Personal Investigation; The starting point
To begin my photography personal investigation I had to start by researching the 13 different ways to begin my personal investigation so that I could then decide what the best route may have been for me. To do this I had to take into account what interested me, my style of photography and how it may help determine me as a photographer as to how I present the type of photography I may want to pursue. To start off my personal photography investigation I decided to frame pictures within pictures to document a fragmented kind of photography in many different areas. One reason why I chose to do this specific topic is because I wanted to explore photography in a wider variety with a view that may be different from what the average photographer would see or a normal photograph would look like. Another reason is because I wanted to showcase how the interpretation of photographs is different to the real world as photographs have edges and always end somewhere while only capturing one direction and point of the image whereas in the real world you can see every part of where you are and the world is continuous so the place you are at would actually have more meaning The first thing I did was take a variety of photographs in different locations to document different types of fragmented photographs so that I could showcase my reasoning, planning and decision-making of why I did this particular topic for my personal investigation.
Photoshoot 1 of Exercise 3
Exercise #3: Pictures within pictures
Look for pre-existing frames in the world (windows, openings, gaps in fences, mirrors etc.) and use them to compose your photographs. Choose some of your images to print and re-photograph in their original and/or new locations.
Think about how photographs have edges, unlike the world that is continuous.
Look for pre-existing frames in the world (windows, openings, gaps in fences, mirrors etc.) and use them to compose your photographs. Choose some of your images to print and re-photograph in their original and/or new locations.
Think about how photographs have edges, unlike the world that is continuous.
The main purpose of this exercise was to find pre existing frames for photographs to bring a more fragmented view to photography and showcase pictures within pictures. What I like about these photographs are that there are many different photographs broken up with edges and mirrors which showcases the view of how photographs and the real world can have a completely different view as you can only see what's in front of you in a photograph but the photographer could see a whole different angle from the opposite 180 degree angle. This shows us that photographs will always have an end as they have edges but the world itself is continuous and we can see everything through the human eye. These photographs show a truthful depiction of how to showcase fragmented photographs within other photographs as there are many edges within the photographs which break the photographs up to showcase the ends of the photographs. To make these photographs I went to different locations to find different edges and broken up parts of images to create fragmented photographs inside and outside.
Sabine Hornig
Sabine Hornig is a German photographer and visual artist who was born in Pforzheim, West Germany in 1964. Her work mainly focuses on making pictures within pictures and fragmenting photographs using reflections and mirrors to create a divided type of photography showing the front of the photograph as usual with the reflection also showing the behind of the photograph showing that while the photographs do have edges, they may also have a different variety of photography that shows the 180 degree angle of the reflection of the photograph showing a unique kind of viewing of photography. What I like about Hornig's photography is that she brings a variety of ideas and viewings to the human eyes and mind about how we can take fragmented photographs and why they may bring satisfaction to the photographer and the viewer. The photographer may have had to have thought about where to take the photography to find the best location for a reflective kind of photography, reasons why they took the photograph to provide a mirror reflection to make another picture as this may have been a type of photography not many people are familiar with and how the photographer can make further improvements to maybe find more ways to make fragmented photography and make more pictures within pictures so that they can provide a further variety to their photography and make extraordinary levels of pictures within pictures.
Andrea Grutzner
Andrea Grutzner is a German photographer and visual artist who specialises in fragmented photography which for her would involve taking pictures within pictures using features such as openings, edges and reflections. Grutzner describes her work as an 'emotive architectural photography' this is because she uses different types of styles for these photographs as some look more realistic and others look unrealistic which shows the contrasting difference between how you can make pictures look within other pictures as you can make some look very similar to the location or have reflections of a certain area. However, you can also make some photographs have very unrealistic edges and openings to give the viewer thoughts about what the photograph could be about or how did the photographer make this kind of photograph. This photograph shows different types of fragments that can be used in photography and it may have been taken in Grutzner's house. I believe these photographs are a truthful depiction of the subject of pictures within pictures as there are many contrasting images that symbolise realistic and unrealistic type of pictures so a variety of different fragments can be shown to symbolise more pictures within other pictures. To this day the photograph still creates a big impact on photographs involving fragments as the different types of abstract photographs show many differences on how photographs may look to the human eye which contradicts my knowledge of how pictures can be taken within other pictures as there are many methods of doing this that I had not seen before. This shows us that the photograph did achieve its original purpose of taking pictures within other pictures as many different contrasting edges and reflections were used which could also show that it is reliable as historical evidence for this type of photography.
Single Image Evaluation
This image is part of Andrea Grutzner's 'Erbgericht' project which she took when exploring the Erbgericht guest house in Eastern Germany. Grutzner describes the image as a tension between abstraction and the actual house itself while also showcasing more fragmented views of the photographs giving the viewer thoughts about the idea behind the photograph and how these photographs could present memories as well as the viewer may also have to try use their mind to reconstruct the photograph with their own thoughts. What I like about this photograph is how Grutzner utilises a variety of different ideas and aesthetics as the photograph shows a natural side of the photograph on the outside with natural white colouring and the edge of a door. However, on the other side of the door there is a shade of red colouring with low lighting although we do not know what could be on the other side of the door. Therefore leaving the viewer in suspense and wanting to find out what could be behind the door opening in the photograph. This photograph shows a truthful depiction of the subject of pictures within pictures as Grutzner has utilised the edges part of the photograph very well with the edge of the door showing the two different sides of the two rooms which presents a contrasting effect on the photograph and gives the viewer more things to think about within the photograph. This confirms my knowledge of pictures within pictures as the edge of the door also reflects the different colouring from the rooms which gives an abstract thought of how the photograph may have been made and what inspired Grutzner to do this type of photography. Finally I believe that this photograph could be used as historical evidence for pictures within pictures as this photograph gives us a variety of complex thoughts about the door and other aspects.
Photoshoot 2 of Exercise 3
Exercise #3: Pictures within pictures
Look for pre-existing frames in the world (windows, openings, gaps in fences, mirrors etc.) and use them to compose your photographs. Choose some of your images to print and re-photograph in their original and/or new locations.
Think about how photographs have edges, unlike the world that is continuous.
Look for pre-existing frames in the world (windows, openings, gaps in fences, mirrors etc.) and use them to compose your photographs. Choose some of your images to print and re-photograph in their original and/or new locations.
Think about how photographs have edges, unlike the world that is continuous.
For this photoshoot I did another exercise of the project of pictures within pictures for my personal investigation. The main purpose of this exercise was to find different sets of edges and openings within the different photographs. I did this by going out to some woods nearby my house where I then went to a variety of different locations from there to find potential ideas for photographs. What I like about these photographs are the different variety of different openings to different locations we can see and some of the particular edges where the walls separate two different sides of the woods which can give the viewer different thoughts about what other views could be seen by the photographer at different perspectives in the photograph. These photographs show a truthful depiction of how photographs can be broken up into fragments and showcase different openings within the different range of photographs that the photographer may have taken. To make these photographs, I decided to take a look at many different openings through involving doorways, branches, leaves and many more different aspects of nature to add to my photography.
Harry Gruyaert
''I was living in London at the end of the 1960s when I became aware of the brainwashing power of television … I became interested in making a portrait of England by photographing the TV screen''
Harry Gruyaert - Magnum Photos
Harry Gruyaert is a Belgian photographer who was born in 1941. He started out his career by studying photography and film making for Flemish television as a director for photography before then moving on to colour photographs in the 1960s in Paris. During the 1970s he had travelled to a variety of different countries such as the United States, Japan, India and Egypt before working on a series of colour television screen shots where he also photographed his homeland and produced two books. Gruyaert mainly likes to focus on working in different environments, lights and colours where he is still based in Paris to this day. What I like about these photographs are that they showcase how early street photography may have developed from all those years ago compared to now which can also symbolise the different edges of each road and street to show that all roads have an end at some point or turn into another direction so they are never continuous. These photographs show a truthful depiction of the subject of pictures within pictures as Gruyaert photographs many different streets and buildings which symbolise different edges, openings and reflections which confirm my knowledge of pictures within pictures as Gruyaert symbolises the edges of the streets in a way that they could represent the ends of the roads and make the viewer have thoughts about what could be beyond the photograph. Finally, I believe these photographs can be used as historical evidence as Gruyaert's street photographs were some of the first street photographs to be represented in high quality.
Diptychs/Triptychs of Pictures within Pictures
For my photography personal investigation I decided to make diptychs and triptychs with the resources and photographs I had already made and taken. I did this by gathering up a variety of photographs from my first and second photoshoot and making these combinations with similarities and differences. What I like about these diptychs and triptychs are the variation they bring to the different photographs as some of the photographs showcase some similarities with the photographs in these diptychs and triptychs while other photographs show contrasts of the combinations. I have learnt how some photographs connect with each other and how some photographs can also create a connection with contrasting effects in these diptychs and triptychs. Next, I will continue to make more photographs for my photography personal investigation and make something out of those as well.
What is a Photograph?
In photography ''the stimulus complex'' is when the photographer responds to a variety of different elements of photography. This not only involves the immediate stimulus which is the visual perception of the photograph but it can also implement the full range of emotions, associations and memories that the subject evokes which brings an effect on how the photographer actually perceives the photograph. The photographer could also have thoughts about how they will make the photograph, what they are going to do to create a good outcome and where they will take the photograph. The most difficult part of the stimulus complex is the photographer's passion and desire to make the photograph in the first place.
Theoreticians believe in recent years that there are eight different reasons why people take photographs. These reasons can involve endowing the moment recorded with a deep-frozen immortality, fragmenting the experience into manageable pieces, insulating oneself from new experiences, analysing episodes of life, exercising a form of voyeuristic aggression, transforming experiences into photographs, learning about the structure and meaning of the world and to just simply make aesthetically and intellectually provocative images.
The main reason why I currently take photographs is because I have always enjoyed taking photographs for a long period of time and I have many different ideas about what photographs I can make in a variety of different elements and locations as I have a wide view of creative ideas which can help me advance my photographs further across many different types of photography.
I would like to continue taking photographs in the future as I feel like I can broaden my photography ideas and photographs to a wider audience and I can share my passion for photography with how I make my photographs and what locations would be good for me to take a higher quality level of photography so that I can implement even better aesthetics and ideas into my photographs.
Theoreticians believe in recent years that there are eight different reasons why people take photographs. These reasons can involve endowing the moment recorded with a deep-frozen immortality, fragmenting the experience into manageable pieces, insulating oneself from new experiences, analysing episodes of life, exercising a form of voyeuristic aggression, transforming experiences into photographs, learning about the structure and meaning of the world and to just simply make aesthetically and intellectually provocative images.
The main reason why I currently take photographs is because I have always enjoyed taking photographs for a long period of time and I have many different ideas about what photographs I can make in a variety of different elements and locations as I have a wide view of creative ideas which can help me advance my photographs further across many different types of photography.
I would like to continue taking photographs in the future as I feel like I can broaden my photography ideas and photographs to a wider audience and I can share my passion for photography with how I make my photographs and what locations would be good for me to take a higher quality level of photography so that I can implement even better aesthetics and ideas into my photographs.
Photography Exhibition
For my photography exhibition which I have done for my personal investigation I decided to gather some of my best pictures from my two photoshoots and turn them into black and white photographs. By doing this my photographs have turned into more abstracted photographs and the photographs are more likely to be used with colour paper blending into certain photographs. For example, green coloured paper can be used to make more blended paper with my pictures in the woods and trees. To start off I had a selection of around 72 different images which I then cropped down to my best 8 images which represented the best pictures within pictures and different landscapes in particular. Next, I decided to use lightroom to edit my photographs into more aesthetic and sophisticated outcomes as shown by the photographs above and the screenshot of the lightroom edit. Finally, I decided to convert these images into black and white photographs to create a contrasting effect on these types of pictures and represent a more aesthetic pictures within pictures effect. What I like about these photographs are the contrasting effect on how there are some city landscapes within the photographs but how there are also some nature photographs which can showcase how many different photographs can be taken within other pictures.
Diptychs/Triptychs #2 of Pictures within Pictures
For my photography personal investigation I decided to develop my photographs by creating more diptychs and triptychs with some of my existing photographs whilst also including some new photographs I took which also involved me re-photographing some of my old ones in different areas. To do this I went to a variety of different locations which are included from my last photoshoots to the ones I have now where I went back to the woods to re-photograph a section of my images. I personally like these photographs as I feel like they not only bring a similar effect with the diptychs and triptychs but they also bring an abstracted effect with some of the photo combinations having similarities and differences. I have also learned that there can be a lot more ways to photograph pictures within pictures which involve re-photographing old pictures at a new location to provide two images in one photograph. Next I will develop a new idea with potential new photographs to further develop my photography personal investigation.
Photography Exhibition #2
For my photography personal investigation I decided to develop my photography exhibition project further by re-photographing a variety of different photographs that I took from the woods from before and then photographing those old pictures in a new area full of greenery and fields so that I could get the old photographs to blend in within the plants after I changed the colour of the old photographs to a darker green colour from black and white and then mixing them up with other greenery aspects such as plants, grass, leaves, trees and many more different types of nature to develop my pictures within pictures project from my personal investigation. I personally think these are very well taken photographs as they utilise the edges within the plants and the photographs perfectly meaning that the photographs have some good composition and I have learned more about the different methods of how you can re-photograph your own photographs in different locations. Next, I plan to develop these photographs further by potentially sharpening them using Lightroom to give them more of an effect or by utilising a new project for my photography personal investigation.
Combining and Mixing My Photoshoot Images
For my photography personal investigation I decided to put my nature photographs from my three different photoshoots into groups to create a combining and abstracting effect between my photographs. To do this I not only went to specific locations to take photographs within nature but I also took one of my images that I re-photographed into a new location to create a blending effect between the two images and create more pictures within other pictures that relates to my photography project for my personal investigation. I personally like these groups of images as I feel that they bring contrasting effects as some correlate with each other very well whilst other images may make a completely different blend of images that could work which could also create an abstract effect of photography. Next, I am going to develop these images into a potential photobook with nature images and city images.
Photography Slideshow
To develop my photography personal investigation further I decided to upscale many of my images that I took over three different photoshoots for my pictures within pictures project which I then took down to around 20 pictures which I then turned into slides by going onto photoshop and using a 1920 x 1080 scale and scaling my pictures within the photoshop borders. After that I used iMovie to create the slideshow by putting the 20 different images onto iMovie and changing the timings and adding titles aswell. Finally I added an ambient music to play throughout the slideshow to create a contrasting effect within the music and the slideshow of pictures.
Photoshoot of Exercise #8
For my photography personal investigation I decided to do a photoshoot on streetscapes where I took images at different locations of different streets and roads which may have had many similarities and differences. To do this I photographed one area of the street then photographed the other side of the street to not only capture what was in front of me but to also capture what may had been happening around me. What I like about these photographs were that I was able to capture different events happening on streets whether they were busy or not and what different vehicles may have been on the streets. However, I believe I could've had a better range of composition within these photographs as some may photographs may have not captured everything happening around the street. Next, I am going to work on developing these photographs while also working on another photoshoot on a new exercise.
Paul Graham
“It has steadily become less important to me that the photographs are about something in the most obvious way. I am interested in more elusive and nebulous subject matter.”
Paul Graham
Paul Graham is a British contemporary photographer who was born in 1956. His main work focused on streetscapes and wildlife photography where he is mainly known for his colour prints of people engaged in his daily life which led to have passion for streetscape photographs. His most important project to date was his 12 volume photobook 'A Shimmer of Possibility' which he released in 2007. He began taking photographs in the 1970s where he then moved on to having his first show in 1986. Today his works are held at many different museums including the Museum of Model Art in New York, the Fotomuseum Wintherthur in Switzerland and the Tate Gallery in London. What I like about Paul Graham's photography is the variation of how he utilises the landscape of the street across the whole photograph so we can get the full photographer's perspective in the photograph aswell and how some images involve many people while others involve little to no people in the picture. These images show a truthful depiction of streetscapes as Graham has utilised many different thoughts as to how he made the photograph, how many people will be in it and the location of the photograph. Finally, these photographs could also be used as historical evidence for streetscapes as they are proven to be some of the most highly sophisticated and top quality photographs in the streetscape category of photography.
Photoshoot of Exercise #11
For my photography personal investigation I decided to do a photoshoot on what an ideal dream city would look like. To do this I went out to different locations including Central London and Canary Wharf in the late afternoons or at night to take low light photographs of what an ideal dream city would look like in darkness so that I could capture different thoughts from my mind and turn them into aesthetic photographs. What I like about these photographs are that they not only show what London may look like to the public eye but these specific photographs also capture a truthful depiction of what the city may look like in my imagination to create a whole new London based city from my own thoughts. Next, I am going to create more photographs from this exercise and then develop them into new projects for my photography personal investigation project.
Rut Blees Luxemburg
Rut Blees Luxemburg is a German photographer who was born in 1967 currently based in London. Her main works focus on photographing the urban landscape of cities such as London and then investigates the urban and metropolitan landscape within the photograph. She also focuses on large-scale photographic prints through public art works in which she uses long exposures allowing her to capture the ambient light of the city where she is known for her atmospheric and contemplative tone within her photographs. Her most famous pieces of work include 'Silver Forest' which is an urban landscape cast in concrete that is now included in the Westminster City Hall of London in the facade. She has also had her work exhibited not only in the UK but across different parts of Europe aswell with her exhibition 'Phantom' also being shown at the Tate Liverpool in 2003 and her series 'London Dust' being shown at the Museum of London in 2015. What I like about Luxemburg's photographs are that she utilises high quality low light photographs that also represent urban landscape photography and involve other aspects of photography that bring the images up to a better quality outcome. These photographs show a truthful depiction of a what an ideal dream city may look like at night as there has been some high quality lighting used in different aspects of the images to highlight more key parts of the photograph and symbolise the aesthetics of the images whilst also thinking about the background of the photograph with the urban landscapes to create an ideal low light photograph. Finally, I believe these photographs could be used as historical evidence in photography as Luxemburg's photographs have been showcased at many places across the UK and Europe and are some of the highest quality urban landscape photographs available.
Mirrors and Windows
The next step for my photography personal investigation was to learn about how photographs can be adjusted from mirrors and windows. To determine this we had to decide whether the photograph is facing inwards towards people for example or outwards towards a landscape or people facing the other direction. It is also important to know about the view of how a photograph should be viewed with different types of characteristics within the image to decide what could make the photograph this particular type of image and what the photographer's intentions were if they wanted to make the photograph a mirror or window. For this exercise we had to arrange a set of photographs and determine ourselves whether they were more like mirrors or windows. This image shows the final outcome of what I thought these particular photographs were in terms of mirrors and windows. The reasons why I made these decisions with the photographs was because I felt as if many of the photographs either showed an inward reflection with a person and some others involved a mirror or some of the other pictures may have been more landscape type images facing outwards towards either a building or a group of people.
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John Szarkowski
John Szarkowski was an American photographer, curator and critic who was born in 1925 and died in 2007. His main focus was making photographs on mirrors and windows that were described as being a form of art rather than just being there to document different events. He started out his career in 1949 where he worked as a museum photographer at the Walker Art Centre in Minneapolis where he documented and exhibited his work for the first time. During his time at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA,) Szarkowski curated 160 different exhibitions and also helped launch the careers of many successful photographers to this day including Diane Arbus and Robert Frank. Szarkowski was always known to be a very gifted photographer and was renowned for his landscapes which he photographed in the 1960s with many involving the thought process and aspects of mirrors and windows which he continued to do until he retired from the MoMA and resumed his position behind the lens. What I like about these photographs is how Szarkowski brings out a different variety of if the photograph could be described as a mirror or a window by judging the characteristics of the photographs whether they are facing inwards or outwards bringing extra thoughts about how these photographs may have been made. These photographs show a truthful depiction of the subject of mirrors and windows as these images showcase not only landscapes to represent windows but also portraits that could represent mirrors as we could see these portraits through a reflection of mirror but we can only see landscapes through the glass of a window looking outward. Finally, I believe these photographs could be used as historical evidence for mirrors and windows as Szarkowski was well known for his mirrors and windows project and his photographs provided inspiration to many other photographers which Szarkowski helped them to gain a career from his photography.
My response to Szarkowski's Mirrors and Windows
For my photography personal investigation I utilised my own idea of the theme of Mirrors and Windows by taking different pictures through reflections and other pictures through landscapes to create similar and contrasting effects in photographs. To do this I thought about the different words and thoughts that were used when talking about mirrors or windows and then brought them together to make a certain type of picture whether that being a mirror or a window. What I like about these pictures are the fact that there can be questions raised about what photographs might be mirrors and also what photographs are windows as people looking on the outside may not be able to determine what the photograph may be through the photographers’ mind. These photographs show a truthful depiction of mirrors and windows as all these images have thoughts about whether there could be a reflection looking towards the camera or a landscape looking out into the distance which only the photographer themself can determine. Next, I am going to develop these photographs further to make more sophisticated outcomes of mirrors and windows utilising more thoughts and words into these photographs.
Mirror Or Window?
I personally feel that the picture on the left is the photograph that mostly represents a mirror in comparison to the other pictures I have developed because not only is there a view looking out towards a landscape of the city but there is also a visibility of a reflection of the background as there is a view of the bus screen and the stairs of the bus so the photograph also represents a contrasting effect of how a mirror may look with a view looking like a landscape and a reflection looking inwards to show the opposite side of what the photographer may have seen to create a mirror-like effect on the photograph.
I personally feel that the picture on the right is the photograph that mostly represents a window in comparison to the other pictures I have developed because this photograph whilst also being taken through a window of a bus has no mirror like effect and has more view of the landscape of the urban city as a whole with the light of the daytime rather than a low light photograph that would have created more of a mirror-like effect on the image. This photograph also creates the effect of the thoughts of what the photographer may have been thinking when looking through the window which can bring more thoughts to our mind about what the photograph may have meant to the photographer and why this specific window and location was used to create this landscape photograph.
I personally feel that the picture on the right is the photograph that mostly represents a window in comparison to the other pictures I have developed because this photograph whilst also being taken through a window of a bus has no mirror like effect and has more view of the landscape of the urban city as a whole with the light of the daytime rather than a low light photograph that would have created more of a mirror-like effect on the image. This photograph also creates the effect of the thoughts of what the photographer may have been thinking when looking through the window which can bring more thoughts to our mind about what the photograph may have meant to the photographer and why this specific window and location was used to create this landscape photograph.
Alejandra Carles-Tolra Workshop
Alejandra Carles-Tolra is a visual artist, lecturer and photographer who was born in Barcelona. She is currently based in London where she makes most of her work to this day where her photography raises questions particularly on identity and what the group may play as a whole so we can figure out the meanings behind her photographs. She has been involved in many teaching courses and facilitates a variety of creative workshops ranging from institutions including the Photographers' Gallery in London, University College of London and the Autograph Gallery. She also uses photography as a voice and a tool for empowerment of images which she has a lot of commitment for and she collaborates regularly with vulnerable communities with diverse background to contribute more for photography as a whole.
For this task we had to figure out what specific pictures meant using a group of words from Alejandra Carles-Tolra's photobook 'Where We Belong' where she utilises helping people to figure out if a photograph is staged or unstaged and what thoughts we might have about the meaning of the photograph in depth. For the project I was doing I had to take photographs relating to the word 'escapism' which I did by photographing a person in a tree with a book in their hands to represent what an escapism from reality may look like and how a visual representation of the world could be brought into our thoughts.
Overall, I felt that this workshop benefitted not only my photography skills but also my thoughts about the true meaning of how one word can link with a photograph and how we can build on ideas from what the photograph truly means. I also learned how to understand what photographs might be staged and what photographs may also be unstaged so there could be some photographs that involve clear aesthetics and composition with the person fully focused on the camera but others that create an unprepared photograph that could create a particular difference in effects on how we may view a specific photograph.
My response to the Alejandra Carles-Tolra workshop
The next step for my photography personal investigation was to respond with my own ideas to the workshop by Alejandra Carles-Tolra and develop photographs based on the thoughts of not only my ideas but also base them off of the type of photography Alejandra Carles-Tolra made. To do this I spent some time walking around a specific location that was particularly isolated which can bring a sense of loneliness and escapism towards the photographs whilst also having an enlightened and surreal feeling with the brighter photographs in comparison to the darker ones in the areas covered by the trees. What I like about these photographs are they how they can not only showcase the contrasting effects the thoughts may bring out into the photograph but also what the words may mean in the photographers’ mind as these words could have different meanings for so many different people. These photographs show a truthful depiction of Alejandra Carles-Tolra’s work as both these photographs and her photographs utilise the thoughts of what words may mean in the specific photographs and how we may have thought about the words in our minds to present the outcomes of the photographs. Finally, many of these photographs were unstaged as many of these photographs were all in a similar area and involved similar aspects of lightness and nature as well as the thoughts of specific words.