations such as weight etc.
• Aim to minimise impact on the environment and subject.  Location photography should not require damage to the location.

While exploring ideas for theme 2 I had been unable to access the reserve at Willington, South Derbyshire, due to flooding (which will have to feature as a safety issue if I am to take this forward within theme 2). 

However, in spite of this it turned out to be a fortunate trip - at 6pm the light was just changing and lack of access to the reserve gave me time to look at the surrounding area including the bridge across the Trent.

Willington Bridge 3rd October 2010

18mm, ISO 200, F5.6, 1/160th

I took a series of pictures of the bridge as the light changed.  I particularly liked the composition of this photograph - it has not been processed in any way, other than to reduce the size for the blog.  I looked to use the rule of thirds on some of the other images, but the reflections in the river were so clear that placing the horizon at the halfway point actually gave a more pleasing result, however the end of the bridge does fall at one of the third points and this has worked better than other images where this is not the case.

The colour of the stonework appears very true to how I remember it on this occasion. The low sun has given the usually grey looking stone a golden hue.

The image could have been sharper, as you look at the stone work of the bridge the image is a little soft.

Anyway it has reaffirmed that this is an area that I would like to work in as theme 2 develops.


Theme 2
Nature

Intention

To produce a series of photographs that reflect the character of the nature within South Derbyshire and the reserves developed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust as part of their Transforming the Trent Valley Project.

 Specific focus will be placed upon Hilton Gravel Pits, a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

Hilton Gravel Pits, nature reserve

The aim will be to show through photographs the changes that take place as seasons change from Autumn to Winter to highlight the natural world that is accessible to all within a couple of minutes walk of major housing developments.

Reasons

The communities along the A50 have undergone a period of rapid change.  South Derbyshire is one of the fastest growing Districts in England.  The village of Hilton has almost doubled in size over the last 10 years with the development of a huge housing estate that would be at home as a suburb of any of the larger towns and cities of the Midlands.

All of this can be left behind within a matter of minutes; accessing nature reserves that many do not realise are there.  They lack some of the drama of the Peak District, but are difficult to beat for tranquility.

http://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/projects/projects_trent_valley.php

Regular walks of these areas over several years have continually surprised me.  The continually changing scenes, wildlife and tranquility that is so accessible.


Research
Research will be undertaken throughout the term of he course using written text, internet, presentations and general course work.


Equip
The equipment is as identified above for theme 1


Techniques
Techniques are as identified for theme 1

Safety Considerations

For theme 2 all photography work will be outside, including at water based nature reserves.  These reserves have areas of rough paths, water (either deep quarry lakes or large flowing river), woodland and open scrub.  One of the reserves is heavily wooded, the other is open to the elements.


The majority of the photography will be taking place at dawn or dusk during late Autumn or winter.  Weather is a major consideration for either area.  It will be important to pay attention to weather forcasts to ensure that appropriate clothing can be worn.  Specific issues are likely to be keeping warm and dry.

Other considerations are as for theme 1.

Type Body material Metal Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Image Sensor Type 4/3 '' Hi-Speed Live MOS sensor Effective pixels 12.3 Megapixels Filter array Primary colour filter (RGB) Aspect ratio & area 4:3 / 17.3 x 13.0 mm Full resolution 1 Megapixels 183204 Exposure System Modes Programme automatic, i-Auto, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Scene Modes Exposure compensation +/- 3 EV ( 1, 1/2, 1/3 steps ) Exposure bracketing 3 frames ( +/- 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 EV steps ) ISO bracketing 3 frames ( 1/3, 2/3, 1 EV steps ) Shutter Speeds Shutter speed range 1/4000 - 60 s Bulb mode 1/4000 - 60 s Up to 30 minutes (selectable longest time in the menu, default: 8 minutes) Sensitivity Auto ISO 200 - 6400 (customisable, default ISO 200 - 1600) Manual ISO 100 - 6400