Keld Helmer-Petersen’s photography style is defined by distinct lines and shapes emphasized with high contrast and black and white color. The shapes of the photograph are most often isolated from the larger object that it comes from (the wires of a transmission tower, lines of a scaffolding). There is a high contrast between the shapes and the negative space/background. Additionally, some photos look at patterns and how shadows influence them.

His photography style is abstract because there is no clear subject or message. Rather, there is a distinct emphasis on the lines that are made and the way it contrasts with the background. The lines create an art of their own. I like the style because there are clear shapes that stand out prominently compared to the background. They are sharp and to the point, using the lines to craft a drawing of sorts. Furthermore, the shadows are taken in a really striking way.

This photography style relates to my vision because it does not look at a large area, but a small part of it, like a memory where you only remember the specific parts that matter to you. By isolating specific lines or shapes, they resemble memories of a place. I will adapt to this style by focusing on lines that stand out behind a background, and I think that this artist inspires me because he is able to look at small details and turn them into an art of their own.

One Image Analysis

I chose this image because it uses shadows in an interesting way that requires a very certain kind of sunlight to occur. I found the angle of the photo unusual as it’s not really aligning with the walls but with the shadows in the picture. There is also a significant amount of the ground photographed, rather than a balanced proportion. I think the formal element most important in the photograph is line because it is the most prominent effect created by the shadows. The lines create a pattern-like visual across the walls, repeating in all sorts of different directions and lengths. There are vertical and horizontal lines that change in direction depending on the wall surface that it is reflected on.

 

 

The title of this project will be “Ephemeral Moments”. The theme I want to explore will be the impermanence of things and how they remind us to cherish what is around us. The message of my triptych is appreciating small moments and staying in the present. 798 was a sprawling industrial complex in the 1960s to 1980s, and even though it’s been turned into an art district now, much of the factories still remain as memories. I want my audience to feel happiness and tranquilness from the beauty of the pictures, but also acknowledge that things in life are fleeting and could turn soon into a memory just like 798’s factory days. However, I don’t want them to feel downhearted about the fact that it will not last forever, but rather to feel like the impermanence allows them to be more capable of admiring and feeling grateful for the moment. For inspiration, I would like to try to find a photographer who explores the use of shadows and out-of-focus elements. Shadows are temporary because they rely on the sun’s movement, and pictures that are out-of-focus resemble memories which cannot be remembered as clearly anymore. In my opinion, these momentary moments should be treasured and can teach us a bigger lesson about life.

Abstraction Mind Map

 

In this photograph Peripheral Vision, Uta Barth might have been interested in capturing the sunlight, the colors, and the shape of the window. At first glance, the key subject of the photo is the shape of the window that is cast onto the wall by sunlight. The sunlight also lands on the sofa, which shows a variety of colors from where it is light and where it is dark. Although the entire picture is one color of yellow, the different tones make it visually appealing and more interesting.

Uta Barth | Peripheral Vision

If I had been the photographer of the photo, I would have given it the title of “Through Yellow Lens”, because it seems like the photographer had specifically manipulated this shot to be entirely yellow. It would be uncommon to see a living room painted yellow and fitted with a yellow couch, so the idea of ‘through the lens’ could represent the idea that the photographer had invited the viewer to put on glasses or lens that would cause everything to turn yellow.

Uta Barth masterfully uses the formal elements of photography as demonstrated with this photograph. Since the entire photo is yellow, her use of tones is what differentiates between the different subjects and their background. She is able to manipulate the shades of yellow using the sunlight, with how the sun casting on the sofa creates areas that are bright, and how the shadow creates areas that are darker. Furthermore, the sunlight coming through the window projects different shapes and lines onto the subjects in a way that gives them depth. The diagonal lines lead the viewer’s focus to the sofa, so even though it occupies so little of the image, it can still be seen as a point of focus. The window gives the photograph space to breathe, because amidst the yellowness of the image which could be suffocating at times, it acts as a reminder of the outside world and of nature.

“Uta Barth: Peripheral Vision.” Getty Museum, www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/barth.

In the photo safari project, we aimed to take 12 pictures that would resemble the drawings above. This helped us pay attention to the formal elements of photography.

Photo 1

The elements best represented in this picture are the ideas of lines, shapes, tones, and focus. There is a line down the middle which separates the picture into two shapes, and it is out of focus which encourages the viewer to look at the different hues that are in the image. I think this picture worked well in comparison to the drawing because it was quite simple.

Photo 2

The elements best represented in this picture include lines, shapes, and hues. The square box is a shape that stands out against the blank space of the wall. I think this image worked out well because it highlighted the different shapes, even when the color was just white.

Photo 3

The elements best represented in this photograph are the shapes, textures, and tones. I think this image worked well because the texture of the wall resembles the drawing and the shadows add an additional layer of colors.

Photo 4

The elements best represented in this photo are the shapes and lines. I think this photo did not work out as well because the distances between each line were not equal. It was really difficult to take this photo as it was of the ceiling, and so I feel like the lines are also not balanced or straight.

Photo 5

The elements best represented in this photo are the lines and shapes. I think this photo did not work well either as the lines weren’t straight, and I dislike how there is no focus or subject within the photo.

Photo 6

The elements best represented in this photo are the shapes. I think this photo worked out well in comparison to the drawing because it was more interesting. The original drawing only had two colors, but in this picture, the background has a lot of patterns and colors that make it stand out. The solid color of the circle stands out in contrast with the rug, and vice versa.

Photo 7

The elements best represented in this photo are the shapes, lines, and tones. The image worked well in comparison to the drawing because the shapes almost perfectly resembles the original, especially as these were formed by the sunlight casting shadows onto the ground.

Photo 8

The elements best represented in this photo are the shapes and pattern. I think the image did not work well in comparison to the drawing because the photograph would be boring if it just consisted of dots, which is why I tried to add a line in the middle to break it up.

Photo 9

The elements best represented in this photo are the lines, shapes, and textures. I think the image did not work well in comparison to the drawing because the photograph is uninteresting. The gray of the tiles is dark and boring, and the only texture that is present in the image is some tile cracks at the top of the photo.

Photo 10

The elements best represented in this photo are the lines, shapes, and tones. I think this image worked well because the lines do feel like they’re leading somewhere, but in comparison to the original I think it is still lacking in the direction of the line.

Photo 11

The elements best represented in this picture are lines and shapes. I think this photo worked well in comparison to the drawing because the staircase creates a perspective of “going up” which is also present in the original.

Photo 12

The elements best represented in this picture are the lines. I don’t think this picture worked well in comparison to the drawing because the drawing had many more lines that were more collected. However, I think this photo achieved the idea of having an almost overwhelming amount of horizontal lines, as when you look down you gradually start to notice the different levels.

In photography, the phrase formal elements refers to the different components that make up a photograph, and ‘good’ photographs are often ones that are able to recognize and control these elements to convey their ideas. They are fundamental to photography.

 

 

Line – either one line or multiple lines, straight lines or curving lines, thin lines or thick lines, they make up the photograph and give the audience a different feel. For example, horizontal lines can give a peaceful and stable effect, while vertical lines symbolize growth.

 

 

Shape – tells us what the subject is and how it interacts with its environment. To make a shape stand out, it is often placed in high contrast with its background or surroundings. Shapes can overlap and intersect with each other in the photograph to create different images.

 

 

Texture – the technique emphasizes details, often filling up the entire frame to show the design of the surface. Texture is always three-dimensional, and can be rough, smooth, patterned, irregular, obvious, or subtle. Almost all photographs will have texture as it is present on all things natural or urban. It can be emphasized depending on the amount of light in the photograph.

 

Pattern – multiples of one thing that repeat within the photograph, often filling the entire frame and seen as textural at a glance, or multiple images of likeness. Both methods are able to emphasize differences and similarities all at once. Patterns can be identified at different scales and angles, from the lines on a leaf to a forest of trees from the bird eye’s view. There is no singular subject. Rather, only combined does the objects create an idea of relationship and interaction.

 

 

Tone – a color that is not a pure color hue. Any shade of a color can be considered a tone.

 

 

 

 

Focus – when photographs are out of focus, they have the opportunity to emphasize elements such as shape or pattern. They can detach the audience from the subject and encourage them to look beyond what is straightforward or ‘real’.

 

An image will often show multiple elements at once. For example, all lines can also be seen as shapes, and when photographing different textures they are emphasized by the shapes that make up each design. From a leaf, the texture of the surface can also be seen as a pattern, and the lines of the pattern are also distinct shapes. The surface of the leaf is separated into two tones of green, and if the photograph is out of focus it can emphasize the elements to a further degree.

No citations as all photographs are my own.

Clarence H. White | Morning | 1905

With the rise of photography in the 1800s, the Pictorialism Movement arose as a result of claims that defined photography as “nothing more than a simple record of reality”, without any real artistic value or aesthetics. The movement emerged to assert photography as an art form just like painting, rejecting commercial photographers and amateurs with their Kodak snap shooters. Artists of the Pictorialism Movement would spend hours in the darkroom, using complex printing processes and enriching substances to create photographs that resembled a painter’s brush. 

Edward Weston| Cabbage Leaf | 1931

In comparison, the Straight Photography movement sought to embrace the ability of the camera as it was, without manipulation in the darkroom or processes of any kind to change the picture. There was a key emphasis on depicting the scene or subject as the camera saw it, with sharp focus and rich detail. While the Pictorialism movement wanted to make fine art with photography, trying to hide the camera’s involvement in the process of making the photo, straight photography was without manipulation and focused on composition and natural lighting instead. It became popular for its celebration of everyday life and ordinary style.  

Uta Barth | Field #20 | 1997

Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind were influenced by the Straight Photography Movement with its focus on composition and sharp contrast, which can be evident in their photographs depicting shapes of subjects and their contrast with the background. They also photographed ordinary subjects rather than just landscapes or portraits and used shadows and lights to highlight aspects of their pictures.  

Andreas Gursky | May Day V | 2006

Furthermore, the works of photographers Andreas Gursky and Uta Barth can be considered abstract. They both focus on shapes and colors instead of a specific subject. In many of Uta Barth’s photographs, there is a focus on light and the shapes that it makes, sometimes even blurring the image to draw attention to the distinct lines. Likewise, Andreas Gursky focused on repetition in his photographs that puts emphasis on the different colors and patterns of each shape rather than a singular focus. 

Uta Barth | Peripheral Vision | 2000

I think Uta Barth and Andreas Gursky can be considered to have incorporated components from both the Straight Photography and Pictorialism Movement. Like straight photography, their photos do not undergo major manipulation techniques, but they also take inspiration from the pictorialism movement for several techniques such as Uta Barth’s out-of-focus photographs. 

Works Cited

Abstract Photography draws attention to shapes, colors, patterns, textures, and light rather than a clear subject or message. It’s important to note that abstract photography can be different to different people based on their definition and idea of abstraction.

“Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element. Albert Renger-Patzsch and Aaron Siskind photographed the ordinary to reveal their beauty. Uta Barth reversed the typical use of the camera, shooting out of focus and Andreas Gursky photographs the repetition of elements. During this unit, you will investigate appropriate examples of abstract photography and respond in your own way.”

I think abstract photography is more about the patterns than about the subject, and there are also certain ‘rule-breaking’ elements in abstract photography that are associated with our first unit. For example, shooting out of focus or blurred can direct the audience’s attention to other elements like the shapes or the colors, which can be more important in abstract photography than a subject. Abstract photography can be freeing in some ways because it is experimental and new, but it can also be more difficult to make it look good while also exploring non-conventional photography methods. I look forward to studying abstract photography and observing how it will change my own perspective of looking at things.