1.2.3.

4.5.6.

7.8.

Ola Kolehmainen takes colorful abstract photos of buildings. One characteristic I noticed was that photos 8, 7, 5, and possibly 2 (I’m not sure what is in that picture) all include reflections. The reflections make the subjects look more surreal. In 8 and 7, buildings are used to reflect either other buildings or trees. These buildings make the photos particularly interesting because they are curved, distorting the reflections further. Number 5 features a reflection in bright turquoise water. I think the color of the reflection stands out most in this picture, though that may just be that the white of the clouds offers a much higher contrast than the other reflections. The first three images all have very blocky, bright colors. I’d say number one is them dimmest, with some red panels in the corner being the real pop of color. The rest of the panels are pinkish, but they look almost blue in contrast. Photo two has orange, green, yellow, and blue. As I mentioned, I’m not sure what they come from. It’s likely that they are lights, perhaps from tinted skylights. The photos also have unusual perspectives, geometric patterns, and architecture. The photos are abstract because they don’t show things in a typical way. All of the photos either have creative angles or crop out context that would ground the image more closely in reality. I really enjoy the bright colors and that the images take buildings- which are often depicted as dull and static- as fanciful, bright artworks. I’m hoping to use bright colors and to exclude the any context of the ‘dull’ world in my photos, like I think these photos do. I hadn’t considered photographing reflections, but now I think that would be a phenomenal way to capture that otherworldly atmosphere.

Of these photographs, photo 7 might align the most with my vision. I like how the organic shapes of the trees contrast with the geometric pattern of the building. I also like the bright colors. I might aim for more contrasting colors- the ones in this image are all pink or purple.  The lines of this piece are probably the most important element. The two kinds of lines are the ones that make up the tree and the ones that make up the building. The lines allow the viewer to identify what is in the picture, and they contrast each other. One bends and overlaps and has different thicknesses, while the other stays mostly constant and has a recognisable pattern. But these ‘constant’ lines also bend, which adds more drama to the photo. The upward curves make the building look taller, which adds to the scale of the piece.

My vision is to show how extraordinary everyday things can be. I believe taking photos in the style of Ola Kolehmainen will accomplish this. I am particularly inspired by 144, White Pink Yellow Green, and Autumn Leaves.

the second picture won’t show up for some reason, take my word for it or look at the source please

Works Cited:

de, L’Œil. “Christophe Guye Galerie : Ola Kolehmainen.” The Eye of Photography Magazine, L’Œil de la Photographie, 9 Apr. 2021, loeildelaphotographie.com/en/christophe-guye-galerie-ola-kolehmainen-dv/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

‌HaW Admin. “Ola Kolehmainen – Geometric Light · HAUS AM WALDSEE.” HAUS AM WALDSEE, 7 Aug. 2018, hausamwaldsee.de/en/ola-kolehmainen-geometric-light/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

“Lot – OLA KOLEHMAINEN (FINNISH, BORN 1964) See What You See, 2006.” Gibsonsauctions.com.au, 2019, www.gibsonsauctions.com.au/auction-lot/ola-kolehmainen-finnish-born-1964-see-what-you_D1C4B9C9C5. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

“Ola Kolehmainen – Artists – Contemporary Art Gallery in Oslo, Norway.” Brandstrup.no, 2017, www.brandstrup.no/artists/ola-kolehmainen?view=slider#6. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

“Ola Kolehmainen – Artist, News & Exhibitions – Photography-Now.com.” Photography-Now.com, 2017, photography-now.com/artist/ola-kolehmainen. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

“Ola KOLEHMAINEN – Dominique Fiat.” Dominique Fiat, 30 July 2021, dominiquefiat.com/artists/ola-kolehmainen/?lang=en. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

‌“Ola Kolehmainen – Exhibitions – Galerieforsblom.com.” Galerieforsblom.com, 2015, www.galerieforsblom.com/exhibitions/ola-kolehmainen. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

‌Space, Light and Colour by Ola Kolehmainen | OEN. 14 May 2014, the189.com/photography/space-light-and-colour-by-ola-kolehmainen/.

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Gursky, Andreas “Hors Les Murs”. Photograph. Fondation Louis Vuitton. 2/12/2019. https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en/events/andreas-gursky-photographs-1995-2007, 2/15/25

In this photo, it seems like Gursky was interested in capturing all these teams at work around the racecars. I think its striking how busy everyone in the foreground looks. The people in the back all seem busy watching them. It’s interesting how none of the racecar people show their faces. This makes it seem more like they are robots, consumed by the one objective of preparing the car. I think Gursky was aiming to capture singlemindedness. The fact that the two groups of people are wearing two different colors implies that these are two competing groups, but with the same purpose and motivation. The people in the background also make this feel much more important. Realistically, they are here to watch the cars in action. But here, isolated in the frame of the photo, the crews look like they are participating in a monumentous event. I think this all contributes to the theme of the photo.

If I were in charge of giving this photo a name, it might be “Ergates.” It is another word for worker ant, and I think it is appropriate because like the ants, the workers here are all focused on helping one thing: the team, or the queen (which might be the reacecar driver). It also makes them seem less significant as individuals. This aligns with how the people are depicted, so close together and singly focused that they don’t seem like separate people, more like parts of a whole- or a colony.

As for the six elements of photography, I’d say they are all present, with varying levels of importance. Lines appear, mostly in the background.  Their purpose is mostly as a support or context for the foreground. Some shapes that appear are the squares in the background. The two groups also form sort of loose rectangles or semicircles. Some of the squares in the back make up the pattern of the windows in which the crowds appear. A lot of the texture in the background seems smooth or stony, while the people up front look like they are wearing somewhat puffy clothes, as well as hard helmets. The entire photo looks pretty clear focused, though the people in the back are harder to see. That may just be a result of them being further away, or maybe they are blurred out a little. I’d say that the most important element is the values/tones. The crews are much have much brighter tones than the background, making it clear that they are the subjects of this photo. The background elements are more muted, so the viewer will most likely notice them after taking a good look at the foreground elements.

(I may have misunderstood the prompt? Gursky is one of the artists that I could choose photos from, but this isn’t one of the photos provided. However, I saw this while doing some searching and liked it.)

Line focus

shape-pattern-texture-value

In photography, there are six formal elements. These formal elements are line, shape, pattern, texture, value, and focus. Lines can be straight or curved, singular or packed into the frame. Lines can add stability if they are unbent and horizontal, but they can be unstable if they are tilted. Vertical lines imply growth or power, probably because they are associated with moving up. Lines can be created by architecture, transitions between values, or naturally.

Shapes, like lines, can be round (organic) or straight edged (geometric). Shapes can effect the mood of the picture because of shape psychology. Some examples are that round shapes are more ‘friendly’ and ‘soft’, while harsher shapes like triangles can be considered ‘energetic’ or ‘sharp’. Organic shapes often imply something natural, while geometric shapes usually come from something man-made. Photographers can use this to help the theme of their photo.

While shapes and lines are almost unavoidable, patterns are not always in a photo (although they are common). Any repeating lines or shapes is be a pattern. Patterns can emphasize a theme or add visual interest. Patterns can be found in nature, such as in a fern or stripes on a zebra, or in architecture.

Texture is found everywhere. It is how an object looks like it feels. Texture can add variety between different subjects in a photo. Fluffy, smooth, rough, and fluid are some examples of textures.

Value is how light or dark something appears. Tone is how much grey is in a color. Value is unavoidable, though black and white photos will not have tone. Value and tone will likely be the first thing an audience notices. Stark difference will make the items in the photo very recongnizable, while blurred transitions can unify a piece.

Focus is how clearly elements appear in the photo. Sometimes the subject is clearly focused while background elements are blurry, sometimes the whole piece is clear or blurry or somewhere in between, depending on the artist’s intent.

The message of my triptych will be to show how strange that common things in our world can be if we look at them at a different perspective. Maybe looking closer at something, seeing a side of it you don’t usually see, or isolating a beautiful element you don’t often notice. I hope the audience will be able to find some excitement in everyday items or people in these photos. I have already found inspiration in a few artists, and some of my favorites have bright colors, close-ups, and unusual perspectives in their photos. I think these elements make the photos seem like something out of a fantasy story. I think that many of my subjects will fill up most of the frame and be in stark focus, I will blur out background elements that may not matter. I think this method will isolate the subject, making it even more otherworldly. I really enjoy seeing things in an unusual light. I think that all stories are different takes on reality, and it will be fun to bring this to photography.

Straight Photography

Pictorialism

Uta Barth

Andreas Gursky

1. Straight photography emerged in the early 1900s. The style is characterized by using a very sharp focus and not changing anything about the original image. This style influenced abstract photographers such as Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind. Both of these photographers, because of their time period, used black-and-white photography. Edward Weston is probably best known for his still lives. These photos often depict vegetables or fruits, calling attention to the shapes and patterns that often go unnoticed. His photos use the same sharp focus, making the subjects stand out against the often black background. Weston’s photos don’t change from what the camera sees to what gets presented. Aaron Siskind took similar photos, usually featuring unique textures from places all around the world. These textures are emphasized by the stark contrast that sharp focus can lend a piece. His photos are also black and white, so the only focus of the image is the texture and it looks less like something from our world.
2. We’ve established that abstract photography is making photos in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element. Uta Barth and Andreas Gursky are both abstract photographers. Uta Barth has made photos that show light from windows or blurry images of cityscapes. Both of these, as well as other kinds of photos Barth has taken, depict completely ordinary things, but with the help of someone seeing what beauty they have or could have, they became art. Her photos aren’t straight photography, most noticeably because they are often blurry or otherwise have soft transitions. They are also separate from Pictorialist photos, lacking that signature brush stroke touch. Andreas Gursky is known for his photos of stock exchanges around the world, as well as pictures he later touched up in Photoshop, removing undesirable elements or emphasizing desirable ones. While most of his photos are clearly focused, he is not a Straight Photographer because of the way he changes his photos after he takes them. Nor is he a Pictorialist, for the same reason as Barth.

Works Cited:

Siskind, Aaron “Jerome, Arizona, #21” Photograph. Artsy.net. 2025. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/aaron-siskind-jerome-arizona-number-21, Accessed Feb 7 2025

Kuhn, Heinrich “Mary Warner a contre-jour” Photograph. Wikiart.org. https://www.wikiart.org/en/artists-by-art-movement/pictorialism#!#resultType:masonry, Accessed Feb 7 2025

Barth, Uta “Field #23” Photograph. Guggenheim.org. https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/uta-barth, Accessed Feb 7 2025

Gursky, Andreas “Amazon” Photograph. The Broad.