Here is the contact sheet of the photos I took in Pinnacle Plaza trying to recreate the style of Ernst Haas.

Above are the yellow selections of all of my set 2 photographs. These photos all to some extent connect with my vision and share some similarities with Ernst Haas. For example, these photos all feature bold colors.

Above are the green selections from my yellow selection. When I picked these photos, I started to identify certain groups of photographs that go together due to their colors or themes. These photographs share a stronger link to Ernst Haas’ style and my vision.

Above are the red selections of my set 2 photographs. I chose these photographs because they I saw them as two potential combinations for my triptych. All these photographs share the elements of Haas’ photography style and vision, such as strong colors, balanced composition, value, and blur.

The first three photographs share a very orange and warm tonality. The three photographs all convey a different emotion. The first photo due to the cute avocados, makes the photo feel more light-hearted. The green color also helps give the photo a youthful feeling. The second photo is more formal due the the upright composition and the more aesthetic decor such as the flower pot and the wine bottles. The third photo gives off a feeling of solitude.

The second three photographs feature a cooler tonality, consisting of black, grey, silver, and blue. The first photograph uses the bright blue sky color to contrast the dark colors around it. It is also taken from window reflection which creates a double exposure. Similar to Haas’ photos of the reflections through the windows of stores in New York. The second photo features the motion blur that Haas is famous for, it depicts a moving car, inspired by Haas’ photographs of moving cars on the streets of New York. The third photograph is similar to the first photograph. It uses the big greenish-yellow avocado poster to contrast the dark space on the right side of the photo. Looking into the dark space you discover that it is an indoor expanse and that this photo is a reflection taken through a window.

In my next shoot, I will try to go to a better location that resembles more of a city, so it is similar to Haas’ street photography style. I also shall take more pictures of people because photographs of people usually have more storytelling qualities to them.

Ernst Haas

These 5 characteristics Define Haas’ Photography:

• Colors: In Haas’ photography, the main subjects of his photos possess distinct colors. Some with a big coverage of a single color, some bombarded with a wide range of colors. The colors create focal points so the audience’s eyes don’t wander around the image. The dynamic colors can communicate certain emotions to the audience. For instance, the third picture consists of many warm colors like yellow and orange, these colors settle the audience to sense a cozy, comfortable feeling.
• Balanced Composition: Haa’s compositions in each photo are equal and comfortable to look at, with no subject, color, or element taking over the image. Haas in many of his photos abides by standard photography composition rules such as the rule of thirds or centered subjects. You can see this in photos number three and five which Haas uses the rule of thirds. This makes his photos look familiar because they are similar to many standard photos that follow the standard photography rules. But many other of his photographs, he breaks the rules but still maintains the balance in his composition.
• Depth: In almost all of his photos, Haas includes subjects of far and close. This makes the photos look realistic because it resembles the experiences of the human eye which in everyday life, you will see things that are close and far at the same time. The depth of his photographs causes the audience to look at the subject that is closer, then look at the subject that is far away (sometimes starting with the farther subjects and landing on the closer subjects). This sequence adds a level of storytelling to the photographs. For example, in photo number two, your eyes will first land on the metal pole thing, then move to the white buildings in the background.
• Motion Blur: In many of Haas’ photographs, he utilizes a slow shutter speed to achieve a blur or mush on his subjects to create a sense of motion and dynamics. It also provides a unique experience to the audience because the blurriness is a different experience than the stillness that the human eye will see in everyday life. The seemingly moving subjects also create the illusion that the scene captured by the camera is happening right now.
• Spontaneity: Haas’ photographs are never staged because he is a street photographer. Because it isn’t staged, it makes his subjects feel “every day”, like something you would see on a casual Tuesday morning. And because Haas is able to capture everyday subjects in a way that is totally unique, it gives the audience a level of astonishment in seeing that normal subjects in their lives can be captured in ways they haven’t considered before.

Why Haas?

I chose Ernst Haas as my photographer because I have always been drawn to his street photography style, and how spontaneous it is. But despite its spontaneity, Haas has always managed to include story-telling and convey emotions through his photographs, and that is something I would like to recreate. Another reason is that my previous photographer was Keld Helmer-Petersen, whose works are very B&W and high contrast, which is very different from Ernst Haas. I want to add variety to my learning of photography and portfolio, so that’s why Ernst Haas appealed to me. Ernst Haas relates to my vision because his photographs communicate a variety of emotions, and manages to imply sequences in his subjects, which matches my vision of trying to convey emotions and story-telling.

“I am not interested in shooting new things – I am interested to see things new.”

I chose this quote by Ernst Haas because it shows his approach and attitude towards photography. He says that he is not interested in shooting new things, which means that he believes that ordinary, everyday subjects can be made more interesting compared to some unorthodox, exotic object that is only interesting for a moment until your eyes get used to it. Haas expresses that he wants to see things new, which means that his approach to his subjects is to capture them in a way that normal people haven’t seen before in their day-to-day lives. This quote is very helpful for me because it gives me perspective as to how a master like Ernst Haas approaches his work, it helps me critique my own photography process when I’m trying to emulate him.

Analysing Haas

•Why did you choose this image in particular?

I chose this photograph because this is the most “obviously abstract” photograph of Haas that I’ve seen so far. It features a roof-like structure which is difficult to identify due to the way Haas took this photo. I like this photo because of the varied tonality of the color red. The varied red color makes the photo interesting and dynamic, while also accentuating shapes and lines that also make the photo interesting. The combination of colors also looks very good, with the combination of red, green, white, black, and grey, a very comfortable color palette to look at.

What I find most surprising about this photo is the feeling of sequence you get from looking at this photo. Your eyes are first caught by the texture of the top layer of the red roof, then your eyes are guided to go down level by level like you are walking down some stairs. Then finally, your eyes land on the man, but your eyes are then guided back to the top of the roof by the direction the man is looking at. This sequence creates a cycle that makes your eyes navigate through the photo with clear directions instead of just wandering around. The photo gives you distinct focal points to rest your eyes on, while also suggesting your eyes to go somewhere else that’s also interesting. This really amazed me.

One of the important variables of this photo is value/tone. Notice how the sunlight sprinkles over the roof structure. due to the roof structure’s dynamic shape, it creates many bright and shadowed areas. This brings out many shades of red, some light and some dark. This contrasting tonality is what gives birth to the other elements of this photo. For example, the contrasting tonality really helps accentuate many rigid shapes such as rectangles and triangles that make the photo look interesting. The contrasting tonality also brings out guiding lines, which its effect is discussed in the previous paragraph.

I think Haas is abstract because of his clever and masterful use of abstract photography elements despite being a street photographer. Unlike conventional abstract photographers like Aaron Siskind or Uta Barth who manipulate their elements to diminish the connection between their subjects to the real world. Haas uses the same abstract elements as them but still captures the real world in a sense that is apparent to the audience. But at the same time, he presents the real world from unique perspectives, in ways you haven’t considered before. An example, when he is photographing cars, you can tell that he is photographing cars, but he uses abstract elements such as blurring to make the cars have motion blur, which makes the photograph look interesting.

What I like about the style of Haas is the story-telling aspect. In his photographs, there is always a perceivable sequence or a strong emotion that suggests a story. Like in the first photo, the man seems to be a bit melancholy, it feels like he’s just been through something and decided to wander around in Central Park to straighten his thoughts. Another thing I like about Haas’ style is his bold use of color, colors are a really powerful emotion-conveying tool. The use of different combinations of colors, the use of vibrant colors, the use of warm colors, the use of cool colors, the use of only a single color, the use of a bombardment of colors. Using the first photo as an example again, the photograph features dark and cool colors like black, grey, and blue. Creating a calm, melancholy feel.

I will try to use bold colors to try to communicate certain emotions or create a certain mood or atmosphere. Like Haas, who uses colors to capture the different scenes of New York City. I also will emulate his storytelling, trying to capture things that will make the audience imagine what’s not in the photo or what is going to happen. Lastly, I will use slow shutter speed to create motion blur, a thing that Haas does commonly and is what he is famous for. I will use motion blur to capture moving subjects like cars to create a sense of movement, which really captures the quintessential street photography experience.

Vision:

To use colors and composition, to capture the beauty of everyday subjects and use them to convey emotions that will connect with the audience. I will try to emulate the style of Ernst Haas, more specifically his colored photographs of New York. In the photographs that I will take in Pinnacle Plaza, I will try to embody the spontaneity of street photography and the experimental and conceptual aspects of abstract photography. By utilizing mainly colors and balanced phraming.

CONTACT SHEET

YELLOW

This contact sheet features the  Yellow selection of photos I took at 798. I chose these photos because they best align with my intent of replicating the B&W, high-contrast style of Keld Helmer-Petersen. Petersen’s style is highlighted by its capturing of tones, lines, and shapes. Though some of my photos wouldn’t visually resemble Petersen’s photos, I believe the utilization of formal elements is consistent. In other words, I believe my photos might not look like Petersen’s photos, but they both depict the same formal elements (shapes, lines, tone). For example, my photo depicts a reflective compartment of a motorbike, which visually, doesn’t look like the typical-Petersen-high-contrast photography. But notice like Petersen, my photo depicts shapes, lines, and tones.

GREEN

These are my Green selections. I chose these photos because I find these photos to be the most aligned with my vision and the style of Kld Helmer-Petersen. Some of the pictures in my yellow selections might share the same formal elements, but they do not visually resemble the work of Petersen. Whereas, all the photos in this Green selection are visually similar to Petersen’s high-contrast, B&W photographs. The attempt to emulate my Petersen can be quite apparently seen in these Green photos.

RED

I chose these photographs as my Red selection because these photographs I believe these photographs possess the most distinct similarities with Petersen’s photographs. The first photo distinctly captures the shape of a sphere and the circle shape is highlighted by the high contrast tonality and technique. The shape and the fluid patterns of the wires are also depicted. The second photo like the first photo, captures the same subjects and utilizes the same techniques and elements. The third photo is distinct in its unorthodox shapes and the organic lines of the branch. The sky behind it also serves as a contrasting tonality that highlights the branch. The fifth photo is similar to the third photo. The fourth photo depicts the shapes formed by the structures of buildings. The big shadows of the structures in ratio to the negative white space are equal to each other which is also a usually unidentified element of Petersen’s photographs, it creates balance within the photo and no tonality is overpowering the other. All of these photos collectively focus on the shapes, lines, and patterns created and depicted by objects and structures that match the qualities of Petersen’s work.

The Shape of Darkness:

The message of my photographs will be to extract beauty from the dynamics created by shadows and light and also offer a new perspective into the world of shadow and darkness. I want my audiences to find astonishment through the simple yet unique shapes, lines, patterns, and tones created by shadows. For inspiration, I will aim to find photographs with high contrast and shot in black-and-white. I would also try to find photos that experiment with tones and shapes. Nowadays, most photographs we see are multi-colored, complex, and filled. It stems from the idea that “complexity is better.” I want to challenge that idea by shooting with a minimalist approach. Utilizing one of the most common things around us as the main subject, shadows. Proving that something as insignificant as some pieces of shade can possess astonishing visual content.

Watermelon Man – Aaron Siskind

In this photograph, Photographer Aaron Siskind intended to capture the man standing on the back of the truck full of watermelons. Siskind also wanted to capture the man’s gaze and the buildings to the left and right of the man.

If I were the photographer, I would name this picture “Which Path Does the Melon Lead?” The reason being, that I noticed how the buildings on the right side were dark in tone and the buildings on the right were brighter. I can see that the man’s gaze and the watermelon slice that he is holding both are pointing toward the direction of the brighter buildings. It gave me the idea that it symbolizes that man is choosing light instead of darkness.

The photograph features the top of the buildings forming a line that leads the audience’s eyes to the man. The man’s gaze and the direction of his watermelon slice both diverge the audience’s gaze to the top left of the picture. The shapes featured in this picture are usually sharp, aside from the watermelons and the man with his hat. The most distinct shape of the photo is the triangle which is the melon slice that the man is holding. There is no noticeable pattern in this picture. The picture is taken from far away so it lacks texture, the most distinct textures are the man’s clothing which is soft and wrinkly, and the brick wall of the buildings. The picture’s darkest tone is the shadow of the truck and the brightest tone is the building on the left. The interesting thing is that the two opposite buildings have a contrast in tone, one is bright while the other is dark. The focus of the picture is on the man, and the background is a little blurred. Overall the picture’s focus is pretty clear.