Interim (draft) presentation

Another continual overview of the work produced so far. I included some experiments which I particularly did not like, they were just made to experiment with another potential 'object' to use. The images did not impress (as expected), but I found that no other images sparked as much interest/attention as the red shelf photographs did. Perhaps I should intend to create a series just with this object? 

Salcey forest red - edits

I knew of a place that would make for an interesting "plinth" - Salcey Forest walkway. The corridor decking is a beautiful walkway in the treetops and makes for a surreal setting - something I personally haven't seen much of elsewhere. 

Again, the colour continues to contrast charmingly against the background. Neutral tones of wood and tree branches against this bold, primary (man-made) red. 

The shelf here acts almost as a divide between halves of the frame, perhaps I could use it as a complete divide in a future shoot?

Still photographing close and further away, they have different impacts depending on the composition. The closer I shoot, the more the shelf should be used as a tool for composition (e.g - splitting the frame, used to compliment the forms that surround it), and the further away it is it simply is used as a sculptural form within the frame. 

Taking note from a previous shoot (on the beach), I remembered the shelf needn't always be upright to create a curious photograph. Here it's acting almost as a gate, blockage? The use of the object now completely changes, not only just some sculptural object in juxtaposed setting. Now it is not only that, but use for something else. 

Another image of my partner, here making sure the object is stable before shooting. His stature is fairly ominous in this image, looming over the unit. I must admit it does look a tad cliche, but it still works.

Further away I think our eyes are too transfixed on the walls rather than the red shelf here, the above image works better - being more balanced. 

Salcey forest red - contact sheet

Franco Fontana

Franco Fontana

Most of all interested in the interplay of colours. The images are original and vibrant. The compositions are raw, to the bone - lines, shapes and forms are all of primary vision. The simple landscapes remind me of the important use of the frame, how it can change the art within the frame. We know the world exists beyond it, and cleverly the act of limiting the view, only seeing a fraction of the fields, we still get a sense of the immensity of the landscape.

The sense of scale often comes from a tree in his landscape photographs, though we are at a loss as to how to use this scale - how large is that tree? 

"I try to isolate in space and time all that is normally mixed up with an infinity of details. Extracting a few essential elements from the entirety that presents itself to the human eye is one of my inner requirements."

Beach red - edits

Here is another setting I chose to shoot the red shelving unit. So far the project could be a continuation with this object in different scenarios across different settings; we shall wait and see. 

The setting is again, fairly plain - what I was planning. Being a hazy day helped with the contrast between blander setting and brighter object. 

I think I overly prefer the images where the shelf is further away in frame. The sense of space is more apparent, we can compare the objects size with the scale of the area, but this can also be an illusion down to the simplicity of the objects shape and the simplicity of the background. 

Over the course of the day the breeze would occasionally blow over the shelf, but seeing this narrow rectangular shape briefly hang diagonally looked ever so strange to me. The diagonal tangent contrasts heavily against the horizontal lines of the landscape. After showing a few peers this image they remarked that it is an image that would drive OCD sufferers crazy, not being perfectly perpendicular with the landscape. Comparing this image with the above, the first image almost becomes satisfying after seeing the imperfect diagonal. 

The ending result, of course, is this. Together the three could work as a small series, or tryptic, on their own. But the ending image also led me to see that the rectangle doesn't always need to be upright to cast a strange appearance. 

I also thought it best to continue photographing my partner setting up. The below image shows himself picking up the shelf after many times it blowing over, but here his body and the object create a triangle, a new shape all together. It's a curious image with much contrast within the frame: bland landscape, bright/surreal object and this dark figure obviously in-charge of this object. 

I tried for a slightly busier setting. A forest is slightly "mystical", so the object placed here becomes, perhaps, an obelisk of some sort? 

Landscape and portrait shots in comparison: Portrait has the opportunity to exploit the grandness of the trees in contrast with this, now shrinking, red plank. Whereas the landscape has the opportunity to include more trees (shapes) in frame. So we have more objects in frame to surround/outnumber our shelf. Personally, the landscape is more effective for that reason. The composition works better, the background is evenly halfed - straw/grass 50% bottom half and trees/trunks 50% top half, with the red shelf placed centre to it all. 

Still continuing shooting my partner assisting. He adds a sense of scale to the images, but more importantly he adds a sense of curiousness also. Putting the images of him together in a series, it becomes even more curious - we ask who on Earth is this person carrying around this object? I don't think the question need be answered, the images don't exactly answer any questions but they make an interesting series on their own.

Beach red - contact sheet

Field balloon - edits

This shoot was intended to experiment with a similar landscape/background but another object. At this point I hadn't any access to peculiar larger items so I tested with a number of balloons. I wasn't keen on the use of them, but they were simply a test to see how the images would look with something else used.

I tried to keep the objects subtle in frame, so shooting them from a distance. In direct comparison with the previous photographs with the red shelf-set, they are not as effective. There is a distinct lack of impact, less colour and difference in form. We see this dot in the background and it could be anything, it's small and uninteresting. 

So I put more into frame. The image starts to become a little stranger now. The colours remain bland however, and comparing a less saturated image against saturated, the brighter colour is more effective. Bringing down the saturation lessens the mood of an image, if my intentions were such it would be the direction to choose. However the mood of my project thus far is light, engaging with striking imagery. The use of colour should be bold and impactive.

The use of line from the land here is done well, to add detail over the duller mass of green. Better composition is starting to form here.

Black and white edits were added to compare its outcome with colour. Bu, it doesn't suit this projects theme. Black and white images tend to support moody themes and scenes. In a way, juxtaposing a light topic with moody aesthetic can work - but perhaps not for this project. It is the use of colour which so far stands out, so I shall continue on to play on its strengths. 

Taking the balloons to a slightly different setting to test its outcome. I wanted to see how the objects would relate to the setting, how they'd either alienate each other or somehow quirkily work. However it really did not work with what I've been doing so far. It makes little sense, the images are ill-composed (partly due to difficulty finding a place to shoot over a river). Again, the colours are bland and there is no highlight to the photographs. Yes, in previous shoots I was aiming for bland weather/backgrounds - but here the background is both too busy and bland/dark. There is nothing to contrast/compliment - which the object should do in the photographs.