Chloe Dewe Mathews two year series of images taken in the locations where WW1 soldiers where executed or held. All images created at the time and season of the execution.
Edgeland spaces are spaces that occupy a certain ambiguity. They are spaces that were not built for particular purpose nor used in easily identifiable ways. They are generally places at the periphery, or in between other more definable areas. Therefore we are not generally aware of them. The transience or flux of these kinds of places is interesting to me. In some ways, I see the photographic medium as perfect vehicle for exploring this kind of space. The spaces themselves are elusive and fleeting and photography, especially digital photography, is suggestive of this immateriality or fluidity of information.
I have been using Tumblr for some time now as a way of posting a mobile photography project, that seems to keep morphing via the use of my Canon G range of cameras.
The initial project was to utilise a workflow of shoot , process and publish, purely using mobile phones or devices. Mainly influenced by a Format PhotoForum talk by Australian Olly Lang ( Oggsie ). This now involves the use of settting a Canon G15 to a fixed focal range and shooting “from the hip” . Similar to Walker Evans Subway Photographs he made in the period 1938 to 1941. By setting a focus distance and keeping the camera in his coat he managed to make several stunning candid portraits.
The following where made in a similar way by me with only minimal corrections to straighten the shots and curves – what you see is as is from the camera to the screen.
In December 2012 I went to the Seduced by Art exhibition at the National Gallery. The exhibition explores early photography from the mid-19th century and the most exciting contemporary photographs, alongside historical painting. It takes a look at how photographers use fine art traditions, including Old Master painting, to explore and justify the possibilities of their art. The comparisons were quite strikingly accurate even considering modern styles and techniques. I have two main interest in life photography and motorcycles and there are a lot of us out there , based on the number of blogs I find that are about this pairing. So today I found a blog showcasing a photographer combining not only photography and motorcycles but adding into the mix “Old Master” style paintings – have a look here and some more work of Madrid based photographer Kristina Fender.
I keep finding references to Gestalt elements in the design and composition of images.
Gestalt is a psychology term which means “unified whole”. It refers to theories of visual perception developed by German psychologists in the 1920s. These theories attempt to describe how people tend to organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes when certain principles are applied.
These principles are:
Similarity – Similarity occurs when objects look similar to one another. People often perceive them as a group or pattern.
Continuation – Continuation occurs when the eye is compelled to move through one object and continue to another object.
Closure – Closure occurs when an object is incomplete or a space is not completely enclosed. If enough of the shape is indicated, people percieve the whole by filling in the missing infomation.
Proximity – Proximity occurs when elements are placed close together. They tend to be perceived as a group.
Figure and Ground – The eye differentiates an object form its surrounding area. a form, silhouette, or shape is naturrally perceived as figure (object), while the surrounding area is perceived as ground (background).Balancing figure and ground can make the perceived image more clear. Using unusual figure/ground relationships can add interest and sublety to an image.
Doing research for design for this section I found this presentation for website designers on Slideshare that has many items to consider as it is the same visual language to create any image;
Taken from the OCA Blog – Paul Reas exhibition at retrospective “Daydreaming about the good times? – 1972 – 2012 shown at Impressions Gallery in December 2013
My local independent newsagent in the market carries an eclectic mix of arts magazines one of which is Juxtapoz. It carries a good mix of contemporary and outsider art. I like the way it covers a lot more mixed media artists than most other periodicals.
In my late teenage years I became interested in the content of a space which became the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool… I have been a keen atendee ever since, even after moving away, as it has moved from space to space around the city. But more importantly it introduced me to the work of two photographers that truly engaged the zeitgeist of Merseyside in the tail end of the 20th Century Tom Wood and Martin Parr who would forever change how I viewed the world through a view finder.
Tom Wood the “Photie Man” is not as well known as Martin Parr , he doesn’t even have his own web site which is remarkable in this media age, but his work is increasingly being seen as important in the canon of British based photography. I have seen his work show up in several exhibitions in the past two years, notably images from “Men/Women” and am overjoyed at the news that previously unseen landscape work is to exhibited. I like the idea of being able to see what is a more personal body of work than his trademark images of the public.
The Luminous Landscape is a site to dip in and out of for gear reviews, tutorials and of course stunning landscape photography. It’s a great study resource and a way to lose a rainy afternoon on-line but needs a wait between visits.
I have two main interest in life photography and motorcycles and there are a lot of us out there , based on the number of blogs I find that are about this pairing. So today I found a blog showcasing a photographer combining not only photography and motorcycles but adding into the mix “Old Master” style paintings – have a look here and some more work of Madrid based photographer Kristina Fender.
