This module is based on the publication “The Photographer’s Eye” by John Szarkowski. I have been asked to implement his ideas into my own photographic work, by developing my creative image processes. I must produce four prints for each of the following themes: Objects of Desire, The Enigma of Time, and The Constructed Image.
As the brief says, Objects of Desire requires me to evoke the feeling of desire within my images, with my own choice of subject, studio or location shooting, flash or ambient lighting, etc. With the popularity of online shopping and social media, we see many images everyday of items that evoke these feelings of desire within us, such as food, cars and fashion; however we often don’t stop to consider how these images were constructed, and how they provoke a response such as persuading us to purchase or use something, or otherwise affect us in some way.
My initial thoughts on this theme are that I will begin to experiment with studio lighting and produce images with a commercial style/theme. I like how the images in this genre of photography have a great emphasis on lighting and create a huge impact on the viewer; I would like to explore this avenue to further develop my understanding of lighting within photography and how this can affect the way an image and the subject looks. I have purchased a portable photography studio complete with lighting which will enable me to experiment with this idea from home. Initial ideas for subjects include flowers such as roses; these are very romantic which play on the theme of Desire, and I have also purchased some fabrics with a velvet feel to further evoke desire and to compose more unique photographs than the stereotypical flower shots you would usually see. There are many variations of flowers which will enable me to expand on this idea further as I go along.
The Enigma of Time relates to one of the key elements that Szarkowski states in his book “define the medium of photography:” Time. Therefore, I am asked to produce four images that simply use Time in some way to affect how they look. Again, I am given free reign over the choice of location and lighting, as long as my images evoke a response from the viewer.
Initial ideas for this theme include using motion blur in some of my images to depict the idea of movement and time; I will be attending the university trip to New York where I hope to use this technique to show how busy the city is and how it “never sleeps.” This technique can also be experimented with anywhere local that is busy with plenty of movement such as busy roads and city centres, shooting anything from vehicles to people. Another idea for this theme that I recently had was to recreate some of my first photographs with my boyfriend from 6 years ago, therefore showing how our appearances have changed with time but if I can take them in exactly the same places then I can also show how our surroundings have changed, too. I feel that this would evoke a response from the viewer to start wondering how our emotions, thoughts and our lives in general have changed too; prompting them to think further and deeper than just the outward appearance.
The Constructed Image encourages us to think more about the construction of our photographs, by using techniques such as montage, collage, multiple exposure, multiple printing and the combination of image and text, to create complex and dynamic images beyond “the straight frame” or the ordinary. Again, I must produce four images that somehow use the techniques above by making creative and unique decisions, without emulating others’ work.
This theme, I feel, is the most broad out of the three. This has both positive and negative aspects, as it allows me to be completely free with my subject choice and the techniques that I undertake; however, this can make it very tricky to know where to begin with my experiments. My previously mentioned idea about reconstructing past images could also be used here for this theme, as it could prove effective to montage the old and new images together to create something entirely unique; I will consider which theme this idea suits best. After some consideration and research, I have also had the idea to photograph the local area and countryside where I have grown up, and take many shots of one scene to later arrange and piece together into a photomontage, similar to a jigsaw and creating a new dynamic to the photograph, rather than a normal, straight, rectangular image. I will play with this idea and see where it takes me.
PHOT40151 / THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S EYE, JADE WARD, SUPPORTING WORK 