Abstract Photogaphy, Photography

Blog Post 9: Photo Sets 1

Leave a comment

5 Characteristics of Uta Barth’s photography:

  1. Light is frequently used to create different moods.
  2. Photos are not very rigid, most contain soft lines and shapes.
  3. Many of the photos have some form of blurring.
  4. The color scheme is not very varied in each photo, usually, the same colors in different tones are used.
  5. Many of her works are displayed in triptychs or diptychs of the same scene in different lighting or perspectives.

Describe the work of the artist referencing these characteristics (you can add more if you wish)

I have chosen Uta Barth as the photographer for my analysis because I personally really enjoy her style of photography, and I found a specific photograph from her works that really suits my vision:

I chose this image particularly because of the second image in this diptych, where a ginkgo tree is shown wrapped around a pole.

The growth of this ginkgo tree is really surprising and unusual in this photograph because it seems like the ginkgo tree has grown almost around this pole. Which is not natural ginkgo tree growth.

The color in this image is the most important formal element because the contrast in the grey-scaled sky and pole to the vibrant ginkgo leaves is the focus of this image. The strong contrast also piques the audience’s interest and urges them to inspect the photograph further, leading to their discovery of the unusual growth of this ginkgo tree. Overall, this photo is more exciting and visually appealing.

Uta Barth’s works are abstract, mainly through light and blurred effects. She also often creates different shapes in her photos using light, framing, and shadows. The shapes in her photos are often organic when created by light and shadow and more geometric when created with physical objects.
I like Uta Barth’s style of photography because of the precise ambiguity in her works. Her photos are mostly lacking context but also open to interpretation. Barth achieves this balance of ambiguity and explicitness in most of her works, which strongly intrigues me. The separation of shapes and sections in her work contributes to this, and the frequent arrangement of her photos in diptychs or triptychs gives the audience more room for interpretation when analyzing the connection between photos.
I think I could not fully adapt Uta Barth’s style to my photography in this project because, envisioning my vision, I do not think the photos would work well blurred. I do want to adopt the creative separation of shapes and sections into my works, which could be achieved through framing and using light and shadows. I also would like to reference one specific photo of Uta Barth, the ginkgo tree, one where there is a strong contrast of colors. That photo almost perfectly encapsulates my vision, and I will reference it when carrying out my vision.

Uta Barth’s works inspired me because they showed me how different people can have vastly different interpretations of the same photograph. When researching her works for my previous blog posts, I read many interpretations of her works that differed from each other and from my analysis. It was eye-opening for me, and her photography style enabled these fruitful discussions.

I chose this photo because this image is divided by two bars, which very clearly represents the industrial elements in our city. These bars also make the vegetation behind them look distant and blurry. Which I think is a very interesting visual effect and could be up to interpretation. I really like how there could be multiple possible interpretations of this photo.

This photo actually has very little abstract elements within. There is a slight blur of the background and on the top area of the photo. I chose this photo because it alludes to the Ginkgo tree image as attached below:

In this image, the branches and leaves of the tree are intertwined with the iron pole on the right side of the image. Though the perspectives are different, I feel that this image encapsulates the spirit of the Ginkgo tree very well.

Additionally, the location of the lines (poles and branches) is a little symmetrical in this image, which I find very interesting. The invasion of the branch into the poles section symbolizes the increase of urban vegetation in the cities, which matches very well with my vision.

I chose this image because it shows how plants could survive alongside infrastructure. I specifically framed the picture to show the intersections of the ceiling pattern and vines to create a sense of unity through similar lines. This image was actually taken of the ceiling, so it is especially interesting how these vines managed to attach to the ceiling. Though it is not apparent in the photo, I find the idea of these vines tenaciously surviving on the ceiling very moving and relatable to my vision.

I do want to change/alter my vision for the next set of images because I want to try new styles of photography and I feel like I have taken too many plant photographs in the 798 trip. I want to experiment some more with perhaps shadows, light, and reflection.

Leave a Reply