Unit 1: Pt 13 White Cube – From the Vapour of Gasoline

Next visit was to the White Cube gallery in Mason’s Yard. Tucked away from the hustle & bustle between Pall Mall & Trafalgar Square in St James, this is a fantastic gallery space. As if transported by Dr Who from a distant galaxy, it epitomises the classic modern (post-modern) exhibiting area.

When we arrived, I just took in what was there. Confused. Didn’t even realise that they were by different artists. Didn’t look at the tags.

Brain was fried from looking at Crewdson’s work. These are my perceptions.

 

& my B&W translations…

Criteria Ref: Task 1.1

Unit 1: Pt 16 Thoughts on Realisation

Been thinking about this particular project – Landscape. What’s been pricking at my mind? Where are my observations leading me? My recent visit to Brighton was definitely a move along the right path. Feedback required…

During the session on Friday 13th September, I sat down with Ria & had a discussion about my thoughts so far. It was during this chat that Ria picked up on a couple of the images I’d produced.

 

The comment that sparked some inspiration was Ria’s suggestion that the water looks like petrified rock.

 

The other was how this looks like land.

I’d already made my mind up that I’d be focusing on this type of landscape, but wasn’t quite sure of the direction I wanted to take it in. I’d now had a better idea.

I knew it had to be on a beach or of light on water. Preferably black & white so I can get the rock effect. I also want to work on getting a better monochromic image. Colour might be an option – depends on the ‘landscape’.

What style would it be? Triptyc? A series? Definitely abstract & metaphorical in style. My interpretation of light on water, making a new landscape from sea & sky.

Visual language? This bit needs work. The three photographers I want to research? Currently Ansel Adams, Fay Godwin & Thomas Joshua Cooper are in the running. I’ve also looked at Simon Norfolk, Edward Burtinsky & Murray Johnston. Further digging is required. Who has influenced me the most so far?

I’ve also got some thoughts on my recent gallery visits that are scratching round my head. This is in regards to presentation of the final images, including how it will be printed & the size. Earlier in that day’s session, Ria gave the class some pointers for transforming images from RAW files to finely polished JPEGS or TIFFS. One aspect Ria mentioned was in reference when looking at ‘white’ spots while tweaking an image in RAW – it’s where the light ‘comes through’. I need to exploit this – so when the light ‘hits’ these white spots on a printed image, the observer will be ‘experiencing’ the light on the water. Instead of an annoying reflection, it becomes part of the composition.

As for a name, is Sea Scapes worthy? Or just corny…

While still thinking about this concept over the weekend after, I took some more shots. I made the following conversions following some of Ria’s tips.

 

The other thing on my mind was the interim crit lined up for Friday 20th October. This is when I have to present my ideas & concept to both the class and Ria. Will have to spend the next few days having a bit of a think & making some decisions…

Criteria Ref: Tasks 2.1 & 2.2

 

 

Unit 1: Pt 18 Sunny Interlude

With lots of work being done in the background – research, reading & writing, I realised I needed a bit of time in my favourite place.

Could add to this project, who knows. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, surprisingly mild for a late October day. On the drive home from work I took a detour to the Woodland Gardens in Bushy Park. I didn’t take many photos, but just being in the woodland itself was a calming, soul-cleansing experience after a very busy week.

The following were taken on my mobile phone.

 

I did take a few with my DSLR. Gave myself a little challenge of going fully manual.

 

 

An enjoyable interlude with an extension of previous ideas.

Criteria Ref: Task 2.1

 

Unit 1: Pt 21 Brighton 28th October 2017

Another day, another shoot. Back to Brighton beach. More observations. This was earlier than when I started the previous day. I really liked the silver tones, which is what usually results from when the sun is coming in directly towards the beach.

I was also using a single focal point directed at the bottom third of the frame, something that had been given as a tip when finding this area when taking a landscape image. All of the following were taken with my Nikon D5500 DSLR with the 50mm lens.

 

After taking a look at the sea, I focused on the old pier again. This is a mix of the old struts and the pier itself. Just trying to see what works, what doesn’t. Looking at lines, shapes, light, etc. Plus a close up for a spot of detail. (back to my comfort zone!).

The light then started to change as the sun moved round – my focus returned to the sea, but with some human additions.

I also took some closer shots of the waves & sea foam.

Then my attention went back to the pier, catching the setting sun moving over the structure.

With the light fading & the time on the parking ticket it was time to leave the beach & return to the car. Caught these few final shots before departing.

I’ve made some edits of a few of the shots from the day. Good, but not perfect. But feeling I’m moving in the right direction.

Interestingly, after I posted the last image on Facebook, a friend pointed out that the horizon was ‘wonky’. That was one thing I was noticing with some of the other images. Ok, I wasn’t using a tripod so what would I expect when dealing with such a wide horizon? So I tried the auto-straighten in Camera Raw with the following edited shot:

This is the original:

Better! What I did notice is that Camera Raw will straighten depending on the crop setting. Also, it did reduce the size of the initial file. Yes, better to have a straight shot in the first place, but now I know how to adjust accordingly.

Criteria Ref: Tasks 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 & 3.2