STATEMENT OF INTENT – BLOG 12

Create a statement of intention for your triptych

Title: “Nature’s Canvas”

The message of my triptych will be how textures created through nature can present different moods and emotions. I want the audience to realize that moods and emotions can be interpreted in many different ways from different people’s interpretations of textures. I will be finding photographers that focus on textures that can be found in nature and the natural environment, rather than buildings or architectures. I titled this set as “Nature’s Canvas” because I believe that the textures that can be found in nature are like canvas in art, where it is the starting point of different interpretations and messages.

INSPIRED PHOTOGRAPHER – BLOG 13

Photographer: Aaron Siskind

Gallery of 9 of the photographer’s images

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

In what ways are your chosen artist’s photographs abstract?
Aaron Siskind’s photography is abstract because he focuses on the textures and shapes of his subjects, emphasizing the highlighting shadows and contrasts of the photos.

What do you like about the style? Be specific and explain your answer.

I like Aaron Siskind’s style as the shadows and tones of the pictures correlate with the textures of the wood, creating an overall emotion/mood for the audience. I like how the photos are edited as black and white to support the emotions portrayed from the textures of the wood as well.

Find a quotation by your photographer and explain why you chose the particular quotation and how it helps you understand the photographer’s work.

“I see a photograph as a visual poem, a way to express feelings through form and texture.”

— Aaron Siskind

I chose this particular quotation as it corresponds with my own vision and statement of intention for the triptych. The quote underlines the how textures and forms of the photograph’s subject can be seen as a method of portraying different themes and messages.

Citation: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/siskind-aarn/

Explain why you have chosen this photographer including how the photographer relates to your vision

I chose this photographer as my statement of intent for this triptych was extremely similar to his photography purposes. It relates to my own vision as I wanted to exhibit how textures created through nature can present different moods and emotions

How will you adapt this style to your own photography? How does the image/artist inspire YOU?

I will adapt this style to my own photography as I will take inspiration of the emphasis on wood’s texture to portray the emotions of roughness and hardships. But I will not be putting a filter over my photos, as I personally believe that the colors of the textured objects is also important to consider when interpreting an image with someone’s free will.

Pick one photo from your artist’s collection and answer the following questions using this photo.

I chose this image in particular as I found the emphasis on the texture and the hole in the middle allows the audience to feel a sense of loneliness. I found it surprising that the artist decided to show the shadows of the surrounding trees as well, but still give off the sense of an isolated feeling. I think the most significant formal element used in this photo is tone and texture, as the dark shadows in areas such as the hole and its hollowness to portray a person who feels empty. The rough texture also shows the uneasy situations people can be in and has to go through when they suffer alone.

CONTACT SHEET – BLOG 14

Yellow edits: 

I chose these pictures as my yellow/first collection by simply removing pictures from the options that have bad focuses, angles, and does that match with the overarching theme of the photos.

Green edits: 

I chose these pictures as my green/second collection by eliminating the photos that did not cooperate with the original purpose and intentions of my photos.

Red edits: 

I chose these pictures as my red/final collection as I believe these pictures were taken in a way that can best support my statement of details and moods portrayed through texture.

STATEMENT OF INTENT – BLOG 8

Create a statement of intention for your triptych

Title: “Essence of Simplicity”

The message of my triptych will be how simplistic and minimalistic forms of architecture can present the beauty of lines, tones, and shapes. I want the audience to realize that messages can be exhibited in photos even without specific highlights or main points, but solely by using the purity of its original form. For inspirations of my photos, I will be finding photographers that focus on basic structures and forms of architectures and buildings, specifically with the focus of neutral tones and strong lines. I believe that simplicity and minimalistic approaches do not necessarily mean “no depth” or “no details”, but rather just a unique method of using the formal elements as a fundamental pathway to lead the audiences’ interpretation of the photos.

INSPIRED PHOTOGRAPHER – BLOG 9

Photographer: Angie McMonigal

Gallery of 9 of the photographer’s images

All images from : https://angiemcmonigal.com/fine-art/

In what ways are your chosen artist’s photographs abstract?
Angie Mcmonigal’s style of photography is abstract as her photos are focused on architectural elements, unique perspectives, and monochromatic contrasts, often exhibited through her usage in lines, textures, and patterns.

What do you like about the style? Be specific and explain your answer.

I like Angie Mcmonigal’s style of taking simple and minimalistic photos of city buildings but emphasizing the architectural details. I like how she finds patterns from buildings that people see daily and are used to, but take the photographs with unusual approaches and angles to make the buildings and their designs look unique.

Find a quotation by your photographer and explain why you chose the particular quotation and how it helps you understand the photographer’s work.

“My hope is to make the viewer reconsider the spaces they’re in and appreciate those elements that can so easily get overlooked.”

— Angie McMonigal

I chose this particular quotation as it corresponds with my own vision and statement of intention for the triptych. The quote underlines the importance of appreciating and reconsidering the purposes/intention of basic elements and spaces, which is similar to my vision of reconsidering simple and minimalistic architecture styles.

Citation: https://www.m-mode.co.uk/angie-m

Explain why you have chosen this photographer including how the photographer relates to your vision

I chose this photographer as my approach and vision for this triptych was extremely similar to her photography purposes. It relates to my own vision as I wanted to portray simplistic and minimalistic forms of architecture and allow the audience to find the deeper meaning behind the designs, even if the design of the buildings are just simple.

How will you adapt this style to your own photography? How does the image/artist inspire YOU?

I will adapt this style to my own photography as I will take inspiration from the different creative angles she uses to take her pictures. Also how she takes pictures in a way where the buildings look isolated and the focus is just on one specific building, making the whole photo not busy.

Pick one photo from your artist’s collection and answer the following questions using this photo.

I chose this image in particular as I found it interesting that the focus on the building’s arch allows the audience to be mesmerized by the design, even though in reality it just looks like every other building we see in our daily lives. I found it surprising how that could be exhibited just through angles and shadows of a photo. I think the most significant formal element used in this photo is line and tone, as the dark shadows in areas allow the lines of the arch to be the focus and main point of the photo. The white blank space also plays a vital role in lining the arch, making the contrast of the arch’s darker tone and the light background emphasize the arch even more.

CONTACT SHEET – BLOG 10

798 trip photos: 

Yellow edits: 

I chose the yellow edits/first collection of photos just by simply removing photos that had the basic blurry, focus, angle, and lighting issues.

Green edits: 

I chose the green edits/second collection with a much smaller range of photos by removing photos that did not relate with my vision.

Red edits: 

I chose the red edits/last collection by choosing four photos that corresponded with each other. During the process, I made my green edits into different sets by separating them into photos with similar main objects or colors. I chose this set as I believe it correlates with my vision the best.

FINAL TRIPTYCH – BLOG 11

STARTING POINT – BLOG 3

“Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images which the subject isn’t the most interesting element.”

I believe abstract photography is the image of ordinary items but are in an ironically unique form because of the creative photography techniques used to portray the meaning of the image. By using various angles, filters, and blurring techniques, ordinary items from our daily lives can be captured with an intriguing message from an unexpected point of view.

FORMAL ELEMENTS – BLOG 4

What does formal elements mean in photography?

Formal elements in photography refers to the fundamental components/elements that contribute in the way of how a photo is exhibited to impact the audience in a certain way/picture a specific message.

Describe and give examples of each of the 6 elements discussed so far:

1. Line — the significance of the thickness, curves, directions of lines in the image.
2. Shape — the significance of what the shapes portrays and how the shapes interact with shadows, lighting, and other elements in the image.
3. Pattern — the significance of the repetitions of lines, shapes, shadows, reflections, and colors in the image.
4. Texture — the significance of how the image would feel like if it was touchable.
5. Tone — the significance of lights and shadows allowing the image to portray darker and lighter values.
6. Focus — the significance of which object/place the camera’s focus is on.

Can an image show just one element at a time?

The elements line, shape, pattern, texture, tone, and focus can be found in every image, but most pictures are focused on just one element in order to express the photographer’s portrayed emotion and ensure that the image’s visual representation aligns with the message of the image.

Example of formal elements in a picture

This is a photo taken in school by my friend and I on her CANON G7X camera. Elements such as tone and line play a vital role in this picture. The camera itself has a comparably yellow tinted filter to it and with it mixed with the sunset during the afternoon, it gives a comforting and warm feeling for the audience. There are a lot of lines portrayed in the photo such as the long road in the middle, the vertical lines on the wall and the windows by the side, giving a organized and structured feeling. Using this image as an example, it emphasizes how formal elements are able to be found in even random pictures like this, so if formal elements were utilized with a purpose, it could significantly change the message and mood of the photo

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MLA citations

1. “The Formal Elements in Art.” HardleyArt, HardleyArt, 25 Mar. 2012, hardleyart.wordpress.com/the-formal-elements-in-art/.
2. “Focus: Understanding the 7 Formal Elements of Photography.” Focus.picfair.com, focus.picfair.com/articles/7-formal-elements-photography.

PHOTO ANALYSIS – BLOG 5

“Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element. Albert Renger-Patzsch, Edward Weston 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.”

List three things the photographer might have been interested in capturing in this picture

1. The combination of shapes
2. The neutral color of the object
3. The shadows being a significant element of lines and tones

If you were the photographer, what title would you give it? Explain why.

If I was the photographer, I would have titled this photo as “CROSSWALKS”. This is because it illustrates how even the simplest shadows and patterns can be interpreted from different perspectives for different people. When I first looked at the photograph, the contrast between light and dark shadows along with the repetitive lines, immediately made me think of crosswalks.

Describe the use of line, shape, Pattern, texture, tone and focus

The usage of lines and tones are especially significant in this photo because the lines itself are being “drawn” by the shadows and contrasts of light. The lines are creating a pattern and rays of lines, giving an obvious focus on the shadows. The texture seems smooth because of the neutral tones of the object.

PHOTO SAFARI – BLOG 6

For this blog, we were given pictures to use as a template for our photo safari. When comparing my images to the given pictures, there are some noticeable similarities and improvement I can make. Pictures that are more simplistic like photos 1, 4, and 6 were easier to be taken as they were shapes, lines, and patterns that could be found conveniently, but pictures such as 2 and 5 were more challenging as it took more time to find similar images. During this process, I realized that shapes, lines, and patterns can be found on everything, everywhere if we just look closer to our surroundings.

My image:                                                                                Given picture:

.                         

Formal elements – Line, Tone

Worked/Didn’t work – This image resembles the given picture as there is a vivid contrast between the darker color of the blue plastic bin and the white paper bin which is separated by the straight line in the middle.

My image:                                                                            Given picture:

Formal elements – Shape, Line

Worked/Didn’t work – The rectangular shape on the plain white box resembles the original photo’s main point of the black square. Although I found the accurate object that is can portray a similar image to the given picture, I can improve on this picture by changing the way it has been taken, as the small rectangle looks as if it is more on the center right, rather than upper right.

My image:                                                                               Given picture:

Formal elements – Texture, Focus

Worked/Didn’t work – This image resembles the given picture as the zoomed in focus of the grass and the emphasis on texture aligns with the original picture.

My image:                                                                             Given picture:

.                   

Formal elements – Texture, line, tone

Worked/Didn’t work – This image resembles the original given picture as there is a clear contrast of texture and tone for all three rows. This image has a vivid classification of the different rows separated by the lines, but a minor difference is that the original photo is a pattern of rows, whereas there is no pattern in my image.

My image:                                                                         Given picture:

Formal elements – Line, Pattern, Focus

Worked/Didn’t work – This image resembles the original given picture as the fence exhibits the clear pattern of vertical lines. An improvement I can make is trying to find an object that does not have much background objects, as the focus of this photo is less vivid and the background is too eye-catching.

My image:                                                                          Given picture:

Formal elements – Shape, Focus

Worked/Didn’t work – This image given picture extremely accurately as the focus of the clock’s circular shape is the same as the original picture.

My image:                                                                             Given picture:

Formal elements – Lines, Pattern

Worked/Didn’t work – This image does not resemble the original picture, as I should have took the photo where the “center” of the photo is slanted towards the left side and show the two columns of three boxes. My image only portrays two rows of four boxes and how the picture is taken makes all four boxes look symmetrical in size.

My image:                                                                           Given picture:

Formal elements – Pattern, Shapes

Worked/Didn’t work – This image did not work as although my idea of using the Apple icons to represent the dots was a creative and good idea, I should have taken the photo in front where the photo doesn’t look like there is a slight angle to it.

My image:                                                                          Given picture:

Formal elements – Pattern, Lines

Worked/Didn’t work – This image resembles the original given picture as the rock pattern of the floor and the grid both have a consistent repetition of squares.

My image:                                                                          Given picture:

Formal elements – Lines, Focus, Texture

Worked/Didn’t work – This image resembles the original given picture as the image’s focus is on the curve and angle of the stairs. Although it is similar in shape, I can improve by emphasizing the tones and darker parts of the image for contrast like the original picture.

My image:                                                                          Given picture:

Formal elements – Line, Shape, Texture

Worked/Didn’t work – This image did not work as my attempt of the angle and shapes are clear, the contrast of tones and the angle are not accurate.

My image:                                                                          Given picture:

Formal elements – Texture

Worked/Didn’t work – This image did not work as the given picture and my image’s focus on texture is the same, but the texture itself is different. The original given picture’s texture is more rough and is structured with lines, whereas the my image is the texture of grass.