16.02.2012.

TAOP Level 4.

Assignment 1: Contrasts

For this assignment I managed to assemble about 12 pairs of photographs that fitted the criterion from within my existing portfolio.  This did not feel very satisfactory so I launched forth into Deal to seek inspiration.

Each of the pairs I have produced have both a link and a contrast.  I was particularly pleased with the Liquid/Solid pair.

Straight/Curved.

I set out on this assignment to find two man made objects that would meet the criterion.  The two objects I found were Deal Pier and a 1920s shelter.  

The pier was built in the 1950s and replaces an earlier structure.  It has all the brutal design of the time with its unadorned concrete legs and bare deck leading out to the angular cafe at the seaward end.  There is not a curved surface to be seen.  Even the shore line seems to reflect this with its straightness.  The pier has a look of plain functionality with little warmth about it.

The shelter is also built of concrete but is from a different age.  The whole structure is built in the round.  The roof is a circle,  the outer edges of the supports are curved,  the  upper part of the central pillar is curving out like the branches of a tree.  The shelter has a welcoming feel about it the the pier will never attain.

Liquid/Solid.

For this I have chosen to compare the way light acts with different media.

The one is the shadow of an empty window cast upon a stone wall.  The picture tells a tale of decay and past glory but still manages to have a feeling of permanence.  Every time the sun passes the window the picture is repeated.

The picture of the light passing through the smoke is all about the passing moment.  The picture I took can never be repeated.  A similar shot my be taken but never that one.  It took many hours to obtain this shot.  If I waited for the perfect shot it had gone before I could react.  When I tried to anticipate the action of the smoke it often came to nothing.

Rounded/Diagonal.

For this I selected two aspects of the same feature.  The groynes on the beach are there to prevent the ferocious cross current from washing away the sand and gravel.  The mostly wooden structures are held in place by massive wooden piles that are driven into place by powerful machines.  Strong steel rings are placed round the tops of the piles to prevent splitting.  These round topped piles are a feature of the beach and are used as seats, tables and play things for children. 

Once finished the groynes themselves make diagonal patterns down the slope of the beach.  They break up the otherwise plain line of the beach adding interest to an otherwise dull scene.

Light/Heavy.

Who would feel threatened by the approach of the blue wheel?   The soft pastel shades and the roundness of the edges proclaim it to be safe and light.  When I was setting this up I was able to place the trike where I wished.  The wheel looks what it is, a plastic toy.  

The red wheel is clearly meant for business.  The polished steel coupling rods, the harsh red of the wheels and the size of the brakes all give a feeling of weight and power.  Even taking this shot I stood back in awe of what it represented.  This is not a thing to be played with.  

Few/Many.

Flowers can be beautiful as either individuals or en masse.  I have tried to demonstrate this in these pictures.  In the one I have photographed three orchids on one stem making the central one the feature.  The details of that one bloom are clear and is distinct.  The other two blooms act only to support it.  

The second picture is of a mass of flowers on an epiphyllem.  Here the individual flowers are lost in the whole.  The beauty here is in the patterns formed.  My aim was to have a flow of colour from bottom left to top right.  The shape of the green stems assist in taking the eye in that direction.  I have tried to balance out the black void in the top left by revealing the blue pot in the bottom right.  The beauty of a singe epiphyllem in a setting like this is nothing compared with massed colour of a group like this.

Smooth/Rough.

The two panels are sections from two doors.  Both are made of wood and are painted. What do they tell us?  

One has not seen a paint brush in many years.  What paint remains is dirty and streaked.  It speaks of decay and lack of care.  What would we find behind that door?  

The other is newly painted and washed clean.  It speaks of cleanliness and care.  What would we find behind that door?

I make no judgements but merely ask the questions.

Thick/Thin.

To express thick and thin I used the medium of the drawn line.  I used finely sharpened crayon pencils to demonstrate thin and square pastels to demonstrate thick.  I sometimes sketch out an idea for a photograph in pencil but I have not used artist crayons for years.  I was surprised how tactile they felt in use, not only leaving their own mark but also showing the nature and texture of the paper.  This interaction is far more pronounced that between ink and paper when processed through a printer.  

The thin line suggests a light touch and detailed work.  An outline perhaps to be filled in later, a sketch.

The thick line suggests boldness and a heavier hand.  The heavy hand is amply demonstrated by the two broken pastels.   Only a very confident artist would dive in and make an initial mark using these.

I had some problems lighting these sets as I do not have studio lighting.  I used the continuous strobe function on my Metz to paint them with light and thereby obtain the sort of flat lighting I was after.


When I printed out the pastel picture on matte paper the texture made it look as though the mark could still be smudged.

Pointed/Blunt.

Here I have chosen two vertical structures,  both are man made, manufactured from metal and dominate their surroundings.  

The first is the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.  This is a most imposing piece of art with a series of viewing platforms towards the top.  Its height is not truly apparent until one stands at the foot of one of the legs and then looks up.  It is meant to resemble, as its name implies, the billowing spinnaker of a racing yacht.  The spike on the top of the tower accounts for about a quarter of its height and, in itself mirrors the masts and rigging of the ships in The Historical Dockyard.  It was designed to look beautiful and impressive.

The second is the gas holder in Deal.  Its sits like a fat toad in a rather run down part of Deal, rising and falling to its own rhythm.  When full it can be seen from most of the town but when empty it slinks away beneath the roof tops and becomes invisible.  It was designed to fulfill a function and that’s what it does.  Tall it may be but a thing of beauty it is not.

Strong/Weak.  In one.

The last picture is of one my grandson holding his father’s thumb on the day he was born.  The contrast between the strong protecting hand of the father and the weak vulnerable hand of the infant is universal and eternal.  It doesn’t need too many words.  

  

17.07.2012

TAOP
ASSIGNMENT FIVE: Applying the Art of Illustration and Narrative.

Subject: Royal Marines Concert at Walmer on 15th. July 2012.

Each year at this time the Royal Marines Band plays a concert as a remembrance to the twelve bandsmen who were murdered by an IRA bomb nearby 23 years ago.

The concert is very well attended by local people and gives them an opportunity to reflect.

The sky was heavily overcast.

Equipment. Olympus E3.  14-54, (28-108 on normal 35mm camera), and 50-200, (100-400 on normal 35 mm camera), lenses.  Tight security precluded me from close access to the band or stage.  Knowing that I would not be able to get close to the stage I took along the 50-200 lens as well as my standard zoom.  I included a monopod for steadying the long lens.

My aim was to capture the feeling of the day from the excitement of the fly past of the Spitfires, the involvement of the cadets and on to the to band and its audience.

The concert was started by the concert leader introducing the band and giving a short speech about the significance of the occasion.

The conductor about to start the concert.

During a break in the concert the bandsmen themselves passed through the crowd collecting money.  (Wide aperture to narrow the D. of F.)

Passing amongst the audience throughout the concert were members of the local Cadet Force.  Here are a selection.  Not all the uniforms were a perfect fit.  (Wide aperture to isolate subject from background.  By shooting from slightly behind has magnified the appearance of the helmet covering his eyes and looking too big.)

Of all the crowd shots I took the following caught my eye.  The first is a general shot but features a man in blue who has become distracted by the sight of the boy in the preceding shot.  This single counterpoint makes it a stronger image than one where all the audience are facing the same way.  (Long lens used to both compress the crowd and isolate the man in blue.) 

The second is of a small boy who is mimicking a drum solo on his father's hand, demonstrating the excitement not shown in the adult faces around him.

The concert ended with a fly past by two Spitfires.  I captured this image of one.  It was the only one that showed the top of the plane.  

(High speed shutter and panning as it passed.)

08.07.2012

TAOP.
"The Decisive Moment".

Last Wednesday I went, with friends, to Ramsgate Harbour for an evening of photography.
The light had a warm evening glow and was nice and low.  The water was flat and harbour greasy.  I found some interesting boats and took a number of shots.  I was limited by the layout of the harbour to my position.  It was a pleasing image but there was something missing.  The trouble was that the water was too flat and was leaving an empty hole in the lower left quarter.

During the day I had read "The Mind's Eye", Henri Cartier Bresson's writings on photographs and photographers, and had been thinking about his "Decisive Moment".

While I was  framing this image I was trying to employ the various components of composition I had learnt through this course.  The lines of phi, the balance of high against low, the balance of mass against space, the use and placing of colour, implied and actual triangles, curves, and the mirroring of shapes within the frame.  When I saw the small boat manoeuvring in the harbour and leaving a curved wake I just had to wait until the missing ingredient was added.  I took shots leading up to this moment as well as some after but for me this was the decisive moment when the picture I had in my head appeared in front of me.

08.07.2012


TAOP
Part Five: Narrative and Illustration.
Project: Illustration.
Exercise: Rain.


Olympus E330. 14-54mm lens.  f5.6 @ 160th sec. ISO 200.


Third try.
I went to the Hastings Beer Festival this weekend, and like most events it was a was out.  Teeming rain, waterlogged grass, soggy burgers and lousy music just about sum it up.  I did however nail this exercise.  The rain was running off the roof of the marquee and onto the attached Union Flags.  This picture sums up this summers events.  Other than a bit of cropping and colour saturation this is as it was.  The flags had formed this pattern on their own and the wet surfaces were holding them together.

28.06.2012

TAOP
Part Five: Narrative and Illustration.
Project: Illustration.
Exercise: Rain.

This is my second attempt as, although I liked the image in my first attempt, I was not sure whether the first thought on seeing it would be, "rain".
This time I have been more obvious and gone for rain falling into a bird bath.  At least rain falling from a watering can into a bird bath.  There is now no doubt as to the subject.

The bird bath was set up with a black background and two flash heads, one each side. It was taken at just above level height.  Hardened in Photoshop.

I made a second version of this image, closing in on the water, but I feel it loses the context of the original.

26.06.2012

TAOP
Part Five. Narrative and Illustration.
Project: Illustration.
Exercise: Rain.

Rain has many effects on the environment, some constructive and useful and others destructive and harmful, some soothing and some frightening.  The sudden flash floods of recent years were the result of too much rain while the fearful dustbowl droughts of the American Mid West in the 1930s were the effect of too little rain.
To illustrate the beneficial effect of rain I have taken a picture of a local linseed oil field.  The rich, if seemingly unreal, colours tell of water being delivered at the right time and in the right place.   The fact that this is a man made scene is confirmed by the presence of the farm buildings.
The picture as taken had far more sky but as it was featureless above the top cloud I cut it off.  The change of aspect has given the image a pleasing width that the original did not have.  The slope of the field makes the image read from left to right and the expanding triangle of the patchwork of fields holds the viewer's interest.  In addition there is the cool colour of the foreground and the sky which allow the warmer centre ground to give added depth to the picture.