Evaluation

Evaluation

I think I have done quite well on this brief, I really enjoyed doing it. I loved finding out about the Universal Themes and what qualifies as one. I think if I did it again I might use a different array of photographers to see what difference that made and I would probably use the library a bit more instead of the internet so much. I loved looking through out the ages of photography and seeing how much has changed.

Compairing and interpreting universal themes.

Our next task is to compair 3 of our own universal theme photos with 3 from a website called: http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/Collection/Resources/40Photos. We have to look at how we have represented the universal themes with the photos we have taken and why we chose to take the photos for each theme.We then have to do the same for the 3 photos we choose from the website. Then we have to look at the similarities and differences between our photos and the ones we have chosen from the website that we think best match our own.

The 3 photos I have chosen that are my own are:

The 3 photos I have chosen to compair to my own are:

I will start by comparing the 2 portrait photos, my one of Jake and the Snake Woman one. They are both portraying a character of some kind. My photograph of Jake is almost like he is a giant trying to eat the ‘tiny’ woman on the ground in front of him. The Snake Woman picture is obviously portraying Medusa, I can tell this from all the snakes on her head, as hair perhaps, and the one around her neck. Of course we have all heard of the Greek Goddess ‘Medusa’ to have had a head of snakes instead of hair. Because of this I think they both fit the Universal Theme of ‘The Human Figure’ very well. Another thing that they have in common is that they were both set up, the Medusa picture will have had more of a set up, with the lighting, make-up and so on considering that it was taken in a studio, where as I was using natural lighting from outside and the right person at the right time, as timing is everything with these kinds of shots. The Medusa photo was taken from a collection of ‘Goddess’ photographs that Madame Yevonde created. Some of the differences are that as I mentioned before, my photograph was taken outside while hers was done in a studio. Another difference is lighting. The lighting on my picture is very bright and no special effects, whereas on her photograph it has been well lit from the front to really bring out her face and then the photo has been cropped to highlight the bits of the photo she wants in focus and the bits she doesn’t. The eyes of the ‘Medusa’ character really draws you in to look at it, my picture doesn’t really have a focus point. There is also an element of comedy in my picture and hers is quite forward and to the point.

Next I will look at my close-up wool photo and the strange staircase photo by Frederick Evans. I think they are both very abstract, in the sense that when you first look at them you see something completely different to what the picture is actually of, it creates an element of confusion. When I first looked at the stairs photograph, I thought it was a wave of water inside a building, and then I thought it was a spiral staircase but it isn’t and when you first glance at my wool picture it also looks like a colourful wave of water. This is why, in my opinion, they are perfect for the ‘Abstract’ Universal Theme. The lighting in Frederick’s picture is perfect and according to the article accompanying the photograph; “Evans ensured that every detail of the interiors he photographed was properly lit. He was an advocate of 'pure' photography and, unlike some pictorialists, opposed any alteration or manipulation of his negatives or prints. He was a perfectionist, primarily interested in the effects of light and shade and prepared to wait for long periods for the desired lighting conditions.” I used sunlight for my main form of lighting, as well as my bedroom light, which I think worked quite well. The other thing that Frederick focused on was: Line, Space, Texture, Shape and Tone to be in keeping with his architecture photographs.

The last 2 picture I am comparing are both to do with War. My photo is more to do with the grieving and missing someone while the other picture by Roger Fenton is about the everlasting devastation left by war, and really mine is too. His photograph is of all the left over cannonballs in a baron waste land that was once not ruined by the brutality of war. In a similar sense, my photograph tells a story of someone who has loved and lost, whether in a war or a terrible accident, either way they are both upsetting in different ways. There are a few main differences between the style and where they were taken. For starters I have edited my image on Photoshop, and used props and set-up this shot, whereas Roger was actually at the scene of devastation and has not edited it at all. There is no specialised lighting used in his image and I have edited and changed mine to give it a vintage effect. Hey are both very fitting for the Universal Theme of ‘Events’.

I think the 3 images from the website above matched my own images very well, not just in quality but in the themes that they can be categoriesed in. 

Universal themes.

We started to look at Universal themes.

This is when there is a connecting theme within different themes, E.G. You could have different types of Photography like; Wedding, Sport and Fashion and they could all have the Universal Theme of 'The Human Form'.

There are 6 main Universal Themes:

-The Human Figure
-Environment (Natural and Man Made)
-Flora and Fauna
-Events (Personal, Communal and Historical)
-The Fantastic and Strange (Myth, Metamorphosis and Dream)
-The Abstract (Form and Meaning)

There are also Formal Elements to be considered. These are as followed:

-Line: 'A record of a path of motion.'-Moholy Nagy
-Shape: 2D, 3D, Perspective and Forms
-Texture: The tactile quality of the medium and surfaces displayed
-Space: The layout of elements, Perspective and Composition
-Tone: Light and Dark, Shadow and Gradation
-Colour: Emotions, Senses, Moods and Psychology


I had a go at taking photos that fit these themes, here is what I came up with:

Flora and Fauna

I really like this picture. I like how there is the one flower in the center in focus while the others around it aren't. This is also a great display of one of the Formal Elements, colour.

A beautiful blossom bush.

 I like how it focused on the dog and the lead is not in focus. You can still see how it is twisted.

This is our puppy, Millie. 

This is a photo of a mouse we caught in my brothers room. It was a cute little thing and I decided to get a shot before we let it go. I think it captures how scared it was.

Looked out of my window one morning and there was a cat sat on a roof. Thought it would make a cool photo.

Environment

This is a photo o one of the buildings at college. I took it at an angle because I thought it captured the shape beautifully and really exaggerated it.

Again man made. But I just loved the shape of this fence and decided to get a picture as I walked past.

 This is a picture of a birdhouse taken by looking through a hole in a fence. I wasn't sure whether or not it would work but I think it looked quite cool in the end. It looks like your looking through a telescope.

The Fantastic and Strange (Myth, Metamorphosis and Dream)

I was looking out my window and saw that the moon was very visable so I took some photographs because I thought it was fitting for Fantasic and Myth.

There is lots of myth surrounding the moon, like the way it has total control over the tide of the sea.

I have always thought of clouds as being mythical and strange. They are all so beautiful and different and just hang there.

Dream catches are very mysterious and surrounded in myth. I have on hanging above my bed for the same reason everyone else does, because I have ben told and believe that they capture bad dreams and protect your mind.

I was sat on the sofa at home and my dad turned the small lamp on, in the corner of the room, and I just saw this shape appear from the shadow of these merit cards. I think it looks like the head of a dragon or some kind of lizard. I thought it was amazing that my mind had created a dragon shape out of a shadow.

The Human Figure

The lence flare in this shot is really pretty. 

I love this photo. There was a woman and her dog in the background and I told my friend to pretend to eat her, like a giant.

Events

Being diabetic, I have to inject myself with insulin every morning and every evening. It is a daily event in my life.

This is a photo I took and edited on Photoshop to make it look really old and vintage. I wanted it to look like an old war time photo, like someone saying goodbye to a lover and they have lay out all the things that gave them great memories. I think it works really well for the theme 'Events' because it is war related.

Abstract

Beads are always a great thing to photograph close up for an abstract picture.

These beads are part of a necklace of mine and I thought it would look really great if I just had a few of them in the shot.

I love the pattern of wool I just think it looks so cool close up. Almost like tiny mountains. These are very abstract photos that I have taken of my scarf I am knitting.

Kim Weston.

Kim has been a fine art nude photographer for over 30 years. He is a third-generation member of one of the most important and creative families in photography.

Education

He learned his craft assisting his father Cole in the darkroom making gallery prints from his grandfather Edward’s original negatives. Kim also worked for many years as an assistant to his uncle Brett, whose bold, abstract photographs rank as some of the finest example.

I love how he portrays the female form.

Taken from: http://www.kimweston.com/