'Documenting the changing of seasons'
Introduction
My personal investigation is focused on nature and landscape; I am
photographing the environment, which is often overlooked by people. My project is titled 'Documenting the changing of seasons' as I want to show the transition of autumn to winter using the universal indicators. I am capturing
the beauty and fragility of our surroundings, which is important to me in my work;
I want my end portfolio to show the changing of seasons that we don't recognise everyday from a different perspective. One of my biggest inspirations in
this project is Ansel Adams who says, 9“I hope that my work will encourage self expression in others and
stimulate the search for beauty and creative excitement in the great world
around us.” This
quote explains the importance of photographing nature, the prospect of
awakening a “creative excitement” in
people for their local environment could make them realise that it needs to be
protected by us therefore may encourage a new perspective. By studying nature
and the environment in general it is of global importance, the more educated
and involved people feel in nature, the more they will respect and protect it.
Therefore, preserving the beauty we can see today for future generations.
History
In the 18th Century, landscape
photography was mainly used as a background for a principal subject. This means
that landscape wasn’t photographed alone; as it’s own art form instead it was
only used as an aesthetically pleasing background to a subject. For example
using a beautiful valley as a background to a portrait image. It followed the
same layout and techniques as paintings until later that century artists such
as John Constable and William Turner started to romanticise the environment.
Wivenhoe Park (1816) - John Constable
Landscape photography was firstly used as a way to document
new lands that were being discovered by Western cultures, including to
magnificence of the natural environment and the small details. The first
photographic movement occurred called ‘Pictorial Photography’. The
photographers who adopted this idea concentrated on the mood an image
translated to people rather than just the mechanical media and information it
contained. In 1889, Dr Peter Henry Emerson promoted the term ‘naturalism’ in
which he believed photography should be treated as a separate art from to
painting. Then in 1902, Alfred Stieglitz helped promote photography as an
aesthetic medium, which consequently resulted in aesthetically pleasing
photographs of nature and the environment. As this image predated colour
photography by three years, Stieglitz produced the image as a platinum print,
which was coated with layers of gum bichromate, giving it it’s green/blue tint.
He started to take pictures of everyday objects creating the term ‘realism’
within photography. 10 & 11
The Pond Moonrise - Alfred Stieglitz
The group F64 including Ansel Adams and Edward Weston
started to break away from pictorial photography by using small apertures on
large cameras in order to have maximum sharpness and detail. This moved away
from the pictorial idea of aesthetically pleasing, softened photography of a
romanticised landscape. In the forefront
of the 20th Century, most famous photographers came from America
whose pictures captured the, at the time, mysterious landscapes of the USA. One
of the most famous in landscape photography being Ansel Adams who in 1916,
photographed the majestic beauty of the Yosemite Valley which changed
perspectives on nature photography. He not only influenced the popularity of
landscape photography, he made many people think about the way they act due to
the expression of his mood and thoughts through the art. In the 1930’s Ansel
Adams and Fred Archer invented the Zone System to ensure correct exposure in
every photograph, even back lighting and harsh differences between light and
shadowed areas of a scene. The Zone system is still relevant today as it is
concerned with achieving the desired exposure that the photographer sets out to
accomplish. Although early photography was limited to black and white this was
the preferred style of Ansel Adams and most others until Galen Rowell
celebrated bringing colour into his work.
Clearing Storm Over El Capitan - Galen Rowell
Rowell selected Fuji Velvia film in photographing landscapes
for its bright, saturated colour he injected an expressive art into the medium,
starting the common style of landscape we see now. Many landscape photographers
over the years have been environmentalists, using their work to promote
preservation. For example, William Henry Jackson’s work in the 19th
century was used as an instrument to set up Yellowstone as a National Park. In
the 20th century Phillip Hyde produced photographs for the Sierra
Club to encourage preservation of natural places in Western United States. This
shows the importance of landscape photography in wider society, it gives people
a realisation of the beauty of the environment in order to preserve it for
future generations.
Photographers Research
Ansel Adams
One of the main photographers that have inspired me in my
work is Ansel Adams an American Landscape photographer born in 1902. Some of
Adams’ best work has come from photographing in Yosemite, a national park in
California. Adams’ was part of the Sierra club, an environmental organisation
founded in San Francisco in 1892. He worked very closely with preserving the
Earth, becoming a monument among environmentalists for all of his work. Below
is some work of his that I enjoy the most.
6This image is titled 'El Capitan' taken in Yosemite,
California. 'El Capitan' translates to 'the chief' or 'the captain'. It is a
vertical rock formation found on the north side of the Yosemite National Park,
standing at 2,307m. The rock formation consumes the majority of the image;
predominantly the right-hand side due to the way the photo is composed. By
having the subject of the image off-center it helps the viewer to see it blend
into its surroundings, giving an idea of the setting not just 'El Capitan'
itself. The height and predominance of the rock reflect its name 'the captain',
with its dominating nature and strong structure overshadowing the rest of the
image. The comparison between the rock and the trees shows its sheer size, it
leads the viewer to think about the difference it would be between them and the
rock. One of my favorite things about this photograph is how the stream leads
alongside 'El Capitan' into the background of the photograph; this breaks up
the image and adds depth. I believe that I was drawn to this image due to the
large size of the rock, how strong and dominant it is over its
surroundings. I believe that Ansel Adams would’ve taken this photograph
at F64 (as the club he was part of was called) because this would ensure the
whole image was in focus. In order to use an aperture this low, he would’ve
needed a long shutter speed to ensure the right exposure was gained, this would
then require a tripod to eliminate blur.
Adam Burton
Another photographer that I
have researched and taken inspiration from is Adam Burton, one of the UK’s
leading landscape photographers. Adam has had 15 years experience in the field
of landscape photography and photographs some of the most beautiful places in
the UK, mainly the Southwest of England. Burton is self-taught; his style has
developed with experience. The vibrant, bold landscapes have attracted the
likes of National Geographic, Ford and The AA. Burton’s aim is to capture
wonderful landscapes that encapsulate British seaside and countryside with an
emphasis on in-camera technique rather than Photoshop manipulations.
7This photograph attracted my attention; it is titled
‘Catbells & Derwent Water’ due to it displaying Derwent Water and Catbell
Mountain. This photograph was taken in the Lake District in October 2012, as
the photo was taken in October we can infer that it was autumn. This is evident
from the orange colour that is apparent on Catbell Mountain; this vibrant
orange indicates the leaves on the turn, ready to fall for winter. To me, the
orange leaves appear to be cascading down the mountain, as if they are flowing
lava slowly burning out into the background of the image. I think this image
was taken at an aperture of F22 due to the wide depth of field. The foreground
adds an interest to the image; it creates a sense of distance across the water,
giving the viewer an idea of scale. The lake in the middle of the photo
provides a lot of detail; it shows the reflection of the mountains orange
covering drawing your eyes to the mountain even more.
8This
image is titled ‘Wooden Lighthouse’. This was taken in Burnham On Sea; Somerset
in the winter of 2014. However it is unexpected to see a mostly blue sky in the
winter in England so it isn’t very typical of the UK. I think the perspective
of this image is very interesting; it has been taken from a low angle making
the puddle in the foreground look stretched and the lighthouse look taller than
it actually is. I like the simplicity of this photograph; the main subject
being the lighthouse stands out perfectly as this is the focal point. The
puddle that shows some reflection of the sky leads your eyes to this
lighthouse, right from the foreground of this image to almost the background.
Although there is limited information in this photo there is still texture and detail.
The sand or silt that makes the ground has a slight raised pattern that is
evident at the very front of the scene. The sky also hold detail, the
scattering of clouds makes this blank space look interesting and more appealing
to the eye. Again I believe this image was taken at an aperture of F22 and ISO
100 due to the wide depth of field and clear appearance.
My work in relation to photographers research
My personal investigation aims to look at ‘recording the
progression of the seasons’ based on the work of some landscape photographers.
Photographers such as Ansel Adams, Adam Burton and Charlie Waite have
influenced me throughout this project.
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams is one of the most famous landscape
photographers, he is the first photographer to put forward the importance of
the ‘Zone System’ that indicated a scale should be included in every piece of
work. This scale is a technique I have been conscious of throughout my work as
it adds detail and a professional approach.
Ansel Adams inspired this photograph; quite clearly the
composition and subject are almost identical. Both images have the path going
down the middle acting as a leading line for as far as the eye can see. I
wanted my image to have this effect as I thought it was a really striking
landscape image. The leading line draws the viewer in, leading their eyes
gradually throughout the image; the curved appearance of the path brings a
sense of calm and softness about the image as the edges look almost blurred.
The detail in the sky is also very similar across both images; there are
dispersed, wispy clouds that scatter the sky giving it a slight detail but not
too much. I think this adds to the mood the image brings, looking at Ansel’s
photograph I would say it looks like a miserable day or eve that the image
looks mysterious. I think part of this is down to the black and white effect. I
think my image would appear the same if I converted it to black and white due
to the appearance of the clouds and how they would look dark grey if they had
an effect on them. As I have learnt throughout my research into Ansel Adams, he
shoots all of his landscape mages at the highest aperture he can reach being
F64 for him. This is to ensure that the whole frame is in focus, giving the
image a wide depth of field. When doing my shoots I kept this in mind, which is
why this photo was shot at F22 (the highest aperture on my camera), as I wanted
to keep the whole image in focus the way Adams does. I believe this piece of
work links well to Ansel Adams’ technically and aesthetically, he has
influenced my work especially in aperture and awareness of tones using the zone
system.
Adam Burton
Another photographer I have been
influenced by in my work is Adam Burton. I think his work encompasses the theme
that I am trying to follow, some of his work shows wintery scenes or sunset
lighting which is something I am aiming to do. I have tried to photograph in
the ‘golden hour’ in order to get the best lighting I can for my images.
Despite
my image not being quite the quality that Adam Burton’s is, it is still
inspired by him. As soon as I saw his image that looks down on a village I
wanted to try something similar. Therefore I took this image that was taken at
the top of a hill overlooking North Weald Bassett. In the style of Burton I
tried to take the photo at the ‘golden hour’ in order to get amazing or maybe
original lighting from the sky. Unfortunately it didn’t work out quite as
fantastic as his did but it still shows a dark, but vibrant blue light. One
thing that stood out to me about Burton’s work is the rule of thirds that he
uses. It is evident in nearly every one of his shots, as you can tell in this
photo the top third is the sky and the other two thirds are the fields. In my
image I reversed this by trying to get the village as the bottom third as
otherwise the image would’ve been occupied by just grass. Lastly, from studying
Adam Burton’s work I have tried to introduce a foreground interest in most of
my photos. I think this is working well as it gives the image a focus and takes
away the blank space.
The Future
I believe that the future of landscape photography could be
very different to how we view it now. As global warming, deforestation and
desertification take place at a rapid speed our environment is changing and
declining. Therefore the images we take now of our surroundings could be viewed
as history in the future, an environment that isn’t experienced and photographs
that can be studied from. I believe that the future of landscape photography
will be mainly urban settings, either of the city or industrial sites but many
will not appear as aesthetically pleasing as we can photograph now. Despite the
change in landscape appearance I think that as technology improves there will
be more images taken on phones that will be of same quality as professional
cameras take now, therefore perhaps the importance of landscape photography
will decrease as people can recreate it themselves. There have also been
advances in the mediums that are used to record photography; many photographers
are now using videos and animations in their work to display the use of new
technology and editing. This is a modern way of displaying a project or
researching a concept although it is something that I think will become more
popular in the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
Overall, I think my project has been majorly inspired and
influenced by the work of Ansel Adams, Adam Burton and even Charlie Waite.
Their photography stands out to me as innovative within the context of their
time; the work of Ansel Adams was a step forward in landscape photography, by
introducing the use of the zone system and the use of F64 it transformed his
work. This is something I now think about in my own work, every time I take a
photograph I consider the range of tones I have in it and whether I am using a
wide depth of field. Since doing this my work has improved vastly, this is
something I will take into the future of my photography work. The works of Adam
Burton and Charlie Waite I believe have influenced me aesthetically speaking.
Both of their work is saturated with colour, beautiful tones that compliment
each other making the image look spectacular. They also compose their images
really well, Burton’s use of foreground interest is something I have tried to
use in my work and I enjoy the outcome every time therefore I think this is a
valuable aspect to have learnt from him.
I believe throughout my project, the introduction of shooting in NEF
files and using a tripod has taken my work to another level. It shows that I
have put thought behind what I am doing and am not just shooting aimlessly. For
the future of my project I intend to work on the quality of my images,
especially when it comes to editing. I want to be able to subtly improve my
photos using Photoshop in order to achieve an excellent image. Shoot wise; I
need to concentrate on using the natural lighting to my advantage as sometimes
my images come out underexposed. I would also like to include some images of
objects closer up to bring detail and work on the story behind my images.
References
10http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/landscapes/background1.html
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well done with the essay which is of a very high standard..
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