Lighting Workshop
For this initial task, we experimented with different forms of light, their different effects in a photo and how they can be manipulated to suit a subject. I experimented with several different types of light, such as natural sunlight, tungsten light, and studio based lights such as hard and soft lights. Whilst photographing, I tried to manipulate the lights in order to better suit the subject, or bring out an interesting effect using the shadows present on the subjects face. I then edited the images on Photoshop by adjusting the contrasts of the photos, bringing out the full effect of the lighting.
Street Photography
Independent Project
With this project, I intend to present the essence of London through its variety of different landscapes, both architectural and natural. Every person that makes up London's population of 9 million has a different perception of the city they live in, and I seek to convey some of these perceptions through my work. I also wish to explore architecture from a complex point of view, before discovering the simplicity behind the confusion of urbanity. Part of this will include examining London from different viewpoints (e.g. birds eye, worms eye views). There are also several artists whose works I admire, and hope to respond to during the course of this project. These artists include Thomas Danthony, Marcus Lyon and Giacomo Costa, and their work involving architecture is unique and aesthetically stunning. Overall, I wish to be able to connect modern urban landscapes to their past counterparts, whilst looking to the future of urban life and the effect of modern humans on the planets landscapes.
Planning my Project
The Landscape Of London
- Tate Modern Roof
- Sky Garden
- Canary Wharf
Berlin
- Edits
Brutalism
- Simon Phipps
- 1st response
- Photoshop Filters
- Distorting Brutalist Architecture
Simplifying Architecture
- Thomas D Anthony, Simplifying Brutalist Buildings
- Simplifying Modern Urban Landscapes
Landscapes Of The Future
- Marcus Lyon, BRICS
- London Response
- Giacomo Costa
- London Response
- Mock Exam/ Final Piece
Overview
- Tate Modern Roof
- Sky Garden
- Canary Wharf
Berlin
- Edits
Brutalism
- Simon Phipps
- 1st response
- Photoshop Filters
- Distorting Brutalist Architecture
Simplifying Architecture
- Thomas D Anthony, Simplifying Brutalist Buildings
- Simplifying Modern Urban Landscapes
Landscapes Of The Future
- Marcus Lyon, BRICS
- London Response
- Giacomo Costa
- London Response
- Mock Exam/ Final Piece
Overview
Landscapes of London
For my first shoot, I travelled to the South Bank of the River Thames and visited the Tate Modern, in which I took a lift up to the viewing area where there are panoramic views of London. Here, I took photos of the cityscape and its horizon, seeking to portray the beauty of its vast variety of architecture, which ranged from historic sites such as St Paul's Cathedral (in which construction started in 1675), to modern architecture such as The Shard (built from 2009 to 2012). I wanted to convey a sense of enormity, and shoot the city to its fullest before condensing my project into smaller areas of London.
Edits
I felt that I achieved what I set out to do with my initial shoot, capturing a certain urban beauty in each photo whilst shooting the city to its fullest. The sense of enormity is also present with each of the photos, likely due to the fact that the images are taken from a birds eye point of view, adding a strong perspective to the images, whilst the large aperture allows viewers to observe every detail. Using Photoshop, I played around with the contrast, brightness and saturation of each of the images, hoping to convey the different perspectives of the city that Londoners have. For instance, the harsh black and white with a strong contrast could represent a grimy perception of the city, whereas a brighter, bolder saturation suggests a positive, hopeful outlook on London, as though it is advancing instead of regressing.
Sky Garden
Building on the work I've done previously when I visited the viewing area of the Tate Modern, I attempted to seek out another high rooftop that displays the vast skyline of London. I decided to take a trip to the Sky Garden, on 20 Fenchurch Street on the Bank, where panoramic views of London are present. I visited at around 5pm, which gave me the perfect chance to capture the sunset. Despite the timing being virtually perfect, one aspect of the shoot that prevented me from taking the ideal photos was the panel of glass that gave each image a tint of blue. The results of my shoot are below.
Edits
To remove the blue tint on each of the photos caused by the panel of glass, I played around with the saturation, contrasts and brightness of each image. I wanted to give each edit a soft orange glow, which created a sense of relaxation in each photo, and the background haze that covers the horizon adds a chilled, wintery atmosphere. I really love the effect of these edits, as I feel that they convey an almost tranquil urbanity, which is a perception of London rarely felt, due to its intensity as a modern, 21st century city. The world displayed in these edits also recognise a departure from the natural surroundings that inevitably once encompassed London for millions of years, and conveys to onlookers how far the human race has come in the last few centuries in terms of technology and architecture.
Worms Eye View - Canary Wharf
For my next shoot, I travelled to Canary Wharf on a Sunday, which was a good place to shoot as it was relatively quiet. I took many photos from a worms eye perspective, giving a sense of the huge size of London's architecture. Something that I plan to do in the future is to include more of the ground in my photos, as opposed to simply looking upwards at a piece of architecture, as I feel this will give an even larger sense of perspective. Overall, I am very happy with the results of my shoot, as they have a strong and attractive aesthetic and they have helped me to establish plans for the future.
Berlin
In Berlin, I focused on shooting architecture from a worms eye position, aswell as a birds eye position when travelling to buildings such as The Fernsehturm, in which there are panoramic views of Berlin. Opened in 1894, The Reichstag was one of my favourite places to shoot in Berlin, due to its fascinating design. It was set on fire during WW2, and remained in ruin and disuse until it was fully refurbished in 1999. It houses a modern design despite being designed in the late 1800's, and currently acts as the parliament building. Another piece of architecture I loved to shoot was Olympiastadion, originally built for the 1936 Summer Olympics, in which famous athletes such as Jesse Owens competed. Since 1963, it has been the home ground of Hertha BSC football team, and also hosted 3 matches during the 1974 Fifa World Cup and 6 matches during the 2006 Fifa World Cup.
Edits
Photographing Berlin's architecture was an interesting experience, as there are similarities and differences between it and London's cityscape. Like London, there aren't too many skyscrapers so the horizon is relatively clear, however there are far more skyscrapers in London than in Berlin. However, unlike London, much of Berlin's architecture is made up of bright colours, almost making the city feel homelier than London. From shooting Berlin, I have learnt that worms eye photography can be just as effective as birds eye photography, as shooting something from below looking upwards gives a strong sense of perspective. I have also found that taking photos from a high point often involves an effective and colourful sky, which perhaps takes the viewers eye away from the architecture. When comparing these images to those taken at the Sky Garden in London, it becomes evident that nature has a seemingly larger presence in Berlin, perhaps showing that the city has a stronger connection to its natural state. This is further pointed out by the lack of tall skyscrapers in Berlin, perhaps showing London as a more architecturally advanced and diverse city.
Brutalism
Brutalism architecture is a movement in architecture that flourished from the 1950's to the mid-70's, descending from the modernist architectural movement of the early 20th century. The term originates from the French word for 'raw' in the term used by Le Corbusier to describe his choice of material beton brut (raw concrete). Examples are typically massive in character (even when not large), fortress-like, with a predominance of exposed concrete construction, or in the case of the "brick brutalists," ruggedly combine detailed brickwork and concrete. There is often an emphasis on graphically expressing in the external elevations and in the whole-site architectural plan the main functions and people-flows of the buildings. Brutalism became popular for educational buildings (especially university buildings), and was favoured for many government projects, high-rise housing, and shopping centres.
Brutalism can be seen as a reaction by a younger generation to the lightness, optimism, and frivolity of some 1930's and 1940's architecture. Brutalism was posited not as a style but as the expression of an atmosphere among architects of moral seriousness. 'Brutalism' as an architectural critical term was not always consistently used by critics; architects themselves usually avoided using it altogether. More recently, 'brutalism' has become used in popular discourse to refer to buildings of the late twentieth century that are large or unpopular – as a synonym for 'brutal'.
Brutalism can be seen as a reaction by a younger generation to the lightness, optimism, and frivolity of some 1930's and 1940's architecture. Brutalism was posited not as a style but as the expression of an atmosphere among architects of moral seriousness. 'Brutalism' as an architectural critical term was not always consistently used by critics; architects themselves usually avoided using it altogether. More recently, 'brutalism' has become used in popular discourse to refer to buildings of the late twentieth century that are large or unpopular – as a synonym for 'brutal'.
Simon Phipps
Simon Phipps is a fine art photographer operating in the UK and has captured a wide range of subjects. In his Brutalist prints, Phipps' approach and execution to the architecture that 'communicates functionality and dynamism’ is unique and creative. To quote Phipps, 'The departure point for my photographic documentation of brutalist architecture is Reyner Banham's essay ‘The New Brutalism’. In his essay, Banham argues that great architecture derives from the correct interaction of structure, function and form whilst also requiring a necessary conceptual content in order to have 'memorability of image'. Phipps states that his intention in his Brutalist project is to 'develop a narrative that explores the dynamic sculptural and conceptual characteristics of brutalist architecture within the context of a socially engaged and progressive movement'.
Brutalism Response
Brutalism represents an aspect of architectural photos that is rarely seen: one that is hard, harsh and far more severe than the works of architectural artists such as Iwan Baan, who represents people in architecture rather than depicting buildings as isolated and stationary. I love the aesthetic of the raw concrete buildings, and find it enjoyable to photograph these pieces of architecture from unique and creative angles. Below are edits of my Brutalism shoot, grayscaled in Photoshop as I feel that this adds to the coarse, rough texture and mood that the photos present.
2nd Response
Photoshop Filters
Film Grain
Crosshatch
Poster Edges
For my 2nd Brutalism response, I travelled into Central London to shoot St Giles Hotel, a Brutalist building located near Centre Point (a previous Brutalist focus) on Tottenham Court Road. Once the images were taken, I edited some on Photoshop using the filter tools, such as film grain and cross hatch. This gives the images the feel that they have been sketched, an aesthetic that gives the images a more visually appealing quality, in contrast to regular photos of Brutalist structures. I will do some extra edits to radicalise these images even further, perhaps completely changing the structure of the architecture in order to convey a futuristic glimpse of what architecture could look like one day.
Distorting Brutalist Architecture
I edited some images from my two Brutalist shoots further, with the aim of distorting the structure of the architecture and destroying the harsh, straight lines that are present in Brutalist buildings. Using several distortion tools on Photoshop (shown above), I completely changed the nature of the architecture, adding a dream like, fantastical quality to the images that couldn't be present in my other edits of Brutalist structure. The four images shown below are very effective, as they are such a stark contrast to usual Brutalist images, removing the rough, coarse texture that the images presented.
Simplifying Architecture
I now wish to seek to simplify some of London's architecture, and remove the overwhelming sense of confusion and enormity that is ever-present in many buildings around the world. I will look to the work of Thomas D'Anthony for inspiration, who looks to simplify many Brutalist buildings down to their simple structure.
Thomas D Anthony
Using the Filter - Blur - Average tool on Photoshop, Thomas D Anthony uses images of Brutalist buildings (The National Theatre and Trellick Tower) and manipulates them, blocking out any background scenery with a sheet of black and colouring parts of the buildings grey. Due to the black and white colour scheme and the harsh lines and structure of the architecture, the tone and atmosphere that the images give off is one of darkness, yet the simplicity of the images also resemble the minimalist, art deco style of the 20th century, giving them a beautifully uncomplicated aesthetic.
Response
For this shoot, I travelled to the National Theatre on London's South Bank, as I wished to photograph architecture with harsh complexities, ideally brutalist buildings. Overall, I feel that I effectively captured the essence of Thomas D'Anthony's images, however I think that I could have created an even more effective image with a stronger amount of focus when using the selection tool when selecting different parts of the building. I am particularly pleased with my use of shadows and lighting, as I wanted to make sure that there was only one light source illuminating different parts of the building. I also felt I have succeeded in taking away the severity and rigidity from this type of architecture, subsequently simplifying it down to mere shapes and colours.
Simplifying Modern Urban Landscapes
Urban landscapes of the 21st century are becoming increasingly convoluted and complex as rates of globalisation and urbanisation rapidly increase. As cities become denser, the overwhelming sense of confusion becomes stronger, and more and more people feel the need to simplify their complicated surroundings. In this section, I will attempt to further the development of my previous response to Thomas D Anthony, by trying to simplify an entire landscape as opposed to a single building, whilst simultaneously conveying the stress of modern life.
Response
I did this photo shoot on the roof of the Tate Modern, as virtually all of London can be seen from up there, giving me lots of landscape, structure and architecture to edit on Photoshop. Using the blur tool, polygonal lines tool and the paint bucket filler, I created the work shown above, which shows the structure of London's skyline, with iconic landmarks featured on the skyline such as St Paul's Cathedral, The Shard and The Gherkin. I attempted to enhance the images by making the sky different shades of a particular colour, which I feel worked very well as the vivid colour palettes add to the images fantastical texture and tone. The bright lights shown in the sky almost remind me of search lights, and of London during the Blitz. This contrasts with the modern outline of the architecture featured in the image, presenting a London that juxtaposes past and present. It could also be interpreted as a grim vision of the future, due to the heated social climate and growing threat of nuclear weapons currently in the world today. However, as well as this, the reduction of the 3D features that make up the architecture helps to simplify the landscape as a whole, and take away the structural complexities in each image. Overall, I am very happy with what I achieved in the 'Simplifying Architecture' aspect of my project, as I feel I have not only taken away the convoluted atmosphere of many modern urban landscapes, but also simultaneously hinted at the intricate and complex density of a 21st century city.
Landscapes of the Future
Marcus Lyon - Brics
In 2008, a watershed was crossed and the world saw the irreversible shift from a global majority of rural dwellers to a new army of urban residents. Mass urbanisation trends predict that the world’s urban population will double in the coming 40 years. The cities of the developing world will account for 95% of that growth. These are the megacities of the BRIC economies, the urban giants of Brazil, Russia, India and China. These people-magnets draw in rural workers with the promise of higher wages and a better quality of life, but the delicate balance between expanding population and limited physical space defines the human condition of these powerhouses.
The evolution of these urban spaces defines today’s global economy. In 2001, Jim O’Neill of Goldman Sachs first coined the term BRICs, accurately predicting that these 4 economies would drive future global growth. In 2010 these 4 countries account for 25% of the world’s land mass and 40% of its population. In 2025 the BRIC economies will have created at least another 200m consumers with per annum incomes over $10,000. By 2050 the BRICs will eclipse the combined economies of Europe and America. Whichever way it is examined the megacities of the emerging markets are the defining human environments of our time.
London response
Responding to Marcus Lyon's BRICS project, in which he conveys the rapid development of megacities through powerful images showing a world in which nature is rapidly regressing, I attempted to envision London in a similar way, as though London was a developing megacity. I wanted to show London's architecture as less diverse and more as though it had be cloned repeatedly, so I essentially cut certain buildings from photos and pasted them onto a new photo. I then strategically placed these buildings on top of already existing buildings to make it look believable, and repeated this several times.
Process
Using the Quick Selection Tool, select the building you which to transfer.
Using the mouse, cut the building you have just selected from its original position.
Drag the building you have just cut onto the photo you want to move it to.
Place the building onto the next photo (preferably just below the horizon depending on the size of the cutout).
edits
I was fairly happy with my edits, as they looked reasonably believable and convey a sense of modern futurism. The photos reminded me of the New York skyline, in which it is difficult to see the horizon due to the sheer amount of skyscrapers that occupy the city. I much prefer the London skyline, in which there are only a few skyscrapers, making it far easier to see the horizon. The repeated effect of the architecture, especially in the monochrome image, gives a chilling effect of systematic order; a complete contrast to the diverse architecture that currently occupies London.
Giacomo costa
Giacomo Costa was born in 1970 in Italy, and currently resides in Florence. His research initially began with the study of photography before moving gradually in a direction that lost all contact with traditional photography. Employing sophisticated digital techniques borrowed from the world of cinema, the artist reinterprets the collective imagination of the metropolis, generating futuristic urban landscapes and creating unreal cityscapes, spaces with vast perspectives that include spectacular ruins and architectures. In 2006 he took part in the X Architecture Biennale of Venice. His work has also been shown in the exhibition “Le Peintres de la vie moderne” at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and his work has remained in the permanent collection of the museum.
For me, Costa's works represent a messy urban world, one that has been lost in the fast pace of modern city life. His futuristic yet recognisable environments hint at a near future for the cities of the currently emerging BRICS nations, and potentially show urban life edging closer to the brink of destruction. Costa's work serves as a reminder as to which direction the human race is going in, abandoning the landscapes of the past as urbanisation continues its rapid upward trend.
For me, Costa's works represent a messy urban world, one that has been lost in the fast pace of modern city life. His futuristic yet recognisable environments hint at a near future for the cities of the currently emerging BRICS nations, and potentially show urban life edging closer to the brink of destruction. Costa's work serves as a reminder as to which direction the human race is going in, abandoning the landscapes of the past as urbanisation continues its rapid upward trend.
Response
I am happy with my initial response to Giacomo Costa's work as I feel that it does capture a similar aesthetic. However, unlike Costa's work, which has a particular emphasis on the ground in each image, my edits have more of a focus on the sky, as my previous shoot involved looking upwards at buildings, without including any roads. For my next shoot, I intend to include more of the ground in my photos whilst also looking upwards, so I can better capture the fantastical aesthetic of Costa's photos.
process
1. Open a new A3 sheet in Photoshop
2. Place a photo at the top of the A3 sheet
3. Open another photo on Photoshop and select one of the buildings in the photo
4. Use the scissors tool to cut the building that is selected
5. Drag the building from the other photo on to the A3 sheet
6. Make sure the cut building layer is selected, and go to Edit - Transform - Scale
7. Change the shape and size of the layer so it fits a part of the original photo
8. Repeat the process with different buildings and different layers
Mock exam
For my mock exam, I took inspiration from Marcus Lyon's BRICS project and attempted to convey a similar message in the style of Giacomo Costa's futuristic urban landscapes. For my photo shoot, I travelled around Westminster and shot photos of the urban landscapes surrounding the bank of the Thames, making sure to include as much of the sky as possible so that I was able to add layers of other buildings in Photoshop, which would be placed above the photos original architecture. In theory, this would create a building upon building style, developing a cluttered effect that conveyed the confusing enormity of modern and potentially future urban life. The edits also illustrate the growth of modern cities and a departure from the simplicity of rural life, raising the question as to how far urban life can expand before its starts to implode.
As opposed to my first response to Giacomo Costa, I included much of the ground in my photos instead of simply looking up at architecture. This meant that the final edits of the mock exam looked much more realistic than the edits in my previous response, as I didn't have to place the original image on an A3 sheet before adding layers. In addition to this, I focused on where the light source was coming from in each photo and inverted some of the layers depending on which part of the building was illuminated. This added a further sense of realism that my original edits failed to have.
As opposed to my first response to Giacomo Costa, I included much of the ground in my photos instead of simply looking up at architecture. This meant that the final edits of the mock exam looked much more realistic than the edits in my previous response, as I didn't have to place the original image on an A3 sheet before adding layers. In addition to this, I focused on where the light source was coming from in each photo and inverted some of the layers depending on which part of the building was illuminated. This added a further sense of realism that my original edits failed to have.
Overview
For my overview, I intended to create an abstract video conveying the underlying themes of my practical work, including my curatorship project, which focused on the timeline of Earths landscapes, the gradual disintegration of nature as humans have urbanised, and the switch in many developing countries from Primary and Secondary sectors (e.g. fishing, manufacturing) to Tertiary and Quaternary sector jobs (e.g. services, research and development). Using some edited images showing the strong and diverse urban landscapes of London, I placed them in Photoshop and took a video of myself changing the images Threshold level, which gave the photos a grainy, black and white effect that I thought strongly represented the evolution of Earth's changing landscapes. The pure white screen at the start of the video could represent the natural utopia of Earth's landscapes before human interference, and as the image changes, architecture is formed as the human race develops and advances in technology are made. The uncertainty of the future is conveyed as the image plunges into darkness and the buildings disappear, linking to current concerns about global warming and the fate of the planet. The videos below also link to the works of Giacomo Costa and Marcus Lyon, who each convey cities on the potential edge of destruction, invoking worry and fear in viewers of the 21st century.