Unexpected perspectives
An unexpected perspective to me, is being able to look at the world from an angle which is slightly unusual and allows you to change the way you perceive something. I believe that by changing your perspective on an object, especially an ordinary object you may see everyday, it starts to shape the way you perceive the world, as you don't look at things the same anymore as you want to be able to create a new meaning to something.
Bill Brandt 1928-83
For any young photographer at that time, Paris was the centre of the world. Those were the exciting early days when the French poets and surrealists recognised the possibilities of photography.'
Bill Brandt
Bill Brandt was famous for his strong tonal and textural images. His images are usually taken from a close range to show the texture of the skin as well as the depth. Brandt took some of his images from unusual angles to create a new perspective, mostly from his selection of nudes. He is able to integrate body parts together, such as the image of the feet below, as you would never expect for someone to take a picture from the angle, they also seem to take up most of the room in the picture although in reality they are only a tiny part of it. Furthermore the contrast between the doors and the feet are also interesting as its almost as if the feet are abstract as they do not connect a body, which take up much of the room contrasting to the doors which seem much smaller then the feet, however in reality it is the over way round.
Analysis of Brandt's images
Focus: The focus of this image is the body parts, which are shot very close up so it is hard to identify what the body parts are as they seemed to be intertwined. Furthermore the background of the image is out of focus which puts the body parts as the main subject. Light: The light used in this image seems to be natural as there are no harsh highlights and the dark tones are mostly shadows created by the body parts. Lines: The lines are created by the body parts, but they are all different and involve curves, however the most dominant line in the image is the one created by the shadow as it seems to create a new figure on the body part it is on, as though a section of it has been cut out. Shape: Although the body parts are all separate it seems to form a whole new shape, as if they all fit together like a puzzle piece. Texture: The texture in this image mainly involves the skin, as you can see fine details, such as little dots on the skin as well as tiny hairs. The skin looks quite rough and makes you think as though you can feel the texture. Tone: The tone of the image is mainly light and only has dark tones where there are shadows. Furthermore as the image is in a monochrome tone, it gives a feeling of a cold atmosphere as the skin is bare and outside.
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My response
Whilst making my response to Bill Brandt, I made sure my focus was mainly on close ups of body parts. I achieved this by going very close with my camera to the body part I was capturing with it still being able to focus. I mainly photographed the hands as I feel like they are an essential part of Brandt's work, as you you can position them in many different ways to capture a different style each time. In order to capture the the body parts I used natural lighting, such as Brandt did in order to get natural shadows of the body parts. As well as the hands I took inspiration from Brandt's image of the ear, which I tried to replicate however it ended up being an image of most of the face as I found it quite difficult to capture the ear. However by taking it from the ground I managed to capture the face from odd angles, such as looking up from the face from the chin.
Edited images
Out of the images I took I decided to edit 15 of my images on an app, the app randomly customises your images, and makes them look more abstract as it takes segments out and rearranges them. I attempted to use Brandt's close ups and his famous image of the women on the stairs as insperation for my response. For my images on the stairs I tried to take the images from different angles, such as from above looking down on my subject, I also went in front of my subject and took the image close to the floor, so you could only see her lower half. Furthermore, some of my images required me laying down on the floor such as the images of the hands and the close up of the face as it allowed me to get closer to my subject and it looked more intimate. Whilst editing the images on the app, I prefered the images with a vibrant colour, such as the close up image of the face, with the eyelashes cut out and turned upside down in a pink square.
Ed Ruscha
In Ed Ruscha's book 'Thirtyfour parking lots in Los Angeles', he focuses mainly on empty car parks which were taken one morning when he decided to fly over L.A in a helicopter. His images almost seem abstract as there are so many patterns and designs which we would never notice until we saw them from a different perspective as though they were very detailed pieces of art. "Ruscha’s images,’ Ballard wrote, are like 'mementos of the human race taken back with them by visitors from another planet." This idea Ballard thought, is quite interesting as my first initial thought of these images, were that they looked like something which was not from our world and something as humans we never get to witness just being on ground. It made me wonder of all the sights we see and how different landscapes and buildings can look from a different view as It completely changes the original perception of it.
Alexander Rodchenko
"In order to educate man to a new longing, everyday familiar objects must be shown to him with totally unexpected perspectives and in unexpected situations. New objects should be depicted from different sides in order to provide a complete impression of the object."
Alexander Rodchenko was a Russian artist and photographer. Rodchenko took his images from unexpected compositions with a contrast between light and shadow. He usually shot his images from a birds eye view or from the ground, as a way to liberate conventional standards of photography. By photographing in this way he is able to capture details that might have never been noticed before. I believe by photographing in this way you are exposed to new patterns and a sense of surrealism as though everyday buildings or views have been distorted.
My Response
I began by walking around my school and taking pictures of my surroundings with a digital camera from different angles and zoomed in on some to get a different perspective and change the original item into something more surreal and unknown. At first I found it slightly difficult as everything round my school seemed very dull, however it also made me realise that I had to use these dull surroundings and turn them into something much more interesting, from the angles I captured the images from. For example the second image below is of a circular light on the wall, but by standing at the side I managed to capture it in a different perspective whereby you cannot make out what it really is. I also used Rodchenko's idea of looking up onto something and taking the image from there, which I did with some of my images such as the fourth and last image.
I then used a macro lens in order to be able to take images from close up as it would allow me to have the focus as the subject matter in a much higher desnity. I was not able to zoom in or out which required me to make sure I went close enough to my subject matter as possible, it also enabled me to capture it in a angle people would not usually look at it from on an everyday basis. I had to position myself in ways where I would get a different angle such as laying down on the floor. I also tried taking the same subject from different angles such as the spoon with the little balls in it, to see what effect it would have by comparing the same subject matter but from different perspectives.
I then picked 6 of my images, which I thought worked best and edited the images with Photoshop. I decided to make the images black and white as a response to Rodchenko, as well as taking my images from an angle which is quite unusual and abstract. I thought these 6 images worked best because they are of everyday items I see on my way round school, yet I was able to capture them in such a way where it has changed the object from something mundane into an object which makes you question what it may be and has changed the structure of it.
Second Shoot
I decided to do a second shoot, which contained the same subject matters however it would be taken from a different angle so I could compare both the pictures and see the contrast between them whilst placing them next to each other. I kept these images in colour as I thought it would be an interesting difference especially because of how vibrant the colours are compared to the black and white images they would be paired with.
Analytical cubism
Pablo Picasso and Georges Brague led the cubism art movement which ran from 1910 to 1912. Within this form of cubism the images are distinguished by basic fragments, linear construction, and reduction of colour, but most importantly the images use various viewpoints of an object. The birth of photography changed the need for visual art, which then encouraged artists to reflect these new ideas and inventions within their art work. Picasso and Brague were inspired by Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cezanne who disapproved of the rule of three-dimensionality as well as perspectives within art. The Analytic style of cubism was its most intellectual and uncompromising. The structured dissection of the subject created fragmentary images and overlapping planes. This also resulted in collages of various viewpoints which are glued back together to form a total picture. Furthermore analytic cubism images were objects in their own right. Clement Greenberg defined the images as constructions of various parts that both represent and are new understandings of reality.
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My plan: The exam
For my final exam, I will be making a slide show of my images, which will focus on the different angles and perspectives of the same subject matter. Within the exam I will be making a number of practice slideshows but hope to have a final outcome of at least two slideshows, with different subject matters.