This group of photographs seems to be about light.
The first one seems to be that moment in the evening when lights go on before curtains are closed, but there is still enough light for the colours to be bright.
In the second, the light rays must be coming an electric light behind the tree - to create the shafts. Is that woman contemplating her baby using the paddling pool or is she planning to use it as a birthing pool! But the sleeping man suggests a relaxed warm sultry summer evening with no anxiety. The road leads out of the picture as in the first photograph
The third photograph I think is early in the morning - there are no lights on in the windows, but the sun light is just catching the clouds, but there is not yet enough light to bring out the colours brightly. It has been raining and there seems to be rising mist in the distance. Why is that lone person sitting on the pavement?
The last photograph is a puzzle. At first I thought the rays of light coming from the right were sun pouring in the window, but the rays coming in at the back window don't line up so I think they must both be from artificial lights. However the light does set the colour in the flowers alight. I do wonder what the woman is doing - this doesn't look to me like a market environment, so I think she must be preparing to arrange them for a function.
These four photographs tell stories. What's happening - why was the photograph taken?
These are a strange set of pictures that definitely evoke thought, the first one has very strange lighting (HDR like) that gives it an artificial look and there is a feeling of what going on with the person getting out of the car.
I am not sure what to think about the second picture, if this was taken in the middle of the day it would not seem so strange but it’s that it seems to be taken a dusk with a massive spot light on them that make it unusual.
The third picture I really like as you can just stare at it and it just seems to pull you in, I also felt that it seems to be very early in the morning (just dawn) and this person has spent the night in this bar they are next to either working or drinking, is gives me that feel that’s hard to describe but if you are up very very early in the morning in a place that is normal busy in the day (like a city street), there is a feeling of stillness and silence that is almost eerie but at peace.
The first thing I thought when looking at the last picture was mental breakdown, it looked as if the lady had moved her flower bed into the kitchen and was working on it in her nightie while sobbing.
“My pictures must first be beautiful, but that beauty is not enough. I strive to convey an underlying edge of anxiety, of isolation, of fear. ” – Gregory Crewdson
Well I think he hits the nail on the head with this, it’s interesting how he does create the “underlying edge of anxiety” as you really feel this from his images.
I think these are all striking in different ways. I agree with Steve about the HDR-like colours in no.1, although there's something else odd about the light in that - big patches of it but not matching the apparent light sources (e.g. street lamp) - something off to the left with big headlights? It's quite difficult to see this one because it's obviously been compressed and recompressed with strong jpeg artefacts showing as a result giving it more of a painting-look.
The 2nd one is unnerving. What's the light source on their drive way? Doesn't seem to bother them. I do like the way that the tree is used to provide a stronger vignette - you can see the dusk sky through the leaves.
The Madison one I like because of the heaviness of the morning. It has a massive loneliness about it. Sometimes you stop and sit on a street and everything else goes on and you feel the tarmac's indifference cover your thoughts and you feel invisible. But nobody is.
Thought the last one was P J Harvey at a first glance! I don't like it much because it's not subtle enough. Strong light, strange positioning of flowers in the room, sad or still woman in odd clothes. I like the woman the best. I think I'd like it better if it didn't have the background light shafts because they don't seem to be anything to do with her. Focussing on her gives me more ideas for interpretations. Is she doing something creative and has just stopped to think about something unrelated? Has she died and flowers have grown up where she was buried, and where a house now stands, and now she's climbed out, still wondering why?(!)
Looking at the other photos in the link, I absolutely see the edginess and the loneliness. The one where the two peope are sitting at the table makes me think of the starkness of Hopper's paintings.
he works with about 40 technicians, lighting everything like a film set. He prepares a story board to illustrate what he plans and then creates it sometimes he doesn't even stand behind the camera. He is creating ideas and atmospheres that look like they are a part of a story or a movie, you just don't know the context so you bring your own experiences to the images. He is clearly an artist with a strong personal vision and a photographer because he uses a camera to make his art but he is a long way from say Henri Cartier Bresson http://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/master-of-moments-henri-cartier-bresson/
This group of photographs seems to be about light.
ReplyDeleteThe first one seems to be that moment in the evening when lights go on before curtains are closed, but there is still enough light for the colours to be bright.
In the second, the light rays must be coming an electric light behind the tree - to create the shafts. Is that woman contemplating her baby using the paddling pool or is she planning to use it as a birthing pool! But the sleeping man suggests a relaxed warm sultry summer evening with no anxiety. The road leads out of the picture as in the first photograph
The third photograph I think is early in the morning - there are no lights on in the windows, but the sun light is just catching the clouds, but there is not yet enough light to bring out the colours brightly. It has been raining and there seems to be rising mist in the distance. Why is that lone person sitting on the pavement?
The last photograph is a puzzle. At first I thought the rays of light coming from the right were sun pouring in the window, but the rays coming in at the back window don't line up so I think they must both be from artificial lights. However the light does set the colour in the flowers alight. I do wonder what the woman is doing - this doesn't look to me like a market environment, so I think she must be preparing to arrange them for a function.
These four photographs tell stories. What's happening - why was the photograph taken?
These are a strange set of pictures that definitely evoke thought, the first one has very strange lighting (HDR like) that gives it an artificial look and there is a feeling of what going on with the person getting out of the car.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what to think about the second picture, if this was taken in the middle of the day it would not seem so strange but it’s that it seems to be taken a dusk with a massive spot light on them that make it unusual.
The third picture I really like as you can just stare at it and it just seems to pull you in, I also felt that it seems to be very early in the morning (just dawn) and this person has spent the night in this bar they are next to either working or drinking, is gives me that feel that’s hard to describe but if you are up very very early in the morning in a place that is normal busy in the day (like a city street), there is a feeling of stillness and silence that is almost eerie but at peace.
The first thing I thought when looking at the last picture was mental breakdown, it looked as if the lady had moved her flower bed into the kitchen and was working on it in her nightie while sobbing.
you should go and read the article in the link from the blog, it will explain somethings and not everything, which is interesting
ReplyDelete“My pictures must first be beautiful, but that beauty is not enough. I strive to convey an underlying edge of anxiety, of isolation, of fear. ” – Gregory Crewdson
DeleteWell I think he hits the nail on the head with this, it’s interesting how he does create the “underlying edge of anxiety” as you really feel this from his images.
I think these are all striking in different ways. I agree with Steve about the HDR-like colours in no.1, although there's something else odd about the light in that - big patches of it but not matching the apparent light sources (e.g. street lamp) - something off to the left with big headlights? It's quite difficult to see this one because it's obviously been compressed and recompressed with strong jpeg artefacts showing as a result giving it more of a painting-look.
ReplyDeleteThe 2nd one is unnerving. What's the light source on their drive way? Doesn't seem to bother them. I do like the way that the tree is used to provide a stronger vignette - you can see the dusk sky through the leaves.
The Madison one I like because of the heaviness of the morning. It has a massive loneliness about it. Sometimes you stop and sit on a street and everything else goes on and you feel the tarmac's indifference cover your thoughts and you feel invisible. But nobody is.
Thought the last one was P J Harvey at a first glance! I don't like it much because it's not subtle enough. Strong light, strange positioning of flowers in the room, sad or still woman in odd clothes. I like the woman the best. I think I'd like it better if it didn't have the background light shafts because they don't seem to be anything to do with her. Focussing on her gives me more ideas for interpretations. Is she doing something creative and has just stopped to think about something unrelated? Has she died and flowers have grown up where she was buried, and where a house now stands, and now she's climbed out, still wondering why?(!)
Looking at the other photos in the link, I absolutely see the edginess and the loneliness. The one where the two peope are sitting at the table makes me think of the starkness of Hopper's paintings.
ReplyDeletehe works with about 40 technicians, lighting everything like a film set. He prepares a story board to illustrate what he plans and then creates it sometimes he doesn't even stand behind the camera. He is creating ideas and atmospheres that look like they are a part of a story or a movie, you just don't know the context so you bring your own experiences to the images. He is clearly an artist with a strong personal vision and a photographer because he uses a camera to make his art but he is a long way from say Henri Cartier Bresson http://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/master-of-moments-henri-cartier-bresson/
ReplyDelete