Sunk by a Whale: November 2012

street photography work

Street photography was definitely alot harder than I thought it would be, Getting used to taking photos without being self concious was the first thing to get over, after that was actually the hardest part; seeing a photo coming and getting in the right position for it. I can't count how many photo oppurtunities I missed or came out blurry because I hadnt got my camera out quick enough or didnt have the right exposure set.

David Bailey 'NW1'

David bailey's book 'NW1' is a collection of photographs of decrepit buildings, old, out of use sites and eye sores given new life. Here Bailey sees things with a different eye, a parked car outside a building doesnt look like anything to the naked eye, but photographed is now art. As Garry Winogrand said 'I photograph to see what the world looks like in photographs'.

Vintage 80's by John Stiletto

This is a street photography book by Johnny Stiletto called Vintage 80's. Over ten years Stiletto took thousands of photos and eventually compiled them into this book. Creating a humorous, haunting, intruiging and touching insight into the 80's, his eye for a photo is scrupulous and perfect. I will start taking street photography and see if I can create a reply to this book of todays Manchester.

Dreamy/Vintage/out of date film images

In order from the top; Jeffrey Campbell AW11Lookbook, Sam Millbrath and Jeremy Goldberg all use vintage film and processes well to create a dreamlike effect in these photos.

Ezgi Polat

I love these photos, they are similar to Kaiser's but have more of a cooler tint to them. I prefer this tint to my photos, on digital I put my WB on flourescent and in the darkroom I give more of a blue filter than usual. I think it is because it looks more raw, when you stpe into a room with daylight shining in the window, especially on an overcast day, the light is blue and bounces off the walls. Overcast days are looked down upon, but I think they create the perfect light and reflect England's natural colour. Living in San Diego for 3 years really opened my eyes to how good our weather actually is and how much I missed rain, or clouds. In my photos I can project that feeling.

Andrea Kaiser

This is Andrea Kaiser's work. Only 18 years old from Granada, Spain she uses an old film camera to document everyday events. The nostalgic feeling coming off these photographs is really profound, also from the littlest things we never see, or always see, are brought to are attention and made to be looked at. I will be using out of date film, and old film camera and out of date paper for my materials and meanings project.

Minor White

Minor White images playing with scale are really quite uncomfortable and disorientating after a while. It is really interesting though trying to decide if it is an actual landscape or a crack in the pavement. All these photos have an edginess to them which makes you look longer.

John Coplans

Here are John Coplans images of the body. I looked at them to influence my square to square; giving an unflinching insight of what the body is and not thinking about if it is 'socially beautifull'. Ironically this same reason makes the photographs beautifull.

More 'Light on a Subject'

I am always looking at small bits of light that creep in through windows and how they fall on things. Here again you cannot really see what the light is falling on but still creates an interesting and beautiful photo, why get hung up on those things? Just enjoy the photograph.

Square to Square drafts

These are images I have taken for my square to square project. They are macro portraits; as in I have selected parts of the body which have scars or visible shadows in the bone structure to photograph. I really like the idea of being able to see underneath the skin in a way, it gives a new meaning to 'getting underneath it all to the real person'. I selected the top one finally because the torso looks like rolling hills, together with the bleak colours and shadows it tricks the eye into not understanding what it is. Not unlike what Minor White did in his photos or the tabletop cities I photographed, playing with scale is really fun and, as I wanted to do after seeing David Shrigkley's work, brings humour into my photography.

Annie Liebovitz - Pirelli Calendar

Annie Liebovitz's nudes for the Pirelli Calendar are serenely beautiful, I love the shadows you can see on the skin from where the bones give the body its structure. The greenish cast on the bottom image and blue on the top make the photographs look like paintings. I am going to try this photograph with my 'macro portraits' for square to square.