Nan J

Definition of Abstract Photography: Photos that do not follow the typical convention and rules of photography. Abstract photography often has vague subjects or unclear themes, they can put ordinary objects in uniquely visually appealing lenses.

The Pictorialist Movement

The pictorialist movement is an international style and artistic movement that took place between 1885 and 1915 that turned photography into an art form. Prior to the pictorialist movement, photography was mainly a medium for documentation; however, with the advocation from artists such as Alfred Stieglitz, using photography to create aesthetically pleasing artwork became a more common art form. The pictorialists took inspiration from prevailing art movements at the time, such as Tonalism and Impressionism.

The Pond (1904) by Edward Steichen

Pictorialist photographers utilized the manipulation of light, focus, and other factors to create unique photographs.

A Study after the Manner of Francia (1867) by Julia Margaret Cameron

There is no strict definition for what is considered a pictorialist photograph, but photographs of pictorialists are often seen as forms of personal expression.

Human Relations (1932) by William Mortensen

Notable pictorialist photographers include Julia Margaret Cameron, Edward Steichen, and Alfred Stieglitz.

Straight Photography Movement

Straight photography refers to photographs that strictly depict objects as they are without using techniques of manipulation of the camera. Straight photography aims to produce clear and detailed photos to capture the graphic details of objects. Straight photography is sometimes used synonymously with the term pure photography since both photography styles rely on the camera’s own technical capability to produce images.

Straight photography gained its popularity because

Edward Westen

Notable straight photography artists include Paul Strand, Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams, and Diane Arbus

Formal Elements

Definition: Formal elements are fundamental features and compositions of photography that come together to form photos.

Line: Lines are the most fundamental visual elements of pictures. Lines in photography can be thin, thick, horizontal, verticle, straight, or curvy. Lines can create senses of direction, and pattern, show movement, outline objects, etc.

Shape: Shapes are everywhere. Shapes are the most basic part of any object. In photography, shapes can be big or small, geometric or natural. Shapes serve the purpose of conveying the nature of objects.

Edward Burtynsky, Pivot Irrigation #39

Pattern: Patterns are the repetition of shapes, lines, and/or colors in a photo. Patterns engage viewers by making visually compelling photos through the creation of rhythms, synchronization, as well as contrast.

Bernhard Lang, An Italian Beach

Texture: Texture is the emphasis on what the surface of an object feels like. Texture adds visual detail and interest, giving pictures life. Texture. can also provide valuable information on when, where, and of what the photo is taken.

Value/tone: Value is the lightness or darkness of the photo or a part of a photo, while tone is the mixture of color. Different lighting and combination of colors can significantly effect the aesthetic and theme of a photo

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Focus: Focus is the clarity of different objects in the photo. The manipulation of focus can create very unique visual experiences. Adjusting the focus of objects can also let us look at objects ways we never do in real life.

Ernst Haas

It is rarely possible for an image to show only one element since all of the formal elements are overlapping. For example, shapes involve lines, patterns involve shapes, and value/tone can be seen in objects of different shapes. Most pictures are compositions of a variety of formal elements.

Paul Strand photo critique

Paul Strand, Abstraction

In this photo, Strand captures the relationship between light and shadow, the interesting shapes formed by the lights and shadows, and the visual illusion created by the lights and shadows of a knocked-over table.

I would title the photo lights and shadows because the interesting shapes created by the lights and shadows is the main composition of the photo.

Something unusual about the photograph is that the main object in the photo that is creating the interesting light patterns, the knocked-over table, is not explicitly portrayed. Only a part of the table is shown, making the focus of the photograph on the lights and shadows; however, since the object that is creating the lights and shadows is not shown, abstraction is created.

In this specific photo, lines are primarily present along the edges between lights and shadows. The lines in the photo are clear and defined, giving the photo a sense of clarity and order. Different shape are forme by the shadows and lights. Most shapes in this photo are sharp-aged geometric shapes. The shapes formed by light and shadows contrast and compliment each other, creating a sense of harmony. Patterns in the photo are formed by shapes, such as the stripes on the concrete table. The patterns present in the photo are relatively simple, and spread out, giving the photo a simplistic style. Texture is a minor element in the photo as no emphasis is put on the texture of the objects. The texture of the concrete table and the wooden floor can be seen, but they are not main the focus of the photo. Value/tone is an important element of the photo since the photo focuses on the contrast between lights and shadows. The sharply contrasting tones of light and shadow create interesting shapes, patterns, and visual illusions. Finally, the entire photo is in focus, clearly depicting the lights and shadows.

The best thing about this photograph is the composition of the photo, specifically determining what parts go in the photo and what parts are left out – the most important decision that ultimately makes this a piece of abstract work. By first look, it is difficult to tell that the picture is of a knocked-over table because the photographer made the decision to leave out parts, such as the table legs, that make the table an obvious table. This decision fully draws the focus of the photo on to the relationship between the lights and the shadows, which itself, is very abstract.

Photo Safari 1

Effective photos:

This photo is effective because it shows a focused number of formal elements, mainly shape, and value. The two main composing objects of the picture are both circles – a geometric shape. The repetition of the same shape gives the photo a sense of uniformity, and the fact that the number of objects shown in the photo is limited and are all geometric shapes, the photo communicates simplicity. Finally, the arrangement of the strength of light in the photo descends from the brightest in the center to pure darkness on the sides of the photo, creating a sense of order.

This photo is effective because it clearly shows the formal element as well as the prompt it is trying to show or follow. The colors of maroon and white contrast each other significantly, the line between the two colors is defined and centered, giving the photo a sense of simplicity and balance.

Less effecitve photo:

This photo is less successful compared to the previous two photos because the main subject and the main formal element that this picture wants to communicate are unclear. There are too many elements in the background that is diverting the focus of the viewers from the main subject.

Mind Map

Statement of Intent

The objective of my triptych is to unlock the different perspectives we might view everyday objects, showcasing the beauty in our everyday life that people often omit in this busy world. I want my audiences to notice and appreciate the small things that make our ordinary lives a little more lively. For inspiration, I would like to look at photographers who take photos from unique angles of everyday objects that put emphasis on the original shape of objects as well as the relationship between the objects and light. I believe, by preserving the original shape of items but exploring the different forms of the object from different angles, we unleash the hidden beauty in the seemingly mundane reality, but at the same time, we preserve the realistic element of our day-to-day lives. In this project, I do not want to necessarily intentionally create beauty, instead, I would like to find the beauty in the ordinary.

I chose to analyze this picture because it demonstrates one of the signature characteristics in many photographic works of Andre Kertesz – the use of light and shadow to create shapes and illusions. In this picture, a row of chairs is placed orderly on the floor, and a light source shines from the back of the chairs, casting the pattern of the chairs as shadows on the ground. The intersection of the original object and its shadow creates an interesting illusion that when not looked at closely, the object and the shadow can be confused. An important technique utilized in this photo is  shape, whether it is the shape of the chairs or the shape of the shadows.  Shape played a crucial role because it is the main subject of the photo and it gives the photo visual interest. Specifically, it is the intermingling relationship between the shapes that make this photo abstract and visually appealing.

Andre Kertesz’s works are abstract in the way that although the subject of each photo is clear and in focus, there is a limited number of objects in the frame, giving each photo limited context, which makes the photo abstract in the message it is trying to convey. My favorite thing about this style is the utilization of a single object or a single type of object to create visual interest and an action-packed photo. More specifically, in many photos, although Kertesz is only capturing a single object when combined with the shadows of the object and the interesting angle from the photo is taken from, the photo can create a lot of visual interest. I would like to try experimenting with shadows and a limited number of objects to create abstraction and visually interesting compositions.

Set 1:

Contact sheets

Yellow:

I chose this set of photos by filtering out all the photos that are unintentionally out of focus, slanted, include unwanted objects, completely do not align with my statement of intent, or did not have the effect I wanted.

Green:

This set of photos is the one of higher quality among the yellow set of photos. These pictures capture details clearly and show good contrast and abstraction in the relationship between objects, lights, and shadows. These photos also have more visual interest in terms of contrast, balance, shape, etc.

When selecting these photos, I was also deliberate about selecting a range of photos of different subjects and angles to experiment with what was successful and give myself more options in the final round of selection.

Red:

I selected this set of photos because, among the green set of photos, these four communicated my statement of intent the best – to capture the beauty in ordinary things as they are without intentionally trying to create something new. In addition, I think these four pictures also reflect my inspiration from my selected artist, Andre Kartesz, the best, since all four photos explore the relationship between light, shadow, and reflection on a medium close-up distance.

I liked this picture because it captured a very interesting relationship between light, shadow, and objects. The shadows of an object outside of the frame formed stripes on the wall, creating a pattern; however, a supportive construction piece sticks out from the wall, adding texture and disrupting the pattern formed by the shadow, creating a sense of imbalance.

I also liked this picture because it captured the reflection of a majestic tree from the reflection of two small windows. The blue wall with bumpy stripes creates a unique background with texture. The slightly rusted windows contrast how new the rest of the wall appears to be, adding another layer of unique texture. Furthermore, the two windows capture the organic shape of a tree, but due to the type of window and angle the picture is taken, the tree looks slightly warped, creating a unique shape that adds visual interest to the overall photo. When taking this photo, I immediately thought that the two parallel windows resembled eyes, and the view of the tree that it reflected was as if it was something the “eyes” saw.

Set 2

For set 2, I wanted to experiment more with colors; thus, I selected the photographer Franca Fontana as my inspiration.

I chose to analyze this picture because I think it is an accurate representation of the style of Franca Fontana, and it highlights the styles of Franco Fontana that I would like to take inspiration from. In this picture, there is a bright yellow wall, a rectangular blue object, a brick-red floor, and a blue sky with clouds in the background. The two most important formal elements expressed here are shapes and colors. Fontana used geometric shapes, specifically rectangles, to create a sense of coherence and balance. The varying sizes, depths, and positions of the rectangles in this photo create visual interest. The use of color is also very bold in this picture. Specifically, Fontana chose to emphasize the brightness of the colors of the different components in the picture. In this picture, all colors are variations of the primary colors, ultimately creating a strong sense of contrast, at the same time, a level of coherence. The bright yellow wall that composes 1/2 of the picture strongly contrasts the bright blue sky, light blue rectangle, and brick red floor. The emphasis on color adds further visual interest to this picture. A more minor but also very important element in this photo is the capturing of texture. The wall has a grainy texture that shows uneven bumps in certain areas. Contrastingly, the brick floor has a smoother but patterned texture. The attention to texture makes the picture more pleasing and interesting to the eye.

Fontana is an artist known for his abstract photos. Fontana’s works are most known for their bold use of contrasting colors to create visual illusions. Fontana has many landscape works, but I would like to focus on his street photographs. My favorite thing about this style is the capturing of contrasting and bright colors and the rawness of everyday objects. My last set of pictures was more focused on lights and shadows; therefore, most pictures from my previous set are relatively bland in color. I would like to experiment more with color in my second set of photos, specifically brighter colors.

Contact Sheets

Yellow:

I selected this set of photos after eliminating the photos with errors in exposure, focus, and composition. During this stage, I avoided using any editing to examine the photos as they originally are.

Green:

I selected this set of photos after considering which pictures fit the overarching theme I was trying to convey. I also avoided repetitive photos by selecting the 1-2 best photos from 5-6 pictures of the same object.

Red:

Among the green pictures, I selected the ones that are worth editing (adjusting the levels, changing the level of detail, etc.). By slightly editing the pictures, I can make pictures align more with each other.

Among the pictures I edited slightly, I selected my favorite ones to form this group of red pictures. I chose the final red pictures considering how different combinations of my pictures will form the best triptych. Six of the seven photos have a similar style and theme; thus, they can be regrouped differently to form various triptychs.

Final Triptych

After trying out multiple combinations with my red photos, I have decided on these three photos in this particular order because they are coherent, visually interesting, and convey my vision well.

The three pictures are coherent because while they share common elements, they are each unique in their own way, creating a sense of coherence without being repetitive. The white paint in the first picture corresponds to the white line in the second picture. The brown floor in the first picture corresponds to one of the third pictures. The yellow paint in picture two corresponds to the yellow paint in picture three.

Picture one is unique in that it has a bent line, adding variety to the triptych. Picture two has a blue background, a color that is not found in the other photos. Picture 3 has two parallel yellow lines in the right half of the picture, creating a simplistic but unique imbalance.

These three pictures align with my vision: to discover the beauty within daily lives, because none of these pictures are staged, they are simply ordinary items in our lives (cracks on the road, lines on the running track, lines on the parking lot) but taken from a different lens.