Personal Project Image Bank

Marcus Buck

When researching manufactured structures a couple of similar images to this one appeared which I found really interesting because it holds a deep symbolism and connotation of a story that used to be there and has now through out the years has been lost. As you can see on the current standing building an outline of a building which used to be standing beside it yet has for what ever reason been knocked down. Looking at the location it appears to be a housing estate which I think is really intriguing when looking at this singular image because this photographer has frame his image very similar to the work of Lewis Baltz- on the side of a building and not including the whole structure, it creates a story and also a sense of nostalgia. People used to live in the house which is no longer there- spending day after day and night after night, where lots of the families memories would have been built and structured, yet just like that, the memories have gone- the house has gone. Another connotation which this image can convey is the idea that even though a building may look "perfect" and together when looking at the front, but when you walk around you can see some damage which can therefore can represent a "never judge a book by it's cover" notation. Below are two similar images by Marcus Buck which I think hold very similar symbolism and connotations to the one above.


Bernd and Hilla

The framing of this image is very similar to the one above, yet the editing style and appearance of this image appears to be quite a bit older. Therefore, between these two images, it can help my progress my work through historical connotations through my use of editing. I find this image aesthetically pleasing, which is due to the use of a tripod making it easier for this photographer to create straight lines through the windows and the edges of the structure. Another aspect of this image which I think is really interesting is the way the photographer has chosen this particular building, the windows follow each other in a pattern yet when looking closely at them, they are all different, whether it is the frame itself or what is shown in the window. For example the very top window is a small dark window, revealing nothing about the room that it belongs to, perhaps this is a loft window or a bathroom window- a privacy window. Then going down one window there is the same rectangular window as the two windows below, yet even though it appears to be a lit room behind the window, there is nothing on the window pain revealing what room this is. The window below this however has a faint silhouette of a house plant on the window board, thus suggesting an adult being present within this room, for example being a kitchen or sitting room. Then the bottom window appears to be much darker than the ones above suggesting the curtains are drawn closed perhaps being a bedroom and someone is sleeping. Personally, I think it is important when looking at images such as structures to look carefully at individual aspects as it can reveal a wider symbolic meaning- this one being even though everyone looks the same, appears to be the same, inside they can be completely different.  Below are similar images...


Unknown

This image is of the abbey in Netley- somewhere by South hampton, I find it really interesting because if you were to look at this from a religious point of view, you would find it symbolic are this photographer has captured the sun beams through the windows implying God is looking through, this is a holy place. Looking at the structure it self, I think it is really intriguing because it shows to me personally, an old historical structure which every though through the year it has broken a little, the structure is still visible which I really like. Another aspect of this image which I find particularly intriguing is the framing that this photographer has managed to create, this would have been taken with a tripod and the main focus to the audience is the central shape frame of the windows then alongside this the sun beams. I think this is a good way of approaching manufactured structures because even though the audience may want to see the whole building, the small factors such as these windows have a similar effect because it gains more focus on the smaller parts, for example the texture of the wall creating historic age- you can see the small details which went into the creation of this window alone let alone the entire abbey. There this image on it's own shows how structures such as old churches may be a "walk-past" normal standing building that you see everyday but if you think back, the effort and hard work that was put into the creation of it is of need of focus.


Unknown

This is an image in one of the locations which I intend to shoot in my first shoot near where I live which  I think shows a good example of what I intend to achieve, without looking at the whole church, this single image of the door shows a historic age to this building. Unlike including the entire building, I personally think this style is much better because as shown here, the photographer has framed the door so this is the main focus of the image, showing the swirls on the door and the bold brown colouring contrasting to the tea stained looking colour on the surround- implying it to be really old. When looking to create an old piece of work, you are likely to tea stain to to gain the similar colour of the church here which I think is really intriguing. Furthermore, I think it is important in showing the amount of detailed placed in the creation of this building by looking at the frame of the door, theres layers and I think it creates further depth when looking at this image. Below are two more images which show the same church which I intend to use as a main focus of my first shoot. Even though one of the images is a wide depth of field image, I wanted to show different aspects which I could choose to include. Furthermore, if I gain access to it, I think it would interesting to shoot a similar to the one shown below on the right because it shows the entrance of the church hall and I think this alongside the door above is really interesting in showing a historic facade of manufactured structures. This image may be quite accessible to take as the doors of the church are normally open when it isn't being used for events such as weddings. I also think if I were to take small factors of this church it would be a really interesting way of creating connecting images because my audience my look at all the images and in their mind be lead to gain a visual image of the whole building in their mind without actually seeing the whole structure.


Lucy Marston

The framing of this particular image is really interesting because Marston has decided to include half of a garage looking door combined with the brick work of the rest of the house. I think this works really well as a whole image because even though this isn't an image of an entire house, we as the audience are able to suggest in our minds that this house is a mix of "normal"- with the brick work combined with a modern touch. Another aspect of this image alongside the fact that she has used a head on approach for this building, the shaping formed through the shadowing is really intriguing because the use of shadows can be used to frame the window and also give a further insight into the shape of the part of the building shown on the right. I think this image/ the work of Lucy Marston is quite useful for me and the research of this project because it shows me how the use of whether can be used in my advantage in the creation of the atmosphere. As I aim to use historical buildings in this format, I believe the days I go out would massively hold an impact- whether it is sunny or cloudy. Furthermore, when looking at other aspects of her work, the lightness of the photos give it such a soft touch- thus making them aesthetically pleasing to look at; as shown in other examples of her work below. Its almost as if Marston's of framing creates an "image inside an image" perception, for example the windows or door frame in the below images could almost be photos of somewhere else which I think is a really intriguing part of her work.


Ed Freeman

There's something that I find quite "cute" about this image because it looks like a dainty little beach hut, yet in the wrong location. I personally find this image really pretty to look at because Freeman has framed this structure in such a way in highlighting both the beauty of the building but also the breath taking view on the surroundings. For example, the bold highlight of white filling the frame of the building contrasts the "dull"/ darker tones of the surrounding location and even though I wouldn't be able to recreate this image in the time frame and money I have at this point in time, I still think it is very useful in my work research because as the combining aspect throughout this images show, the head on effect of structures help build such a beauty in the structure. A way I could use this in my work however could be that if I decided to I could take an image of something and use the same use of framing around the factor I choose. For this particular image, I think it works really well because it creates a soft aspect to the photo. Another symbolic aspect which I think is really intriguing is the fact Freeman  has formed an isolated atmosphere yet still holds the beauty- you don't need to have lots of people/ buildings around you in order to stand out, I personally think this building standing alone is really beautiful. Below are two other images which were taken by Freeman which again I think are truly strong standing images- capturing structures almost in the middle of no where.


Henri-Cartier Bresson

when looking at the image above I find it really interesting as Bresson has captured not only the structures around him but the decisive moment. This is the idea that when taking a photo, that specific moment in time can never be recreated, it is at that point that one time, if the photo was taken a moment later, the subject would be either in a different position or out of the frame. In terms of this image, I think it is really interesting because the use of the shadowing helps create a shaping in the structure. Additionally, I find this image intriguing because the black and white editing effect has created an image where nothing takes away audiences focus. This use of editing has also ensured the audience are able to get a feel of the texture created in the buildings.

Matthieu Venot

For this particular image above by Venot, I find it really interesting due to the pure simplicity in the formation of different shapes alongside the contrast in colours- with the majority of the frame being blue- the sky is strongly helps form the shaping of the building structure of balconies. Much like other images I have researched before, I think that Venots work forms a beautiful symbolism which may not be clear at first sight. For example resembling the image shown above  each balcony would belong to a different person, with a different personality and I believe that even though there are no visual subjects within this image, you can build a slight difference in balconies- although unlike other images taken in the series by Venot, this difference is much more subtle, the second balcony from the bottom of this frame has a a touch more colour from items being put on this particular balcony, plants. As a whole, I decided to use this image within my image bank because I believe it is a interesting way in capturing manufactured structures in a personifying approach- giving the building life. Below are more in depth examples of Venots work- showing more detail as opposed to just a side view of a building. I find this series as a whole really beneficial for my project because it shows me personally that even if I take photos from different potions- at first sight the images may not appear to be a running series but when looking deeper into the symbolism of the images they all interlink together.


Raymond Erith

I find this image really interesting when looking as older manufactured buildings- which is my main frame-line for this project. Personally, I decided to use this image within my image bank as I find the framing of the building striking- the photographer Erith has positioned the building perfectly direct in the centre of the frame which I personally find really intriguing. This is because this gives the image/ building both depth and form through shaping and tone. As it is clear that the sun is on the right of the building is has formed a slight transition of lighting from the highlighted side on the right to the shadow side on the left. This use of tone in natural lighting has therefore made it easier to create depth of field in the shape of the building, for example the shadowing shows the audience that this building is of a circular form. Another aspect which I find really interesting about the image above is the way Erith has been able to position the building so that the short path creates a leading line to the main door thus helping the depth. I decided to use Erith within my image bank because I find that both the image above and the images below link quite well with the ideas in my mind of the historical photography of buildings in which I intend to shoot throughout this project.



Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky is one of the photographers within the exam paper which I believe work is really interesting and creates benefits of my ideas. This is because even though I am not actually taking photos of buildings such as the one above, I find the perspective of the building really intriguing. This is because as mentioned above, Gursky has been bale to show symbolism between each window- personifying the building, giving each window a sense of personality and life even if there is no subjects directly in the frame. Gurskys work therefore has benefited my ideas for this project because it has given me examples of a "head-on" examples which I believe in my work would work the best.