Overall evaluation

Throughout this project we have been focusing on Formal Elements within photography. The Formal Elements were lines, Colour, Pattern, Depth, Texture, Reflection, Form, Tone, Shape and Movement. In order to be able to understand the Formal Elements and to know what type of photographs fit into the Formal Elements I created a list that described the visual world. The list was very long and consisted of a number of describing words that I believed described the visual world. After this I then took the describing words from the list and made a mind map that was split into the different Formal elements and included real examples for each one. The mind map allowed me to get a full understanding of what I could take photographs of for the Formal Elements and gave me something that I could refer back to if i needed to. Before I went out to shoot for each formal element we had to create an image bank, with six pictures annotated. From the image banks I learnt that there is a wide range of photographs that fit into each Formal Elements and they are not as simple as I thought they were at the start of photography. The image banks also made me research for images that fit into the Formal Elements and influenced some of my work because a lot of the images I looked at gave me inspiration and ideas to take similar photos. Finally we had to create definition pages that consisted of the dictionary definition, describing words, four pictures annotated and then my own definition of each Formal Element. The definition pages allowed me to find out and understand completely the meaning of each Formal Element.

The next step in this project was to research photographers work. However the photographers work had to link in with the Formal Elements in some way. I then created a research log that included 20 photographers that I had chosen and an explanation why I had picked them with an example of their work and where I got the research from. This allowed me to get some background knowledge of other photographers work and images that where examples of the Formal Elements. After I had done the research log I had to study five photographers from my research log in further detail. The five photographers had to have four evaluated photos, the reason why I had chosen each photographer, how they have influenced my work and an overall summary of the photographer. Researching the five photographers in more detail allowed me to get to know more about the photographers work itself rather than just thinking about linking it to the Formal Elements. 

Once we had finished the lesson we had to make work diaries for each lesson we had done. The work diaries explained what I did in the lesson and what I would do different if I was going to do the lesson again to improve my work. There also had to be two of my photographs annotated and a sentence about what I would do to improve them. By doing this I could keep track of all my work and then when looking back I would know what needs improving and how I need to improve it because I will have a record of all the information about improvements to my work. This also allowed me to look at my own work in detail and as I created more and more work diaries it was easier to spot what was wrong with the photograph and how it needed improving. Therefore this improved my photography skills when annotating photos and taking photos because I had learnt from the mistakes I had made previously.

During this project we had to complete a number of print techniques. Such as: Black & White, Curves, Duotone, Repetition, Selective Colour, Photo joiner, Soft Focus, Cluster and Weaving. By doing the different techniques to my photographs it allowed me to develop my skills when using photoshop as I learnt a number of different skills to use when editing my photographs. This also let me change simple photographs into more complex photographs. From doing a number of print techniques it made me realise what photographs work best with each print technique and helped me to take photographs that would work with the Formal Elements and the print techniques. Also these techniques helped me improve my photographs because it made them more interesting. 

Towards the end of the product we started development work. This included shoots such as: the two walks that we used for the competition we was entering, this was to show 'quite reflection'. Development work also included two studio shoots of form and autumn leaves and then finally after studding the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe by watching a clip and taking notes we then did a shoot in the studio of photographs that represented Robert's work.  From watching the clip about Robert's work I learnt a lot about himself and his work and the reason why he took the photographs he did. This then allowed me too think about the reasons behind my images because from the clip it was made clear that the photographer knew the meaning of the photographs before the photo was even taken. Looking at Robert's work also allowed me to put my own ideas into his style of work.

From this project I have learnt a number of different things. For example I understand the full meaning of each of the Formal elements and know how to fit them into my photographs. I have learnt how to used different skills in photoshop through computer experiments and print techniques and also just generally editing my photographs to make my photographs the best they can be. The development work that we did towards the end of the project also allowed me to take my own style of pictures and learn what looks good and what doesn't. Taking pictures in the studio had allowed me to use my own lighting and a variety of background and also learn the skills that are needed to use the studio. The main thing that I have learnt about photography is to take as many pictures as you can because you may not like them at the start when you have taken them but once you have edited them and they are printed they turn out a lot better. 

Overall this project has made me understand photography to a deeper level and I can now put my own opinions and spin on photographs and feel that I can explain how it fits into the project. I also now know and understand how to use the studio and feel that I am better at taking photographs and feel confident about them.

Robert Mapplethorpe- Notes

Robert Mapplethorpe was born 1946. 

He lived in New York and was a catholic. When Robert was 16 he discovered photography, he became Americans most construal photographer. Mapplethore was best known for his photographs of flowers and homosexual image's. All his images were very natural and his photography was never posed.

His photographs that showed homosexuality was a way in which Robert used to express his own sexuality. Robert was called a pornographer because of the way his images included such intense nudity. However Robert just wanted to express himself and represent the gay community. 

All of Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs link back to him and his feelings in some way because he found that he could only express himself through his photography because the society he was living in wouldn't let him be who he wanted to be. Therefore this made his images very powerful because they were unexpected but his photographs did influence others. Many of Robert's photography involved race and sex as well as flowers and homosexual images, all Photographs can be found in museums. 

He believed in capturing the moment, that was his way of taking photographs and showing that certain moment because once it had gone it could never be re-created in the same way. 

Robert never spoke much about his work because he wanted the images to have mystery within them, make the audience think for themselves. However it is generally said that before a photographer even takes the image they know the meaning behind it.

Patti Smith was a singer, song writer and a life long friend of Robert's. However they did stop speaking for 7 years because of the way robert behaved. Robert's first portrait was of Patti Smith and then he began to start self portraits (Devil within).In order for Robert to reach the number one spot he targeted rich people and allowed them to have a free session  knowing that they will want to buy the end product. This was done in this was so that Robert could get further into the photography world. 

Business men were also a target for robert this allowed him to capture peoples personalities. The story behind Robert's photographer was to show the world he was living in at that period of time and show his life through his own images. 

Robert has nine people working for him and was desperate for money. His answer to getting money was to photograph flowers. Therefore the reason Robert started to photograph flowers for a period of time was just so he could make the money because flowers=money. 

Robert Mapplethorpe died from aids in 1999.

Connecting Essay Five

Grid photography


This image shows different photographs put together of the sections of the face. This is then put into a grid to separate them. This image is black and white and shows the use of tone through light and dark. For example: the dark lips, hair the middle of the eye and then the lighter grey skin and the white eyes. This photograph makes the audience loose their thoughts in the image because it shows many different emotions and could show a number of meanings within the image. You can see from looking at this image that the model is thinking a number of different things because of the way her eyes look like they are moving and the model also looks very serious.
In this photograph you can see the separate sections of the tree and the different areas used. This image shows different textures within the tree and it looks as if you can feel the ruff texture of the tree. This image makes the viewer think about nature and the different textures within nature. The use of colours in the tree stand out because the sections are zoomed in. This image could also show a number of meanings because each section could have a different meaning to it.

Overall these images compare because they both use the same method of putting the photographs together to make a grid. Also they both show different areas of one object within the one photograph. They both show the use of tone through the dark areas and the lighter areas. Also Both images are fairly zoomed in on all areas.

Connecting Essay Four

Ernst Hass
This image shows blurring through movement. The blurring effect happens because of the speed the people are running. The feet at the bottom of the image are shown to be repeated because of the speed. The people are positioned in the centre of the picture making them the focus point of the image. However the whole picture itself is not in focus because of the blurring effect. Most of Ernst Hass photographs show blurring. The background of the image is quite plain and doesn't include much colour. Therefore this makes the outline of the people running easier to see.
In this image you can see that the person running is causing the image to blur because of the movement and the speed made. The feet and legs of the person running is shown to be repeated. The person running is the main focus of the image although the person itself isn't in focus. The background in this image is partly in focus towards the right side. The person is positioned towards the left side of the photograph. In this image the background involves many colours and different objects in the background. Therefore this makes it harder to see the outline of person. This image makes the audience wonder how fast the person is running in order to create the blurring effect. Also it draws the audiences attention because the image isn't in focus like the normally are.

Overall the images compare because they both show the formal element movement through blurring. This is created in both images by the movement of the object and not the camera. Also the blurring affect is created by the person running.There also both show the legs and feet repeated at the bottom of the image.

connecting Essay Three

Robert Mapplethorpe

In Robert Mapplethorpes work he also photographed flowers. When taking pictures of flowers he made them the main focus of the image. You can see this in the image to the right. there is a flower in the centre against a black background. As you can see from this image he makes his flowers look abstract The use of the black background draws the audiences eye to the flower. This image does include the stem of the flower but doesn't include leaves at the top of the stem, this is so that the leaves don't take away the focus from the flower. This image makes the audience feel peaceful because the flower is calm and it allows the audience to loose their thoughts in the image because there is not certain obvious meaning to the photograph. 

         
This next image shows the flower to be the main focus of the image because the flower itself is in focus but the background and the stem is not in focus. The image being taken like this makes the audiences attention to be on the flower. The angle of the picture has been taken slightly from above but not directly from above. This allows the audience to see the detail in the flower and the soft edges. This image does include a real life location background rather than a plain studio background. The flower itself is positioned at the top.

Overall both the images compare because they are both images of flowers. They are similar colours and both involve leaves. In both images you can see the centre of the flower. The flower is the main focus of both images and you can see the outline of the flowers shape very clear because the first image is against a black background and the second image the flower is in focus but the background is not.

Connecting Essay Two

Robert Mapplethorpe

This image is a self-portrait of robert Mapplethorpe. He has used a dark black background and positioned himself in the centre but looking towards one side. When looking at this image you can see the same blurred face behind the face that is in focus. This makes the audience feel that there is someone standing behind. This also shows the blurring formal element movement. Roberts clothing is black and so is the background, this then blends together and makes it seem as if it is just Roberts head floating in the air. This image is also not posed like all of his other portraits.
This next image creates the affect of someone or your shadow being behind you or following you.
A black background has been used and the model is positioned slightly towards the right and looking towards the right. When taking this image the lighting used had to pointing towards the model and not the background. This is to protect the background and insure that the background is dark black not dark grey. The lighting of this image very bright but only one light was used out of the two. This image makes the audience wonder how the model is feeling because she is showing very straight facial expressions.

Overall these two images compare to one another because the same feeling of someone being behind is shown. Also both of the faces behind the main person have a blurred edge. A black background is also used in both images and both are looking towards one corner and not directly at the camera. The facial expressions used in the images are both very straight and simple, they both create a upset/depressed emotion.

Connecting Essay One

 Robert Mapplethorpe

When Robert was photographing people his images were very simple. The models were not posed, they looked very natural. In the image to the left you can see that there is only half of the body involved in the shot. This shows contrast within the image between what is in the picture and what is not. Robert has used a white, plain background, this makes the outline of the body the main focus of the image. In all of robert photographs he tends to focus on one object and there are mainly no props used at all. The angle of the model coming in from the side of the shot makes the photograph different to normal portraits because they are normally centred. When looking at this image it makes the audience think about what the meaning of the photo could be.

This next image also shows the same type of contrast between what it captured in the photo and what is not. A white background has been used because then it is clear to see the outline of the body shape. This is because the clothing of the model is black, therefore if a darker background was used the body shape wouldn't be clear. Also this image then shows contrast between the black clothing and the white background. When taking this image only half the middle section of the body was included. This was to make the audience wonder why only half the body is used and what the image would look like if the other half of the body was included.

Overall these two photos compare because there both only included parts of the body in the image. Therefore they both show the contrast between whats in the photo and what is not. Also a plain, white background has been used in both to capture the outline of the body shape. Both of these images also include the models arm and their hand with part of their side. The two images use neutral lighting where there is no shadow shown. Both images position the model in the right hand corner instead of it being a centre focus.

list of how we describe the visual world

You can describe the visual world in many different ways. For example:

• Big                                                                               
• Round 
• Near
• Far 
• Huge 
• Old 
• New
• Natural 
• Man-made
• Patterns
• Shapes
• Texture
• Colorful
• Positive 
• Bright
• Tall
• Short
• Rough
• Small
• Bumpy
• Soft
• Silky
• Furry
• Large
• Extreme 
• Hard
• Long
• Wide
• Horizontal 
• Vertical 
• Light 
• Dark
• Shading 
• Shadows 
• Depth
• Bricks
• Water
• Buildings
• Structures
• Objects
• Shinny
• Broken 
• Nature

research log

Name of Photographer

Where I found the photographers

My opinion of their work

Peter Beard:

Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel

This photographers work was related to animals and generally hunting of animals. Peter Beard photographs are concentrated on animals mainly. Some of the images include examples of patterns. However they are not focused enough on the formal element of patterns and some of the photos are of hunting scenes which I did not like and would not like to use to represent formal elements in photography.

John Cowan:

Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel

This photographers work was focused on fashion.The pictures were in magazines. I enjoyed looking at John Cowan’s photos because they were very different to other   photographs that I have seen before.  These images do not really fit into formal elements so I don’t think I will use this photographer. However I do really like his work.

Max Alpert:	Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel	This photographers work is generally related to the effects of war and a majority of his images show people fighting in action. I really liked Max Alpert’s photography because it shows detail within the buildings that you don’t normally notice in everyday life. This photographer could be good to use throughout my photography work to support formal elements as it shows good use of lines.
Lewis Baltz:	Book: Name-Photographers A-Z	This photographer generally takes pictures that are related to buildings. For example different style buildings. . In Lewis Baltz photos he uses a variety of black and white images showing a range of tones. However I don’t think I would use this photographer because I think I would find the images quite boring to look at if I was going to have to study them further.
John Batho:	Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel	This photographer takes images of different coloured objects against plain backgrounds. I found John Batho images very interesting to look at because they are very colourful.  Some of his images are   black and white but still involve colour as he has included colour objects. Therefore this photographer would be one I would consider using further on because it shows clear understanding a use of colour throughout his photographs.
Patrick Demarchelier:	Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel	This photographer  takes pictures that relate to fashion. For example, many images were in magazines. Patrick’s images were interesting because I like fashion and portraits used in photography. These images were very similar to each other and didn’t really experiment apart from using different poisons. I will not be using this photographer.
Alfred Ehrhardt:	Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel	This photographer generally takes photographs of objects that are from the sea/beach or images that are related to the sea. The nature images taken by Alfred Ehrhardt are a perfect example of natural patterns. I   will use this photographer to support formal elements because there is clear use of pattern in the images and they are also interesting and usual.
Erwin Fieger:	Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel	This photographer focused on taking pictures that relate to the queens guards/ soldiers and their movements. These images show good examples of blurring in photography. I like this photographer’s work because I think the blurring technique has been shown very clearly through the marching of the moving soldiers. However I don’t think I will use this photographer because I feel there are better images from other photographers.
Franco Fontana:	Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel	This photographers work is focused on photos of buildings. Franco Fontana’s photos show a variety of different colours within each image, placed next to one another. This is a very good example of how colour can be used in photography. Therefore I will be using this photographer.
Peter Keetman:	Book: Name-Photographers A-Z By-Hans Michael Koetzel	A lot of the photographs taken by Peter show all different types of shapes, I like these images because the objects are all different shapes and sizes showing a huge range of different shapes. I would definitely consider using this   photographer further in my work.

Name of  Photographer.	Where I found the photographers.	My opinion of their work.
Gianni berengo gardin	Book- photographers A-Z	This photographer generally takes photographs of landscapes. I liked these images because I think they show a good use of tone for the formal elements.
Aenne biermann	Book- photographers A-Z	This photographer took pictures of peoples faces but also included buildings. I think one specific image of a shadow fits in to the formal element of reflection. However I didn’t like many of the other pictures.
Werner bischof	Book- photographer A-Z	This photographer generally took photographs of public places and buildings. The same as above with this photographer. There is one image that shows reflection and also this image shows form because of the shadows. Therefore the objects must be 3D.
Karl blossfeldt	Book-  photographers A-Z	This photographer takes photos of dried plants to show shape and pattern. I found these images very interesting and I will be using this photographer further to evaluate his work. They show the formal element shape and pattern.
Chargesheimer	Book- photographer A-Z	These images where very simple compared to other artists work but I think they did show good examples of depth used in photography.
Hermann claasen	Book- photographers A-Z	This photographers images are of old fashion buildings. I really liked these images because they looked very old and showed the detail in the falling down buildings.
Harold E	Book- photographers A-Z	This photographer takes photographs of moving objects that create movement. I was very interested in these images because they show an impact of an object that is captured in the picture. These photographs show movement (blurring).
Gunther forg	Book- photographers A-Z	This photographer takes a majority of photos of buildings.I didn’t really like these images because they are a bit plain and simple but they do show a good example of the formal element lines.
Jean-paul goude	Book- photographers A-Z	This photographer takes photographs of different body shapes/positions. These pictures were interesting because I’ve never seen photos like this before, they were very unusual. They show shape through the different body positions.
Ernst haas	Book- photographers A-Z	This photographer generally takes pictures of moving objects and people.These images show good examples of blurring from the movement of an object. These images were very interesting but some were very unclear to see.