Gene‘s Blog

These photos are all captured in 798, and most of them I plan for them to capture architecture, and to highlight elements other than colour so they become visually appealing once converted to black and white. Black and white can allow viewers to focus on the details of the structures and surfaces of the architecture. This approach can create a visually appealing experience, highlighting the light, composition and shadow. I hope to implement a nostalgic feel to my photos, as the architecture there were factories from the 1970s. Other than that, I also wish to capture places with a modern feel, as 798 has been transformed into a Gen-Z entertainment area, with much more modern fashion and aesthetics implemented into its architecture.

These are the photos filtered into the next section. All of these photos are black and white and of architecture, with many giving a nostalgic 1970s feeling. 2 of them have colour, and even though they do not give nostalgic emotions or black and white, I included them anyways because of how visually appealing they are, since the coloured light and the contrasted bear have amazing composition. The ones under my vision were included in this filter because they are all symbolic of 798, a modern-converted factory place. Overall, I think most of the photos have one thing in common: their composition is what makes them prominent in terms of being visually appealing. Therefore, for the next three, I will select the three based on how well their composition is.

This photo gives out a very nostalgic feel. Its composition follows the rule of thirds, with the chimneys in the center and supporting backgrounds on the left and right. The texture and the chimneys itself seem very old, like an old styled factory. It gives off the feeling of being in the Industrial Revolution era, and removing the colour brings even more nostalgic feel. The beauty of the contrast from the chimneys to the modern buildings on the right symbolizes the speed of modern urbanization, as now countless buildings from the past are now removed and constructed into ones that are more visually appealing for modern people. As fashion development continues, the old aesthetics are viewed as nostalgic, and are presented and appreciated in much different ways.

This photo again is the most visually appealing compared to others due to its composition. With the letters of graffiti in the middle, it emphasizes the 4 letters. Moreover, the photo is full of texture. The lines in the middle, the bricks on the wall near the left, the pattern on the right are all examples. Without colour, the audience could better focus on the building itself. The photo invokes a felling of curiousity and mysteriousness, as the space inside the doors are dark. Moreover, the graffiti and the fact that there is no colour in the photo warns the viewer that going in the doors does not seem like a good idea, as if the end of the alleyway is a pathway to darkness and unfortunate.

This image gives a scared but curious emotion. The texture and swirls behind the sofasgive a sense of unknown. The center hole seems endless in this case. Coincidently, in terms of composition, the curtain perfectly hides the hole, which adds a layer of mysteriousness. Moreover, it evokes curiousity, as it motivates viewers to imagine what is behind the curtain, and invoke the urge of looking what is behind the curtain. This photo also perfectly follows the rule of thirds, with a clear center. It also provokes a sense of nervousness, as the hole behind the sofa acts like it is about to suck away the world like a black hole due to its unique texture and swirl. This would be the most visually appealing out of the three as it casts multiple emotions upon the viewer.

Keith Dotson

-Black and white architecture

-Symmetrical or lines that lead the architecture further away

-Uses sky as background to highlight the buildings

-Patterns, repetition, and lines on the building

-Buildings all look old fashioned and gives a retrospective feeling, including factories

Abandoned, old building, with patterns and environment supporting the subject of the image. The black and white puts more emphasis on line, texture. The composition is quite interesting as well: even though the subject is tilted, it is still in the middle third in the photo, still following the rule of thirds. In the other sections of the thirds, there are plants, roads, and the sky, all highlighting the middle third.

Very symmetrical image of a house. The black and white puts emphasis on composition, as the symmetry becomes visually appealing in this photo, along with the ancient feel of the house. The branches are also pact together, giving a claustrophobic feel, supporting more of the mysteriousness of the ancient house. This gives out the atmosphere of a horror movie, as if murder happened in this house, especially when it is in black and white.

The top of the house is similar to a descending line, making the composition interesting: the rule of the thirds separates the building into the wall, the window in the middle, and the plants growing on the old building.Without color, the author leaves the viewer to better inspect the composition and the reflection in the window. The author is trying to prove the beauty of other elements within a building other than color.

I have chosen this photographer because his works eliminate color and focuses on other elements within the image. His photos of architecture give people the feeling on being abandoned. Many images include rust and broken wood, implying that the architecture is abandoned. I would like a similar approach when approaching 798, but looking for a much more industrial feeling instead of an abandoned feeling. Even though the abandoned feeling of his images do not align with my theme, his images still correlate a lot in terms of my view for architecture photography that is black and white; therefore, I have referenced his work as inspiration as I would like black and white architecture emphasizing lines, patterns, and texture as many of his do emphasize the texture of wood, the lines of the buildings, etc.

This image is one I will reference the most. I pick this photo because the building has similar aesthetics with 798 factories. The beauty of the chimney with negative space among the sky can create a very visual appealing, industry-feel picture. When seperating this photo with the rule of thirds, two of the thirds are the sky, which is quite interesting, as the author uses the sky to corroborate the chimney. This would be something I like to do. In this photo, the most important element would be the texture. The texture of the bricks and plants on the chimney is what gives this photo an abandoned and ancient feel. The author’s purpose is to create visually appealing photos of abandoned buildings, and this photo succeeded by using texture as there is no distraction in colour, and people are left to look at the patterns of the chimney while the sky provides an interesting and pure background. This photo is abstract as it focuses on texture instead of colour and the traditional purpose of recording photography, and attempts to create a visually appealing photo through the texture element. As previously mentioned, I favor his art style in this photo as it gives an industrial feel from the chimney, and is a black and white photo. This could be very ideal when taking pictures in 798. I will adapt his style as I will look for chimneys and buildings that give an industrial feel and photograph it in black and white.

Yellow

I have chosen these 38 photos as the first filter of selection. This is because all these photos focus on the texture, pattern, lines, or angle instead of the color itself, proving feasible when switching to black and white. Referencing my statement of intent, I intend to discover photos that amplify the other elements by eliminating color. These are great examples I would like to work with. Many have fascinating textures that are independent from color, therefore should work great under black and white. The next filter will filter out photos that seem too arbitrary or ones are too dependent on color.

Green

These photos made the last 10. They all look unique even without colour and amplifies a specific element.

1. The first photo amplifies texture. The bumpy, arbitrary patterns make the subject abstract and allows the viewer to appreciate the different strips on the item even without color. Therefore, it made the top 10, possibly even top 3 as its patterns are the most interesting.
2. The second photo highlights the edges, lines, and details of the puzzle pieces, making it quite interesting. Being scattered across the board makes it abstract, and without color, viewers sculpt the lines of the puzzles in their head as the background is pure white
3. The third one is one that amplifies the patterns. The repitition of the soft yarn makes the photo interesting even without colour.
4. The fourth one is another one about lines and focus. Focusing on the lines makes the background abstract and blurred, and looking deep the composition, it is as if multiple rectangles are repeating when you look down the hallway.
5. This one is quite plain, and it amplifies the lines.
6. This one is a similar one with the third one. It has plenty of patterns and is enjoyable without color.
7. This one is another one that focuses on the subject inside the cage, with lines and rims of the cage adding elements to the photo, making it interesting even without color.
8. This one is a repetition of lines with slight pumps, making it interesting.
9. This one is another one about focus. It focuses on the string net, and blurs the background.
10. This one amplifies lines and pattern, but still relatively quite plain.

Red selection

This one made the final 3, as its unique texture and pattern with quite arbitrary changes allow it to be extremely interesting even without color. However, this is one of a particular item. For the next set, I would wish to take wider shots rather than focal ones on just a single item to efficiently utilize the setting of the art area. This one gives a dark and rough atmosphere from the low lighting and unique texture, making it quite interesting.

This one made the final 3 because of its unique focus. The background adds elements to the net, the focus point of the photo, making it interesting without color, fitting my vision. In the next shoot, I wish to do something similar, but with a more interesting background. This one gives a misty and mysterious feel, as the background is black and white and blurred, and intriguing because of the patterns of square lines. In overall, it gives people a “trapped” type of feeling, as the net is very similar to the bars of a jail cell.

This one made the final 3 because of its clean background, allowing the puzzle pieces to be clearly seen without distraction, and a lot of them have interesting content on them. For the next shoot, perhaps adding a bit of interesting color to photos with clean backgrounds would be ideal, slightly breaking the vision but not by much, as I will use photoshop to implement only a small bit of color. This one gives a calming feel as puzzle pieces are scattered throughout a blank background, with the lines of the pieces being the center of attention.

Albert Renger-Patzsch

Characteristics:

-Interesting without color

His work presents objects without color, emphasizing the beauty and details of the object, proving to the audience that photography could still be great traditionally without color. He also avoids the distraction of color.

-Emphasizes texture

All the objects in his photos present a certain repitition, such as patterns, with presentations of texture. It could be seen whether the object is smooth or rough based on the pattern such as stripes.

-Follows rule of thirds mostly

Multiple images put the main object in the middle third of the image, as if presenting it to the audience, while the other thirds are supporting details to amplify the beauty/effect of the object.

-Clear and bold lines surrounding the object of the image

The objects all have clear and deep lines in the framing, putting more emphasis of the object. His use of lines make the photos crystal clear, creating a different type of abstractness.

-Precise and traditional focus on the subject

The focus of his objects are quite direct, blurring out the background and only emphasizing the object, incorporating a more traditional way in abstract photography.

I have chosen this artist because he does not use color in his photos, avoiding the distraction of colors and amplifying the beauty of objects itself without the color. His emphasis on other tools except colors such as texture and composition are more interesting and compatible with my statement of intent. My statement intent also wants to eliminate the distraction of color and emphasize the beauty of an object itself.

Chosen picture:

I chose this image in particular because it emphasizes multiple elements in this photo: Lines, Form (Pattern), Texture, and Composition. The most important would be the lines in this photo, as the picture shows an industrial themed building with mutiple pathways, taking the form of lines, spreading to other sections of the photo. This makes the photo quite interesting, making the object feel quite complex, as lines spread everywhere. It is quite abstract as the building itself is not appealing, but once the author utilizes composition to present the lines spreading in sections of the photos, it turns more appealing, feeling the industrial aesthetic. I like this style as the author has the chance to emphasize other elements except color, which allows images to be more interesting because people see color in their everyday worlds, and mainly takes color as an element that is very important. Once color is taken away, the audience can appreciate the other elements, making the image feel special and distinct. I will also adapt the style, as without color I would have to amplify other elements, such as the texture, patterns, and composition shown in this photo.

Citations:

https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/92598/albert-renger-patzschthe-perspective-of-things/

https://www.fundacionmapfre.org/en/art-and-culture/exhibitions/historical/year-2017/renger-patzcsch/

Monday’s Photography Inspiration – Albert Renger-Patzsch

Embracing Black and White Aesthetic Photos

Through black and white photography, I target to create a sense of appreciation for the beauty of nature and to inspire a commitment for capturing its essence. I want the audience to put themselves in the beauty and emphasis of objects without color, forming a connection to the literal significance of the object, feeling and sharing empathy, perhaps emotional, towards a world without color. My creative collection will be inspiried by photographers who specifically capture the emotion of certain objects through the lens of black and white aesthetics. I desire images that present the audience with a certain balance between light and shadow, revealing the hidden emotional beauty within the ordinary. I will want to use soft focus techniques to add a touch of pathos, inviting viewers to immerse themselves and reflect on their own life. In my opinion, a world without color is what reveals the deep darkness within us humans, which provides opportunities for audiences to share the emotion with the photo.

1. In the original photo I was trying to replicate, it emphasized the lines, cutting the picture’s composition in half. In the one I took, it also emphasized texture as the fabric on the couch had rough repeating patterns.

2.

In the original picture, it emphasized shape, having a square the top right corner. For the one I replicated, it more emphasized lines. The cracks on the wall and the 3-Dimensional fire extinguisher sign more emphasized lines compared to the original 2-D picture i was attempting to replicate. This one was extremely hard to find, as a flat square shape in a corner was extremely uncommon, as the composition for the emphasis of shape was quite obscure in real life.

3.

In the original picture, it was attempting to emphasize form, where a repetition of patterns were shown. In the one above, it also had form, repeating a similar pattern. However, the pattern was much more rough, also adding texture. This one was quite easy to find, as sofas had fabric with patterns like this repeating, where it could show form and texture.

4.

The original photo I was trying to replicate emphasized lines and form, splitting a plain into many sections as the composition. For this one I chose books, as the lines specifically were extremely difficult to find with such pattern and stripes due to the weirdly specific pattern and composition that may be on a T-shirt.

5.

The original photo emphasized lines in its composition. This one had a very similar composition as a table, splitting the photo with lines. This one worked particularly well, as plain and as similar as the original photo.

6.

The original photo has a circle in the middle, emphasizing the round shape. In the photo I replicated, it has a similar composition, emphasizing a round shaped connector on a table. This was surpringly easy to find, as a stood-out circular object was on the table next to the library.

7.

The original photo is meant to represent multiple lines intersecting, creating a certain composition of lines. This photo was espicially hard to replicate as the lines were very specific and it was hard to find something similar. Therefore, I took a photo of the pajama pants with a similar pattern on its fabric, also providing some elements of texture.

8.

The original meant to present form and repetition with dots, and this was quite easy to replicate as the design centre walls looked exactly like the photo with repetition of dots.

9.

The original photo emphasized form, shape and pattern, with a large repeating amount of squares. This one was quite hard to find; but the basket’s edges had a similar feature, therefore it fit the photo pretty well, emphasizing the square shape and repeating it to make form.

10.

The original photo emphasizes the way that lines are oriented in the composition. It was extremely hard to find as no actual object would possess such a specific frame of lines; however, a landscape could.

11.

Similar one to Number 10, was extremely hard too, but a landscape can help formulate the shape and the lines to a triangle-like perspective

12.

The original picture emphasizes form and texture, as the pattern scatters around the photo. The replica is quite similar from a couch; the texture is quite rough, emphasizing texture and some form of element.

The photographer intend to capture the broken parts of the surface and emphasize the rough texture identified in this photo, along with the arbitrary shapes existing in parts of the photo. I would give it the title “Burnt” as the subject in the photo looks destroyed, burnt, ripped apart, and broken. The texture is very rough on the white surface while the darker ones are relatively smoother, contrasting the surface, creating a more visual appealing image. Moreover, the focus is on the entire surface, highlighting the texture of the photo so that the texture is clear. The image is mostly focused on the texture of the surface, creating the contrast, while using other elements such as focus to try and support the texture.

Formal elements are what decides the composition and aesthetic of an image in photography. Such examples include: (My own photos)

Lines: Could be of any direction; straight, diagonal, vertical, horizontal, etc. It helps guide the viewer’s eyes into a sense of direction.

Shapes: Could be geometric or organic and create visual interest to a specific photograph.

Pattern: Could be a repetition of a certain subject, creating interesting visuals to present to the audience.

Texture: The surface quality of objects, could be smooth, rough. Adds visual interest and imagery to the photo.

Tone: Refers to the lighting or darkness of the photograph, and helps create visual contrast and creates interest on the photo.

Focus: The sharpness/clarity in a photo that helps create emphasis on the subject in the photo to create visual interest.

A visual appealing image includes multiple elements as photos will inevitably include lighting, shape and focus. However, it can focus on one specific element in the photo to create specific visual interest for that element. For example, in the texture photo, it emphasizes the roughness of the tree bark. However, focus is also included: it perfectly focuses on the tree and includes bits of colour.

Pictorialism 

The pictorialism movement in photography was an act that revolutionized people’s views on photography. Originally in the 19th century, photography was something that helped “record” objects or events to be visual support in media. However, people realized that photography could also be a type of “art”, and people began placing the beauty, tonality, and composition above the recording for a visual record. This was advocated in the 1850s by people such as William John Newton.

The actual movement flourished primarily between 1885 and 1915, mainly within countries like England, France, and the USA. Practitioners of this movement employed various darkroom techniques to create photographs that allowed them to present their artistic vision. These techniques were utilized to narrate stories, recreate mythological or biblical scenes, and produce ethereal landscapes. A Pictorialist photograph it refers to an image that has been altered in some way to highlight its artistic impact. Key features of this style include the use of soft focus, the application of color tints, and visible manipulations like combining multiple images or incorporating brushstrokes.

Straight photography movement

Straight photography is what emphasizes the object of an image sharply, coherently, and in detail. Artists like Paul Strand in New York pioneered straight photography and became the foundation for many other photography movements.

Edward Weston

Edward Weston, was one of the pioneers of Straight Photography. He played a significant role in forming the movement’s basics and principles. He focused on capturing sharply detailed and highly realistic images of certain subjects. Weston’s photographs emphasized detail, clarity, and composition. He also utilized skills such as natural light, precise framing, and careful printing techniques to create images that were “visually appealing” to the subject matter. Weston took photos of the subject in a straightforward and objective manner, pioneering and forming the principles of the Straight Photography movement.

Aaron Siskind

Aaron Siskind was along the second generation of Straight Photographers. While he initially obeyed to the principles of Straight Photography, Siskind’s work underwent huge change over time. He moved away from the traditional subject matter and began to explore abstract photographs of subjects found in urban environments, such as peeling paint, graffiti, and weathered surfaces. Siskind’s ideology to photography became increasingly focused on the formal elements of texture, line, shape, and tone, which is also know as the art elements, often used in present-day abstract photography.. He used these elements to create abstract images that distorted the literal representation of the subject matter. Despite this change, Siskind’s work still retained the core principles of Straight Photography, particularly in terms of its emphasis on capturing the world’s true colors.

Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky is prestiged for his large-scale photographs that depict big landscapes, architectural spaces, or crowded scenes. He  explores the impact of modern globalization, consumerism, and technology on our environment and society. Gursky’s images are highly detailed and sharp and deliberately composed in some way, such as having complex patterns and repetition. The subjects he takes photos of are often transformed into abstracted forms through his use of perspective, cropping, and edits. Gursky’s photographs are not intended to represent reality in a literally, but rather to present a sense of awe and commentary on contemporary life, making him one of the photographers that highlight the abstractness of photos. I believe he is categorized as a pictionist as he presents photography as a type of art, and highlighting the abstractness of a photo does not make him a straight photgrapher.

Uta Barth

Uta Barth’s approach to photography is focused on perception, light, and space. Her photographs often feature blurred and out-of-focus subjects, emphasing color, texture, and the play of light, making her work quite abstract. Barth’s work is characterized by a deliberate ambiguity and blurring of the boundaries between representation and abstraction. She is interested in capturing the “subjective nature of human perception” and how our visual experience can be influenced by the environment. Barth’s photographs can be seen as abstract in the sense that they challenge traditional ideology of sharp focus and clear representation, inviting viewers to imagine more the actual subject instead of actually seeing the subject with their own eyes. She would also be an example of being a pictionist, as she challenges the concepts of straight photography.

Citations:

https://www.theartstory.org/movement/pictorialism/

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/aaron-siskind

https://www.westongallery.com/original-works-by/edward-weston

https://gagosian.com/artists/andreas-gursky/

https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/uta-barth

https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/barth/index.html