Abstraction
- abstraction/əbˈstrakʃ(ə)n/
noun- the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events.
- freedom from representational qualities in art.
- a state of preoccupation.
- the process of considering something independently of its associations or attributes.
- the process of removing something, especially water from a river or other source.
The formal elements are what you use to help analyse images, they help us to form an opinion whether something is abstract or not. Some photographers can change there images to make them abstract, they can do this by distorting one of the formal elements. For example you could make an image blurry by taking it in out of focus which could make the image look unrealistic and therefore abstract. Another example would be to take an image of something so close up that it becomes out of touch with reality.
MY OWN PINTEREST
I decided to use pinterest for inspiration for this abstraction project. I started off looking at the Tallis Arts abstraction page which gave me some work I liked however there was not a huge amount of abstract photographers I liked so I clicked on the images I liked the look of and then googled there names a d eventually I began to find more and more abstract work I liked. Pinterest is a good way of brainstorming visually, from doing this I realised I was drawn to quite minimal and colourless images such as photographs with black and grey tones and also some blue. I think this is because I am drawn to images that are quite minimal and bleak. The first artist I will be researching is Josef Hoflehner.
Joseph Hoflehner
Born and brought up in Australia Josef Hofehner is known for his dramatic black and white landscapes. He takes his photographs all around the world e.g Iceland. His work is based a lot around nature and environments, focussing on natural forms like trees and mountains. Although I am not usually drawn to this sort of photography, his work captures the other side of nature, he transforms them into abstract pieces.
I found out about his work via pinterest as this one image really appealed to me due to his dramatic use of line, However, after researching more into his work I discovered more of the variety of his work which doesn't appeal to me as much as this first image did. |
Although many of his images are very much based around nature and documenting 'beautiful scenes' this image stands out from the rest of them as he has captured something so close up it looks abstract as we could question what these black objects are. The depth of this photo is also what attracts me to this image, the questionable depth of field creates a sense of mystery and unknowing towards the image. On one hand the depth of field could be seen as shallow because it is difficult to work out where the horizon is however
PLAN -Take photographs of natures like trees -Focus on texture and line -Experiment with colour instead of simply using black and white |
Abstraction: 20 images.
Here I have taken my first set of images using the theme of abstraction. I decided to display my images in this way to show them as separate collections. I took 5 sets of images using a different formal element to base them on each time. I did this so I could get a variety of different images and so I could see where this would take me, also it meant most of my images were very different and I didn't just stick to one subject. I was very drawn to taking images of shadows as they are a different version of something realistic for example I took a set of photographs of shadows from trees which in some ways is more interesting than simply photographing a tree, as we instead get this abstract impression of a tree which could also be many things too. I also thought that line was an important formal element for me to use as it guides the viewers attention to a certain focal point in an image for example in my photograph of the white poles that face inwards to each other we draw attention to the centre point of the image which makes it easier to read. Also, by adding a monochrome effect to the image the overall feel becomes a lot more dramatic and abstract because it removes a sense of reality from it. Another way of creating abstract images was for me to adjust the shutter speed on a DLSR, this gave the images a blurry effect which resulted in quite puzzling but intriguing images.
Proposal for next set of images.
For my next set of images I hope to base them all around one particular theme for example a formal element. By focussing on one formal element I can create a collection of photographs that are all linked together. In my first set of images I used most of the formal elements as a starting point so I could get a feel for abstract photography however now I have developed my understanding I can focus on one thing. I will be focussing on the formal element of line as I feel this gives me the most option to take photographs I like as when I was taking the first set of images I was drawn to line and how line frames an image. I don't want all my images to be symmetrical and perfect but I do want the photo to have precise composition, by this I mean the image should be taken in a certain way depending on the subject matter. For example when I took the black and white images of the bridge and shadows I focussed ont eh direction of the line so that there was a clear focal point in the image. Line is also very important as it they outline important elements of a photograph and without this structure a photograph could be dull and hard to read. I was also drawn to taking photos of shadows so I will combine these two things together and try and take a set of images with these themes in mind.
I quite like the images I took here however I feel like they lacked something and that thing is people. I want to be able to include people in my work and this is something I would like to do in the next experiment, however I am still focussing on line.
Collection
In this set of images I have been inspired to use the themes of line and focus. I made sure the lines from the staircase would guide the viewer into look ing further and to the figures of the image which are blurred out. The contrast from the white straight lines with the blurred out moving people are very important to the image as I am using two themes and blending them together. I'm pleased with these sets of images as they document and illustrate the movement of people behind bars. This is an unusual concept in itself as its like we are viewing the people through sharp lines instead of just looking at them through a camera lens. I would like to take more images like this as I could get images of all different people moving in different ways. To extend on this idea I could maybe even do this as a film and take lots of images like a stop motion to show the progression of the people walking past. Also I could use this idea and take images of people through other mediums and materials like grids from the school or outside of school.
After focussing on line and focus in my previous set of images I decided to carry on looking at a similar theme as a way to experiment more with this subject. During the holiday I took a variety of images using the theme of nature. I thought this would be an interesting topic to pursue as I could make the environment look abstract by using focus in different ways. For example I took some images where I focussed on a tree branches and then in the background you could see figures walking somewhere however there is still a sense of mystery about it because the people are not clearly revealed. I enjoy using this process to take my images as it allows me to focus on a specific element in the image and in this case I chose the nature. I also experimented with light which changed the atmosphere of the images. This was a vital element which made me realise how important it was in the images I have taken for example in one of my first images I lowered the exposure so that there was a deep contrast between the tree branch the the surrounding sky. The fact that I changed this and distorted the light gave me the opportunity to make the image less obvious and less realistic. I wanted my images to be simple yet intriguing and I think I did this effectively as some of them are quite minimal. The reason why my images were quite simple was because I focussed on a certain point when taking all my images for example focussing on a specific tree or figure. This meant the images weren't to busy and if they were they were deliberately done in that way.
Solirization - using the darkroom to create solarised image
Inspired by the photographs I had taken before I decided to look at another photographic technique called solarisation to create these two images. OI was particularly inspired by Kieffer's work to create these. I like the way in the first one there is a sense of division in the image, creating an abstract and mysterious feel to it. However I wanted to experiment with some display strategies to see if I could use this again for another final piece.
Display Strategies
These display strategies have made me think about different ways of displaying an image by dividing it up therefore I am going to cut up the image and display it in different shapes inspired by this display strategy.
I am not pleased with these outcomes as although the composition between these two photographs has the potential to be interesting I feel like its quite full and instead I want to create something bigger and better so I want to carry on looking at some more artists so I can create a final piece which has more emotion to it.
Next Steps
My next step would be to research some artists which share similarities to my work. I think I will research Francesca Woodman as she explores the idea of nature and human figures which in some way is similar to mine. I am keen on using inspiration from other artists photographs in order to gain more knowledge so that I can produce some even better images. By this I mean I would like to focus on other formal elements as well as line and focus so that I can see which one works better for me in order to create a final piece. As I have already experimented using a digital slr camera, using it to create images and also a short film, I will be using a different camera this time in order to experiment. I have decided to use film as there is a very different process in taking images with film in comparison to taking images with a digital camera.
Using a film camera this time I would like to explore more of the urban landscape instead of just focussing on nature. I'm thinking of using this camera in a more hectic and busy environment in contrast to taking images in more natural environments however I would still like to use similar subjects in my work, exploring human figures in their natural environments. However, in order for me to take more improved images I would like to start planning my next developements so that when it comes to taking the images I will know exactly what I'm looking for although I also don't want my images to look like they have been arranged in some way.
Using a film camera this time I would like to explore more of the urban landscape instead of just focussing on nature. I'm thinking of using this camera in a more hectic and busy environment in contrast to taking images in more natural environments however I would still like to use similar subjects in my work, exploring human figures in their natural environments. However, in order for me to take more improved images I would like to start planning my next developements so that when it comes to taking the images I will know exactly what I'm looking for although I also don't want my images to look like they have been arranged in some way.
Francesca WoodmanFrancesca Woodman is a american photographer who explores the idea of symbolism and surrealism in her work using mainly human figures and nature. Woodman began taking photographs at the age of thirteen however Woodman took her life at the age of 21. Despite her short life, she left behind a unique body of work, work which included many images of herself in different surroundings. The fact that she used her own body in much of her work reflects how personal her photographs were. Her body is often merged into the background of bleak looking room trying to find her place in the world.
Links to my own work As well as being interested in her photographs that explore the idea of gender and body representation I am also drawn to her nature inspired work, specifically the way she uses her own body in such a natural environment. For me, it brings up many questions as to why she would create images that makes the viewer compare the two things - the body and the nature. Its like her images are linking to wider issues and not just capturing a moment which looks 'pretty'. This idea of linking photographs to ideas and issues and using them to represent thoughts is something I would like to explore. |
I wanted to take some of my own photographs inspired by Woodman's quite dark eerie portraits of herself so I took photographs of nature in an outdoor setting when it was darker, I wanted to see how these images compared to my last set of images where they were taken in a lighter setting. I put my camera on a low exposure setting with the flash so that the tree branches would come out brighter against the darker setting, showing a contrast like in Woodmans's work.
I quite like the darkness in these images and the way the viewer can't quite see whats going on in the image which I think it interesting. The way the water is flowing down a dark stream. surrounded by branches and and trees creates quite a dark but also magical setting. I also like the way some parts of the image are in focus whilst others are not creating a more vast depth of field.
Do I leave the photographs like this?
I want to experiment with different ways of displaying these images but I want to look at some display strategies first.
Do I leave the photographs like this?
I want to experiment with different ways of displaying these images but I want to look at some display strategies first.
Anselm Kieffer
Born and brought up in Germany Anselm Kieffer is a german sculptor and painter who's work explores wide themes on large scales. Kieffer experimented with a wide use of materials from drawing to sculptor however I believe his most profound work are his large landscape paintings, inspired by war. These paintings of his not only cover such a large space but they are three dimensional. He uses various materials to build up a thick surface of oil paint and other objects such as wood and straw. His paintings reflect on his understanding of history as they link to war and the way people thought about it. He takes these big subjects and condenses them into something more simple and easier to read, these are his paintings.
Links to my own work
Kieffers work inspires me to create work which is symbolic of something relevant to the time now. This is something I would like to include in my next images as I feel like this would be the next best step to take. As well as bearing this in mind I would also like to experiment with the scale of my work. Normally I would have chosen to present my photographs in a small scale, often to show the delicacy of my images however this time I would like to see how my work looks on a much larger scale. Obviously I understand it would be very difficult to make work as large as Kieffer's however by enlarging my own work I can focus more on the content as well as the photographs aesthetic which I don't think is the most important element in photography.
Next stepsI would like to experiment with the scale of my work by enlarging it. I feel like this would really change my photographs as it is something I have never done before, usually I stick to presenting my images on a very small scale. I'm not sure how big I would like my images to be but it would be interesting to see how they look when they are not presented in a collection.
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Using an image I had taken I decided to experiment with the scale and enlarge it. Although Keiffer's work is significantly bigger than mine I like the idea of using scale in a different way to what I have done before. However with this image I don't feel like enlarging it has helped the image in any way. Its very realistic looking as we can see the detail in the trees and water. In order for the images to look abstract in any way would be to put them into some kind of a film, similarly to how I made my other film.
WATER
In the last photoshoot l looked closely at water, and photographing it in an abstract way by taking the photo's in a very dark setting making the scene look almost surreal. Although I liked these photographs I felt like they were just quite boring by displaying them on their own so I wanted to take it a step further and make a film instead.
PLAN FOR FINAL PIECE- FILM
- I wanted to still use the setting of water in my film however film it in a more brighter setting
- I will be making this film as an abstract film through using light.
In the last photoshoot l looked closely at water, and photographing it in an abstract way by taking the photo's in a very dark setting making the scene look almost surreal. Although I liked these photographs I felt like they were just quite boring by displaying them on their own so I wanted to take it a step further and make a film instead.
PLAN FOR FINAL PIECE- FILM
- I wanted to still use the setting of water in my film however film it in a more brighter setting
- I will be making this film as an abstract film through using light.
Clara-Sea You from Clara Bach on Vimeo.
Evaluation
For our next personal project we were given the theme of abstraction. As this was such an open ended theme there were many pathways I could follow. However as a result I was able to produce four final pieces which go well with the theme of abstraction.
I thought the best way to start this project would be to investigate into what abstraction really is. This was important for me as it gave me the knowledge to go on and create abstract pieces. I found the definition and wrote a small response to what I thought abstraction is. After this I needed a way to brainstorm my many ideas. This is a good way of starting a project as you begin to slowly narrow down your ideas as the project progresses. Seeing as there is no better way to do this than pinterest, I used this website to find artists and photographers who's work is abstract. This is a good way to get inspired by other artists. From using pinterest I became particularly interested in an artist called Joseph Hofleher whos work involved using trees with abstract backgrounds. I liked the way he used familiar objects (trees) and placed them in an environment which did not seem real. His images overal were quite simple and minimal. This is something that I have used throughout this project. I therefore took five different sets of images in response to his work. These five sets were taken all on the same device (dslr) and were taken all on different days. This is clear though the images as they are all very different. However I did have a most favourite set which were the black and white images taken of shadows in daylight. In these images I focussed a lot on line which is something I carried on through the project. I wanted to then take another set of images however this time in a different environment to where I took them before. I decided to take the images on school grounds as there were many opportunities to find line from staircases, buildings etc. I picked out a collection of these images and displayed them in a set to see how it would look if I were to use it as a final piece. Unfortunately this did not work for me but it resulted in me taking another set of images inspired by that set. It was interesting for me to see what I would come up with.
This time these set of images were taken in a different environment to where I was before. I took this images over the holiday period so I was able to use a woods/forest near where I was staying. These images included more people this time as I wanted to play around with the idea of combining nature with human figures. These were the first set of images that I felt really proud of. I used the knowledge from the previous images i Had taken and combined it all together to create these images. I felt like these were very successful and wanted to use them in my final pieces.
I then evaluated them to see if there were more photo opportunities and I decided to take another set however this time I would use different and darker lighting. I used the editing softwore called iphoto which is quite simple to make the images darker by lowering exsposure. I thought about using photoshop however it just wasn't neccessary. After this I thought I would look at another artists work as I hadn't looked at that many throughout the project as I kept using my own work as inspiration as it was changing frequently. I thought I would look at Francesca Woodmans work as she alwasy used nature and human figures in her work. Her work however was very different in the sense that it was a lot about herself and she included her own self in many of her images, in contrast to my images where I used other people. However I felt inspired to look at some of her black and white images which shared some similarity to mine. This inspired me to put some of my black and white images into a set.
Whilst taking these images I thought that I could also use film. I thought this would be appropriate especially as I was taken images of flowing water, something that looks better when captured properly in a film. Instead of planning my film very precisely I thought one day I would just make one, capturing the footage all in one day. This was good for me to do this as I learnt a lot about myself and however I work best. I realised I didn't need to plan each step to make this film as if I did I would be restricting, instead I just used the good natural lighting and just played around with the filming. Filming I eventually used as a final piece. This was a good way for me to learn about filming as I had to manage everything myself, the filming, the footage,, the editing, the lighting etc. This resulted in another final piece, which I edited using iMovie. Therefore I created this film after experimenting with capturing settings in abstract light so I took footage for this film on a beach where there was lots of lights. The light was so bright which made the film quite beautiful however I used a setting on IMOVIE which meant some images overlapped, creating quite an abstract effect. I wanted to add music to really drive the film. Therefore this film was the final product of this project and although it seems very different to the work I was doing before, I wanted to change my idea slightly at the end, still focussing on abstract line and light which is the main feature of this film.
I thought the best way to start this project would be to investigate into what abstraction really is. This was important for me as it gave me the knowledge to go on and create abstract pieces. I found the definition and wrote a small response to what I thought abstraction is. After this I needed a way to brainstorm my many ideas. This is a good way of starting a project as you begin to slowly narrow down your ideas as the project progresses. Seeing as there is no better way to do this than pinterest, I used this website to find artists and photographers who's work is abstract. This is a good way to get inspired by other artists. From using pinterest I became particularly interested in an artist called Joseph Hofleher whos work involved using trees with abstract backgrounds. I liked the way he used familiar objects (trees) and placed them in an environment which did not seem real. His images overal were quite simple and minimal. This is something that I have used throughout this project. I therefore took five different sets of images in response to his work. These five sets were taken all on the same device (dslr) and were taken all on different days. This is clear though the images as they are all very different. However I did have a most favourite set which were the black and white images taken of shadows in daylight. In these images I focussed a lot on line which is something I carried on through the project. I wanted to then take another set of images however this time in a different environment to where I took them before. I decided to take the images on school grounds as there were many opportunities to find line from staircases, buildings etc. I picked out a collection of these images and displayed them in a set to see how it would look if I were to use it as a final piece. Unfortunately this did not work for me but it resulted in me taking another set of images inspired by that set. It was interesting for me to see what I would come up with.
This time these set of images were taken in a different environment to where I was before. I took this images over the holiday period so I was able to use a woods/forest near where I was staying. These images included more people this time as I wanted to play around with the idea of combining nature with human figures. These were the first set of images that I felt really proud of. I used the knowledge from the previous images i Had taken and combined it all together to create these images. I felt like these were very successful and wanted to use them in my final pieces.
I then evaluated them to see if there were more photo opportunities and I decided to take another set however this time I would use different and darker lighting. I used the editing softwore called iphoto which is quite simple to make the images darker by lowering exsposure. I thought about using photoshop however it just wasn't neccessary. After this I thought I would look at another artists work as I hadn't looked at that many throughout the project as I kept using my own work as inspiration as it was changing frequently. I thought I would look at Francesca Woodmans work as she alwasy used nature and human figures in her work. Her work however was very different in the sense that it was a lot about herself and she included her own self in many of her images, in contrast to my images where I used other people. However I felt inspired to look at some of her black and white images which shared some similarity to mine. This inspired me to put some of my black and white images into a set.
Whilst taking these images I thought that I could also use film. I thought this would be appropriate especially as I was taken images of flowing water, something that looks better when captured properly in a film. Instead of planning my film very precisely I thought one day I would just make one, capturing the footage all in one day. This was good for me to do this as I learnt a lot about myself and however I work best. I realised I didn't need to plan each step to make this film as if I did I would be restricting, instead I just used the good natural lighting and just played around with the filming. Filming I eventually used as a final piece. This was a good way for me to learn about filming as I had to manage everything myself, the filming, the footage,, the editing, the lighting etc. This resulted in another final piece, which I edited using iMovie. Therefore I created this film after experimenting with capturing settings in abstract light so I took footage for this film on a beach where there was lots of lights. The light was so bright which made the film quite beautiful however I used a setting on IMOVIE which meant some images overlapped, creating quite an abstract effect. I wanted to add music to really drive the film. Therefore this film was the final product of this project and although it seems very different to the work I was doing before, I wanted to change my idea slightly at the end, still focussing on abstract line and light which is the main feature of this film.