Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Abstraction in photography
WHAT IS ABSTRACTION?
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a new kind of art which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. The sources from which individual artists drew their theoretical arguments were diverse, and reflected the social and intellectual preoccupations in all areas of Western culture at that time.
Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art. This departure from accurate representation can be only slight, or it can be partial, or it can be complete.
In geometric abstraction, for instance, one is unlikely to find references to naturalistic entities. Figurative art and total abstraction are almost mutually exclusive. But figurative and representational (or realistic) art often contains partial abstraction.
Both Geometric abstraction and Lyrical Abstraction are often totally abstract. Among the very numerous art movements that embody partial abstraction would be for instance fauvism in which color is conspicuously and deliberately altered vs. reality, and cubism, which blatantly alters the forms of the real life entities depicted.Abstract photography is a method of creating an image using colors and pattern with the absence of its true meaning and clear subject. Abstract philosophy create stunning effect and embrace more to the imagination and it vividly pay attention on texture and color rather than to signify the whole subject.
The key to create a perfect abstract picture is to understand the world as surrounded with patterns. Because pattern imply images. Nature is a great pattern maker. By just observing and imaginative mind you can create an amazing subject in abstract photography. Rethinking on how you represent what you see in the outside world makes a great abstract subject. Macro photography is one example of having a great theme in abstract photography. Flowers and other plant life sill surely give you some inspiration. Others like street light can also satisfy your hunger in creating abstract themes for your marketable abstract photography.
If you are serious to take abstract photography it is practical to have a professional high speed camera and special high speed film. Also, have an understanding to the basic principles of photography like the shutter speed, aperture, focusing, ISO speed, types of lens, white balance, and lightning effects. These are to maximize the aesthetic effect of your work.
Using a slow shutter speed to shoot car speeding fast will give you an abstract image. One of the tricks of creating an abstract image when using the shutter of camera is to crop tightly. Make your object a blur image.
Creating a perfect shot requires an intelligent mind. The true artist must know how to be a technician also for photography is not only an art of form but of technical knowledge.
Other Examples of Abstract Photography:
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Classtime Photographs
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Camera Techniques
The Art of COMPOSITION
What makes a good photo?
How can you create an interesting and visually dynamic photograph?
What is Pre-Visualization?
Effective monochrome photography is truly “painting with light”. It is the careful capture and presentation of shapes and tonal ranges of unique subjects (shades of grey from true black to pure white) that work to generate pleasing and unique images. Over and above the subject matter itself, the use of tones can make or break the impact of the image during the viewer’s split second initial assessment of the image.
When a viewer first sees a photograph, there is only a faction of a second before an opinion is formed as to whether they find it appealing or un-appealing, and this opinion is unlikely to change over time. Ultimately the viewer within this extremely short time-period evaluates every thing you do to generate the image.
How do people respond to photographic images and how one can define a truly appealing and memorable B&W image.
How can you as the photographer present a “unique or altered reality” ?
- to generate something people don’t normally see - in order to generate viewer interest and appeal through the uniqueness of subject matter and capturing moments in time that tell a story.
RULE OF THIRDS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds
What makes a good photo?
How can you create an interesting and visually dynamic photograph?
What is Pre-Visualization?
Effective monochrome photography is truly “painting with light”. It is the careful capture and presentation of shapes and tonal ranges of unique subjects (shades of grey from true black to pure white) that work to generate pleasing and unique images. Over and above the subject matter itself, the use of tones can make or break the impact of the image during the viewer’s split second initial assessment of the image.
When a viewer first sees a photograph, there is only a faction of a second before an opinion is formed as to whether they find it appealing or un-appealing, and this opinion is unlikely to change over time. Ultimately the viewer within this extremely short time-period evaluates every thing you do to generate the image.
How do people respond to photographic images and how one can define a truly appealing and memorable B&W image.
How can you as the photographer present a “unique or altered reality” ?
- to generate something people don’t normally see - in order to generate viewer interest and appeal through the uniqueness of subject matter and capturing moments in time that tell a story.
RULE OF THIRDS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds
The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design.[1] The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.[2] Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.
The photograph above demonstrates the application of the rule of thirds. The horizon sits at the horizontal line dividing the lower third of the photo from the upper two-thirds. The tree sits at the intersection of two lines, sometimes called a power point. Points of interest in the photo don't have to actually touch one of these lines to take advantage of the rule of thirds. For example, the brightest part of the sky near the horizon where the sun recently set does not fall directly on one of the lines, but does fall near the intersection of two of the lines, close enough to take advantage of the rule.
Walker Evans
WALKER EVANS
b. 1903 St. Louis, Missouri, d. 1975 New Haven,
Connecticut
photographer
American
Walker Evans began to photograph in the late 1920s,
making snapshots during a European trip. Upon his return to
New York, he published his first images in 1930. During the
Great Depression, Evans began to photograph for the
Resettlement Administration, later known as the Farm
Security Administration (FSA), documenting workers and
architecture in the Southeastern states. In 1936 he traveled
with the writer James Agee to illustrate an article on tenant
farm families for Fortune magazine; the book Let Us Now
Praise Famous Men came out of this collaboration.
Throughout his career Evans contributed photographs to
numerous publications, including three devoted solely to his
work. In 1965 he left Fortune, where he had been a staff
photographer for twenty years, to become a professor of
photography and graphic design at Yale University. He
remained in the position until 1974, a year before his death.
New York City Lunch Counter, 1930
Photographed through a large plate window, these three
diners appear engrossed in getting a fast bite to eat,
entertained all the while by the activity on the street. Only the
man on the right appears aware of the photographer's
presence directly opposite them on the sidewalk. Assembled
like a frieze across the front of this storefront lunch counter,
the men are both familiar and anonymous in their dark suits,
white shirts, and ties. Walker Evans clearly enjoyed this post
outside the busy lunch counter, and he stayed to photograph
several other trios of unsuspecting customers.
Subway Portraits, 1938-1941
For the purposes of Walker Evans's continuing quest to
obtain anonymous portraits, the subway was the place
"where the people of the city range themselves at all hours
under the most constant conditions." In order to remain
inconspicuous, Evans used a hidden camera: a small, fast
Contax that he painted flat black, strapped to his chest, and
operated with a long wire strung down his right sleeve. In
1966 he published the images with James Agee's
introduction as the book Many Are Called.
Open-End Crescent Wrench, German Manufacture, 56
Cents, 1955
Among low-priced, factory-produced goods, none is so
appealing to the senses as the ordinary hand tool. . . . Aside
from their functions though they are exclusively wedded to
function each of these tools lures the eye to follow its curves
and angles, and invites the hand to test its balance.
Walker Evans's introduction to "Beauties of the
Common Tool," an article that appeared in the July 1955
issue of Fortune magazine, makes clear his appreciation for
the most ordinary apparatus. Photographing pliers, chisels,
trowels, scissors, and bevels was a fitting assignment for
Evans, who found items of everyday use intriguing. Using
plain surfaces and extended exposures so that his largeformat
negatives would capture every nuance of texture,
Evans transformed mundane tools like this crescent wrench
into works of sculpture.
Trash NYC, 1962, 1967
No subject was too insignificant for Walker Evans, who
transformed scattered litter on a New York City street into a
graphic, abstract composition of complex shapes floating in
an indefinable space. The seeping stain on the grimy street
becomes a textured, almost lunar surface, otherworldly yet
compelling. No mundane detail escaped his eye either, as
spent cigarette butts and crumpled paper stand against the
gritty black ground like small pieces of sculpture.
4 Men with Ties, 1963
In 1963 Walker Evans assembled a series of more than
eighty pictures that he described as a "random check of all
kinds of men" and declared that, except for the loyal railroad
yard men, almost no one was maintaining the standards of a
"classic job costume." For Evans, the working man was now
everyman, and, because so much of the population had
moved into the city, every man was now the man-in-thestreet.
In opposition to the current men's fashion
photography, Evans called his work "documentary fashion
b. 1903 St. Louis, Missouri, d. 1975 New Haven,
Connecticut
photographer
American
Walker Evans began to photograph in the late 1920s,
making snapshots during a European trip. Upon his return to
New York, he published his first images in 1930. During the
Great Depression, Evans began to photograph for the
Resettlement Administration, later known as the Farm
Security Administration (FSA), documenting workers and
architecture in the Southeastern states. In 1936 he traveled
with the writer James Agee to illustrate an article on tenant
farm families for Fortune magazine; the book Let Us Now
Praise Famous Men came out of this collaboration.
Throughout his career Evans contributed photographs to
numerous publications, including three devoted solely to his
work. In 1965 he left Fortune, where he had been a staff
photographer for twenty years, to become a professor of
photography and graphic design at Yale University. He
remained in the position until 1974, a year before his death.
New York City Lunch Counter, 1930
Photographed through a large plate window, these three
diners appear engrossed in getting a fast bite to eat,
entertained all the while by the activity on the street. Only the
man on the right appears aware of the photographer's
presence directly opposite them on the sidewalk. Assembled
like a frieze across the front of this storefront lunch counter,
the men are both familiar and anonymous in their dark suits,
white shirts, and ties. Walker Evans clearly enjoyed this post
outside the busy lunch counter, and he stayed to photograph
several other trios of unsuspecting customers.
For the purposes of Walker Evans's continuing quest to
obtain anonymous portraits, the subway was the place
"where the people of the city range themselves at all hours
under the most constant conditions." In order to remain
inconspicuous, Evans used a hidden camera: a small, fast
Contax that he painted flat black, strapped to his chest, and
operated with a long wire strung down his right sleeve. In
1966 he published the images with James Agee's
introduction as the book Many Are Called.
Open-End Crescent Wrench, German Manufacture, 56
Cents, 1955
Among low-priced, factory-produced goods, none is so
appealing to the senses as the ordinary hand tool. . . . Aside
from their functions though they are exclusively wedded to
function each of these tools lures the eye to follow its curves
and angles, and invites the hand to test its balance.
Walker Evans's introduction to "Beauties of the
Common Tool," an article that appeared in the July 1955
issue of Fortune magazine, makes clear his appreciation for
the most ordinary apparatus. Photographing pliers, chisels,
trowels, scissors, and bevels was a fitting assignment for
Evans, who found items of everyday use intriguing. Using
plain surfaces and extended exposures so that his largeformat
negatives would capture every nuance of texture,
Evans transformed mundane tools like this crescent wrench
into works of sculpture.
Trash NYC, 1962, 1967
No subject was too insignificant for Walker Evans, who
transformed scattered litter on a New York City street into a
graphic, abstract composition of complex shapes floating in
an indefinable space. The seeping stain on the grimy street
becomes a textured, almost lunar surface, otherworldly yet
compelling. No mundane detail escaped his eye either, as
spent cigarette butts and crumpled paper stand against the
gritty black ground like small pieces of sculpture.
4 Men with Ties, 1963
In 1963 Walker Evans assembled a series of more than
eighty pictures that he described as a "random check of all
kinds of men" and declared that, except for the loyal railroad
yard men, almost no one was maintaining the standards of a
"classic job costume." For Evans, the working man was now
everyman, and, because so much of the population had
moved into the city, every man was now the man-in-thestreet.
In opposition to the current men's fashion
photography, Evans called his work "documentary fashion
photography."
Edward Weston
EDWARD WESTON
b. 1886 Highland Park, Illinois, d. 1958 Carmel, California
photographer
American
"To clearly express my feeling for life with photographic beauty, present objectively the texture, rhythm, form in nature, without subterfuge or evasion in technique or spirit, to record the quintessence of the object or element before my lens, rather than an interpretation, a superficial phase, or passing mood--this is my way in photography. It is not an easy way."
--Edward Weston
_large.jpg)
Shells, 1927 (1S)
8" x 10"
"The hour is late, the light is failing, I could not expose another film. So there stands my camera focused, trained like a gun, commanding the shells not to move a hair's breath. And death to anyone who jars out of place what I know shall be a very important negative."
Edward Weston - The Daybooks
"It is this very combination of the physical and spiritual in a shell...which makes it such an important abstract of life," wrote Edward Weston of his still life compositions of seashells. Bored with portraiture, Weston began to experiment with the symbolic and formal potential of objects he found. By nesting one chambered nautilus shell inside another, he created a powerful sinuous form not seen in nature. The polished surface of the shells reflects the light, interrupting the sensual curve with piercing highlights. The shells stand in bold relief against the stark black background.
Abandoned Shoes, Alabama Hills, 1937 (ES-AH-2G)
8" x 10"
Artichoke, 1930 (28V)
8" x 10"
_large1.jpg)
Kelp, 1930 (3K)
8" x 10"
Golden Circle Mine, Death Valley, 1939
8" x 10"
Cloud, Death Valley, 1938
8" x 10"
_large.jpg)
Oak, Monterey County, 1929
8" x 10"
"My way of working - I start with no preconceived idea - discovery excites me to focus - then rediscovery through the lens - final form of presentation seen on ground glass, the finished print previsioned - complete in every detail of texture, movement, proportion before exposure - the shutter's release automatically and finally fixes my conception, allowing no after manipulation."
Edward Weston The Daybooks
Bench/Comics, 1944
What inspired Edward Weston to photograph this dilapidated park bench surrounded by weeds? In many ways, this image resembles a still-life painting. By focusing on a simple, everyday object, Weston invites viewers to contemplate a subject they might otherwise ignore. As the centerpiece of the photograph, the bench is transformed from a commonplace piece of furniture to a graphic study of rhythmic, horizontal bands. The weathered finish and broken bottom band are telling signs of age; like the discarded comics page, they suggest that this park bench has provided a restful stop for many weary visitors.
b. 1886 Highland Park, Illinois, d. 1958 Carmel, California
photographer
American
"To clearly express my feeling for life with photographic beauty, present objectively the texture, rhythm, form in nature, without subterfuge or evasion in technique or spirit, to record the quintessence of the object or element before my lens, rather than an interpretation, a superficial phase, or passing mood--this is my way in photography. It is not an easy way."
--Edward Weston
_large.jpg)
Shells, 1927 (1S)
8" x 10"
"The hour is late, the light is failing, I could not expose another film. So there stands my camera focused, trained like a gun, commanding the shells not to move a hair's breath. And death to anyone who jars out of place what I know shall be a very important negative."
Edward Weston - The Daybooks
"It is this very combination of the physical and spiritual in a shell...which makes it such an important abstract of life," wrote Edward Weston of his still life compositions of seashells. Bored with portraiture, Weston began to experiment with the symbolic and formal potential of objects he found. By nesting one chambered nautilus shell inside another, he created a powerful sinuous form not seen in nature. The polished surface of the shells reflects the light, interrupting the sensual curve with piercing highlights. The shells stand in bold relief against the stark black background.
Abandoned Shoes, Alabama Hills, 1937 (ES-AH-2G)
8" x 10"
Artichoke, 1930 (28V)
8" x 10"
_large1.jpg)
Kelp, 1930 (3K)
8" x 10"
Golden Circle Mine, Death Valley, 19398" x 10"
Cloud, Death Valley, 19388" x 10"
_large.jpg)
Oak, Monterey County, 19298" x 10"
"My way of working - I start with no preconceived idea - discovery excites me to focus - then rediscovery through the lens - final form of presentation seen on ground glass, the finished print previsioned - complete in every detail of texture, movement, proportion before exposure - the shutter's release automatically and finally fixes my conception, allowing no after manipulation."
Edward Weston The Daybooks
Bench/Comics, 1944What inspired Edward Weston to photograph this dilapidated park bench surrounded by weeds? In many ways, this image resembles a still-life painting. By focusing on a simple, everyday object, Weston invites viewers to contemplate a subject they might otherwise ignore. As the centerpiece of the photograph, the bench is transformed from a commonplace piece of furniture to a graphic study of rhythmic, horizontal bands. The weathered finish and broken bottom band are telling signs of age; like the discarded comics page, they suggest that this park bench has provided a restful stop for many weary visitors.
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