Deconstructing Environmental Photographers 3 - The Contemporary Urban Environment

This task was againg to deconstruct photographers only this time it focuses on the City. I have been asked to analyse three different photographers work, each with three different photos. I need to note the similarities and dissimilarities between there works. 

Rut Blees Luxemburg -

Rut Blees Luxemburg 'Folly', (2003)

My initial thoughts when looking at this photo surprised me as i found it surprisingly interesting. The way the railings bend round each other, the shadow of what looks to be the camera and tripod falling onto this particular part of the platform is interesting. The high camera angle seems to purposely place the shadow over the platform which creates an interesting view of the railings.
This photo seems to be unknown to the internet which explains the bad quality of the image i have chosen to display. This also makes it harder for me to research into this photo in particular.
The yellow ting this has darkens the mood as the background is too dark to make out. The focus point being the railings is quite obvious, I assume Luxemburg had meant to create such a dramatic angle for the image which makes it more interesting in general.

Rut Blees Luxemburg 'Piccadily's Peccadiloes', (2007)

This photo is one of a series of images, all details of the front twelve of the classic London Underground Stations designed by Charles Holden. Each image in the series focuses on the Underground's iconic Johnston font, reflected in wet surfaces. With this particular image you can see it's the reflection of what looks like the window of the Underground reflected from a puddle on the pavement, a few leaves scattered around and in it. each photo from the series including this one is highly detailed parts of the Underground.
When i first saw this image I was confused by what it was, the colours and strange shapes deformed the image so it wasn't until i viewed it larger I realised it was a reflection on a puddle. This photo is quite creepy in a way, the darkness of it create's a haunting feel, although the warmness of the soft orange window light is the opposite. 

The camera angle is pointing down as the subject she is shooting which is obviously very low. She has managed to capture the puddle keeping it's reflection and surroundings in focus. The leaves add to creativity and help define what the photo is of.

Rut Blees Luxemburg, 'Lovesong (Liebeslied)' 1997

This is my favourite of the three images we were given. I absolutely adore the colour contrast, the way the harsh above light has lit the stairs with a very yellow look while the stairs nearer to the photographer is orange and dark. The detail in this image is immence, even the graffiti drawings and scratches have been picked up with the camera which really portrays the area she is photographing and her theme of this series of photos being The City. It is obviously a stairway she has come across in the City, the camera angle seems to be slightly lower as if she held the camera one step before the top of the stairs. She has managed to capture both hand rails and kept the curve like shape to the wall also.
    The Graffiti suggests a private form of communication, usually graffiti is known to ruin newly built buildings, created by young adults known for violent and useless drawings, however this piece seems like Luxemburg has really considered the place to photograph.
Below is a quote of Luxemburg from a quick interview she had with David Campany back in 1999.

"...For me the Liebeslied was this elusive writing on the wall which seemed always more than just graffiti or some quick communication. Even when I first saw it was indecipherable. I think that the writer tried to eradicate it. Just after they’d written it. And now it has become a stain or trace, adding to all the other stains on the surface of the city. I like the curves, they are so baroque that they suggest something much more palatial, or sacred, instead of a cold outdoor space.It looks like a very private form of communication, the opposite of most graffiti or street writing which might tend to be a disenfranchised citizen announcing something to the world in general."

(http://www.union-gallery.com/content.php?page_id=653)
In some ways i was right about the graffiti, only i find the way she talks in this particular interview very interesting. She see's the city as an uncontrollable place, finding impossible places and photographing them in ways that make the general un-noticed places of the city a beautifully documented and appealing place to look at.


Richard Wentworth

Richard Wentworth, 'Bottlestick'

Wentworth being a sculptor, urban explorer and photographer has lived in King's Cross for around about 25 years which could explain some of his photo's. Most of his photo's including this one have been taken in the area he lives, documenting the contours of the inner City, the flow of urban life, the things that change and that never do are all portrayed throughout.
This one in particular is somewhat a different approach to how Luxemburg portrays the city. For example Wentworth has chosen to photograph a photo of an empty bottle wedged in between a tree and a piece of wood that looks to be supporting the tree. The orange of the bark is contrasting to the slight yellow of liquid left in the plastic bottle. The grey surroundings of the pavement helps elluminate the subjects in focus, also by having the camera at such a low camera angle draws the viewer in.

Richard Wentworth - 'Tirana' from the series 'Making do and getting by' (1999)

This image is one from a famous series of photos called 'Making do and getting by' which was made in 1999. Wentworth known for focusing on the idea of transformation and alteration in everyday objetcts which was used for this particular series of work. Looking at his photo's our perception of the world is changing too, because of the alteration of the objects and their symbolism he has focused on.
This photo is interesting, a low camera angle used to capture reflective metals against part of a wall or side walk, also non-reflective substances like plastic can be seen.
The photo is very dark, with a green that almost overcomes the photo. With the objects he has chosen being reflective really captures your eye when you first look at the image, it makes you search for a meaning. The camera is very close to the subject, Wentworth focuses on the items but has also managed to keep the detail of the pavement and wall behind in focus. 

Vera Lutter

Vera Lutter, San Marco, Venice, XX:December 3, 2005

Lutter has a very unique way of photographing the City especially when compared to the previous artists. When taking photo's she chooses to retain the negative rather than reprinting to create a positive. Each photo taken transforms the image with its visual differences to most images and photographers.
This image is a landscape view of Vera Lutter in Venice. She has chosen to pick out the parts of the buildings with the most detail, the lengthy tower and odd shapes of the buildings. What makes this photo unique is how the negative has opposite light effects, for example if this was printed a positive the dark parts would be white and vis versa.
 The camera angle is more or less eye level, what confuses me is the dark patches of the pavement that have a wave like look to them. The detail of the tiled floor can also be seen. I have found a quote from an interview she has had in the past.

"Instability, uncertainty, suspense, and monumentality are entities that I consider and think about; they generate work."--Vera Lutter

(http://www.gagosian.com/exhibitions/24th-street-2007-03-vera-lutter/)
The quote helps explain the theme of this photo, dark and mysterious, one that also asks the viewer to question it. The image has a ghostly feel to it, uncertainty definitely comes through in the image but more to the viewer. Capturing the City in this way completely changes the way we see it.

Vera Lutter, 333 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL'. (2001)

This is another of Lutter's images, a portrait of Michigan that looks as if to be a night photo but is actually natural light. The negative makes it look darker and more surreal. The camera angle is high possibly taken from another building, and still she has managed to keep the height of the building's into the frame and kept there proportions. 

It being a negative i can imagine Chicago look's similar to this at night, the lit windows, long quiet roads. That is another point, it must of been very early to be able to take such a photo of a road and it be empty of cars and people. Lutter has a very unique way of photography, a simple style that creates photo's unlike any other.

Comparison

After studying the images given i have found them all to be similar in there own way. For example Luxemburg has a way of focusing very close to the subject, picking up detail of the City that would normly be overlooked and a common sight. However her photo's seem to portray the City in a strong colourful sight, using reflections and colour to change the mood. 

Compared to Wentworth, he also has a close approach to his subject's. A similar detail can be seen in the objects however it seems as though his photos are 'set up' in a way which is the opposite of Luxemburg. The two photo's by Wentworth are dark and mysterious, both with a slight bit of colour as the objects in general are the main focus. Without the use of a lot of colour, it doesn't distract the eye from the initial objects he has chosen to photograph.

Lutter has a completely different approach to photographing the City compared to both Luxemburg and Wentworth. She chooses to use the negative instead of a positive which leaves it in black and white, the use of light tends to darken her images which both have a similar haunting mood.

Lutter photographs the city as a whole instead of objects found or come across like the previous photographers.

The three photographers all have a similar way of photographing the City but the meanings behind their work are all different. 

3 photo's one idea - environment tutorial notes

Robert Doisneau

A photographer’s life

Author – PETER HAMILTON

(p322 Pre’vert au Gueridon (Jacques Pre’vert and dog), 

at a quai St. Bernard bistro, Paris, Fith Arrondissment, 1955.)

When studying this photograph the first thing I noticed was how comfortable and relaxed the old man looks. The composition of the photograph as been timed perfectly with his dog by his side you get that sense of ‘a mans best friend’ slip into the photo. The one wine glass makes it clear he is on his own, smoking also gives the man character.

It looks as if he is in some sort of park watching passers by, the light is natural while the camera angle is very slightly looking down at the man, I think the distance away from the man lets the viewer have a better understanding of the man himself.

This photo is actually a series of photos, all with this man looking away from the camera smoking. Doisneau was known to bring a poetic feel to his photos, especially this series of ‘Pre’vert’ the man in the photograph. After meeting him he ended up traveling a lot in Paris which later influenced his photos.

Robert Doisneau

A photographer’s life

Author – PETER HAMILTON 

(221. Passerelle et fume’e ) Foot bridge and Smoke

Villeneuve-St.Georges,m 1946

This is another very isolated photo, one with the smoke and person has been accurately caught on camera causing it to have an almost threatening feel towards it.

The camera angle seems slightly higher than the person, capturing a little of the train station around her. The smoke that is intruding the photo is from the steam trains that are passing under the bridge.

It seems to be natural lighting, it’s quite dark and the sky looks as if it was a cloudy rainy day. Even the person on the bridge looks as if they are wearing some sort of jacket/coat. This is a very dark image, however the texture and focus on the bridge is clear, I do like the bolts either side of the rails and the gaps in between each wooden plank. At this point in time Doisneau decided to focus on pother things rather than the fashion side of photography which was known to be popular at this time.

Robert Doisneau

A photographer’s life

Author – PETER HAMILTON

(204. Au bon coin, St.Denis, 1947)

This image is similar to the other images of Doisneau’s work I have chosen to look at. I love the isolation and the detail that can be seen in the cobbled street. The way the camera angle is, he has managed to capture the entire building in the frame as well as its surroundings. By Doisneau being further away from the building it has also helped included the entire building and a lone person.

This dark image was taken with natural light and it seems as if the weather was bad as the reflection of water can be seen on the street floor.

I really love the lone person included in the photo, the distance away also makes that person seem smaller than if close.

My Idea

 I have stumbled across this artist after searching through ‘the photo book’ I found a couple of images I liked. After researching his work I have chosen four images I think best influence my idea.

Firstly, I want my images to have a sense of Isolation, the buildings but also the people. With all the photos I have chosen each one have a similar deserted like street with one or two people walking along it. Also a cobbled street aspect which I think will be important to include in my shoot. 

The photo’s I have chosen all seem to have a sense of loneliness, a hectic city/town with an interesting lone person, making the surrounding street and building become more distant and vague like the people in them. To capture this idea at the right time of day will be a challenge for me as there is always a continuous rush to get to work, school etc… The light in the day doesn’t last as long anymore so I think it will prove difficult to capture such a deserted place.